Ogunda Meyi

The road of the false invitation

Orunmila came to a town where the people saw through the eyes of their king, but it happened that Orunmila began to win that town over with his good deeds and works, to the point that Orunmila attained a
tremendous fame. This situation caused great displeasure in the king.

The king then began to look for a way to do away with him physically, but he realised that the people greatly admired Orunmila and he thought it better to work through disgrace. At the same time as the king was taking this position against Orunmila, Orunmila was having an osode done for himself, in which this Ifá ogunda meyi came out, and ebo was marked with a horse, a saddle, malaguidi okuni and obini, 2 akuko, 2 eyele and all the other ingredients. Orunmila made the ebo and waited, since his Ifá had told him that they would come to visit him again.

While Orunmila was making the ebo, the king was ordering his men to hunt down the wildest horse (ishin) of the plains; this order was swiftly carried out and the king’s soldiers brought him the horse. The king had the horse hunted because Orunmila lived on the outskirts of the town; he then sent Orunmila an invitation to honour him for what he had done for the town, and Orunmila accepted the invitation.

The king sent him the horse so that he would come to the palace; the king was on the palace roof terrace with his arms crossed, awaiting the outcome and hoping to see Orunmila rolling on the ground and thus destroy him morally.

At that moment the king was left astonished to see Orunmila coming leading the horse, and so the king said: with this man I can do nothing, I must come to terms with him because he has won the sympathy of the town.

When Orunmila arrived he was greatly acclaimed, and coming before the king, the king asked him: how is it possible that you walked so far, and Orunmila said to him: well, my Ifá forbade me to mount anything; then the king
said to him: in this town the two of us can live, you with the religion and I with justice. And Orunmila said: to iban Eshu.

When Obatalá cursed Oggún

On this road Obatalá cursed Oggún for the wars and the witchcraft that he and Shangó were carrying out with prendas of the congos, since they were in congo land, which bordered on yoruba land. The yoruba went to complain to Obatalá, because through the ogu (witchcraft) many people of their land were being killed.

Shangó, on learning of it, skilfully withdrew, but Oggún carried on, paying no heed, and for that he was cursed by Obatalá and by Ozain.

Even so, despite this curse people went on dying, and then odi bara had to come and seize Oggún and all those who were working ogu. Then Ozain came and fed iwereyeye to Obatalá, to take the curse out of his mouth.

The awó of this oddun of Ifá cannot go about with prendas of the congos; what he must do is receive Ozain.

The quarrel of the gourd and the yam

The gourd and the yam had a dispute to see which of the two was more useful to Orunmila. They took advantage of the fact that ogunda meyi was having an Ifá done, and they accompanied him to the room of Ifá, where Orunmila, as everything was about to end, said to ogunda meyi: bury the gourd, but carry the yam with you.

But ogunda meyi, being so headstrong, did not follow the advice Orunmila had given him and buried the two of them together. Before long a monstrous thing was born there, a monster that began to make an end of the people, and the people lived in great fear, and ogunda meyi was thrown into confusion and did not know what to do to put a stop to that creature. Just then Oyá came along the road singing: “ Oyá gara ileu alamita bewe obini mesan ide Oggún Oyá gara ileu werewe ashe forodo ike. “

At which Orunmila said to ogunda meyi: take these two adie shewere and give them to Oyá, for she will know how to save you.

So ogunda meyi took the two adie and began to cleanse Oyá, who came looking very beautiful, all covered with piercing weapons; he gave her the adie and sang: “ eye alami ele abebo adie adie mafun adie Oyá ele mi osi. “ Then Oyá gave him the weapons with which he was able to defeat the monster, and from then on the gourd of igbordun is planted and the Eshu is given to the awó for his luck.

The Oyá of the awó must carry the following pieces inside, and if the awó is ogunda meyi, besides these his Oyá carries a crown with piercing weapons whose points face upwards.

When Yemayá saved Oshosi and Inle

Here is where inle and Ochosi were children of Yemayá and had their trades. Inle was a fisherman and Oshosi a hunter. Inle worshipped: oru ode orun, who was the one who commanded half the world when it was night. That is why the best fishing is done at night.

Oshosi worshipped: wawa todo olo orun, who was the one who commanded half the world when it was day. That is why the best hunting is done by day. Yemayá would sing a suyere, which was for protecting her children, and it was this:

“ baba karere, baba karere. “ (father, may they come home with luck)
“ erosi baba karere. “ (father, be calm and may they come home)
“ iyere opon. “ (before the power of the dust of the world) (iyefa of Orunmila)
“ baba karere, baba karere erosi baba karere. Awata oniyo “ (he who goes to fish the sacred fish)
“ baba karere, baba karere erosi baba karere awaka omode. “ (the great son of the hunt).

Yemayá always did this because she lived worried about the fate of her children, and she went to see olue shiwishi, who was omo Obatalá, and he read Yemayá’s children with the oddun toyale: ogunda meyi. And he made ebo
through her and saved them. Olue shiwishi, although he always lived in Obatalá’s house, was the brother of inle and Oshosi.

In this Ifá was born that through a mother one is read and ebo is made to save a child, even if the child is not present. Here was born arun awala ini (which is tetanus), which always pursues inle and Oshosi. It would get inside the arrow and the fish hooks, to see how it might make an end of Yemayá’s children.

How the symbol of medicine was born

Orunmila went travelling through the towns because Oduduwa had sent him, and in the fourth town he met eyola (the santa maría boa) and told him to make eba with 16 water coconuts; and this one answered, who was he, and Orunmila answered him, I am Orunmila and you must do this because you are going to grow soft and you will not be able to walk and you will fall ill with leprosy and you will lose your limbs and the mark will remain on your body.

