Ojuani Odi

Olofin’s daughter and the nine-tailed monkey

Olofin’s daughter lived sunk in sadness, and nothing could hold her attention. One day she went out with her father and, from a distance, caught sight of a nine-tailed monkey that seized her interest completely. She told her father she would offer her hand in marriage to whoever could capture that monkey without harming it.

The hunters of the region went out in search of the monkey, but none of them managed to find it or catch it. One of the hunters decided to go to Orunmila, who told him to make a sacrifice with a cord and afterwards to bathe with the eye of a bird and a bone.

Orunmila also told him to place the sacrifice on a hill and to lie down there. Catching the smell of the ham bone, all the animals came near, the nine-tailed monkey among them. At the moment the monkey was distracted, the hunter pulled the cord and trapped it, and took it before Olofin. Pleased, Olofin granted him his daughter’s hand in marriage.

How Ode captured the nine-tailed Iñagui

Arin yanya kiya kini lomi sogarekede
Arin yanya kiya Shangó logue eyiri
Arin yanya kiya.

On one occasion, Olofin summoned all the hunters to find out who would undertake to bring him the nine-tailed Iñagui. Ode, known for his skill with the bow and arrow, also came to the gathering, but he was the object of the others’ envy. Seeing him arrive, Olofin asked him: «Do you undertake to bring me the nine-tailed Iñagui?» Without a second thought, Ode accepted the challenge.

When Ode set out to keep his word, he realised the size of what he had offered and thought: «What have I got myself into?» Even so, he reflected and decided to go to Orunmila’s house. Orunmila made him a reading and told him: «You have given your word, and to keep it you must perform obori eleda and onishe. You must make an ebbo with era, tabakikan, millo tabakikan, eko tabakikan, akofa, marowo, a stick, a box, an Ikoko streaked with osun, and awo monkala».

The food was placed in the Ikoko and, after seven days, it had rotted. After that, Orunmila performed another rogation for Ode, who put on his uniform, turned his cap to one side and smeared his whole body with what was in the Ikoko. Then he went to a hill and lay down on the ground, pretending to be dead.

Catching the smell Ode carried on his body, Iñagui followed it and came to where he lay. Seeing Ode motionless, Iñagui took fright, but noticing that Ode did not move, he said: «He is dead», and began to eat the food that was in the Ikoko. Afterwards he climbed onto Ode, singing «Ariñyankaniya».

Iñagui’s body grew weaker and weaker, and he said: «This man is bad». In the same way, the rest of the Iñagui of the troop arrived and did the same thing, trusting that the man was dead. At last the nine-tailed Iñagui came, the leader of the troop, and did just as the others had done.

Some Iñagui said: «Look, he is dead», and others declared: «Yes, he is rotten already, he has worms», while they sang to the Oba: «Arunyanya». But when they were all weakened, Ode threw himself on the nine-tailed Iñagui, who screamed, and the rest ran off.

Here it was that Ode had the fame of being the best shot with the akofa, yet he was not held in regard, and on one occasion he gave his word to something, and in order to keep it he had to go to Orunmila’s house for osode and make ebbo so as to take the nine-tailed iñagui alive and enter the city with it.

Akuko, adie, eyele meyi fun fun, which go directly to baba, and the day he wants them must be asked.

How Oluo Popo joined with Orunmila

In the land of Lodoni it happened that everyone was in debt to Oluo Popo, yet no one paid him and, instead, they mocked him. For that reason Oluo Popo went to the ile of Ikú (death) and made a pact with that entity to finish off the people of that land within nine days.

When the inhabitants learned of the pact, they went to Orunmila’s house looking for a way to free themselves from that evil. Orunmila consulted Ifá and revealed to them the message «Ikú lese Oluo Popo», and told them they had to make an ebo. The people carried out the ebo and, once it was done, the dead animals were hung all around the city. The stench of the rotting meat drew Nwe, who set about consuming it.

While Ikú was on her way to that land to carry out her task, she sang a chant that said: «odebiya Ayekua Umpra Lenikua Shosho Shara Onile Lodoni«. Arriving in the land and seeing the movements of the vultures, she rejoiced at the stench of the meat and said, laughing, to those who accompanied her: «Look at who I am — such is the fear they have of me that all those people have died». Confident in her power, and without entering the land, Ikú turned back and, without checking the situation first, went to report to Oluo Popo what had happened, claiming she had accomplished her aim of carrying off all the people of that land.

Oluo Popo went to verify whether what Ikú said was true, and was astonished on arriving to see that the people were well. Annoyed, he went back and told Ikú that she was a liar, and that Orunmila had more power than she did, since he had performed the ebo to prevent any misfortune from happening. From that moment on, Oluo Popo joined with Orunmila.

This path speaks of the land of lodoni and of oluo popo; it speaks of intori arun, and oluo popo speaks directly. There are sores, infection, discharges, ailments of the womb, and the person is not walking well in their habits.

She was saved because she made ebbo

In a village there lived a small family made up of a father, a mother and a very beautiful daughter named Mabelli. They were, however, one of those families that indulge their children a great deal, especially when there is only one. Her parents granted her every kind of freedom, but they always warned her not to drink alcohol, which was precisely what the young woman liked most.

One day the king of that region, Obatalá, arrived dressed in white, but because of the rain his clothes were somewhat stained. Mabelli, who was drunk, began to laugh when she saw him. Obatalá came closer and said: «You laugh and mock me because my clothes are stained. Very well, I will give you this cape and we shall see if you can keep it unstained for one hour». He placed her before the sea, with two soldiers behind her, instructed to shoot if she tried to escape and to kill her if she stained the cape.

However, a man who knew Mabelli and knew she was drunk — and that she was a daughter of Olokun — ran at once to the village and told Orunmila. Orunmila performed a ritual with jutía, needles, red cloth and white clothing, along with three different kinds of drink. With that ritual done, the man returned to the place where Mabelli and the soldiers were. Using his skill and his knowledge, he offered the drinks to the soldiers and, taking advantage of the distraction, released the jutía, which ran off. The soldiers, seeing it, chased after it to catch it. Once they were out of the man’s sight, he rescued Mabelli and so saved her from certain death. Meanwhile, the soldiers were punished by Obatalá, and Mabelli was pardoned because she had performed the necessary ritual.

The mastery of the deck of cards

On this path, Oshún Ololodi had the ability to divine for people using the dilogun. But she also liked to be read herself and to explore her own life, so she decided to go from one place to another until she finally came before Orunmila. When Orunmila looked at her, he told her that she already knew everything he was going to say, since she possessed the power of divination through the cards and through spiritism.

Oshún then left, being a person who liked to look into things for herself. After Orunmila had explained matters to her in detail, she was satisfied and followed the instructions she was given. As a result, she prospered and began to divine with great accuracy using the deck of cards.

In this Ifá, baths are taken and perfume is used, and a deck of cards is offered to Oshún.

The renown of Orunmila

Orunmila was looking for a wife, and one day Oshún went to see him, and this oddun came out. Orunmila told her that he was seeking a companion and that she was the chosen one, but Oshún was a wealthy woman and he was poor. Oshún aspired to a powerful man. Even though Orunmila charged her nothing for the consultation, she decided to leave.

On reaching another town, she asked who the ruler was, and was told it was Orunmila. She travelled through four towns in this way and always received the same answer. It was then that Oshún understood that the only man who could live at her side was Orunmila, since, poor as he was, he enjoyed a renown beyond compare.

For this reason, Orunmila is Oshún’s man, and she is his woman.