Otura Aira

The path of the fox

Eshu, in the land of Orundó, had a brotherhood made up of the iguatos eni, fox-men whose amusement lay in playing pranks. They gathered in the Obe hills. One day Eshu saw two foxes leaning against a tree, talking and displaying strange signs of their secret religion. One of them held a paper in his hand. Ode fired at the fox holding the paper, wounded him, and kept the paper, which contained the secrets of the world beyond. On returning to his home (ile), Ode went into a tavern to drink oti and shared his adventure with everyone there. Among them was a strange figure who was wounded and who asked about the paper. As Ode was about to show it to him, the tavern keeper saw that the stranger had a tail and shouted: «He is an iguato!» The stranger transformed and fled.

Ode consulted Ifá seeking guidance, and Otura Ira came out, which instructed him to perform an ebbó and to feed Eshu in order to appease him, since he had tried to learn secrets that were not his to know. Ode performed the ebbó, but did not give Eshu what Orunmila had indicated, and decided to return home. On the way he met his whole family, who were setting out for another town. They said that he himself had ordered them to make that journey, by means of a letter he had sent to his mother. Ode examined the letter and saw that it was a blank sheet of paper. Although they now had no roof over their heads, he decided to go back. The next day a younger brother appeared, whom everyone believed dead, and he asked about the misfortunes that had befallen them. Ode told him everything. «Ah!» exclaimed the brother. «There lies the root of all the harm. You set out to master and direct secrets that are not yours, and you mocked Eshu.» Ode showed his brother the paper with the secrets, and the brother snatched it from his hands and hurriedly put it away. «Iboru, Iboya, at last you have recovered what you were looking for,» said the brother, and he transformed into an iguato. Eshu departed, leaving Otura Ira without the secrets and without direction.

Otura ogunda, the son of Oggún

Whoever has this path must take Ozain, and their Oggún must be reinforced. It is also fed with eran malu. The inshe carries iron filings.

In the land of Onibari there lived an awo named Omo Otura Ira, who was a son of Ogún. This awo devoted himself entirely to his work, which consisted of selling and doing business. Even so, he was hounded by the law and did not prosper, living in misery. He did not trouble himself to go and see Orunmila, nor his father, whom he had never known since he was born. On one occasion, Elegbá was passing by with Shangó and saw Awo Otura Ira sitting on a street corner weeping. Elegbá said to Shangó: «Look at that man sitting there crying!» And Shangó answered: «That one cares nothing for Orunmila or for anything else.»

Time passed, and one day Elegbá met him again in the same state and asked him what was wrong. Awo Otura Ira told Elegbá everything, and Elegbá passed his hand over his head and recited: «leri Arála Omo Niye Arála, Ogún Kaposi Oniré, Ewá Nilodé. Otá Ni Osiní Ifá, Orunmila Kobéo». Then he poured oñí (sacred powder) on his head and told him to go back home, since he would come for him later to take him to Orunmila’s house. So they did, and Elegbá took a cowbell he had and said to Awo Otura Ira: «Go along ringing it,» while Elegbá sang: «yalereo Ledeo Ifá Muyorde, Yalere Ladeo Ifá Gualode, Omo Otura Ira Ni Shangó Gogoni Ifá Ladeo Ifá Morala».

Suddenly Shangó appeared, and Elegbá said to him: «He must be saved; he must be taken to the foot of Orunmila to see what can be done.» Shangó was carrying two adié (roosters) and handed them over so that they could be given to Ifá when they reached Orunmila’s house. Elegbá, Shangó and the Awo arrived at the house of Ifá, paid homage to Orunmila, knelt down, and Otura Ira handed him the roosters so that he might give them to Ifá. Orunmila cleansed him with the roosters, and as he cleansed him he sang: «Ifá Ya Nifa, Ifá Lode Moyaba«.

