Ifa Didaa Ogbe

Ifá Dídá An Invitation to Ifá Consultation Volume TWO

By Ṣọlágbadé Pópóọlá Library, Inc.

ÀṣèfínMedia LLP London - Toronto - New York - Lagos © 2012

Ṣọlágbadé Pópóọlá Library, INC Contributing Authors: Ifá Dídá Volume Two Fakunle Oyesanya Gbolahan Okemuyiwa Abiola Aladesuru Olaribigbe Bankole Adesola Benson Awoyinfa Kori Ifaloju Chief Solagbade Popoola Solagbade Popoola Library, INC. is a collective of researchers, writers, cultural anthropologist and scholars, all of whom practice Ifa tradition as a way of living. This work is a combined effort of these individuals contributions. Learn more here: www.SolagbadePopoola.com

Ifá Dídá

An Invitation to Ifá Consultation Volume TWO

Copyright © 2012 by : Àṣèfín Media, LLP

Cover designed by: Awóyinfá Kori Ifálójú ( @alawoye ) Cover layout by: Fákúnlé Oyèsànyà Contributing Editor: Jose Rodriguez (Awo Agboọlá) Additional contributions by: Awóyinfá Kori Ifálójú (Ifálọmọ) Publicist: Alawoye Productions - www.Alawoye.com Circulation Coordinator: ÀṣèfínMedia, LLP eMail : [email protected]

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ISBN: 978-1-926538-12-9 First Edition

The author(s) and publisher have made every effort in the preparation of this book to ensure its utmost accuracy of the quality and information present here within. However, the information in this book is sold without warranty, either expressed or implied by any of the parties mentioned. Neither the authors nor the publisher or its agents, will be liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly, incidentally, or consequentially by the information in this book.

The opinions expressed in this book are solely those of the author(s) and their informants, and are not necessarily those of the publisher(s).

Project Impact

Asefin Media LLP partnering with Ekofa INC. This book was printed on 30% post consumer paper & recycled cardboard binding. We strive on finding ways to reduce the adverse human impact on our plant Earth. A portion of all sales of this complete 17 volume collection and all future Asefin Media publications will be donated to preserve tropical green space, plant Holy Palm trees & other sacred trees of Ifa. Asefin Media, LLP - Publications Division, working in conjunction with Ekofa INC, a Europe & US based non-profit organization, dedicated to traditional grassroots environmental projects globally & preserving Nature for which we depend.

Letter from the Publisher ÀṣèfínMedia wishes to thank the collaborative team of traditional Ifá researchers and scholars, for their efforts in compiling this magnificent work. Until now, nothing of this magnitude has ever been written on the subject of Ifá, yet this work has only 16 Ese Ifá (Ifá poetic stanzas) for the combinations of Ogbè. Which according to most estimates, contain approximately 1000 - 1,800 Ifá poetic stanzas for each of the 256 Odù combinations. We are merely sipping a small calabash of an ocean worth of Ifá knowledge. Nonetheless, this is a historic masterpiece, Volume Two is the continuation of a full comprehensive encyclopedic seventeen-volume collection. For this we are very humbled and proud to serve Ifá by producing works to enhance Ifá wisdom. Ifá Dídá Volume Two embarks upon the next paradigm, away from the Ojú-Odù (the 16 principal Odù) coded Ifá. Beginning the 240 Àfẹ̀ka-Lẹ̀ka (meaning; Àfi - to take, èka one branch, lù - combine/mix with, èka - another branch). Other common terms used to describe the 240 minor Odù combinations are: Àpólà Odù (meaning, mixture) or Àmúlù Odù (meaning; Àmú - to take, lù - (and) combine with). Ifá Dídá with its detailed explanation of the full Ifá literary corpus, it is the first book of its kind. Bringing deeper Odù Ifá understanding to the Ifá diviners, practitioners, and to the scholar of African philosophies, packaged as a multi-volume collection. Once again, ÀṣèfínMedia is pleased to publish this multi-volume collection, and to be an integral part of promoting a new understanding of the coded messages within the ancient Ifá oral tradition. We trust that Ifá Dídá - Volume Two, will become a masterpiece and cherished by Ifá devotees, researchers and interested persons alike. Ifá Dídá - Volume Two furthers us toward comprehending of the vast body of knowledge we call Ifá.

Awóyinfá Kori Ifálojú ( @alawoye ) Publisher

ÀṣèfínMedia, LLP eMail : [email protected] UK Office: 020-8144-5005 www.AsefinMedia.com On Twitter: @AsefinMedia Facebook: www.facebook.com/AsefinMedia What is Ifá Dídá? link here:

Dedication It is with honour that we dedicate this work to Dr. Ògúnwándé Abímbọ́lá, the Àwiṣẹ ni Àgbáyé (meaning; the “Spokesperson for Ifá in the World”) ọmọ-Odù Ogbè Ọ̀ṣẹ́. Dr. Abímbọ́lá often times, casually referred to as simply Prof. or Baba ‘Wande, has made an invaluable contribution to promoting Ifá worldwide. We Ifá followers remain grateful for your tireless work forwarding Ifá.

