~ 108. Anansi and Dove ~


Dove was planting peas. 
"Peas grow strong if you burn the roots," said Anansi.
Dove burned the roots, and the plants died.
Dove wanted revenge. 
He put his mother in a coffin and gave her a bag of money. Then he began sobbing. "My mother died!"
Anansi came running.
"Mother, send me something from heaven!" said Dove.
Dove's mother threw the money out of the coffin.
Anansi ran home and killed his mother, put her in a coffin, and said, "Mother, send me something from heaven!"
No money came out of the coffin.
That's how Dove got revenge on Anansi.


Inspired byJamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith
Notes: This is story 136 in the book. Beckwith heard this story from Richard Morgan; additional information in Beckwith's notes. The story is about "White-Belly," a wild dove. At the end,  the coffin lid rises up and then "stamps" on Anansi, but I left that part out and focused on the fact that Anansi killed his mother by greedily imitating White-Belly: 'De box raise up an' 'tamp him down flat. So Hanansi kill him ma, an' White Belly mudder save."



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