Oyekun Birete

The path of the infiltration of Arun

Beri Bokun was an awó, himself the son of another awó named Molola Awo, who lived proud of his son for his strength and his intelligence. Every day Awo Molola spoke with his son and gave him advice, and Beri Bokun obeyed it.

Awo Molola, however, had secret troubles with Awo Tinshere Ifá, an Oluo Popo. Tinshere Ifá lived in the land of Moyabe Nilaye and would go long stretches without visiting his father, always grumbling and cursing as he sang: «shebi Leleo Intori Bawashebi Loleo Intori Bawa».

Obatalá also lived in that land and was never pleased or satisfied with Awo Tinshere Ifá, who did not even believe in his own father, the Oluo Popo. Faced with this, Obatalá set out on the road and met Shangó, who was coming from the land of Lalebe Oyu Laye, where he had consulted Orunmila and received a message from Ifá to bring Obatalá a gift.

When Obatalá received Orunmila’s gift he rejoiced. Shangó told Baba that he would settle all the troubles between him and Awo Molola and strip Awo Tinshere Ifá of his pride. Obatalá asked Shangó what he intended to do, and Shangó began to pray: «molola Awo, Molola Awo, Awo Tinshere Ifá, Moyabe Intori Beye Bi Ika Arun Meyi Bokeyu Intori Arun Moyu Breyu»

Oluo popo was nearby, on his way to visit Obatalá, but he came accompanied by arun. Hearing Shangó, he said to her: «Arun, do you hear what Shangó is saying?» Arun answered that she did. Arun went out to where Shangó was, and he told her what Tinshere’s Ifá was saying.

He said that Tinshere had to be given his due, but that first he himself had to reach him in order to take from his neck the secret he carried. So Arun and Shangó did, but Obatalá begged Shangó not to let him go to otokú, to which Shangó answered: «He knows that what has to come to him is arun».

Shangó reached the awó Tinshere Ifá and took from him the ñale (the necklace) in which his secret was held, and carried it to awo Molola so that he would place it on his son Bori Bokún.

Obatalá and Arun followed behind Shangó, who also took from awo Tinshere Ifá the irose that Oluo Popo had, and carried it to where Obatalá was; at once, Arun took possession of it. Awo Tinshere Ifá said to her: «You will always have good fortune, but I shall never again be parted from you».

Straight away awo Tinshere Ifá began to feel ill in his güngún, and he said to Arun: «I am doing this to you for not respecting your father Oluo Popo, and Shangó has taken from your neck your great secret, which you will never be able to recover. That secret is now held by Molola’s son, awo Bori Bokún». When he took up that secret he felt well and prospered in his affairs, and so he gave unyen juju to Obatalá, Shangó and Ifá.

By This Path One Must Take The Ikoko Of Oluo Popo.

The unbelieving woman

On this path there was a married couple in which the husband was a great believer and the wife an unbeliever. She spent her days grumbling and railing against the saints. Both of them were passing through hardship and want, and the woman was driving the man to the edge of madness and despair.

She always found something to complain about, saying: «Look at the state we are in, we never manage to get ahead». Although he asked her to be calm and to have faith, assuring her that things would come right, time passed and everything stayed the same.

One day Babalú Ayé, seeing that the woman went on railing against the saints, wished to help the man, but did not want the woman to benefit from it. So he appeared before the man and told him he had an alms for him that he would deliver personally, so that he alone might enjoy it, and that he would also teach his wife a lesson. He asked him to say nothing to her, but warned that this would touch him personally as well.

This couple had a baby girl who, at 41 days old, fell gravely ill and broke out in sores, for she was serving out the time she still owed from a former life before coming into this world. In a dream San Lázaro appeared to the woman and said: «It is I who have covered you in sores and left you in this state».

Then the mother resolved that whatever might befall the girl, she would take it upon herself instead, for she felt guilty. San Lázaro told her she must wear an insignia of his for 5 years. The woman kept the promise, and so they were able to save their daughter. Fortune smiled on them and they found happiness. ¡kaferefun oluo popo!

San Lázaro must be taken up.

This oddun speaks of coldness in the bones, rheumatism and arthritis, where one cannot abuse one’s nature because impotence follows. Obí is not eaten, because it serves to save the person.

One must keep faith with the saints

There was a young woman who possessed 8 saints, yet paid them no attention and took no care of her spirit, even though her mother was a santera. Her mother would take her to task and tell her to go to Orunmila.

The young woman suffered from swelling and eruptions all over her body. Orunmila told her that she had to keep faith with San Lázaro and stop having abortions, since she had had several, and that she should be careful, for as an unmarried woman she had always been deceived by men.

The finest steel in the world

Akuko, a piece of untempered steel, one ayapa okan keke, a pied osiadie, grains of every kind, 3 iron arrows, a piece of gungun with eran malu on it, a necklace strung with beads of every kind, sesame (this must not be missing), opolopo owo.

The three iron arrows are placed inside the ebó. After finishing the ebó and before closing it, the awó must cleanse himself with a dove and add its blood to the ebó. This ebó is placed in a joro joro at the foot of a ceiba, where Shangó and Oshosi are called upon and offered eyerbale of etú.

This one is done a few days after the previous one. Three arrows are used, another piece of steel, juju of alakasú, all the elekes, leaves of ogumá, all the sticks, filings from Ogún’s tools, a dove and seven eggs, together with a substantial amount of money.

The filings from Ogún’s tools are added to the ebó. Once it is finished, a dove is offered to Ogún and the seven dove eggs are set out for Ogún. The dove is buried with its neck facing downwards and the seven eggs are broken in different places. One must ask whether this ebó is to be taken to the river or to the bush.