Contents: The Authors Copyright Letter from Publisher Dedication Chapter 1 ! - Ogbè Ọ̀yẹ̀kú :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1 Chapter 2 - Ogbè Ìwòrì :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 73 Chapter 3 - Ogbè Òdí ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 173 Chapter 4 - Ogbè Ìrosùn :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 247 Chapter 5 - Ogbè Ọ̀wọ́nrín ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 319 Chapter 6 - Ogbè Ọ̀bàrà ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 404 Chapter 7 - Ogbè Ọ̀kànràn ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 478 Chapter 8 - Ogbè Ògúndá ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 548 Chapter 9 - Ogbè Ọsá :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 644 Chapter 10 - Ogbè Ìká :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 723 Chapter 11 - Ogbè Òtúrúpọ̀n ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 788 Chapter 12 - Ogbè Òtúrá :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 860 Chapter 13 - Ogbè Ìrẹtẹ̀ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 946 Chapter 14 - Ogbè Ṣẹ́ ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1040 Chapter 15 - Ogbè Òfún ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1114

Glossary: The glossary for this work, the prior work and all future & past volumes of Ifá Dídá will be electronic (web-based), accessible via website: www.glossary.IfaDida.com or by clicking QR code here:

By so doing, we can refine and enhance the glossary more effectively and frequently thus ensuring the explanations used within this work are the most relevant and current. This will ensure we meet our objectives of presenting a comprehensive work, yet at the same time sustaining the environment by; reducing paper usage, paper waste, paper printing duplication, other environmental cost (carbon) associated with manufacturing/ transporting paper-pulp, printing cost and protecting the environment overall. We are keen on doing our part, this work like all works on Ifá need to be cognizant of the environment, as she too is a deity to us, thus needs protecting. To be kept informed of future new book releases, all our new media content and to join our inclusive book club ÌrosùnÀṣèfín, visit: www.newbookrelease.alawoye.com or click this QR code here: About joining our ÌrosùnÀṣèfín book club membership, it is as online connected group, this is not traditional book clubs with paper mail-outs. We will discuss, promote, make pre-release specials, promo-buys and be keeping our membership informed virally using social media and other means. We do implore you to join, it is free. NOTE: just a hint, it might be worthwhile to scan that code every so often, as we will have flash deals and free giveaways that will only be located via that site-link. Note on the use of QR codes; we have deployed QR (Quick Reference) codes, as a means to ensure connectivity and ease of access. QR codes also reduce paper use and thus paper waste. Using the camera on your SmartPhone (depending on device it may require a free download of a QR Code reader), you can access the content within the web-enabled QR codes listed. As with our Glossary going digital, moving forward, so will our promotional / informative literature at the conclusion of this book. All future volumes and additions will source to our digital formats. (the website listed above, our Twitter www.twitter.com/AsefinMedia and our Facebook: www.facebook.com/AsefinMedia). Join us at those social places and click the QR code to read more about this exciting development.

Chapter 1

Ogbè Ọ̀yẹ̀kú

II I II I II I II I 1

OGBE®-OÙ®YEÙ®KU: OGBE® - `YE®ÙKU: AGBI®YE®ÙKU: A. 1. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed during I®koôseô¾da;ye;

or I®teô¾lo;du¾ is a born organizer and leader. He/she was born with the ability to organize people and resources and at the same time lead them to achieve greatness, peace and harmony.

Ifa; says that, with this sense of management and organization, this person shall rise from obscurity to prominence, from being a nobody to becoming an important personality and will move from the very bottom of the ladder to the apex. Ifa; advises the person for whom Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; is revealed however to lay less emphasis on his/her rights and to learn how to absorb and deal with in a meek manner, all kinds of insults, humiliation, opposition and outright condemnations. He/she shall eventually be rewarded with prestige, honour and respect. He/she shall be given leadership roles to play. These roles shall expose His/hers great potentials and He/she shall become a decision maker in the family, community and/or country where He/she lives. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô of A®ru;kore - two rats, two fish, two hens, two cocks, two pigeons, two goats and money. He/she should also put it at the back of his/her mind that he/she is not a lone ranger. He/she cannot do things all alone. He/she needs others to join him/her in whatever he/she does. He/she is not expected to float a business and be a sole entrepreneur. He/she needs to go into partnership with others in order to succeed in life. On these aspects, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; says: O®gbo;ju; o¾ teô'raa reô¾ n'i;fa; I®mo¾ôra¾n o¾ fi'raa re¾ô j'oye¾ OÙ®beô to; mu; ki¾i; gbe;ô e¾e¾ku¾ araa re¾ô Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾'Yeô¾ku; Ti; yo;o; ko; gbogbo A®mu;lu¾ joô o EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2

Translation: A courageous person cannot initiate himself into Ifa; A wise person cannot award a chieftaincy title to himself A sharp knife cannot fashion its own handle These were Ifá’s declarations Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; Who shall organize all A®mu;lu¾ in a systematic manner He was advised to offer eôboô When all the Oju;-Odu¾ were coming from heaven to earth, Ofu;n-Me;ji¾ led the group followed by OÙ®sôe;ô-Me;ji¾. E®ji¾¾-Ogbe¾ who was in the 16th position while OÙyeô¾ku;-Me;ji¾ occupied the 15th position. When the A®mu;lu¾ came into the world, O®fu;n-OÙ®sôe; was in the 17th position while Ogbe¾-'Ye¾ôku; was given the 256th position. These positions were maintained for a very long time. One day however, due to some major acts of misconduct perpetrated by O®fu;nMe;ji¾ and O®Ùsôeô;-Me;ji¾, they were removed from their leadership positions and moved to the 16th and 15th positions respectively. As soon as this happened, it sent out a serious confusing signal to all the A®mu;lu¾;. Would these changes affect them too? If so, how? If not, why? Nobody could proffer any acceptable explanation or answer. It soon got to a stage where one A®mu;lu¾ was not ready to respect the other because it became unsure which A®mu;lu was senior to the other. This situation also went on for a long period until all the A®mu;lu began to think that they would be better off doing their things on an individual basis. The problem here was that even their names and existence were derived from the combination of two Odu¾! This matter became more and more complicated with each passing moment. One day however, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku;, the very last Odu¾ in the hierarchy took it upon himself to find a way of arranging and organizing all the A®mu;lu in a systematic way according to the order of seniority. In order to ensure success in this assignment, he went to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed? If not, what do I need to do to ensure success? If yes, how should I go about it in order not to face insurmountable obstacles on the way? The Awo assured him that he would not only succeed, but he would be highly respected and honoured at the end of the exercise. He was however told to prepare himself for criticism, humiliation, intimidation and outright condemnation. He was also informed that others would conspire against him,

