Summary of 443: Tricksters: Does Whatever A Spider Can

Overview of Myths and Legends Episode 443: “Tricksters: Does Whatever A Spider Can”

This episode revisits Anansi, the West African spider trickster, through a series of stories that show both his brilliance and his self-destructive selfishness. The episode explores how Anansi uses deception to get ahead, how his behavior hurts the people around him, and how trickster tales can be both aspirational and cautionary depending on the audience. It also closes with the show’s Creature of the Week, the oddly beloved Japanese cryptid Tsuchinoko.

Main Anansi Stories

The wives, the cloak, and “Nothing”

• Anansi and his friend Nothing go to town to find wives.
• Anansi tricks Nothing into lending him his fine cloak, then uses it to impress potential brides.
• Once married, the women quickly see that Anansi’s household is poor and badly kept, and they end up doing much of the work themselves.
• Anansi continues acting like a fraud and a parasite, which drives the wives away.
• One wife later returns pregnant, forced back by social reality, while Anansi keeps scheming.

“Crying for nothing”

• Nothing is later revealed to have been far less wealthy and respectable than people thought.
• His death becomes the source of the explanation for the phrase “crying for nothing”—the story says children may be “crying for Nothing,” the man.
• The episode uses this story to show how Anansi’s selfishness damages everyone around him, even people who try to tolerate him.

The famine, the antelope, and revenge

• During a famine, Anansi’s son Kweku humiliates him by tricking him into surrendering meat.
• Anansi finds a dead antelope and tries to sneak it home by pretending it is his “grandfather.”
• Wolf and Leopard see through the act, trick him into dropping the meat, and steal it.
• Anansi enlists a small lizard to sharpen the predators’ teeth, then lures Wolf and Leopard into helping him hang them upside down.
• He publicly exposes their greed and has the village share the antelope.
• The village praises Anansi, but he still can’t stop pushing things too far.

White Ant and the origin of termites’ hostility

• Wolf and Leopard later retaliate by tricking White Ant into attending a feast.
• They pour boiling water into their burrow, killing White Ant’s children.
• White Ant survives and becomes filled with hatred for humans and animals alike.
• This is given as the folkloric explanation for why termites destroy wood and are enemies of people.

Anansi’s long decline and death

• The final section shows Anansi as old, bitter, and isolated.
• His wife leaves him, his children only visit out of duty, and he curses anyone who tries to help.
• Two fishermen continue to care for him, but his constant insults wear them down.
• Eventually, he is taken out on the water, but in his arrogance he steps off the canoe too early and ends up stranded.
• He swims in circles, can’t find shore, and drowns alone.
• The episode frames this as the inevitable result of a life spent treating everyone as a tool rather than a person.

Key Themes and Takeaways

Trickster power has a cost

• Anansi’s cleverness repeatedly gets him what he wants in the short term.
• But every victory is built on manipulation, exploitation, or humiliation.

Community matters more than cunning

• The episode contrasts Anansi’s selfishness with the patience of people who try to help him.
• His refusal to accept mutual care is what ultimately destroys him.

Anansi is both hero and warning

• In some contexts, Anansi is inspirational: he resists stronger forces and survives by wit.
• In others, he is a cautionary tale about pride, deceit, and the inability to trust others.

The moral arc of the episode

• The stories move from playful trickery to darker consequences.
• By the end, Anansi’s biggest enemy is not a rival or predator, but his own character.

Creature of the Week: Tsuchinoko

What it is

• A Japanese cryptid described as a short, thick, snake-like creature.
• Usually said to be 30–80 cm long and shaped a bit like a beer bottle.

Odd abilities and traits

• Can reportedly bite its tail and roll like a wheel.
• Some stories say it can jump twice without touching down.
• It’s said to snore, wink, and make a “chi-yi” sound.
• It can supposedly be lured with miso, dried squid, and burning hair.

Cultural impact

• Sightings surged in Japan, especially in the 1980s.
• A village council even offered a cash bounty for proof of a real Tsuchinoko.
• The creature has influenced anime, video games, and folklore-adjacent pop culture, including inspiration for Pokémon’s Dunsparce.

Bottom Line

This episode uses Anansi to explore the line between cleverness and cruelty. He can outsmart nearly anyone, but his refusal to show gratitude, humility, or restraint leaves him isolated and ultimately undone. The Tsuchinoko segment then lightens the tone with a look at one of Japan’s strangest and most enduring mythical creatures.