Ogunda Yekun

The betrayal of the king

There was once a king much loved by the people of his town. He held firm command over his subjects and over the lands nearby. One day he had to travel to one of his domains and, to guard against attacks on the road, he consulted Ifá.

Orunmila gave him a reading and revealed this oddun, which warned him to be careful on his return, for things might not be as he had left them. In his kingdom there was a powerful enemy who wanted his throne at any cost. He was to make an ebo and leave the youngest person in charge of the palace, for that one would be the one to prevent its ruin.

The king therefore followed every instruction Orunmila gave him. The young man, who had a great gift for discernment, soon worked out who was plotting the king’s downfall. So he summoned them and, before the people, ordered their heads cut off as punishment for their treachery.

2.- Ariku, the slave of Obatalá.

Ariku was Obatalá’s slave and cook, and Orunmila ordered him to make an ebo because Obatalá was preparing a banquet in honour of the saints and he was the one responsible for cooking all the food. He therefore had to make the ebo so that everything would go well and he would have no trouble with Obatalá.

The ebo was: a red rooster, two hens, two doves, eku, eja and awadó. But ariku did not return to Orunmila’s house to make the ebo, thinking that Obatalá trusted him and that he could prepare every dish without needing any ebo.

Elegbá, who had been waiting for ariku to make the ebo so that he could eat the rooster, grew angry, and on the day of the banquet he used his power to unsettle ariku’s mind. Ariku lost his grip and every dish came out badly: some too spicy, some tasteless, some far too sweet, some far too salty.

So everything was a disaster and the saints could not enjoy the food. Obatalá grew angry and ordered ariku to be seized and put to death.

When ariku heard Obatalá’s decision, he ran to Orunmila’s house to be saved. He told him what had happened with the food he had cooked, and said he could not understand how he had made such mistakes. Orunmila answered him: «if the ebo cost you $16.00 before, now it will cost you sixteen ounces of gold, a black rooster, four hens and four doves, so that Obatalá does not kill you and forgives you instead».

After Orunmila had made the ebo for him, he handed him an agogó and told him to go out into the street and sing in the square: «ayere yomilé omo nilé agogó, aiku omo niyé agogó». The people who saw him threatened to kill him, but he kept singing and striking the agogó. At that moment Orunmila arrived and tossed a coin between his legs, and the people, seeing this, began throwing coins at him too, and so they gave him a great deal of money.

When Obatalá arrived, they begged him to pardon ariku. Obatalá forgave him and granted him his freedom. To iban Eshu.

In this oddun the person does not carry out the works, out of lack of faith and out of greed, and when they come back in a hurry they are charged double, just as Orunmila did. A promise is owed to Obatalá here, and it must be kept if the person is to recover from their ailments.

The ambition and betrayal of Ogunda Yekun

There was a time when ogunda yeku was struggling to earn a living. He came to a crossroads that split into three directions and, not knowing which to take, he threw the aberikunlo club he was carrying. The club flew through the air and landed on one of the roads, so ogunda yeku decided to follow that route.

He reached a town where survival depended on fighting. Since he had gone days without eating, the first thing he did was look for a fight. He faced his opponent and cut off his arm with his machete, wounding the other two as well, for there were three of them. The people were struck by his skill, and ogunda yeku boasted that he was better than the man who had taught him.

In that town there were two families locked in a long feud over land. One of the families hired him for his services as a fighter, offering him a good reward and promising him food.

When night fell, ogunda yeku took lodging in the house of an old man named oluo popo, who kept a small business selling food and drink and also rented rooms for the night.

A few days later the enemies of the family that had hired him called on him for his services too, and he accepted. Now he had obligations to both families, and neither knew what he was doing for the other.

In plain terms, he betrayed the first family. When he returned to oluo popo’s business, the old man told him this was not right, that betraying the trust of those who had hired him was a mistake. He advised him to consult Orunmila for guidance through Ifá and to make an ebo.

Ogunda yeku took his advice and went to Orunmila’s house. Orunmila marked the ebo for him and said: «this ebo is for when your betrayal is discovered, so that they do not kill you; but you will not escape the shame you will feel for having betrayed your brothers. Your own children will speak ill of you». Ogunda yeku made the ebo and carried it to the ile of yanzan.

He stayed three days without leaving the town. During that time the first family needed his services, but ogunda yeku held back, and that family suffered heavy losses in the fighting. The family took him prisoner for his betrayal and, instead of killing him, beat him to shame him for his defiant attitude.

He had to leave the town battered and limping on one leg. The family he had tried to defend spread the word that he was a traitor, for he had betrayed his brothers out of hunger for food and money, in the same way he had betrayed the man who taught him the art of fighting in life.

You cannot do favours, and still less can you do two things at once, for you will never be happy and you will end up in a bad way.