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OGBE®-OÙY ® EÙ®KU:

they would try to stop him at all costs and they would create problems for him in his bid to actualize this assignment. He was advised to persevere, to be consistent, determined and purposeful. He was also advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied. With the advice of the group of Awo, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; went home, full of determination to succeed. The first thing he did was to sample the opinions of all the 16 principal Odu¾. They all agreed that it was imperative for there to be reorganization and recording of the hierarchy among the A®mu;lu¾. This would reduce tension and confusion among the A®mu;lu¾. With their assurance, he sent message to all the 239 A®mu;lu¾ for them to organize a day for serious deliberation. What serious deliberation? What could be so serious that the last A®mu;lu¾ in the hierarchy was summoning all his seniors for deliberation. They all became very curious. They wanted to know what Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; had to tell them. When they all met, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; explained to them that it was very imperative for them to have a systematic hierarchical order. He explained that it would make things easier if there was an order of seniority and it would also eliminate confusion. O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; was the first A®mu;lu¾ to react. He accused Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; of having the temerity, bothering on effrontery, to summon all his seniors to such a meeting. He accused Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; of attempting to upstage him. He vowed to stop Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; by all means. All the efforts of Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; to explain himself were of no meaning to O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô;. The meeting broke down completely without any resolution. As soon as they left, O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; summoned all the other O®fu;n combinations from O®fu;n-Ogbe¾ to O®fu;n-I®reôte¾ô and instigated them all against Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku;. He mandated them to try all they knew to work against the interest of Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; to ensure that he failed in his mission. They all worked according to how they were directed by O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô;. Life became very unbearable for Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku;. In spite of this setback however, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; continued to persuade all the other A®mu;lu¾ for there to be orderliness. O®fu;n-OÙ®sôeô; did everything he knew to frustrate his efforts. All the other A®mu;lu¾ from Ogbe¾-We¾ôyin to O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; would go to O®fu;n-O®Ùsôe’ô; s home for instructions. They all agreed that there was the need for hierarchy to have order, but they supported only O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; to be the leader who would lay

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down the procedure to organize the order of seniority. When O®fu;n -O®Ùsôeô; began this assignment, he gave all his cronies higher hierarchy positions without any consideration for the significance of their Odu¾ combinations. In no time, crises ensued. It later degenerated into full-scale pandemonium. To make the matter worse, if any A®mu;lu¾ complained that he was not given his rightful position, O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; would change the person’s position and give the complainer a higher position. This led to more protests as those whose positions were hitherto higher than that of the complainer’s Odu¾ would feel cheated and a new protest would begin. This was going on for a long time before all the other A®mu;lu¾ got fed up with the administrative style of O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô;. They invited Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku; to come and re-order and reorganize the whole hierarchical process. Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku; informed the other A®mu;lu¾ that it would be easier and more pragmatic to emulate the hierarchical order of the 16 Oju;-Odu¾. They all agreed. That was how all agitations and protests stopped forthwith. In the new hierarchy, Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku; was moved from the 256th position to the 17th position. He thus became the leader of all the A®mu;lu¾. He was followed by Ogbe¾-Iwo¾ri¾, Ogbe¾-O®di;, Ogbe¾-I®rosu¾n and so on. On the contrary, O®fu;n-OÙ®sôeô; was moved from the 17th position to the 256th position followed by O®fu;n-I®reôte¾ô in the 255th position and O®fu;n-O®tu;ra; in the 254th position, and so on. When all these arrangements were made, it became very easy to understand and recognize the hierarchical order. The protests eventually subsided and later disappeared. All the A®mu;lu¾ knew that the hierarchical order was not arranged in a haphazard manner. It was, rather, in accordance with the order of seniority of the Oju;-Odu¾. O®gbo;ju; o¾ teô`raa reô¾ ni;fa; I®mo¾ôra¾n o¾ fi`raa re¾ô j`oye¾ O®Ùbeô to; mu; ki¾i; gbe;ô e¾e¾ku¾ araa re¾ô Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾'Ye¾ôku; Ti; yo;o; ko; gbogbo A®mu;lu¾ joô o EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O g: b’e¾ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni¾ b’a;yoô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o

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Translation: A courageous person cannot initiate himself into Ifa A wise person cannot award a chieftaincy title to himself A sharp knife cannot fashion its own handle These were Ifa;’s declarations Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; Who shall organize all A®mu;lu¾ in a systematic manner He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall become great in life. He/she shall be highly respected. He/she must however not revenge any evil or injustice done against him/her. Olodumare Himself shall place him/her where he/she rightly belongs.