Those marks were the scales. Eyola paid no heed to the great counsel of Orunmila, who had read ogunda meyi for him at the entrance to that land. Some time passed and Oduduwa went out to travel through the towns where Orunmila had been, to see whether the people had done what Orunmila had ordered in each of those lands.

At his right side went the dog and at his left okete (the hutia); when they had already walked through several lands they came to the land where Orunmila had read ogunda meyi, and in a thicket they found a man who was groaning and short of breath, and Oduduwa asked him who he was and he answered: I am eyola, the one whom Orunmila told to make ebbo, but I disobeyed him and now I want to do it, with what Orunmila said, which is water coconuts.

Oduduwa, who was thirsty, drank the water of the coconuts and afterwards said to eyola: you will never again be able to walk upright, you will crawl, and on your body will remain the mark of leprosy for your disobedience; and since you have asked forgiveness, and I came thirsty and you have given me to drink, I will give you the gift of hypnotising animals so that you may smother them and afterwards, with the saliva of your tongue, swallow them down, and you will crawl with a fearsome swiftness. To iban Eshu.

While Oduduwa and his helpers were on the road, Oduduwa said: I have left my staff behind, but do not go back to fetch it. Okete, restless as always, went off in secret from Oduduwa to where the staff had been
left, but eyola had coiled himself around Oduduwa’s staff, and when okete arrived, eyola made use of the powers Oduduwa had given him and ate okete.

A short while later the dog said to Oduduwa, babá, where is okete, and Oduduwa, seeing that she was not there, realised what had happened and said to him, do not worry, she will not be coming back.

The caduceus was born, the symbol of medicine, where Oduduwa’s staff stands for healing and the coiled serpent eyola stands for the deliverance of the sick.

When oluo popo showed no regard for Oggún

Oluo popo had no regard for Oggún, and once oluo popo had to go to a certain town, and as always he wanted night not to overtake him; he always went by the same road. Oggún, knowing this, went ahead and cleared a path perfectly with his machete, making it look like another, newer and quicker road.

Oluo popo arrived and saw the new road and believed that by it he could arrive more quickly, and he went into it; and as he walked on, Oggún with great swiftness set bushes and creepers across the road, closing it up again. When oluo popo had walked a long stretch he found the road closed, and on turning back he found it closed too, and he could not get out of the middle of the bush.

Oluo popo began to cut the creepers with his hands and cut himself and his sores bled. Just then he saw Oggún and said to him: boy, lend me your machete, and Oggún lent him what he asked for, and since oluo popo did not know
how to handle it, the work became difficult and he could go no further, so he begged Oggún to help him.

Oggún took his machete and with skill and swiftness opened the road again, and oluo popo was able to get out, saying to him: boy Oggún, from today on you must be held in regard and you will always be able to count on me.

When the boys said what was missing

In a certain town, this oddun ogunda meyi came out for the old babalawos. They performed an ebo and carried it to the foot of a hill, waiting for something great in nature to show itself. Yet what they were waiting for did not come, despite their doing everything they knew.

As they were leaving, they came across some boys who were playing. One of them laughed at the old men and told them that they did not know what was missing, but that the boys did know.

The old men called the boys over, looked them over and persuaded them to explain what it was that was missing and what it consisted of. Then the boys told them that what was missing were the words, that is: «alaboru», «alaboya», «alaboshishe». When the old men pronounced those words, the good they had so long awaited arrived, that is, the saint manifested itself.

Thanks are given to the boys in this oddun, for they bring joy.

The lawsuit of the Eja Tutu

Eru oko and eru osani were slaves of oshalá on account of an obligation they could not fulfil, and for that reason they were in his service.

One day, oshalá consulted Orunmila and received this Ifá, which told him that in order to win the war he had to obori eleda with an eja tutu. He had to do it within seven days, but in the land of obaniyu where oshalá lived there was no seaport.

After five days had passed, oshalá turned as a last resort to his servants, eru oko and eru osani, and offered freedom to whichever of them brought him the eja tutu he needed. Both servants longed for freedom and set out at once in search of the eja tutu.

One of them had the hook and the other the fishing line, so they decided to join their resources. They tied eru oko’s hook to eru osani’s line and at once caught a great eja tutu. However, they could not agree on who its owner would be, since both claimed their right to it.

One said: «if it were not for my line, you would not have caught the eja tutu», and the other said: «if it were not for my hook, you would not have caught it either». Both wanted to be free and they came to blows several times without reaching any agreement. In the middle of the fight, Eshu appeared and asked why they were fighting.

They told him the case and Eshu told them that he would take them somewhere to settle the matter, since otherwise one of them would be lost and the other would come to harm.

Eshu took them to the ile (house) of Orunmila, who made osode for them and saw this Ifá. He told them to perform an ebo with what they were carrying. Eshu handed them an akuko (rooster) and sent them to carry the ebo to the foot of a hill in a grassy place. He took the eja tutu and split it in half with an obe (ceremonial knife) while singing: «a fefesi leri eja Obatalá masheo, a fefesi leri eja Osha bele epo Obatalá masheo».

He gave a piece to each of them along with a hen, and told them to hand all of that over to Obatalá, that everything was settled. And so they did. Oshalá, who received what he needed in order to win the war, gave them his blessing and granted them their freedom.

Here was born the lawsuit of the eja tutu; eru oko and eru osani is as if one were to say Oggún and Elegbá.

