Long ago in a West African town, Mr. Spider lived with his wife, Konole, and often sought ways to outsmart others. One day, he decided he needed a partner to help him set animal traps in the forest. But Spider did not want a wise or equal partner he wanted a fool. Someone he could cheat out of the rewards.
So he went around the town shouting, “I am looking for a fool to help me set traps! Who will be my partner?”
The townsfolk laughed at Spider’s strange request, but no one came forward. Finally, his nephew, Oblicku the Coucal (a large bird), heard his uncle’s call and thought to himself, Why is my uncle so eager to find a fool? Perhaps I should join him.
So Coucal went with Spider into the forest, and together they cut sticks and set the first trap. After completing the work, they left the trap overnight and returned home.
The First Catch
The next morning, Spider and Coucal went back to check. Sure enough, the trap had caught an animal a squirrel.
Spider called to his nephew. “My son, come and see the animal we have caught!”
Coucal looked closely and said, “This is called a squirrel.”
Spider asked, “So, what animal shall we catch tomorrow?”
Coucal replied, “Tomorrow we will catch a grasscutter.”
Spider said slyly, “But isn’t a grasscutter bigger than a squirrel?”
“Yes, it is,” answered Coucal.
“Then take this squirrel today,” Spider said, “and tomorrow when we catch the grasscutter, I will take it.”
Coucal agreed and carried the squirrel home.
One Animal after Another
The next morning, just as Coucal predicted, the trap held a grasscutter.
“See,” said Spider, “we have caught a grasscutter! But tomorrow we will catch a duiker, which is bigger, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Coucal replied.
“Then take this grasscutter,” Spider said, “and tomorrow the duiker will be mine.”
But when they trapped a duiker the next morning, Spider again asked, “What animal shall we catch tomorrow?”
“An antelope,” Coucal said.
“Ah, but an antelope is bigger than a duiker, isn’t it?” asked Spider.
“Yes, it is bigger,” Coucal replied.
“Then take the duiker,” Spider said, “and tomorrow I will take the antelope.”
And so it went on.
Day after day, the traps caught bigger animals first the antelope, then the bush pig, then even an elephant! And every time, Spider told his nephew to take the catch because tomorrow they would trap something greater. Each day Coucal happily took the animal home, while Spider returned empty-handed.
Konole’s Anger
Spider’s wife, Konole, grew more and more upset.
“Every day, your nephew brings home meat, but I get nothing!” she scolded. “You are supposed to be setting traps, yet we never taste the reward. What kind of foolishness is this?”
Spider could only tell her to be patient. But her anger grew as Coucal’s wife prepared fine feasts of meat while Konole’s cooking pots stayed empty.
The Greatest Catch
One morning, Spider asked his nephew, “What animal shall we catch tomorrow?”
Coucal said, “Tomorrow we will trap the animal called I-overwhelm-anything-even-an-elephant.”
Spider’s eyes widened. “If that is so, then it must be greater than even an elephant!”
“Yes, it is,” replied Coucal.
The next morning, they hurried to the trap and found… a tiny mouse. It was small, with a long nose and a terrible stench. The smell was so bad that when such a mouse crosses your path, people nearly faint.
Spider shouted in excitement, “Coucal! Come and see what animal we have caught!”
Coucal came and said, “Oh yes, this is the animal called I-overwhelm-anything-even-an-elephant.”
Spider’s heart leapt. Finally, after all these days, this one was his. “In that case, I will take it home!” he cried.
He proudly carried the stinking mouse to Konole, expecting her to rejoice. But when she saw the foul-smelling creature, she cried out, “Take it away! Take it away! We don’t want this filth in our house!”
Shamed and humiliated, Spider ran out with the mouse. He scurried up the wall and hid in the eaves of the roof, too embarrassed to face his wife.
Moral of the Story
This West African folktale teaches that greed and trickery lead to shame. Spider sought to cheat his nephew by always keeping the “better catch” for tomorrow. But his selfishness left him with nothing but a foul-smelling mouse. The story warns us that if you seek to deceive others, you may end up deceiving yourself.
Knowledge Check
1: Who were the main characters in “Spider Finds a Fool”?
The main characters were Mr. Spider, his nephew Oblicku the Coucal, and Spider’s wife, Konole.
2: Why did Spider go around the town shouting for a fool?
Spider wanted a foolish partner he could cheat when dividing the animals caught in the traps.
3: Which animals did they trap before the mouse?
They caught a squirrel, grasscutter, duiker, antelope, bush pig, and an elephant.
4: Why did Spider’s wife, Konole, grow angry?
She became angry because Coucal’s family had plenty of meat every day, while she and Spider had nothing.
5: What was the final animal Spider took home?
A stinking mouse called I-overwhelm-anything-even-an-elephant.
6: What is the main lesson of this folktale?
Greed and trickery backfire; honesty and fairness bring true reward.
Source: West African Folktale