2. Ifa; says that if Ikin are used during Ifa; consultation for someone who is pregnant and Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; is revealed, the officiating Ifa; priest must abandon the Ikin and change to OÙ®pe¾ôleô¾ immediately. No I®ye¾ôro¾su¾n must be used for this pregnant woman again until she safely delivers. As a matter of fact, no form of powdery substance, such as e¾lu¾bo;ô (yam flour), la;fu;n (cassava flour), etc must be used for the pregnant woman until she delivers. Furthermore, if this Odu¾ is revealed during I®koôseô¾da;ye; for a new-born baby, the Ikin and I®ye¾ro¾su¾n must be put away and the OÙ®pe¾ôleô¾ must be used for all the remaining consultations. It must be noted that there is nothing wrong with using Ikin, it’s actually the use of I®yeôô¾ro¾su¾n that is a serious taboo for this consultation because it constitutes a grave health hazard for the unborn baby in the case of a pregnant woman and also for the newly-born baby in the case of consultation during I®koôseô¾da;ye;. For this reason, as soon as the Odu¾ is marked, the rest of the consultation must be done with the OÙ®pe¾ôleô¾.

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Ifa; however foresees the Ire of a bouncing baby if this caution can be observed. Ifa; says that this baby shall live long and accomplish great feats as he/she grows older. Ifa; recommends eôboô with rats, two fish, one matured he-goat and money. A stanza in Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; on this aspect says: Ge;ôjeô;-ge;ôje;ô n’ile; wo; Geô¾je¾ô-geô¾je¾ô n’ile; bale¾ô Ti; ile; ba; ba'le¾ô l'eô;yi¾n Etutu ni;i; f'ile; mu o Di;a; fu;n I®ya;lo;de I®po Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ bi';moô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôôe Translation When a wooden house is weak, it will fall When a building is old, it will collapse A building that collapses from behind Such a building will be consumed by termites These were Ifa;’s messages for I®ya;lo;de I®po When weeping that she was not blessed with the fruit of the womb She was advised to offer eôboô I®ya;lo;de I®po was a very successful woman. She was blessed with intelligence. She had fantastic business acumen. She loved everyone and all the inhabitants of I®po land loved her in return. She was happily married. She was always willing to serve her community in any capacity selflessly. She had singlehandedly bank-rolled several projects in I®po land, all for the progress of the community. As a reward for all these selfless services to the community, all the elders unanimously conferred on her the title of I®ya;lo;de of I®po land. That made her the highest-ranking woman in the land. With all her achievements in the land, she was supposed to be very happy but she actually wasn’t. She was very contented alright; but she was not happy. Why? She had no child of her own. Life without any child of one’s own, she reasoned, is an incomplete life. Would she live her life and die without her own child? She was the mother of all the women and children in I®po land alright but at night, how many of them would enter her own room and sleep? None! Would

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she not experience what other women go through in life, conception, gestation, labour, child-birth, lactation, nursing, raising and affection? She needed all these for her to be able to feel like a complete woman. What could she do to be a happy woman? Would she be able to have her own child that she would strap on her back and shower with her unalloyed love and affection? Nothing short of this could make her completely happy and happily complete. It was in her search to make her dream come true that she went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation and assistance. During the consultation Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; was revealed. The Awo assured I®ya;lo;de that she would be blessed with the fruit of the womb in a very short time. She would also be a proud mother 10 lunar months after. She was advised to offer eôboô with two rats, two fish, one matured he-goat and money. She complied instantly. Money was not her problem. She was however warned never to use I®ye¾ro¾su¾n to do anything for herself as soon as she became pregnant or for the baby when it was born. She was warned that failure to heed the instruction might lead to miscarriage or even lead to the death of the baby when born. She was fully determined to keep this warning. Two months after this, I®ya;lo;de became pregnant. No, this cannot be true. It is too good to be true. She said. All herbal tests confirmed that she was indeed pregnant. She was overwhelmed with joy and expectations. By the time the pregnancy became six months old, she was already experiencing the unique sensation of a foetus kicking and turning in her womb. She then felt totally complete as a woman- well almost totally complete. She put to bed. She just could not wait for that day to come. In her boundless joy, she simply forgot about the warnings of the Awo. She gave birth to her baby with relative ease. She cuddled her bundle of joy. She wrapped the baby, a male, very well. She declared that she was now a total woman! She had her baby to breast feed, love, care for, raise the way she loved and make into a socially acceptable adult. The whole of I®po land celebrated the birth of this baby with her. The baby was considered to be the blessing of I®po land and not just as I®ya;lo;de’s baby. On the third day of birth it was time to do the I®koôseô¾da;ye;. The Awo she had invited to perform this rite of passage arrived early. They brought their Opo;ôn Ifa; (Ifa; tray) and I®ye¾ro¾su¾n, together with other materials necessary for the