The metamorphosis of Oggún

Yemayá okute lived in the land of sutiro inle together with alaguedé and their three sons: Eshu, akoko and igbo. Igbo had long curly hair, like the wool of a ram. Eshu was a sorcerer, while akoko worked in the fields and igbo was a hunter. Seeing the bad conduct of her sons, Yemayá okute punished Eshu and placed him behind the door, and she decided to live only with akoko and igbo.

However, Eshu began to make life impossible for Yemayá and her sons. For that reason she decided to go and see the awó of that land, named sire awo. He made an osode for her and saw this Ifá, and told her: «you have a son who is a hunter, and if he goes hunting in the bush with this new moon without making ebó, Ozain will find him and will swear him into his secret, and will not let him return home».

Yemayá went back to her house frightened and told igbo that Ifá said he could not go hunting in those days. But igbo did not obey and went out hunting in the company of other hunters.

When they had gone deep into the bush and saw a great iroko tree, they agreed to take it as their point of reference, and each would hunt in his own direction and then return to the point of reference. Once inside the bush, igbo came upon Ozain, who came along singing: «Ozain bombo elenu shakota, Ozain bombo».

When Ozain saw him, he said: «come with me to where my secret is», and gave him three aparo, and both of them ate of them. Ozain took igbo before his secret and prepared everything needed to swear him in. He sought out the right herbs and igbo began to feel drowsy. For as long as the hunt lasted, nobody knew where igbo was, and he began to undergo a transformation, becoming a bird (ode), never again knowing what was happening in the world of the living.

When the hunt was over, all the hunters gathered at the foot of the iroko tree, and seeing that igbo did not come back, they called him with the horn, but in vain, for he did not come. Then they began to sing: «fara arere afinibó, fara arere keke, omo odé».

And singing this suyere, they returned to the land of sutiro inle, where igbo’s family lived. When akoko and ogundalé arrived, they asked after igbo, but were told that there was no news of him.

After they parted, akoko grew very uneasy, but ogunda was unmoved, since he knew why his son igbo was going through that trial. Akoko had no patience and went to the house of sire awo for a consultation. He came back with the same Ifá, where he received the same advice that had been given for his brother igbo.

Akoko went to where his baba tobí was and forged seven instruments: pick, shovel, hammer, anvil, machete, rake and crowbar. Then he washed them with alacrancillo and romerillo herbs, and performed the sacrifice of a rooster. He smoked the rooster and placed it together with the pieces on his back, then went out into the bush, opening a road with his hoe and singing: «Oggún nikoto bowale, mariwo lele, mariwo diere. Oggún nikoto bowale, mariwo lele, mariwo la ore».

At that moment he met his brother, who was covered in feathers (abanpopo), since they were hunters and the feathers of their prey stuck to their bodies. Akoko carried him on his back and came out of the bush with him, taking him back home.

However, Yemayá okute would not receive her disobedient son, who came crowned with the antlers of agbani, which were bad. Yemayá okute said that igbo deserved neither his mother’s love nor his father’s. Akoko answered: «if you do not want to see igbo again, you will not see me again either. I cannot live without him, and I would rather be parted from my parents than be far from my brother okanani».

Then akoko handed the rooster to his mother Yemayá and began to sing: «awa gbogbo nilogun, onile tona nilaguedé. Awi siba omanaye, Oggún akoko lele, oni gbogbo kolo iri. Mariwo obode, Oggún de mariwo obode, obode».

Afterwards, akoko went away with ode, his brother, and with the pieces he had forged he was transformed into Oggún. Ozain, who could not bear the absence of ode, his favourite disciple, drew near and opposed Oggún being with ode. But Oggún said to Ozain: «your crown is lacking for you to be great, because your crown does not sit well with your head».

Then Oggún proposed making a pact so that Ozain would have his crown. He forged a crown with 16 birds that were always with Ozain and cast ekun keneun and ologbo into Ozain’s secret, and sang to him: “ awa de awa madeo Ozain temi tousa layo wa. “

Thus they made a pact in which the three of them were represented by the irons, each one on his own path. Yemayá okute, desolate at having lost her sons, was transformed into Yemayá alaguede and died shortly after. Her son, the awo sire, took her place in that land and was transformed into Oggún.

For this reason, Oggún alaguodó does not come down in the head of any mortal, and the saints helped him to go forward. All of them played their part so that this would come to pass. Since then, Oggún, Oshosi and Ozain are inseparable.

Ifá of indiscretion

In the land of eiye inle there lived two great awoes, who were the diviners of all the birds and were named abogbo (the cao) and lekeleke (the white heron). In that land there was an oba who had a son named tolo, who was a gambler and had spent all the money his father had given him.

He was in debt to the owner of the gambling house and had to repay his debt by working in his creditor’s fields, which caused him great suffering. Seeing that he could not free himself of that debt, he went to meet the two great awoes, who were his friends, to seek a solution and become free again.

They read him and this Ifá ogunda meyi came out, and they told him: «Ifá has said that he is making you suffer greatly, and that is not just after all he has given you to eat. So that luck and wealth may come to you, you must give two euré to your Ifá, together with 4 adie. Also, you must never reveal our secret to anyone, not even to your godchildren when you have them».

But tolo did not buy the euré; he went back to the fields and, while working the land, found many bars of gold in a hole. He freed himself from his creditor, prepared a banquet and invited those he believed to be his friends. During the celebration, while everyone had drunk too much, tolo began to speak of all his past misfortunes and revealed the secret of his friends abogbo and lekeleke.

