Ofun Kana

The loss of vigor

Ofun Okana was an awo who lived in the land of Aguadefa with Mayuro and Aguato Yuro. She was the only woman in that land and everyone called her Okanayobi Ofun. Aguato Yuro was always taken up with attending to his aleyos and neglected the affairs of the household, which constantly made his wife reproach him, to no avail. Everyone admired Mayuro, who always wore a tiger skin.

There was another awo named Aguada who lived in another land and used to visit Mayuro to talk with her. Ofikale Trupon paid no attention to his wife, which led her to go see Aguada in secret. When her husband called for her, she would run to an algarrobo tree and sing:

«Okana Yobi Ofun Mabda Gua Aguo Mabda Gua Awo Ofikale Trupon Ofun Kana».

That way he would not trouble her and left her in peace. In time, Aguato Yuro noticed that his wife’s belly was growing, but she said she was merely ill and that her belly ached. One day, while Mayuro was with Aguada, Aguato Yuro sent all the aleyos out of his house and looked at himself in a mirror, seeing that Ofun Kana came out. He grew worried, but said nothing.

After some time, Mayuro could not give birth even though her belly kept growing. Aguato Yuro sent the aleyos away and performed ebbo. Meanwhile, Mayuro was desperate and frightened, so she stood beside the algarrobo tree and sang «Ofikale Trupon». When Aguato Yuro finished making the ebbo, he killed the ijoro and stood at the door to sing:

«Mayuro Ataguma Lorun Obini Olorun Mayure».

Mayuro heard this and ran to her husband, who gave her something to drink and sent her to discard the ebbo near an álamo tree. Aguada, who saw this, was ashamed on realizing that he was naked, and knelt to beg forgiveness. Aguato Yuro gave him the rat’s clothing he was wearing and told him «follow me.» Along the way, he sang:

«Cho Cha Ikú Eggun Obaicale Chocha Ikú Eggun Oba Ikele Ofun Kana Chocha Ikú Eggun Oba Ikale».

At the same time, he went along giving rooster’s blood and pointing at a woman, saying: «look at her — that child is yours, but you will never see him again.»

If the person is obini, the ebbo is made with a doll.

The wife of the awo must be very careful about betraying him, because she tends never to give birth again, and everyone who performs ofikale trupon with her loses his vigor.

The three strengths

On this path there were three young siblings, two brothers and a sister, who one day set out on the road toward the town of one of their closest relatives, whom they were going to visit. It happened that the eldest brother, being tired, saw a rabbit climb up the trunk of a tree and disappear into a hole that was in it. He took a stone of fair size and threw it at the tree with such aim that he sealed the hole through which the rabbit had escaped. Then the second brother took another stone and hurled it against the tree with such force that he knocked it down, and so was able to seize the rabbit, which had died from the blow.

They gave the animal to their sister and continued on their way. Without resting, they walked until they reached a crossroads, where they prepared to recover their strength. Great was the brothers’ surprise when their sister said to them: «let us sit here and eat the rabbit, which I have already cooked.» And her brothers wondered how their sister could have worked such a marvel, since she had not stopped along the way, nor lit a fire, nor found water — they had not even brought salt.

But faced with the evidence of the perfectly prepared animal their sister set before them, without trying to unravel the mystery, they sat down to eat, and they ate. Yet once the feast was over, the eldest of the brothers spoke thus: «a great thing I have done — had it not been for my eyes, which saw the rabbit, and my aim, which sealed the hole, we would not have eaten today.»

«No, brother,» said the middle one, «this feast is owed to my strength, which broke the tree, and the stone allowed us to seize the rabbit.» But the sister replied to them both: «neither your eyes nor your aim were enough, nor was your strength, for us to satisfy our hunger now with the rabbit, had I not contrived to cook it without fire, without water and without salt.»

And so those siblings, who had shown themselves clever in obtaining their meal, went on arguing — and argue they still — to settle which of them had performed the deed of greatest worth.

Obatalá’s war with the rabbit (Samba)

On this path, in Mose Inle, the king of that land was called Ekundere (Obatalá) and his children were herdsmen. In those times Samba, the rabbit, along with his wife and children, were meat-eaters, but they lacked the courage to steal the cows of Obatalá’s children. So Samba went to see Orunmila, who marked ebbo for him with osiadie feathers and cowhide, so he could move among the cows. When they relieved themselves, Samba would enter through the oriolo and take out the meat he liked best — all except the liver, the heart and the iñales.