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ceremony. I®ya;lo;de had forgotten the stern instructions of the Awo who had performed her Ifa; consultation before she became pregnant. The rite was performed with I®ye¾ro¾su¾n. This powder was used to touch the feet and part of the body of the baby. The powder entered the baby’s nose. As soon as this happened, the baby began to sneeze. What was this? The sneezing continued. Two days after, the baby died! When people heard that I®ya;lo;de’s baby had died, they concluded that it must be the work of witches, wizards and evil doers in the community. They encouraged her to go and find out from Ifa;. She did. Ifa; said that the baby died because I®ya;lo;de had failed to heed Ifa;’s warning and not as a result of the evil machination of anyone. After the Awo made this declaration, that was when I®ya;lo;de remembered that she should not have allowed these Awo who came to do the Ikoôse¾ôda;ye; to use I®ye¾ro¾su¾n for the ceremony. Ge;ôjeô;-ge;ôje;ô n’ile; wo; Geô¾je¾ô-geô¾je¾ô n’ile; ba'le¾ô¾ Ti; ile; ba; ba'le¾ô l'eô;yi¾n Etutu ni;i; f'ile; mu o Di;a; fu;n I®ya;lo;de I®po Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ bi';moô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôôe O: gb'e;boô, o; ru'boô O: ru'boô ta;n, o; gba¾gbe; i¾ki¾lo¾ô Awo Nje¾ô oômoô to; gb’i¾ye¾ô to; ku; Ni wo;ôn n;pe¾ ni; Agbi¾ye¾ôku; Translation When a wooden house is weak, it will fall When a building is old, it will collapse A building that collapses from behind Such a building will be consumed by termites These were Ifa;’s messages for I®ya;lo;de I®po When weeping that she was not blessed with the fruit of the womb She was advised to offer eôboô She complied After offering the eôboô, she however forgot to heed the warnings of the Awo

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Behold, the baby that died after getting in contact with I®ye¾ôroôsu¾n Such a baby should be called Agbi¾ye¾ôku; Agbi¾ye¾ôku; is another way of calling Ogbe¾-O®Ùye¾ôku;. In this Odu¾, if it is revealed during Ikoôse¾ôda;ye;, while Ikin and I®ye¾ro¾su¾n are being used, the use of Ikin must be stopped forthwith and must be replaced with an OÙ®peô¾le¾ô. This is in a bid to protect the newborn baby from early death. Furthermore, if someone is very ill and Ifa; is cast to know what to do, if Ikin is used, then the use of the Ikin must be stopped immediately and O®Ùpe¾ôleô¾ must immediately be used to complete the consultation exercise. This is also in order to prevent the sick person from experiencing untimely death. 3. Ifa; says that it foresees the Ire of a compatible spouse for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that the relationship shall be blessed with children. Ifa; says that the woman involved in the relationship will be very elegant, homely, and beautiful but will not be a great business-conscious type of person. Ifa; says that she will however be blessed with great children. If a man has gone for Ifa; consultation in search of a compatible spouse, Ifa; advises him to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. Two rats, two fish and one hen shall be used to feed Ifa; out of these materials after the ebo is done. On the other hand, if a woman has gone for Ifa; consultation and this Odu¾ is revealed, then, Ifa; advises her to offer eôboô with two rats, two fish, one cock and money. She also needs to feed Ifa; with two rats, two fish, and one hen. On all of these, Ifa; says: Pa¾n;ka¾ra¾ ni;i; bo;ô s’o;mi Ni;i; gba¾’ja; oô¾na¾ doo-do¾o¾-do Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; n;loô re¾e; gbe; Aj;i;nase¾ô ni;ya¾wo; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

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Translation: When a broken calabash falls into a stream It will meander in an unsteady path along the direction of the stream This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to have the hand of Aj;i;nase¾ô as wife He was advised to offer eôboô O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was in need of a compatible spouse. He was looking for a woman who would respect him, who would love him and care for him. He wanted a woman who would be friendly with his numerous clients and customers; not one who would frown on them and display a bad attitude that would chase them away. The woman was also expected to be friendly with his extended family and relatives. She was also to show hospitality to his friends and well wishers. One day, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ met Aji;nase¾ô and he believed that she had the qualities that he was looking for in the woman of his choice. The families of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and Aji;nase¾ô met on the issue and their reactions were very favourable. In order to put a final touch to the arrangement, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will there be mutual gain in this relationship if it leads all the way to marriage? The Awo assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that the relationship was good and beneficial for both families. They told him that Aji;nase¾ô would be able to meet all his requirements, and what was more, the union would be blessed with fantastic children. He was however warned not to expect Aj;i;nase¾ô to be commercially enterprising. She would be very homely and friendly to all;, she would however not be good in business. What really made O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ decide in favour of Aji;nase¾ô was that she would give birth to fantastic children for him. For this very reason, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ensured that all the marriage formalities were put in place as quickly as possible and before long the wedding was contracted. When Aji;nase¾ô moved into O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s home, everything changed. His life became better organized. His work was moving rapidly and he accomplished much. His results were better performed, thanks to Aji;nase¾ô. She was a great domestic chores organizer. She did not lift one finger to do anything; all she would do was to wake up in the morning, take care of her personal hygiene, put

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on her best dress and look as elegantly as possible. She would then sit gingerly and stretch her legs. After these ceremonies she would begin to use all the domestic workers in O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s home to do all the work in the most genial manner ever possible. Everybody loved the way she spoke and directed them to do the work. Not only this, she had nicknames for all the kids and young ones in the household. They simply loved her ways. Her best talent was in the area of story-telling. She could tell different stories from morning till night and she would never feel tired. The only work she would do in the house was to cook for her husband. Everybody loved her. She could not trade or farm but nobody cared. In spite of her inability to work or trade, she was a disciplinarian of the highest degree. She did not tolerate any form of indiscipline whatsoever. She was blessed with many children, both biological and adopted. They were all well trained. They became the pride of the household and the community in general. This made Aji;nase¾ô the favourite among the wives in O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s family. Nobody appeared to remember that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was married to a woman who was not a good business woman. Those who did were not concerned about it. What they were laying much emphasis upon was the children and how welltrained they were. They concluded that only O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was capable of marrying such a woman as Aji;nase¾ô. One day, the whole community gathered together to honour Aji;nase¾ô for giving her children the best moral training ever. They came with I®pe¾ôseô¾, Ifa; drums and Agogo Ifa; (Ifa; gongs), singing and dancing and saying: EÙ wa; m’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô o o EÙ w’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ A®ja¾na¾ Ohun lo; to;o; gbe; Aji;nase¾ô ni';ya¾wo; EÙ w’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô o Translation: Come and behold the great children together by Aji;nase¾ô Behold Aji;nase¾ô’s well-trained children O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ A®ja¾na¾ Is the only one capable of having Aj;i;nase¾ô as a wife Behold, the many beautiful children of Aj;i;nase¾ô

