Baba Ejiogbe

Other important aspects of the sign

Baba Ejiogbe (Baba Eyiogbe): Patakíes, Meaning, Advice, Works or Ebboses and Secrets

Making of the Shawuro and Works for Luck

Making of the shawuro

A güin de castilla or a fine stick of moruro is used, eight igbin shells, eight small bells, ewe dun dun, amukan (júcaro), aberikunlo, 16 fun fun ribbons, among other ritual elements. During the process this is sung:

«Baba Tewa Male Kontiwa Male Eri Lodafun Oke Lodafun Baba Ejiogbe… Kin Ban Kin Mogbaya Iwiri Shiriyiña Ikú»

During the loading this is also sung:

• Ewe Dun Dun: Emese Arani Odara
• Amukan: Kawere Emu Ikú
• Aberikunlo: Atiti Unlo Oma Ikú Orun

Afterwards, obori is performed with eyele meyi fun fun and the shawuro is handed to the person concerned while this is sung:

“Dide Dide Era Dide Iworiwo Magbaya…”

When using it in the morning and at night, the bells must be sounded while singing:

“Olowo Oyiyi Eyibue Awo Ikú, Ikú Unlo, Arun Unlo…”

Finally, the person concerned bathes with omiero of ewe dun dun, aberikunlo and júcaro.

Three ebboses are made, every 9 days, with adie, ishu, eya and the other ingredients. They are placed at a rubbish heap, the door and the river, respectively.

Akuko, plantain stalk, ewe aguadi, júcaro, asho ara. Everything is wrapped up, delivered to Eggun and buried.

Akuko, chain, okra, six small bells, eyele meyi, eku, eya, awado, opolopo owo.

Akuko, three small nails, iña, yarabo, epo, akute keke, clean clothes, oshe. One bathes in the river with ekute and changes clothes.

Akuko, two pieces of eran malu and the other ingredients for attaining an inheritance. Opolopo owo.

Akuko, eyele meyi, efun, orí, asho pupua and fun fun, a scouring sponge, eku, eya, awado. It helps remove the shame caused by a short woman.

Owunko, akuko, a doll, eku, eya, awado, opolopo owo.

The head as a divinity

The diviner who performed the divination for the head, called Ori, was named Amure. He was an awo who lived in heaven. Orunmila invited him to perform a divination for him about how to obtain a complete form, because at that time none of the deities had a head. Amure told Orunmila to rub the palms of his hands upward and to ask for a head (duzosori in Yoruba or uhunswun in Bini). He was also asked to make a sacrifice with four kola nuts, a clay pot and a soap sponge.

He was instructed to keep the nuts in a sacred place without breaking them, because an unlikely visitor would come later to do so. Ori also invited Amure to perform a divination, and he was asked to serve his guardian angel with four kola nuts, which he could not afford, though he was informed that he would only begin to prosper after making the sacrifice. After making his own sacrifice, Orunmila left the four kola nuts in his sacred place of Ifá as he had been instructed. Shortly afterwards, Eshu announced in heaven that Orunmila had four beautiful kola nuts in his sacred place and that he was looking for a deity to split them.

Led by Oggún, all the deities visited Orunmila one by one, but he told them they were not strong enough to split the kola nuts. They felt slighted and left annoyed. Even Orishanla (the son of God) visited Orunmila, but Orunmila gave him different and better kola nuts, pointing out that the nuts in question were not destined to be split by him. As we know that God never loses his patience or his calm, he accepted the fresh kola nuts that Orunmila offered him and left.

Finally, Ori decided to visit Orunmila, since he was the only deity who had not tried to split the mysterious kola nuts, essentially because he could not even afford to buy the ones he had been asked for to serve his guardian angel. So Ori rolled his way to the house of Orunmila. As soon as Orunmila saw Ori approaching his house rolling, he went out to meet him and carried him. Immediately, Orunmila took the clay pot, filled it with water and used the sponge and soap to wash Ori. After drying him, Orunmila carried Ori to his sacred place and asked him to split the kola nuts, because they had been reserved for him for a long time.

After thanking Orunmila for his honorable gesture, Ori prayed for him with the kola nuts so that everything he did would come to fulfillment and manifestation. Then Ori used the kola nuts to pray for himself, to have a permanent place of residence and many followers. Then Ori rolled backwards and charged at the kola nuts, and they split with a loud explosion that was heard throughout heaven.

On hearing the noise of the explosion, all the other divinities understood immediately that the kola nuts of Orunmila’s sacred place had finally been split, and all were curious to know who had managed to split them. Afterwards, Eshu announced that it was Ori who had managed to split them, and all the divinities agreed that the head was the divinity meant to do it. Almost immediately afterwards, the hands, the feet, the body, the stomach, the chest, the neck, and so on, who until then had held their own specific identities, all gathered together and decided to go live with the head, not having understood before that it was so important.

Together, they all lifted the head above themselves and there, in Orunmila’s sacred place, the head was crowned king of the body. It is thanks to the role played by Orunmila in its fortune that the head touches the ground to show respect and reverence to Orunmila to this day. This is also the reason why, despite being the youngest of all the divinities, Orunmila is the most important of them all. For the child of Ejiogbe to live long on earth, he must seek out awo who will skillfully prepare a special bathing soap for him in the skull of any animal.

Ejiogbe is the patron divinity of the head, because it was he who made the sacrifice that turned the head into the king of the body. Ejiogbe has proved to be the most important olo-du or apostle of Orunmila on earth, despite originally being one of the youngest. He belongs to the second generation of the prophets who volunteered to come to this world and, by example, make it a better place for those who dwell in it. He was a very charitable apostle of Orunmila both when he was in heaven and when he came to this world.

Ejiogbe sets out for earth

Meanwhile, Orishanlá was already on earth and was married to a woman named Afín who, without knowing it, had little desire to have a child. But Orishanlá desperately wanted to have a child on earth. At the same time, in heaven, Omonighogbo had gone before the altar of God to ask to come to earth as the child of Afín and Orishanlá. He was equally determined to show the world what it takes to be benevolent and to have a noble heart. His wishes were granted by the Almighty Father. After obtaining the permission of his guardian angel, he set out for earth.

