Otura Ofun

Iya Yeyekun and her children

In the land of Ñi Dilogun lived Iya Yeyekun, who held great power over her children, who were also children of Olokun and were enslaved despite being intelligent and strong of character. Iya Yeyekun had sworn them into a great secret of Orun, and every three months she took them before that secret power, performed misi misi and offered them three eyele, while calling upon Orun with this chant: «belekun Orun Leo Orun Olei Orun Lale Orun Eggun Eggun Misi Misi Janire Ikú Awa Orun». Orun was greatly pleased, but each time they did this, Olokun grew angry.

One day, while they were performing this ceremony, Ozain happened to be in a crab burrow near Iya Yeyekun’s secret, and when they began to sing, he answered them: «seye Seye Lokun Seye Eggun Orunmila Leo Kiri Laleke Olokun Tenigua Nile Eni Wa Olokun». When Ozain finished singing, he lit a lamp with various igui and epó, which frightened Iya Yeyekun and her children, and they abandoned the secret. Olokun was already weary of warning Iya Yeyekun about what her children were doing, but she paid him no heed. One day, Ikú (death) came out onto the road with her agogó, singing: «Ozain Sese Nilorun Eggun Oba Inu Ozain Wa Olokun Ozain Gunle Orun Lalakaresa Lorun Ozain Orun Lele».

Ozain came out and asked Ikú whether she was calling him or Orun, and Ikú answered that she was calling him, so that he would go to Olokun and tell him to go and see Orunmila. Olokun went to Orunmila’s house, and Orunmila made osode for him and saw this Ifá, and told him he had to make ebbo and take it to the foot of this Ozain so that all evil would end. He also told him he had to make Ifá for his eldest son, but that first they had to swear him into Ozain. When Olokun returned from Orunmila’s house, he told Ozain everything he had been told. Ozain answered him: «Go back to Orunmila’s house so that he may make the ebbo for you, and afterwards bring it to me. You must also take many crabs from the sea and put them in the burrows behind Iya Yeyekun’s secret».

So Olokun did, and when Iya Yeyekun and her children performed their usual ceremony before their secret, Ozain introduced gunpowder through the back of the crab burrow, and they all came out and entered the room of Iya Yeyekun’s secret. Seeing this, she took fright and fled together with her children. Ozain was greatly pleased and took three eyele and offered them to the secret, singing:

«sarayeye Eggun Belekun Lona, Sarayeye Eggun Belekun Lona». Iya Yeyekun fell with awashe and became osiere, fleeing from those places. Olokun and Ozain followed her, and when they caught up with her, she knelt before Ozain and Olokun, begged their forgiveness and handed over her children. Ozain swore in Olokun’s children and granted them great power. He took away the bad temper they had and sent them to make Ifá.

Illness was born

In the land of Adakoy Epo lived Ogún, who was a great friend of Ikú, so much so that they always went about together. In that land there also lived a sister of Yewá, a woman who was a witch and was called Iyami Oshorounga. She lived at the back of Yewá’s house and was likewise a close friend of Ogún and Ikú. Iyami Oshorounga was in charge of bringing food to Yewá’s house. Orunmila had warned Ogún that tragedy reigned in that land and that he could not drink alcohol, for he could be lost.

Iyami Oshorounga had her secret buried in Onika, next to the house of Olokun, her brother. Every night, in Yewá’s ile, she turned into eiye oru (a bird of the night) and made her way to Olokun’s house, singing: «oshorounga Eiye Abakue Olugbago Olokun Oyi Kutu Kutu Asho Ago Aboñu». Then all the pregnant women miscarried their omo titun and they were taken to Yewá’s house, and in this way Yewá’s family was fed. In that land there was a young man named Shawere Guegue, who was angered by this and always reproached Ogún for his friendship with Ikú. He and another young man agreed to set a trap for Ogún and took him to the palm-wine house, where they gave him so much that Ogún got drunk and left the tavern singing: «eletiti Moro Apa Otun Ni Motiniye Akua Osi Ni Mosiye».

At that moment Ikú was drawing near and stumbled into Ogún. As Ogún was drunk, he did not recognise her and cut off her hand. Ikú ran off leaving a trail of blood, and all who stepped in it fell ill. Ogún was like a madman, striking out with his machete on every side, and all the people of the land of Adakoy were sick and terrified of Ogún and Ikú. Then Shawere Guegue went to Orunmila’s house, and Orunmila saw this oddun for him and told him that so that no one else would fall ill, they had to take epó; and he and everyone else ate it with omi, and so freed themselves from the illness. They went to look for Iyami Shorounga, singing: «Ogún Koniye Ki Iyami Oshorounga Ilere Lobikan Iba Ogún».

