Anansi and The Chest of Stories

Summary

Super Great Kids’ Stories – Anansi and the Chest of Stories

Podcast: Super Great Kids' Stories
Episode: Anansi and The Chest of Stories
Date: July 23, 2026
Host: Wardour Studios / Narrator
Storyteller: Toup

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Episode Overview

This episode from the Super Great Kids’ Stories archive brings to life the classic West African folktale "Anansi and the Chest of Stories," performed by the dynamic storyteller Toup. The episode centers on the infamous trickster spider, Anansi, and his quest to win the chest containing all the world's stories from Nyami, the sky God. Through wit, teamwork, and trickery—with the hidden genius of his wife Asu—Anansi tackles a series of near-impossible tasks in true folk hero fashion.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. Setting the Stage: Anansi’s Ambition

• The storyteller warms up listeners with a traditional call-and-response:
  • Toup: “If I was to say to you, Crick, could you reply, Crack. Let’s go, Crick.”
  • Anansi (as audience): “Crack.” [01:22]
• Toup introduces Anansi as a legendary figure from West Africa, “half man and half spider,” and a forebear of the nursery rhyme spider, Incy Wincy.
  • Memorable Quote: “You know Anansi is the great, great grandfather of Incy Wincy Spider.” [01:24]
• Anansi covets Nyami’s magical chest, containing all the stories, dreams, and traditions of the world.
  • Anansi: “If I could get that chest, can you imagine what a great storyteller I would become?” [01:52]

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2. Challenge 1: Capture the Jaguar

• Nyami tasks Anansi: “Bring me the jaguar and maybe I will think about it.” [03:42]
• Asu, Anansi’s clever wife, inspires his plans by cooking a special pepper soup, stimulating Anansi’s creativity.
• Anansi fashions a trap with spicy ginger drink favored by jaguars. The jaguar falls in and is deftly delivered to the sky God.
• Nyami remains unmoved: “What my hand has touched remains mine. But Anansi, you cannot get the chest just like that. You must bring me something else.” [06:47]

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3. Challenge 2: Capture the Hornets

• Next, Nyami demands: “Bring me the hornet’s nest, those that sting like fire.” [06:52]
• Anansi consults Asu again, who inspires another clever trick: using water to simulate rain and a calabash to offer “shelter” to the hornets.
• The hornets retreat into the calabash, only to be trapped.
• Again, Nyami is impressed but unrelenting, assigning a final, trickiest quest.

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4. Challenge 3: Capture the Invisible Forest Spirit

• Nyami’s ultimatum: “If you can bring for me the forest spirit, the one you cannot see, then maybe I will consider giving you the chest of stories.” [09:30]

• Asu’s magic in the kitchen sparks Anansi’s third idea.

• Anansi builds a honey-smeared doll from reeds, which attracts a passing, unseen forest spirit. The spirit interacts, becomes stuck, and is ultimately captured:

  • Forest Spirit/Voice:
    • “Why don’t you greet me? Ashe. Ashe. O Ashe. If you don’t greet me, I’m going to hit you.” [13:02]
    • “Ah! I’m stuck. I’m stuck. It’s sticky. I’m stuck. If you don’t let me go, I’m gonna hit you again. Bam.” [13:19]
    • “You got my hands. You got my leg. But I’ve got one more leg left. If you don’t let me go, I’m gonna kick you. I don’t want to. Ah.” [13:50]
    • “Ah. I can’t get out. I’m stuck. I’m stuck.” [14:11]

• Anansi returns with the spirit to the sky God, who is finally awed by the impossible feat.

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5. Triumphant… And Tricked by Fate

• Nyami rewards Anansi:
  • Nyami: “Anansi, you have done well. I will give you what you ask. Anansi, the stories are yours.” [15:11]
• As Anansi returns to earth, chest in tow, a gust of wind blows it open—the stories, dreams, and wishes scatter across the world.
• Toup’s closing reflection:
  • “Maybe you will find a story and you will pick that story up and tell that story as I found this story to tell to you. And so my story of Anansi has ended. Crick crack.” [17:12]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Toup (on Anansi's reputation): “What most people don’t know is that Asu, Anansi’s wife, she is the one who always gives Anansi the good ideas...” [04:00]
• Toup (on scapegoating): “Asu, she is the one who gives Anansi all of his best ideas. And she knows how to get to Anansi’s mind.” [10:00]
• Nyami (final reward): “Anansi, you have done well. I will give you what you ask.” [15:11]
• Toup (on stories): “Stories grew up from the ground. Maybe you will find a story and you will pick that story up and tell that story as I found this story to tell to you.” [16:40]

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Important Timestamps

• 01:22 – Call-and-response story introduction (“Crick, Crack!”)
• 03:42 – First task: capture the jaguar
• 06:52 – Second task: hornet’s nest
• 09:30 – Third task: invisible forest spirit
• 13:02-14:11 – Humorous dialogue with the forest spirit
• 15:11 – Anansi’s triumph and reward
• 16:40 – The stories scatter across the world
• 17:12 – Story conclusion (“Crick crack”)

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Episode Tone & Style

Toup’s narration is warm, musical, and participatory, using lively dialogue and repeated folk motifs (“Crick Crack!”) to draw children (and adults) into the rhythm of the tale. The tone is playful and clever, much like Anansi himself, and rich with cultural wisdom: the importance of teamwork, cleverness, and oral tradition.

