The House of Ananse

Ananse is a folk hero and trickster figure from Akan mythology. He is also considered the god (abosom) of stories and wisdom due to events related in the story Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom.

Adinkra for "spider web"
(ananse ntentan)

Ananse is variously described as a spider, an anthropomorphic spider, or a human with spider-like characteristics. In stories like How Anansi Became a Spider, he is transformed from a man into a spider (most scholarly sources claim that the transformation was performed by Nyame, but I have yet to read an actual story that relates this episode). Other tales such as Why Anansi Has Eight Thin Legs, Why Anansi Has a Narrow Waist, or Why Anansi Has a Bald Head tell how he came to acquire his spider-like characteristics.

Ȯkyeamepoma from the
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Given the malleability of his shape, it's no wonder that Ananse is often used as a source of inspiration for werespiders. The comic book Is'nana the Were-Spider by Greg Anderson Elysée tells the story of one of his sons.

Vol 1: Forgotten Stories

Meanwhile, in RPGs, werespiders inspired by Ananse include the Ananasi from the World of Darkness setting by White Wolf, and the Anadi from the Mwangi Expanse setting for Pathfinder.

I have two miniatures of Anadi in their spider form from the Pathfinder Battle line. On the left is an Anadi Elder (The Mwangi Expanse #2), and on the right is an Anadi (The Mwangi Expanse #15).

Both figures are modeled after official art, with the Anadi Elder seemingly based on some sort of huntsman spider, while the Anadi looks like it was based on a peacock spider (which actually isn't found in Africa as far as I know).

There is also a miniature of an Anadi in hybrid form (humanoid with spider head) from the Mwangi Expanse set, but it was much too tall to be useful for me.

It's not clear how the hybrid forms of Ananse were originally envisaged in Africa, and I can't seem to find modern drawings of Ananse that originate from Africa, but I did take a liking to the following images I found on the Interweb.

Unknown source and artist

From Annancy Stories
by Pamela Colman Smith

Story: Verna Aardema
Art: Lisa Desimini

From Anansi the Spider
by Gerald McDermott

African Folklore Series: Film One