When she heard the chant, she appeared and they told her everything. She went with them to look for Ogún, and when they reached the land of Adakoy, Ogún was out of control, striking with his machete everywhere. She approached Ogún and sang to him: «baba Yewe Ogún Kuele Kuele Ogún Kuele Kuele Yewe Kuele Kuele», and Ogún gradually grew calm.

I took Iyami Oshorounga to Orunmila’s house, and Oggún knelt before Olofin and Orunmila. Olofin said to him: «From today on, in the land of Adakoy, drink will be known no more, and those who stepped in Ikú’s blood will go on spreading illness. Iya Oshorounga, together with Orunmila, Olokun and Yewá, will always guide this land, though it will always remain sick».

Another version of the previous patakin

There was an awó who never made ebbo and always lived off others. On one occasion, while he was performing osun, he came upon this Ifá, which warned him that death was coming in search of him. So he made ebbo, the news spread and the town was astonished.

He warned all the young men about the day of the rogación, and egun appeared, and Aro Ogún got drunk because the awó offered him abundant food and drink. The one in charge also became drunk with the intention of killing the awó, but the awó cut off one of illness’s hands and was saved. Death comes led by Ogún.

Here the secret of misery was born

In the land of Tobaye Lele Inle there lived an awó named Morere Awo, who governed the misery of ofo (loss), which he had spread throughout the world. Yet Morere Awo was never ill, and he was always asking his iyare Ñaña Yelele to help him and give him more power. Ñaña Yelele lived in distress at her son’s conduct, his constant dissatisfaction and the evil deeds he committed. Morere Awo did not follow the counsel she gave him nor pay her any heed; instead he did the very opposite of what she told him. For these reasons, Ñaña Yelele decided to withdraw and live in a corner of a poplar tree, where she rested from the weariness her son caused her.

One day Ñaña Yelele woke in great fright and began to sing: «obanile Lelele Intori Aron Obanile». Her voice was carried far by the force of the wind and was heard by Olofin, but he made light of it. Then the voice reached the land of Modabala Inle, where Bayebi Awo lived. He heard that voice for several days, until one night, at twelve exactly, he called Ñaña Yelele three times at the foot of a poplar tree and began to sing: «Umbo Nile Nile Umbo Nile Nile Oba Olele Intori Aron Bele».

He kept performing this ceremony for 7 days, and at the end of them Oyá came to visit them and they told her what was happening. She answered: «What is happening is that misery is never satisfied with anything. I will help you». Oyá cast ashé upon Intori Aron so that he would have that strength and gave him her blessing. She then set out for the land of Tobaye Lele Inle, arriving there at midnight. The first thing she found, lying against the poplar tree, was Ñaña Yelele, whom she made ill on the spot so that she could not move.

In the morning, when Morere Awo saw the state his mother was in, he paid it no attention whatsoever. But she, seeing what kind of man her son was, made the whole land of Tobaye Lele Inle fall ill. When Morere Awo saw that misery and illness had joined together in his land, he took great fright and in desperation went to where Olofin was. There he was received by Elegbá, who told him: «You cannot see Olofin; it is I who must carry your thoughts to him. And the truth is that illness, the curse and misery — no one in the world can bear them. You have not wished to be good, because out of evil good is also born, and you carry the curse of contempt». Hearing this, Morere ran off in search of Oyá, and she told him: «You have what you deserve. Even so, I am going to help you and I am going to help the world, so that there will not be illness, misery and, in some measure, death».

To the ebbo, 9 little pieces of coconut already used; the etu is given to the omiero and the osiadie for oparaldo and goes inside the ebbo, 9 akara fule and 1 eyele for Oggún’s unyen; the figure is first placed in rotted omiero, and three days after the ebbo has been made, Oyá and Elegbá are asked what eyebale they want. Here the secret of misery was born, as well as the union of misery and illness.

Whoever has this sign, however well off he may be, always has something of misery or illness about him.

On this path nasal secretions were born

On this path, Oshanlá lived in the land of Inle Fakun and outwardly always seemed cheerful, but she had sent her children to the land of Ayebo Eka Eri and knew nothing of them. In that land lived Nana, who with the secretions of her mucus kept that land full of the sick, and all who lived there were going through hardship. One day Oshanlá, in desperation, made an ebo with eku, eya, shawerekuekue and aberikunlo, while singing: «Olofin, forgive; let the eye of the eku open, let the eye of the eya open, there is trouble, my lady, oh Lord of creation, please save Olokun».

