Ojuani Irete

The disobedient king

Orunmila warned the king that his son must not bathe in the sea or in the river, because great danger awaited him. The guards assured the king he had nothing to fear, since they were there to protect the boy and nothing would happen to him. Yet when the king’s son went to bathe, an accident occurred and the soldiers could not save him, for a whirlpool dragged him under. On hearing of the tragedy, the king hurried to Orunmila’s house, but sadly it was already too late.

How the awó saved the prince

Once, an awó visited Orunmila’s house and made an ebó with a rooster for Eshu and two white eyeles that he was to carry with him wherever he went. He put them inside a sack and, after walking a long way, he came upon three warriors. These men asked him where he was going, and he answered that he was heading for Odo, a land nearby. They also asked him whether he had seen a white bird. Just then an owl flew past. «That one going by is the brave one», the awó replied. «I have two of them myself», he said, pressing his arms against the sack. The eyeles burst out at once and began to fight. The warriors went on their way and, as soon as they reached the city, the news spread.

The king heard of it and tried to have a spiritual cleansing done straight away, and also warned that his son, the prince, was not to bathe in the river. When everything was about to be carried out, the warriors arrived and objected, arguing that they alone were enough to protect him.

Not long afterwards, however, the prince decided to go and bathe in the river and, as ill luck would have it, he became trapped in the mud at the bottom. The warriors tried to cross the river, but it proved impossible to reach him. It was then that they remembered the awó and went looking for him, finding him perched up in a tree. The awó told the warriors that in order to come down he needed a sack of money. They gave it to him and, once down, he performed the ebó.

The awó climbed into a canoe and drew close to the prince in the river. Beside him he threw a bunch of plantains, and that allowed the prince to get out. When the king learned what had happened, he made the awó a generous gift in thanks for his help.

The indiscreet akuko

Olofin sent for the akuko to give him a reading, because the akuko was Orunmila’s awó. When the akuko cast the ekuele, he saw this Ifá and told Olofin: ‘you have an ailment in your chest and it gives you pain’. Since that was true, Olofin thought to crown the akuko. As Olofin took off his cap to crown the akuko, the bird saw that Olofin was bald, something nobody knew, for no one had ever managed to see his head uncovered.

The akuko, emboldened by being the only one with that privilege, went about very proud of himself. But Elegbara kept sounding him out to get the secret from him, meaning to be his ruin. Elegbara pressed the akuko so hard that one day he began to sing: ‘Leri Olofin Akua kua kua’. That song said: ‘Olofin is bald’.

Olofin found out that the akuko was spreading private matters about him, and he called Elegbara and handed the akuko over to be eaten by him, for saying what he should not have said.

The prohibition of this Ifá is the akuko, which may not be eaten (the owner of this Ifá cannot eat it). Eko must be placed for Elegbara in whatever form he asks for it. The ebó of this Ifá carries no akuko; it carries only adie meyi, which are given to Orunmila, Oshún or Oyá.

To be saved from betrayal, ebbó must be made

There were three men who quarrelled over who was the head. One day they agreed to meet and fight, and one of them went to consult Orunmila, who saw this Ifá for him and told him to make ebó at once.

When the three men met, one of them, who had not made ebó, took fright and ran off, falling into a cave. The man chasing him also fell and broke his leg in the pursuit.

The man who had made ebó went to tell Orunmila what had happened, and it began to rain heavily. The man who was in the cave would not come out for fear of the other two, and the cave flooded, and he drowned.

When the relatives of the dead men learned that Orunmila had made ebó for the man who was saved, they plotted together and went to Orunmila’s house meaning to take revenge. Seeing how matters stood, Orunmila said to them: «Those who wish to protect themselves from the betrayals of their enemies must make ebó». All of them, along with other people of the town, made the ebó. In this way the war was brought to an end, and Orunmila gained great wealth from it.

There may be trouble with the relatives of the person who receives this oddun. Treat the aleyos (newly initiated people) who come to you with this Ifá with caution and tact, since you could end up in conflict with the consultant’s relations or friends.

Orunmila’s dilemma

There was a time when Oshún was Obatalá‘s secretary and looked after his affairs, and since Oshún knew all of Obatalá’s secrets, she began to talk about what she should have kept quiet.

Obatalá learned of the remarks Oshún was making about him and, fearing that Obatalá would punish her, she had to flee and went off into the bush, hiding behind a palm tree and trying not to be found.

Obatalá, noticing Oshún’s absence, went out to look for her and ask after her. Since he could not find her, he decided to go for a reading with Orunmila. Orunmila knew where Oshún could be found, but he could not tell Obatalá. Faced with this situation, and with Obatalá insisting on knowing where Oshún was, Orunmila decided to go and see Olofin, and he told him what had happened and that he did not want to tell Obatalá where Oshún was. Olofin then told Orunmila that Obatalá was not looking for Oshún on a whim, and that he should tell him where she was.

Orunmila had a reading done for himself and made ebó, and when he was about to cast it away in the thicket at the foot of a tree, he saw Oshún’s silhouette thrown by the sun, hidden among the trees, and Orunmila went at once to Obatalá and told him where Oshún was.

