Why the Spider Has a Bald Head (Ashanti/Akan)
Anansi attended his mother-in-law's funeral wearing a fine hat made of leopard skin. During the mourning, Anansi became infatuated with the chief's daughter and boasted that he could perform a magical dance. The chief agreed, but warned that if Anansi failed to impress, he would lose his head. Anansi danced wildly, and the hat flew off, revealing his bald head. The chief's daughter laughed at him, and everyone realized his boasting was empty. In shame, Anansi tried to hide but his hat was gone forever. To this day, spiders are bald because of Anansi's vanity and empty boasting. The story teach