There was a culture hero who lived in what is today’s West Africa. He was especially well known and praised by the Ashanti People of Ghana. He was none other than the spider Ananse, the trickster, the master of all the stories of the world after he bought the stories from Nyame the sky god but that is a tale for another time. Ananse also happened to be the one to spread argument through the world, writes Alessandra, recounting the well-known tale. A Different Truths exclusive for the Special Issue on Africa.

Once upon a time, long ago when all the land masses were as one and all the rivers of the lands fed but one mass of water that was the sea. There was a culture hero who lived in what is today’s West Africa. He was especially well known and praised by the Ashanti People of Ghana. He was none other than the spider Ananse, the trickster, the master of all the stories of the world after he bought the stories from Nyame the sky god but that is a tale for another time. Ananse also happened to be the one to spread argument through the world. This is a story about how the twelve tribes that existed in the world at the time in all corners of the land came together to end this plague that had spread through their tribes and lands over the last decade.

There was once a time in this world when arguments did not exist, people discussed their problems and even if they had a difference of opinion they resolved it through talk and by consulting the chiefs, elders and shamans of their tribe. But then there appeared a man who argued with everyone animal and man alike, he killed the animals that did not agree with him. When Ananse heard of this man he decided to meet him. But when Ananse met the man, he was intrigued by him as the man told him many fascinating tales, so Ananse invited the man to his house. When the man arrived at Ananse’s house he could not find Ananse, but his children fed the man the hottest of chillies which burnt the man’s mouth. He asked for water but Ananse’s children said they were afraid to pour water for him because the water at the top of the pot belonged to their father and they were afraid that if they poured the water, the water at the bottom may mix with the water at the top. After listening to this preposterous story the man could not stop himself and started arguing. When Ananse came and heard the man arguing he declared that the man must die as he continued arguing. So the spider killed the man and tore his body to pieces and threw the pieces everywhere and from that day forth the spirit of argument spread to every corner of the world. The effects of this began to show themselves as people who once discussed their problems and found solutions now argued over those very things, this continued on for a decade. By this time things were getting very heated as all these arguments had escalated to the point that many treaties that existed between the different tribes were under threat and it was vital that these treaties not break as it would disturb the peace and trade that had existed for such a long time. The elders and shamans of the twelve tribes decided to meet at the sacred cove by the river Nile to find a solution and restore the peace that existed but a decade ago. The twenty four members of the grand council of the world sat around the bonfire to talk and find a solution to the constant bickering and arguing that was quickly turning into the chief cause of all disputes and fights within and among all the tribes. As the night wore on and the moon rose higher and higher into the sky even the elders and shamans began to argue among themselves and were unable to come to an agreement among them. Among these sat a pair of twins that had come from the same region as Ananse. They were the elder and the shaman of the tribe and were also twins, they did not need words to communicate with each other and as they observed the chaos among their fellow men the seed of suspicion that had made itself a familiar companion over the last few years in their minds took root and they called a halt to all discussions and said that they may know the root cause for all the arguments. Once they had the attention of everyone present they told them the story they had heard about the man who argued and his death at the hands of Ananse the trickster. As fate would have it a very revered sorceress happened to be passing through the woods nearby and heard the whole story and came to their aid and said that she could travel to the nether world and ask her ancestors and the deity Ama if this was truly the reason for all the arguments and if there was a solution to their o’ so peculiar problem. Since she was one whose predictions and connection to the spirit world were very strong, her predictions and the information she got from the nether world were always accurate the council accepted her help to confirm their suspicion to be sure that the reason that the spirit of argument had spread around their world was truly because of the scattering of the pieces of the arguing man’s body and also to find a solution to their problem. So the sorceress set up an altar at the side of the river Nile, took out a Scrying bowl made of Ivory, then filled it with the water from the river and set it on her alter. She began to perform her rituals to connect with and talk to the spirits of her ancestors and the deity Ama. As she performed the rituals she entered the state of trance and the deity Ama showed her that the answer to her question as to how to end all the arguments and put the spirit of argument to rest lay with the Trickster Ananse as it all began because of his action of dispersing the remains of the arguing man, she also received a warning stating that Ananse would try to trick them and would not make it easy for them to bring an end to their problems as it was in his nature being a trickster to be cunning and tricky, that they should listen to every word he said carefully, repeat it to him and conform the meaning of his words. With this advice firmly set in her mind the sorceress came out of the trance, completed her rituals, and thanked her ancestors and the deity Ama. Then she finally turned to the council members to share that which she had learnt.