Obatalá went to the place Orunmila had named, took hold of Oshún and carried her off. Oshún, on learning that Orunmila had given her away to Obatalá, asked him how he could have denounced her. Orunmila answered that it had been Olofin who ordered him to tell Obatalá where to find her, since Obatalá was looking for her in order to punish her.

Maferefún Olodumare, Maferefún Oshún and Orunmila!

The young man who would not listen to his elders

In the land of Itako, capital of the Egbados, there lived a royal family who had a son called Osabeyi. Everyone born into that family was given the same name, but with a different title and number. The princes did nothing and would not listen to their elders, so the elders turned their backs on them.

The prince believed that, being grown and having a name, he could live happily, and he left home for a place out near the fields. While he had money he had plenty of flatterers, but Shangó and Elegbá turned his luck around. His friends abandoned him, and those who had once paid him honours became his worst enemies.

Finding himself in that state and with little money left, he fell ill with sorrow and in his mind, and he lost his ilé (his home), for it crumbled away. One day he decided to go and see Orunmila, who made ebbó for him with the little money he had left and gave him a great deal of advice. He told him to place the ebbó on the leri of the oko, and that it could go in a small sack or in a jícara (gourd bowl).

When the prince reached the leri of the oko he was tired, and Alakaso caught up with him and asked him to wait there so the ebbó could be delivered to Oduduwa, and so it was done. Oduduwa took the ebbó out of the little sack and gave the eran to Alakaso, while inside the sack he placed the wealth he was going to give the man. He told Alakaso to tell the prince that he would give it back to him, and that he was to go and beg his parents’ forgiveness, give them a gift or throw them a feast to gladden them, and always obey his elders so as not to put himself in danger, because that was the last time he would be forgiven. Alakaso handed the little sack to the young man and passed on the message from Oduduwa and Obatalá.

The young man followed the instructions, and in that way he came to be happy.

IRÉ AYÉ: Baths with rosemary, cologne, fig leaves and owo.

In this Ifá a feast is given to the saint who asks for it. What is needed: abo, a jícara, a sack, a drum, fresh meat, 4 eyele, a rooster for Eshu, apple plantains, orí, efun, okiti baba, adifafun Olofin, apari adifafun Palakore, 4 balls of yam and opolopo owo.

Intori arun: ewes for the belly, the brain or the legs: shoots of apauro, alacrancillo, malvate and verbena, in decoctions crushed in alcohol with rosemary and dry wine; it also serves for the lower back.

The shrimp that falls asleep is carried off by the current

On this path, there came a time when the shrimp sensed a storm was coming and that he had nowhere to shelter himself and his family so the storm would not kill them. He went to Orunmila’s house, and Orunmila saw this Ifá for him and told him to look for places where the stones had been eaten away by the water, for those could serve them as a hiding place.

The shrimp made the ebbó and hid himself, and when the storm came it made an end of all the shrimps who had not taken shelter.

The young cockerel pecks the rooster because of the hen

Once, an awó went to Orunmila’s house, and Orunmila marked him an ebbó with akuko for Eshu and eyele meyi fun fun that he was to carry wherever he went.

The awó gave the akuko to Eshu and put the eyeles inside a sack. After walking a long way, he came upon three warriors who asked him where he was going. He answered that he was heading for Odo. They asked him whether he had seen a white bird, and just then the owl flew past. «That one going by is the brave one», the awó answered, and added: «I have two of them myself», pressing his arms against the sack, and the eyeles answered.

The three warriors went on their way. As soon as they reached the city they told what had happened, and the news spread quickly until it reached the king. He went at once to see Orunmila, who told him to have a cleansing done as soon as possible and that his son was not to bathe in the river. When the king gave the order, the three warriors told him that they were enough to guard the palace and the prince.

A few days later the prince went to bathe in the river and, unluckily, he became tangled in the mud at the bottom and was trapped in the deepest part. The warriors tried to rescue him, but it was impossible. Then they remembered the awó and went out looking for him, finding him high up in a tree.

The awó told the warriors that to bring the prince up they had to give him a sack of money, and they did so at once. Coming down, the awó performed the ebbó and then used a boat and a plantain stalk along with the two eyeles. In that way the awó managed to bring the prince out from the bottom of the river.

When the king learned what had happened, he gave the awó a great present, making him a rich and powerful man.

The akuko’s crown

At the beginning of the world the akuko had no comb, which was his crown. He went to Obatalá to have it placed upon him, and Obatalá agreed to do it, imploring Olofin to allow it. Olofin granted the request, and so the akuko received his crown. Oggún, however, felt slighted and said to Obatalá: «Look, baba, I have worked hard for the world and I have no crown; this weighs on me».

Obatalá, who was ill and had sores on his feet, and was bald besides, was deeply hurt by such mockery. Oggún began to sing: «Obatalá has sores on his feet and he is bald», and went on making fun of him.

Olofin ordered that the akuko be brought, and when he arrived Oggún took obe and opa and struck him on the head, punishing him. From that time on the akuko began to be sacrificed, for before that they were not killed, because they had their comb, which was their crown, and it was Olofin who gave it to them.

Here was born the first time the akuko was sacrificed, and the eating of every other animal began.