# Jamaica Anansi Stories

Jamaica Anansi Stories
BY MARTHA WARREN BECKWITH
WITH MUSIC RECORDED IN THE FIELD BY HELEN ROBERTS
NEW YORK PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOLK-LORE SOCIETY G. E. STECHERT & CO., Agents 1924
Copyright 1924 BY THE AMERICAN FOLK-LORE SOCIETY
All rights reserved
Printed in Germany Buchdruckerei und Verlagsanstalt Bad Wörishofen 1923
MEMOIRS OF
The American Folk-Lore Society.
VOLUME XVII.
1924.
CONTENTS.
| | | PAGE |
| Contents | Contents | v |
| Preface | Preface | xi |
| Animal Stories. ||
| 1. | Tying Tiger | 1 |
| | a. The Fish-basket | 1 |
| | b. The Storm | 2 |
| 2. | Tiger as Substitute | 3 |
| | a. The King's Two Daughters | 3 |
| | b. The Gub-gub Peas | 4 |
| 3. | Tiger as Riding-horse | 5 |
| 4. | Tiger's Sheep-skin Suit | 6 |
| 5. | Tiger Catching the Sheep-thief | 8 |
| | a. The Escape | 8 |
| | b. The Substitute | 8 |
| | c. In the House-top | 9 |
| 6. | Tiger's Breakfast | 11 |
| 7. | Eggs and Scorpions | 11 |
| 8. | Tiger's Bone-hole | 12 |
| 9. | The Christening | 12 |
| 10. | Eating Tiger's Guts | 13 |
| | a. The Tell-tale | 13 |
| | b. The Monkeys' Song | 13 |
| 11. | Throwing Away Knives | 14 |
| | a. Tiger and Anansi | 14 |
| | b. Sheep and Anansi | 14 |
| 12. | Grace before Meat | 14 |
| | a. Monkey and Anansi | 14 |
| | b. Goat and Anansi | 15 |
| 13. | Day-time Trouble | 15 |
| | a. Rabbit and Anansi | 15 |
| | b. Rat and Anansi | 16 |
| | c. Goat and Anansi | 16 |
| 14. | New Names | 17 |
| 15. | Long-shirt | 18 ​ |
| 16. | Shut up in the Pot | 19 |
| 17. | House in the Air | 20 |
| | a. Tracking Anansi | 20 |
| | b. Rabbit and Children going up to Heaven | 20 |
| | c. Duppy's House in the Air | 21 |
| | d. Carencro's House with a Key | 21 |
| 18. | Goat on the Hill-side | 22 |
| 19. | Dog and Dog-head | 22 |
| 20. | Tacoomah's Corn-piece | 23 |
| 21. | Anansi and the Tar-baby | 23 |
| | a. The Escape from Tiger | 23 |
| | b. The Substitute | 24 |
| | c. The Grave | 25 |
| 22. | Inside the Cow | 26 |
| 23. | Cunnie-More-Than-Father | 27 |
| 24. | The Duckano Tree | 31 |
| 25. | Food and Cudgel | 31 |
| | a. The Handsome Packey | 31 |
| | b. The Knife and Fork | 32 |
| 26. | The Riddle | 33 |
| 27. | Anansi and Brother Dead | 34 |
| | a. Brother Dead's Wife | 34 |
| | b. Goat and Plantain | 35 |
| 28. | Brother Dead and the Brindle Puppy | 35 |
| 29. | The Cowitch and Mr. Foolman | 36 |
| 30. | Dry-head and Anansi | 37 |
| | a. Go-long-go | 37 |
| | b. Dry-head | 38 |
| | c. Brother Dead | 39 |
| 31. | The Yam-hills | 39 |
| 32. | The Law against Back-biting | 40 |
| | a. Duck's Dream | 40 |
| | b. Guinea-chick | 41 |
| | c. Dry-head at the Barber's | 42 |
| 33. | Fling-a-mile | 42 |
| 34. | But-but and Anansi | 44 |
| 35. | Tumble-bug and Anansi | 45 |
| 36. | Horse and Anansi | 46 |
| 37. | Anansi in Monkey Country | 47 |
| | a. Bunya | 47 |
| | b. Christen Christen | 47 ​ |
| 38. | Curing the Sick | 48 |
| | a. The Fishes | 48 |
| | b. The Six Children | 48 |
| 39. | Anansi, White-belly and Fish | 50 |
