Ogunda Bara

The boy and the fierce beast

In a village there lived a fierce beast that had terrified everyone in the surrounding area. It killed often, and its latest victim was an unfortunate woman who had gone into the forest to gather firewood. This woman had a relative, a young man still almost a child, who on hearing the tragic news began to think: if that beast is not defeated, one day my mother could fall into its terrible claws.

From thought he moved to action. He took a spear and a harp of the kind made in that place, and with those instruments he went into the forest in search of the animal. He was near the river when he saw the dreaded beast approaching. On seeing the boy, it asked him: «What are you doing in my territory without fear?» The boy, unmoved, replied: «I am a son of the nearby village, and I came to hunt small animals.»

The beast, curious, pressed him: «And what do you need those small, harmless-looking instruments for?» The boy answered again: «To brighten my solitude with music.» Intrigued, the beast said to him: «Very well then, my friend: while I bathe, you play that instrument.»

Having said this, it plunged into the river, while the boy drew melodious sounds from his harp. The animal was left enraptured, listening to such delicate music, and the boy took advantage of its trance to ready his bow and arrows. He loosed the arrow, which struck the animal mortally in the heart.

Happy with his triumph, the boy returned to the village and told the people of his victory over the dreaded beast, so that they might join him in celebrating. Yet in the village no one believed him; no one could believe that a boy could be so brave. Their surprise was all the greater when they reached the river and the curious could see for themselves that the feared animal lay there with the arrow driven into its heart.

After completing the ebó, an akuko is offered to Eshu, the eyele to Oshosi and the adie to Oshún. The remaining ingredients are asked of Ifá.

The war between Shangó and Oggún

On this path, in the Yoruba land, Oggún and Shangó were locked in an endless war over Oyá. This war was affecting all the Orishas who lived in that land, so they gathered to decide what to do about it.

After several hours of deliberation, they determined that the only one who could step between Oggún and Shangó and stop the war was Olofin. They immediately sent an emissary to carry their complaints and concerns to Olofin.

He came at once and ordered that Shangó and Oggún be summoned. Once both were present, Olofin took the pieces that Oggún carried with him and handed them to Shangó, and in turn handed Shangó’s pieces to Oggún. On witnessing this exchange, the fury of both was calmed and the war came to an end.

At this point the pieces of Oggún and Shangó are exchanged so that the person may obtain power and so that the war they are waging with their adversaries may be brought to an end.

Why the goose is white

On this path, a goose named Osi lived with his wife and children on earth. Osi always had trouble with the others, since they did not understand him. For this reason, one day he decided to go and live in heaven. After a time in heaven, he dressed in white because he had become holy.

He experienced a great change in his life and decided to bring his family up to heaven as well. When they came back, they were all dressed in white because they too had become holy. Ever since then the feathers of geese are white, and that is why the iyawó dress in white.

The tomato

The tomato was hounded by its enemies, and the persecution it suffered was so great that it had to turn red so that they would stop chasing it.

The path of the mud

On the path of the land called Laloye there lived a son of Olokun named Osure. He devoted himself to working with a charm called bakura, and he held great dominion over the land of Laloye. When Osure performed his prayers, he invoked his charm and everyone knelt to beg forgiveness.

Olokun decided to complain to Shangó, who answered that he knew everything her son Osure was doing. Olokun then remarked to Shangó that it had been a long time since she had seen Elegbá. Shangó replied that Elegbá would be having supper with him that night and that he would tell him Olokun wanted to see him.

Shangó met with Elegbá and, while they were together, told him that after supper they had to carry out an operation in various lands that he owned. Once supper was over, Shangó took a piece of meat, eku, eja, epo, oñí, adie and an eyele dun dun, and with these they fed the earth while they sang: «Ofun Ye Olokun Inle Leluyen«. Elegbá poured water and stirred the earth, and then they lit a bonfire of na ila ina.

After this, Shangó and Elegbá bathed with the herbs orosun, itamorreal and wild basil. The following day, Elegbá went to see Olokun, who received him very gladly. Elegbá informed her that her son was doing a great deal of harm and held great dominion over the land of Laloye.

