FIELD NOTES — THE CRAFT OF SMALL TOOLS

Why My Developer Tool Is Named After a West African Spider God

February 6, 2026 • 8 min read

"Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience."

— Robert McKee

The Naming Choice

Most developer tools have forgettable names. Utility names (DataMasker), compound names (SecureRedact), abstract names (Prisma, Vercel, Terraform).

I named my privacy tool Anancy—after Anansi, the West African trickster spider.

This wasn't random. It wasn't marketing. It was an attempt to give a technical tool cultural depth.

Who Is Anansi?

Anansi is a figure from Akan folklore, originating in what is now Ghana. He's a spider—but not just a spider. He's a trickster god, a story-keeper, a shapeshifter.

The stories spread across the Atlantic with enslaved people, evolving in the Caribbean (especially Jamaica) and the American South. Along the way, Anansi became a figure of resistance—using wit to overcome those with more power.

Key traits:

  • ● Shapeshifter: Anansi transforms to avoid danger or achieve goals
  • ● Trickster: He outsmarts opponents rather than overpowering them
  • ● Story-keeper: In many tales, Anansi owns all stories because he earned them through cleverness
  • ● Underdog: He wins despite being smaller and weaker

The stories themselves are called "Anansi stories" or "Nancy stories."

Why a Trickster Fits a Privacy Tool

Anancy (the tool) transforms data to protect it. The metaphor is direct:

Transformation: Just as Anansi shapeshifts to evade danger, Anancy transforms PII into safe representations. The data changes form but preserves meaning.

Protection through cleverness: Anancy doesn't encrypt or delete—it disguises. Like a trickster, it hides in plain sight.

The underdog position: Privacy tools for individuals fighting against data collection machinery. Anansi energy.

The metaphor wasn't forced. It emerged from the problem space.

Why Mythology Over Business Names

I could have named it:

  • ● DataMask Pro
  • ● PrivacyGuard
  • ● SecureRedact
  • ● PII-Away (ugh)

These names are descriptive, forgettable, and generic. They say what the tool does without saying anything interesting.

Mythology names offer something different:

Story: There's depth to explore. Users who care can learn about Anansi and appreciate the connection.

Memorability: "Anancy" sticks in a way "DataMaskPro" doesn't.

Differentiation: Generic names compete in a crowded space. Mythology names create their own space.

Developer appreciation: The developer audience—especially those with depth-seeking tendencies—appreciates products with story behind them. It signals: this wasn't made by a committee.

Why Anancy Spelling (Not Anansi)

The spelling was deliberate.

"Anansi" is the Akan spelling. It's well-known and connects directly to the folklore.

"Anancy" is the Caribbean spelling—the version that traveled. It represents evolution, adaptation, survival of stories across cultures.

Practically:

  • ● "Anansi" has GitHub projects
  • ● "Anancy" was available as a PyPI package and domain
  • ● The variant spelling is authentic to the tradition

The spelling honored both availability constraints and cultural transmission.

Cultural Borrowing vs. Appropriation

Using African/Caribbean folklore as someone who didn't grow up with it raises legitimate questions. I thought about this.

The key distinction: Anansi stories are explicitly meant to spread. The whole mythology is about story-keeping and story-sharing. The tales traveled and adapted intentionally.

What matters:

  • ● Credit the source (done in README)
  • ● Don't claim ownership of the mythology (done—just inspired by)
  • ● Use respectfully (done—the metaphor honors the source)
  • ● Be honest about your relationship to the tradition (done—I learned from research, not heritage)

This isn't wearing sacred symbols as fashion. It's drawing on shared human mythology—which is what mythology is for.

The README Connection

The README includes a mythology section: 

## Why "Anancy"?

Anansi (also spelled Anancy) is a trickster figure from West African
and Caribbean folklore. A shapeshifter who uses wit rather than
strength, Anansi protects through transformation.

Anancy (the tool) transforms sensitive data to protect it—changing
form while preserving meaning. Like the trickster, it hides in plain
sight.

Learn more about Anansi: Wikipedia

Documentation as cultural bridge.

Brand Stickiness Through Story

Here's what mythology does that utility names don't:

Conversation starter: "What's Anancy?" leads to a story. "What's DataMask?" leads to... nothing.

Blog content: I can write about the naming process, the mythology, the cultural connections. Try writing interesting content about why you named it "SecureRedact."

Visual direction: Adinkra symbols, spider imagery, gold and amber tones. The mythology provides aesthetic direction.

Emotional resonance: The underdog trickster resonates differently than a corporate shield icon.

Stories create brand. Utility names create categories.

The Visual Direction

Mythology provides design vocabulary:

Spider motifs: Web patterns, eight-pointed stars, interconnected lines

Adinkra symbols: Traditional Akan visual language with geometric patterns

Color palette: Gold, amber, black—colors associated with West African royalty and spider imagery

Tone: Clever, quick, slightly playful—matching trickster energy

I haven't built all of this yet. But the mythology provides a roadmap.

The Meta-Level

There's a meta-truth here: this article exists because of the name.

"Why I Named My Tool Anancy" is an article people might read. "Why I Named My Tool DataMask" is not.

The mythology creates content opportunities that generic names can't. It's marketing, but it's also genuine—the story is real and interesting.

The Takeaway

"Names have power."

— Ursula K. Le Guin

Technical products can have cultural meaning. It's not just marketing—it's a design philosophy.

Mythology names:

  • ● Tell stories that generic names can't
  • ● Create visual and tonal direction
  • ● Filter for users who appreciate depth
  • ● Generate content opportunities
  • ● Make products memorable

Not every product needs this. But if you have the opportunity to give your creation depth, take it.

The stories traveled. The name can too.

This is the final article in "The Craft of Small Tools" series.

THE CRAFT OF SMALL TOOLS — SERIES INDEX

  1. The Audience of One — Why small tools for small audiences matter
  2. 47 Names Later — The naming journey to Anancy
  3. When 'Random' Needs Rules — Constrained randomization
  4. Pattern Matching for Privacy — Regex over AI
  5. Five States That Saved My Sanity — State machines
  6. Zero Dependencies — Python's stdlib
  7. Discord + Web — Two interfaces for two users
  8. Red Teaming Yourself — Security self-assessment
  9. Deployment for Mortals — Pi + Vercel
  10. The Differentiator Trap — Custom vocabularies
  11. The Override Button We Deleted — Constraints as features
  12. Mythology as Brand — Cultural depth in technical products

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