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That day was the happiest day in the life of Aj;i;nase¾ô and all her children. Aj;i;nase¾ô felt fulfilled and well rewarded. She knew that her activities in O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s home were recognized and approved by his family members and particularly the community in general. She lived and died a contented and fulfilled woman. Pa¾n;ka¾ra¾ ni;i; bo;ô s’o;mi Ni;i; gba¾’ja; o¾na¾ doo-do¾o¾-do Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; n;loô re¾e; gbe; Aj;i;nase¾ô ni;ya¾wo; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba';ni b’a;yo¾ EÙ wa; wo’re o N®je;ô eô wa;a; w’oômoô Aj;i;nase¾ô weôreôreô o o¾ EÙ w’oômoô Aj;i;nase¾ô weôreôreô O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ A®ja¾na Lo; gbe; Aji;nase¾ô ni;ya¾wo; EÙ w’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô o Translation When a broken calabash falls into a stream It will meander in an unsteady path along the direction of the stream This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to have the hand of Aj;i;nase¾ô as wife He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Come and join us in the midst of joy Come and behold all the Ire of life Now, come and behold the great children begotten by Aji;nase¾ô Behold Aji;nase¾ô’s well trained children O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ A®ja¾na¾ Is the only one capable of having Aji;nase¾ô as a wife Behold the many beautiful children of Aji;nase¾ô

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Ifa; says the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall not regret having the spouse whom he/she has come for during Ifa; consultation. He/she shall live happily with his/her spouse and both of them shall be blessed with children who will make them proud and contented. All the children that they train shall be successful in life. 4. Ifa; says that the doors of death, affliction, contention and loss shall be firmly shut and put under lock and key for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that the life of this person is being threatened by these four principalities but Ifa; will protect him/her against them. He/she needs not entertain any fear whatsoever. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with a mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed the main door of his/her house with one mature cock, kola nuts, bitter-kolas and palm-oil. If the house is shared among many tenants, then he/she needs to feed the door leading to his/her own apartment. The eôboô and Ibo need to be offered as quickly as possible. On this aspect of Ogbe¾-OÙÙ®yeôô¾ku;; a stanza in the Odu¾ says: O®Ùpoô¾lo;ô ga di;e¾ ju amo¾ômoô¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙku¾nrin gba¾ga¾da¾-gbagada Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô Iku; Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n moô; A®ru¾n Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô Ejo;ô Ti yo;o; se;;’ku¾n mo;ô Ofo Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô gbogbo Alubi¾ EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: The toad is a little taller than a lizard This was Ifa;’s message to the big, wide, and sturdy man Who shall lock the door against Death And lock the door against Affliction And lock the door against Contention And lock the door against Loss And lock the door against all Misfortunes He was advised to offer eôboô

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OÙku¾nrin gba¾ga¾da¾-gbagada, the big wide and sturdy man was not happy with the way that Death, Affliction, Contention and Loss were entering into people’s homes and lives to inflict untold damage with relative ease. He felt that life was too precious for bad things to be happening in the world without any resistance. Yet, he realised that there was hardly any home that one could visit without hearing, seeing or experiencing disastrous occurrences happening to people or their properties. Why should these be happening? Was there no way to put an end to all these occurrences? What could be done to stop these problems from polluting the society and spoiling the joy of the people? Who could do these things effectively? As a matter of fact what would stop him from preventing these principalities from disrupting people’s lives? In the end, he vowed to do something positive about it. The first step he took was to study how disasters occur. After a lengthy study, he found out that anything, good or bad, that would ever happen to anyone in life, before it manifested physically, would first start and conclude in the spiritual realm. On the other hand, if any problem was to be meliorated physically, it must be resolved spiritually first before any lasting solution could be found physically. This knowledge and understanding made him to be even more determined to volunteer himself to be the one to checkmate all these disasters from occurring in the lives of people. This determination was what took him to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in my determination to be the barrier preventing disasters from walking freely into the lives and homes of people, both physically and spiritually? If so, what do I need to do to succeed in this assignment? During consultation, Ogbe¾O®Ùyeô¾ku; was revealed. The Awo told him that he was about to pursue a very noble course. He was charged not to relent in his effort. The Awo also assured him that he would surely succeed. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above in order to ensure success. He complied. When OÙku¾nrin gba¾ga¾da¾-gbagada returned home, he positioned himself in the frontage of the house and ensured that nobody or anything entered or went out of the house without passing through him. In this position, he was able to lock in anyone he did not want to meet with grief or disaster outside. He was also able to lock out anything or anyone he did not want to enter the house to cause grief or disaster.