Samba did this every day, bringing the eran malu home to his family. One day Suruku, the jackal, spied on Samba, for he wanted to know how he obtained his food. And on seeing Samba carry out his operation, which consisted of entering the malu from behind, he stuck his own head into the oriolo, but could not reach. Then the jackal bit into the liver to eat it, but the malu cried out loudly and Suruku fled in fright with the adofa in his mouth. The malu fell dead, sealing the oriolo, and Samba was left inside, trapped.

It turned out that this malu was the favorite of Okundere, and when he was told what had happened, he took up his weapons and went out to the field. There he saw his malu dead, and he questioned the herdsmen as to who had done it. They did not know what to do, and Obatalá raised his saber to cut off all their heads. Suddenly one of them said: «Why do you not open the malu’s belly, to see who it could have been, or what could have happened to the malu?»

Ekundere did so and, to everyone’s surprise, inside was Samba, tangled in the iñales. Then Okundele took the saber, seized Samba by the ears and said: «Scoundrel, you have killed my wife the malu — you will pay with your head.» And with the saber he beheaded him, drank his eye and ate him roasted. Afterwards he set out for Samba’s house to exterminate his family, but on seeing the little children he took pity on them and pardoned them, sentencing them to live on grass and roots. And Obatalá, to save his children, eats rabbit.

This ebbo is for gara gara (stealing).

This ebbo is for defending oneself against an attack and, at the same time, for gathering in and defeating the enemy.

The day before the ebbo, the animals are given to Obatalá, and the iñales are prepared, including the adofa; bogbo igui is taken and bound well together — these igui are: tumba cuatro, dominador, vencedor, vence batalla. These sticks are joined and the names of the enemies are wound around them, and everything goes umbeboro in the ebbo; leri osiadie umbeboro in the ebbo.

Olofin’s gatekeeper

On this path, all the santos lived in heaven and Elegbara was Olofin’s gatekeeper. Shangó, being a rascal, asked Eleguá for permission to see Olofin, but he refused to let him pass. Knowing Elegbá’s weakness for akuko, Shangó fed him akuko and, while Elegguá was eating, seized the chance to slip into Olofin’s chamber. At that moment, Olofin was about to lie down to sleep with a maiden he kept hidden in his room. Shangó, on seeing this, rebuked his father, and Olofin, angered, condemned him to live on earth.

As Shangó descended to earth, being a mass of fire, an eruption broke out before he reached the ground, leaving Shangó shattered from the waist down. But Ozain gathered him up, fed him with fruit and healed him with herbs. When Shangó was fully healed, he sealed a pact with Ozain to serve one another from then on; they made the pact beneath an algarrobo tree.

Here was born the use of azabache against the evil eye.

How Orunmila and Oshún saved Babalú Ayé

On the night of Holy Thursday, Babalú Ayé lay with a woman, and the next day his body was covered with sores. A few days later he died of a syphilis that Olofin had sent him as punishment. The women did not agree with so terrible a penalty and interceded before Olofin so that he would restore Babalú Ayé’s life. But Olofin refused the petition.

Then the women went to Orunmila, who prepared a trap for Olofin. He scattered a charm throughout Olofin’s palace, an ashe of Oshún made with bee’s honey. Olofin felt himself overtaken by strange and pleasing sensations and called his secretary to find out who had sprinkled his house with such delightful honey.

Orunmila did not answer him, which intrigued him all the more. Olofin resolved to send for all the women and asked them who had scattered such delightful honey in his house, but they all answered that they did not know. Olofin noticed Oshún’s absence and had her brought to him.

When Oshún arrived, Olofin asked her the same question, and she answered that the honey was hers and that she wanted more of it. Olofin agreed, and Oshún asked him to give Babalú Ayé his life back. Olofin accepted the bargain, and Babalú Ayé returned to the world to enjoy the same privilege he had enjoyed before. ¡Maferefun Orunmila and Maferefun Oshún!

Babalú Ayé appears on this path as a libertine who takes his pleasure with all women and at times lives off them as a pimp. This path says that Olofin granted this Santo the grace of lying with all women. Once, Orunmila approached Babalú Ayé and said to him: «as you see, today is Holy Thursday, so Olofin wants you to restrain yourself,» but Babalú Ayé answered: «if Olofin gave me the Ashe (power), it was so that I would use it as many times as I pleased.» «Do as you wish,» Orunmila replied, and went on his way.