Ojuani Shobe

The mischief of Eshu

There was a farmer who had a great planting of chard, cabbage and malanga. Everyone envied him. One day Eshu came and asked him for food. The farmer, who did not know who he was, answered that he could not give away his crop.

Eshu left, but the following day he returned in disguise and began saying that the king had ordered every planting destroyed because they were harming people’s health. Furious, the farmer did not think twice and cried out: «The king said that? Well then, I am not going to wait for him to destroy my crop.» He took his machete and levelled his own planting.

The next day the farmer realised he should not have acted that way without first checking with the king. He decided to visit the sovereign, who told him he had never given any such order and that it had all been mischief on the part of Eshu, who was hungry.

For this reason a rooster must be offered to Eshu in order to avoid misfortune. And when someone arrives from the street, they may well be the bearer of tragedy.

The friendship of Ojuani Shobe and Ejiogbe

In a town called Obeshabanizan there lived a man named Ojuani Shobe, who was a great friend of Ejiogbe. Ojuani was awaiting the birth of his son, and when the child finally came he went to his friend Ejiogbe so that he would stand as godfather at the baptism. Ejiogbe agreed, since their friendship was strong, and in honour of it a small chain was placed on the child. As a token of gratitude, Ojuani gave Ejiogbe a pot with a plantain plant in it. The pot had powers of its own, but Ejiogbe added more to it.

A year went by and Ojuani’s son had grown a great deal. The friendship between Ojuani and Ejiogbe was still strong. The townspeople, however, did not look kindly on that friendship and began saying bad things about Ejiogbe to Ojuani, and about Ojuani to Ejiogbe. It was all baseless gossip.

On hearing all those rumours, Ejiogbe decided to consult Orunmila, who advised him to perform an ebbo and to offer an akuko to Elegbá. Ojuani, for his part, weary of the gossip, decided to break off his friendship with Ejiogbe.

When Ojuani arrived at Ejiogbe’s house they argued, and Ojuani demanded that his pot be returned to him unbroken. Ejiogbe agreed and went out to the yard, cut the roots with great care and gave the pot back intact. He asked Ojuani, however, to hand back the chain the child wore around his neck, likewise unbroken.

Ojuani went home and called his son, trying to take the chain off him, but it proved impossible, for the boy had grown a great deal. In his fury Ojuani took a machete and beheaded his son, and lost his mind.

NOTE: Whoever receives this Ifá must offer an akuko to Elegbá, and is forbidden to stand as godparent at anyone’s baptism.

When good lived with evil

On this path Obatalá was greatly troubled because good lived side by side with evil on earth. Olokun, who knew the situation, was content and in agreement with it.

One day Obatalá met Olokun and they began to talk. Obatalá said he believed good and evil should not live together, but Olokun answered rudely: «You are never satisfied with anything, baba.» Obatalá left deeply displeased.

Olokun then sent for Eshu and handed him a mask. He did the same with Oyá and Yewá, and afterwards he called Shangó. When Shangó came, he refused the mask and went out onto the road. Shortly afterwards he saw Elegbará wearing his mask, but recognised him at once by his legs and his long nails. He began to sing to Elegbará, and knowing he had been found out, Elegbará took the mask off.

Shangó was carrying a rooster whose head he had painted red on one side and white on the other. When Elegbará met him he was frightened, but then said: «I should like to eat it.» Shangó answered: «I will give it to you to eat, but in exchange you must take from Oyá and Yewá the masks Olokun gave them, and you must also take from Olokun every mask he has.» After Elegbará accepted, he told him: «First you will go to Olokun’s house with this rooster, before you eat it.»

Elegbará did so, and when he reached Olokun’s house he knocked hard on the door three times. When Olokun came out and saw the rooster Elegbará was carrying, he took fright and hid. Elegbará seized the chance, went into the house and stole the masks he found there. As he came out the door he met Shangó and Oduduwa, who took the masks from him, cut off the rooster’s head and gave it to Elegbará. The rooster’s head was thrown into the sea.

When Olokun realised that Elegbará had stolen his masks, he ran out to chase him, but came upon the rooster’s head, took fright and stopped pursuing him. Shangó and Oduduwa met Ikú (death) and handed her the masks, saying: «Elegbará still has two more masks to bring you.»