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Iku; (Death) A®ru¾n (Affliction) EÙjoô; (Contention), O®fo¾ (Loss) and other Alubi (Negativities) decided to visit the home of the Aka;po¾, as they used to do in order to cause havoc and chaos as usual. Iku; marched majestically but had his face slammed against the door. He retreated in a hurry. A®ru¾n was not able to pass through the door at all. EÙjoô; got trapped outside and O®fo¾ was at a loss on what to do when it became clear that the home of the Aka;po¾ was no longer a place for them to go and wreck havoc. In the end, all the Alubi returned to where they were all coming from. As from that day henceforth, the Aka;po¾ was able to live a trouble-free, crisis-free, havoc-free and disaster-free life for the rest of his life. In the end, the Aka;po¾ died a contented, accomplished and fulfilled man. O®Ùpoô¾lo;ô ga di;e¾ ju amo¾ômoô¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙku¾nrin gba¾ga¾da¾-gbagada Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô Iku; Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n moô; A®ru¾n Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô Ejo;ô Ti yo;o; se;;’ku¾n mo;ô Ofo Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô gbogbo Alubi EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko; pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni la;ru¾u;se;ô ogun A®ja¾seô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni le;ôse¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ Nje;ô mo se;’ku¾n moô; Iku; Mo se;’ku¾n mo;ô A®ru¾n Mo se;’ku¾n mo;ô Ejoô; Mo se;’ku¾n mo;ô O®fo¾ Mo se;’ku¾n mo;ô gbogbo Alubi Mo ti¾i; si;ta Translation The toad is a little taller than a lizard This was Ifa;’s message to the big, wide, and sturdy man Who shall lock the door against Death And lock the door against Affliction And lock the door against Contention

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And lock the door against Loss And lock the door against all Misfortunes He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we offer eôboô to overcome adversary Victory over adversities is what Ifa; guarantees I have locked the door against Death I have locked the door against Affliction I have locked the door against Contention I have locked the door against Loss And I have locked the door against all Misfortunes I have pushed them outside Ifa; assures that all misfortunes leading to grief, disaster and catastrophe shall be pushed away from the life of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. He/she shall never experience any form of misfortune in his/her life.

5. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be victorious over a friend who has been seriously planning to see him/her fall. Ifa; says that this enemy is more powerful, more resourceful and more influential than the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; however assures him/her that with the appropriate eôboô victory is guaranteed. Ifa; says that this enemy wants to show that he/she has power, influence and/or authority over and above the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed; and that is why the enemy wants to prove that punishment should be meted out without consideration for fair play and justice. Ifa; does not support any form of blatant display of power at the expense of justice. For this reason, Ifa; will come to the aid of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed and he/she shall overcome. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to take one of his complete dresses to the home of the Awo in order for the Awo to sanctify the dress. The person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is expected to put on this dress when returning from the home of the Awo. If the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is threatened over a specific issue or occasion, he/she is expected to put on the dress to the venue of the occasion.

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A stanza in Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾ laying emphasis on this particular issue says: Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo Di;a; fu;n Iku; Ti;i; sô’oômoô Ami; Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo Di;a; fu;n EÙ®ri;n Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloô;fin A®woôn me;je¾e¾ji¾ joô n;so¾ôre;ô o¾sôeye¾ka¾n-sôolu¾ku¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Iku; (Death) The son of Ami; Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for EÙ®ri;n (Laughter) The son of OÙloô;fin Both of them were so close that their friendship could be mistaken for a consanguineous bond They were advised to offer eôboô Both Iku; and EÙ®ri;n were very close friends. Both of them were so close that many people thought that they were siblings. Iku; was full of wickedness while EÙ®ri;n was kind-hearted and God-fearing. Any time that Iku; unleashed his wickedness on people, the only person that they could report him to was his friend EÙ®ri;n. He would try to pacify the aggrieved and make them laugh. He would also persuade his friend to show mercy on his victims. In short, EÙ®ri;n was the only one who could talk Iku; out of any action he was about to take. Unfortunately for EÙ®ri;n, Ami;, Iku;’s father was always behind his son, giving him support and encouragement to inflict pain on other people. This made EÙ®ri;n’s work even more difficult. Anytime that EÙ®ri;n succeeded in persuading Iku; not to take any action, when Iku; returned home, his father would ask him to go ahead. Iku; would then go and wreck havoc on the people. This was very frustrating for

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EÙ®ri;n because most of the people who desperately came to him to intervene on their behalf were disappointed. One day, EÙ®ri;n vowed never to have anything to do with Iku; again. He went to his father OÙloô;fin to inform him of his decision. OÙloô;fin told him that he must never do so. He explained to his son that even if he was able to save two out of ten potential victims of Iku;, it was worth celebrating since all of them would have been dealt with if there was nobody to intercede on their behalf. With this, E®Ùri;n agreed to continue to move with Iku;. One day, as these two friends were walking along the road, they met a group of young children playing in an open field. There were about thirty (30) in the field. Iku; said that he was not happy with those children because he sensed that as they were laughing they were making jest of him. E®Ùri;n was taken aback. How do you know this?, he asked. Iku; explained that he did not need to know because the way they were expressing their joy was really irritating him and they must be punished for that! This led to a heated argument between the two friends. Iku; insisted that all the children would be killed within three days! Why must you kill 30 innocent children in three days? This was not fair! It was just an erratic way of displaying power. This argument later degenerated into an open confrontation between the two friends. They engaged in a serious fight and E®Ùri;n gave Iku; the beating of his life. Iku; told EÙ®ri;n that he would be his first victim. E®Ùri;n told Iku; to go and do his worst. That was how both of them dispersed. As soon as Iku; got home, he reported what E®Ùri;n had done to him to Ami;, his father. Ami; was livid with rage! Did I hear you right, E®Ùri;n raised his filthy hands to beat you? Did I not tell you over and over again that if you want to inflict pain on people, start with your best friend? You have spared this bastard for too long! That is why he now has the guts to strike you! He will not get away with this. I will personally see to that. He must suffer! He must pay for his temerity. Have I not told you repeatedly that too much familiarity brings contempt? Can’t you see what has happened now? Who is he? What is his worth? Who would even know of his worthless entity if not because of his association with you? Yes! He is a worthless entity! I shall personally put him in his place. I shall snuff the life out of him the way, I snuff life out of my wick everyday! He must die! His death will be very fast and extremely painful. This I assure you