| 40. | Goat's Escape | 51 |
| | a. The Rain | 51 |
| | b. The Dance (1) | 52 |
| | The Dance (2) | 52 |
| 41. | Turtle's Escape | 53 |
| 42. | Fire and Anansi | 53 |
| 43. | Quit-quit and Anansi | 53 |
| | a. Tailors and Fiddlers | 53 |
| | b. Fiddlers | 54 |
| 44. | Spider Marries Monkey's Daughter | 54 |
| 45. | The Chain of Victims | 55 |
| 46. | Why Tumble-bug Rolls in the Dung | 56 |
| 47. | Why John-crow has a Bald Head | 56 |
| | a. The Baptism | 56 |
| | b. The Dance | 57 |
| 48. | Why Dog is always Looking | 57 |
| 49. | Why Rocks at the River are Covered with Moss | 57 |
| 50. | Why Ground-dove Complains | 58 |
| 51. | Why Hog is always Grunting | 58 |
| 52. | Why Toad Croaks | 58 |
| 53. | Why Woodpecker Bores Wood | 59 |
| 54. | Why Crab is Afraid after Dark | 59 |
| 55. | Why Mice are no Bigger | 59 |
| 56. | Rat's Wedding | 60 |
| 57. | Cockroach Stories | 61 |
| | a. Cock's Breakfast | 61 |
| | b. Feigning Sick (1) | 61 |
| | Feigning Sick (2) | 62 |
| | c. The Drum | 62 |
| 58. | Hunter, Guinea-hen and Fish | 63 |
| 59. | Rabbit Stories | 64 |
| | a. The Tar Baby | 64 |
| | b. Saying Grace | 64 |
| | c. Pretending Dead | 65 |
| 60. | The Animal Race | 65 |
| | a. Horse and Turtle | 65 |
| | b. Pigeon and Parrot | 66 ​ |
| 61. | The Fasting Trial (fragment) | 67 |
| 62. | Man is Stronger | 67 |
| Old Stories, chiefly of Sorcery. ||
| 63. | The Pea that Made a Fortune | 69 |
| 64. | Settling the Father's Debt | 69 |
| 65. | Mr. Lenaman's Corn-field | 70 |
| 66. | Simon Tootoos | 71 |
| 67. | The Tree-wife | 74 |
| 68. | Sammy the Comferee | 75 |
| 69. | Grandy Do-an'Do | 77 |
| 70. | Jack and Harry | 79 |
| 71. | Pea-fowl as Messenger | 80 |
| | a. John Studee | 80 |
| | b. Contavio | 82 |
| 72. | The Barking Puppy | 82 |
| 73. | The Singing Bird | 83 |
| | a. Fine Waiting Boy | 83 |
| | b. The Golden Cage | 84 |
| 74. | Two Sisters | 85 |
| 75. | Assonah | 86 |
| 76. | The Greedy Child | 87 |
| | a. Crossing the River | 87 |
| | b. The Plantain | 87 |
| 77. | Alimoty and Aliminty | 88 |
| 78. | The Fish Lover | 89 |
| | a. Timbo Limbo | 89 |
| | b. Fish Fish Fish | 91 |
| | c. Dear Old Juna | 91 |
| 79. | Juggin Straw Blue | 92 |
| 80. | The Witch and the Grain of Peas | 93 |
| 81. | Bosen Corner | 94 |
| 82. | The Three Dogs | 96 |
| | a. Boy and Witch Woman | 96 |
| | b. Lucy and Janet | 99 |
| 83. | Andrew and His Sisters | 99 |
| 84. | The Hunter | 101 |
| | a. The Bull turned Courter | 101 |
| | b. The Cow turned Woman | 102 |
| 85. | Man-Snake as Bridegroom | 103 |
| | a. The Rescue (1) | 103 |
| | The Rescue (2) | 104 |
| | b. Snake Swallows the Bride | 104 ​ |
| 86. | The Girls who Married the Devil | 105 |
| | a. The Devil-husband | 105 |
| | b. The Snake-husband | 106 |
| 87. | Bull as Bridegroom | 108 |
| | a. Nancy | 108 |
| | b. The Play-song | 109 |
| | c. Gracie and Miles | 110 |
| 88. | The Two Bulls | 111 |
| 89. | Ballinder Bull | 113 |
| 90. | Bird Arinto | 115 |
| 91. | Tiger Softens his Voice | 116 |
| 92. | Hidden Names | 118 |
