Anansi
In short: A spider figure found under several names in Akan storytelling from West Africa and in the Caribbean.
Character
How does it work in the tale?
In Suriname he uses a rope to set Whale against Elephant. In a different tale from the Virgin Islands collection, he works with Tekoma. One tale gives him a scheme of his own, the other gives him a partner.
Whose strength does the rope reveal?
In the Herskovits collection from Suriname, Anansi brings a whale and an elephant to opposite ends of one rope. Each animal believes it is testing its strength against Anansi. Readers know who is at both ends and can see how a pull from one side is misread on the other.