Oshe Tura

Why Oshe Tura is written on the right-hand side of the board

On one occasion, the sixteen kings (the meyis of Ifá) refused to take Oshe Tura into account. Olofin summoned all the meyis to his house, but they would not accept Olofin’s decision that they would always have to count on Oshe Tura for everything, since he was the owner of ashé.

Shangó, from heaven, saw the arrogance and the disrespect of the meyis of Ifá towards Olofin. He hurled a lightning bolt to earth that marked Oshe Tura at the highest point and on the right-hand side of the board, and it burnt down the house where they were gathered. Seeing this, Olofin pronounced: «From this day on, every awó of Orunmila will have to write Oshe Tura on the right and at the highest part of the board each time he is going to make ebbó.»

For that reason, each time an ebbó is to be made, whether by an oddun omolu or an oddun meyi, Oshe Tura must be written on the board to the right and at its highest point, since, although in the latter case the position of the meyis changes on the board, the oddun Oshe Tura never changes position, in accordance with Olofin’s sentence.

After the ebbó it is asked where the board presented to Olofin is to be placed. Here Shangó also governs.

The dog and the rooster

In this Ifá, at the beginning of the world, Obatalá was old and had to walk the world that Olofin had handed over to him. Because his hair was grey, the young ones mocked him and threw a stone at him. Obatalá cursed them, saying: «May all of you fall ill and die.» The Oshas learned of Obatalá’s curse and went to ask him to forgive them. He told them to bring a dog and a rooster and make them fight. If the dog defeated the rooster, the world would end; but if the rooster defeated the dog, the world would go on. In the fight, the rooster defeated the dog and everything went on peacefully.

This Ifá shows a lack of respect and consideration from children towards their parents. It serves both to raise up and to curse. If an ebbó is made with akuko and aya, it is for war. If it is to raise up, it takes only akuko. It also indicates that the person’s father will die before long. If the father has already passed, an akuko is offered to him on a needle. One must not live next to the father.

The ayapa and the abo

The turtle tried to walk, but the three güiros she carried on her back made walking very difficult. Then she met the ram, who told her to break the güiros; since she could not do it by herself, however, she asked him for help, and with his horns he managed to break them.

The two of them travelled to Shangó’s house and, once there, reported what had happened. This enraged Shangó so much that he sent for Oggún Arere to sacrifice the ram and the turtle. He ordered this because the turtle had failed to carry out the errand Shangó had entrusted to her, and the ram had stuck his nose into a matter that was none of his business.

Along this path Oggún also eats ram and turtle, but the ram given to Oggún must have horns.

Because of the turtle the world was left switched around

The turtle believed she would be the only one with intelligence if she could take the brains out of all the other humans and pour them into a gourd. So she waited until everyone was asleep to carry out her plan. She first took out her own brains, mixed them with the rest and tried to place the mixture on her head. But since she carried the little gourd around her neck, she could not climb a tree.

A man named Elegbá then advised her to hang the little gourd in another way, but the turtle became so angry at this advice that she threw the gourd to the ground, scattering the brains everywhere. Elegbá then ran to Orunmila’s house and told him what had happened. Orunmila went to the place, but he could not tell which brain belonged to each person, and they were all left switched around.

Oduduwa wanted to create human beings

When Odudua decided to create human beings, he began by making the dangerous Oshas. He sowed Oggún, Babalú Ayé, Elegbá, Shangó and the Ibeyis in the world. Afterwards, he decided to place 16 creatures in the world: 8 men and 8 women. They were accompanied by a guardian angel who deposited in the belly of the first man a seed to fertilize the first woman. In this way, Odudua’s 16 creatures descended to earth.

But one day Elegbá decided to break the frail breathing organ of one of those creatures; she was left lifeless and all the Oshas withdrew. A few days later Elegbá killed a second creature and a third, and only 13 creatures remained; the three that were killed returned after their death to Odudua’s side by way of the wind. Odudua said to himself: «I wished to order the world so that all might live in peace, and behold, the Oshas have overturned my plans; I must call them all to heaven together with the first man, and summon them on the seventh day.»

The first man and his wife, both with their protectors, wondered what consequences their decision would bring. They sat on a small hill and asked themselves how they had been chosen. The man consulted Ifá, casting his ekuele, and Oshe Tura came out, who advised him to make ebbó. The ebbó consisted of buying two portions of earth: over the first he was to pour fish sauce, while on the second he was to place 16 balls of eko, 41 little shells and 16 more, and season it all generously with pepper and salt. Then he was to set the portions of earth on the bank of a river and, on the sixth day, set out to visit Odudua and the protecting messengers of Odudua before the Oshas.

