Edibere

The congos who had fallen behind

The congos were in great hardship and went to Orunmila’s house in search of help. He sent them to cut down all the trees except one, a fresa, and so they did. When they finished, they piled up the firewood and told Orunmila. He asked them for a jícara (gourd bowl), with which he performed sara eko, pouring Ache into it to bless the place. Then he turned the sticks over on the ground and covered everything with the jícara. Before long a new generation of that plant sprang up, and with it came prosperity.

: the person to whom this Ifá comes was born in the caul or is a Jimagua, and has great luck. Everything they set out to do, they achieve. They must receive Ifá.

Erdibre, Baba’s cook

PATAKIN:
Erdibre, a man who loved dancing, music and women, worked as Obatalá’s cook. Even though he always finished his chores early, the others in the household envied him and accused him of being lazy. Baba even threw him out of the house, leaving him with nothing to eat. In despair, Erdibre went to Orunmila, who told him that people had worked him out of envy. To resolve it, he had to make ebbo with a basket and a torn carrying bag, and afterwards take the bag with him everywhere. He managed to get the bag from Obatalá’s house and performed the ebbo. From then on, he began carrying the bag everywhere he went.

Erdibre learned the lesson that appearances deceive, and that one must never underestimate anyone because of their appearance or their work. Grateful to Orunmila, Erdibre became a faithful follower of the religion and learned not to fall for the tricks of ill-intentioned people.

In time, Erdibre came to be a great cook, highly recognised and respected in the religious community. He always remembered the story of the bag and the basket, and told it to everyone who came to him seeking advice and help. By his example he taught others the importance of being humble and working hard, without letting themselves be deceived by anyone.

Thus Erdibre overcame adversity and became a successful and respected man, thanks to his humility and perseverance.

You have a torn wallet and must make ebbo with it. When you have the wallet, business will come to you, and when one deal is finished another will follow, and you will always have work.

You should always keep a routine in your meals, in case your stomach is unwell; gas will build up in your stomach and cause you serious trouble. You must take great care of your head: do not leave your hat anywhere, and always keep your head covered. For since they cannot harm you in person, because they fear you, they may use the wind to blow evil powders at you.

Erdibre defeats Ozain

EBBO:
It is made with an owunko that has horns and whose sack of eñi hangs down, a grizzled osiadie, an etu fun fun, oti, awado and fula. Before making the ebbo, the grizzled osiadie is hung from one of the owunko’s horns and the guinea hen from the other; then the owunko is fed the maize, and afterwards oti with fula (gunpowder) is poured into its mouth, and the rogation begins. The owunko starts to sneeze and begins to bring up through its mouth part of the awado it ate.

And what it brings up goes into the ebbo; and while the owunko sneezes, it aids the rogation, and what it casts from its mouth is the Ashe of Ozain. Afterwards it is asked whether the owunko is to be set free or given to Eleguá, Oggún or Oshosi, and likewise the etu. The grizzled osiadie is given to Ozain, if the person has him, or is set free.

Ozain was working his rule inefficiently, and had heard talk of the Locumises, who were always decently dressed and had money and peace of mind. This led him to visit Shangó to ask for advice. Shangó told him that he too had once been a palero, but that after he learned the Locumí rule (Orunmila) he was perfectly dressed in red, clean, and powerful. This convinced Ozain, to the point that Shangó brought him before Orunmila to redeem him.

The path of the drummer

PATAKIN:

The Lucumí fought against the congos, and Erdibre was chosen to lead the war. He visited Orunmila in search of help, and Orunmila advised him to perform an ebbo with three drums and three bottles of oti before going into battle. Erdibre followed the advice and played the drums behind the Lucumí army. The congos, lovers of dance, joined in with the music, and Erdibre got them drunk on the oti, which led to his victory.

Following this path, an awo must keep three drums and three bottles of oti in order to overcome any difficulty. When he faces an obstacle, he must play the drums of Oggún and Oshosi, add three swallows of oti (one from each bottle), and win the war or overcome the obstacle. He must also consult Orunmila and take care not to lose the ikines.

