Oshe Niwo

The hospitality of Orgini Llorvi

Orgini Llorvi lived at the edge of a road, and one night Olofin passed by and asked him for shelter, which was granted. Orgini prepared his room, and a few hours after lying down, Olofin felt the need to relieve himself. Orgini let him do so in that very room, and it turned out to be a great wealth.

Iron fell into Eshu’s trap for being disobedient

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There were three Babalawos who got along well and were visiting the house of a girl who had become pregnant. Orunmila told the Babalawos that they had to make ebbo. Two of them did it, but one named Iron did not. The owner of the house, who was also a Babalawo, took a cigar and began to smoke. Suddenly he said «too», and the house fell apart. Then Iron went off to his country place. Later Eshu arrived and asked whether they had made the offering. They told him they had, but that Iron had not.

Eshu asked for an eku and a hide, and there he set them alight. But nothing happened to Iron. Then he said «look, omo» and was saved without harm. Because of this, Eshu laid a trap of fire on the road, and he was burned.

The war between the guide and the padrino

On this path, Obegunle was a son of Ifá who had a protecting guide. This guide was an eborá of high spiritual planes and always appeared with a cross on the chest. Obegunle’s padrino was Asheunle Okuni Burucu, an evil devil-figure who envied Obegunle’s virtue. For that reason he worked witchcraft on him to close his roads.

Obegunle went through many hardships until one day his guide, who had abandoned him for being so disobedient of the spiritual precepts, appeared to him in a dream. He told him to feed his Ifá, and so Obegunle did. He saw his sign reflected on the board of Ifá, which told him that his salvation lay in his guide, who was Ibeyis. He was ordered to do an oparaldo at the foot of a canutillo bush (igui dire), to wear a jet-stone necklace with a cedar cross, and to set 3 arrows before the Ibeyis.

Obegunle followed these instructions, and his padrino had to open the road for him because Olofin commanded it under pain of losing his life.

An omiero is prepared with three herbs that destroy all sorcery: botija, quita maldición, malva blanca. Then a caimito tree is sought; at its foot a hole is dug and a jícara (gourd bowl) is placed with the required signs; the Ibeyis are laid resting against the caimito and the oparaldo is done, cleansing with the akuko; everything is covered over and the Ibeyis are taken home, where they are given eyele fun fun, and one bathes with the omiero for 3 days.

Oshe Make awo learns the secret of the ewe

In the land of Obe Yale lived Oshe Make awo, who had many enemies among the people, despite always keeping the things of Ifá. Because of the traps and the lack of legality in the land where he had been consecrated, he had to move to that land and live as best he could, since he did not know a great deal.

One day, while performing an oparaldo, Elegbá appeared to him and told him that he was suffering for using the ewe without truly knowing which ones they were, and that he needed the power of the land in which he lived, which was Obe.

So Oshe Make awo set out in search of Awo Olobi Aya Mafe, who was the head of that land. Aya Mafe handed him the ewe and the obe, but told him he had to take an oath in order to lift from him the shepe left over from all the ewe he had used in his atefa.

At that moment Ozain arrived with ewe ayo in his hand and sang: «ewe Ayo, Ewe Ayo, Ayegbe Fun Fun Ewe Ayo». Awo Olobi Aya Mafe crushed the ewe ayo, mixed it with omi ibu losa, omi odo and omi tuto, and set it to boil. Then he added the three ebboses that Oshe Make awo had brought with him.

While it was boiling, Awo Olobi Aya Mafe and Oshe Make awo prayed together on their knees: «Orunmila Oni Orun Obe Yale Ataishe Obe Aye Ina Omi Akaka Fowotiku Ewe Shepe, Ewe Kayire».

When the preparation had boiled for a time, Awo Olobi Aya Mafe took it off the fire and added omi tuto to it. Then he laid Oshe Boro Juani Nigue on the ground and set the obe and the ewe on top. He took an eyele and offered eyerbale to the obe with the ewe and to the ikoko of omiero while singing: «ewe Mire Erewe Mire, Ewe Ni Ire Aira Oshe Make Boro Juani Niwe, Ire Ewe Mi Ire Ewe Mi Ire».

Then Oshe Make awo made ebbo with the omiero. Afterwards, Awo Olobi Aya Mafe took the ewe with the eyele and the obe to the kutun and buried it there. Then he swore it with two obes. Oshe Boro Juani Niwe began to free himself from his enemies and to find more peace in that land. With the help of Ozain, Awo Olobi Aya Mafe, Orunmila and everyone else began to respect him and hold him in higher regard.

