Ogunda Trupon

The two sons of Oggún

In the land of Añakabi lived a man named Obekukako. He was a son of Oggún and worked as a blacksmith. He had a younger brother named Omotuto, who lived with him. Omotuto was clever, and together they led a comfortable life thanks to a special object their father Oggún had given them. That object held a secret.

They cared for the object and performed ceremonies in which they offered it food and sang to it:

«Agada Obefenifa Obonishe Eye Ni Eye, Eyele Bawa Oggún.» «adie Mafun Obe Iyamiwa Layere Iyanla Wa Ifá Obe Layere.»

This secret gave them strength for their work. One day, however, Omotuto decided to set up on his own and secretly began making an object commissioned by Obatalá. In those days men could not speak, since their mouths were closed, but Omotuto decided to open their mouths without Obatalá’s permission. This forced Obatalá to grant them the power of speech.

Obatalá sent Adan Kolaye, his messenger, to destroy the brothers’ house. Yet Adan Kolaye was Obekukako’s brother, and when he arrived at the house he only let the object fall, which caused all the brothers to die. Omotuto, without realising it, cut his hand on the object and died.

Meanwhile, Obekukako was consulting Orunmila, and the oracle revealed to him: «In the blacksmith’s house, a wooden knife». It also told him that he had to perform a ceremony with certain ingredients, such as adie, obe, akuko, eyele, eja tuto, eran malu, eko, and that he should go to Ile Loya to look for them.

On his way he met Adan Kolaye, who explained what had happened and offered him help. He told him that he had to perform a ceremony to honour the object and to prevent further troubles. But first he had to offer adie to egun iyaniwa and sing:

Then he handed him an eja tuto and told him to place the object in its mouth and add eran malu, epó (palm oil), orí, eku, eja, awado, atare meyi, to take an eyele dun dun and give it uyen together with his father’s secret, while singing:

«Eyele Ni Kuani Kuani Bi Oye Agada Obe Kokoyo Kukunda.»

Then he said to him: «Now take it out, and with it give an akuko to Eshu». Adán Kolaye told him to take the knife he worked with and cut off its tip, while singing: «Ikú kuini kuini, obede alaguede shegun».

Obekukako then took the tip of the knife, the fins of the eja tutu, eru, obi, kola, aira, obi motiwao, eja oro, eku, eja, awado, 7 atare, and wrapped them in ekun hide. He would always carry this amulet with him to keep trouble away. Adán Kolaye said to him: «Take the head of the adie, that of the akuko and that of the eyele, add to them everything from the amulet, and take it to Obatalá together with the obe. He will give you a secret».

They set off singing: «Oshangriñan Baba Oluguere Omo Obe Boroniwa, Adan Kolaye Moforibale Kuade Baba Layeo Ori Ni Ifá».

Obatalá, who was performing rituals with the herbs edundun or tetendaye, received them and carried out the rituals with all of it. They knelt before Obatalá, and he laid his hands on the head of Awo Obekukako and gave him his blessing. He said to him: «With what you brought me and what I now give you, take 16 ikordie, load the handle of the obeke and wrap it with this». He also gave him a white Ileke necklace and one of Orunmila, and told him to place it beside his Ifá for a time and then bring it back to him to keep. Adán Kolaye wrapped the amulet with ou and orí and handed it to Obekukako, saying: «With this, you will never do harm to anyone».

He also said: «Take these three adadas of iqi as well, and place one in your father’s secret, another behind the door, and the third inside your Ifá. With this, there will never be trouble in your life». But before anything else, you must show great respect to Obatalá and to Orunmila in order to avoid tragedies in the world. To Iban Eshu.

When Eshu had nothing to eat

OPARALDO: akuko, malaguidi, asho fun fun, dun dun, pupua, asho timbelara, gbogbo tenuyen, obi, epó, itana, aberikunlo, shewerekuekue.

Ikú (death) lived in a land where she never found food, however much she searched. Finding herself in that state, she decided to consult Orunmila, who made a divination and saw the sign of Ifá Ogunda trupon. Ifá told her that she had to make a sacrifice and leave that land or town, and that she should eat only ripe fruit.

Ikú followed Ifá’s counsel and went off to a land where everyone was born sick, and she ate them. So Ikú was happy, having food in abundance. In that land there was a married couple, and when the woman realised she was pregnant she decided to consult Ifá. Orunmila told her that she had to make a sacrifice. The woman left Orunmila’s house resolved to do it, but she had no money for it. She took up a collection among her relatives and family and managed to gather the money to make the sacrifice.

