Anansi

Anansi, or Ananse, takes the form of a spider, which is what his name means, and stands for stories, wisdom and cunning. In tales from southern Ghana he outwits stronger opponents.

In one tale he flew in a cloak of bird feathers to learn the name of a yam for the sky god Nyame, and became Nyame's messenger. The tales crossed to the Americas with the Atlantic slave trade.