Once the council members heard what the Sorceress had to say they asked her to accompany them to Ananse to find the solution, to put an end to the arguments. The Sorceress agreed and went with them to the house of the Spider Ananse. When Ananse came before the council it was noon, the sun shone brightly high in the sky above them, Ananse was well aware about the issue they wanted to talk to him about and staying true to his nature of being a trickster could not resist the opportunity to stir up a bit of trouble and have the council members argue among themselves. So he declared that he would speak to only one of them and that they had to decide by sun down who among them would be the one to whom he spoke. The sorceress remembered the advice she had received from Ama and took the council aside before they could begin to argue and made them aware of the reason behind Ananse declaration. The council thought for a long time, they weighed out their option as to who should be the one to talk to Ananse about their problem but they could not get anywhere because each time they were about to decide on one person a new argument broke out, they tried their best to resist the temptation to argue but they were soon running out of time and with no other option left they turned toward the sorceress for help to pick one among them. Heeding to their needs and after some thought she chose to pick the elder among the twins. She explained as he was one who lived in the area, he knew more about Ananse than those present except for his brother. He should be the one to speak to Ananse and seeing that it was easy for him to communicate with his brother without words as they had once shared a womb the entire council could know what was going on as it was happening.

Just as the sun was about to set, the chosen council member stood in front of Ananse’s House. Ananse was both amused and shocked to see that the council had indeed succeeded in choosing one to represent them in the given time. Ananse invited the man into his home and asked him what was so important that the grand council had convened after centuries. The man told Ananse the problem they were facing and how it was threatening the treaties that the last grand council had signed. He also told Ananse that they came looking for him because he was the only one who could help them end all this argument. Ananse immediately replied saying that he would gladly help them by telling them what must be done but they would have to do it and within the time frame given to them by Ananse, the council man immediately heard his brother’s voice telling him that he should remember the warning they had received from the sorceress and so the council man asked Ananse when he said “they” does it mean the council or Any member of the twelve tribes. Ananse smiled upon hearing this and said that the chief of each tribe would have to choose just one member from their tribe and the chosen ones would have to go as a single group and find the remains of the arguing man which were torn into six pieces and that the six pieces lay in six different locations across the world. They had to do so within the next six moon cycles, he proceeded to give the locations of the six pieces to the council man. The six pieces were located in the deepest lake, the highest mountain, the darkest forest, the coldest cave, the hottest desert and the largest swamp known to man. He gave a divining rod to the council man and told him that this would help the warriors in locating the pieces once they reached the location, he also warned the council man saying that the whole group would have to be of one mind if they were to complete the monumental task within the given time, if they were successful they were to return all the pieces to him and he would then tell them what needed to be done next. With these words he bid the council man farewell and showed him to the door. As the council man reached the door he again heard the voice of his brother prompting him to ask Ananse how much time they had to choose the group before they were to head out on their quest. Heeding to his brother’s words the council man turned to Ananse at the thresh hold of his house and asked him the question to which Ananse replied with a chuckle that the group were to set out on the quest the following full moon which meant they had but twenty days to make their choice. The council members were anxiously waiting for the council man to return at his house so that they could discuss their next course of action as they had so little time and so much to do.

When the council man returned home he was thankful that the council members and the Sorceress knew all that had transpired but still to be on the safer side he repeated all of it word to word. Since they had all travelled a great deal in the last week they decided to spend the night at the council man’s house and sleep over the matter and discuss it in the morning, as each one fell asleep that night theirs thoughts were filled with whom to choose from their tribe, which would be the easiest and more importantly the fastest route to complete the quest and so on and so forth. As morning came and the sun began to rise, so did the sorceress and the council members. Once everyone was fully awake and ready they met at the table for breakfast to discuss the possibilities and particulars of this grand quest that lay before them.

