Oshe Ogunda

The king’s crown

EBBO: Gather from the marketplace a guinea fowl head, 2 etu, a crown, a piece of coral, 2 coconuts.

There was once a very proud king in a kingdom where discontent ran deep. Worried about losing his throne, he decided to have Orunmila read for him, fearing an ambush and his eventual overthrow. Orunmila, seeing his situation, brought out this Ifá and told him he had to offer an orubo with the most valuable possession he owned, that is, his crown, which was adorned with a great coral. The king, however, refused, and would not accept that he was on the verge of losing that crown.

Seven days later a great uproar broke out in the kingdom, and the king, nervous and impatient, took fright and went off to hide in the bush, where his clothes were torn to shreds. Already starving, he saw a yam seller pass by, who was in truth Elegbá in disguise. After much pleading, the king offered him his crown in exchange for a few yams, and Elegbá accepted. He then returned to the town making a great commotion, showing off the king’s crown and telling everyone of the misery the sovereign had fallen into. The people, feeling the king’s absence, decided to search for him everywhere; they found him and carried him back to his throne.

Oba omibini the proud one

PRAYER: Oshe Omolu Un Lodafun Oba Omibini Corubo Intori Eggun Aivo Oggún Camabo Lladorbe Oba Omibini Awo Otun Awo Ore Eni Emu Un Babalawo La Meteta Efun Loguo Cambode Oca Oguo Mulapelle.

Oba Omibini was told that he had to make ebbo, because a great war was coming that could cost him his reign; but he, out of pride, threw out the awoses who had advised him and did nothing about it. When the awoses left the ile of Oba Omibini, they met Elegbara and Oggún, who asked them whether they were bringing anything for them. The awoses explained that Oba Omibini had thrown them out of the ile and had accused them of being thieves.

Then Oggún and Elegbara told them not to worry, and took ado ashe odasi afefetallo to make their preparations. By the time Oba Omibini realized what was happening, he already had eyo (tragedy) upon him and had no time to do anything, so he plunged headfirst into the bush with his backside sticking out.

Three days later, Oba Omibini came out of the bush famished and made his way to ile loya, where ishu was sold. He asked for a piece, but was told it was for sale, so he had to pull pearls from his ade in order to trade them for ishu and eat. Then he went back into the bush again.

When the people learned that Oba Omibini had been in the bush, they went out to look for him and found that he had gone in head first with his backside out. They found him and took him back to the town, where Oba Omibini sent for the three awoses. Elegbara told him that for them to come back he had to send them a sack in each hand, and so he did. The awoses performed the ebbo with 16 units of each thing, 16 sacks of owo in each hand, ado and asho timbelara. From that moment on, Oba Omibini had no further trouble governing, and became the leader of all the Obas Ollo.

The person comes to see whether they can put right all their affairs, which are in a bad state, or comes about a piece of land or a house, or about an obini or okuni who wants to join their life to theirs. The person suffers in the chest and is dealing with matters of spirits.

Orishaoko and mother nature

PRAYER: Maferefun Orishaoko, Maferefun Ozain, Maferefun Oyá, Maferefun Yemayá.

On one occasion, Orishaoko had a great many men under his charge to work the land and make it yield, but nothing grew. Weary of the situation, Orishaoko lay back against a stone and began to think how to solve the problem. Just then a small worm came up to him and asked what he was thinking about. Orishaoko answered that he was trying to solve the problem of a land that would not produce. The worm asked what the matter was, and Orishaoko explained the situation.

The worm offered Orishaoko his help, and Orishaoko, surprised, asked how he could possibly help him. The worm introduced himself as mother earth, mother nature. Orishaoko, unconvinced, demanded proof of his power to make the land yield. The worm, however, told him that this was not the proper way to ask for help, and that he was there to help him in every way he could.

So Orishaoko changed his manner and asked the worm for his help. The worm, glad that Orishaoko had changed the way he asked, promised to grant him three wishes and told him to ask for the first. Orishaoko asked the worm to send water to the earth, and at that moment a torrential rain began. Yet the land still did not produce, for the plants rotted with the cold. So Orishaoko asked the worm to grant him the heat the plants needed in order to grow and bear.

