Otrupon Kana

The princess who forgot Orunmila

There was a woman weary and harried by her arayes (enemies), so she decided to go to Orunmila’s house seeking help. He prepared a güiro with eyerbale and omi, and this Ifá came out for her: «Despite living a comfortable life, you find yourself weary and pursued by your arayes. You are a princess and you are going to be well.» After sprinkling the contents of the güiro throughout her house, Orunmila took his leave of the young woman and told her that she would forget him.

In time the princess felt better, and one day Orunmila knocked at her door. The maid told her that Orunmila was there, but the princess said she did not know him. Orunmila left, but afterwards the princess realized her mistake and sent for him with pleas. So that Orunmila could climb the palace stairs, they had to bathe them with eyerbale of akuko.

Orunmila’s cunning

Oggún bore a grudge against Orunmila and learned that he had an akuko tied up in the yard of his house. Oggún called his sons and told them: destroy the house where you see an akuko tied up in the yard. Since Oggún’s sons were dull-witted and talked too much, Orunmila learned of Oggún’s purpose, had an osode done, saw this Ifá, made ebbo with the akuko and released it into his yard. The akuko, finding itself free, flew up to the roof and ended up in the yard of Oggún’s house. Oggún’s sons, who were going about the town looking for the house where an akuko was tied up in the yard, did not find it, and disappointed they returned to their own house and saw an akuko in the yard, and since they were dull-witted they unleashed a war among themselves and destroyed one another.

King Aggayú

On this path, Aggayú being oba of the land, Oddo Shagga and Shangó his immediate chief, and many towns being subdued by force, those towns had to send, as tribute of war, a ship loaded with food in each season of the year. Shangó, who coveted Aggayú’s position, chose some men from the town, and among them was Oggún, the favoured watchman that Oddun had given to Aggayú and whom Aggayú had made keeper of the keys. Shangó set him as head of the group to steal the food that arrived by ship in Aggayú’s great kingdom. Ozain prepared an inshe that bewitched Elegbá, and those men stole for themselves and for Shangó’s obini.

Aggayú’s people went hungry. Aggayú, seeing that the town could find no food, called Shangó and asked him what was happening. Shangó told him that ships of food were no longer being sent. Aggayú ordered the warriors made ready to go and collect the tributes, but first he decided to go to Orunmila’s house, where this Ifá was seen for him, and he was told that Elegbá was enslaved and that his own friends were robbing him.

Aggayú took Elegbá to Orunmila’s house, and Orunmila did a work with the etu and lifted the spell from him. On the day the ship arrived, the thieves believed Elegbá was still bewitched. They came through the bush up to the basket sent by Oggún. Shangó always stayed hidden.

After Elegbá and his warriors captured the thieves, they tied them up and broke their legs with a cudgel. When they discovered that Oggún was the leader of the thieves, they brought him before Aggayú. Elegbá sang behind them: «Ilu Mayo Emanyu» (for the food of another that he ate) and «Baruku Mambo Awo Kumambo» (for being a thief and wicked, give him the stick).

Meanwhile, Orunmila gave them etu and sang: «Larifa Fifeto Ibareta Fifeto, Fifeto Awo Fifeto Omo Fifeto Ariku Babagua Sentishe Awo Ifá«. When they reached Aggayú’s court, Obatalá was visiting, and seeing Oggún in such bad condition, he asked Aggayú to pardon him. Aggayú agreed and allowed Obatalá to take Oggún with him. Since then, Oggún hid behind his abure Obatalá and lived there.

This Ifá indicates that Oggún’s war is coming to the house; an akuko must be presented to Ozain as though it were to be given to him, and afterwards released alive.

The path of the etus

Ode was fond of hunting etus, and because of that the family did not prosper. One day the male decided to go to Orunmila’s house and the female followed him, and Orunmila saw this Oddun for him and marked ebbo for him, and he did it, and when he came out he met his obini and they went out to cast away the ebbo and walked on until they lost their bearings, and there they stayed; the time came to lay eggs and these were raised wild, since there was nobody there, and Orunmila’s word was fulfilled: that however much they are hunted they will never be finished off, but the hunters will.