On hearing about the gold, they threw themselves upon him and robbed him of everything, leaving him once again in complete ruin. Tolo then went back to the house of the awoes, who were his friends, to see what they could do for him. They told him: «what you have now is only the beginning of your disobedience to the advice that your father, the oba (Obatalá oshalufen), has always given you. Besides, you did not make the two ebó.

The first, you did not give the two she-goats to Ifá, and the second, you revealed our secret. You know that your bad luck comes from your tongue and not from us. Iború, iboyá, ibosísé». Then tolo had to beg Obatalá’s forgiveness and feed his two euré to his Ifá along with the four adie. And thus he sang: «abogbonia Ifá legan igi legan».

Here an Ozain of inshe is mounted which must carry cao and white heron; in this Ifá a fan is placed before Obatalá made of white heron feathers.

The dog and the cat lived in perfect harmony

On this road, the dog and the cat lived together like true brothers. They were always playing and the dog was always ready to play. However, the cat, by temperament, is lazier than the dog. He always liked to take a nap, and the dog would coax him into playing a while. The cat would always oblige him and invite him to hunt, and so the dog trained himself in hunting, since he was clumsier than the cat.

The dog wanted the cat to teach him the skill of climbing trees, no matter how big they were, and of letting himself drop without hurting himself. But every time the dog asked him to teach him all those skills, the cat said that the time had not yet come, that he needed more practice in hunting.

However, one day the inevitable happened. The dog and the cat quarrelled over prey they had hunted. For that reason, the dog threw himself upon the cat like a wild beast, and the cat, in self-defence, sank his claws into him. Finding himself caught by the cat’s claws, the dog had no choice but to let him go.

The cat seized that chance to climb a leafy tree and take shelter among its branches. The dog tried to follow him, but it was impossible to catch him. Seeing his failure, the dog begged the cat a thousand pardons for his brutality. The cat understood that the dog’s promises were false and said to him: «you see, if I had taught you the art of climbing this tree, you would have torn me to pieces. That is why I never taught you, because I knew that this would happen one day».

Note

This Ifá speaks of ingratitude: the person who arrives is submissive as long as they believe themselves weak, but once they see themselves strong they make war on the very one who taught them.

The birth of the Okpele

On one of his many journeys through the world, oluo popo came to lake abayu, which lies beside the town of aga-oko in abyssinia. There lived a yoruba awó named foka, who had come to that land with the oba lamurunda during the war with the kingdom of solomon.

On learning that there was a yoruba awó named foka in that area, oluo popo, sick and covered in sores, decided to visit him. Recognising the dialect and discovering that oluo popo was his godfather, whom he knew from having been initiated by him in his childhood, foka resolved to cure his godfather by taking the leprosy upon himself.

When foka was dying, he called oluo popo and said to him: «godfather, I have here a secret that I brought from egypt so as to avoid having to consult Ifá constantly. It is a chain folded in half with eight pieces of certain seeds, which is cast upon the mat». He also told him: «when I die, look at my grave, there you will find the secret for making the okpele».

The following day, foka passed away and was buried beside lake abayu. Over his grave there grew a strange tree that bore large, elongated fruits which, on drying, opened saying «okpele oga oko, afáfun foka».

On hearing that, oluo popo looked and saw that inside those fruits was written «baba ejiogbe». He understood then that the seeds of those fruits served for the okpele. Oluo popo made the okpele following the instructions of his godchild foka. From then on, the okpele became the messenger of Ifá.

The curse (shepe)

In the land of iya kokun there was a river called eyibi eyo, where mother eyo was born, or lived, in the middle of the river, wrapped in vine leaves. She kept her great secret in a stone where she coiled herself to live out her life.

Whenever she became pregnant, she never managed to bring her child to birth, because she lacked her own blood to shed. Mother eyo suffered; at times she had a great swelling in her belly and was short of breath, and had to open her mouth to breathe.

But one day she saw a great shadow passing by and took fright. She went out after that shadow, which turned out to be eja orun, the eel, which was leaping and jumping. In her desperation, mother eyo leapt out of the river, and at that moment Abita was nearby and began to sing:

«iya gbogbo wede eyo, iya gbogbo wede euo tonwa, iya gbogbo wede eyo, iya gbogbo wede euo tonwa, iya gbogbo wede eyo, iya gbogbo wede eyo.»

Mother eyo, who heard the song, took fright and crouched down. Abita said to her: «if you want to obtain what you desire, you must make a pact with me and swear an oath». She agreed and told him what was happening to her. Abita told her that each time she conceived and bore a child, that child would be his slave and his great companion.

Mother eyo agreed. Abita gave her three herbs: purslane, epazote and fine grass, and told her to eat them. She swallowed them, and then Abita told her to wind herself in vine in order to heal. Mother eyo followed Abita’s instructions and went to her secret. There she did what Abita had told her. When you arrive, call me, and you must call me thus: «Abita kokonu korun inkun yewe ni bukuku oko ni ile esheni moyokun Abita».

She called him, and Abita, who had a bone full of blood, threw it there, and mother eyo ate it and became pregnant. Her children wrapped themselves in that blood and in the vine, and fed on them. She fell asleep and did not know that she had given birth.

The children, wrapped in the vine, were called by Abita. He appeared to them in the form of an ologbo (cat) dun dun, which tried to eat them. But mother eyo rose up, opened her eyes and bared her teeth, and said to him: «you will no longer be able to live in your secret. You will do everything on the ground, at the water’s edge». Abita withdrew. Eyo rolled along the road and could not reach her secret.

