Once upon a time, the cunning spider, Ananse decided to cultivate a yam farm. He envisioned a huge, successful farm, with enough harvest to last him through the year. To achieve his dream farm however, Ananse knew he would have to work extra hard and get as much help as he could. So he decided to visit he only One he knew could help.
One day, when the sun was yet undecided whether to slit open her eyes and smile, Ananse labored up the sacred mountain. Thick fog covered the mountain, the wind howled an unwelcome tune, no birds sang, crickets were silent, the trees refused to swing to the tune of the wind, everything indicated the sacred path was not ready to be walked. And yet Ananse walked on, defiant and determined.
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By the time the sun parted a crack in the clouds and peered through; when the essence of Onyankopon had just began to arise and rouse the mountain, Ananse was at the apex. In his hands, he held a large calabash laden with polished cowries and the juiciest kola-nuts.
“Ananse, you couldn’t sleep now could you?” Onyankopon bellowed from his abode.
“Onyankopon, grandfather, mighty architect, creator of all creators, my grateful heart wouldn’t allow me sleep. I just had to come and show my gratitude for your blessing,” Ananse replied.
“Whatever troubles you this time must be monumental, is that an offering I behold?” Onyankopon replied, his commanding voice full of mirth.
“I came practicing gratitude today, I am turning over a new leaf now. I desire a deeper connection with you,”Ananse replied.
“Ananse what brings you here this early? Have you stolen again? Onyankopon asked.
“Grandfather, I have stayed out of trouble. I just wanted to be the first to bring an offering to you today. I came to practice some gratitude. Here, see my cowries and kola, I harvested them myself, and polished them to a fault, only the best for you my Lord.”
“Ananse —” Onyankopon began again, but was interrupted before he could finish.
“I climbed the kola tree myself, ants, bees and all, I climbed just to bring you the best,” Ananse said.
“I appreciate your thoughtful offering Ananse. Now get on with why you’re here. What do you want?” Onyankopon pressed.
“Well, I don’t really want anything but since you insist, how about a wife?” Ananse slickly answered.
“A what!” Onyankopon exclaimed, and then burst into roaring laughter that sent thunder echoing around the villages surrounding the sacred mountain.
“A… a… wife,” Ananse stammered in reply.
“Why do you want a wife Ananse? You can barely take care of your irresponsible self.”
“Well you see, I want to cultivate a yam farm, so if you give me a strong, hardworking wife, she and I can work together and harvest enough to eat and sell year round,” he replied, shifting his weight from one foot to another as he spoke.
“You expect me to give you a daughter of mine? You have neither the strength nor maturity to lead a wife, let alone a strong one, get out of here before I send you a bolt of lightning.”
“I promise, Nana Onyankopon, to make you proud if you gift me a wife. Just this once, believe in me,” Ananse pleaded.
Onyankopon thought for a while. When He eventually spoke, He said, “alright boy, I will grant your request. In three days my messengers will deliver you the wife you desire.”
And so Ananse’s wife, Okonore was sent to his house. She was exactly as he had expected, beautiful, strong, an excellent farmer and extremely hard working.
It didn’t take long for Ananse to understand why The Creator had been reluctance to create him a wife. Okonore was very intelligent and challenged Ananse to no end. Every decision Ananse made, she had a better suggestion. When he decided to burn the trees they felled on their farm for charcoal, Okonore insisted they preserve the branches and use them as support for the twining yam plants when the time came. Hard as it was for him to accept direction from his wife, he knew it was in his best interest, so graciously indulged her, and Okonore in return supported his immensely.
The farm was successful indeed. After many moons of back-breaking work, husband and wife harvested thousands, and thousands of healthy, huge tubers of yam.
Okonore set up a shop and began wholesaling and retailing yam, she was intent on building wealth for her household. Ananse on the other hand was just happy to have yam for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Every morning Ananse went into their barn to inspect his precious yams. And each morning in the barn, he gave himself a pat at the back. It was in that barn, that as the days went by, a thought began to form in his head.
One morning, at the crack of dawn Ananse once again stood on the sacred mountain, a sack of yams in tow.
“I have come with gifts of gratitude,” he told Onyankopon.
“How is my daughter Ananse,” The Creator asked, ignoring the sack and Ananse’s allusion to it.
“She is fine.”
“And the marriage so far?”
“Well it could be better,” Ananse replied.
