Trickster Archetype

Mythology is a very broad subject. There are many stories who date way beyond our ancestors. They vary across the world and share similarities and differences. Although no two myths are be the same, the striking resemblance that they bear never cease to amaze me. The two different myths that I will like to compare is the Trickster Archetype. One will be Hermes from Greek mythology and the second one will be Anansi from African mythology.

Anansi is a West African god. Some believe that he was the inspiration for Spider-man. Anansi can appear as either a man or a spider. He is intelligent and plays pranks on everyone. Sometimes his plans get the best of him. For example, one day Anansi was hungry and went to one of his friend house for dinner. When he arrived, dinner was not ready. Anansi was impatient and did not want to wait instead he gave his friend a string from his spider web and advise him to pull on the string when dinner is ready. He then went to another friend house hoping that dinner will be ready for him there too. Unfortunately, his next friend was not ready either so Anansi gave him another string from his web and gave him the same

instructions. This went on until all eight of his legs were tie to a string. Unfortunately, for Anansi, all his friends finished cooking at the same time and they all pulled on their strings, which caused Anansi’s legs to stretch until they became extremely thin. This story is very interesting to me because back home in Haiti, a certain type of spider with very thin leg is called “anasi”. I never wondered about the reason behind the name for this type of spider. I was raised calling it “anasi” and not once I questioned the existence or meaning behind the word. Who would have taught that this name derived from an Ancient myth from the other side of the world?

The other myth is from the Greek god Hermes. Hermes was the son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. He was born in a cave because his mother wanted to keep him a secret from Hera. As soon as he was born, Hermes malicious spirit kicked in. He left the cave on the same day he was born and wondered into the world. He found a herd of sacred cattle dedicated to Apollo, his older brother. He hid them and sacrificed two of them for all the gods of the Olympic. When Apollo find out about his mischievous deed, he brought him to Zeus and demanded justice. In the end, the two brothers came to a peace agreement.

Both myths share one hard to miss similarity.

They both feature a god who was a trickster. Both gods were malicious and smart. They use their power to turn the odds in their favor. Although they played malicious pranks, none of these gods was label as evil and was an amusement for the public eye. Loki, the Norse trickster god, on the other hand was very unpopular and his pranks did not amuse anyone. Although Anansi and Hermes shared many things, they also had their differences. Anansi was portray as a man and a spider while Hermes was always portray as a man. Unlike Anansi who did not have any special equipment, Hermes always carried magical sandals, which gave him incredible speed, and a special staff called a caduceus. Hermes had a job; he was the messenger of the gods and he escorted the dead to the

Underworld.
Anansi on the other end did not. He did not really have a purpose. In the end, they both contributed to humankind somehow and even helped them in their quest.

These myths can say a lot about the society that made them. Anansi was often portray as a spider who always win against his bigger opponents. In West Africa, which always struggle with a more powerful figure taking over, Anansi’s stories gave hope to its people. The Greeks on the other hand, showed Hermes as a helper, which also gave hope to the people. They knew that there is a chance that a god will help them during a difficult time. Both culture believe in divine help and hope that the gods will be there for them.