Eyo rolled along the road and could not reach her secret, and late at night she made a cave, and her omo, who had been fermented in the eye she had shed, now grown, came out of the river; she saw them come out of there and cursed them, and while she was cursing them Abita appeared and said to her: these will be my slaves.

To lift the shepe (curse) of this oddun, which is dangerous, one must look for herbs that are vines: sarsaparilla, coralillo, loofah and amansa guapo; an omiero is made and eyerbale of adie is given at the foot of Oyá with river water.

Road 15

A year before this incident, Orunmila had visited the town of ife and had done a good work for the community against the will of its rulers. In that town of ife there were three men who made their living carrying messages and goods back and forth, buying and selling merchandise in a nearby town. However, to do their work they had to cross a mountain that lay between the two towns.

One day, the three men set out to do their work in the neighbouring town, where they stayed for three days. On the way back, they decided to take a different road from the one they had taken before.

However, the three men began to argue, since two of them did not want to go on. They claimed that they did not know whether there was danger, or whether they would run into difficulties, or whether the load they carried would keep them from advancing. Although they were used to working together and doing business, they decided to part ways, and so they did.

One of them was black-skinned and of middling height, another was less dark and taller, while the third was ruddy-skinned and shorter than the second, but all three were of good physical build.

The ruddiest of them was the one who decided most firmly to take the unknown road, believing that it would do him no harm. Meanwhile, the other two went back by the known road. The ruddy man met some obstacles along his way, but of little consequence. He had to cut vines and branches, but he kept going forward because the road had not been completely erased, though it seemed little travelled.

After a day and a half on the road, he stopped to eat. While he was there, he raised his head and looked ahead and to the right. To his surprise, he saw a kind of great round moon with silver rays that lit up the place both in front and behind.

At first he was daunted, but as he was a brave man, he went up to the place where there was so much light and confirmed that what he had seen was real. Then he knelt, prayed and asked for protection, gave thanks and decided to spend the night in that place and guard his load. The following morning he tried to take up his find, but he could not lift it from the ground, since it seemed to be stuck to it as if it were part of the terrain.

The man returned to ife with all his bundles, but without the find. As he walked through the bush, he seemed to go as lightly as if he carried nothing. The next day he arrived at ife, delivered all the merchandise and went to the oba’s house to bring him the news. The oba called his guard and sent part of it with the man to verify the truth of the find.

They set out and, in a day and a half, reached the place. The guards found that kind of moon just as the messenger had described it. They tried to carry off the find, but they could not, since it seemed rooted to the ground. They went back to ife and reported to the oba that everything was true. Then the oba ordered the place to be guarded so that no one could approach it, and sent for the old priests to tell him what it was.

The elders gathered at the house of the eldest among them and spent three days and three nights deliberating without reaching a conclusion. On the fourth day, one of them asked leave to visit his children and grandchildren, since he did not know how they were.

The old man went out and came upon a group of children playing. As he passed near them, one of the children said: «there goes one of the old men, off to say what they found». The old man, hearing that they were speaking of him, discreetly stayed to listen. And so he heard another child say: «they say it is a saint, but they do not know who it is». Another child answered: «they say it is an orisha who carries ofa on his head. He must be called Osha lufon».

The old man went over to where the children were playing and asked them how they knew this. One of the children confirmed it: «he has ofa on his head and he must be called ofa lufon». Then the old man took out his purse (owo) and gave each of them a little money for sweets, and went on his way. On reaching his house, he saw all his loved ones, ate something and lay down to rest a while.

Afterwards, he went back to the eldest man’s house, where they were still deliberating without reaching agreement. At that moment, the old man said: «I have found the name of the saint. He is called Osha lufon because he carries or has ofa on his head». They all agreed and went to the oba’s house to give him the news.

The Celebration and the Founding of a Temple

The oba ordered a temple to be built in that place, and the man who had found it would be the one to look after it and would become a priest once it was determined what offerings should be made to that saint. The elders found as their answer eure funfun, eyele funfun, adie funfun, ori, efun, and oñigan. And so a feast was held in honour of the saint, who was the saviour of the land of ife.

Here, in the interpretation of Ifá, the person is told that if they are aleyo, when they walk along a country road and come upon a stone that draws their attention, they should take it to prepare it and care for it, because when they go to make santo they will have to use it. This Ifá seizes hold for the saint; in this Ifá the babalawos go to prison.

The enslavement of man by the prenda of Oggún

In the land of oshayabi ogunda lived Oggún, who was always working and dwelt in the house of his father, Obatalá. Obatalá kept Oggún calm, since Oggún had not tired of killing. When Obatalá sent him out to travel the world, he had given him, along with his sword ada, a secret called awala eni Ikú.

Obatalá had sworn with death (Ikú) that when his son Oggún attacked, whoever did not die from the cut of the ada would die through the influence of the spirit of awala eni Ikú, which was tetanus. When Oggún came back, he brought many spirits behind him, since they came after the prenda of awala eni Ikú. Obatalá always fed that prenda to strengthen it, offering it akuko and singing: «eyeni akuko oshayabi awala eni Ikú ogunda yeo».

In this way the shadow remained quiet and Oggún did not go far from Obatalá’s house, except to work at whatever his father commanded. Because of Obatalá’s frequent journeys, Oggún was left bound with a chain and without food. He fed on his own saliva, which gave him a foul odour in his mouth.