The birth of ejiogbe

Meanwhile, Orishanlá was forbidden to drink palm wine, while his wife Afín was forbidden to consume salt. Despite Afín’s pregnancy, the tension between the couple did not ease, as she grew more and more combative as her pregnancy advanced. After nine months, a baby boy was born, and shortly after the delivery, Orishanlá realized there was no food in the house to feed his wife. So he went to gather food on the farm and took longer than expected, which infuriated Afín.

She complained that her husband had left her to go hungry on the very day she gave birth and argued that this was proof he did not love her. Thinking of ending the marriage, she decided to put an end to her husband’s life. Knowing that Orishanlá was forbidden to drink palm wine, she poured palm wine into her husband’s water. Then she left the newborn on the bed and went out to visit her neighbors. Meanwhile, Orishanlá had returned home and began to prepare food for his wife. While cooking, he tried to drink water from the pot, but his son warned him that his wife had poured palm wine into it. Though astonished at his newborn son’s ability to speak, he heeded the warning.

After finishing the cooking, in an act of revenge, Orishanlá poured salt into the soup, knowing it was poison for his wife. Then he went off to play ayo with his friends. When Afín returned home, she went to the food, and the son warned her again not to eat, because Orishanlá had put salt in the soup. Almost immediately she became hysterical and screamed for the neighbors to come save her from her husband, who was trying to kill her for having given him a son. The screams drew onlookers from the neighboring houses and, finally, a meeting of the divinities was convened at the house of Orishanlá, who remained calm throughout.

Oggún presided over the conference, since Orishanlá, the traditional president, was in the dock. Afín recounted how her husband had put salt in her soup, which was forbidden to her. When asked how she knew her husband was the culprit and had put salt in the soup, she explained that her one-day-old son had told her. The divinities believed she was mad, because no one could imagine how so small a child could speak.

Orishanlá was called to defend himself against the accusations against him and, instead of denying it, admitted to having put salt in his wife’s soup. He clarified that he did it as punishment for her having poured palm wine into his drinking water, something he could not take. According to him, it was his newborn son who alerted him to his wife’s trick. Those present were astonished at the child’s ability to communicate.

The child explained that he had come to earth to save his parents, preventing their mutual destruction. Since then, he has been known as Ejiogbe, which means «double salvation». In his initiation ceremony in the ugbodu, double materials are required, such as two goats, two hens, two snails, two fish, two rats, and so on. In honor of his birth, salt and palm wine are always poured into the initiation materials when Ejiogbe comes out in the ugbodu.

The works of ejiogbe on earth

The child prodigy performed many mysterious acts as he grew up, but his first great miracle occurred at fifteen years of age, when his mother took him to ojaajigbomeken, the only market that existed at the time. In this market, the merchants of heaven and earth conducted every kind of business, from the sale of goods to divination. Everyone who had something to sell, whether goods, skills, arts, technologies, etc., came to this market to trade.

The miracle at the market

On his way to the market, a man ran into a woman and stopped her to inform her that she had a problem. Before letting her speak, he told her that he knew her situation better than she did. Ejiogbe revealed to her that she had been pregnant for three years, but that her pregnancy had not progressed. He advised her to perform a sacrifice with 16 snails, a hen, a dove, 5 kola nuts, snake and honey. He also asked her to use a he-goat, akar (bean rolls) and eko to make the sacrifice to Eshu.

The woman brought the materials for the sacrifice and, after performing it, Ejiogbe assured her that her problem was solved. However, he also instructed her that after giving birth without difficulty, she should bring a small boa, a snake of the constrictor family (called Oka in Yoruba and Arunwoto in Bini), as an offering to Orunmila. He also asked her to add snails and anything else she wished. The woman performed the sacrifice and continued on her way.

The miracle of the cripple and the blind man

The next person Ejiogbe met on his way to the market was a cripple named Aro. Just as he had done before with the pregnant woman, he told Aro that he had a problem, but the cripple replied that he had no problem and that it was Ejiogbe who had one. Ejiogbe took out his uroke (divining wand) and pointed it toward the cripple’s hands and legs. At once, the man stood up and walked. It was then that Aro understood he was dealing with a priest, rather than a boy.

Aro fell to his knees to thank Ejiogbe for having cured him of a deformity he had been born with. However, Ejiogbe advised him to go and serve Orunmila, but in the future to refrain from hiding his problems, because then he would not know when God had answered his prayers. Ejiogbe pointed out that if someone hid their ailments, those ailments would carry them to the grave. Next, Ejiogbe met a blind man and asked him if he had problems; the blind man answered that he had no problem at all.

Once again, Ejiogbe pointed his urok at the man’s eyes and instantly he recovered his sight. The man, flooded with joy, was advised by Ejiogbe to prepare to become a follower of Orunmila, so as to minimize his difficulties with humankind. He likewise told him that upon reaching home he should serve his head with a rooster. After this, Ejiogbe arrived at the market. Ejiogbe performed the above miracles without asking any reward from the beneficiaries.

The result of ignoring ejiogbe’s advice

On his way back home from the market, Ejiogbe’s mother left him behind. Along the way, he came upon a squirrel by the side of the road and advised it to make a sacrifice to Eshu with a he-goat to avoid destruction. The squirrel refused to do so, saying it would not give its meat to Ejiogbe. The squirrel is called Otan in Bini and Okere in Yoruba.

Ejiogbe also saw a boa (Oka in Yoruba and Aru in Bini) and warned it that death was near and would come from a chattering neighbor. He advised it to hide its head in a secret place with a snail to avoid disaster.

Finally, he came to the dense forest (Eti in Bini and Iyo in Yoruba) and advised the vegetation to make sacrifices to Eshu to avoid troubles with no guarantee. He also came upon a palm, which he advised to offer a he-goat to Eshu to avoid other people’s troubles. The palm made the sacrifice at once, but the vegetation called Iyo did not.

After this, Ejiogbe returned home. The journey to and from Ojaajigbomeken usually lasts about three months. As soon as he arrived home, he received a message that the woman he had met on the way to the market was giving birth. He ran quickly to her house and, with the help of an incantation that cannot be reproduced in this book because of the tradition of Ifá, he helped the woman give birth.

The woman gave birth to a boy. As soon as the woman could rest, the husband went into the forest to get meat to feed his wife. The boa, on learning that the woman who had been pregnant for three years had had a child, understood that the husband would soon come looking for it. Surprisingly, it ran to Iyo’s house to serve its head there in private. Iyo gave it permission to serve its head in its house.

