I am currently reading Neil Gaiman ‘s 2005 fantasy novel, Anansi Boys. Early on, Gaiman’s protagonist, Fat Charlie Nancy, discovers to his alarm and dismay that he is a son of the ancient West African god Anansi. His neighbor, Mrs. Higgler, tries to explain:

Anansi was a spider, when the world was young, and all the stories were being told for the first time. he used to get himself into trouble, and he used