Ofun Bile

The large family

There was a very numerous family, and all of them were falling gravely ill. The last survivor, who was a child of Oyá, decided to go to Orunmila to save himself. Orunmila made him an ebbó with tools, akuko, eyele and indigo. After performing the ebbó, Orunmila presented a plate of food to heaven and to earth.

Then water and indigo were poured into another plate, and the eyele was placed upon it. This plate was presented to Olodumare and the eyele was sacrificed. Afterwards, the herb was scattered over the plate and the ebbó before closing it. Finally, the akuko was sacrificed and buried in the earth.

Thanks to the ebbó, the family recovered and grew strong.

The mistake

A woman died and her daughter began to weep for her; she fell asleep beside the deceased, and they very nearly buried her by mistake.

Why Ofun Bile lives accompanied by the agboran Omo Ala Yegun

Once loaded, it is taken to the palm tree, the ceiba, the cemetery, the river, the sea, the hill and the wilderness. When it is taken to the wilderness, the ebbó of Ofun Bila is made with a small bundle of firewood, and one goes there with it and with the agboran; there one burns one’s clothes and brings the agboran home, washes it with omiero ewefa and gives etu directly from one’s leri to that of the agboran. This agboran lives together with Ifá and eats at times with the Ifá, at times with orun, and etu together with Oluo Popo.

In the land of Mofunawate there lived an awo oloshe who was omo Ofun Bile, but he lived apart from all his family, estranged in that land. Araonu was the owner of the land, and the people there deeply venerated the memory of Bogbo Eggun. Awo oloshe, however, kept to himself, because he did not venerate the memory of Eggun, and for that reason he suffered much setback. He worshipped only Oluo Popo and was always dealing with him, but his obini was ill and there was much delay in his life.

One day, while he was giving etu to Oluo Popo and calling upon him, his obini had Eggun Iya Kafunwa Leri, and the Eggun of his iya presented itself. The Eggun told him it was well that he worshipped Oluo Popo, but that he had to call upon the secret of that land, which was Orun Bayeni Ori Eggun Lola.

Then a very large shadow began to rise, covering the land of Ofun Awato. Many people began to fall with Eggun pakunwa leri, and awo oloshe took fright and began to call upon Oluo Popo. But Oluo Popo came together with the shadow and told him that this was the other secret that was going to accompany him. It was called Omo Ala Eggun, a child of Orun who had governed that land before his family. He would always have to call upon it together with Orunmila, so that it would defend him and his leri, and so that this leri would feed it together with his secret.

That land began to transform, and prosperity arrived. The news reached other lands, and many awoses from neighboring lands began to arrive to visit that land, to see awo Oloshe and to know that great power that had made itself known there. Awo Oloshe received them all through the shadows of the secret of Orunomo Ala Yegun Orun together with Oluo Popo, and they chose who could be sworn into that secret.

Oluo Popo told awo Oloshe that to swear someone into that power or secret, the person had to be taken to that aragba and to seven different places. This would allow the shadow of Omo Ala Yegun Orun to join with the whole Araonu family of each person, so that they could have the power to resolve the problems that arose for them on earth. And so all those who were born in that land, and many who visited it, were sworn into that secret.

But not everyone thought as Orunmila did. He told them they had to visit one another from one land to the next so that they could learn from one another and thus live better.

This Ifá lives accompanied by an agboran called Omo Ala Yegun. This agboran carries as its load: leri of Oggún, the bone of the right thigh of the etu that is given to Orunmila, leri of etu, brain and tinchomo of okuni of Eggun, skin of ekun, deer horn, fang of aya filani, okokan of alaso, one ota keke with small holes of orin, one oduara keke, three igui of Oluo Popo, one yu of owl, atitan of osiku, atitan of a joro joro, cañandonga seed, palo congo, eku, eya. Awado, atare, epo, obi, kola, obi motiwao, aira, iyefa from the ebbó.

Orunmila orders the awoses to visit one another

A woman had died, and her friend began to weep for her; in doing so she grew careless and fell asleep, and they very nearly buried her by mistake.

Ifá SAYS: That there is a powerful spirit of the dead who wants to make a pact with you, but that spirit is in love with you; at times you feel a sensation of pleasure while lying down without knowing why, and it is because that spirit lives with you and even comes between you and your husband, and you may find yourselves separated because of it, or one may end up bound to the other. Find out carefully whether you must be initiated in Palo; you must make Santo; it must be seen what that spirit wants, and you must try to persuade it so that it harms you no further.

The disobedient frog

The frog lived under a stone, and Orunmila, who was out walking, passed through a land and, on seeing the frog under the stone, told her to make ebbó so that she would be saved. The frog replied that she did not fear her enemies, because under the stone where she lived she was safe. Orunmila went on his way, and a short time later the frog came out from under the stone, and a man who saw her picked up a stone, threw it at her and killed her. The frog died through disobedience to Orunmila.

The owl and the cricket

In this path, the owl was perched on the branch of a tree, and the cricket at the foot of the tree would not let the owl sleep. The owl, irritated at not being able to sleep, said to the cricket: «Listen, mister cricket, with your chirping I cannot sleep.» And the cricket answered: «That is very easily solved.» «How?» said the owl. The cricket told her: «Go sleep in another tree.» The owl, annoyed, said: «How is that? If you do not quiet down, I will come down and tear off even your legs.» And the cricket pretended not to hear her and went on singing.

The owl then thought, «This one I will deceive,» and, addressing the cricket, said: «Listen, mister cricket, how well you sing. In my sleep I heard your music pleasantly, and my dream was most divine.» The cricket answered, this time very boastfully: «I have a very sweet and melodious voice, and I can sing far better still.» Then the owl said: «Look, my friend, up here there is a honeycomb, very good for the voice. I invite you to climb up and take some of it.»

The cricket, without thinking, answered at once: «Very well, I will come up right away. I knew you would love my voice.» And the unwary cricket climbed the trunk of the tree up to where the owl was waiting for him, and as soon as he reached her side, she swallowed him in a single mouthful. And in this way the owl was able to sleep in peace.

Babalú Ayé saved the omo of Babá

In the land of Mina Popo, Obatalá sent his son to teach his religion, but before setting out the son did not go to be seen by Orunmila, and so on arriving there he had great difficulty knowing what he must do to overcome his troubles, and he had to take refuge in the thicket. There he met Elegbara, who sent a message to Obatalá advising him to go and be seen by Ifá. Obatalá went to be seen by Ifá, and this Ifá came out, which ordered him to make ebbó; but what he did instead was kofibori and feed Oshún.

When Obatalá arrived in the land of Mina Popo, he saw that what was used there was epo and every kind of strong-smelling grease, which he could not bear, so he had to leave and return to the house of Orunmila, who made him ebbó with 7 centavos. When Obatalá went to place the ebbó in the appointed spot, he met an old man who asked him what he was doing there and what was wrong with him, that he was in such a poor state. Obatalá told him about his son, and the old man, who was Azojuano, said to him: «He is in my house. He was lost and in trouble, and Elegbara found him and took him to my house and then sent word to you. Wait for me here; I will go and bring him.»

When Azojuano set out in search of Obatalá’s son, he met Elegbara, and they continued together and rescued Obatalá’s son, whom his enemies were already carrying off; but they took him and brought him to Obatalá. Obatalá, deeply moved, said to Azojuano: «What would you have me give you for having saved my son?» Azojuano asked him for epo, dry wine and awado, so Obatalá gave him money to buy them, so that he would never lack them again, and Elegbara gave him the 7 centavos and otí so that he would never lack them either. To Iban Eshu.