As soon as Oka sat down to pray for its head, Okere entered Iyo’s house. While Oka said its prayers, Okere repeated «ashe» (amen). Oka replied angrily to Okere that it did not need anyone’s «ashe» for its prayers. Then Okere went deeper into Iyo’s house. At the same time, Okere changed its tune and began to sing: «okaa, jokoo kpekpe rekpe». At this point, the man with the boomerang, who was looking for Oka, heard the squirrel cry out and began to track its position. As the squirrel kept crying out hysterically, he shot Oka and ended its life.

The man then cut a forked stick to open up the thick forest (Iyo). While cutting and clearing the Iyo, he saw the boa on the ground and ended its life as well. At the same time, he saw next to Oka the lifeless squirrel and the snail with which the boa was going to serve its head. He gathered it all up and set off for home. The thick brush the hunter cut with a forked stick lay on the body of a tall palm, which rejoiced and breathed new life as soon as the bushes preventing fresh air from reaching its body were cut away. This is because the palm was the only one that made sacrifice at the right time.

To this day, it is the boa that causes the squirrel to lose its life. It is also the squirrel that tells people where the boa hides and invariably draws death upon it. This also explains why the appearance of Ejiogbe for a tall, dark-skinned man in Igboddun means assured prosperity for the person, owing to the tall stature of the palm, which alone made sacrifice. If, on the other hand, it comes out for a short, light-skinned man, he will not triumph in life unless he makes sacrifice. That is the significance of the fact that the small but dark Iyo, the squirrel and the light-colored boa did not make the prescribed sacrifices.

How ejiogbe survived the wrath of the elders

The young Ejiogbe, because of his great kindness, was very popular, and his house was always full of visitors both day and night. He healed the sick, performed sacrifices so that beggars might become rich, helped barren women conceive children and assisted in childbirth every pregnant woman who asked for his help. These activities earned him the admiration of those who benefited from them, but awakened the jealousy of the elder awos, who could not match his altruism and generosity. Soon he grew uneasy about the attitudes of the others, and one night he had a dream in which his guardian angel warned him that some of the elders were conspiring against him. On waking the next day, he was so confused that he decided to seek divination for answers.

How ejiogbe obtained peace of mind

He went for divination to the following priests of Ifá:

• Ajogodolo efo ni mo kpo Ifá mi
• Osigi sigi lo okpo
• Usee mi cojagba igbo
• Abu kole ken lo obe ide

They advised him to make sacrifice to his Ifá with a basket of snails. As he did not even have money to buy snails, all those he had previously helped brought him everything he needed. The snails were broken open and the liquid inside was collected. The awoses gathered ero leaves and pounded them with the liquid of the snails so that Ejiogbe could bathe with the preparation. After the sacrifice he began to live a peaceful life.

This is why, when Ejiogbe appears during divination, the person is advised to offer snails to their Ifá. When it comes out in ugboddun, the goat for the ceremony must not be offered until 5 days later. What must be offered on that ugboddun day is snails, dried rat and dried fish. When Ejiogbe recovered his peace of mind after the ceremony, he rejoiced singing:

“Uroko Iro, Erero Lu Oruko Erero”.

Ejiogbe returns to heaven to be judged

Before he performed the sacrifice, the elders, who felt he had blocked their means of livelihood by performing miracles for free, began to die one after another and go up to heaven to inform God. They accused him of ruining the world by introducing a new code of conduct unknown on Earth. Ejiogbe, for his part, had no life of his own, because he invested all his time in serving others. When children had convulsions, he was called to cure them, which he did through incantations. He helped pregnant women give birth, settled disputes between people and defended the oppressed.

Little did he know that these humanitarian activities had upset the traditionally unjust awoses to the point of conspiring to kill him. At that moment, Oloddumare (Osalobua in Bini), the Father of Heaven, ordered that Ejiogbe be sought out. He sent a gentleman of heaven to look for him. The gentleman used his prudence to apply a strategy to bring Ejiogbe to heaven. Before arriving at Ejiogbe’s house, he took off his gentleman’s uniform, put it away in his bag and pretended to be an unemployed man looking for work. Arriving early in the morning, he asked for domestic work that would allow him to earn a living.

Ejiogbe informed him that he had no work to offer, because his own occupation was to provide free services to the people of the world. As the visitor was about to have breakfast, Ejiogbe invited him to eat with him, but the man explained that he did not have the necessary standing to eat from the same plate as Ejiogbe. The visitor insisted he would eat whatever was left over after Ejiogbe had eaten. While this discussion was taking place, some visitors arrived seeking help. They informed him that the only son of a family was having convulsions and they wanted Ejiogbe to come revive the child. Without eating anything, he went out followed by the gentleman of heaven, arrived at the house, put his left knee on the ground and recited an incantation. After that, he spoke the child’s name three times and the child responded.

The child sneezed and opened his eyes to ask for food. While the cure was being performed, other visitors asked him to help a woman who had been in labor all night. The child went straight to the house of the woman, who was at her last breath. After a quick divination, he assured them that the woman would give birth without difficulty. He gave her iyerosun (divination powder) and water to drink, and as she drank it, he repeated an incantation and the child and the placenta came out at the same time. There was joy in the house and, as usual, he was not asked to be compensated for anything.

Ejiogbe and his visitor returned home. It was very late and he had still not had breakfast. When they arrived home, they found many people waiting for him, asking him to resolve a great dispute. Little by little he resolved all the disputes, and the people returned to their homes happy and reconciled. He sat down to eat the food that had been prepared and again invited the visitor to eat, but the man insisted that he eat first. As Ejiogbe began to eat, the visitor went to the next room and put on his gentleman’s clothes.

The sight of the man in celestial garments told Ejiogbe that he was a divine messenger from heaven. He stopped eating and asked him about the message he brought. The man informed him that God wished him to come to heaven at once. Ejiogbe dressed quickly and set out for heaven with the celestial envoy. As soon as they left the town, the gentleman embraced him and almost instantly they found themselves in the palace of God. On arrival, God asked for Omo Nighorogbo (Ejiogbe’s heavenly name before setting out for the world) to give an explanation for having created so much confusion in the world as to upset the other divinities on earth.

Omonighrogbo knelt down to offer an explanation, but before he could say a word, the messenger who had been sent to fetch him offered to give the explanation for him. He explained that the almighty father himself could not have done what Omonighrogbo was doing on earth. Since morning, Omonighrogbo had not even had time to eat properly because he was at the service of humanity without receiving any compensation. The messenger explained that his attempt to behave on earth as they did in heaven was what had upset the money-loving divinities on earth.