Oggún had learned that secret in the land of owa eyolokun, which was the land of the boa, where Oggún would feed and fall ill. When Obatalá was away, what Oggún worked at and Obatalá sold began to run short.

The people decided to consult oluo shiwosi, another son of Obatalá and known as Oshosi in that land, who revealed to them the sign of Ifá ogunda meyi. Oluo shiwosi told them that they had to free Oggún so that the world would find its course again, that things would improve and there would be no scarcity.

However, it was necessary to invoke the secret that Obatalá had consecrated for Oggún. So they went to Obatalá’s house and found Oggún bound with the chain. Oluo shiwosi told them: «put the secret around his neck». This secret consisted of the fangs of lion, tiger, dog, cat, panther and other carnivorous animals, joined in a necklace that Oggún wore and that was of iloke colour and purple.

They began to free Oggún from the chain and offered him the eyele fun fun (white doves) and covered him with ewe Ozain while singing: «ewe mimo, ewe mimo, eyele owa ewe, ewe momo Oggún ireo».

Oduduwa, who had been far away and did not know what was happening, came to that land after learning of Obatalá’s selfishness towards Oggún. When he heard the suyere, he drew near and saw Oggún transformed into the form of awala eni Ikú. Oduduwa bowed before Oggún and asked his forgiveness.

Oduduwa said to him: «from now on you will not cease to hold the power that Ikú and Obatalá have given you, but you will be overcome by those men with these eweses, and you will carry only the one that Olofin indicates to you. You will always live in the ada of Oggún, but you will respect my word». At that moment, Obatalá came along the road and the people threw at him the chain with which he had bound Oggún.

Obatalá was carrying with him a great deal of jiqui igi to feed his secret, and on seeing the chain, he understood everything. Oggún came near, embraced him and made foribale to him, saying: «babá, I forgive you», but Obatalá could not bear the foul odour that came out of Oggún’s mouth.

Then Oduduwa and oluo shiwosi told Obatalá that he could no longer be selfish with his son Oggún, that he must heal him and accept him as he was, so that the world could carry on its course and that land could prosper.

Obatalá gave jiqui wood to Oggún and asked him to chew it and add it to the ebo that oluo shiwosi was preparing, in accordance with the oddun toyal of that land, which was ogunda meyi. With the jiqui wood, Oggún was freed of the foul odour of his mouth by way of his teeth and his saliva. Obatalá sang to him: «Osha irele igi irele, Osha irele igi irele, oluo igi omodashe Oggún, modashe Oggún».

All the people of that land, oshayabi ogunda, offered Obatalá an akuko fun fun together with the ewe, and Obatalá kept it as the safeguard of that land. They also reminded Oggún of his obligation to keep the word of Olofin, Oduduwa and oluo shiwosi.

From those times on, that land, despite holding the power of Oggún awala eni Ikú, lived in greater prosperity, and they worshipped Oduduwa, Ifá, together with Obatalá and Oggún. And so they were more prosperous.

The eyele meta are given to Oggún, placing the oddun of Ifá on the ground; the akuko meyi fun fun are for Obatalá.

Note

The enslavement of man by the prendas of Oggún was born. That however powerful they may become, in the end they are its slaves. And only Osha and Ifá set them free. Obatalá did not want his son Oggún to leave the house, and since he often went away on journeys, he would leave him tied up, and Oggún fed on his saliva and that is why he had a bad taste in his mouth. Whoever has this oddun of Ifá takes the blood and the feathers away from Oggún at once.

In this Ifá one takes 16 jiqui sticks and washes them with omiero, and they are set to eat with Oggún. And the babalawo, from time to time, chews them for his health, and when he makes ebbo he does it and spits the splinters into the ebbo. The Oggún of the awó of this oddun carries assorted fangs of carnivorous animals. These are set into a necklace, green, black and purple. The Obatalá of this awó will always eat akuko. If the awó is a woman, she must receive a male Obatalá.

When ogunda meyi divined what Olofin wanted

In the bush there were three hunters and woodcutters who killed an elephant. Wounded to death, the elephant fell in front of Olofin’s house. On seeing it, Olofin examined it and found in its belly a gourd with its lid, and inside it there was a child.

The child held white and crimson beads in his left hand, and in his right hand he had a little stick for playing the drum. Olofin, on witnessing this, sent for all the babalawos to divine what was to be found inside the elephant. As none of them got it right, he kept them imprisoned.

Finally, he decided to call shingun shinloko. He consulted his Ifá and saw the sign ogunda meyi. His Ifá told him to perform an ebo with akuko (rooster), eku (rodent), eja (fish) and awado (corn). He was also instructed that, on going out to walk, if he met any poor man along the way, he should give him alms.

During his walk, a poor man came before him four times, and on the last occasion told him that Olofin had sent for him. Then Elegbá, to whom shingun shinloko had given the akuko, told him: «when you arrive, tell him that the elephant has inside it a gourd with a child, who has the oddun in his right hand and in the other hand a little stick. Also, ask him to free all the babalawos he is holding prisoner and to pay each of them a fine of one she-goat and 100 pesos».

Ifá says that they are going to send for you from a certain place so that you may bring to light something that no one has been able to clear up, and that the matter is a binding commitment for you.

Ebbo is made with the adie; afterwards its blood is given to your leri, then it is cooked and shared out with everyone who comes to your house, and money is given to them according to one’s means, and the one who does this does not eat.

Road 20

Iye tinshomo was an aborisha who lived on the banks of the river. He kept a secret in a wooden mortar and always performed ceremonies, playing his mortar beside the river. One day, a strange being appeared where the river met the sea.

