Iroso Tura

When Oggún wanted to be an awo

Orunmila lived in a house near Oggún’s, and every time Oggún passed by Orunmila’s house he saw him dressed in clean clothes, seated on the porch, and he wondered: what work does Orunmila do, that I never see him dirty? One day, Oggún, tired of laboring in the wilderness, went to Orunmila’s house for a reading, and this Ifá came out, and Orunmila told him: «You are doing something, and you were not born to do that thing.» Oggún answered: «What I am doing is working in the wilderness.» Orunmila replied: «Are you not a blacksmith? Work at the forge.» Oggún then said: «What I want to do is Ifá.» Orunmila told him: «There is time for that.»

After a certain time, Orunmila made Ifá for Oggún without consulting Obatalá; but since Oggún was a blacksmith, he made himself a divining board and an okpele of iron, both of great size. When Oggún came out of the room of Ifá he said to himself: «Good, now I will work Ifá so that I may always live clean.» And he began throwing the okpele upon the board, making a tremendous din, so that Obatalá, who lived nearby, kept saying: «What is that deafening noise that I cannot bear?»

When Obatalá decided to go out and see what was happening, passing by Oggún’s house he saw him divining and asked: «Oggún, what are you doing there?» Oggún said: «I am divining, because Orunmila made Ifá for me and I am now a babalawo.» Obatalá went to see Orunmila and rebuked him: «Why did you not consult me before making Ifá for Oggún? Do you not see that now there is no one to forge weapons for war? Now there will be no more Holográfico, since Oggún no longer works. So see how you fix this.» And he left.

The next day, Orunmila said to Oggún: «Tomorrow, when you return, bring your Ifá, for I must do something to it.» Oggún obeyed him, because Orunmila was his Oluwo. Orunmila removed the greater hand from the vessel, leaving it as Awofakan. When Oggún arrived home, he noticed that the greater hand of his Ifá was missing, so he went back to his godfather’s house to demand it, and Orunmila told him: «Obatalá ordered it, because he says you were not born to be an awo.» Oggún, on hearing this, drew his machete and set out for Obatalá’s house, cutting off heads along the way. Obatalá, who had divined for himself, had placed a white flag at his door and an igba of omi tutu. And when Oggún arrived smeared in blood with the machete in his hand, he asked Obatalá why he had said that to Orunmila.

Obatalá, calm — for he knew that if he answered Oggún harshly, Oggún would cut off his head — said to him: «Oggún, very well, but you know that every time you come to my house you must salute me.» Oggún threw himself on the floor, and the white flag fell over him and drained his strength. Then Obatalá gave him fresh water to drink, and said to him: «Look, my son, I will give you whatever you want, but you are of more use to me forging weapons than reading for people. That is why I said it, my son.» And Oggún was content there with Obatalá.

The awo of this path carries an ekuele of iron, and a white curtain is hung so that illness does not pass.

The guinea hen

Ifá says the guinea hen was so wild that no one could catch her. The guinea hen loved parties and drink, and the people devised a party to get her drunk. The guinea hen, not having performed the ebbo that Orunmila had prescribed for her the day before, went to the party confident that, given her quickness, it was impossible to catch her. So much did the guinea hen drink and so much did she revel that she felt tired and lay down to sleep, which the people took advantage of to kill her, for they were her enemies.

The gandinga seller

In the marketplace there was a gandinga seller who had cornered the whole trade, in such a way that he was the only one who had gandingas. Elegbá, seeing the greed of that merchant who shared with no one and gave nothing to anyone, decided to ruin his business by taking it upon himself to spread through the whole town that his goods were bad and harmed people.

On hearing this, people stopped buying his gandingas, and the seller, seeing that his business was going badly and that his goods might spoil, went in desperation to see Orunmila. Orunmila read for him and this Ifá came out, in which he told him that there was a person defaming his merchandise; he prescribed ebo with a flag, white cloth, akuko, a goat and a gandinga, giving the goat to Elegbá and distributing it among three different thickets.

When he finished, he went home, hung the white cloth in his shop and closed it, announcing to the boys that he was going to make them a gift of each of the gandingas he had left. All the boys came, and he opened the shop and set about giving them the gandingas with which he had made the rogation. They took them away, cooked them very well, and found them delicious, and they harmed no one. It was proven that everything was due to a defamation.