After hearing the details of the messenger’s observations, God ordered Omonighrogbo to stand up, since it was clear that all the accusations against him were the product of envy and jealousy. God then ordered him to return to the world and continue his good works, but from that moment on he was to charge reasonable fees for his services, though he should continue helping the needy. He received God’s blessing and left the palace.

Before returning to the world, he decided to meet the celestial awos who had performed divination for him before he left heaven the first time. He went to see Ejuwa hoka mejinja won sarawon kpelenje kpelenje and Ejo-mejinja, won sarawon loroku loroku. They advised him to offer another he-goat to Eshu. They told him he would cross paths with a light-skinned woman on earth whom he would marry. After marrying her, he was to offer a large he-goat to Eshu once more, so that the woman would not leave him. He was assured that his marriage to the woman would bring him strength and prosperity, but if he allowed her to leave him, he would return to living in hardship. He made the sacrifice to Eshu in heaven and returned to earth.

As soon as he closed his eyes, just as the celestial gentleman had told him, he awoke on earth. The visitors were already beginning to wonder why Ejiogbe was sleeping so late that morning.

The marriage of ejiogbe

The first person he saw that morning was a light-skinned woman named Ejialo. He fell in love with her the moment he saw her, and the woman told him she had come to offer herself to him in marriage. After marrying her, he forgot to give the large he-goat to Eshu, as he had been told in heaven to do. Ejialo was the daughter of a very rich chief of Ifá. She soon became pregnant and had a baby boy who was born crippled. The father, who was able to cure other cripples, could not cure his own son. From this came the saying that «a doctor can cure others, but not himself».

Ejialo felt so frustrated by the birth of the crippled child that she decided not to stay with Ejiogbe to care for him. Eventually she left the house, leaving the child behind. Later, Eshu, Oggún and Obalifon met with Ejiogbe to ask him why he had not been seen out lately. He replied that Ejialo had abandoned him with a crippled child for him to care for. Eshu then offered to speak with an awo in heaven. The awos turned out to be Eduwe Meyi and Ejo Mojinja, who coincidentally were the two awos who had performed a divination for Ejiogbe during his last spiritual journey to heaven.

They delivered to Ejiogbe the large he-goat he had been told to give to Eshu after marrying on earth so that his wife would not leave him. The two awos prepared a medicine to wash the child’s legs and immediately life returned to them. That was after giving the he-goat to Eshu. Despite the sacrifice and the healing of the child, Ejialo was not reconciled with Ejiogbe, because she had already married Oluweri. However, with part of the medicine used to cure Ejiogbe’s son, an ase was prepared so that he could use it to order his wife to return if he so wished. As he already knew she had married another man, he preferred to use it to call Ejialo to meet him in a place far from the surroundings of Ifá.

He also used his ashe to order Oluweri, who had seduced his wife, to meet him in the same place. As soon as the couple appeared, he conjured them to fall to the ground and fused them into a single body, so that they would move forward forever and never look back. With this, Ejialo and Oluweri became a river, which today is called Oluweri in the state of Nigeria. When Ejiogbe comes out in divination for a woman who is thinking of leaving her husband, a priest of Ifá.

The second marriage of ejiogbe

The true son of Ejiogbe does not keep his first wife at his side for long unless she has light skin. Ejiogbe’s next wife, named Iworo, was a witch. Despite efforts to prevent it, the children of Ejiogbe (those for whom Ejiogbe appears during the initiation of Ifá or Ugboddun) most often marry women from the world of witchcraft. If he has three wives, at least two will be witches.

Ejiogbe was very poor when he remarried. He and his wife Vivian lived below the poverty line. Whenever they killed a rat, Orunmila would give the head to the wife. The same happened when they caught a fish, a hen or even a goat. It was evident that their fortunes were beginning to improve. Eventually, they attained a good position and were able to build their own house, raise their children, and he was able to marry another wife. At that point, he decided to hold a meal of thanksgiving to his Ifá, bought a cow and invited other priests who were members of the family.

During the celebration, when the meat was being distributed among the guests, the most senior wife waited, as was customary, for the head of the cow to be handed to her. After waiting in vain for this to happen, the woman took the head and placed it near her. Almost instantly, some of the more vindictive priests scolded her, saying that the head was not the proper part of a cow to be given to a woman. Then they took the cow’s head away from her. She waited a while to give her husband time to intervene and resolve the situation.

As there was no positive reaction from him, she left the meal and went to her room. Three days later, the woman gathered her things, left Ejiogbe’s house and went to live with her brother named Iroko, who shortly afterwards gave her shelter. After the thanksgiving ceremonies were over, Ejiogbe went out to look for the woman. He searched everywhere and could not find her, so he went to see her brother, who informed him that he had given her shelter.

On seeing Iwere Were, Ejiogbe asked her why she had abandoned him so discourteously. With tears in her eyes, she reminded him that when they were poor, he used to give her the head of any animal they could hunt for food, and that back then no priest or member of the family had helped them. She went on to ask him why, when they had reached a position comfortable enough to eat from a cow, the others denied them the privilege of keeping the head. Why had no member of the family ever come to demand the heads of rats, fish or hens? In a poetic incantation, she exclaimed:

«What man can boast of being greater than an elephant? Who can claim to be greater than a buffalo? Who can boast of being more influential than a king? No head-cloth can be wider than those used by the elders of the night! No rope can be as long as the one witches use! No hat can be more famous than a crown! In width or in length, the hand cannot be higher than the head! The branch of the palm is frequently taller than the head!

The branch of the palm is frequently taller than the leaves upon its head!»

Wherever there is music, the sound of the bell is the loudest of all the instruments; and the palm is the most influential tree in the forest. As soon as Ejiogbe heard this poem, he too wept and asked his wife for forgiveness. The woman took pity on him and agreed to come back home on the condition that he appease her with a piece of white cloth, some money, and that he sacrifice a goat in her name. This explains why anyone born under the sign of Ejiogbe in Ugboddun must sacrifice a goat in the name of his most senior wife when he succeeds in life.

