sophoskagathos:

Anansi (/əˈnɑːnsi/ ə-nahn-see) is a West African god. He often takes the shape of a spider and is considered to be the spirit of all knowledge of stories. He is one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore. He is also known as Ananse, Kwaku Ananse, and Anancy; and in the southern United States he has evolved into Aunt Nancy. Anansi is depicted in many different ways. Sometimes he looks like an ordinary spider, sometimes he is a spider wearing clothes or with a human face and sometimes he looks much more like a human with spider elements, such as eight legs.The Anansi tales originated from the Ashanti people of present-day Ghana. The word Ananse is Akan and means “spider”.