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Overview
Thomas White’s hunter admires a tree called Jessamy on his return from hunting and wishes it could become a wife. The change happens immediately. He leaves briefly to obtain clothes, dresses the woman and takes her home, where they live together for a considerable time. The story supplies no botanical identification for the named tree.
When the hunter stays away overnight, another man persuades the wife to accompany him to a house two miles away. She leaves saliva along the route, worried about how her husband will find her. His repeated song receives answers from these traces, leading him in stages to the other dwelling. She hears him approaching; he takes her home. This account ends with reunion, without a return to tree form or a stated punishment.
Origins & earliest records
Martha Warren Beckwith published this account in Jamaica Anansi Stories (1924), explicitly credited to Thomas White, Maroon Town. Her preface dates the collection visits to summer1919 and winter1921; a particular interview date is not supplied here. The published witness does not establish the first oral telling.
Records & interpretation
The complete transformation and recovery narrative, story67, was read. The answering traces are a story device, not a biological property attributed to a real plant. Beckwith’s comparative references are separate from White’s telling.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Jamaica Anansi Stories
Story67, The Tree-Wife, printed p.74. Complete selected narrative read, with teller heading and preface.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary textBeckwith1924: Story67, The Tree-Wife, printed p.74.Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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