Who has the stories in folklaw?

September 23, 2009 3:38 PM

I'm trying to remember a folktale (Possibly of native American origin) about how someone (I'm pretty sure it was a trickster figure) got to be keeper of the worlds stories.

I think I first read this in "Trickster makes this world" by Lewis Hyde, and I think it was about Raven, but I honestly don't remember and I'm struggling to find the story anywhere. I know this isn't a lot to go on, but does anyone know the story I'm talking about, or a similar folktale about a character being given domain over (or stealing/tricking their way into domain over) the worlds stories?

posted by emperor.seamus to media & arts (5 comments total)

Anansi?
posted by MonkeyToes at 3:50 PM on September 23

I don't know if that was the one I knew, but thank you anyway! It's very much the kind of thing I'm looking for!
posted by emperor.seamus at 4:10 PM on September 23 [1 favorite]

I just got out of class with Hyde about an hour ago. Want me to ask him in the next few days?
posted by Picklegnome at 7:54 PM on September 23

When I first heard this story, it was Anansi in Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. I'm familiar with the story of Raven stealing the sun, but I know very little non-greek mythology. I imagine it's possible that a sun-stealer could be a story-stealer too.
posted by Acari at 8:38 PM on September 23

I'm not familiar with the stories that the other posters have mentioned, but from your description, I was reminded of the book 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry.
posted by iamkimiam at 10:34 PM on September 23