Ogunda Fun

When the sky did not make ebbo

On this path, the sky and the earth began to dispute absolute power over the world. Hearing this, Orunmila told them both to make an ebo so that the power would be shared between them. The sky did not heed Orunmila’s words and did not make the ebo, since it did not want to give the earth anything. Ever since then, whenever clouds gather above the earth, the rain falls upon it, because the earth did make the ebo. Orunmila replied: «Everything the earth gives to the earth must return.»

The transformation

On this path, Olofin had people imprisoned and they were causing a great uproar in the cell. Orunmila asked him to free the prisoners. Olofin assured Orunmila that he had no one imprisoned. Yet Orunmila kept hearing the people’s uproar. Realising that Orunmila had heard the people again, and so as not to commit himself to a lie and to show that he was not lying, Olofin declared that those imprisoned were pigs. When Orunmila entered that room, he confirmed that what Olofin had there were indeed pigs. Therefore Olofin had told the truth. That is why pigs have an organism similar to the human one.

Along this path, this oddun marks transformation. Pigs are not killed; they are used in ceremony as an exchange of heads.

The siempre viva

On earth, the siempre viva was considered the weakest of plants, since it died as soon as it was stepped on. One day Obatalá was present and granted it power, saying: «From today you will live forever.» Now, Obatalá had a neighbour who was his enemy and gave him no peace. In gratitude, the siempre viva went to that neighbour’s house to ask him to leave Obatalá in peace. The neighbour grew angry, beat her and threw her into the mud. After the beating he said to her: «Now go and have Obatalá heal you.» The neighbour left, but when he reached his house he found it covered by an enormous vine of siempre viva. Enraged, he took a machete, cut it to pieces and left it out in the sun. Yet the following day he was astonished to see a thicket of siempre viva that barely let him pass. Furious, he tore it up and threw it into the river so that it would rot. But the next day the siempre viva covered the river completely, in such a way that she alone could be seen everywhere.

Seeing this, Obatalá’s enemy decided to walk out onto the covered river and sank into the mud. The harder he struggled to get out, the deeper he sank, until he drowned. And so the siempre viva defeated Obatalá’s enemy.

The ewe of this oddun is the siempre viva.

When they made Oshosi king

On this path, Oshosi was a hunter who devoted himself to catching game for the saints, but he received nothing in return, they did not pay him, and he could not go on in that situation. He decided then to go and see Orunmila, and set out on the road to him. When he arrived, he explained his situation and asked for advice to resolve it. Orunmila told him: «What you must do is trick them and bring them the wrong animals.» Oshosi followed the advice, but it turned out that the mistake benefited the saints, and his situation grew worse, since they still did not pay him in full.

He then decided to go and see Olofin, who told him: «What you must do is go to another town and work as a blacksmith.» Oshosi followed the advice and worked as a blacksmith for a week. When Oggún saw that he was a blacksmith, he took him on as his helper.

As time went by, Oshosi moved on to another town and learned different things. He travelled from town to town acquiring all kinds of knowledge. Until the moment came when Olofin needed a man who knew about everything to be king of a town, and so he began to search among men. Many presented themselves, wise men among them, but all of them knew only one thing. When Oshosi heard of it, he presented himself before Olofin and, because he knew a little of everything, he was named king of that town by the word of Olofin.

The hunchback

In the land of Otumbe there lived a hunchbacked man named Abukenke Sogun Kuikendo Toroggun. He was brave and possessed the great powers of Oba Ogu. Otumbe, also a strong warrior, ruled that land. They were at war with the people of the land of Ikoye, who had a powerful army. Otumbe had a dog named Oko Iyare that always followed him, even into war. One day the people of the land of Ikoye attacked Otumbe’s people. Because of their great numbers, the former were winning. Seeing what was happening, Oba Otumbe went to consult with Awo Oyo Okewe Ogunda Fun, who told him that he had to find an «okete» in order to make an ebo and so defeat his enemies from Ikoye, who were his araye (strife and enemies). Otumbe set out, singing: «Omolotumbe kuelele sokun lowe wewe okete ishawo». When Abukenke Sogun heard the song, he came out to meet him and told him that he had what he needed, which was an «okete». He handed it over, but when Otumbe tried to tie it up, it escaped, and his dog, Oko Iyare, caught it but ate the head of the rat (okete). Seeing his dog eating the head of the okete, Otumbe struck it and the dog began to vomit. Abukenke Sogun told Otumbe to gather the dog’s vomit, which contained the head of the okete, and take it to Awo Oyo Ogunda Fun so that he could make the ebo. They set out, singing: «Oba Otumbe ayague okete iguele yague lamishe». When they reached the house of Awo Oyo Ogunda Fun, he was at the door giving osiadie to Elegbá, and he let them in. He then performed the ebo for Otumbe with the dog’s vomit containing the head of the okete, and gave eyerbale to the hunchback and to Otumbe. Once the ceremony was over, Abukenke Sogun said that he would carry the ebo to the land of Ikoye, and the dog and Otumbe’s people followed him. When Abukenke Sogun arrived with the ebo in the land of Ikoye, everyone there was blind, and he attacked and struck them all. The dog ate their heads and ate so much that it vomited. Abukenke Sogun told Otumbe to gather that vomit, since it would always serve him to defeat his enemies. Otumbe took Abukenke Sogun (the hunchback) to live in his land, and the hunchback gave him his blessing and protected him from all harm.