Once it was finished, Orunmila ordered her to carry the sacrifice to the cemetery and not to look back. On her return, Orunmila told Onibori to go with her and to stay at her side to protect the child when it was born and keep Ikú from taking it.

When Emere was born, Onibori was there to protect her and keep her from dying at Ikú’s hands. When the relatives learned the reason for the collection, they began to protest. Elegbá, who had heard everything, was displeased and left. At that moment the mother wondered what would become of Emere without her.

One day, as evening fell, Emere was struck by fever and began to sweat, and her body filled with water. She could not see, and her mother wept to see her in that condition. The mother decided to seek out her relatives to pray to heaven, and Onibori said that this was well and took the girl away. Emere was a maiden, an abiku. When she thought, her head ached; she had trouble with her sight, yet she could see over great distances. When she turned 15, Onibori decided to take her to where her mother was, but first they went to Obatalá’s house. On leaving Obatalá’s house, Onibori took Emere to her iyare’s house, and Ikú could not take her.

Where Olofin blessed the duck

On this path lay the land of the birds, and among them lived a duck that had only one suit of clothes and was despised by the other birds. The mockery against him was constant, so he decided to go and consult Orunmila. Orunmila made a divination and the sign Ogunda Trupon came out, and he told him that he had to make a sacrifice with: a cross made of the ewe salvia plant, akofa, ada, obe, eku, eja, awado, epó.

Orunmila said to him: «Now you will take this to the foot of the hill». A few days later it happened that a hunter on the other side of the hill fired into the air and wounded two wood pigeons, and their blood fell upon the duck, changing the colour of his plumage. At that moment Olofin, seeing him, blessed him. Ever since, the duck lives happily.

The horse with the mark on its forehead

On this path, in a certain town, there was great alarm because of a horse with a mark on its forehead. The people feared it for its ferocity, and all dreaded its strength. Learning of this terror in the town, Olofin decided to send Shangó to resolve the situation.

Shangó took the horse and mounted it, mastering it completely. From that moment on, the town lived in calm and quiet.

Here the preparation of an «inshe» for triumph is mentioned. This «inshe» is prepared with the animal that Orunmila indicates, and must also include the eye and the hair of a horse with a mark on its forehead. This refers to a person with distinctive features, such as the patch of grey hair, who may be the person being read or their own enemy.

The war of the two brothers

Bokuo was a great warrior and a brother of Oggún. He believed himself superior to everyone and disobeyed his father. He owned many warhorses. One day he fell in love with the wife of the king of that land and raped her.

When the king learned what had happened, he ordered Oggún to behead his own brother. Learning of the proceedings through Elegbá, Bokuo decided to consult Orunmila. Orunmila made a divination and the sign Ogunda Trupon came out. He told Bokuo that he had to make a sacrifice and take it to the edge of the town.

Bokuo followed Orunmila’s instructions and, on reaching the place where he was to lay the sacrifice, he offered an akuko to Elegbá, establishing a bond with him. Elegbá granted him his blessing. At that very moment his brother Oggún, in a fury, came upon him and struck at him with his ada. Bokuo managed to dodge it, however, and cut off the head of his own warhorse, known as ishin. Since Oggún was fond of eating ishin, he was distracted by the horse and forgot his brother, who was able to escape to another land under the guidance of Eshu Moribale and save himself.

In the place where this happened, Oggún decided to bury the remains of the ishin and set an agboran ishin, which was the emblem of Bokuo and of the sign Ogunda Trupon, upon the grave. In this way he made the king believe that he had carried out the sentence, becoming an accomplice of his own brother.

The bearer of this sign must have a small iron horse made, which will be hollow and loaded with the head of the ishin, the head of an akuko and an eyele, the head of an aguema (lizard), root of aragba, atori, atiponla, atitan of ibu losa, eku, 21 strong sticks, root of entumbe (ceibilla). This little horse will live beside Oggún and will eat the same as he does. Furthermore, the bearer of this sign will keep inside Orunmila a fragment of the head of the ishin, and also his kuakuanardo. In this sign, an ishin (horse) is offered to Oggún. The Elegbá associated with this Oddun for the awó is Eshu Moribale, who carries as secret attributes the head and the legs of the ishin, so as to obtain from Elegbá the power of being guided in life and preserved from dangers.