The etus are handed over to be raised so that health and good fortune may come to the person’s house. The akofa umbeboro, yarako and abiti are for Oshosi, and if the person does not have him, they are given to Oggún; eyele meyi for kofibori eleda together with obi meyi.

This Ifá says that sooner or later the godchild separates from the godfather.

Otrupon Kana recovers his riches

There were three boastful men who found themselves in a place where there were only lions, but only one of them was brave and had the skill to hunt them, while the other two were cowards. One of the cowards was a chatterbox who only wanted to hunt big lions, but he always had to kill them, and the other was a coward who only hunted small lions, though he killed them as well.

One day Otrupon Kana arrived and killed the lions. Afterwards he went to Orunmila’s house, and Orunmila advised him to sprinkle blood to draw the lions in. So he did, and the lions came into the town. The cowardly hunters fled, but Otrupon Kana went out to face them and killed them. The townspeople thought it had been the other two hunters who had killed the lions and gave them all the rewards, but in truth it was Otrupon Kana who had done it.

In the end, the townspeople discovered the truth and took the rewards away from the cowardly hunters, while to Otrupon Kana they gave everything he deserved for having been the true hero.

Wars are not won with money

In the land of Ibi Togun lived Oggún Tola, who left that land desolate, for he hunted down everyone who entered with the traps he kept and ate their liver, which was what he fed on. In that land lay the secret of Oguelemu Eye Ni Ozain, which all the inhabitants of that land needed in order to live, and many were those who went in seeking that great secret. Elegbá went to see Awo Bori, who lived in the land of Baleru Ifá, and he saw this Oddun for him and ordered him to make orugbo with akuko meyi and adoki. That way he would find the means to enter that land.

As Elegbá was going to Awo Bori’s house, he came upon a Malu that was freshly killed, and he took out its liver and set off for Awo Bori’s house. There, Awo Bori made the ebbo for him, crushed the liver, gave it eyerbale of the akuko and poured it into his güiro with the iyefa of the ebbo. Then he told him: «Go now towards the land of Ibi Togun, and when you arrive, go in and begin to pray with what is in the güiro, and when Oggún comes out, give him the akuko.» Elegbá reached the land of Ibi Togun and went in, beginning to sprinkle what was in the güiro while he sang: «Oborinifa Ero Ero Ero Oggún Tola Ero Kuele Inle Ibi Togu Ero Kuele Feyewe».

Oggún, who saw the liver and the eye, began to eat it and left Elegbá in peace, so that he was able to reach the place where the secret of Oguelemu Eye Ni Ozain was kept, which was a great virtue for winning wars, and the secret was covered with bogbo ileke. Elegbá knelt before it and began to pray: «Oguelemu Eye Ni Ozain Eni Toba Niku Ona Oggún Lowashe Agba Ikú Agba Ori Ikú Bikibashe Ozain Awo Nile Ifá Bori Agba Eni Ifá Awo Abegun Ozain Ozain Abere Orun...». And at that moment Oggún arrived, and when he saw Elegbá with the secret in his hand, he said to him: «Oggún Kueleo Akuko Oggún Loshe Ire«. Oggún ate the akuko and said to Elegbá: «Very well, the secret is yours, take it, but you must always give me food of adoki.»

Then the two set off for Awo Bori’s house, and when they arrived he consecrated them both in that great secret and said to Elegbá: «You keep it, but Oggún will always guard it, and every time you see Otrupon Kana, you must give Oggún his favourite food, so that peace is preserved.»

The Oggún of this sign carries the large tools. Leri eku, leri eya and gunugun de eya are taken and crushed well with eru, obi, kola, osun, liver, filings scraped from Oggún’s tools, iron filings, ewe mokogun, aragba root, ewe oguma, ewe oriye, ewe kotoriye, igui jiqui, acana, jocuma, moruro, eñi shell, adie, tiger skin, keneun skin, 21 atare. An akuko dun dun is given to it together with Oggún, iyefa of the ebbo is added, and two Inshe Ozain are made and covered, one with black beads and the other with white, red and black beads and ileke of Ifá. These inshe are washed and set to eat together with Elegbá and live with him. The güiro with blood and the liver, together with iyefa of the ebbo, is sprinkled through the house while singing: “Oboronifa Ero Ero Ero Oggún Ero Kuele Inle Ero Kuele Teyewe”

Wars are not won with money.