Yes, I know some Anansi the spider stories, but I don't know that
I know any of the songs that traditionally wwere {are} sung with those stories. I've read that many of the traditional Jamaican and other Caribbean social folk songs came from Anansi stories. But I don't know which songs these are. And I doubt if any of these songs are {were}about 'bugs'. Rather, they probably are {were} about some aspect of that particular story.

**

But since you introduced the subject, I'd like to share some information about Anansi:

The word "anansi" {pronounced ah-NAH-see} means 'spider' in Twi, an Akan language {Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa}. The Ashanti {Asante} are a relatively well known division of the Akan ethnic group.

"Aunt Nancy" is an Americanized version {South Carolina} of the name Anansi. Quoting from Wikipedia, other versions of this name are:

Other names
Anancy (Jamaica, Grenada)
Anancyi
Ananse
Hanansi
Compé Anansi
Kweku Anansi (Akan)
Nansi
Mr. John

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/anansi

-snip-

[Mr. John]??

Anyway...

Re: the name 'Kweku Ananse', I've seen "Kwaku Ananse" used much more than "Kweku Ananse" [ah-NAH-say]. This translates as "Wednesday Spider", as "Kwaku" {"Kweku"} is an Akan day name for 'male born on Wednesday". It would be interesting to know more about characteristics were {are} associated with the Wednesday spirit {soul} and why Ananse was said to be "born" on that particular day.

Anansi is a male trickster figure. He is usually portrayed as a spider man. I've read that Anansi was the source for the comic book character "Spiderman", but I'm not sure if this can be verified.

In many spider stories, Anansi is protrayed as a lazy, cunning man. But there's more to the spider than what meets the eye.

Imo, the esoteric symbol of the spider web provides a clue to a deeper meaning for the spider in Akan culture {and other cultures}. The importance of the spider symbol in culture is also revealed by the fact that the spider is said to be the owner of all the Sky God {Onyame's} stories {meaning the Sky God gave them to him after he completed several specific tasks}.

I've read that Anansi the spider is important because he symbolizes how even a small, relatively helpless person can overcome someone bigger than himself {herself} by using his {or her} mind. I think this one layer of the meaning of the spider. A deeper meaning may be that the spider and the spider web symbolize the fact that we are all interconnected.

For more online information on Anansi, click:

http://jamaicans.com/culture/anansi/anancy_intro.shtlm

and

http://geocities.com/shandycan/culture_notes.com

and

http://jamaicans.com/culture/anansi/index.shtml

For information on Akan day names, click:

http://theearthcenter.com./ffarchivesdento.html