Anansi is both a god, spirit and African folktale character. He often takes the shape of a spider and is considered to be the spirit of all knowledge of stories. He is also one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore. The Anansi tales originate from the Ashanti people of present-day Ghana. The Jamaican versions of these stories are the most well preserved, because Jamaica had the largest concentration of Asante as slaves in the Americas, and their most complete compilation is found in Anansi, Jamaican stories of the Spider God.