Oyekun Batrupon

The War of the Cooking Pots

There was a land that the bauta (Congos) called Salanane, where the inhabitants spent most of their time in upheavals (oyo) with other peoples and among themselves, out of greed for power. They resorted to every kind of sorcery, yet they themselves made no headway in life, since they lived in general backwardness because of the constant fighting.

There were many lives lost, and the dead were left unburied, which brought a great epidemic that reached the neighbouring peoples as well, the bauta people among them.

This was the land of Iyobu, where they complained to the governor of one of the warring groups. But since those men prided themselves on being tough and on being sorcerers, they paid no attention; on the contrary, they declared war on the people of Iyobu.

The chief of the Iyobu sent an emissary named Ozain, who was always accompanied by a little Chinese man who guarded the door of the chief’s house. Ozain went to the house of Awó, and he told him that he had to make ebbó in order to put an end to so much sorcery and to the war. He told him to place the ebbó at the foot of a hill, and Ozain did so.

When the messenger came down from the hill, he saw the great ebbó that lay there and called Shangó. But the one who came down from the hill was Obatalá, who told them to look for Ogún and to warn the bauta so that the fighting would end. He told them that Shangó would be the one to govern that land, and that all the inhabitants should cleanse their houses with whatever Orunmila indicated.

When Shangó said this to Ogún, he went about telling the bauta that he was leaving for other lands and, at the same time, that they should ease off the sorcery to avoid worse evils. They paid Ogún no attention.

One night Ozain passed by there and smelled a strong odour of coal and burnt sulphur, together with a murmur of people. As he came near the door, since it was dark, Ozain put his foot into the hole that was in the door and stepped on the little Chinese man who was hiding there.

The man let out a cry, and Ozain took him along and went on his way. The people who were inside shut their doors, saying that it had been the cry of an eggun, and so they agreed to end the fighting and live in peace, and with that the epidemics ended too.

In this Ifá an aboran of Ozain is loaded with eggun filani and okokan of gunugu, palo cuaba (black), leri ekutele, sulphur, coal, pierde rumbo, ota keke of Shangó, elenu and oju of Shangó’s akuko, asho ero, obi kola, obi motiwao. It eats eyele with Ozain in the joro joro of the shilekun and is buried; this is to ward off the ogu.

Free of blame and sorrow

On this path, Olofin was once going to hand out a share among the people in need, and he issued a proclamation for them to present themselves free of blame and sorrow.

Among the poor of that place there was one who was worse off than the rest, for he went through great hunger and great want. For that reason he was the first to ask for what he needed, and he went to Orunmila’s house so that ebó would be made for him and he might come out well from his troubles.

Orunmila made ebó for him and told him to place the basket for Omu Oke, assuring him that Olofin would save him. He warned him, however, that when Olofin gave the order he should not stop anywhere nor enter any house, for he would lose everything. On his way back the man, being hungry, stole from a house and the owners chased him. He had to leave the basket behind and lost all that he had been given.

The blacksmith’s three wishes

On this path there was a blacksmith going through hard times, and so he constantly implored Olofin. Olofin heard his plea and sent Elegbá to grant the blacksmith three virtues.

Elegbá said to the blacksmith: «I have come by Olofin’s command to grant you three virtues». The blacksmith stood still, and his first request was that, in the cherry tree that stood in his yard, anyone who climbed it should not be able to come down without his consent.

The second request was that anyone who entered his house without his permission should not be able to leave, and the third that anyone who sat at his table or in his chair should not be able to get up without his consent.

Elegbá was left perplexed, since all of that struck him as having no logic to it, but he said: «to Iban Eshu» (such is the will of Elegbá).

Days went by, and it happened that the king’s son entered the blacksmith’s house and, being a curious young man, climbed the cherry tree. Hours passed and the king, noticing his son’s absence, grew worried and sent his retinue to the blacksmith’s house. But since the retinue went in without reckoning with the blacksmith, they could not come out.

Desperate at the disappearance of his son and at the retinue that did not return, the king decided to go to the blacksmith’s house himself. He entered without his consent and, once he had sat down in the chair, the two men greeted each other.

The king asked: «What has happened to my son, that he cannot come down from the cherry tree?». The blacksmith, being a modest man, answered: «dear king, anyone who climbs it without my consent cannot come down from the cherry tree, and for that trespass I want you to grant me a fertile piece of land». The king agreed and said: «so it shall be».

Then the king asked: «What has happened to my retinue, that they cannot leave your house?». The blacksmith answered: «well, you see, anyone who enters here without my permission cannot leave, and for that reason I wish to have a fortune, not as great as yours, but a respectable one». The king consented and said: «so it shall be».

At last, when the king tried to get up to leave with his son and his retinue, he found that he could not rise from the chair. Astonished, he exclaimed: «you have already obtained your requests — what have you done to me?».

The blacksmith answered: «you are sitting in that chair without my consent, and in order for you to rise, I wish you to hand over your crown and your rule». At that moment a voice was heard from heaven saying: «To Iban Eshu» (such is the will of Elegbá).

When Orunmila was driven out of the town

Orunmila set out for Yareoko, and on the way he met a pregnant woman. She greeted him and told him that she was hungry and had lost her way. Orunmila answered her: «follow me and we shall soon reach Yareoko; there we have food put away, and eko». At that moment Akapala, who was high up in a tree, overheard the conversation.

When Akapala arrived in Yareoko, Orunmila was performing a rogación, the very one he had mentioned earlier. Akapala accused him of being a liar, and he was expelled from the town.

On leaving the town, Orunmila met Ogún, who was heading for Yaredo to take part in a war. On learning what had happened, Ogún changed his course and entered Yareoko, leaving destruction and death in his wake. Akapala was captured and handed over to Orunmila, who took him in as his servant.

: This story warns of the dangers of going to a place where you will be rejected. It advises receiving Orunmila and the warriors in order to obtain protection during the war. If you find yourself lost, Orunmila will guide you onto your path together with Ogún.

The war between the head and the orifice

Once, Ori Oló was scorned by all and no one held him in any regard. He said that he was the obá and ruled over the body, and the orifice said that even so he was the king of the body, and that he would prove it.

Ori Oló closed himself up; a day went by, then two, and the head felt nothing. On the fourth day the head felt somewhat heavy, but the stomach and the intestine were uncomfortable. On the sixth day the ilú (the belly) was swollen, the liver (odun) hard as a stick, and Ori began to feel very ill.

Elugo (the fever) made its appearance. Purgatives were not known in those days, and the situation grew worse by the tenth day because everything was working badly: the head, the arms, the legs could not move, and what went in did not come out.

The head could not rise from the mat. In order to carry the body, she and all the organs had to beg the orifice to open. He proved that he is very important, even though no one there holds him in any regard, down in the darkness, scorned by all.