When a person born under the sign of Ejiogbe comes out in a divination, they will be asked whether they have already sacrificed a goat in the name of their wife. They will be informed that, if their most senior wife is yellow-skinned, she is a benevolent witch who will help them prosper in life, as long as they avoid scorning her. If, on the other hand, it comes out in divination for a man whose most senior wife has left the house, he will be advised to go find her and beg her to return at once, to avoid falling into poverty.

How ejiogbe helped a litigant win his case

As soon as he prospered, Ejiogbe was able to keep other awos from working against him. When Baba Jagba Leorun came to him over a court case, Ejiogbe invited another awo named Ajagba, Agbagba Ajagba Jagba, ni ira toon difa fun Baba Jagba Lo Orun. The awo instructed the litigant to make a sacrifice to free himself from that case. He was told to make a sacrifice with two hens, hand-woven threads and plenty of ginger (unien in Bini and eruru in Yoruba). He obtained all the materials and the awo prepared the sacrifice for him.

The hen feathers and the ginger seeds were strung together with the thread to form a necklace, which he put around his neck and then removed with uroke at a sacred place of Eshu. When the case was finally brought to trial, Baba Jagba won. Therefore, when Ejiogbe comes out in a divination for a person who has a pending court case, they will be advised to make the sacrifice mentioned above, which must be performed with an awo who knows how to carry it out.

How ejiogbe made a barren woman bear a child

• Ebiti okpale ligbe.
• Cowo le kuuru ku.
• Adifa fun olomo agutí.

These are the names of other awo whom Ejiogbe invited when he performed divination for Elerimoju, who came to see him because she could not have children. Ejiogbe told her to take an offering to a drain of running water (agbara in Yoruba and orogho in Bini). She did as she was instructed. However, Eshu was upset because he had not received any part of the sacrifice, but Elerimoju, also known as Olomo Agbuti, replied that she had previously made many sacrifices to Eshu and that it had all been in vain.

Then Eshu invoked the rain to fall and prevent the drain from enjoying the sacrifice. The rain fell so heavily that the current running through the drain carried the sacrifice to the river (Olokun), the divinity of the water, who carried it to heaven. Meanwhile, in heaven, the son of Olordumare fell ill and the celestial awos were invited to cure him. When the awos were performing divination about the child’s illness, they asked Olordumare to go to the back of his house to bring a sacrifice that was coming from earth, so they could use it in the cure of the child.

When Olordumare reached the back of the house, he saw Elerimoju’s sacrifice. He took it and brought it to the awos, who added iyerosun (divination powder) to it and then touched the child’s head with it. Almost immediately, the child got well. As soon as the child improved, Olordumare invited Olokun to ask him what he was seeking with the sacrifice that had saved his son. Olokun explained that he did not know from where agbara or orogho (the drain) had brought the sacrifice. Olokun invited the drain to explain where it had obtained the sacrifice, and it said it was Elerimoju who had performed it.

Then he summoned her Guardian Angel in heaven, and she explained that Orunmila had advised her protégée to make the sacrifice because she had remained barren since arriving in the world. The Guardian Angel explained that Elerimoju even lamented that the children of those who had come into the world along with her were already so grown that they were courting her. Olordumare then took out his mace of authority and proclaimed that Elerimoju would have a child and that, before they died, her children and grandchildren would also have children, whom she would see with her own eyes.

Before dawn, Eleri Moju had her menstruation and then lay with her husband, becoming pregnant and giving birth to a son named Adeyoriju. She had many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren before returning to heaven. Therefore, when someone like Ejiogbe performs a divination for a woman anxious to have a child, she is advised to perform the same sacrifice and she will have many children.

The saying «Aja kulu mo ajaa kuulu me» refers to a divination performed for Oke, the mountain. It was advised to make a sacrifice, but did not do so because of the wicked plans of its enemies. The instruments of destruction, the machete and the hoe, tried to destroy it, but after the sacrifice, they could not even harm it. The mountain grew even taller and rejoiced, giving thanks to the diviner.

Ejiogbe saves his son from the hands of death

One Gboore Fewa was the priest of Ifá who performed the divination for Abati, the son of Ejiogbe, when death had planned to take him within seven days. Abati was told to make sacrifice with a rooster, a hen and snails, and to give a he-goat to Eshu. Death tried in vain three times to take Abati from the earth, after which it left him to complete his stay upon it. Then Abati recited the following poem:

“Uku gbemi, otimi; tiri abati, abiti tiri.
Death seized me and released me
Sickness held me and let me go.
No one eats the tortoise together with its shell.
The shell of the snail is kept after the flesh is eaten.
I have survived the wicked plans of my enemies”.

How ejiogbe’s mother saved him from his enemies

• Efifi nii shoju omo teere te
• Okpa teere bo ojo leyin
• Oshudi eereko

These are the names of the awo who performed the divination for Olayri, the mother of Ejiogbe, when people were making sarcastic remarks about the good works he performed. Olayri made a sacrifice with 4 palms and 4 bags of salt. After the sacrifice, the very people who scorned his work began to make favorable comments about Ejiogbe. This is because no one puts salt in their mouth and then speaks ill of its work. As soon as the hen sits down to rest on her eggs, her voice will change.

How ejiogbe became the king of the olodus (apostles)

After the sixteen Olodus arrived in the world, the time came to choose a leader among them. Ejiogbe was not the first Olodu to come to the world; many others had done so before him. Before them, Oyekun Meyi, who was the king of the night, had been claiming seniority. They all turned to Orishanla (God, the son or the representative of God on earth) to designate the king of the Olodus.

Orishanla invited them all and gave them a rat to share. Oyekun Meyi took one leg. Iwori Meyi took another leg, Odi Meyi took the other. The remaining parts were shared according to the conventional order of seniority. Ejiogbe, being very young, was given the head of the rat. In sequence, God handed them a fish, a hen, a guinea fowl and finally a goat, which were shared in the established order. In each case, Ejiogbe received the head of each of the sacrificed animals. Finally, God invited them to come back to see him after three days for the final decision.

When Ejiogbe reached his house, he performed a divination and was told to give a he-goat to Eshu. After Eshu ate the he-goat, he told Ejiogbe that on the appointed day he should roast a yam tuber and keep it in his bag along with a güiro of water. Eshu also advised him to arrive late to the meeting of the Olodus at the palace of God.