The Oshas watched the protectors move away and rejoiced, for soon they would enter the houses of men to dance and beat the drum. At last they reached the riverbank and discovered the settings with their edible contents. Since they were hungry, they devoured everything, including Odudua’s prohibitions, the salt and the pepper, and then they fell asleep.

Odudua, however, sent a canoe to collect his messengers. The canoe’s boatman objected that he had been ordered to carry everyone at the same time, but the protectors insisted and offered him as a gift the 41 little shells and the 16 more that remained in one of the settings. The boatman, delighted to see that he would have to wait a long time for the owner of the shells, left the protectors where they were and took the canoe away. Later he made a second trip to collect them.

The messengers presented themselves before Odudua and he asked them: «Have you killed anyone in the world?» To which they answered: «No, we have never done such a thing.» He also asked them whether they had tried to eat his prohibitions, to which they answered that they had not. Then Odudua said to them: «Come to my right-hand side and I will protect you under my arm and my cloth.»

Meanwhile, the Oshas had just arrived and made a great uproar at Odudua’s door, coming in noisily, singing and shouting. Odudua cried out: «Silence, be still. Is it true that you have killed the creatures I sent into the world?» The Oshas admitted that they had. Then Odudua asked them: «Is it true that you have eaten my prohibitions?» To which they answered: «Yes, one day we were hungry and we found something to eat on the riverbank.»

Odudua cried out: «Get away from me!» and he drew all the messengers out from his breast. He added: «From today, the protectors are blessed by me. They will command and you will obey. Now return to the world you came from.» That is why the protectors (guardian angels) are stronger than the Oshas. When someone’s protector has not consented to the harm the Oshas wish to do them, that harm cannot reach its target.

Then the Oshas gathered again and agreed that they would meet every 7 days to deal with their affairs. If any Osha wishes to carry out a work of black magic, he will do it on the seventh day. Ifá, however, decides otherwise, and I will not accept that the seventh day be set for any work carried out in my name.

The ashé of Oshe Tura

Olofin summoned all the odduns to assign each one a position. The first odduns to come into his presence were named meyis, or kings, by Olofin. Afterwards the remaining odduns arrived and Olofin granted each its corresponding position and characteristics. When Oshe Tura’s turn came, Olofin granted him the ashé.

After a time, the other odduns, full of envy, tried to steal Oshe Tura’s ashé, including all the powders he kept in his house. Oshe Tura’s wife handed them over, and they went straight to Olofin’s house to tell him that Oshe Tura had no ashé. They asked Olofin to summon him and question him to prove it. Olofin did so, but when he asked Oshe Tura, he answered that his ashé was in his mouth and that no one could take it from him.

At that moment Olofin blessed him, telling him that everything he said would come true and that from then on he would hold an important place on the left-hand side and would be needed at all times. To Iban Eshu.

To the person for whom this Ifá comes out, it is said: there is someone who claims to know nothing and whom others have tried to discredit, but as long as their Guardian Angel does not abandon them and they are faithful in their obligations, let them laugh at the world.

Where the secret of giving the ashé of the word to the orisha was born

When Oshe Tura came into the world by Olofin’s command, he realised that people were in the world without being able to speak, and that Eleda lived in the shadows: he could only see, but not speak. Oshe Tura went back to Olofin to tell him that the Orishas performed every ceremony of worship entrusted to them, but they spoke only through Ifá and the dilogun, just as Olofin had arranged. Moreover, only the Ebbora (eggun) could speak, and that was not right, since Eleda, being so great and powerful, had no authority to speak.

Olofin summoned Orunmila and asked him what was happening. Orunmila informed him that when Iwon Boshenshe came to earth, he refused the head of a mortal in order to be able to speak. At this, Olofin said: «Very well, we shall respect the oath of Iwon Boshenshe for you and your children, but it is necessary that Eleda be able to speak.» Then Olofin decided to send Oshe Tura back to earth with the mission of preparing it so that this purpose could be fulfilled.

Ifá made an ebbó for Oshe Tura with etu and a razor, eru, obi, kola, erogbo, eñi, eku, eya, awado. Then he explained to Oshe Tura how to use the power he now held, which was new to him. After Oshe Tura had learnt the functions of his office, he returned to earth. In Ifá, he called all the Orishas and told them: «You know me, I am Oshe Tura, the owner of the ashé by virtue of Olodumare. My name is Asheda and I am the one who gives Eleda the authority to speak.» All the Orishas were present except Olokun, Boromu, Brosia, Orishaoko, Oba, Ozain and Ayao, who were very far away and did not agree to take part in the preparation of all this.

