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A to Z of Anansi the spider.
If there's anything that seems odd to me about the Anansi stories, it's that Tiger is a main character. Tiger is big, strong, rich and usually has plenty of food. He and Anansi are cautious friends. They understand each other. Tiger knows Anansi can be deceiving and Anansi knows Tiger can easily kill him.
My question is, why Tiger and not Lion, when lions are African? Tigers are Asian. So how did Tiger get into stories? Lion does show up from time to time, but he seems to be minor actor, at best.
L is for Lion
If there's anything that seems odd to me about the Anansi stories, it's that Tiger is a main character. Tiger is big, strong, rich and usually has plenty of food. He and Anansi are cautious friends. They understand each other. Tiger knows Anansi can be deceiving and Anansi knows Tiger can easily kill him.
My question is, why Tiger and not Lion, when lions are African? Tigers are Asian. So how did Tiger get into stories? Lion does show up from time to time, but he seems to be minor actor, at best.
That's a good question. But both lions and tigers are really strong. And scary.
ReplyDeleteAnd neither lives in the Virgin Islands, so go figure!
ReplyDeleteIt does seem as if the lion would have gotten that role, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful animals, appropriate or not.
ReplyDeleteI like them both, but the answer probably lies in the fact that lions are nocturnal and most stories happen during daylight hours.
ReplyDeleteTrue Heroes A to Z
Probably because the male lion spends most of its day sleeping while the lioness does all the work?
ReplyDeleteSounds familiar? ;)
Happy A to Z'ing. :)
Good research question, Bish. Why did those original story tellers choose Tiger?
ReplyDeleteHi Bish .. I can't remember when your Anansi stories were written - but the first explorers went to India and Asia - not Africa ... a lot of the stories stem out of India ..
ReplyDeleteI loved the Little Black Sambo books - they are so non PC now ... it's sad ... here's the link to Wiki for the author:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Bannerman
I wouldn't be surprised if anyone knew there weren't tigers in Africa definitively in that era .. and there was always a tiger in the stories ...
Cheers Hilary
Ohhh, makes me think of Aslan.
ReplyDeleteExcellent question...
ReplyDeleteEven though both are beautiful animals, I am more partial to the tiger.
They are both majestic but I would take the lion because their personality traits help one understand the Leo in astrological language.
ReplyDeleteI think it's all about the shade of orange. Tiger wins.
ReplyDelete