Olofin heard her, but since he was displeased with her because Oshanlá was always angry, he paid her no attention. After 16 days, Oshanlá made the same call again, but this time she had an eku tied in her hand. Olofin heard her once more and said: «She is asking forgiveness in order to save her child». Then Olofin answered Oshanlá and told her: «I see what is being asked of me and I am going to grant it, because I see that you are a good mother». Olofin sent for Oluo Popo, and when he arrived he told him: «You — your Iyare Nana has made all of Oshanlá’s children sick and the land is full of rot. You do this out of malice, and you are the only one who can save that people. But before you go, I am going to give you food, and then you must cover your whole body with eyo, eran and juju. When you reach the land of Ayebo Eka Eri, you will cleanse it completely with your feathers, and with the eran you will cleanse Nana’s face. With the ere you will plead with her and take her out of that land, so that illness, the curse and loss will come to an end in that place».

When Oluo Popo reached the land of Ayebo Eka Eri it was before dawn and Nana was asleep, so he was able to carry out every operation exactly as Olofin had instructed him. Then he went to Nana, asked her forgiveness, cleansed her and told her: «From this moment on, so that you may receive Olofin’s blessing, you must help me undo all the evil you have done in this land and to Oshanlá’s own. You will set them free so that they may return to their mother’s side. In that way you will receive Olofin’s blessing». Everything was done as instructed, and happiness returned to the land of Inle Fakun when all of Oshanlá’s children came back to her.

When the bath with eyerbale of eku is being given, this is sung: Equepe Yere Mayere Omo Oshanlá Fidere.

Olofin’s responsibility

This was the time when a great responsibility rested upon Olofin, for it was the beginning of the world and, naturally, everything was still to be made. So Olofin decided that Obatalá should take an important part in the great task he intended to carry out, since Obatalá possessed the knowledge and the faculties for the shaping of the things of life. Accordingly, Olofin granted him great powers and prerogatives, placing all his trust in him for the work entrusted to him. In keeping with this, Obatalá had a place set apart for his work, as well as phenomena of the other world at his orders.

Because of this distinction that Olofin conferred on Obatalá, he grew proud and began to behave harshly with the other orishas, to the point that one day they came to him to ask for explanations for the complaints the other orishas were bringing, and he drove them all away from his side. Then Eshu went to where Olofin was and told him what was happening. The next day, when Obatalá arrived at the place where his secrets were, he found that the phenomena he commanded and that obeyed him were destroyed in such a way that his secret no longer fitted in his head as he tried to grasp how everything could be in that state of neglect and disorder. There was a head on its own, a leg on its own, the arms on their own, the feet on their own, and so on.

Obatalá began to call those beings by name, and they answered him; but when Obatalá ordered them to do something, they replied: «I cannot, baba, because I am missing this or that», and the rest answered the same. Seeing so much desolation and disorder, Obatalá’s mind could bear no more, and he began to weep; convulsions came over him and mucus poured continually from his nose. He put both hands to his face and left that place with no course, until he came to a thicket far from there. There he stopped, senseless, until one day Elegbá passed by and was startled to see Obatalá in such a dejected state, weeping and expelling mucus from his nose.

Elegbá went to Olofin and told him the lamentable state Obatalá was in, and Olofin said to him: «Obatalá is the same as you and the same as any orisha, and I have granted him more power for being tala, which is the one who pours out over the whole extension. But that tala is a spirit, an eggun». Elegbá said to him: «But we need that baba, since you placed him at the head for the good of us all, for his purified soul and for the guidance of us all».

Then Olofin said to him: «Bring him to me here». Elegbá went back to where Obatalá was and took him by the hand to guide him; but before going to where Olofin was, they entered Orunmila’s house. Orunmila made osode for him and saw this Ifá, in which he was told to make an ebbo with everything mentioned above, and Obatalá did so. He was beside himself, but little by little he grew calm. When he came to Olofin’s feet, Olofin laid his hands upon his head and called him with this prayer: «Oshanla eru aré» (3 times), «mowayé mowayé mokua Ogún mokua Oggún Oggún ashe». Then he gave him an adie fun fun and told him: «Obatalá, you are the same as all my children, but you will have the great power of oba, because your body is pure, clean and white outside and within, immaculate, and for that reason you are the head among all the orishas». Obatalá answered: «Modupué, baba».

