Jamaica Anansi Stories

by Martha Warren Beckwith, with music recorded in the field by Helen Roberts

Jamaica Anansi Stories

BY
MARTHA WARREN BECKWITH

WITH MUSIC RECORDED
IN THE FIELD
BY
HELEN ROBERTS

NEW YORK
PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOLK-LORE SOCIETY
G. E. STECHERT & CO., Agents
1924

Copyright 1924
BY THE AMERICAN FOLK-LORE SOCIETY

All rights reserved

Printed in Germany
Buchdruckerei und Verlagsanstalt Bad Wörishofen
1923

MEMOIRS OF

The American Folk-Lore Society.

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VOLUME XVII.

1924.

CONTENTS.

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		PAGE
Contents		v
Preface		xi
Animal Stories.
1.	Tying Tiger	1
	a. The Fish-basket	1
	b. The Storm	2
2.	Tiger as Substitute	3
	a. The King's Two Daughters	3
	b. The Gub-gub Peas	4
3.	Tiger as Riding-horse	5
4.	Tiger's Sheep-skin Suit	6
5.	Tiger Catching the Sheep-thief	8
	a. The Escape	8
	b. The Substitute	8
	c. In the House-top	9
6.	Tiger's Breakfast	11
7.	Eggs and Scorpions	11
8.	Tiger's Bone-hole	12
9.	The Christening	12
10.	Eating Tiger's Guts	13
	a. The Tell-tale	13
	b. The Monkeys' Song	13
11.	Throwing Away Knives	14
	a. Tiger and Anansi	14
	b. Sheep and Anansi	14
12.	Grace before Meat	14
	a. Monkey and Anansi	14
	b. Goat and Anansi	15
13.	Day-time Trouble	15
	a. Rabbit and Anansi	15
	b. Rat and Anansi	16
	c. Goat and Anansi	16
14.	New Names	17
15.	Long-shirt	18
16.	Shut up in the Pot	19
17.	House in the Air	20
	a. Tracking Anansi	20
	b. Rabbit and Children going up to Heaven	20
	c. Duppy's House in the Air	21
	d. Carencro's House with a Key	21
18.	Goat on the Hill-side	22
19.	Dog and Dog-head	22
20.	Tacoomah's Corn-piece	23
21.	Anansi and the Tar-baby	23
	a. The Escape from Tiger	23
	b. The Substitute	24
	c. The Grave	25
22.	Inside the Cow	26
23.	Cunnie-More-Than-Father	27
24.	The Duckano Tree	31
25.	Food and Cudgel	31
	a. The Handsome Packey	31
	b. The Knife and Fork	32
26.	The Riddle	33
27.	Anansi and Brother Dead	34
	a. Brother Dead's Wife	34
	b. Goat and Plantain	35
28.	Brother Dead and the Brindle Puppy	35
29.	The Cowitch and Mr. Foolman	36
30.	Dry-head and Anansi	37
	a. Go-long-go	37
	b. Dry-head	38
	c. Brother Dead	39
31.	The Yam-hills	39
32.	The Law against Back-biting	40
	a. Duck's Dream	40
	b. Guinea-chick	41
	c. Dry-head at the Barber's	42
33.	Fling-a-mile	42
34.	But-but and Anansi	44
35.	Tumble-bug and Anansi	45
36.	Horse and Anansi	46
37.	Anansi in Monkey Country	47
	a. Bunya	47
	b. Christen Christen	47
38.	Curing the Sick	48
	a. The Fishes	48
	b. The Six Children	48
39.	Anansi, White-belly and Fish	50
40.	Goat's Escape	51
	a. The Rain	51
	b. The Dance (1)	52
	The Dance (2)	52
41.	Turtle's Escape	53
42.	Fire and Anansi	53
43.	Quit-quit and Anansi	53
	a. Tailors and Fiddlers	53
	b. Fiddlers	54
44.	Spider Marries Monkey's Daughter	54
45.	The Chain of Victims	55
46.	Why Tumble-bug Rolls in the Dung	56
47.	Why John-crow has a Bald Head	56
	a. The Baptism	56
	b. The Dance	57
48.	Why Dog is always Looking	57
49.	Why Rocks at the River are Covered with Moss	57
50.	Why Ground-dove Complains	58
51.	Why Hog is always Grunting	58
52.	Why Toad Croaks	58
53.	Why Woodpecker Bores Wood	59
54.	Why Crab is Afraid after Dark	59
55.	Why Mice are no Bigger	59
56.	Rat's Wedding	60
57.	Cockroach Stories	61
	a. Cock's Breakfast	61
	b. Feigning Sick (1)	61
	Feigning Sick (2)	62
	c. The Drum	62
58.	Hunter, Guinea-hen and Fish	63
59.	Rabbit Stories	64
	a. The Tar Baby	64
	b. Saying Grace	64
	c. Pretending Dead	65
60.	The Animal Race	65
