West African Folktales

Tricksters and animals play an important role in West African folklore with stories that entertain but serve a moral purpose. Traditions and local tales revel in the antics of these characters: from Nigeria to Benin, from the cunning spider god Anansi to the equally crafty Tortoise, animals teach humans to farm, to love, to survive and thrive, and offer inspiration for moral purpose. This collection gathers these vital animal stories alongside tales of origin, life, death and human folly.

FLAME TREE 451: From mystery to crime, supernatural to horror and myth, fantasy and science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and robots, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales, ancient and modern gathered specifically for the reader of the fantastic.


About the Author
Jake Jackson is General Editor of The World's Greatest Myths and Legends series, with titles including Myths of Babylon, Indian Myths, Egyptian Myths, Norse Myth and Polynesian Island Myths. He is editor of Myths and Legends and foreword writer for Celtic Myths & Tales. Other related work includes articles on the Philosophy of Time, 'Macbeth, A Gothic Chaos' and William Blake's use of mythology in his visionary literature