The chick is born and, at birth, bends its beak to the earth, and later it makes war on the one who gave it being.

Oyá’s curse on the son of Shangó

On this path there was a very stubborn man who was always in trouble and had many enemies. Faced with all this, he decided to go to Orunmila’s house. Orunmila examined him, saw that he carried this oddun, ogunda yeku, and warned him that he had to make an ebo, since a misfortune was coming that could put his life at risk. Elegbá was very displeased with him because of the complaints reaching him from one of his children.

The man, being stubborn, dismissed Orunmila’s advice and did nothing about it. He merely got hold of a herb, bathed with it and declared: «when I feel something bad is about to happen to me, I look for this herb to keep the evil away, and if I fall ill, to heal myself».

A few days after this, a woman he had scorned began stalking him, waiting for her chance to attack. One day, as the man was walking along a path, the woman hid in the bushes and came at him with a machete.

Because the man kept ducking behind the trees, he managed to save himself until passers-by stepped in. After that incident the man went to Orunmila’s house and asked his forgiveness, made the ebo and swore to Elegbá that he would always honour his word.

In the investigations of this Ifá it was found that this man was a son of Shangó, the saint who had manifested in him, but that did not change his contemptuous treatment of the woman he lived with, who was a daughter of Oyá.

He abused her both physically and with words, and so the woman came to know poverty, hardship and shame. Being a womaniser, he would bring the children he had by other women to the house of Oyá’s daughter. She was very patient and did not quarrel with him, but the son of Shangó went on abusing her.

One day the man ran into difficulties in his business and decided to have an osode reading at Orunmila’s house. Orunmila told him to make an ebo with atitán afeyika (whirlwind dust) and igi ayua, and so he did.

As the days passed the man began to feel better and stopped sleeping at the house of Oyá’s daughter. She decided to go shopping in ileleya and, to her surprise, came upon her husband in the company of a daughter of Yemayá. Both women were offended and angered.

On the way home the man noticed the wind rising until it was almost impossible to walk. Seeing several ayua trees, he clung to their branches until the strong winds died down. Those winds were nothing other than Oyá’s displeasure at the abuse, the shame and the misery to which the son of Shangó had subjected her daughter, who was a servant to his children, to those who visited her, and to him.

Then Oyá cursed him in these words: «as long as the world lasts, azowuano will not leave this man, neither in good times nor in bad, because he does not keep his promises. Just as he failed Elegbá, he will fail everyone else.

He and all his descendants will be unwanted, and not even his father Shangó will be able to step in when he falls ill, because I shall be there so that he answers for the suffering he has caused my daughter».

Hearing this, Orunmila said: «he can only save himself through obedience, feeding Oyá and listening to her words when she rebukes him. I have already given him the igi ayua so that he may lean on it in the battles that come to him from now on».

This is why all the children of Shangó must keep a staff or hooked stick of ayua beside their batea, for this wood holds magical powers and Shangó works with it.

The ambition of the mayombero

In this land orikole lived because oba ogor had brought her there. And he settled almost everything he wanted by force, and his secret was that the daughter of Oshún helped him. Orikole was the name of that daughter of Oshún, but he was never satisfied with orikole’s help and demanded more of her every day. Orikole was losing her faith and her love for him because of the ill-treatment she received at the hands of oba ogor.

Every day orikole went to the riverbank to plead with her mother, singing to her: «iya mi iya mi la orikole foribale oba ogor omoniashe oriikole omoniashe». But Oshún was displeased with her, because she did not want her living with oba ogor. He said to orikole: «I do not want you going to the river any more; I am the one who must go». But he only told orikole he went to the river and deceived her, for where he drew the water was a small stream.

Orikole grew wearier by the day. One day oba ogor set out on the road and met Shangó. Shangó asked how his affairs were going and he said they were fine, but that he expected to have more. Shangó told him: «something is missing in you, and for what you want you have to go where Ozain is».

He replied: «why? I have more power than Ozain». Shangó answered: «I think you are mistaken, because Ozain is everything in this world, since Olokun gave him his great ashe».

Shangó, seeing that the man did not want him going to his house, began to sing: «wanire ogor wanire, ogor awa mora, wanire ogor, ogor awa leri awa baba grakolowa aborile awa leri Osha«. Shangó turned his thinking around and said: «let us go to my house». When they arrived at orikole’s house, she — who had not seen Shangó since she was a child — was overjoyed and gave him foribale. Oba ogor led Shangó to where his secret was kept.

Shangó said to him: «all this is well, but something is missing for you to reach what you want». Shangó tried to persuade him, but could not. Just then oba ogor left the house, and orikole told Shangó everything.