Olokun went to Olofin to tell him what had happened with Elegbara. Meanwhile Ikú, forewarned by Shangó and Oduduwa, waited for Elegbara on the road. When she saw him coming with the masks of Oyá and Yewá, she hid behind a siguaraya bush and tore off three branches. As Elegbara passed she struck him with the branches and snatched the two masks from him. Terrified, he ran to Olofin’s house. Seeing him arrive out of breath, Olofin said: «Do not tell me what has happened, for I know it all. I am going to reward you by giving you this ashé. Elegbara, from today you will carry all evil into the world, and you will do good only when Shangó commands it.»

Olofin gave Elegbara a fila (cap) half red and half white and told him: «You will always wear it.» Elegbara returned to earth bringing all evil with him, and then everything began to rot. When Oduduwa saw this, he went to tell Olofin, and added that the only one who could set the matter right was Shangó.

Olofin called Shangó and ordered him to carry good down to earth. Shangó said: «Father, on earth there must be half good and half evil.» Olofin gave him ashé and pronounced: «To Iban Eshu» (so be it).

As for Elegbá, when he reached the earth to do evil he met Ikú and the two of them made an alliance. The white and red cap was the mark by which Ikú would do Elegbara no harm. When Shangó came to earth, he snatched the white and red cap away and ran off. Elegbara ran after him and met Ikú, who did not recognise him and began to chase him. She saw that Shangó was running ahead of Elegbara.

Shangó stopped and ordered Elegbara to stop as well, and Ikú stopped too. The three of them made a pact, and Shangó said: «You, Elegbá, will do evil, and when I command it you will do good.» Ikú spoke and asked: «And how will this be known, Shangó?» Shangó answered her: good is a small ball and evil is a line; evil is the day, good is the night. Shangó gave Elegbara back his cap, and in the world good went on living with evil.

Here the lenses of eyeglasses were born

Elegbá lived in the land of Bankele Keli, where there was neither voice nor authority. His life was sad and discontented, because he knew he counted for nothing in the world and was nobody. One day Oyá, who lived in a prosperous land where everyone enjoyed a good life, caught sight of the neighbouring land and decided to visit Elegbá, and found him very sad. Seeing him in that state, Oyá took an akuko, drew out the bird’s eyes and placed them upon Elegbá. While she performed this ceremony, Oyá sang: «Elegbá Mi Kodea Ojuani Shobe Ba Elewora Ni Ladeo Ojuani Shobe Fesuban Oyu Mayora Adore Elegbá Ni Ata Adere Ojuani Shobe Ni Ladeo».

At that moment Elegbá asked Oyá for her blessing, yet inwardly he felt envy at the sight of Oyá’s greatness. So he said to himself: «I am going to Olofin’s house, because I cannot go on like this. I need to have authority and to do as I please, for there is no one more important in the world. Everyone will have to live at my mercy and do as I command.»

Elegbá arrived at Olofin’s house playing the humblest and saddest of creatures. He wept as he said to Olofin: «Baba, please bless me, for I am nobody in this world.» Olofin answered: «If you wish to be somebody, you will be.» Elegbá then said: «Send me to a place where I can have authority.»

Olofin, who knew Elegbá well and knew what he was capable of, since he had never been anyone of importance, kept him for three days in order to give him counsel. Elegbá, however, was thinking only of what he intended to do. Olofin asked him whether he was listening, and he answered that he was. Then Olofin warned him: «If you do not follow my instructions, you may lose your life or your reason.»

When the three days had passed, Olofin sent him to the land of Obainile. Elegbá thought he could never triumph in that land and said to himself: «To succeed, I must go to the land of Obarioda», for he knew Oyá was visiting that place. Elegbá reckoned that there was a great deal of sand in that land and that, with his skill, he could make everyone contract a sickness called «intori Arun Oyu«, and so rule and become master of the whole world, since that sickness would turn into an epidemic and spread everywhere.

When Elegbá arrived, they began washing everyone’s head and performing ceremonies on all the people so that they would fall into «biri Ofo» and «osa Ofo». In those lands there lived an awó named Osa Obarioda Ojuani Shober, who went out to receive Oyá carrying a cowbell and a sheath, singing: «Oyá Nile Unlo Obara Loda Oyá Di Unlo Obara Sorde Ojuani Shober Eshu Ba».

Oyá heard that song and hurried to the land of Obarioda. When she met the awó she asked him what was happening, and he told her: «Elegbá has come and has left everyone blind; they have all lost their memory.» Oyá ran out and, in a bag she carried with her, mixed the sand with the eñi adie and made a paste. She called everyone and told them to wash with that paste. Olofin, who was watching it all, sent down a ray of sunlight that raised a great heat and fired the paste Oyá had made, forming glass.

