Editing Anansi (section)

==Anansi as a spiritual and mythological figure==
Anansi is often depicted in popular tales interacting with the Supreme Being and other deities who frequently bestow him with temporary supernatural powers, such as the ability to bring rain or to have other duties performed for him. Some folkloric traditions portray Anansi as the son of the Earth Mother [[Asase Yaa]].<ref>Egerton Sykes; Alan Kendall (2001). Who's who in non-classical mythology. Routledge. p. 144. {{ISBN|978-0-415-26040-4}}. Retrieved 12 November 2019.</ref> In others, Anansi is sometimes also considered an Abosom (lesser deity) in Akan spirituality, despite being commonly recognized as a trickster. Thus, Kwaku Anansi is similar to [[Legba]], who is also both a trickster and a deity in [[West African Vodun]].<ref>Herskovits, Melville J. and Frances S. "Dahomean Narrative: A Cross-Cultural Analysis". Northwestern University Press (1958), p 35.</ref> However, Akan spirituality writ-large does not generally consider Anansi as an Abosom to the same extent that other established African trickster deities are worshiped in their respective religions; his connection to the sacred is ultimately believed to be folkloric in regards to his importance in Akan society.<ref>[[Kwesi Yankah|Yankah, Kwesi]].(1983) "The Akan Trickster Cycle: Myth or Folktale?" Indiana: African Studies Program, Indiana University. pg. 9-11 [https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2022/125/Akan_Yankah.pdf Akan_Yankah.pdf] Accessed on 3/16/19 {{ISBN|0-941934-43-8}}</ref> In essence among the Akan, Anansi and his stories are folkloric creations used to convey moral truths and give anecdotal explanations for natural phenomena and occurrences.This is supported by his limited use outside of storytelling, including his absence as a totem animal. Nevertheless, those who do recognize Anansi in a religious context in Akan spirituality acknowledge him as the Obosom of wisdom; he is even said to have created the first inanimate human body, according to the scholar Anthony Ephirim-Donkor.<ref>Ephirim-Donkor, Anthony. "African Personality and Spirituality: The Role of Abosom and Human Essence". Lexington Books, 2015: pp. 80. {{ISBN|978-1498521222}}</ref> In the New World on the other hand, alternative religious views of Anansi have greater prominence in addition to his role as a folkloric character; followers of [[Haitian Vodou]], for example, honor him as a Guede [[Lwa]]. Anansi being a Guede Lwa is a little bit different from the average Lwa as he belongs to the Guede family of loa. The Guede family represent the concept of death and fertility. It is for this reason that many people call Anansi a Guede Lwa, as he is the one who is responsible for maintaining the many connections between the living beings of the known world and the spirits of those that have died.<ref>DeLoughrey, Elizabeth; Handley, George B. "Postcolonial Ecologies: Literatures of the Environment". New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2011: pp. 74. {{ISBN|978-0195394429}}</ref>