Otrupon Ka

The ceiba, the majagua and the axe

In the earliest days of the world, all the trees were untouched and did not know their destinies. The ceiba, although she was not of the sweetest temper, went before Orunmila and this Ifá came out for her. Orunmila ordered that if a traveller came asking a favour of them, they should give him no room. The ceiba made ebbo with an aikordie, an axe, owo la mello, eku, eya, epo, and afterwards the axe was placed with Oggún.

Before long the traveller arrived and asked the ceiba to give him shelter, but she answered that she could not serve him. The traveller went to see the majagua, who also told him it was impossible to help him. He consulted several trees, but none of them served him. The traveller, however, spoke with the majagua again, and she believed him more than she believed Orunmila and took him in. The traveller went straight to a blacksmith’s house and, with the branches he had asked for, made four axes. With those axes the traveller began to cut down the trees, starting with the majagua herself. Since then the power belongs to the axe to cut all these trees.

Another version of the previous patakin

It was Tucantucoco, when the awoses came from Guinea, and Oggún came to ask the ceiba for a rooster, and the ceiba did not give it to him and threw him out, telling the other awoses to beware of Oggún; he answered the ceiba that she need not worry, that she would pay for it. Oggún went to the other awoses and they gave him nothing, and then he came to where the majagua was, and out of sheer pity she gave him one rooster, but Oggún carried off two. Until then the ceiba had been the queen, but after refusing the rooster to Oggún misfortune fell upon her.

Why does Elegbá have a house but cannot live in it?

On this path, the children of Obatalá were without a home and he wanted to find the best way to get a house for them. So Obatalá looked for Orunmila to find out where he lived. But on his way he met Elegbá and asked him about Orunmila. Elegbá answered that he did not know where he lived, and he gave the same answer on later occasions as well. Then Obatalá thought that if he left Elegbá without food for a while, he would eventually tell him the place where Orunmila lived. After seven days without eating, Obatalá came back to Elegbá with an osiadie in his hand and asked him again about Orunmila. Elegbá finally agreed to tell him, but only if Obatalá let him go to the bush instead of visiting Orunmila.

So Elegbá made his way to the bush and began to sing to Olofin and to Afefe Orun. On hearing his songs, a violent storm broke out that brought down all the palm leaves and the branches of the trees. The children of Obatalá gathered the fallen leaves and branches and used them to build their houses. After seven days, Elegbá came back from the bush and told Obatalá that his children now had houses. Obatalá went out to see them, though he was not very satisfied, since they were very plain.

One day, Elegbá was near the road that led to Obatalá’s house, and he saw Oggún coming with an axe without a handle in his hands. He immediately ran to Orunmila’s house and told him what he had seen. Orunmila, taken aback, consulted his divination and saw that the letter of the oracle was Otrupon Ka, so he told Elegbá to go to the trees and ask them not to give Oggún a single branch, since it would be their own destruction. Elegbá ran and carried out Orunmila’s command.

After Oggún had eaten etu meyi to make himself strong, he went out to the bush looking for a branch to fit a handle to his axe. Elegbá watched him from a corner and saw how Oggún asked several trees for a branch, but all of them refused his request, except the majagua, who believed herself the most powerful. Once Oggún had finished fitting the handle to his axe, he went to the majagua and told her she would be the first tree on which he would test it. Singing «Otrupon Ka, Otrupon Ka, Otrupon Ka», Oggún showed his strength and his skill by cutting down the majagua with his axe.

Oggún went on striking the trees with his axe until he came to the ceiba, whom he told he would not fell because she had been obedient. From then on the ceiba would be respected by every religion for as long as the world existed. Meanwhile, Elegbá had been cursed by Obatalá, for when Oggún left Obatalá’s house, Elegbá went in and Obatalá told him that as long as he lived he would have no house. That is why, although Elegbá has a house, he lives outside it.

WHEN THE WORK IS FOR FORE: The ewe that Obatalá indicates are used; they are wrapped in fun fun cloth and placed before Obatalá. Ceiba is always among those ewe. After 8 days before Obatalá, they are taken to Oggún’s cauldron, placed beside the axe, and dry wine is given to Oggún.

WHEN THE WORK IS FOR OSORBO:

The axe is set out together with the following ewe: ceiba, jiqui, jocuma, yaya, guayacan, majagua, pierde rumbo. Two etu are given to Oggún and the petition is made.

When works are done with Oggún under this sign, the axe is always washed with ewe.