Do not pretend to be what you are not

There was a man named Oshe Boro Niwo who was neither awo nor clever, but who relied on the powers granted to him by the Eggun of his Babalawo and by Elegbara, which was all he had. He acquired some knowledge that he lived on, and gained a certain fame. Shangó and Ozun, who lived in the land of akalala, heard of this man’s fame and decided to send Oggún to fetch him.

Elegbara and the Eggun of Oshe Boro Niwo’s father had warned him that they were coming for him, and ordered him that, when the messenger sent to fetch him arrived, he should give him three eyele, and that while he ate them he should sing the following: «Eje Ejebi Jele Eje Majule».

When Oggún arrived, being rather hungry, Oshe Boro Niwo gave him the three eyele, and Oggún was very pleased with him. After eating, Oggún went back alone to where Shangó and Ozun were. On arriving, Shangó asked him why he had not brought Oshe Boro Niwo. Oggún, somewhat annoyed because along the way, after eating the three eyeles, his belly had begun to swell, said to him: «Shangó, I did not bring Oshe Boro Niwo because everything you told me is a lie. He does everything properly and deceives no one; he lives a very quiet life». As he said these last words, Oggún vomited up the eyele he had eaten, and Shangó, pointing at them, said: «You are the one deceiving me». Immediately Shangó began to feel a sharp pain in the belly, and Oshún had to give him mamu ewefa so that Oggún could sleep deeply. Then Shangó said to Ozun: «You must go right now and bring Oshe Boro Niwo».

Ozun set off for the land of Oshe Boro Niwo, and on arriving he met Elegwara, who offered him Oshinshin and eñi adie to eat. Ozun was very pleased, because it had been a long time since he had eaten such a thing. The Eggun of Oshe Boro Niwo’s Babalawo was looking for Orunmila so as to bring his son and have Ifá made for him, since Elegwara had recommended it so that the son would not be lost. Ozun answered: «Tomorrow we will go together to where Orunmila is». The next day, when they reached Orunmila’s house, they told him what they needed. Orunmila examined him and the Odu of Oshe Niwo came out, and he said: «To save your son from Shangó’s claws, Ifá must be made for him». The Eggun of Oshe Boro Niwo’s Babalawo replied: «Very well, in 7 days, while you prepare yourself, I will bring him to you». And so it was.

Meanwhile, Ozun stayed with Orunmila, and Orunmila said to him: «Ozun, we have to go to where Shangó is. While Oshe Boro Niwo makes Ifá, we have to tell Shangó that he must feed gbogbo Eggun: leri de eja mesan, eyele meta, oti, oñi, in order to save Oshe Boro Niwo».

They set out for Shangó’s land, and Ozun was carrying an eyele in his hand. After walking a long way, the eyele slipped out of his hands and began to run. It entered Shangó’s land, and Shangó sacrificed the eyele, took its leri and strung an Elegbá necklace with the eñu of the eyele and those he had from ekun. He set the leri of the eyele at the head of the road, in front of the door, because he knew that Ozun and Orunmila would come that way. Shangó began to pray: «Oshe Oniwo, Oshe Oniwo boro oniwo babalaje, kajebi awo, Oshe Boro Oniwo, Oshe mowejo, Ojuani ofe Olodumare abari Shangó boro oniwo oshe oniwo Elegwara odara Ifá mowajebe, Ifá Ifá Odara Orunmila.»

Orunmila heard Shangó, and when he came in and saw him, he wanted to prostrate himself before him, but Shangó held him up and it was he who prostrated himself before Orunmila, with a piece of aboreo of ekun in his hand. Ozun began to dance, and Shangó was very pleased to see Orunmila. At once Ozun told Shangó what he had to do, and said: «Shangó, you know that in this world there must be a bit of everything. All I want is for you to go to the Ifá of Oshe Boro Oniwo, to perform for him the ceremony you must perform for the Eggun of his Babalawo, and to give the power to Oshe Boro Oniwo in his oju and eñi».

Shangó obeyed Orunmila and set out with Ozun for Eni Bodu. When he arrived, he met Elegwara and said to him: «Elegwara, so that Oshe Boro Oniwo may have good fortune and get ahead, you hold the secret of what I am about to give you», and he gave him the leri aja and boreo of ekun.