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Summary

In this vivid retelling, listeners learn not only about Anansi’s cunning but also the crucial, creative role of his wife Asu. The story fuses fun, suspense, humor, and cultural heritage, echoing the Afro-diasporic tradition’s philosophy: stories belong to all of us, scattered like seeds, waiting to be found, retold, and cherished.

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Transcript

[Anansi]

Foreign.

[Narrator]

Hello and welcome to the Best of Super Great Kids Stories. We're releasing one popular story from our archive on a Wednesday in the middle of each month. The story this month is Anansi and the Chest of Stories and it's told by the inimitable Toup. It was first featured on the podcast in February 2022. Anansi, the Trickster spider, wants Niami, the sky God's box of stories. But it's not going to be easy. He has to face lots of challenges to get it. But with a little trickery, anything is possible. Listen to Toop telling this lively story from West Africa.

[Toup]

You know, in all parts of the world they have different ways of introducing a story. If I was to say to you, Crick, could you reply, Crack. Let's go, Crick.

[Anansi]

Crack.

[Toup]

Yes. Here is a story about Anansi, who is a trickster, a Niami, the sky God. You know Anansi is half man and half spider. And you know Anansi is the great, great grandfather of. Of incy wincy spider. And you know Anansi comes from Africa, West Africa. Well, Anansi one day was thinking to himself, you know something? I've heard that the sky God Nyami has a chest. And in that chest there are all the stories, all the wishes, all the dreams, all the sayings, all the traditions from all over the world. Ah, says Anansi, if I could get that chest, can you imagine what a great storyteller I would become? Anansi threw his web high up into the sky until a wind took it and drew that gossamer thread high into the heavens. And there was Niamey, the sky God. Anansi scuttled over saying, Naomi. Naomi, he said. Naami, the sky God. Anansi, why you come for see me? Oh, said Anansi, Because I heard that you have a wonderful, magical, beautiful chest. And in this chest there are all the stories, the dreams, the wishes, the languages from all the world. I. I, Anansi, wish to have this chest. And if I could have this chest, the stories I will share amongst all the people. Hey, said Nyami, this chest is very valuable. I cannot give it to you like that. If you want the chest, you will have to bring me something.

[Anansi]

What?

[Toup]

Says Anansi. What is it you would like? Bring me the jaguar. Bring me the jaguar and maybe I will think about it. Anansi threw his web down to the earth, climbed down and went home to see his wife. As he sat there scratching his head, his wife, whose name is Asu, she came to him and said, anansi, why are you sitting there scratching your head? And Nancy said, because I mean to see the sky God, Nyami. He said to me that he wants a jaguar. The jaguar, they bite. How am I going to get a jaguar? What most people don't know is that Asu, Anansi's wife, she is the one who always gives Anansi the good ideas, for she cooked for him some very nice flavored peppers. Anansi drank that soup, and when he drinks sea soup, he gets the best ideas. Anansi, he had some ginger bear spiced up in a calabash bowl. Anansi, he went out into the forest. He dug a hole. He laid that spicy ginger drink in the calabash down in the base of the hole. Then Anansi, he covered over that hole and went into a bush and waited. What you may not know is that jaguars, they love ginger bear. And that jaguar smelt it and came sniffing close to where that hole was, not realizing it was covered over with twigs and leaves. The jaguar fell down and was in the hole. The jaguar, not being able to climb out, began to drink and drink that ginger drink. And before you know it, the jaguar fell fast asleep at the base of that hole. And Nancy jumped out from his hiding place. He had his large sack. He wrapped up that jaguar into the sack. He threw his gossamer thread up into the heavens and. And the wind took it and led Anansi to the realm of the ancestors. Nyame, the sky God, Anansi said, I have brought for you the jaguar. Niami, the sky God, stretched out his hands and said, what my hand has touched remains mine. But Anansi, you cannot get the chest just like that. You must bring me something else.

[Anansi]

What? Said Anansi, what now?

[Toup]

Bring me the hornet's nest, those that sting like fire.

[Anansi]

Oh.

[Toup]

Anansi threw down his gossamer thread back down to earth, and once again he went home. And he sat there scratching his head. His wife Asu, she came to him saying, anansi, what you doing there scratching your head? Anansi said, well, I been to see the sky God. I gave him what he wanted. He gave me another task. I have to go and get the hornets nest. And they sting like fire. What am I going to do? I sue. She is the one who gives Nancy the inspiration for ideas. She cooked him that nice hot pepper soup. Anansi drank it up, and before you know it, he said to Assu, assu, I have a plan. Come get your calabash, fill it with water and let us make our way out into the forest. They came to an iroka tree which grew in the forest. Anansi said, climb, climb into the tree and throw down some of the water from your calabash. Asu climbed up into the tree above the hornets nest which were buzzing around. Anansi. He stood underneath the hornets nest, looking up at them. He said, hornets, the monsoon is coming. The rain is falling. At this moment, Asu, she began to throw down water on top of that hornet's nest. Hey, said Anansi, can't you see you all will be flooded. Look, I have a calabash. Why don't you come inside of my calabash and keep warm? The hornet's nest, it began to get wet and saturated with water. And before you knew it, one hornet went into the calabash, then another, then another.

