~ 160. Anansi inside the Cow ~

Laura Gibbs · 160. Anansi inside the Cow

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"Show me where you get your beef!" Anansi told Tacoomah.

Tacoomah took Anansi to a cow.

"Say Open Sesame and go in," Tacoomah explained. "Then Shut Sesame. Take the fat, but don't cut the back-string. Then Open Sesame, come out, and Shut Sesame to close the cow."

Tacoomah went into the cow and came out with a basket of fat.

Anansi went in, but he got greedy and cut the back-string.

The cow died. Anansi was stuck!

Finally the cowboy came and cut open the cow.

When he washed the entrails in the river, Anansi jumped out and ran away.

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Inspired by: Jamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith
Notes: This is story 22 in the book. Beckwith heard this story from George Parkes; additional information in Beckwith's notes. In Parkes's story, Anansi follows the rules once, but cuts the back-string when he goes there alone the next day without Tacoomah. Also, he doesn't just run away in the end. Instead, he gets angry at the woman washing the entrails (it's the daughter of the cow's owner), accusing her of throwing entrails on him, so he demands a cow from her father as compensation.

~ 69. Anansi and Tacoomah's Fire ~

Laura Gibbs · 69. Anansi and Tacoomah's Fire

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Anansi's fire went out.

"Child," said Anansi, "go to Tacoomah and get fire."

Tacoomah gave the child some fire. "Take this beef-fat too!" Tacoomah said.

The child came back with fire and beef-fat.

"What's that nasty thing?" Anansi asked.

"Tacoomah gave it to me."

"Ugh!" said Anansi. "I'll throw it away."

Anansi was just pretending; he ate the beef-fat and wanted more.

Anansi poured water on the fire.

"Go get more fire!" he said to his other child.

The child came back with fire and beef-fat.

Anansi played the same trick and ate the beef-fat, while his children went hungry.

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Inspired by: Jamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith
Notes: This is story 22 in the book. Beckwith heard this story from George Parkes; additional information in Beckwith's notes. This is just the first part of Parkes's story. Next, Anansi goes to Tacoomah to find out where he's getting the good meat.

~ 182. Anansi and Dry-Head ~

Laura Gibbs · 182. Anansi and Dry-Head

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Anansi stole a cow, but he didn't want to share with his family; he made a fire right there to roast the cow.

Anansi wanted yams too, so he went digging.

Then he saw two eyes in the dirt. He kept digging: he dug up old devil Dry-Head!

Anansi tried to put Dry-Head back in the ground, but he wouldn't go.

"Take me to the fire," said Dry-Head, "or I'll burn you!"

Anansi tried to run, but his body started burning, so he came back and carried Dry-Head to the fire.

Dry-Head ate the whole cow; Anansi didn't get anything.

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Inspired by: Jamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith
Notes: This is story 22 in the book. Beckwith heard this story from George Parkes; additional information in Beckwith's notes. This is the final part of the long story: the cow Anansi is roasting is the one he got by tricking the master in this story, Anansi's Bath. Here is Beckwith's note about Dry-Head: "Dry-head is a man always hide himself in the bush to eat up what Anansi or Tacoomah have," Parkes says.--He figures as a kind of old man of the sea in the Anansi stories."

Anansi's Bath

Anansi was about to steal a cow when he heard the cowboy coming, so he decided to hide inside the cow.
"Open Sesame," Anansi said. He got inside the cow, then said "Shut Sesame."
The cowboy butchered the cow, then he gave the guts to his daughter.
"Go wash the cuts in the river," he told her.
When she put the guts in the river, Anansi jumped out.
"I was taking my bath," Anansi shouted, "and you threw nasty cow-guts on me! You must pay me for it."
They went back to the cowboy, and he gave Anansi a cow.

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Inspired by: Jamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith
Notes: This is story 22 in the book. Beckwith heard this story from George Parkes; additional information in Beckwith's notes. In the original story, it is the master's daughter, not the cowboy's daughter, who takes the entrails to the river. Also, Anansi was not hiding from the cowboy in the cow in the original story; instead, he was already in the cow whom he had killed by accident: Anansi inside the Cow.