Obara Otrupon

The goat paid for the blame

This is where the jicotea, hidden inside a log and lacking a woman, lay with her own daughter. After doing the harm, she placed a sack of corn beside the log. The goat, seeing the corn, went to eat it, and just then people saw the goat and shooed him away. With one leap the goat jumped over the log, knocked down the jicotea’s daughter, and the people who saw it put the blame on the goat.

The jicotea, the daughter and the rooster

The jicotea lost her daughter and then went about looking for someone to blame, because she had also made her ill. She set a log up high and placed some corn beside it. Just then the rooster, seeing corn, went to eat it. The jicotea, seeing this, took a leap, and on turning around raised a great scandal. And the daughter died, and that is why they kill the rooster.

The ebbo of Oninibe

Once, Oninibe went to consult Orunla and this Ifá came out. Orunla told him he had to make ebbo to avert a great war that was approaching and to obtain something he desired. Oninibe performed the ebbo and delivered the three obí to Elegbá. Orunla asked Eshu to accompany Oninibe to the city, since Oninibe wanted to ask for the hand of the Oba’s daughter in marriage and live in a furnished house he had in mind.

But Eshu did not want that house; he wanted one outside the city, on dead land. Oninibe did as Eshu suggested. On the way back, Oninibe asked Elegbá to show him the road to the city and gave him akara, eku, epo and olele. Eshu showed him the way and warned him to get ready, for his enemies were coming.

Elegbá took all the things he had been given and cooked them along the road. When the enemy soldiers of the Oba drew near, Elegbá shouted: «Eku, Elegbá lumbe». Elegbá answered: «Oni Nibe Odo». Oninibe seized the moment and attacked the enemy soldiers.

The aleyo takes the stool away after the ebbo, to sit on.

The diseases of the dog were born: rabies, fleas, ticks

The inshe is made with the eyerbale that Oggún has, the obe with scrapings from Oggún’s pieces, igui, ewefa, bogbo ileke and ewe oyioro; this is bound with corn husk and wrapped with ou dun dun and funfun, and it is sent to be buried at once at the foot of igui in inigbe; if it does not take that place or places, it is sent to ilé ibu.

The eyele are given to the aleyo and the awó in such a way that the eyerbale falls into the ikoko of omiero, which must already have been prepared beforehand with ewefa, so that once the ebbo is finished both may bathe; on that occasion the clothes of both must be burned, and those clothes, together with the residue of the bath, are thrown away. After the bath, kofibori eleda with obí, orí, efun, etc.

The Oba of the land Nara Nara, whose name was Obara Tumu, had placed all his trust, his government and his secrets in Elegbá, to whom he had also handed over his servant Aya. As a trusted man, Aya had always lived clean and neat, but he was not content, for Elegbá had put him to work. At mealtimes Aya was accustomed to sitting at the table with Elegbá, and one day Elegbá began to distrust Aya, because on sitting at the table he would start to bark, something he had never done before, and he would not leave the table until Elegguá and Obara Tumu had finished eating; he himself would not sit down to eat.

Elegbá was able to confirm this distrust later, when he heard Aya trying to turn Obara Tumu against him. Elegbá kept his mouth shut, but he began to think that Aya was his enemy, and since Aya knew all the secrets, he could ruin that land forever. “I have to do something,” said Elegbá, and one day while Elegbá was eating with Obara Tumu, Aya arrived, and Elegbá at once began to sing: «Aya Tolo Bi Aya Ni Aya Tolo Gungun Punyen Aya Moraba Bi Aya Tolo».

Oba Obara Tumu, who heard what Elegbá was saying, did not much like it, something Elegbá noticed. The next day, in the land Nara Nara, a great feast was to be held; all the awoses of great powers had been invited, such as Ozain, Oggún, Oshosi, Oluo Popo, and Obaogu, called Shayemi, who boasted of his powers because he kept his secrets in the earth. He arrived singing: «Obanire Ogum Obanire Ogu Balleokunaya Lo Aya Wa Erere Obani Ogu».

Elegbá, hearing him, grew very annoyed, because Aya immediately ran off and drew close to Obaogu and they began to talk in secret. The next day, when the feast was over, Elegbá began to talk with Ozain, and Ozain said to him: you know that I transform myself in different ways and so no one recognizes me. When Oba Ogu leaves, Aya intends to go with him, for I heard him say so. If this is true, I will follow him, but I am going to give you a secret so that you may defeat him: when he goes to unyen, see that the food is thrown to him so that itching comes over him and he scratches himself on the ground with his paws, and you will see that after this Oggún will take charge of him, because I will send him. Aya will be made to disappear and cast out by Obara Tumu.

Aya, believing no one was watching him, went off with Oba Ogu and told him all the secrets of the land Nara Nara and of Elegbá’s government over it. Oba Oku said: I am going to arrange all of that, and I am going to hand you a secret to destroy Elegbá so that we become the kings of that land. He gave the secret to Aya and told him: when you reach the land Nara Nara, pass your tongue over it and bury it, and then rub yourself on the ground. Ozain, who heard it all, went back and told everything to Elegbá and said to him: the secret I gave you, you will put into the unyen that Aya eats, and you will scatter it over all the land.

The secret consisted of a bone with pieces of meat and a small gourd full of all kinds of eshishim, some of which died and others stayed alive. Aya set out very happily for the land Nara Nara. On the road, suffocating in the heat of the sun, it began to rain; for a moment Aya’s burning eased a little, but the secret he was carrying loosened somewhat and rotted. When Aya reached the land Nara Nara he buried his secret near the place where Elegbá had already buried Ozain’s secret.

Meanwhile, Elegbá had already spoken with Oba Obara Tumu, telling him what Ozain had said about Aya and affirming at once that Aya was his enemy. Obara Tumu asked Elegbá what he intended to do, and he answered: now let us eat and hide the leftovers, because Aya will arrive hungry, and I already have the secret to put into the unyen. Just then Oggún arrived and was informed of what Aya had done, to which Oggún replied that he would take care of Aya.

When Aya arrived at the house, Elegbá and Obara Tumu had already finished eating, and they told him the only thing left was the bones. Aya, desperate, began to eat and to drool, and grew more desperate still; then he remembered what Oba Ogu had told him and went to pass his tongue over the secret, ending up in an even worse state, so he began to scratch himself on the ground, which was ofo. Immediately eshishi began to come out and Aya was covered with them; the next day Aya’s skin was rotten and he scratched himself more and more.

Suddenly Shangó appeared before him and said: this has happened to you for being a traitor. And Oggún, who was listening to what Shangó was saying to Aya, waited to see what Shangó would do, and Shangó began to sing: «Oggún Opa Aya Ireo Abele Loyun«. Then he turned three somersaults and Oggún grew furious; Shangó hurled a lightning bolt and Aya went into a fury and rabies took him; at that Oggún threw himself upon Aya, and thus Elegbá and Obara Tumu triumphed over Aya’s treason.

The obe must be new and is used for opa aya, and for the inshe the aya is given to Oggún and goes umbeboro together with the leri of the akuko. When aya is given to Oggún, an ikoko is placed beside him and given eyerbale; afterwards epo, oñí, otí, igui and adi are also poured into the ikoko, to light for Oggún for as many days as he indicates or marks.