[Anansi]

Thank you Anansi, thank you Anansi.

[Toup]

And before you know it, all of the hornets that sting like fire, they were all in the calabash. Anansi put the lid on the calabash and they could not get out. Anansi threw his gossamer thread up into the heavens. The wind caught it and pulled Anansi up, up into the realm of the ancestors where Niami sat. Anansi said, I've brought what you requested. In this calabash is hornets. Naami stretched forth his hands and said, what my hand has touched remains mine. But Anansi, you cannot get the chest that easily. Ah, said Anansi, you're playing with me. You're playing with me. Now come on, give me the thing of which I ask. I've brought you what you requested. But the sky God, said Anansi, last task. If you can bring for me the forest spirit, the one you cannot see, then maybe I will consider giving you the chest of stories. With that, Anansi threw down his gossamer thread towards the earth. He descended and when he reached home, he sat there and he was scratching his head. Exactly. And before you know it, his wife Asu came and asked Anansi, what you doing there scratching your head? And Anansi said, oh, if you could only believe the problems I have with Niamey. He says I have to find a forest spirit. And you cannot see one, you cannot smell one. How are you going to know a forest spirit is there? Well, you know Asu, she is the one who gives Anansi all of his best ideas. And she knows how to get to Anansi's mind. And she cooked for him the hotel peppered soup. Exactly. And before you know it, Anansi drank up his soup. And he knew what to do. Anansi got some reeds that grow by the riverbank, and he cut them and fashioned them into a doll. And then Anansi, he got lots of sticky, sticky honey. And he smeared the honey all over that doll. And he put a little hat on that doll with some beads around its neck. And late in the night, Anansi went, taking his sticky doll into the forest and laid it down somewhere. Then he went away to hide. And as he was hiding, the moon came out and the stars started to shine above. And Anansi could hear. He could. He could feel something coming, moving. He could not see it, but he could just feel its presence. Then he heard some sweet, gentle voices

[Anansi]

saying, there's something here. Something in the woods. Hello. Why don't you answer me? Hello?

[Toup]

And Nancy was listening. He could hear this faint voice, could not see what was happening, but he could hear what was being said.

[Anansi]

Why don't you greet me? Ashe. Ashe. O Ashe. If you don't greet me, I'm going to hit you.

[Toup]

And before he knew it.

[Anansi]

Bam.

[Toup]

He could see that the model, it moved.

[Anansi]

Ah. Ah. Said the voice. I'm stuck. I'm stuck. It's sticky. I'm stuck. If you don't let me go, I'm gonna hit you again. Bam.

[Toup]

The figure moved again.

[Anansi]

Ah. Ah. Said the voice. Ah. Why are you holding me? If you don't let me go, I'm gonna kick you. I don't want to, but I will. Ah.

[Toup]

And once again, Anansi could see that the figure, it moved again.

[Anansi]

And now the figure said, you got my hands. You got my leg. But I've got one more leg left. If you don't let me go, I'm gonna kick you. I don't want to. Ah.

[Toup]

And before you know it, once again, the figure now was stuck to the honey.

[Anansi]

Ah. I can't get out. I'm stuck. I'm stuck.

[Toup]

And before you know it, Anansi knew he had something there. There was a forest spirit. Because his figure was moving around and around and around by itself. Something had hold of it. And Nancy had a large sack. And he put that sticky doll into his sack. He threw his web up into the sky. The wind took it high into the heavens to the house of Naomi, the sky God. Naomi said, did you bring for me that which you cannot see and that which you cannot touch? And Anansi said, yes, there inside the sack. And the sack, it was moving. And it was rolling around. And Nyami was surprised that Anansi was able to catch something which you cannot see and something which you cannot touch. Nyame's hand went forth and said, anansi, you have done well. I will give you what you ask. Anansi, the story are yours. And Anansi, he picked up that grand, beautiful ancestral chest and he put that upon his back. And Anansi threw down his gossamer thread towards earth and he started to make his way down his web. But the wind blew this way and that way, and Anansi was blown this way and that way. And before you know it, the chest upon Anansi's back, it slipped. And Anansi tried to catch it by the handle, but the lid flew open and all the stories and all the wishes and all the dreams flew out. And they flew all over the world, from one place to another. And Nancy, he grabbed as much as he could. He forced them back into the open lidded chest which he slammed down and tight. Those stories, they became known as Anansi stories. And many stories are told of Anansi the Spider man and other stories. They flew out into the world and they fell where they lay. And so stories grew up from the ground. Maybe you will find a story and you will pick that story up and tell that story as I found this story to tell to you. And so my story of Anansi has ended. Crick crack.

[Narrator]

If you like this story from our archive, There are over 300 traditional tales which are all available to our owlets who subscribe to Super Great Kids Stories. Happy listening,

[Anansi]

Sam.