Anansesem
/ˌæn.ænˈsiː.sɛm/noun
A traditional Akan spider tale or folktale associated with the trickster figure Ananse.
Did you know?In Akan storytelling, Ananse is not merely a spider but a cunning culture hero whose stories explain how wisdom, once imagined as a single possession, became dispersed throughout the world.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial Akan tradition
Akan
Ananse
“A spider; the legendary trickster spider and culture hero”
Precolonial Akan tradition
Twi
asɛm
“A matter, affair, speech, story, or saying”
Precolonial Akan tradition
Twi
Anansesɛm
“Ananse’s story or a spider tale”
20th Century
English
anansesem
“A Ghanaian or Akan folktale tradition featuring Ananse”
Modern English
English
Anansesem
“A traditional Ananse story or story-telling genre”