"I can read your mind!" Anansi said to God.
"Go tell the blacksmith to make what I'm thinking," said God.
Anansi then lurked near God's house, listening.
A bird asked God, "What is the blacksmith making?"
"Sun, Moon, and Stars," said God.
Anansi ran to the blacksmith and told him to make Sun, Moon, and Stars, and then Anansi brought them to God.
As soon as they got there, the Sun and Moon started fighting. Sun was throwing fire, and Moon was throwing water, so God threw the Sun and the Moon, and the Stars too, up in the sky.
Inspired by: Folklore of the Antilles by Elsie Clews Parsons.
Notes: You can see Parsons' story and notes here. Parsons heard the story from Michael Richard, also known as "Boss Mike." This version doesn't say what happened during the fight, so I added the part about God throwing them all up into the sky. After this part of the story, it goes on to describe Anansi working in God's field where the cow-itch is growing. For an elaborate version of this story, where Anansi disguises himself as that bird (a detail which has become obscured in this version), see the first story in Animal Fables and Other Tales: African Tales in the New World by Enid F. D'Oyley.
Notes: You can see Parsons' story and notes here. Parsons heard the story from Michael Richard, also known as "Boss Mike." This version doesn't say what happened during the fight, so I added the part about God throwing them all up into the sky. After this part of the story, it goes on to describe Anansi working in God's field where the cow-itch is growing. For an elaborate version of this story, where Anansi disguises himself as that bird (a detail which has become obscured in this version), see the first story in Animal Fables and Other Tales: African Tales in the New World by Enid F. D'Oyley.
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