“How so?” The Creator asked.
“Well you could have given me a lady for a wife, but instead, you gave me a glutton. Okonore eats too much!” Ananse complained.
“A glutton huh? Does she work hard enough to justify her feeding?” Onyankopon asked.
“Your daughter is hard working alright, but the rate at which she eats, she will bankrupt me before the next harvest. When I eat eight tubers of yam for breakfast, she eats eight. When I eat ten for lunch, she eats ten. And don’t get me started on dinner. As a matter of fact, I want to return her.”
“Return her? Ananse have you thought this through? I thought you were in a place of practicing gratitude.”
“Yes I have. In fact, it’s been the only thought on my mind for weeks now. Can you take her back and make me another wife? This time I want one who wouldn’t eat, a woman with no mouth. When I see her face, I don’t want to see a mouth.”
Onyankopon regarded the man before with a mix of disappointment and contempt, and yet to his shock, The Creator agreed to take Okonore back and make him a new wife.
That same evening, Ananse returned to the sacred mountain with Okonore. True to His words, The Creator had another beautiful woman prepared, and on her face, there was no mouth.
“Here is your new wife, her name is Titikum. I give her to you on condition that you can never return her, neither can you divorce her. Anytime you try to return her, my mountain will move away from you and your tribe. The more you try, the farther away I will go. I despise greed and ingratitude.”
“How can I even dream of divorcing this perfect wife? Never!” Ananse responded.
Ananse’s joy knew no bounds, so much so that as he led his new wife away, he did not see the mischievous grin on Onyankopon’s face.
The newlyweds settled into their lives beautifully. And husband soon realized the added incentive of having a mouthless wife was she couldn’t speak, she didn’t challenge his decisions at all. She nodded, shook her head, blinked and obeyed. Life was good.
It however didn’t take long for Ananse to curiously observe that the tubers of yam earmarked for his meals were dwindling rather quickly. And so he hatched a plan to find out how come.
One day he dressed in his best clothes and said to his wife, “Titikum, I am going to the chief’s palace, kindly cook ten tubers of yam for my lunch, I shall return in two hours.”
After those instructions, he set off on a footpath towards the palace. But he had no plans of going anywhere, as soon as Titikum entered the kitchen he circled back to the house and hid on the roof. From there he proceeded to observe his wife through a hole in the roof.
To his utter dismay, Titikum raised her right arm to reveal a well hidden mouth in her right armpit, and then she said, “if he will eat ten tubers, then I will have twenty.”
The husband’s mouth dropped open, but that was just the beginning of his shock, because another voice said, “well in that case I require twenty too.” Titikum lifted her left arm to reveal one more mouth in her left armpit. It was in that moment that Ananse realized not only was his wife not mouthless, she had two mouths!
And every time Ananse even thought of returning Titikum, the sacred mountain and the essence of Onyankopon moved farther away.
That is how come wherever there is greed and ingratitude, the Spirit of God cannot be found.
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Gratitude is so important, especially in a marriage!
I practice gratitude every day. It is important for me to step back and look at all the good I have in my life as it is just too easy to get caught up in everything. This is a powerful story about gratitude, thank you!
Gratitude is important…but I like how the story also suggests that by being challenged we achieve greater things too 🙂
I love your creative stories. Good lessons.
Gratitude is, for me, one of the most important things to remember. I practice it every day!
Perhaps more a story of disingenuousness? And, how deceit doesn’t pay. That scoundrel!
What a jerk that Ananse is ? I’m glad his new wife’s going to eat all of his crops haha.
Maybe he shouldn’t have looked a gift horse (wife) in the “mouth”!
Being grateful is so important. I practice it everyday and I teach my kids to do so too.
Gratitude is so important, but sometimes it can be the hardest thing to find in difficult times. Great message.
Great story and so entertaining. I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of her armpit mouths.
What a story!! Gratitude is a key to happiness and appreciation! I try to have an attitude of gratitude daily, it’s hard some days, but it’s important!
What a great story! LOL… he definitely got what he deserved! Gratitude is so important. Without it, we can never be truly happy or fulfilled.
Practicing gratitude everyday is one of the keys to happiness. Thank you for writing such a great story, I loved it!
He got the wife he deserved! And the life too. Gratitude is so important.
I’m sure more than one husband has thought of returning his wife after he got what he wanted from her 😉