Anansi

Anansi is a powerful trickster from the animated series, "Gargoyles" and was based on a West African deity of the same name - however unlike the Anansi of legend this depiction was more openly antagonistic on his first encounter with the Manhattan Clan.

In the world of "Gargoyles" Anansi is one of the countless Children Of Oberon, mystical beings that act as deities and mythical spirits, much like the Anansi of real-world legend he was prone to being a trickster but was more openly cruel in his ways: long ago a panther angered Anansi and was transformed into a human female as a result.

Anansi promised to reverse the curse if she built the great city of Kara Digi for him and she agreed - marrying the Oba of the Houka to assist her in this task. Together they built Kara Digi and its citizens hunted for Anansi, bringing him food and as a result the trickster grew fat and greedy. Anansi kept his promise and turned the queen back into a panther, yet she missed her human children and wanted Anansi to turn them into panthers as well so she could care for them. Anansi was not prepared to grant her request, saying that only one of her children could be transformed - much to Anansi's displeasure she picked her eldest son Wishing to keep the youth in his service Anansi tried to turn him against his mother but in the end the youth realized the truth and agreed to become a panther as well. Anansi reluctantly turned him into one and then vented his anger upon Kara Digi, driving its people away. Unfortunately for Anansi this action backfired on him and once the people of Kara Digi had left they could no longer hunt for him and he went hungry again. Many years later Fara Maku found Anansi and made a bargain with him; he would become a werepanther and hunt for the spider, so that he could find a way of keeping Tea Gora with him by turning her into a werepanther as well. Anansi agreed, and grew so fat upon the food that Fara Maku brought him that he became a clumsy and lethargic. When the werepanthers led Goliath and his companions on the Avalon World Tour to Kara Digi, they fought the great trickster and Goliath would deliver the final blow to Anansi in the form of a spear - though as an immortal Anansi did not die and simply scuttled away into the night.