From then on, everyone began to buy gandingas, and so prosperity came to the merchant. Elegbá himself took charge of the merchant’s publicity.

Through this Ifá a goat must be given to Elegbá so that he does not upset any business one has in hand. A party must also be given for the boys in order to prosper. Care must be taken with illnesses of the liver and the gallbladder. There is a person trying to harm you out of envy, for they do not look kindly on your progress. Elegbá must be received; beware of any dealings you may have that are outside the law and could harm you.

Oggún

A wise one was born who, by his influence, was the eldest, for it is said he was the first Obatalá to be born in an awe that held a liquid and an unknown stone. This awe was guarded by an akuko, but the akuko could not drink the liquid the awe contained. One day, the akuko drank of this liquid, and a transfiguration came over him.

Here, Oduduwa took over the care of the awe, for the akuko did nothing but sleep, since the liquid was a drug — and from this came the multiplication of the species in the land of Oduduwa. He joined with Olokun, having several children from that union, but they separated because they could not live together owing to their incompatibility of character. Olokun divided her house, and in one part she made the sea, while in the other she made the foundation of a male.

The bravest of Oduduwa’s children was Oggún, who loved fighting and was rebellious. He was entirely Okuni and dressed in eye even as he drank it, and Oggún needed to change his way of living, and Ifá was made for him. He made himself an iron okpele of his own height, and when he arrived at places throwing it, the whole earth trembled and everyone was frightened.

Oggún frightened Obatalá, and Obatalá cursed him and told him to take that thing out of his house. Oggún went to the sea and threw it in, and thus he brought war and discord to the sea.

Ingratitude is the daughter of pride

In the land of Yebu there was a very large river of clean waters that was very proud and haughty. Odo said that no river was as deep or carried as much water as he did.

«The finest plants grow on my banks, the finest fish swim in my water, my bed is of fine sand, and the sea receives me with pleasure because I sweeten its salty waters; the sun, the lagoon and the stars gaze at themselves in my waters.» Such was the vanity of Odo, who was the oba of the land of Yebu.

When in that land dominion was given to the wise ones in their sandy country, they saw Iroso Tunialara and told him: «Ingratitude is the daughter of pride.» Then, in the land of Yebu, spring arrived and with it oyuro, and suddenly the waters began to grow murky. «What can this be? Who is the insolent one stirring up the sand and the mud from my bottom? Who has made me swell like this and overflow my banks? This cannot be.»

Odo, being proud, did not remember what the elders had told him. When he swelled and they saw Iroso Tunialara, instead of going to see Orunmila, he went out to see who was causing it. Then he saw that a stream, swollen by the rains, was entering at the junction, carrying a great quantity of yellowish, churned-up water full of dry leaves and tree branches; and confronting the stream, he said: «Neither you nor any of your family is authorized to bring me your dirty waters. You come to disturb me and rob me of my happiness. Go far away from me.» And in this way he scorned him.

Then the streams, who were children of Oshún Iyumo, offended by the blind pride of that river, went to complain to their Iya tobi. And she felt deeply wounded by Iroso Tunialara, which was the name of the oba Odo in the land of Iyumo. And she ordered all her children, the streams, to run by another way. And since the streams were abure Akuani of bebé Odo (the springs), these too felt offended by the Oba Odo and went off with the streams. And he was left without nourishment and grew poorer and poorer until he became a miserable thread of water.

Here and there, in his dry bed, a few pools of stagnant water could be seen, where leaves and fish rotted in heaps. And then the igui on his banks dried up, and the birds that lived on them fled away. Neither Olodumare, Oshupa nor Irawo ever gazed again into the dry bed of the river that had been abandoned by the streams and the springs.

Then Olokun wondered: «What can have become of Oba Odo, that river that used to bring me his waters here in other times?» Olokun went to see Orunmila, and there she met Oshún Iyumo, who told her that Oba Odo had been lost by his pride and his ingratitude, because he did not remember that when Iroso Tunialara was born, it was he himself.

Step by step everything arrives

In the land of Odabawe, which was forest country, lived Igui Irosun, who was great and powerful and served Orunmila, Ozain and Bogbo Osha for the consecrations and ceremonies they performed in the world. He lived in the forest serving all alike, and thus he received the blessing of Olofin. Irosun had many children who grew under his power, but among them a division arose, for the biggest ones believed themselves better than the others, and thus war was born among them.