Another version of the previous patakin

PATAKIN:
Orunmila went to a kingdom and his enemies drove him out, so that he had to flee quickly. Then Orumila prepared drums and organised a feast, beginning to play at the entrance of that kingdom. All the people who heard the music came drawing near and opened the gates of the kingdom to him, and through the music Shangó came to rule that place. A drum must be given to Shangó.

Erdibre invents the drum

PATAKIN:
Erdibre invented the drum, discovered the transmission of sound, and was the first drummer of Shangó. He also built the drum with palm boards and goat hides; iyefa of Erdibre the Ozainista: palm and sulphur. And he dressed in loincloths of goat hide.

Erdibre loses the war for neglecting Orunmila

Erdibre had a war with the congos and used a mano de Orunmila to win it. Afterwards, he neglected Orunmila and left the mano abandoned. The mice carried off some of the ikines, which left the mano incomplete. Seven years later the war flared up again and Erdibre went to see Orunmila. When Orunmila asked him for his prenda, Erdibre could not speak, because the ikines had been lost — and that is why he lost the war.

The smallholder’s wife

PATAKIN:

Once, Orunmila needed to find the way to the house of his godchildren, and he met a man who knew the area. He hired him to accompany and guide him. When they reached their destination, Orunmila worked for more than a day and earned a great deal of money. On the way back, he gave part of the money to the man, but the man was not satisfied.

Orunmila explained that the amount he had given him was fair, since the man did not know Ifá. The man replied that he too had helped Orunmila by showing him the way. Orunmila understood and gave him more money, and also gave 4 pesos as a gift to the man’s wife. As he was leaving, Orunmila let his ekuele fall, and it left its mark on the ground. He told the woman that she had to make an ebbo to avoid trouble in her coming childbirth, and instructed her to sacrifice an akuko and an eyele and to pay $8.00.

The woman was taken aback and complained, saying that Orunmila had given her only four pesos and was now asking her for eight, plus animals. She did nothing, and when the time of the birth came, the woman died. The man ran to Orunmila’s house in search of help, but it was too late.

The three enemies of Erdibre

Orunmila had three enemies who went about in disguise and lived in the same place. When the Oddun came out speaking of Eleguá, he made an ebbo with mice and other elements. When night fell, the mice began to make noises inside one of the bundles, and its owner asked: «Is that you, Shangó, searching about?» In this way, Orunmila discovered the first enemy.

Later, noise was heard again inside another bundle, and its owner asked: «Is that you, Oggún, searching like that?» The next morning, Orunmila went up to them to greet them by their true names.

Mice are not to be killed.

The cask

The cask was very rebellious and did not believe in the Santos; instead it spoke very ill of them, and as punishment a hole was opened in it so that it would drain empty.

Obatalá’s drum

Obatalá had a wife, but he was unaware of her true feelings towards him. She was being unfaithful with one of his servants, without his realising it. One day, Obatalá went out to make the rounds of his vast property and returned earlier than expected because he felt ill. When he arrived home, he discovered his wife’s betrayal.

Instead of acting violently, he decided to act shrewdly, and began to think of how he would avenge the betrayal. He then took a tree trunk and made a drum, using his wife’s skin as the drumhead. Obatalá played the drum every day, and the vibrations gradually wore down the servant’s nervous system until at last he had to abandon Obatalá’s property.

In those days the drum was dressed with human skin and did not have the sound characteristic of it now; its sound was dry and muffled.

Erdibre lives enslaved by an eggun of great power

In the land of Malagun there lived a hunter called Erdibre, who had long owed a debt to Oluo Popo (Shakuana). Oluo Popo had asked him for an etu, his favourite food, but Erdibre had not given it to him. One day, Erdibre went out hunting in the land of Okure Lowe and had himself an osode. Erdibre came out, indicating that he should make an ebbo to avoid becoming a slave. However, out of carelessness and haste, Erdibre did not make the ebbo and went to that land.

