Book Cover of West African Folk Tales

West African Folk Tales

by William H. Barker

Compiled by an American missionary, West African Folk Tales by William H Barker is a delightful collection of folk tales from Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania and other countries along the west coast of Africa. These stories spread in various forms to other countries like the West Indies, Suriname, the Netherland Antilles, etc and can be still heard today among the people of these countries. West African Folk Tales is a wonderful read for both young people and older readers alike. The stories are charmingly retold. Most of them are about Anansi, the trickster god of the West African people. He is worshiped as the god of all stories and often takes the form of a spider, which is considered to be very cunning. Anansi the Spider sometimes has a human face, wears clothes or assumes human form but keeps his eight legs. The first story in this book tells of how the Anansi tales originated. In the olden days, goes the tale, all stories were only about Nyankupon the chief of gods. But Anansi the Spider felt that he should be the hero of all stories. He goes to the chief and demands that he should be made the hero, whereupon the chief sets some conditions for Anansi to fulfill before he can call himself a hero. How the clever Spider achieves this forms the rest of this entertaining tale.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

Published In

1917

Genre/Category

Tags/Keywords

Authors

William H. Barker image

BARKER, WILLIAM HENRY, businessman; b. 24 June 1853 in Manchester, England, one of the ten children of Ambrose Barker and Sarah Westerdale; m. Orpha Beard in Astoria, Oreg., and they had three sons an...

Books by William H. Barker

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

The Christmas Reindeer Cover image

The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton Burgess

Tuktu and her brother, Aklak, are Eskimo children who live happily with their beloved reindeer in the Northland. When Tuktu is lost in a fog, she meet...

Puss Junior and Robinson Crusoe Cover image

Puss Junior and Robinson Crusoe by David Cory

This children's book reimagines the classic tale of Robinson Crusoe, but with a delightful twist – the shipwrecked protagonist is accompanied by a cle...

The Beasts of Tarzan Cover image

The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Beasts of Tarzan is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the third in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan...

Dog Heroes of Many Lands Cover image

Dog Heroes of Many Lands by Sarah Noble Ives

Have you ever wondered about the amazing things that dogs can do? In Dog Heroes of Many Lands, Sarah Noble Ives tells the stories of brave and loyal...

The Tale of Snowball Lamb Cover image

The Tale of Snowball Lamb by Arthur Scott Bailey

Snowball Lamb, a fluffy and playful little lamb, is about to embark on an adventure that will change her life forever. In Arthur Scott Bailey's delig...

The Tale of Bobby Bobolink Cover image

The Tale of Bobby Bobolink by Arthur Scott Bailey

Follow Bobby Bobolink on his exciting adventures as he explores the world beyond his nest and learns valuable lessons about life, friendship, and brav...

In Search of the Unknown Cover image

In Search of the Unknown by Robert W. Chambers

This is a collection of five stories that explore the mysterious and the supernatural. The stories are linked by a common theme: the search for someth...

Fables de La Fontaine, livre 06 Cover image

Fables de La Fontaine, livre 06 by Jean de La Fontaine

Dans ce livre sixième comme dans tous les autres livres des Fables de La Fontaine, vous serez à même de constater la fine observation des éternels com...

The Book of Nature Myths  Cover image

The Book of Nature Myths by Florence Holbrook

This is a book of myths told by the Indians of North America to their children. They could be compared to present day Fairy Tales.

Tarzan the Terrible Cover image

Tarzan the Terrible by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan the Terrible is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the eighth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan...

Reviews for West African Folk Tales

No reviews posted or approved, yet...