In the land of Yana Yana Ifá, ruled by Oluo Popo, dominion was held over various territories. Because Oluo Popo had performed great consecrations for his son, called Awayebe ni awo, making him the chief force in the world, he was more powerful than anyone. He was able to work out and resolve every kind of problem, for Oluo Popo had revealed a great secret to him.

When he faced hard moments and needed to increase his strength, he would recite this call: «odara Odara Eni Odara Abeyeku Oluo Popo Omo Aberan Laye Awa Yere Ni Awo». And so he overcame any obstacle in his own way.

One day Oshosi grew uneasy about the frequent visits Obatalá and Oggún were making to the land of Yana Yana Ifá, so he decided to go there himself to find out what was really happening. On the way he sang: «bara Ikú Laye Layeo Barala Eni Shangó».

Shangó, hearing this song, appeared to Oshosi and said: «Try to go in by night without being seen by anyone, so that you can hear and see what is going on there, and then come and tell me. Because what is lived in that land and in the world is one great lie, deceiving all the children of that land. Oluo Popo knows a great deal and has tried to make his son the greatest in the world, but I am here».

Oshosi disguised himself as a beggar and entered the land of Yana Yana Ifá at daybreak without being seen by anyone, listening to and observing everything that went on: the life of ofo leiteshu that they all led.

When Oluo Popo realised that Oshosi was in his land, because he had already taken off the beggar’s disguise, he immediately called his son Awa Yebeni Awo and told him everything, including Oshosi’s presence in the land of Yana Yana Ifá. Then he ordered him to organise a great celebration.

Awa Yebeni Awo quickly found Oshosi, greeted him and apologised for not having presented himself to render the honours he deserved. Oshosi excused him, saying his visit had not been planned, that he had simply set out on the road and found himself in that land. Even so, Awa Yebeni Awo assured Oshosi: «Tomorrow we shall pay you a great tribute».

He was then taken to the finest place in the land so that he might rest. Oshosi, however, refused that attention and said he wished to go on walking and seeing how the people were faring.

Awa Yebeni Awo took offence at Oshosi’s words and tried to confront and destroy him, but Oshosi, with his virtue, brought out a dove and gave it eyerbale. While everyone was watching this, Oshosi turned back into a beggar and vanished at once in search of Awo Aberele Yebe Ifá, to whom he said: «Here they keep you deceived and do not let you see what is happening. We must go at once to where Shangó is».

They disguised Awo Aberele Yebe Ifá as a beggar too. When they told Shangó everything, he said to his son: «You must make an ebó. The first is so that Oshosi, unseen by anyone, may go to the land of Yana Yana Ifá and carry out the operation I have laid out for him; the second ebó I shall carry myself».

And so it was all done. Shangó set out with the ebó towards the land of Yana Yana Ifá. As soon as he arrived he sacrificed a chicken at the entrance, cooked it well, seasoned it and made it very tasty. Oluo Popo, who had long been craving chicken, was distracted eating it, and that was when Shangó drew near and presented himself to Awa Yebeni Awo wrapped in flames, setting fire to all the sticks. As he came close to Awa Yebeni Awo, the latter lost his strength and was defeated, which brought the people out into the street.

San Lázaro, who witnessed this, ran to the spot and found an angry Shangó. Shangó had already stripped his son of all his powers. Shangó said to Oluo Popo: «Now, so that you may be reconciled with Obatalá and Olodumare, whom you have been deceiving, and so that I do not grow angry again, you must repair all the harm your son has done».

In this ebó the ayapa is offered to Shangó or Oshosi, together with a piece of untempered steel. The flesh and bones of the ayapa are then removed to be placed inside the ebó. According to the note that follows, the bone with malu flesh is strung together with the necklace of beads of every kind, tangling them with the flesh and bones of the ayapa and the piece of untempered steel. After setting it alight and letting it cool, everything is placed inside the ebó. The pied chicken and the grains are used to cleanse for San Lázaro, to whom the grains are also added. After the ebó, the chicken is taken with the grains to the bush. The chicken does not go inside the ebó.

Before beginning this second ebó, the three arrows and the piece of steel are placed on top of Shangó, and a chicken and three doves are offered to him. The steel is joined with the sticks and the juju of alakasú and burned, then added to the ebó. The three arrows go inside the ebó.

Notes

• Once all the secrets of this sign have been carried out, the babalawo cleanses everyone with a chicken and gbogbo ashe, and then performs a paraldo with it, which is hung up and set alight.
• Whoever has this odun does not receive San Lázaro. The ña is placed with an inshe hanging from it, made with the secret of oluo popo.

The king’s general

There was a land ruled by a king who kept a general of the army in his palace. This general was an upright man and an expert in war, skilled with the sabre. Seeing, however, that the prospects of the kingdom were bleak, he decided to leave and live alone, apart from everyone, far from there.

Some time later the king found himself in the middle of a war and, having no one capable of leading it and winning it, he remembered the general and sent for him. The general presented himself, but before accepting the charge he asked the king what authority he would be granted. The king declared that he would give him full powers of command, weapons and an army. With that guarantee the general went off to war and won it, sending a messenger ahead with the news.

The king ordered a kind of encampment to be built beside the palace and posted four soldiers to guard the entrance, for he wished to meet alone with his victorious general. The next day the general arrived with his troops, sounding the bugles from far off. As he entered the palace the king received him and led him to the encampment to hear his accounts of the victory.

The general, expansive by nature, gestured a great deal as he spoke, and at one moment, making a movement with his sabre as though he were in combat, he accidentally beheaded the king. When what had happened became known, the general was put to death as well.