Irosun went to Orunmila’s house, who saw this Ifá for him and told him that he was Iroso Tolda, that he had to perform ebbo, because this was the Ifá of those born before their time, and that he had to come with his children in order to save them. The smallest ones, who were humble, went with Irosun to Orunmila’s house and had the ebbo done. But the biggest ones, believing themselves strong and being proud, did not go to do the ebbo. One day Oyá went to Orunmila’s house and learned what was happening with Irosun’s smallest children, and she grew angry. Arriving at Irosun’s house, blowing her winds, and when they caught the afefe, they threw themselves to the ground; and since they were ofo (loss), when they reached the ground they withered and did not engender, for they were otonda.

In this way, the smallest ones were the ones who were saved.

The path of the palm

Olofin had created in the world an igui to serve him as rest and delight and to be his happiness through time, and this was Ope (the palm). When she was keke, Olofin gave her his blessing and the palm rendered him foribale. Olofin was always very pleased with her, for the health she enjoyed and for her crown, so green and abundant. Oggún, who was jealous of the palm — for he wished Olofin had granted him the trust and the ashe he gave the palm — incited her with bad intentions, telling her: «What a beautiful crown you have, and what a slender body. You have every aptitude and all the ashe of intelligence that exists in the world; you are going to be greater than Olofin,» Oggún would say to the palm.

Thus the palm began to grow proud and erect. Seeing herself now fully grown, she said one day to Olofin: «I will render you foribale no longer, because I am going to be greater than you and I am going to rise above you, and you will be the one who has to come and render foribale to me.» Olofin wept and felt great sorrow when he saw the palm speaking with such pride, and how she grew taller and taller. But the more she grew, the more haughty and aggressive she became with Olofin. So great by then were the pride and arrogance of Ope that she did not realize it was all nothing but gossip and poison from Oggún, so that Olofin would give her no more ashe. And thus the curse fell upon her.

Oshún and Orunmila

In the land of Alagorun lived Obatalá with his youngest daughter, who was Oshún, and she did everything for her father, as he was already old. Oshún was the one charged with carrying things and attending to Obatalá’s affairs together with Elegbá, who helped her. One day, Obatalá had prepared a drink to send to Ozain, who was secretly betraying him, and at the same time he was preparing an inshe with which to destroy him in case of rebellion. With everything ready, Obatalá sent Elegbá to call Oshún so that she would deliver the errand. While Elegbá was out looking for Oshún, he was intercepted by Orunmila, who told him: «Tell Iyalorde that she must perform ebbo before doing the task Obatalá has ordered, for Ozain has worked all the roads and she could fall into a trap.»

Oshún paid no heed to Orunmila, for she did not think Ozain could be so evil, and she presented herself before her father, who said to her: «Take this to Ozain, but do not think of drinking it, not even in jest. But first, pass by Ibu and bury this inshe next to Ewe Iroko, so that I may control every step Ozain takes.» Oshún did so; but while she was planting the inshe she felt thirsty and heard a voice like Babá’s, which said: «Go to Ozain’s house, but before you arrive, drink a little of that.» And so she did, without realizing that it was an eggun deceiving her. And when she drank it at Ozain’s house, she fell completely asleep.

Not far from there were Orunmila and Elegbá, worried because Oshún had not heeded them, for they had heard near Ewe Iroko the same voice like Baba’s. Quickly, Orunmila broke an obi fun fun he was carrying and killed an eyele on a branch of white mallow, and began to sweep the road clean. Whereupon the eggun, seeing this, fled in terror, and so Orunmila was able to reach the house of Ozain, who was preparing to take advantage of Oshún.

Orunmila entered Ozain’s house just as he saw him praying: «Alafia Omo Alafia, Ilé Obakosu Komu Abe Umbo Ilé Ozain Adifafun Iyalorde». At that moment a lightning bolt fell, destroying Ozain, whereupon Orunmila took the ewe of white mallow he had left and gave it as an infusion to Oshún, who awoke. On their return, they told the tale to Obatalá, who said to Oshún: «Never again in your life drink, nor disobey Orunmila.»