Ebbo is made with dog vomit, to overcome enemies and difficult situations.

The daughter of Oshún who had never been given santo

In the land of Walolé there lived Awo Ogunda Fun, who had a daughter of Oshún to whom he had never given the santo (Kofun Orisha). Ogunda Fun always kept her to cook the food of Ashikuelu, and had told her that she must begin cooking after seven in the evening, but that first she had to bathe with algarrobo, artemisa, almácigo and paraíso. During the bath she had to sing: «Ewe Niye Fun Egun, Ewe Nile Fun Egun, Awa Lala Kare Kawa Koni Wale Berewa Alele».

After finishing the bath, she had to break an egg and start cooking. When the food was done she would grow uneasy and sit on a stool, and then fall asleep, knowing that he went off to the bush every day. What she cooked most were the three kinds of oshinshin: sow-thistle, chard, and watercress with purslane. While she slept, Ogunda Fun would go out with the food, singing: «Fori Baba Lalao, Fori Baba Lalao, Ashikuelu Lalao Fori Baba» and «yeyere Ikú, Yeyere Ikú, Yeyere Ahikuelu Ikú Lawede Egun».

Six years went by and she began to grow curious, because at the end of the year he would take 16 eyele and go out with them, ordering different kinds of food to be prepared. Before taking them, he would take a small rooster and deliver it at the corner at seven in the evening. Every time he performed this operation she would menstruate and feel very unwell. On entering his house he would give obi to the shilekun and sing. The night would turn dark and she lived worried about all this, while he disappeared.

After seven years, she decided to find out what he was doing.

That year, eure had to be given to Shilekun, and Ogunda Fun sent for all the awoses and godchildren. He carried out all the previous operations, marking a circle with nine lines, placing charcoal on one and chalk on the next. He prepared three switches, one with water from the Pacific Ocean, another with tamarind and another with rasca barriga, egg yolk and eko. Then he gave it the eyele, singing: «Eye Eyele Eye Yeyere Yerekun Eye Eyele Eye Yeyere Yerekun».

All the awoses were kneeling, watching the ceremony, and each time they sang they kissed the ground. Once the ceremony was over, he placed the goat in the centre of one of the lines, and each time he made an invocation, he sang:

«Oyekun Ni Pako Pako Ashe Mayekun«, and he struck one of the lines with the switch, saying: «Yanza Ke Yewá Ashe Yekun Mawa Loyere Egun Mayere».

Then he struck another line and said: «Egun Olokun Yalegbe Otura Niko Oriko Walekun Ayo Ayokun Egun Tayere Oduduwa».

Then he struck another line and said: «Ogunda Fun Mawafun Egun Katayeru Yalode Ni Ashikuelu Kayerun Ozain Bebe».

He went on striking another line and said: «Shorokun Shorokun Irete Yero Morala Niregun Morala Ni Irete Yero Mayokun Ikú Maferefun Mayolorun Ni Irete Yero Dakuano».

He continued striking another line and said: «Lowa Shangó Belele Ni Bikun Kualele Mi Seyi Kualele Mi Seyi Kualele Mi Mafun Awo Leni Awo Mayefun Lorun Aba Mawo Olorun Seyi Mayu Ni Yekun Ashikuelu Egun Kekua Oduduwa Beyele Mafun Oddun Egun Yalode Timbelaye Timbelorun Awa Masoku Mawe».