| | a. Anansi and Mosquito | 118 |
| | b. Anansi plays Baby (1) | 118 |
| | Anansi plays Baby (2) | 119 |
| | Anansi plays Baby (3) | 119 |
| 93. | Anansi and Mr. Able | 120 |
| 94. | The King's Three Daughters | 121 |
| 95. | The Dumb Child | 121 |
| 96. | The Dumb Wife | 123 |
| 97. | Leap, Timber, Leap | 124 |
| | a. Old Conch | 124 |
| | b. Grass-quit (fragment) | 126 |
| 98. | The Boy fools Anansi | 126 |
| 99. | The Water-crayfish | 127 |
| Modern European Stories. ||
| 100. | Ali Baba and Kissem | 129 |
| 101. | Bull-of-all-the-land | 130 |
| 102. | The Boiling Pot | 131 |
| 103. | The Twelve One-eyed Men | 133 |
| 104. | Bird and Hunter | 134 |
| 105. | Jack and the Devil Errant | 135 |
| 106. | The Magic Hat and the Staff of Life | 139 |
| 107. | Uncle Green and Jack | 141 |
| 108. | Big Begum and Little Begum | 143 |
| 109. | The Fool and the Wise Brother | 145 |
| 110. | The Children and the Witch | 146 |
| 111. | The Boy and the Mermaid (fragment) | 117 |
| 112. | Difficult Tasks (fragment) | 147 |
| 113. | The Grateful Beasts | 148 |
| 114. | Jack and the Bean-stalk | 149 ​ |
| 115. | Jack and the Devil | 150 |
| 116. | Jack's Riddle | 150 |
| 117. | Jack as Fortune-teller | 151 |
| 118. | Robin as Fortune-teller | 151 |
| 119. | Jack and the Grateful Dead | 152 |
| 120. | The Boy and his Master | 153 |
| 121. | The Language of Beasts | 154 |
| 122. | The Three Pieces of Advice | 155 |
| 123. | Three Brothers and the Life-tree | 156 |
| 124. | The Skilful Brothers | 158 |
| 125. | The Three Sillies | 158 |
| 126. | A Misunderstanding | 159 |
| 127. | Big-head, Big-belly and Little-foot (a and b) | 160 |
| 128. | The Goat in the Lion's Den | 160 |
| 129. | The Donkey, The Cat and the Lion's Head | 161 |
| 130. | Clever Molly May | 162 |
| 131. | Dancing to Anansi's Fiddle | 162 |
| 132. | Anansi Claims the Dinner | 163 |
| 133. | Anansi Seeks his Fortune | 163 |
| 134. | The Pannier-jar | 163 |
| 135. | Anansi kills his Grandmother | 164 |
| 136. | White-belly and Anansi | 164 |
| 137. | Monkey hunts Anansi | 165 |
| 138. | Anansi and the Pig Coming from Market | 166 |
| Song and Dance. ||
| 139. | The Fifer | 169 |
| 140. | In Come Murray | 170 |
| 141. | Tacoomah Makes a Dance | 170 |
| 142. | Anansi Makes a Dance | 171 |
| 143. | Red Yam | 173 |
| 144. | Guzzah Man | 175 |
| 145. | Fowl and Pretty Poll | 176 |
| 146. | The Cumbolo | 176 |
| 147. | John-crow and Fowl at Court | 177 |
| 148. | Wooden Ping-ping and Cock | 177 |
| 149. | Animal Talk | 178 |
| Witticisms | Witticisms | 179 |
| Riddles | Riddles | 183 |
| Index to Riddles | Index to Riddles | 219 |
| Abbreviations of Titles | Abbreviations of Titles | 223 |
| Notes to the Tales | Notes to the Tales | 233 |
| Index to Informants | Index to Informants | 291 |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1985, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 38 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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