Greed is an unbridled desire to possess wealth or goods for oneself, often far beyond what is needed. A greedy person always seeks more than they require, leading to numerous problems. Greed makes a person despicable in the eyes of others, fosters misery, and robs them of life’s joys. Here is one of the best short stories illustrating the perils of greed.
The Greedy Man: A Story About Greed from West Africa
A severe famine once plagued the area where Anansi lived. For a long time, he struggled to provide food for his poor wife and children. One day, while wandering near the sea, he noticed an island with a tall palm tree in the middle of the water. Desperate, Anansi decided to reach the island, believing the tree might bear nuts to feed his family. The challenge was figuring out how to get there.
When he reached the beach, he discovered an old, broken boat. Though it looked fragile, Anansi decided to try his luck. His first six attempts to sail were unsuccessful, as waves repeatedly pushed him back to shore. Yet, determined, he persisted, and on his seventh attempt, he finally succeeded in reaching the island.
Upon arriving, Anansi tied the boat to the tree trunk and climbed up to gather nuts. He dropped them one by one toward the boat, but to his dismay, all fell into the water. Only one nut remained, and though he threw it down carefully, it too splashed into the sea. Heartbroken, Anansi had no choice but to return home empty-handed.
Determined not to return without food, Anansi dived into the water and, to his amazement, found himself at the bottom of the sea, standing before a beautiful hut. An old man emerged from the hut and kindly asked Anansi what he wanted. Anansi shared his sorrowful tale, and the old man, moved by his plight, gave him a magical dish. He explained that the dish would provide unlimited food to Anansi, his family, and his village. Anansi thanked the man profusely and left.
Excited to test the magic dish, Anansi sat in his boat and commanded, “O magic dish, offer me what you were offering your master.” Instantly, a feast of delicious food appeared, which Anansi devoured joyfully. However, instead of sharing his good fortune with his family, greed overtook him. He feared that if he used the dish for them, its magic might run out. Anansi decided to keep the dish for himself, hiding it from his wife and children.
Upon returning home, Anansi pretended to be weak from starvation. His wife and children, thin and frail from lack of food, greeted him with despair. But Anansi ignored their suffering, secretly savoring lavish meals in his room while his family grew hungrier.
Suspicious of their father's mysterious weight gain, Anansi’s eldest son, Koiko, who could transform into any shape, turned himself into a small insect to spy on him. Koiko followed Anansi into his room and discovered the hidden dish. When Anansi left, Koiko revealed the secret to his mother and siblings. They gathered, commanded the dish to produce food, and enjoyed a hearty meal.
The family then decided to share the dish with the starving villagers. The dish worked tirelessly, feeding everyone, but it overheated from overuse and melted away. Afraid of Anansi’s reaction, his wife warned everyone to keep the incident secret.
When Anansi returned, he eagerly went to his room to eat, only to find the dish missing. He realized his family was responsible and vowed to punish them.
The next day, Anansi returned to the beach and sailed back to the palm tree. This time, the nuts fell onto the boat instead of the water. Thrilled, he deliberately threw one nut into the sea and jumped after it. Just as before, he found himself in front of the old man’s hut.
The old man listened to Anansi’s story and sympathized again. This time, he gave Anansi a thin stick, instructing him to take it and leave. Curious about the stick’s magic, Anansi sat in his boat and said, “Stick, give me what you were giving your master.” To his horror, the stick came alive and began beating him mercilessly. He jumped into the sea to escape and swam back to shore, bruised and humiliated.
Anansi returned home in pain, full of regret for his greed and selfishness. He learned that hoarding blessings and ignoring the needs of others only leads to misery.
Here is the end of the story.
The Greedy Man: A Story About Greed from West Africa
When he reached the beach, he discovered an old, broken boat. Though it looked fragile, Anansi decided to try his luck. His first six attempts to sail were unsuccessful, as waves repeatedly pushed him back to shore. Yet, determined, he persisted, and on his seventh attempt, he finally succeeded in reaching the island.
Upon arriving, Anansi tied the boat to the tree trunk and climbed up to gather nuts. He dropped them one by one toward the boat, but to his dismay, all fell into the water. Only one nut remained, and though he threw it down carefully, it too splashed into the sea. Heartbroken, Anansi had no choice but to return home empty-handed.
Determined not to return without food, Anansi dived into the water and, to his amazement, found himself at the bottom of the sea, standing before a beautiful hut. An old man emerged from the hut and kindly asked Anansi what he wanted. Anansi shared his sorrowful tale, and the old man, moved by his plight, gave him a magical dish. He explained that the dish would provide unlimited food to Anansi, his family, and his village. Anansi thanked the man profusely and left.
Excited to test the magic dish, Anansi sat in his boat and commanded, “O magic dish, offer me what you were offering your master.” Instantly, a feast of delicious food appeared, which Anansi devoured joyfully. However, instead of sharing his good fortune with his family, greed overtook him. He feared that if he used the dish for them, its magic might run out. Anansi decided to keep the dish for himself, hiding it from his wife and children.
Upon returning home, Anansi pretended to be weak from starvation. His wife and children, thin and frail from lack of food, greeted him with despair. But Anansi ignored their suffering, secretly savoring lavish meals in his room while his family grew hungrier.
Suspicious of their father's mysterious weight gain, Anansi’s eldest son, Koiko, who could transform into any shape, turned himself into a small insect to spy on him. Koiko followed Anansi into his room and discovered the hidden dish. When Anansi left, Koiko revealed the secret to his mother and siblings. They gathered, commanded the dish to produce food, and enjoyed a hearty meal.
The family then decided to share the dish with the starving villagers. The dish worked tirelessly, feeding everyone, but it overheated from overuse and melted away. Afraid of Anansi’s reaction, his wife warned everyone to keep the incident secret.
When Anansi returned, he eagerly went to his room to eat, only to find the dish missing. He realized his family was responsible and vowed to punish them.
The next day, Anansi returned to the beach and sailed back to the palm tree. This time, the nuts fell onto the boat instead of the water. Thrilled, he deliberately threw one nut into the sea and jumped after it. Just as before, he found himself in front of the old man’s hut.
The old man listened to Anansi’s story and sympathized again. This time, he gave Anansi a thin stick, instructing him to take it and leave. Curious about the stick’s magic, Anansi sat in his boat and said, “Stick, give me what you were giving your master.” To his horror, the stick came alive and began beating him mercilessly. He jumped into the sea to escape and swam back to shore, bruised and humiliated.
Anansi returned home in pain, full of regret for his greed and selfishness. He learned that hoarding blessings and ignoring the needs of others only leads to misery.
Here is the end of the story.
See you in new stories ❤️
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( The End )
We hope you enjoyed this classic moral story about greed. This tale, like many others, teaches valuable lessons for children and adults alike. Explore our collection of timeless stories to find inspiration and happiness.
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