The sky-god begat three children, who were Esum (Darkness), Osrane (Moon), and Owia (Sun). When his three children grew up, the sky-god made them go to separate villages. The first one built his village, the second one also built his village, and the third one, he, too, built his village. And there they lived.
Now their father loved Sun most. And while the sky-god was reigning there, he blackened a stool and said to his attendants, “Who knows what my thoughts are?” Ananse, the spider, said, “As for me, I know them.” At the time when he said, “As for me, I know them,” the sky-god made all the attendants rise up. There and then the spider also rose up, saying he was going to the villages of the sky-god’s children.
When Ananse reached the path, he said to himself, “I do not know his thoughts and yet I said, ‘I know them.’ ” And he plucked some feathers out of every bird, stuck them on himself and flew off, alighting on a gyedua tree [an African umbrella tree—not to be confused with the American umbrella tree or magnolia] in the sky-god’s village. And when the people saw the bird, they all made a great commotion which sounded like “Ye-e-e-e!” And the sky-god came out of the house and came under the gyedua tree and said, “Were Ananse here, he would have known the name of this bird. I had decided that Owia, Sun, is the one I wanted to make a chief, so I asked who knew what was in my head and Ananse said that he did. Now I have gone and pulled up the yam known as ‘Kintinkyi,’ and he who knows its name and utters it, to him I shall give it, my blackened stool. That is why Ananse has gone off to bring my children. Had he been here, he would have known the name of this bird.”
Then the bird flew off, and Ananse pulled out the feathers and threw them away, and set out till he reached the village of Night. To Night he said, “Your father said that you must come with me.” And Night replied, “It is well, I and you will go.” Then Ananse said, “I am going on to fetch Moon and Sun.” But Night said to him, “Let me first seek for something to give you to eat.” Spider replied’ “Ho!” Night thereupon went out and brought some roasted corn and gave it to Ananse. When he had finished chewing it, he set out for Moon’s village.
When he reached it, he said, “Your father says you must come along with me.” And Moon replied, “It is well, I shall go.” Then Ananse said, “I shall go on to Sun’s village in order to bring him.” But Moon said, “Let me first get you something to eat.” And Ananse replied, “Ho!” So Moon mashed up some yam for him to eat. Then Spider set out for Sun’s village. When he reached Sun’s village, he said to him, “Your father says you must come along with me.” And Sun said, “It is well, I and you shall go, but let me get you something to eat first.” Ananse replied, “Ho!” So Sun went and caught a sheep. When he came back, he said to Ananse, “I would have wished, had my father come here, that he should have seen what I was doing; if it were good, or if it were bad, in either case he would have seen. Since, however, he has not come and you have come, it is as if father had come. Therefore here is this, my sheep, that I shall kill so you may eat.”
And he killed the sheep and prepared it beautifully for Spider to eat. After the meal Ananse said, “Let us go on a fallen tree.” When they got there, Ananse said to Sun, “Your father has blackened a stool at his home. He wishes you to succeed to that stool, so he has pulled up a yam and if you know its name, he will take the stool and give it to you. Now this yam is called ‘Kintinkyi.’ And in order that you may not forget its name, I shall cut a short drum for you, and make a mpintini drum [a kind of wooden tambourine] to go with it, so that when they beat the short drum and the mpintini drum, then you will never forget this word, for the short drum will speak out and say:
Firi bomo!
Firi bomo!
“Then the mpintini drum will say:
Kintinkyi bomo!
Kintinkyi bomo!”
So they set off to go to the sky-god’s town. First they reached Moon’s village and took him along; then they reached Night’s village and took him along. All the way they played the mpintini drum. When they reached the outskirts of the town, Ananse saw a man, and he sent him off to tell the sky-god that they were coming. Thereupon the sky-god called an assembly together, and soon Ananse and the others arrived and saluted every one. Ananse now gave the spokesman the news, saying, “The chief’s errand on which I was sent I have performed; I have brought them.” And the sky-god said, “My children, the reason I caused you to be sent for is this: I have blackened the stool standing there and I have also pulled up the yam over there. I shall now take this stool and give it to him who sees and names the yam. Because my eldest child is Night, let him try first.” Then Night said, “It is called ‘Pona.’” And all the people shouted, “Ye-e-e-e.” Again the sky-god spoke, “My second child is Moon, therefore let him give its name.” And Moon said, “It is the yam called ‘Asante.”’ The people shouted, “Ye-e-e-e.” Again the sky-god spoke, “My child, the third one, is Sun, therefore let him name it."
Now, I forgot to say that the dance music was going on,
Kintinkyi bomo!
Kintinkyi bomo!
and Ananse was turning cart-wheels.
Then Sun rose up and stood there, and took hold of the yam, and he said, “Oh, as for this, since ever I began to walk beside my father and was very small, he used to tell me its name, and I have not forgotten; it is called ‘Kintinkyi.’” And the tribe shouted applause three times, “E!-E!-E!”
Then his father rose up and stood there and said, “You, Night, you are the eldest, but the words which I told you you have allowed yourself to forget, because you did not pay attention to my words. Because of this, it is now decreed that wicked things only will be done during your time. And you, Moon, the words with which you and I walked and I told you, you too, did not follow. It is decreed therefore that only children will play during your reign. As for you, Sun, when I said words to you, you did not forget; you listened to my advice, so you are to be the chief. Should any one have any matter to settle, let it be heard in your time. Household cases, however, may be heard in the evening.
“So take the path which I have set you, and if Moon wishes to trespass upon it, may Kontonkurowie, the circular rainbow seen at times around the sun, throw itself around you, so that Moon may not be able to come and touch you. Again, if the rain clouds gather, the sky-god’s bow will be cast on the sky so that your children who are under you may see when I have cast it, so that the waters will not overflow and carry them away.
“One more thing. These words which were formerly known as the ‘Sayings of the Sky-God,’ now since Ananse, the spider, has been able to read these words in my head, let them be known henceforth as ‘The Sayings of Spider.’”