Anansi and the Vulture's Feast

There was a great feast being held in the sky by the birds, and Anansi the Spider wanted to go. He had no wings, so he went to all his bird friends and asked for a single feather from each. They agreed, and Anansi stuck the feathers to his arms and flew up with them. When they arrived, Anansi, being cunning, said, "It is proper that we all take a special name for the feast." He chose the name "All-of-you." The other birds chose simple names. When the Vulture, the host, brought out the food, he announced, "This food is for all of you." Anansi immediately stepped forward. "Thank you," he said, "that is my name." He proceeded to eat the entire feast himself, leaving the real birds with nothing. Furious and hungry, the birds demanded their feathers back. They plucked them from Anansi one by one, leaving him stranded in the sky. To get down, Anansi had to convince the Vulture to carry him. The Vulture agreed but, angry at the trick, dropped Anansi from a great height into a thorny bush. Anansi was badly hurt, a painful lesson for his boundless greed.