Elegbá and Shangó tore his clothes off him and gave him a bath of specific herbs. They handed him a change of clothes and offered the adié to Ifá. They prayed over a piece of tiger hide, and Elegbá told him: «Go to the bush; there you will find your fortune.» No one else could go in, only Orunmila, since there were great secrets there. Ogún, who was the father of Otura Ira, came and took up his machete, asking him: «What have you come looking for here?» Otura Ira showed him a piece of tiger hide, and Ogún asked: «Who sends you?» Otura Ira answered: «Orunmila, because you are my father and I am going through many hardships for no reason.»

Ogún said: «I am going to forgive you because Orunmila sends you, but you may never come back here again.» Then he handed him a pod of áira and told him that, on leaving there, he should give one to Elegbá so that he might break it on his behalf, another to Shangó, and take the last to Orunmila, since they would know what to do with them to change his fortune and keep the law from hounding him. Ogún had him sit on a stone and said: «Wait.» Then he took a piece of tiger hide, made him an amulet and handed it to him. When Otura Ira left the bush, he did everything exactly as Ogún had told him. Elegbá took his pod, Shangó took his, and Orunmila took his as well. And so prosperity came to Otura Ira.

Orunmila and the king’s banner

There was a king in the city who had the exclusive privilege of flying a banner at his door as a mark of distinction. One day, however, an awo arrived in that town and, wishing to make himself known, put up another banner. He was immediately denounced to the king, who sent for him to learn the purpose of that banner. When the awo came before the king, he explained that he had put up the banner because he was a diviner and wished to announce himself as such.

The king decided to prepare a secret test to verify the awo’s truthfulness and, in the presence of the court, laid down a condition: if within three days he failed to divine the contents of the three gourds the king owned, he would be put to death. Before this, Orunmila had fed his head, and in these circumstances he began to think how to come out well from such a compromising situation. At that moment the king’s guards brought in a captured woman and put her in the same prison where Orunmila was. The woman began to pester Orunmila, asking him for water, tobacco and food, and he granted her those requests.

Later the woman fell asleep, and on waking she revealed to Orunmila that she had dreamt of the king, who had shut her up there because Orunmila had not divined what he had put inside the gourds. The woman told him that in one of the gourds there was eku, in another eya, and in the third epo. Orunmila thanked the woman and, when the appointed term arrived, he was brought before the court. Orunmila told the king that in each of those gourds there was eku, eya and epo, leaving the king and his court astonished at Orunmila’s faculties. From that day on, the king authorised Orunmila to fly a banner just like his own.

The hunter

A hunter who supported his family had had several bad days without catching anything. He had nothing to take home, but in those last days he brought down an elephant and lay back under a tree. Suddenly myrrh fell into his mouth, and he felt greatly satisfied with the good money he had made. He said: «Not even the king is above me.» At that moment the soldiers passed by and, hearing that saying, paid him homage and handed him a great sum of money. What a fortune! Ayapa, aikordie.

Adeyeni was the name of the king

Adeyemi was the name of the king of the land of Waralounde, who was very intelligent and a diviner. He had a great gift for uncovering each person’s secrets. He was, however, much envied, and there were people who wished him not to rule over that land. His chief enemy was Baba Araku, known as the father of anguish, who began preparing awo’s works against him to prevent Adeyemi’s success. For this reason, he decided to go to the house of Orula, known as Baba Le Awo in that land, since he also had family troubles and could find no peace.

Adeyemi’s divinatory name was Otura Ira, which was his sign. On the day he went to Orula’s house, Baba Le Awo and Baba Shiriqui Awo, who was the priest of Ozain in that land, were gathered there. They told Adeyemi that he needed to perform an ebbó and a great ceremony with Ozain and Oggún at the seashore, invoking Orun. Olokun revealed his great secret concerning the land of Wakalauke, saying that Otura Ira flew over the sea and fell inside Oggún. Thus Adeyemi Awo Ifá ni Otura Ira was able to resolve his great vision and defeat Baba Awako, his great enemy.

In this Ifá, the greatest thing is the state of anguish that is so often lived through.