Olokun became very upset with Elegbá and asked him how she could strip her son of all his powers. Elegbá answered that they should call Shangó so that he might say what was to be done.

Shangó arrived with Elegbá and told Olokun that she must give him a little rotted earth from the bottom of the sea, so that he could prepare it with a substance and deliver it to Aremu. Olokun said it was impossible to speak with Aremu, but Shangó answered that she should not worry about that. Elegbá and Shangó left and, after a few days, Olokun sent for them to hand over the rotted earth from the bottom of the sea.

Shangó mixed and rotted that earth, and every morning, together with Elegbá, they went to the land of Laloye and spread it everywhere. The stench kept people from going outside. At seven in the evening, when the sun went down, people no longer came near to pray there and beg forgiveness.

Osure was greatly displeased, because the stench would not let him go out at night to carry out his work. One day, while he was working with his charm, it caught fire and he ran out into the street.

He was covered in that rotted mud and contracted a serious infection. Shangó and Elegbá began to invoke Aremu through the night: «aremu Baye, Aremu Gueye Bori Lewa Aremu Baye, Omo Mono Ni Egun Aremu Baye Loye Olordumare». Then it began to rain and the whole land turned to mud, making the people flee and head towards where Olokun was.

By command of Shangó and Elegbá, Olokun had them bathe with itamorreal, orosun and wild basil, and she took the stench and the sickness from them. Olokun was desperate, because her son was the only one still missing, so she asked Shangó to bring him. Shangó and Elegbá went in search of him and brought him before Olokun. On seeing him, Olokun was frightened, and she bathed him. Elegbá sacrificed an akuko and buried it in the land of Laloye, where Osure lived.

Olokun cursed him, saying that whoever owned that bakura charm would never be able to live well, but would live as the mud lives. She also told Osure that he needed to abandon that way of life and seek out Shangó, who would give him a stone from the sea, and Elegbá, another stone, for him to hand over. Shangó told Olokun that he would not curse him, since Osure had learned the lesson that wherever his charm lived, there would have to be rotted mud.

Olokun was angry because she wanted nothing more to do with her son, but she obeyed the instructions of Shangó and Elegbá. They granted her the power to call Aremu so that he would send rain and cleanse the land, and so that the people would recover their faith in her.

Where Orunmila ate thanks to Oggún

Oggún was a warrior who travelled from battle to battle. One day he reached the land of Arará and killed the king. Then he went to Iré and killed the oba of that land, setting his own son on the throne. Oggún was an imale who came down from heaven during the night. He was the one charged with forging the obe, ada, agada, ofa and akofa needed to survive in the struggle for life. Orunmila was his brother, born of the same father and the same mother.

One night, Oggún arrived bringing the knowledge of forging metals, and the people asked him to stay with them and help them live. They offered him a roasted dog and set eran epo, opolopo orí and otí before him, and they decorated their houses with mariwó and kaure in Oggún’s honour, so that he would remain in the world with them.

When Oggún arrived, he told them that he needed two eure dun dun and four adie dun dun, kola and plenty of food. Oggún took all this to the house of Orunmila and brought it about that everyone worshipped Orunmila; he told them they must follow the teachings of Ifá.

That was how Oggún and Orunmila complemented one another when they came to the earth.

It was in this oddun that Orunmila was able to eat thanks to Oggún, since Oggún, Orunmila and the oluo popo are all sons of baba orun.

The aya of the ebó is given to Oggún and goes smeared with opolopo orí. The akuko is for Elegbá; the eure and the adie are for Orunmila. This oddun or path is for an awó of Orunmila. The Oggún of this awó carries an osun in the centre, but instead of carrying a rooster, what it carries is a dog; this osun carries no load, and it was the staff he gave to ozajuano to reach the land of ibariba, on his journey from ilé of ife to dahomey, and there he became known by the name of adu kake, the one who bites with the teeth of the dog.