When he arrived it was already night, and he could find no place to shelter. He decided to crawl into a hollow in a tree trunk. But it happened that this hollow was inhabited by an Eggun called Kuele Osa Kuleya, who was aleto (a leper). When Erdibre went in, the Eggun came out and blocked the entrance of the hollow, leaving him trapped. The Eggun took up the trunk and set off for the house of Shakuana, who lived in Okure Lowo. Because of the great distance he had to travel, the Eggun passed through several towns and exhibited the talking trunk, earning a great deal of money while keeping Erdibre enslaved.

One day, while Oyá and Shangó were together, they heard a song coming from the trunk that said: «Eni tin tin showe Oyá ilu Erdibre eni tin tin showe«. Realising it was Erdibre, Oyá and Shangó confronted the Eggun who held him captive. Oyá and Shangó drew near, and the Eggun, Kuele Osa Kuleya, took fright and abandoned the trunk. Then Oyá and Shangó brought Erdibre out, and he rendered Moforibale to them both.

Afterwards they performed an ebbo, in which Erdibre had to give two etus, and he was accompanied by Oyá and Shangó to the land of Okure Lowe, where Oluo Popo lived. There, Erdibre offered him the etus on igui oro (cardón); he roasted them and placed them under his bed. During the night Shakuana came and, guided by the smell of the etus, ate them.

The next day, when Erdibre awoke, he saw that Shakuana had eaten the etus and in exchange had left him ira aiko as a gift. With the secret for keeping leprosy out of his land, Erdibre returned home together with Oyá and Shangó. Then Shangó performed another ebbo with a large eya tuto and an offering of obori with the eya tuto, to make certain that Erdibre would never again be a slave or die in prison.

The path where Obatalá abandoned his children

EBBO: eyele meyi, akuko, ori, epo, efun, bogbo ewe Obatalá, the remaining ingredients, opolopo owo.

Obatalá lived with his children, but the house was untidy and neglected. His children were rowdy and showed no interest in any activity. Because of this, Obatalá decided to leave his house.

However, shortly after he left, his children began to face serious troubles: some of them died, others fell ill, and the rest sank into great hardship. The youngest went to see Orunmila to be given Ifá so that everything could be set right. He was told they must perform special rogations with eyele meyi, akuko, and so on, and also clean the house and leave food out for Obatalá.

Obatalá, who was alone, decided to go and live elsewhere, for he believed that «life alone is bad». Along his way he came upon a beautiful place, white and clean, where his children were living; they embraced him and begged him to return. The radical change they had undergone through gaining emotional and family stability was plain to see: they were all content, orderly, and even hygienically clean. Obatalá went back to live with his children, satisfied with the change they had gone through.

A procession is made inside the house and Obatalá is given eyerbale of eyele meyi. Shilekun ile is cleansed with bogbo ewe Obatalá.

The obini of Erdibre

PRAYER: Erdibre Lalawa Lau Igbun Odo Okute Lomo Tivitiwi Kague Ni Sesi Iya Sena Adifafun Kunku Eggun Ina Yogun Shoyi Timroyo Yemayá Loya Ninusho Ibu Maratra Abiti Kueken Ishe Adifafun.

Yemayá lived with her son Erdibre and his wife, Kuelewibo. One day, Erdibre had to set out on a long journey and got lost along the way. Disoriented, he sat down at the edge of the sea and began to call on Yemayá, who told him that «the enemy was in his own house» and that he had to make ebbo to undo his wife’s witchcraft.

On the road back home, Erdibre realised that a spirit called Ina Yegun was following him. The spirit stopped before the cauldron in which Kuelewibo was working her witchcraft, and Ina Yegun then began to sing «Bori sori yin ina yegun maseyo» to halt the evil magic. When he finally arrived home, Erdibre demanded that Kuelewibo leave his ile, so that she could never harm him with her spells again.

Ina yegun is the guardian spirit of this Ifá, symbolised by the malaguidi, which is fed the akuko and is loaded with the oyu and elenu of the akuko, leri of gunugun, leri, elenu and oyu of eyatuto, bogbo ashe, and whatever other ingredients it takes.