This being only babbled, but it possessed a mental power that made everyone succumb to its presence. Iye tinshomo, being aborisha, could not perish, but he took fright and fled the place. Then the river began to suffer a terrible pestilence, the fish died and epidemics broke out that sowed death in that land.

Iye tinshomo ajalorun went to the house of a famous diviner known as idawiri odo, which was the name of Orunmila in that land. He consulted with his Ifá and saw the sign ogunda meyi, and told him that all those evils came from the power of Olokun, who, pleased with his music, had sent him an egun spirit named akaro opa okun.

This spirit was a messenger of Olokun. He was then told to perform an ebo to bring happiness back to that land. He was also told to consecrate the effigy of that imole of Olokun and to feed it. This was a being that came from Olodumare, given over to Olokun, and Olokun would give it to whoever desired it. Ogunda meyi was where Olodumare had handed over that secret, and thus they would live happily without the pestilence of the river.

Iye tinshomo ajalorun followed all the instructions to the letter. With his consecrations complete, his mortar and the akaro opa okun, he became the owner of the land, olokipo ile omo Olokun. This is how Olokun is invoked with a mortar, which is a drum called arole.

Note

This secret is prepared with a hollow mortar of 14 inches, which carries aña and is sworn as a drum. Now, the opa okun akaro is another secret, which is commissioned to be carved from a staff of fir or olive. This has a fearsome face crowning it. First the awó bathes with an omiero made of the following ewe:
Apa ….. Mahogany ira …….. Granadillo
Iroko ….. Iroko araba …….. Ceiba

After this, crushed herbs are taken to load the staff, through the leri. The awó prays over the leri with an eja oro, and it is then dried and made into iyefa to load the staff. The load also carries: sea sand and river sand, leri of egun (of one who has drowned in the sea), leri of manatee and of boa, epo were (the mash from the rocks of the river and the sea), eru, obi, kola and osun. This opa okun akaro is washed in the river and eats akuko funfun. From it are hung 8 silver snakes and a large cowrie shell that carries sea sand, earth from the cemetery, egun dust and iyefa of eja oro.

The slave dancer

Road 23

At the beginning of the world, Orunmila lived in the celestial kingdom of orun together with all the other orishas, but there was always discord and discontent among them because of great conflicts and quarrels. One day, Orunmila decided to come down to earth, to isalaye, to see whether things there were different and more peaceful than in heaven. He descended near eyibonko, in the territory of ife.

When he arrived there, he met a young man who noticed his arrival and, like Orunmila, offered him obi omi tutu (coconut and fresh water) to determine positions and forecasts. On casting 4 pieces of coconut to the right and 4 to the left, the result was eyife. The young man asked him what that was and who he was.

Orunmila answered that this was the oracle of the coconut, and that he was Orunmila elerikuin, the diviner and emissary of Olodumare in that land. The young man told him to come with him to his land, where there were no diviners, and that he would find him all the people who needed his services. Orunmila accepted the invitation and together they came to ife.

With time, Orunmila’s fame and power grew so great that he was granted the right to establish himself as the chief diviner of the land. The news reached aloba of ife quickly, who was called Oduduwa akaka nilowo, and he was seized by fear at the great power Orunmila had shown.

Oduduwa decided to lay a trap for him using a secret object kept in his sacred chamber, a cazuela of egun that he cared for and fed to the crane (eiyele agufon). His intention was to put Orunmila’s divining skills to the test so that he could destroy him.

In the palace there lived a slave woman named Oshún inwa ile koseha ile fombo, who was a dancer and entertained Oduduwa in secret. She felt a certain attraction to Orunmila, although she did not know who he was. She decided to help him and allied herself with orishaoko, brother of Elegbá laroye, to seek out Orunmila and consult with him.

Orunmila, on performing the consultation, saw the sign of Ifá ogunda meyi and described the slavery in which Oduduwa held her for his entertainment. He told her the rituals needed to free herself from that servitude. In her turn, she confided to him Oduduwa’s evil intentions and undertook to reveal to him the whole secret of the plot.

Oshún inwa ile koseha ile fombo, who had received Orunmila’s support through kofi bori eleda (a ritual that strengthens loyalty), was determined to save Orunmila. On a night when she was with Oduduwa, taking advantage of his rapt state of pleasure, she got him to reveal the great secret.

That night, while they were together, Oshún inwa ile koseha ile fombo got Oduduwa, in the midst of his power and ecstasy, to reveal the great secret. The following day, she was able to tell Orunmila the whole plot. When Oduduwa summoned Orunmila to divine the great secret, he had Oggún fimbo okuta ready with his sword to behead him. However, when Orunmila came in and greeted Oduduwa, he said to him: «you have called me to divine the great secret you keep in that chamber.

Ifá tells me that in order to save your children of ife from the great mortality that is coming, you must take that secret, which is agufon, and hand it over to igbo egun orun so that you may always keep your power, both material and spiritual». And he pronounced the words: «iboru, iboya, iboshishe».

Oduduwa, taken aback by this and with no other choice before Orunmila, said to him: «I will give you the right to govern my land. Ask me for whatever you like best in it». To which Orunmila answered: «in your harem you have a slave named obini omobiri, who serves you as a dancer.

I want her to be my companion and to serve me faithfully». At this, Oduduwa realised that Oshún inwa ile koseha ile fombo had investigated and revealed his secret. But since he could no longer change his sentence, he turned to Oshún and said: «you will go on being a faithful slave, now of Orunmila rather than of mine». Ashe baba ni ife Oduduwa.