Elegbara kept it in his secret, and Orunmila and Shangó were very pleased. At once they began to give unyen to Eggun without great knowledge.

The unbelieving king

In Ara Keke there was a king named Lorila, who believed that, being king, he needed nothing more. One day one of his chiefs, named Balogun, whom he held to be a faithful friend, was plotting a change of power. But one of his best-known aides warned him and said: «If you do not believe me, let us go to your wise man». That wise man turned out to be Orunmila. The oba answered him: «You are mad. How is it possible that I, with my rank, should go to a beggar’s house? Look, get out of my sight».

But when the king lay down, he fell asleep and dreamed that they wanted to dethrone him. On waking, thinking that no faithful friend would betray another, he decided to go to a wise man’s house. The wise man examined him and performed a divination of Ifá for him, advising him that he had to give food to the river and afterwards to pray to his head with fresh red snapper, and to give a rooster to Eshu and Oggún, because within 5 days they could dethrone him; that he was living among his own enemies and did not know it.

On returning to his palace, the king told his aide what had happened, and yet refused to do anything for fear that someone from the town might see him. Instead he sent the aide with the food, the fish missing from it.

The aide reached the wise man’s house, and the wise man told him it could not be done that way. The aide, afraid to go back with everything incomplete, begged the wise man. The wise man went along and told him: «Let us go, but the ceremony will be received by you and not by the king». The wise man performed his ceremony and said: «Hand the food to Oshún yourself». He presented the food at his head, but the fish, which were hungry, saw a shadow when he threw the food into the water. One fish leapt to snatch something to eat before the others, and landed in his hands. The wise man told him: «Do not let it go, it will serve you to pray to your head.»Ifá Nire Niba Iwo Ati Shepo Ni Oba».

Once the offering was finished, the aide returned to the palace and, before arriving, felt the uprising. It turned out that Balogun had attacked the king, and the king had to leave the palace heading for the wise man’s house. The wise man told him: «It is too late now; you lost your crown through hard-headedness. Eshu, Shangó and Oshún have taken charge of the matter».

At the palace, since Balogun knew nothing about governing, he saw the king’s aide and, as the man had not fled, named him king of the palace, and he accepted.

Oggún Arere’s abuse of women

Ifá says that Oggún Arere abused the women who entered his territory (nibe) and, in a violent and furious manner, possessed them, mistreated them and later cast them out of his domains under terrible penalties. A maiden named Yemayá Sara Magua, spurred on by the tales going around about Oggún Arere, once went into the woods with the deliberate intention that this man should carry her over into womanhood.

Yemayá met the same fate as the other women; her longing overcame the pain and she gave herself to Oggún with all the more pleasure. Oggún Arere paid her no heed and, striking her again, cast her out into the woods. The girl, full of anguish, ran to the house of her sister Oshún and asked her for counsel, because she had become enamoured of the brutal Oggún Arere. Oshún, moved by her sister’s pain, told her:

«Wait here in your house tonight for Oggún Arere», Oshún said to her sister, and she took a plate of oñi (honey) and tied 5 scarves around her waist and set off on the journey to the woods. From the very outset she came upon the fierce man. Oggún Arere tried to pull her into his arms, but Oshún, twisting her body away, slipped through the man’s rough hands and, casting off her 5 scarves, began to dance while pouring the oñi over her gleaming body. Nimbly she advanced towards Oggún Arere, who failed again and again in his attempts to clasp her in his arms. Oshún poured the honey over her bare body, and the man, already under the dancer’s spell, followed her resolutely to the edge of the woods. There Oshún lay down and later coupled with the brutal Oggún Arere in an act of indoko. Oshún answered him: «Let us go to my house, we will be more comfortable there».

Oggún Arere agreed, and Oshún led him into Yemayá’s house. As the night was dark, she put him into Yemayá’s bed and lay down as well. Later Oshún slipped away and left them alone. Oggún Arere, suspecting nothing of the exchange, found the way open to take his pleasure with the supposed Oshún. But at daybreak he discovered the deceit and beat Yemayá furiously, leaving the house in haste. On his way out he came upon Obatalá and tried to vent his rage on her.

Obatalá ran and threw herself into the river. There, shivering with cold and after struggling with the current, she came out trembling in search of her mantle to wrap herself. Then she went to Orunmila’s house so that he, together with the women, would drive Oggún out of the woods.

Beware of two obini in the same ile. Maferefun Oshún, Yemayá, Obatalá, and Orunmila.