Obatalá, grateful and remembering Elegbá’s kindness, offered him an osiadie and said: «Kaferefun Elegbá», and said that he would never forget that in everything he, Obatalá, had to take part in in any way, Elegbá would be the first. To iban Eshu. To which Olofin said: «In the land of Adakoy I shall live no longer, but you, Obatalá, will represent me». Ashe Bo Ashe. ToAashe bimá. To Iban Eshu.

The path of the maja and the cat

The maja and the cat were children of Obatalá, but the maja was very disobedient, so Obatalá cursed him and, as a result, the maja could not crawl properly and picked up much filth. He went about very dirty, went through many hardships and had nowhere to live. He was persecuted by everyone and mistreated, with no one to help him. He was welcome in no house, and had no rest by day or by night. His brother, the cat, likewise had neither house nor food, and so he too went through many hardships. The cat, however, was more affectionate, and pleaded with Obatalá to give him a house where he might have a roof to rest under. Obatalá took pity on him and blessed him so that he could have a house.

The cat went to Orunmila, who made an ebbo for him, and so he came to have his house in the town and to live very happily. The maja, for his part, was so persecuted in the bush that he had to leave it and come to the town. He went to his brother the cat’s house and begged him to let him stay. The cat, however, told him he could not oblige him, since Obatalá had told him he could not have anyone lodging in his house. The maja began to lament his bad luck and misfortune, telling him he was very tired and hunted, and asking to be allowed to sleep that night in his house without anyone finding out, promising to leave before dawn. The cat, carried away by family affection, gave him shelter for that night.

It happened that the maja, worn out as he was, lay down and fell deeply asleep. The next day he got up late, and as he left his brother’s house the people saw him and began to beat him, going so far as to kill him before he could climb a tree. The talk spread, until the news reached Obatalá’s ears. He went to see what was happening and realised that the cat had let his brother the maja stay in his house. Obatalá cursed his son the cat, who lost his house and was left homeless because of his disobedience.

The prenda

In the land of Adarasa, which was a frontier of the carabalí lands, there lived a noble, kind and obedient woman named Ayelekun. She lived with a man of that town who was the chief or governor of a group of men who had come together to form a mutual aid association and had named him their leader. He appointed several members to hold offices within the association, and so they had the right to help others, especially in matters concerning religion, which was one of the group’s chief concerns.

Every day, when the man went out to attend to his duties, his wife would also go to the river to fetch water. The husband did not want her to be part of that society, since until then there had been no women in it. He was very troubled by this and thought about it constantly. One day, as Ayelekun was going to fetch water at the river as usual, she met a woman on the bank, and the woman said to her: «Since you are so obedient and wish to know things about your husband that he will not reveal to you, I will give you something I have in this bag so that you may know all you wish. The same will be revealed to you in dreams». After handing her the prenda she had in the bag, the woman vanished, and Ayelekun returned home with her water jar and the secret.

On reaching her home, Ayelekun kept the prenda in the room where they slept. That night they both went to bed as usual, but at midnight they woke in fright, for they heard a loud noise and moaning coming from the place where the prenda was. The husband went to look and found a head, which was what was making the sound and the moaning. He asked his wife what that was, and she told him how she had obtained the prenda. The husband asked her to return the prenda to the woman, but the woman kept silent. The next day she met the woman again on the riverbank and, on returning home, Ayelekun took the prenda from where she had kept it and placed it far from where she slept.

That night Ayelekun dreamed that the woman warned her that her husband’s society was going to fall apart because of the envy and rivalry that had arisen among the members of the group, who all wanted control. She warned her to be careful, since they could harm her at the order of those who remained in her husband’s group. The woman who had the dream remembered what had happened and told the head of the association about it. He was told that he had to take the prenda from the woman to keep her from speaking. After thinking it over at length and under pressure from his companions, the man decided to kill the woman, and he cut off her head and placed it inside the prenda.

Time and again there were two or more of them imprisoned because of the bad influence that reigned among them. The woman’s death came to light because the people of the opposing faction learned of her disappearance, discovered it and had the man arrested.

The king of those lands ordered the husband put to death, leaving the group without a leader. So they decided to go to the house of a diviner who lived in the land of Adarasa. The awó who consulted them told them they had to perform a cleansing and give food to the dead, since the two who had died were doing them much harm. He warned them that they had to feed the eggun so that the deaths and the harmful things would cease; otherwise the losses would go on.