On the appointed day, the Olodus came to invite him to the conference, but he told them he was roasting yam on the fire to eat before going to the meeting. After they left, he took out the yam, peeled it and put it in his bag along with a güiro of water. On his way to the conference, he met an old woman, just as Eshu had told him, and following his advice, he carried the bundle of firewood she was bearing, because she was so tired she could barely walk. The grateful woman accepted the help and complained that she was terribly hungry. At once, Ejiogbe took out the yam and gave it to her to eat. After eating the yam, the old woman asked him for water, which he also had with him.

Once this moment had passed, I carried the firewood while walking alongside the old woman. I did not know that the woman was the mother of God the Son. Seeing that I was in a hurry, she asked me where I was heading in such haste. I answered that I was already late for the conference at which Orishanla (God) was going to designate a king among the Olodus. She told me that, even so, I should take my time, since I was too young to aspire to the kingship of the sixteen apostles of Orunmila.

The woman responded and assured me that I was going to be named king of the apostles. On arriving at her house, she asked me to set down the wood at the back. It was on recognizing the house of Orishanla that I understood that the woman I had been helping was none other than the mother of God the Son. Then I sighed with relief. She told me to accompany her inside the dwelling. Once inside, she took out two pieces of white cloth, tied one on my right shoulder and the other on my left shoulder. Then she placed a red parrot feather on my head and put white chalk on the palms of my hands.

Then she showed me the 1,460 stones that lay in front of the house of Orishanla and directed me to go and stand on the white stone in the middle. In my new garments, I went and stood there while the others waited in God’s outer chamber. After some time, God asked the others whom they were still waiting for, and they answered that they were waiting for me, Ejiogbe. Orishanla asked them to tell him the name of the man standing outside. They could not recognize me as Ejiogbe. Orishanla instructed them to go and pay me their respects. One after another they prostrated themselves and touched the ground with their heads at the foot of where I stood.

After this, God formally proclaimed Ejiogbe king of the Olodus of the line of Orunmila. Almost unanimously, the other Olodus murmured in annoyance and did not hide their disapproval at the appointment of a young Olodu as chief among them. At this point, God asked how they had shared the animals he had given them during the seven-day trial period. They explained the way they had done it. God asked them who had been receiving the heads of each of these animals, and they confirmed that in each case they had been giving the heads to Ejiogbe. Orishanla then exclaimed that it was they who had unknowingly designated Ejiogbe as their king, for when the head is separated from the body, the rest no longer has life. With this, they dispersed.

When the Olodus left the house of Orishanla, they decided to keep Ejiogbe at a distance. Not only did they agree not to recognize him, but they also decided they would neither serve him nor visit him. Before they dispersed, Ejiogbe composed a poem which he used as an incantation.

“Oja nii ki owo won jaa.
Owuwu oni koo wo wanwuu.
Ikpe akiko kiliga akika deonu.
Etuu kii olo tu won ni mo.
Ikpe orira kli gun orire deenu
inu lo otin ire afo obire waa”.

With this special incantation he hoped to neutralize all the forces against him. To this end he used special leaves. After this incident, they declared to him that before they could accept him as king, he had to share a meal with all of them:

• 200 güiros of pounded yam
• 200 pots of soup prepared with different kinds of meat
• 200 güiros of wine
• 200 baskets of kola nuts, etc.

Ejiogbe was given seven days to prepare a meal, and it seemed impossible for him to fulfill the task, because he knew he did not have enough money. Ejiogbe sat down and lamented his poverty and his lot as a simple shepherd. At that moment, Eshu approached to learn the cause of his melancholy. Ejiogbe explained that he did not have the funds to cover the detailed meal that was required before they would agree to submit to him.

Eshu gave him a solution to the problem, saying he could help Ejiogbe if he gave him another he-goat. Ejiogbe lost no time in giving Eshu another he-goat. After eating the he-goat, Eshu advised Ejiogbe to prepare one portion of each of the things required for the meal and to have 199 additional containers for each item, lining them up in the enclosure where the meal was to be held on the appointed day. Ejiogbe followed Eshu’s advice.

Meanwhile, the Olodus were mocking Ejiogbe because they knew he could not afford the meal. When the seventh day arrived, the Olodus visited Ejiogbe asking whether he was ready for the meal. As they heard no sound of the pestle coming from the kitchen, they knew there would be no food. Meanwhile, Eshu went to the enclosure where the meal was to be held and ordered the single preparation to multiply itself. Instantly, all the containers, such as güiros, pots, baskets, etc., filled with fresh preparations and the meal was ready.

As soon as Oyekun Meyi arrived at the enclosure where the meal was to be held and discovered what was happening, he was surprised to see that the meal was finally ready. Without waiting for a formal invitation, he sat down and helped himself to the food. He was followed by Iwori Meyi, Odi Meyi, Obara Meyi, Okonron Meyi, Irosu Meyi, Owara Meyi, Ogunda Meyi, Osa Meyi, Otuu Meyi, Irete Meyi, Eka Meyi, Eturukpon Meyi, Osha Meyi and Ofun Meyi. Before they knew it, they had all eaten and drunk their fill.

After the meal, they all carried Ejiogbe upon their heads and began to dance in a procession, singing:

“agbee Geoge
agbee Babaa
agbee Geoge
agbee Babaa”.

They danced the procession through the town. When they reached the seashore, Ejiogbe told them to set him down and sang in praise of the awos who had performed divination for him and of the sacrifice he had made. With this, he was formally crowned chief of the apostles of Orunmila with the title of Akoko Olokun. At this point, he sacrificed four snails obtained from the seashore, and this was the last sacrifice he made before becoming prosperous and before his reign began to flourish.

Struggle between ejiogbe and olofen

In his role as king of the olodus, Ejiogbe became very well known and rich. However, troubled by the presence of a powerful king in his territory, Olofen, the traditional ruler of Ife, organized an army to fight against Ejiogbe.

Meanwhile, Ejiogbe had a dream in which he saw an imminent attack upon him. He then invited an awo named Oole Jagida, Olupé Kperoja, to perform a divination for him. He was told to find a porcupine that was to be used to prepare a meal, though he was told not to eat of it. The rest of those present did eat of the porcupine, and the conspiracy against him fell apart.

But not long afterwards, when Olofen saw that Ejiogbe remained popular, he organized another group to fight against him. Again, Ejiogbe went to the same awo, who advised him to find a hedgehog for another sacrifice. The priest of Ifá added the appropriate leaves and used it to prepare another meal, warning Ejiogbe not to eat of it. After the meal, those appointed by Olofen to fight against him felt ashamed and did not want to face Ejiogbe.