As the hour went by the Sorceress could not listen to the arguments at the table anymore as it had started to get on her nerves. She decided that it was time to interfere yet again, so she rose from her seat at the table cleared her throat and asked if they had made a decision as to how they were going to choose a member from each tribe, if they knew where the deepest lake, the highest mountain, the darkest forest, the coldest cave, the hottest desert and the largest swamp were located and if they had a route in mind. The council members were all agitated as they could not seem to agree on many things but they all agreed that it would be wise to choose warriors and shamans to form the group and that they should all meet four days before the next full moon closest to the first location which was the hottest desert as they would need to acclimatise themselves to the heat, and that they would then be able to head to the deepest lake, then the largest swamp, the darkest forest and then they could head to the highest mountain as there they would also come across the coldest cave, but, they still could not make a final decision as to whom to choose from each tribe as they needed a very good swimmer, an expert climber, one who knew the dark forest, one who had experience and could navigate the vast and hot desert, one who knew the swamp as it was an unending, confusing and deceptive maze, A healer and one who could be a calming influence and quell the arguments that would inevitably arise within the group.

After spending the last week listening to the grand council argue the Sorceress knew that it was of great importance that this quest had to be successfully fulfilled or it could cause chaos and destruction in the world. That it would lead to a very unpleasant and deteriorated future. She also knew that the toughest task would be to find the right people to go on this journey and if they succeeded in finding the right people, then she could help them navigate and complete this journey with the least bit of trials and tribulations, so she decided that she would offer her services to this council. She was after all still a member of one of the tribes but had long ago wandered off into the dark forest in search of some of the most potent yet rare medicinal herbs that grew there and had not returned till now.

So she told the council that since she was still a member of her tribe and well versed in the art of healing and also knew the dark forest well she would like to go along with the group on this quest and that the tribes that lived closest to the desert should send their best trackers, the ones near the mountain their best climbers, the ones near the sea their best swimmers, and the remaining tribes to send a healer, and a hunter.

The council was thankful for her advice and accepted it. They were still anxious since this task had it own physical troubles but they could be easily navigated if the group did not argue but with all the arguments it would be a monumental task to complete, but, they were unaware that the sorceress had an ace up her sleeve that she would reveal only to her eleven companions. And so the next day the elders and shamans returned to their respective tribes and the sorceress after a long time returned to her tribe as well to prepare for the quest and make the salves and medicines she thought would be needed. She also went about preparing that ace she had up her sleeve.

Four days before the full moon the chosen ones met at the designated place at the edge of the desert and as they gathered the sorceress offered to each an amulet made of Lapiz Lazuli that would protect them from the spirit of argument and warned them not to lose them and keep it on their person at all times and so they began acquainting themselves with each other and discussing all the potential problems and their solutions.

Six full moons after the group had set out on their quest they stood in front of Ananse’s door tired and weary but proud as they had retrieved all the six pieces of the arguing man.  As the full moon rose into the sky the Sorceress called out to Ananse to tell them what needed to be done next to end all the arguments. An astonished Ananse came out the door to check and see if they were trying to trick him or if they had actually succeeded in their quest. Upon finding that they had succeeded he spoke to them and no matter how much he tried to incite them to argue they just discussed everything calmly and Ananse understood that they were protected against the spirit of Argument and so he made the decision that he wanted to play one final trick. They had to chose one among them who would have to get all the twelve chiefs of the tribes to agree on one of two choices presented to them but that among the two choices only one was right and the other would cause all the pieces to go back to their resting place and that this time if the pieces were to be retrieved the trials and tribulations to get them all together would be different than the first time and it would be more difficult. The two choices they had was that either the man could be brought back to life or he could be buried by the twelve chieftains.

The group chose the Sorceress to talk to the chieftains. The sorceress knew that she would have to make a powerful impression and use her oratory kills to convince them that they needed to bury the man and in the process bury the spirit of argument along with him. As she stood in front of the Chieftains she regaled them with the story of the origin of argument and the decision of the grand council and of all the trials and tribulations the group had faced as they worked and journeyed toward the completion of their quest and finally about the choice in front of them and very gently she told the chieftains that she believed that the only way to put an end to all arguments was by giving the Arguing man a proper burial. She had spoken with such sincerity and enchantment that all the chieftains could do was agree with her and as it turned out this was the right option and thus came the end of all arguments and the group of twelve were praised for their achievements, but, little did the world know that like all quest and journeys undertaken by a group they had their own secrets and a kinship had formed among them that lasted their whole lifetime.

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Alessandra Arora

Alessandra Arora is an aspiring epic fantasy novelist. She spent the last five years reading the myths of the world. She has a quirky personality with interest in art, culture, and cuisine. She grew up with stories of Celtic, Egyptian, and ancient mythology. Her imagination took flight leading her to write poems, essays, and short stories. Her curiosity makes her an avid gardener, an experimental baker, a curios reader, and a unique artist.

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