Olofin rebuked Elegbá and told him: «You should not have done what you did; you had only to speak with me in complete sincerity. Even so, here is the great power you needed. Although you are young, you will have to wear eyeglasses in order to see both the elders and the younger ones. In time you will have to change the lenses in order to go on seeing the curse you yourself created.»

The eyeglasses are represented in Elegbá by the cowries placed on him. With them he can see everything, and the cowry set in his mouth goes and tells it all to Orunmila and to Olofin. Everyone who has this sign must wear dark glasses, even if their eyesight is sound.

The path of Eshu Fekun

In the land of Boshele Iña Enifa lived Elegbá, who was called Eshu Fekun. He was always full of force and evil intent, never satisfied with anything that happened in that land. He dressed in leopard skin and went out at night to kill everyone he met on his way. He chewed eran malu to try to calm himself a little, praying: «baba Osha Guidi Moguo Ogo Oggún Ofeselu Eshu Fekun Moyeni Eran Eleni Kue». After chewing it he scattered it over the whole land, stirring fury in everyone, and so tragedy was born among the people.

In that land there lived a king named Omi Yekun, whose wife was jealous of the many women her husband kept. She met Eshu Fekun, and he told her: «If you bring me something of his, I will secure him for you.» Eshu Fekun then went and told Omi Yekun that his wife wanted to kill him. So, while he slept, she came with a knife, and just as she was about to cut something from him he woke and believed his wife meant to kill him, and a great fight broke out between Omi Yekun and his wife.

They had a son named Ibelario, who had great faith in Orunmila. Witnessing the conflict between his parents, he decided to go to the house of Awo Alaobe Larinifa, cleansing himself along the way with a black hen and singing: «Sarayeye Omo Ibelario Aba Enigua Obikete Iya Boya».

When he reached Awo Alaobe Larinifa he was given a reading of Ifá, and Ojuani Shobe came out. The awó told Ibelario that he was coming to face great troubles in his land, where everyone quarrelled and no one understood one another because of Eshu Fekun’s evil influence. He explained that the problem had to be addressed, and said: «Let us go to that land, but we must keep our mission secret when we arrive.» They took a black and white rooster, osun and charcoal, and set out.

When they reached the land of Boshele Iña Enifa, Awo Alaobe Larinifa said to Ibelario: «Take three stones from this land. Paint one of them with Oggún, the second with charcoal, and the third paint with ojuani shobe.» They placed them in a vessel called igba and added various herbs. Then they took some leaves of the sensitive plant and yamao to cover the igba, and finally buried it at the entrance to that land. Awo Alaobe Larinifa said: «Now we can look for Eshu Fekun and put an end to the great tragedy, for whenever he commits his misdeeds he goes to Inle Onika to refresh himself.» They took an agogo and set off for Inle Onika, singing «Ibara Loshoro Eshu Fekun Odara Enifa Loshoro Loshoro Loma».

Another version of the destruction of the kingdom

Amid that turmoil, Elegbara watched from the shadows as the kingdom sank into chaos. Although he had done his part in warning the king and the prince of the dangers at hand, the queen had not honoured his request for an offering. Elegbara’s spirit grew sorrowful at witnessing the tragedy unleashed by the queen’s disobedience.

The struggle in the palace grew fiercer as the supporters of the king and of the prince fought one another savagely. Swords clashed, cries echoed, and chaos took hold of the royal corridors. Elegbara, weighed down by the outcome of his own actions, decided to step in and put an end to the unbridled violence.

With his spiritual power, Elegbara calmed the combatants and raised an invisible barrier that parted the two sides. In silence, the spirit wandered through the palace, taking stock of the harm the rebellion had done. The lifeless bodies of those loyal to the king and to the prince lay scattered along the corridors, while sorrow filled every corner.

Elegbara approached the queen, who still held the blood-stained blade. Her gaze reflected remorse and despair. The spirit confronted her with words full of wisdom and pain:

«Queen, your disobedience has unleashed a tragedy that has destroyed this kingdom. My intention was to help you recover your position, but you refused my offering and let loose this chaos. Now we face the consequences of your actions.»

The queen, overwhelmed with guilt, fell to her knees and begged forgiveness. Elegbara, his face unmoved, went on:

«The destruction of this kingdom is a reminder of how important it is to honour agreements and warnings. Your ambition and your contempt for my request have brought suffering and the loss of innocent lives. Now you must face the consequences of your deeds.»

Elegbara slowly faded away, leaving the queen kneeling in the midst of the desolation. The fate of the kingdom and her own standing as queen lay in ruins, and nothing remained but pain and remorse as silent witnesses to the tragedy she herself had brought about.