At each of the meals, the awo collected the heads, skins and bones of the animals. When Olofen discovered that Ejiogbe was still in the town and remained popular, he urged the people to expel him openly. Ejiogbe again went to the awo, who advised him to obtain a he-goat and a whole antelope for a special sacrifice to Eshu. Ejiogbe obtained the two animals, which were used to perform the sacrifice.

The awo used the meat to prepare another meal, of which Ejiogbe was told not to eat. The people insisted they would have to expel him from Ife, but no matter how hard they tried, they did not succeed. At this point, Olofen decided to adopt a new strategy and invited Ejiogbe to spend three days and attend a meeting at his own palace. On the appointed day, Olofen asked his royal executioners to prepare an ambush for Ejiogbe and murder him on his way to or from the palace.

Before heading to Olofen’s palace, Ejiogbe visited the sacred place of Eshu with kola nuts, a spoonful of palm oil and a snail to invoke him with an incantation and ask for his company during the journey, since he was unaware of the conspiracies awaiting him. Before setting out, he made his own incantation on the ground. He passed through all the ambushes without incident and reached the interior of the palace without trouble.

Olofen was surprised to see him and, as there was nothing concrete to discuss, the meeting ended as it began. Olofen was certain that the ambush would catch him when Ejiogbe returned home. The assassins were waiting to attack him, but the moment came when Eshu intervened. As soon as Ejiogbe approached the site of the ambush, Eshu called upon the antelope with which the sacrifice had been made earlier to become whole again and leap into the midst of the ambushed assassins. Almost immediately, they all abandoned their watch and chased the antelope until they reached Olofen’s palace.

When the antelope entered Olofen’s palace, general confusion broke out and there was an enormous struggle in the town of Ife. In the midst of the commotion, Ejiogbe walked home in peace, undisturbed. Olofen accused the assassins he had sent to lie in wait for Ejiogbe of failing to carry out his orders, so they were all imprisoned. Ejiogbe later returned to the palace to calm the confusion that had been created by the mysterious antelope. He used his divination tray and another incantation to restore peace and tranquility once more to Ife.

After this, Ejiogbe invited all the priests of Ifá, chiefs and elders of the town to a meal prepared with a cow, goats and hens in thanksgiving to Orunmila, the divinity of wisdom. After the meal, he decided never again to associate with Olofen. He then sang in praise of the awo who had accompanied him during the time Olofen troubled him, and of Eshu, who used the antelope with which he had made sacrifice and scattered his enemies. It is for this reason that all the children of Ejiogbe in Ogboddun are forbidden the porcupine, the hedgehog and the antelope to this day, because these were the animals he used to thwart Olofen’s wicked plans against him. This also explains why the children of Ejiogbe do not get along well with any oba or king in their domains.

Ejiogbe struggles with death

It is now known that Ejiogbe suffered at the hands of every imaginable enemy because he devoted himself to defending the common good. He had trouble with laypeople as well as priests, his relatives, sister divinities and the king. Finally, his turn came to face death in combat. The awo who performed the divination for him on this occasion was called «Ikú Kii Ja Niye Olodumare», which means «Death and sickness do not wage war in the house of God».

Ejiogbe was told he would die before the year was out unless he made a sacrifice with 200 bells and a he-goat for Eshu. The bells would ring forever because they never die. They were prepared by two awos so that he could ring them every morning. Thanks to this, he was able to survive to the end of that year and beyond. This kind of sacrifice is made when Ejiogbe appears in divination and predicts the death of the inquirer.

When death saw that Ejiogbe had survived that year, it devised another plan to finish him off within seven days. As soon as death reaffirmed its wicked strategy, Ejiogbe had a dream in which he saw death hovering around him. He quickly invited one of his deputies to perform the divination for him.

The awo, named Una Oke, Rororo Moota, told him that death had marked him to be taken within seven days, and advised him to make a sacrifice with a he-goat, a rooster and 20 kola nuts. The he-goat and the rooster were to be offered to Eshu, and he was to break one kola nut for Ifá each day over a period of 20 days. He was to press the split kola nuts onto the seeds of Ifá (ikin) and, while doing so, recite: «Let me live to break a kola nut for Ifá the next day. Whoever breaks kola nuts for ikin will never die». In the end, he lived for the next fifty years.

Notable traits of ejiogbe

In a special poem of Ejiogbe it is revealed that if he appears in Ugbodu for a white or light-skinned person, the person’s paternity must be thoroughly examined, as there could be some doubt about it. It insists that if the truth about the neophyte’s origin is not examined, the risk of premature death is very real. It says that no one shall blame Orunmila for the death of the initiate if the truth about the duplicity of his paternity is not revealed. It adds that the person will not be able to prosper in life, especially if he is of short stature.

On the other hand, it emphatically proclaims that if he appears in Ugbodu for a tall, dark-skinned person, that person must be a true child of Ejiogbe. He will not only prosper, but will be famous and popular. He will surely be conferred a traditional or state title later in life, provided he clears the way for Ifá to help him. The person will not be given to dirty games or ambiguity. The Ejiogbe initiate of short stature and light skin is the one who devotes himself to betrayal and bad faith. In general, the children of Ejiogbe have many difficult obstacles to cross before seeing the light.

However, all the children of Ejiogbe must abstain from eating the meat of antelope, hedgehog and porcupine. In addition, they must avoid eating plantain and red yam to avoid the risk of stomach pain. When Ejiogbe helps someone, he does so sincerely. If he is provoked into aggression, he will destroy irreparably. The children of Ejiogbe are also very persevering and forgiving. At the same time, he is capable of changing fortunes, for Orunmila does not believe in impossibilities, as can be seen in the following poem composed by Ejiogbe:

“Sensible people do not listen to the bird singing songs of sorrow.
Difficulties and troubles bring out the best in a man.
Patience and sacrifice make the impossible possible.
Give me a difficult problem to solve so that the doubters may believe.
Give me a war to fight so that mortals
May understand the strength of the divinities.
Learning from past misfortunes is wise.
Not learning from past mistakes is foolish.
The person who makes no sacrifice vindicates the diviner.
Just as the one who ignores advice makes the counselor
Plain to see.”