He struck another line and said: «Yake Ewe Jara Jara Weremi Belowara Ogunda Bede Fefe Ni Aye Awo Lewe Fati Shemi Orun Towa Nishe Awo Egun Alabara Kuojun Oshanla Be Niyorun Oggún Mado Jara Eji Orun».

And he struck another line and said: «Kuani Kuashe Kuani Kuashe Olordumare Kuani Kuashe Kuani Beleni Egun Wa Obani Ozain Ayaoka Kude Ni Belo Gbogbo Ni Ara Onu Timbelaye Egun Mafun Awa».

Finally, he struck another line and said: «Kuani Legun Oragun Waniregun Otura Niko Waniregun Oyekun Meyi Waniregun Irete Yero Awo Waniregun Baba Ogunda Fun Yeye Niku Oragun Meyi Egun Awa Lode Morala Egun Kilode».

The one who carried the bell and the goat played it, with an eyele hanging, and everyone touched his head. Once that was finished, they all began to call Ogunda Fun and Orunmila with the bell, saying: «Oni Orun Ni Egun Aya Orun, Oni Egun Oni Ashikuelu, Oni Egun Oni Oduduwa, Oni Eggun Oni Ogunda Fun, Oni Eggun Oduduwa Aremi Mayere Ikú Oduduwa Aremi Ayere Orun Jekua Eggun Awa Lode Egun Layere Oduduwa Arere Niku Eya Orun Eggun Awa Lode Egun Awa Akua Lode».

Then the calling had to continue with eja orun, and Ogunda Fun went off to the bush, where ashikuelu was waiting for him, and he sang: «Afefe Ikú Loleo Afefe Ikú Loleo». The woman, who heard that, ran out towards the bush, and ashikuelu took her senses from her until she fell. Ogunda Fun continued the ceremony without knowing what was happening and went on speaking with his father; he bowed and presented the goat with all its ingredients, saying: «Eggun Eggun Olona Beresi Laye Ashikuelu Awa Lode Eggun Eggun Olona Awa Lode».

All the awoses were kneeling and praying, and ashikuelu said to Ogunda Fun: «Go home, because your woman, for being curious, I have deprived of her senses. She had never been given Santo, and for the first time Oshún came down in the head of Ogunda Fun’s woman.» Oshún drew near from afar and sang this: «Sano Awa Ikú, Awa Ni Ikú Iya Le Yewá Moforibale Iya Kilode».

Ogunda Fun bowed and asked forgiveness, saying that from that day on Oshún would come down in the heads of his children. The sacrifices and the rite’s ceremony began, singing to Ozain, bathing the goat and all the pieces of Ashikuelu. Ogunda Fun gave a thrust with the knife, saying: «Yeyere Ikú Yeyere Ikú, Eye Ikú Ikú Yeyere».

Each time this ceremony or one of egun is performed, three small mouthfuls of otí are taken and blown upwards; once the sacrifice is finished, the singing to Ozain continues.

The proud son abeyi lorun Ifá

On this path, Ogunda Fun had a son named Abeyi Lorun Ifá, who was somewhat proud and headstrong, always wanting to be what he could not be. His father, Ogunda Fun, was always displeased, and one day said to him: «My son, you never want to come near my secret nor pay it any attention. Perhaps one day it will be of use to you for something in the world, so that you may be great and recognised, even though others have more knowledge than you. Nevertheless, in your life you will always have to respect Shangó.»

For my part, I shall give you a secret and I shall perform a consecration at the feet of my secret, which is Oshosi, together with Orun, who is called Iya Mari. She lives in the land of Mari Inle, where they hold a great secret, but you must always listen to the counsel of your Iyare. There, your Iyare is a great diviner, but she has also raised a daughter of Oshún named Omo Abeyeri Yalorde, to whom she has given all her Ashe and the great gift of divination. When you go to that land, you will have to offer food to Shangó, an akuko fun fun, calling him properly, and then call Abayebo Awo, who is the king of that land of Mari Inle. He will be with his mother and will try to make you great by every means, as I have told you, and you will marry Abeyeri Yalorde, but never attempt to take from her the virtue she possesses.