	a. Horse and Turtle	65
	b. Pigeon and Parrot	66
61.	The Fasting Trial (fragment)	67
62.	Man is Stronger	67
Old Stories, chiefly of Sorcery.
63.	The Pea that Made a Fortune	69
64.	Settling the Father's Debt	69
65.	Mr. Lenaman's Corn-field	70
66.	Simon Tootoos	71
67.	The Tree-wife	74
68.	Sammy the Comferee	75
69.	Grandy Do-an'Do	77
70.	Jack and Harry	79
71.	Pea-fowl as Messenger	80
	a. John Studee	80
	b. Contavio	82
72.	The Barking Puppy	82
73.	The Singing Bird	83
	a. Fine Waiting Boy	83
	b. The Golden Cage	84
74.	Two Sisters	85
75.	Assonah	86
76.	The Greedy Child	87
	a. Crossing the River	87
	b. The Plantain	87
77.	Alimoty and Aliminty	88
78.	The Fish Lover	89
	a. Timbo Limbo	89
	b. Fish Fish Fish	91
	c. Dear Old Juna	91
79.	Juggin Straw Blue	92
80.	The Witch and the Grain of Peas	93
81.	Bosen Corner	94
82.	The Three Dogs	96
	a. Boy and Witch Woman	96
	b. Lucy and Janet	99
83.	Andrew and His Sisters	99
84.	The Hunter	101
	a. The Bull turned Courter	101
	b. The Cow turned Woman	102
85.	Man-Snake as Bridegroom	103
	a. The Rescue (1)	103
	The Rescue (2)	104
	b. Snake Swallows the Bride	104
86.	The Girls who Married the Devil	105
	a. The Devil-husband	105
	b. The Snake-husband	106
87.	Bull as Bridegroom	108
	a. Nancy	108
	b. The Play-song	109
	c. Gracie and Miles	110
88.	The Two Bulls	111
89.	Ballinder Bull	113
90.	Bird Arinto	115
91.	Tiger Softens his Voice	116
92.	Hidden Names	118
	a. Anansi and Mosquito	118
	b. Anansi plays Baby (1)	118
	Anansi plays Baby (2)	119
	Anansi plays Baby (3)	119
93.	Anansi and Mr. Able	120
94.	The King's Three Daughters	121
95.	The Dumb Child	121
96.	The Dumb Wife	123
97.	Leap, Timber, Leap	124
	a. Old Conch	124
	b. Grass-quit (fragment)	126
98.	The Boy fools Anansi	126
99.	The Water-crayfish	127
Modern European Stories.
100.	Ali Baba and Kissem	129
101.	Bull-of-all-the-land	130
102.	The Boiling Pot	131
103.	The Twelve One-eyed Men	133
104.	Bird and Hunter	134
105.	Jack and the Devil Errant	135
106.	The Magic Hat and the Staff of Life	139
107.	Uncle Green and Jack	141
108.	Big Begum and Little Begum	143
109.	The Fool and the Wise Brother	145
110.	The Children and the Witch	146
111.	The Boy and the Mermaid (fragment)	117
112.	Difficult Tasks (fragment)	147
113.	The Grateful Beasts	148
114.	Jack and the Bean-stalk	149
115.	Jack and the Devil	150
116.	Jack's Riddle	150
117.	Jack as Fortune-teller	151
118.	Robin as Fortune-teller	151
119.	Jack and the Grateful Dead	152
120.	The Boy and his Master	153
121.	The Language of Beasts	154
122.	The Three Pieces of Advice	155
123.	Three Brothers and the Life-tree	156
124.	The Skilful Brothers	158
125.	The Three Sillies	158
126.	A Misunderstanding	159
127.	Big-head, Big-belly and Little-foot (a and b)	160
128.	The Goat in the Lion's Den	160
129.	The Donkey, The Cat and the Lion's Head	161
130.	Clever Molly May	162
131.	Dancing to Anansi's Fiddle	162
132.	Anansi Claims the Dinner	163
133.	Anansi Seeks his Fortune	163
134.	The Pannier-jar	163
135.	Anansi kills his Grandmother	164
136.	White-belly and Anansi	164
137.	Monkey hunts Anansi	165
138.	Anansi and the Pig Coming from Market	166
Song and Dance.
139.	The Fifer	169
140.	In Come Murray	170
141.	Tacoomah Makes a Dance	170
142.	Anansi Makes a Dance	171
143.	Red Yam	173
144.	Guzzah Man	175
145.	Fowl and Pretty Poll	176
146.	The Cumbolo	176
147.	John-crow and Fowl at Court	177
148.	Wooden Ping-ping and Cock	177
149.	Animal Talk	178
Witticisms		179
Riddles		183
Index to Riddles		219
Abbreviations of Titles		223
Notes to the Tales		233
Index to Informants		291