The man who learns from mistakes and the man who does not learn from them (Ajaaghon and Aagabon) were the two deputies of Ejiogbe who performed a divination for the land of conflicts. They advised the people to make a sacrifice with seven dogs, seven tortoises and seven snails to free themselves from constant conflict. They gathered together and carried out the sacrifice. Two of each sacrificial material were offered to Oggún, who together with Osain was always stirring up conflicts for the town.

Two of each sacrificial victim, except the snails, were delivered to Osain. Four snails were offered to the divinity of the soil. The three remaining dogs were prepared and released into the town. Because of this sacrifice, some children of Ejiogbe are advised to raise dogs. The dogs soon began to breed and multiply. Every time Oggún began to cause trouble in the town, the dogs barked. Oggún would chase one of the dogs to kill and eat it, thereby abandoning his mission.

On the other hand, every time Osain approached the town to cause chaos, the soil released a great quantity of snails that filled his path. The sight of the snails always vexed him and he would run off. Thus, peace and concord replaced the confusion and discord that had prevailed in the town. This explains why dogs bark at the priests of Oggún to this day. Normally, when Ejiogbe appears in Ugbodu during an initiation ceremony, before it ends there must be an abundant rainfall. The priest of Ifá who made this revelation confessed that he had had a personal experience of it.

During his own initiation ceremony in 1953, it had not rained in Ondo for more than five months. Even the Osowawe of Ondo had invited rain priests to induce it, but no downpour came. When the sacrifice to his Ifá, which turned out to be Ejiogbe, was being prepared, the awos told him that before the sacrifice was completed, a very heavy rain would fall.

At that moment, the heat of the sun was so intense that he dismissed the awos’ prediction as worthless. Before the sacrifice was halfway through, the weather had already changed. When he was told to take the sacrifice to the sacred place of Eshu, the rain was so heavy that it was impossible for him to get there because of the currents. According to the priest, Awo Omoruyi, that was the first miracle Orunmila performed for him. Since then, he has had other experiences.

The riddle of the awos

The king of Ife wanted to test the skill of Orunmila and other awos in divination. To do so, he prepared a gourd with specific materials and deposited it in a sacred place of Ifá. All the awos tried to divine what was inside, but failed, until the turn came of Ecku, an awo who held a chieftaincy title and had four wives.

Ecku called upon Ejiogbe with his divining wand and was able to reveal the materials used in the sacrifice: sponge and soap used to bathe a bride, red wood and black indian wood. The king was satisfied with the answer he received, and Ecku grew in popularity for being able to divine correctly.

It is interesting to note that the king was trying to reduce the growing popularity of Orunmila and the other awos, but instead, the story shows that his test only served to increase Ecku’s reputation. This suggests that the destiny and skill of the awos cannot be manipulated by the powerful.

Poem of ejiogbe for progress and prosperity

• Eni: Shee inoo ni moo
• Eji: Jiji le okpon agbo oji-eejaa.
• Eta: Maa taaku nu, maa taarun dearun.
• Erin: Bi a baarin, adife ooye la agbo.
• Erun: Maarun kaasha, maada mi.
• Efa: Efa ule, efa omo ouniti orukoo.
• Eje: Bi aghoro ba tii shoro, aakiije.
• Ejo: Uwaami aajo, eyin mi aajo.
• Eson: Uwaami aasuen, eyinmi aasuen.
• Eno: Inco walo aye, kurolita.
• Okonla: Elereni eleno diiro alara, eleno diiro ajero, eleno odiro oba ado, ooni oka siru eleno diiru ro. Osemowe aamu udu ghaaran eleno diirure, Orunmila one kikan eekekun ro rabe eleno diiru re. Ta ago, teeru niiso ni ilé oloja gbeleni soomi eeton ni nuule alade aasofun ploware yo aalesio.

Translation

• One: A person adds to what they already have.
• Two: No matter how much the ram’s testicles move, they do not separate from the body.
• Three: I shall survive the cold hands of death.
• Four: A long discussion carries one as far as Ife.
• Five: If I eat fire, I shall swallow it.
• Six: The hoe brings home gifts from inside and outside the house.
• Seven: When a priest serves his divinity, it lasts seven days.
• Eight: I shall prosper in this life as in the hereafter.
• Nine: I shall have success in life and in times to come.
• Ten: The ayo can only be played in its own vessel.
• Eleven: The kings of Ara, Ijero and Benin are presented with boxes of worthy gifts. The tributes of the Ooni of Ife, the Osemawe of Ondo and Orunmila are likewise presented in multiples. The claws of a tiger are not used as knives to scratch the human body. The bearer of gifts sets down his load before the elder to whom they are consigned. Loading and unloading, like comings and goings, never end in the house of the ants/termites. After the special ceremony that accompanies this poem, the person shall be told that progress and achievement will always accompany them. Much persuasion is required before the awos agree to perform this special ceremony for the children of Ejiogbe.

Apetebi angers ejiogbe

Ejiogbe was known to be particularly patient and tolerant. One day, one of his wives irritated him so much that he left the house in anger. Along the way, he met different agents of destruction, such as Eshu, witchcraft, goblins, sickness and death, who asked him where he was heading in such fury. He answered that he was leaving home because of his wife, who would not let him have peace of mind. Each of them promised to return to the house with him to deal with the wife who had offended him.

That night, the wife had a dream that frightened her so much that she decided to seek divination in the morning. She was told that misfortune, sickness and sudden death were following her because Orunmila had reported the matter to the higher powers. She was advised to clean the house, wash Ejiogbe’s clothes and prepare a meal in multiples of five with soup, pounded yam, meats, wines, kola nuts, water, etc. for her husband’s return, and to present the meal to him on her knees as soon as he came back to the house. Ejiogbe stayed away for five days. On the fifth day, when he returned, the five divinities accompanied him to the house. When they reached the main entrance, he told them to wait and went in through the back door.

The wife, weeping, knelt to embrace him and beg his forgiveness. She gave him the multiple meal, one for each day he had been away. Because of his good heart, Ejiogbe took the food and gave it to the five divinities waiting outside. After eating, they moved to attack the woman, but Ejiogbe told them she had atoned for her transgressions by preparing the meal they had enjoyed. He reminded them of the divine rule that one does not kill the one who feeds you. That is how he saved his wife from destruction. Therefore, when Ejiogbe comes out in divination for a married woman, she must be told to prepare the meal mentioned above in multiples of five, because she has so offended her husband that the destroying divinities are stirred by wrath.