Full Description
The trickster appears in the myths and folktales of nearly every traditional society. Robert Pelton examines Ashanti, Fon, Yoruba, and Dogon trickster-figures in their social and mythical contexts and in light of contemporary thought, exploring the way the trickster links animality and ritual transformation; culture, sex, and laughter; cosmic process and personal history; and, divination and social change.
Contents
I. Interpreting the Trickster
II. Ananse: Spinner of Ashanti Doubleness
III. Legba: Master of the Fon Dialectic
IV. Legba and Eshu: Writers of Destiny
V. Ogo-Yurugu: Lord of the Random, Servant of Wholeness
VI. Toward a Theory of the Trickster
Appendix
Selected Bibliography
Index