They followed every instruction, but the young men who attended the ceremony brought liquor and got the eggun drunk. They took advantage of the situation and stole the fruit from them. When the late Ayelekun came to ask them about the fruit, since the husband’s eggun were drunk, she scratched their faces and foreheads. The eggun were displeased and broke off their pact with them, but in that way the rest were saved, putting an end to the war and the deaths in the land of Adarasa.

The power of Elegbá and Oggún to destroy araye

An object called «inshe Ozain» is made and lined with bogbo ileke, then hung on the hilt of one of the machetes. These 7 machetes are buried around Oggún’s cauldron in Otura Adacoy. There, an akuko is offered to the machetes together with Oggún.

It is important that in Otura Adacoy there be a stick of espuela de caballero placed beside his Elegbá. This stick has thorns, and at midday the thorns must be concealed.

It was beside this stick that Oyá hid when she went to give birth to Elegbá, and she left him protected with a flame-tree pod, which Otura Adacoy must likewise place with his Elegbá. With this he calls him so that he answers when he sends him to work. In the land of Teri Inshe, which was the land of Iyanza, there was great strife over the birth of this child. Oggún was in a distant land at war, and his enemies did not want Iyanza to give birth. Realising the conspiracy against her and her son, Iyanza began to invoke her secret of Eggun with her staff, weeping and singing this: «Eggun Mokueo Yanza Lele Ayaba Lele, Olokun Ere Nokueo Nohani Yanza Ikú Eggun Laleo».

And Eggun came and told her she had to leave those lands, since they were going to kill her and her son. So Iyanza set out, and when she reached the bank of a river she tried to enter a cave, but her belly would not let her. She then decided to get into the river, and as she came closer to the bank she saw that she was surrounded by «ewe reku reku» (espuela de caballero). On one of those plants there was an old man sitting, performing a ceremony, and he had several machetes at his side. She asked him how she might cross the river, and the old man, who was Orunmila, answered her: «You want to leave this land, since there are many conspirators against you and against your son». She agreed and told him that her husband was Oggún, who was far away at war. Then Orula told her that a ceremony had to be performed for her and her son, so that they might prevail over the land.

Iyanza told him she had nothing to pay him with, only the promise that he would be the diviner of her land and of her son’s. At that moment Oyá felt the pains of labour and gave birth to Elegbá. He, with his own hands, cast Orunmila’s Okpuele, and the oddun Otura Adacoy was revealed.

Orula took him and bathed him in the river and said to the iyawó: «This child is his father’s heir and will be called Otura Adacoy». He then gave the child a flame-tree pod and placed him on the stick of espuela de caballero. There Koko began to sound his ashe eri, and then Ogún arrived, and seeing Oyá and his son beside the plant and next to Orunmila he asked: «Yanza, why are you here and not in the land of Tori Inshe Inle?» And she told him all about the conspiracy against them. Ogún flew into a rage and wanted to go and fight, but Orunmila threw a white sheet over him and said: «Ogún, you are a great warrior, but you must be consecrated in a great secret of Ozain so that you can reach those lands again and defeat your enemies.

There you have the virtue your son Koko brought to the earth, which is Otura Adacoy». Orunmila had Ogún and his son Otura Adacoy kneel at the foot of Ozain and surrounded Ogún with the 7 machetes, over which he performed ceremony, while Elegbá sounded his flame-tree asherí and they sang: «Otura Adacoy ada eye Ogún unwe Ogún neye kada wana kele Otura Adacoy bendele Egún Orun Ikú bogbo nito Ogún Ogún shebo shebo eyele Ogún Ogún bobo kabo ire».

And Ozain prepared a war inshe for him in each of the machetes and handed it over so that he might go with the gbá and Oyá to his land. They set out, and Koko went ahead opening the way, sounding his asherí and leaning on the staff of ewé reku reku, while Ogún advanced bearing the 7 machetes prepared by Ozain; and the people of Tori Inshe Inle, seeing this, took fright. Some fled and others prostrated themselves before Ogún, Otura Adacoy and Oyá, begged forgiveness, paid them homage and asked for mercy. Ogún said to Orula: «I shall remain as chief of the weapons of this land, and my son Otura Adacoy, who is Elegbá Koko, will reign over all these lands». To iban Eshu.

Here the awó needs to have his Ogún well reinforced, to have the cuaraldo and to possess Ozain.