The disgrace. (when iron was forged)

On this road, men gave themselves over to war and disputes arose among them. In order to rule, men made weapons out of copper. However, there was a king named teteyi, who possessed a great palace and also made weapons of copper.

He faced a very fierce war in which several kings joined forces against him. Ogunda, which was the king’s name, lay down deeply troubled and had a dream in which he saw Obatalá. Obatalá revealed to him the place of the metal for making weapons with which he would be invincible.

Ogunda meyi got up with a start and went to the place indicated in the dream. There he found a very solid mineral stone, melted it down and made the first weapons. That is how he forged the first copper swords, showing his skill by cutting without his sword being damaged.

From that moment on, ogunda meyi began to make iron swords on a large scale, managing to form an invincible army.

However, ogunda meyi forgot the advice that Obatalá had given him in the dream: that he should not become proud or despotic, and that he should avoid arguments, since that would be his undoing. Unfortunately, he paid no heed and argued with one of his generals. Out of resentment, he sent him to the front line in the most unfavourable war, knowing that he would be killed.

Ogunda meyi began a relationship with the general’s wife and, a few days later, news came of the general’s death. This had a great impact on the troops and on his reputation as king, for they thought that he had deliberately sent the general to his death in order to keep his wife. This incident became one of the greatest scandals of his life.

Where Olofin imprisoned all the babalawos

On one occasion, because of the differences between them, Olofin imprisoned all the awó. Only ogunda meyi was left to be seized, and he too was summoned. However, ogunda meyi fed his head and performed an ebo with three hens and other ingredients.

He cooked the hens and carried them in his basket. On his way, he sat down beneath a tree and saw a woman washing on the river bank. He struck up a conversation with her and the woman warned him about the traps along the road (speaking in the form of a parable). Then the woman gave him her name in answer to his question, while ogunda meyi handed her a hen and a coin. The name the woman revealed to him was «iboru».

Ogunda meyi went on his way and met another woman cutting firewood, who on seeing him warned him about the oppression that all the people were suffering. Ogunda meyi handed her another hen and a coin, and asked her name. The woman answered saying that she was called «iboya».

Ogunda meyi took his leave of her and went on his way. Further along, he met another woman who told him that Olofin wanted to marry off his daughter. Ogunda meyi gave her another hen and a coin, and asked her name. The woman answered saying that she was called «iboshishe». Ogunda meyi went on his way and came to Olofin’s house.

On seeing ogunda meyi, Olofin told him that he had been waiting for him to assist him, since he had a relative who was expecting a child and he wanted to know what ebo was needed for her to have a good birth. Ogunda meyi, who knew the trap, answered that no ebo was needed, since the plantain stalk cannot give birth. And so Olofin’s secret was uncovered.

Moreover, ogunda meyi told him that he was holding all the other babalawos prisoner and that he must free them at once in order to save himself. He also told him that he wished to marry his daughter.

Bewildered and seeing that it was all true, Olofin freed all the babalawos. On leaving, ogunda meyi told him that this had happened to him for being disobedient and for not feeding his head. When Olofin thanked him, ogunda meyi said «modupue» to him, but ogunda meyi told him that from that day on one should say «iboru, iboya, iboshishe».

The road of the monster

On that road, there was a time when every year a maiden had to be handed over to a monster to prevent the destruction of the land of ogunda. The moment came when the chosen maiden was the king’s daughter, and he promised his daughter’s hand to whoever managed to kill the monster.

At this offer, several hunters enlisted, among them ogunda meyi, who was an awó of Orunmila. Before setting out in search of the monster, ogunda meyi consulted his Ifá, and his oddun was revealed, in which Orunmila told him to prepare three arrows and mark them, and also to perform an ebo with them. Ogunda meyi followed all the instructions of his Ifá and set out on the road to hunt the monster.

On reaching the area where the monster was, he met it and killed it using two of his arrows, keeping the third as proof of identity. When the news spread that the monster had been done away with, other hunters came claiming that they had killed it, and a great controversy broke out.

It was then that ogunda meyi arrived and told the king that he was the one who had put the monster to death with two of his arrows, showing him besides the third arrow marked in the same way as those that had killed the monster. After the king had verified this, he granted ogunda meyi his daughter’s hand, and he married the maiden, the king’s daughter.

It also speaks of when Shangó was without a head in the war.

The boa and Obatalá

There was once a scarcity of coconuts, and the boa had three coconuts that Obatalá urgently needed. The boa decided to go by the road where babá used to pass. When babá saw him coming, he handed him the coconuts and asked him a favour, since he could not walk nor did he have teeth to eat with, which made his subsistence difficult.

Then Obatalá took some pins and placed them in the boa’s mouth as makeshift teeth, and said to him: «from today you will be able to crawl and eat everything your mouth can reach». Obatalá went away and, on the road, realised that he had dropped the aruque. When the servant suggested that he go back for it, the deer disobeyed and went on his way. There he met the boa, who caught him and ate him.

The master

In the ceremony of ogunda meyi, the godfather teaches and guides his godchildren or children. He instructs them so that they may carry out works and animal sacrifices, handing over afterwards the corresponding portions. Once the work is complete, the godchild presents himself before his godfather to express his gratitude and to make sure that everything has been done correctly.

This is important, since in the future the godchild will become a godfather and will need the knowledge required in order to work and to teach. As a reward for the services rendered by Elegbá on earth, Olofin sent Oggún to place upon him a crown and a white, black and red necklace. It is for this reason that Elegbá carries the crown and the necklace in this odun.