When Abeyi Lorun Ifá arrived in the land of Mari Inle, his mother was overjoyed and paid him great homage, speaking with Awo Abayebo, and they began to sing: «Berelela Yirse Awo Lodeo, Ogunda Fun Bayemi Lorun, Awa Lode Awo Lodemi Yirse, Egun Obani Shangó Obara Lekun Lorun Yalorde Aba Ashemi Asheno Binda She Asheni Ogunda Fun Bi Ashe Asheni».

On hearing this song, Yalorde came out at once; the daughter of Oshún, Abeyeri Yalorde, and he came to know one another in a short time, and the preparations for the wedding were settled. The ceremony took place in the presence of Orun and Shangó, in a field where nothing had been sown but leaves of ewe dun dun. While they were being married, Oshosi appeared and said to Shangó: «You have married him because Abeyi Awo asked you to, but you know that the pride and ambition of Abeyi Lorun Ifá may lead him to his total ruin and to the fall of his throne.» During the wedding ceremony, Shangó took three leaves of ewe dun dun, placed them in the form of a cross, took an ember of fire and told Abeyi Lorun Ifá to kiss this oath.

Afterwards, Shangó said to him: «If one day you fail in this oath, I shall turn you into charcoal. You will lose your powers, your sight, and from that moment your life will be extinguished.» Abeyeri Lorun Ifá began to prosper, performed many Ifá and became the most important man in the land of Mari Inle, reaching the point of not wanting to respect or even consider his wife, Abeyeri Yalorde. Until one day, knowing that the whole secret lay in the Ewe Dun Dun plant, he tore off some branches and beat his wife with them. She began to weep, and seeing this, her father, Abeyebo Awo, performed an Ifá consultation for her and saw Oshe Meyi. At that moment Shangó appeared and said: «We must hold a great feast and lay a table, but first we must find a white horse so that Awo Abeyi Lorun Ifá may ride through the town and everyone may follow him to the meal.»

At the meal they set out three tables and placed three dishes before Abeyi Lorun Ifá. Shangó, who was the cook, first pounded the Ewe Dun Dun and seasoned it with powdered Oddun. The second dish he prepared with the meat and brains from the head of Elede, seasoned with Ayapa Keke, and the third he made with Oshinshin Ekute and Ewe Dun Dun. At that moment Awo Abeyi Lorun Ifá lost his sight, and all the gathered people waited for him to say something favourable. But what he saw was that he had lost his ashe, and so the town and all the Awoses of that land rejected him, and he was taken in by Oggún. Shangó sent for Oyá so that Abeyeri Yalorde would not believe herself above anyone; he fed her akuaro and aila e igi, which made Abeyeri Yalorde faint away. Oggún, seeing that Abeyi Lorun Ifá was blind and could do nothing, took his life (Ikú).

The two brothers

On this path, there were two brothers who loved to bathe in the river. Once, the mother told one of them not to go to the river because she had dreamed that he would not come back. This brother was proud and disobedient, and did nothing at home. The other brother, who was obedient and good, was allowed by the mother to go to the river. This stirred up envy in the disobedient brother, who every day asked for bad things to befall his brother. Eshu, who heard it all, decided to punish the disobedient one. A few days later a fierce storm broke out that tore down the trees, and there was a strong wind, and Eshu judged that this was the right moment to teach the boy a lesson.

Eshu stationed himself at the riverbank, agitated, so as to draw the attention of the two brothers. He told them that he had seen something pass by in the current that held a great virtue, and that whoever possessed it would obtain great power. He called the obedient boy and said to him: «Throw yourself into the water, nothing will happen to you, and when you come out with what is in the river, you will have riches and everyone will envy you.» The boy, without thinking twice, threw himself into the water and emerged filled with riches and fortune.

The other brother, seeing his brother with all the riches he had obtained, threw himself into the water too without thinking, but never came out again. Eshu had spoken with Oshún and told her what he wanted to do with the disobedient one. Oshún made him her slave and allowed him only to climb onto a stone that stood in the middle of the river. When he wanted to go to the bank, Oshún would not permit it and dragged him down to the riverbed.

Along this path, eating maize is forbidden.

The slave

On this path, there was a slave who suffered ill-treatment and curses from his master, with no one to turn to with his complaint. The slave’s deceased mother appeared to him in the form of a shadow and told him that she would speak with Olorun to try to free him from his suffering.