All at once the heat grew so fierce that it began to burn the plants, which alarmed Orishaoko. He realized that the worm had already granted him water and heat, and still the land produced nothing. So he made his third request: that he send air to cool the earth. At that moment great currents of air swept across the land, bringing a warm and pleasant temperature. The plants began to grow without difficulty and nature shone once more with life and colour. All the animals began to enliven the place, breaking the silence that had reigned before.

The little worm explained to Orishaoko that these elements — water, earth, fire and air — were all joined together within him, and then he went away. Thus Orishaoko learned to ask mother nature for help in the right and respectful way, and the land produced once again.

The war of the osorbos

NOTE: This is where Ayé ate goat. The bone-breaking stick speaks here.

There was a time when the Osorbos — Ikú (death), Ano (illness), Ofo (loss), Iña and Araye (strife) — made ready to finish off the peoples of the earth. Three Oluos, Pabio Sanjam, Beredere bi Okun Ole and Onshokosho vi ta Oba, gathered and performed Osode to look for a solution. It was then that Oshe Ogunda (Oshe Omolu) came out to defend the world, and to save humanity it asked for: a black goat, five güiros with lids (igba demu) and a bone-breaking stick (kumo olugbambo). The blood of the goat was taken and all of this was filled with Opólopó Owo, and it was placed outside the house.

Death came and took the indigo, illness came and took the blood, the ofo came and took the epo, the eyo came and took the fresh water. Ika Araye came and found nothing to take, only the kumo of the jícara (gourd bowl). The malignant beings began to fight among themselves and Orunmila seized the moment to defeat them and save humanity.

Ever since then, all the Elegbara of all the children of Ifá save themselves, by the power of Olofin, and save all of humanity as well. For this reason the Orishas must consult Ifá when they have to overcome malignant beings.

The gorilla

EBBO: Akuko, adie meyi, a piece of carob wood, worn clothing, a spear, three arrows, monkey hair, or a toy monkey, eku, eya, awado, oti, oñi epo, and owo.

There was once a king who had several sons whom he had taught the art of war. The king governed his people with firm laws against wrongdoers, but he was also generous with those who kept the laws, and these were the most favoured. Yet, as so often happens, those who were less favoured joined together in a plot to bring the king down.

To carry out their conspiracy, the traitors had to ally themselves with a neighbouring tribe that wished to expand its territory. And so that tribe agreed to the traitors’ request.

Before long a bloody war broke out between the two tribes, led by the traitors who thirsted for power. The king, sensing defeat, decreed that his sons and followers should abandon the fight and take to the jungle. Despite all the traitors’ efforts, only the king, his sons and a few loyal followers managed to escape, going deep into the jungle to hide.

For all the relentless searching by the traitors, they could not find them, for the king and his followers had gone into the depths of the jungle and stayed hidden to avoid capture.

The enemies, eager to take revenge on the king and his followers, hunted them day and night and harried them as though they were wild beasts. On one clear, bright moonlit night, the pursuers came upon a gorilla at the trunk of an old tree, mistook it for one of the fugitives, and ran it through with their spears. There the animal lay dead, while the deceived pursuers returned to their tribe singing of victory.

The king’s sons, who had scattered through the jungle, heard the enemies’ song of victory and believed that their father and some of his followers had been killed by the victors. They searched tirelessly through the jungle for their father’s body.

Yet however hard they searched, they found no body other than that of the gorilla lying beside the tree with many spears driven into it. The king’s sons understood that they had been deceived by their enemies, and that this deception had spared them a certain death.

In gratitude for the sacrifice of the innocent gorilla, they ordered the few who had managed to flee to forbid the eating of that animal’s flesh. From that moment on, the defeated king was able to gather his people and form another tribe that prospered. His defeat was owed to not having fulfilled his obligations to Shangó and Oshún.