He said to her: «go and see your mother Oshún, so she knows what you are going through and so she forgives you. I shall try to speak with Ozain, so that when oba ogor goes to Ozain, Ozain already knows everything».

Shangó went to Elegbá and told him all that was happening with orikole. Elegbá said: «when you go to see Oshún, take her two adié so that she keeps them for Ozain, along with plenty of beads of every kind and a piece of mirror». Elegbá went to oba ogor’s house and passed himself off as his best friend. Oba ogor told him all his affairs and the hold he had over orikole.

He said: «I never go to the river». He went out with Elegbá and showed him the little stream where he went every day to fetch water. Elegbá worked on oba ogor so much about the great powers he could have, and that Ozain could grant them to him.

Elegbá convinced oba ogor and they went to Ozain’s house. Shangó went to where orikole was and said: «come with me». She said: «I cannot go out, because I am with agua oshe (my period)». «Then let us go where your husband goes every day to deceive you».

Shangó found a hutia that was in the same state or condition as orikole, killed it and began to pour eyerbale over her obá. Orikole asked, and Shangó told her: «wait until you have Oshún’s blessing and oba ogor loses that great power he has in his sight, and all he will be able to see in the mirror are the shapes of shadows».

Orikole was overjoyed, and Shangó walked her to the door of the house and told her: «I am going to bring you a gift, ailá, amala or ishu». She also brought ahekete to Shangó; he ate, gave her his blessing and left.

When oba ogor arrived with Elegbá at the foot of Ozain, Ozain told him: «you must swear an oath». But he had to throw away 7 sticks, because Ozain was going to hand him 21 sticks with greater power. Oba ogor said: «I shall come back this way». Ozain, who already knew what Shangó had done and spoken with orikole, sent Elegbá to the stream where ogor went, and Elegbá set a mirror there.

Elegbá said to oba ogor: «you will let me know». Elegbá knew the hour at which the man went for water, hid in the scrub and saw oba ogor coming. Elegbá began to whistle and to speak in a low voice: «put your hand into the bottom and you will find a great secret».

Oba ogor searched for where the voice came from and could not find it. «But you must pass the secret over your face, so that you have more power in your sight». Oba ogor left, frightened. He reached orikole’s house; she saw him and asked him what was wrong, and he shoved her away in irritation; she began to cry and said nothing.

I must find Elegbá one way or another and tell him what happened. When Elegbá arrived, oba ogor said to him: you have to go where Ozain is. Ozain was already waiting for him; when oba ogor arrived, Ozain already had the 21 sticks and said to oba ogor: so you have brought me the 7 sticks for me to prepare your secret, have you not? He said: yes. Then take them and bury them in the stream.

Ozain went with him and set 21 sticks upon oba ogor, and he ground them better now. But Ozain only ever told him what he chose to tell him. Elegbá was always with oba ogor, and Shangó kept saying: this is going better. Ozain went on deceiving him; Elegbá pressed oba ogor so hard that the man said: tomorrow we go. Elegbá went out and warned Ozain. Ozain went to the riverbank and they spoke with Oshún, so that she would give strength to the sticks and make them look larger through the shadow.

Oshún handed over all the beads, the entrails of the hens, the scratched mirror in a pot, everything placed inside a gourd that was in the river. Ozain was waiting for oba ogor, and the man turned up with the 21 sticks. When Ozain saw him coming he pretended to be delighted, cleansed him with a duck’s egg, ribbons of every kind and the rest of the ingredients; oba ogor began to feel strange. Ozain told him: that passes off when you go to the river.

When oba ogor reached the river, Oshún dived in and held the gourd with both hands, scattering along with the beads the quicksilver dust from the mirror, and it shone brighter still. He heard a woman’s voice: «throw away those sticks you are carrying and take up this great power».

And he saw the sticks growing larger through the shadow. Oba ogor kept asking Ozain: «what is this?». And Ozain kept answering: «you must do whatever they ask, but there is your great power and your secret». Oba ogor threw the sticks away and the sticks turned beautiful and he saw no more shadow. When he went to take the gourd, Oshún dived under. Ozain said: «I did not tell you to do this». Oba ogor was left very downcast.

Ozain said to him: «let us go to your secret so that you may have your power; take out what you have behind you, lower your eyes and take out the 7 sticks and the mirror».

Ozain told him: «because of your ambition and because you did not respect me, you have gone back to being what you were before, and in your sight you will see nothing but shadows. Put this mirror in a horn (a lesser one) so that you may have some power».

Oba ogor set off for his house already mastered, keeping his obligations to orikole because Ozain had handed him an inshe. Oba ogor, seeing himself lost, sent for Elegbá and Shangó and told them: «take orikole to Oshún for me, for I want nothing more to do with her».

Shangó and Elegbá left with orikole and married her off. They sent her to oba ogor as a client, and oba ogor became orikole’s slave.

