Anansi and the Elephant

In the heart of the great forest, where the trees grew so tall they seemed to touch the clouds, lived Tembo, the oldest and wisest elephant in all the land. His tusks were yellowed with age, his hide was crossed with the scars of countless seasons, and his eyes held the depth of ancient wisdom.

Anansi had heard stories about this legendary elephant but had never met him. The spider was curious, as he always was about creatures who were said to possess great knowledge. “I should visit this Tembo,” Anansi said to himself one morning. “Perhaps I can learn something useful, or perhaps I can teach him a thing or two about cleverness.”

So Anansi set off through the forest, following the wide paths that elephants had made over generations. He traveled for most of the day until he reached a large clearing where a crystal-clear spring bubbled up from the earth, forming a pool that reflected the sky like a mirror.

There, standing knee-deep in the cool water, was the most magnificent elephant Anansi had ever seen. Tembo was enormous—easily the largest creature in the forest—but there was something gentle in the way he moved, something thoughtful in the way he stood perfectly still, as if listening to sounds that others could not hear.

“Greetings, great Tembo!” called Anansi, scuttling to the edge of the water. “I am Anansi, keeper of stories, friend to the Sky God. I have heard of your famous wisdom and have come to meet you.”

The elephant turned his great head slowly toward the spider, water dripping from his trunk. His ancient eyes studied Anansi with calm interest. “Welcome, little spider,” Tembo said in a voice like distant thunder. “I have heard of you as well. They say you are very clever.”

“Oh yes,” said Anansi, puffing up with pride. “I am indeed very clever. I have outwitted tigers and pythons, I have stolen stories from the Sky God himself, and I have solved puzzles that would baffle the wisest creatures. In fact, I was wondering if you might have any problems that need solving? I would be happy to help.”

Tembo continued drinking, seemingly unbothered by Anansi’s boasting. “That is kind of you to offer,” he said peacefully. “But I find that most problems solve themselves if you are patient enough to wait for the right solution.”

Anansi frowned. This was not the response he had expected. “But surely there must be something challenging in your life? Some difficulty that requires quick thinking to resolve?”

The elephant finished drinking and began to walk slowly toward the shore. “Well,” he said thoughtfully, “there is one small matter that has been puzzling me lately.”

Anansi’s eyes lit up. “Excellent! Tell me about it, and I will solve it immediately!”

“It’s about the fruit in the top of that baobab tree,” Tembo said, gesturing with his trunk toward an enormous tree at the edge of the clearing. “The fruit is ripe and ready to eat, but it’s very high up. I’ve been wondering how to reach it.”

Anansi looked up at the tree. It was indeed very tall, and the fruit hung from branches that were far too high for even an elephant to reach. But for a spider, this was no challenge at all.

“Is that all?” Anansi laughed. “My dear Tembo, this is simple! Watch and learn from a master of problem-solving!”

With great flourish, Anansi began to spin a long strand of silk. He shot it up toward the tree, where it caught on a high branch. Then, with acrobatic skill, he climbed quickly to the top of the baobab.

“See how easy it is when you know what you’re doing?” Anansi called down as he began to pick the ripe fruit. “Sometimes what seems impossible just requires the right approach!”

But as Anansi filled his web with fruit, he made a discovery that deflated his pride like a punctured gourd. The branch he was on had many other strands of silk attached to it—old, weathered webs that had clearly been there for months or even years.

“Tembo,” Anansi called down, his voice suddenly much quieter, “how long have you been thinking about this fruit problem?”

“Oh, about a year or so,” the elephant replied calmly. “I noticed the first day you started coming here to gather fruit. I’ve been watching you climb that tree at least once a week for many moons now.”

Anansi stopped picking fruit and looked down at the elephant with new understanding. “You… you already knew I came here? You knew I could reach the fruit?”

“Of course,” Tembo said, his voice warm with gentle amusement. “I also knew that you are the kind of creature who enjoys feeling helpful and clever. So when you offered to solve problems for me, I thought I would give you the opportunity to do what you do best.”

Slowly, Anansi climbed down from the tree, carrying as much fruit as he could manage. When he reached the ground, he looked up at the great elephant with newfound respect.

“You let me show off,” Anansi said quietly. “You already knew I gathered fruit here, but you pretended you needed help so I could feel important.”

Tembo’s eyes twinkled with kindness. “Wise little spider, was it wrong of me to let you share your gifts? You ARE clever, and you ARE skillful. I simply gave you a chance to use those gifts in service to someone else. Sometimes the greatest wisdom is knowing how to let others shine.”

Anansi sat in silence for a long moment, contemplating this new lesson. He had come expecting to impress the elephant with his cleverness, but instead he had learned something much more valuable.

“I understand now,” Anansi said finally. “True wisdom isn’t about showing how much you know or how clever you are. It’s about using your gifts to help others, and helping others use their gifts too.”

“Now you begin to understand,” Tembo said approvingly. “A truly wise creature knows that everyone has something valuable to offer. The elephant has strength, the spider has cleverness, the bird has keen sight, the fish has knowledge of deep waters. When we work together, each contributing our gifts, we all become wiser and stronger.”

From that day forward, Anansi and Tembo became close friends. The spider would often visit the elephant at the watering hole, sometimes bringing fruit from the high trees, sometimes simply sitting quietly and listening to the ancient wisdom that Tembo shared.

Anansi learned that true cleverness wasn’t about outsmarting others or proving his superiority. It was about using his gifts to build connections, to help solve problems, and to create harmony in the community of the forest.

And Tembo? He continued to be exactly what he had always been—a gentle giant who understood that the greatest strength is the power to lift others up, and the greatest wisdom is knowing when to step back and let someone else shine.

The friendship between the clever spider and the wise elephant became legendary in the forest, teaching all who heard the story that wisdom and cleverness are most beautiful when they work together in mutual respect and shared purpose.