Shortly afterwards, the slave had a dream in which he saw Olorun represented as an old man, who ordered him to go to the ile (house) of Orunmila. The slave followed the instructions and met Orunmila, who gave him a divination reading (osode) and revealed to him the odun Ogunda Fun. Orunmila told him to make a sacrifice (ebo) and asked him to have a mass said for his deceased mother (iyare). Once everything indicated had been fulfilled, the spirit of the slave’s mother began to trouble the master, keeping him from sleeping, until at last the master decided to grant his son his freedom. After this, the mother’s spirit found peace and stopped tormenting him.

The other arayes (malevolent spirits) that used to harass the slave also had to come to the feet of the deceased mother to beg her forgiveness, since in their dreams Olorun appeared to them and charged them to do the same, warning them that they would be punished if they did not carry out his mandate.

Violence and the dog

In the land of Keke Kombo there lived a powerful awo who was known for being very violent, both with his clients and with his wife and family. One day, in the middle of an argument with his wife, he went so far as to strike her, and she told him that Olofin would not allow him what he had just done. Olofin, hearing this, answered that he did not involve himself in matters between husband and wife. However, a neighbour who overheard the argument decided to warn the clients who were coming for consultation, telling them not to approach because the awo was very violent. One of the clients remarked: «When he says so, it is true, because he lives nearby. I will not go, because Olofin will surely not hear his petitions on behalf of his clients.» All the clients turned back and not one had a reading done with the awo.

When night came, the awo lay down thinking that he had no food for the following day. On waking, he noticed that he had a dog in his house and, out of his anger, he threw it outside. The dog, however, heard a strange noise and went to investigate. It found a deer and hunted it down, driving it to the awo’s house and cornering it there. The dog began to bark in a strange way, which woke the awo, who violently took up a club and went out without knowing the fortune his dog had brought him. He struck the deer so hard that he broke one of its legs, and only then did he notice the deer his dog had hunted. Lamenting what he had done, the awo tried to approach the deer to put his mistake right, but it was already too late, since the animal had a broken leg. The awo cursed himself for having no one else who could get him food at a critical moment like that. At that very moment he decided to do a reading, and confirmed that the neighbour had turned out to be Elegbá, who had closed his roads. The awo asked him what he wanted, and Elegbá offered him food to feed himself.

When ogunda fun fell in love with the daughter of Olofin, Oshún

On this path, Ogunda Fun was a figure who lived in the land of Oshún. One day he fell in love with Oshún, who was Olofin’s favourite daughter, and managed to marry her. Olofin decided to hold a great feast to celebrate the marriage, and Ogunda Fun made his entrance into the palace mounted on a handsome white steed, dressed as a king. During the wedding ceremony, Olofin crowned his daughter queen of the palace and blessed her so that she would never lose her crown. He also warned that whoever tried to take it from her would be destroyed. To Ogunda Fun he said: «Always keep the ewe dun dun plant growing around the palace, for it will be your ashe. Even if it is trampled and destroyed, it will always be reborn. As long as you are obedient and do not turn ambitious, you will have everything. You must also show regard for your wife, who holds her father’s secrets.»

After the wedding, Ogunda Fun began to govern perfectly. As an awo of Orunmila, he had great ashe, and in the first years he was obedient, consecrating several awoses whom he taught and guided. To the first awó he revealed all the secrets.

As the years went by, surrounded by a great number of followers, Ogunda Fun grew arrogant and stopped acknowledging any crown other than his own. He began to belittle Oshún and to grow jealous of her ashe. One day he thought that he depended on the ashe of his apetebí (his wife), and he remembered that on the wedding day Olofin had crowned her as the source of his ashe. Yet he did not remember that Olofin had warned him that whoever tried to take the crown from his daughter would be destroyed.

One day, Ogunda Fun snatched the crown from his apetebí, and she, realising it, demanded it back. He answered rudely that he would not return it and, in the midst of the argument, dealt her a heavy blow on the right side of her body. Oshún, barely able to walk, went to the house of her father, Olofin, and told him what had happened. Olofin ordered that Ogunda Fun be found and said to him: «I gave you the position you hold, I crowned you king, but you did not know how to live as one. You have grown arrogant and jealous of my daughter’s ashe. Envy has been born in your heart from wanting to be greater than you are and from not respecting my counsel. From today on, you will begin to lose everything. You will lose your sight and you will be betrayed by the awó most favoured by you. You will have no memory with which to interpret Ifá.» To iban Eshu.

After that curse of Olofin, Ogunda Fun began to lose everything and went to the house of Orunmila, who performed an osode for him and saw the oddun Obara Bogbe.