Baba Irete Meyi is the godfather of Erdibre

PATAKIN:
Many years ago, Erdibre was a Yoruba king who decided to go to war to conquer Djalón, which was governed by a general. Before setting out on the march, he went to be seen by Orunmila. He had a godfather, Baba Irete Meyi, who was an awo of Orunmila. He told him that before Ifá came down to earth, there existed another secret he had to know. There were 21 Eggun to whom he had to address himself in order to win the war, and he had to feed the 7 African powers. These powers worked in three groups: heaven, earth and sea.

HEAVEN: seven plates with indigo, on which Erdibre has been marked; eyele meta are held, and each plate is fed from those eyele.

EARTH: seven jícaras with amalá, scraps, eku, eya, awado, epo, oñi, and each jícara is fed an akuko.

SEA: seven jícaras with white flowers and sea fan, seven akuko fun fun, seashells.

All of this is mounted on a tree trunk, and afterwards a wick lamp is lit for the trunk in a clay pot, into which are placed seven aguema, seven otas, seven ofa, and oil with all the ingredients of the ebbo that must be made.

Erdibre carried it out just so, and it happened that the generals, on seeing the light the lamp gave off, took fright, thinking it was a supernatural phenomenon; and Erdibre and his army seized that moment to break into the capital of Djalón and take it. And thus, thanks to the seven African powers, Erdibre won the war against the generals. Heaven, sea, earth.

1.- Anobi alasesi babawe
2.- Aresu adabidalee eyepa
3.- Yusifu ulu akefo yelu
4.- Yaruba olo musa
5.- Fale ola akomo
6.- Umoro weto danda
7.- Oto waibo nayama alapa

The path where writing down the patakíes of Ifá was born

PRAYER: Adifafun Erdibre Olofin Fiyesi Mowawe Mogro Kubi Osokapra Shangó, Olofin Simale Alafia Obara Oloto Lordafun Eleguá Kaferefun Olofin Adifafun Ologua Awo Kira Wo Ibawoye Ibo Iriki Inle.

In the land of Osokumba lived Awo Oleona, an omo Shangó called Erdibre who held the secret of Shangó and the ability to foretell the future. However, his troubles with the members of his family denied him peace and stability.

Olofin then called him in order to grant him three virtues: tranquility, happiness and stability. Olofin explained that he must tell people that he found these virtues within himself, in order to overcome the «drag» he carried with him from the land of Ibibio, where they devour one another. In this way Awo Oleona would be able to find the peace he so desired.

Olofin told Awo Oleona to write the counsel down so as not to forget it, but he refused to do so. However, his family conspired against him and he had to emigrate from the land of Osokumba. Each time he arrived in a new city, they asked him: What do you bring for this land? He tried to use Olofin’s counsel — but backwards, saying: «I bring unrest, unhappiness and instability,» and that message did not open the gates of the cities.

When Awo Oleona returned to his land, he went to Olofin to complain that the virtues he had been given had been of no use to him. Olofin explained that this had happened because he had not written down what he was told, and had said everything backwards. Olofin then warned him: «In the land of Morawawe, to remember everything you must write it down, for memory fades. Thus you will be able to triumph and not mistake one thing for another.»

To Iban Eshu.

The path of leprosy

PRAYER: Adifafun Onibete Ewe Adete Arun Mowa Ofoleitoshu Mowale Inagui Obo Ariku Lodafun Obatalá Kaferefun Shangó Adifafun Igui.

On one of his journeys, Orunmila was travelling from land to land and came to an unknown place where there was a disease that arose from the eweses growing in that jungle. Orunmila caught the disease, to the point of being almost unable to walk. After walking for a while, he came upon a monkey who was the king of that jungle. Orunmila spoke the language of the animals and fell into conversation with the monkey. The monkey took him to his home, which was in a tree of ewe ilefa, where he cured him with fresh leaves of that tree and cocoa butter that the she-monkey brought him.

Orunmila stayed there for several days until he was cured. Whenever the monkey felt an itch, he remembered Orunmila, who had brought leprosy on his pilgrimage through the land of Osokumba, the land of the monkeys. That is why this sign has been called ever since: Baba Onidete (father of the leper).

: nothing may be eaten or drunk that one does not know. Adifafun Igui.