About this folktale
Ananse's Failed Death Trick: How Ground-Dove Outsmarted the Trickster Spider is published on Mythopia by Konlan Mikpekoah. The narrative connects to themes and tags including African Tales, Ghanaian Tales, Ananse, African Stories. Even shorter folktales carry moral and cultural weight: readers often compare how the lesson applies today, and how the same motif appears across regions. If you know another version from your family or community, Mythopia welcomes a respectful retelling so audiences can compare tone, detail, and local wisdom alongside this text.
"We need food!" Ananse said to his wife.
"I'll lie here, and you'll shout that I'm dead."
"My poor husband!" shouted Mrs. Ananse.
"Ananse's dead!"
Hawk came by. "Poor Ananse!" said Hawk,
and he bowed his head.
Ananse jumped up and killed Hawk,
and then they ate him.
Then Bull came. "Poor Ananse!" he said,
and he bowed his head. They killed him and ate him.
Then Sheep. Then Fowl.
Then Ground-Dove came.
"Is he really dead?" Ground-Dove asked.
"If he's dead, he should make one last big fart."
Ananse let loose a big fart.
Ground-Dove laughed and ran away.
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