The well and the plum tree

There was once a man who was ill inside and did not know it, but he suddenly fell sick and went to Orunmila, who made osode for him. Seeing this Ifá, ogunda yeku, Orunmila told him that beside his house there was a well with a plum tree, and at the foot of that tree grew the imo Oshún (fern), but no one knew what lay beneath that fern.

Yet when they cleared it all away, they could see that there was little inside at the bottom. They took all of it for the rogation, and afterwards they operated on that man, and he was saved and healed, because egun was able to see everything as in a mirror.

And when people came near the well, they never knew what lay at the bottom of it, and the reason was that egun was inside the well and looked like a shadow, so that people could never see the bottom. Egun and Shangó defended him, and when he disobeyed, Shangó turned on him and made him do what he was told.

This path speaks of a hidden illness, one the body has not yet shown symptoms of. The recommended ebó (offering) must be carried out.

Before finishing the ebbo, oparaldo is to be done with the young rooster.

He who causes death pays with his own life

Ifá ni kaferefun Orunmila ni kaferefun Ozain.

There was once a tribe ruled by a king who was just with his people. In that town there was a law that whoever caused a death would pay for it with his own life. But in that tribe there was also an awo of great knowledge, direct counsellor to the king, and the king took his advice on everything.

In that same tribe there was a man who always wanted more than Olofin allowed him. This man lived by trade, but so long as he could have more, he did not care how he came by his profits. His ambition was such that he no longer traded only in his own tribe, but had spread his business into the neighbouring ones.

One day that man went to see the king’s awo, more out of curiosity than out of faith. The awo consulted him, saw this Ifá and told him: «you are a man insatiable for riches, and your nature can be your ruin, because now it is not only about money: you have set your sights on being king.

Be content with what Olofin has given you and do not try to be what you will never be. You must make ebo with a speckled rooster, two doves, a piece of beef bone, white leaves, several herbs and a great many coins».

That man neither believed nor heeded what the awo had told him; on the contrary, he mocked him. Some time later, in his hunger for wealth and power, and in agreement with other men who promised him their help, he began to plot a revolt to overthrow the king and take power himself, exactly as the awo had said.

But since Olofin looks kindly on nothing that is evil, that awo made osode for the king and told him he had to make ebo to avoid being betrayed.

The king made the ebo, and when the man had his crime ready, on the day set for the overthrow of the king, he placed himself at the head of his followers and, with a weapon in his hands, killed one of the king’s loyal men. But he was captured and brought before the king. The man denied the charges laid against him, but the king consulted Ifá through the awo.

The awo carried out the consultation and Ifá revealed the truth of what had happened. Even so, the man went on insisting he was innocent, denying his part in the revolt and in the killing.

Then the awo said to the king: «bring the body», and so it was done. They laid the body before that man. The awo said: «this murder committed against one of our own is the fruit of your ambition. Olofin has allowed the truth to come to light.

Olofin orders that the body be struck with a beef bone so that it may rise and point out the guilty man». And at that moment the body rose and accused that man of being his killer, revealing his guilt. The man paid with his life for his insatiable ambition and his betrayal of the king.

The flower seller

There was once a man who sold flowers. He could see very little up close and nothing at all at a distance, but the people around him were unaware of it.

On one occasion, several people standing some way off called to him to buy flowers. Although he answered them, he did not go towards any of them, because he could not see them.

The people realised that the flower seller could hear them but could not see them, which meant his sight was failing.

On this path there were two servants in the king’s house, one of higher rank than the other. They used to argue about the skulls kept in the vault of the palace, which came from those lawfully put to death. The lower-ranking servant held that everyone in the vault was guilty, trusting entirely in the perfection of the law.

One day the higher-ranking servant seized the palace rooster, the one that crowed every morning before the king awoke. He did so after learning that the lower-ranking servant was planning to serve his head along with the rooster that very night.

After serving the head of the higher-ranking servant, the other went off to sleep. But the king did not wake at his usual hour, which raised questions about the whereabouts of the palace rooster. It was then that the higher-ranking servant reported that the other had used the rooster to serve his head the night before.

The lower-ranking servant was arrested and accused of stealing the palace rooster. He was about to be executed, but the higher-ranking servant stepped in and stopped the execution by producing the rooster himself.

He explained that he had done it to show the lower-ranking servant that innocent people can be punished for crimes they did not commit. In this way he showed him that laws are made by human beings and can contain errors.

This story illustrates how, after thousands of years of applying the death penalty and recognising its errors, human beings have decided to abolish it in many countries. It is clear evidence that the human mind can be mistaken, and that the death penalty is an error that has been corrected.

This path of Ifá indicates that the person who carries this oddun must look after their eyes and be watchful, so as not to lose their sight before their time.