Oshe Tura lined the Orishas up and told them: «Emi lenu, put out your tongues.» Then he took his razor and made a cross-shaped mark on each tongue, placed ashé, eñi, awado, eku, eya on them, and told them: «Close.» Afterwards he took the etu and touched each one with the eleke of his atiki, so that they would keep it as a remembrance of this work.

Since then, Eleda, under the name of Asheda Orisha, is empowered to speak as an Orisha on behalf of each human being. All the Orishas lower the head of a mortal, except Orunmila and those who did not attend the ceremony that Oshe Tura carried out by Olofin’s command. Orunmila does not do so because of the oath of Iwon Boshenshe, since the oaths of Ifá are never broken on earth.

He who talks too much loses everything

There was once a hunter who went into the bush to hunt and met the king of the bush. The king asked him what he was doing there, and the hunter answered that he was looking for game to eat. Then the king gave him two pods and told him: «When you get home, sow them so that you never lack food, but never share your secret with anyone.»

The hunter went home and sowed the pods as the king of the bush had told him, and from that day on he had food enough and everything he needed. One day the king of that town called for him and told him he had learned that the hunter kept a secret that made him the richest of all, to the point of surpassing the king himself.

The hunter then revealed to the king of the town the secret the king of the bush had given him, even though he had been asked not to share it with anyone. From that moment on, the hunter fell back into misery and returned to the bush to hunt once more.

When the hunter entered the bush, the king of the bush asked him what he was looking for there. The hunter told him that he was in a bad way because he had sold the secret to the king of the town. In answer, the king of the bush cut off his head.

Along this path, one must not tell the secret that favours one, for he who talks too much loses everything, even his own life. One must be discreet about one’s own affairs and about other people’s; no one can be trusted.

Why the ebbó must begin by calling on Oshe Tura

Olofin summoned all the signs so that each might ask for what it wished to be. All the meyis asked to be kings in order to rule, but when Oshe Tura came, he asked only for the ashé, and Olofin granted him everything he asked. From then on, when the kings made ebbó, they had to give Oshe Tura a piece and a half.

Oshe Tura lived without working and felt very proud. The day came when he refused to keep handing over the ashé to the kings, which led the kings to complain to Olofin. Olofin, however, settled nothing, because he had granted each one what they had asked for. Instead, he suggested that they try to buy the ashé from Oshe Tura.

So Obedi, a very beautiful bird, went to Oshe Tura’s house, but he was not there. Only his wife was, who was a daughter of Oshún. Obedi asked her for Oshe Tura and she answered that he had gone out.

Obedi asked Oshe Tura’s wife where the ashé was, and she showed it to him. Obedi tried to win her over, telling her that his own ashé was better than Oshe Tura’s, since he made it with feathers, but she agreed only to be with him and not to give him the ashé.

Obedi left and told the other kings that he knew where the ashé was. They all went to Oshe Tura’s house, but by the time they arrived he had already gone. They found him on the road and asked him to sell them the ashé, but he refused.

Then they all agreed to try to take it from him by mocking him, telling him that he had lost the ashé and that he could not live with his wife. Oshe Tura, enraged, showed them that he still had the ashé and blew and said: «Afefe Ashe nateye inyabanu borotiti», and the ashé went out from him.

Hours later, Olofin held a feast attended by the kings and the 16 meyis. Olofin told them, however, that they were not complete, and that one was missing who, small though he was, was indispensable. The meyis denied that anyone was missing.

Suddenly it began to rain and a lightning bolt fell, setting the house on fire. Then Olofin told them that from that moment on they must count on Oshe Tura in order to be received in heaven. He also told them that if the ebbó was not written on the right-hand side of the board, it was not right. Since then, every ebbó must begin with Oshe Tura, calling on him first.

The trap

The chameleon was being chased by boys and other enemies, so he made ebbó with akuko, eyele, 2 adie, 9 needles, cloths of 9 colours and 7 rods, and he dug a hole. After finishing the ebbó, he hung the coloured cloths on a tree with a needle at each end and went away thinking about each one of them.

When the pursuers went to take the cloths, the needles pierced them and they fell into the hole, which was covered over with the rods and with aguire herbs cologuo teni anu aguire imbagui Olodumare.

The ebbó was carried to heaven by Oshe Tura and Olofin was healed, and that is why he is called first: «Tonto Ologuo Tife Lo Bona Adifafun Abere Cucu Tintole Eto Lolle Obo Mecu».