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son. Go and bathe and have your rest. E®Ùri;n is hereby sentenced to deathand he must die tomorrow unfailingly! While Ami; was shouting at the top of his voice assuring his son that he would personally kill E®Ùri;n the next day, OÙlo;ôfin was busy calming his son down to entertain no fear. OÙloô;fin blamed E®Ùri;n for engaging in a fight with his friend. He told him never to allow himself to be reduced to the level of losing his temper or engaging in any form of physical fight with anyone again. You must always be level-headed, no matter how trying the situation may be OÙloô;fin told his son. OÙloô;fin told E®Ùri;n to put his mind at rest. He assured his son that he would not come into harm’s way because Olodumare would never allow those who were doing His biddings to meet with grief. You will not meet with disaster son. Whatever happens, you will come out triumphantly. This I assure you. Do not entertain any form of fear, because if you do, you are giving your enemies victory over you. This you must not do. You shall live to narrate this story to others. In order to ensure success and victory E®Ùri;n went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be victorious? If yes, how will I gain such victory? The Awo assured EÙ®ri;n that as long as Olodumare remains on His seat, there will always be the victory of goodness over wickedness. For this reason, he, E®Ùri;n will overcome. They however told him that there was an urgent need for him to offer eôboô as stated above so as to ensure resounding victory. He was also advised to bring one of his best dresses along when coming. EÙ®ri;n assured the Awo that he would come and offer the eôboô first thing the next day. He did and the eôboô was offered. The Awo sprinkled the remaining I®ye¾ôro¾su¾n that was used in offering the eôboô on the dress that he brought along with him and he was asked to put on the dress. He did. As soon as EÙ®rin offered the eôboô, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ and his lieutenants went into session. They were aware that physically, E®Ùri;n was stronger than Iku; but spiritually, he was no match for Iku;. But it was clear as day followed night that evil must never be allowed to overcome goodness. They considered all the personalities involved in the matter and E®su¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ concluded that OÙloô;fin must not be made to suffer any grief because he had toiled to give his son EÙ®ri;n the

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best of education. In the same vein, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ concluded that Ami; was the principal culprit for three reasons; one, he failed to give his son, Iku; good education; two, he encouraged his son to do evil and inflict pain on other people; and three; he enjoyed the use of power as a form of vendetta. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ and members of his council concluded that instead of Iku;, Ami; was the one to be punished. The person who had gone into another person’s pantry to steal a keg of palm-oil is not the major thief; rather, the person who helps in keeping and/or selling the loot is the major culprit. For this reason, Ami; must be made to pay for all his bad educating and deeds. In the case of Iku;, it was concluded that he would be given another chance to turn over a new leaf if he wished. As soon as E®Ùri;n stepped out of the home of the Awo, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to work. He told Ami; to quickly go out to waylay EÙ®ri;n on his way back home. He told him to take along with him a powerful spear with which to strike E® Ùri;n down. When Ami; rushed out, E®sôu¾ directed him where to go to await EÙ®ri;n. E®sôu¾ also showed him a tall tree to climb in order to wait for his would-be victim. This tree was so tall that Ami; could see EÙ®ri;n coming along the road towards him from afar. Ami; was so sure that it was the last journey that E®Ùri;n would ever make in his life. He planned to jump on E®Ùri;n together with the spear so that the spear would enter E®Ùri;n’s body through his head and come out wherever pleased the spear. The important thing was for E®Ùri;n to die a very painful death as he had promised Iku; his son. When E®Ùri;n was returning home he began to sing as he had been instructed to do. He said; Iku; oômoô Ami; Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo EÙ®rin; oômoô OÙloô;fin Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo Iku; oômoô Ami; Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo E®Ùri;n oômoô OÙloô;fin Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾¾ gbongbo

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Translation Iku; the child of Ami; Gbongbo ji¾ga;;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo EÙ®ri;n, the child of OÙloô;fin Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo Iku; is the son of Ami; Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo And EÙ®ri;n is the son of OÙloô;fin Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo! He was dancing and repeating this song over and over. As he was doing this, he kept assuring himself that even though a true child of the Iru;nmoôleô¾ who did all things which please Olodumare at all times was not immune against tribulations, the child will however overcome. He saw what was happening as his own trying period and he was prepared to overcome it. That was the training his father had given him. He could not afford to let his father down. He could not afford to let himself down. While he was thinking, dancing and singing, he had no way of knowing that he was so close to death. He had no way of understanding that the Divinities had taken up his matter and that they had decreed that he would not be allowed to suffer. Neither did he know that E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ had been given the mandate to ensure that wickedness must recoil and return to the wicked. When it remained just a few steps for him to reach the spot where Ami; was hiding on the tree, E®su¾ made it possible for Ami; to see comedy in the actions of EÙ®ri;n; someone who was about to die; he put on his best attire, singing and dancing and walking straight to meet his death. The scenario pleased Ami; to the extent that he burst into laughter. He missed his grip on the branch of the tree. He fell head on, together with his spear. When he fell down the spear entered his body from the shoulder and came out from his back. Before his painful death, he shouted; E®Ùri;n pa mi; o! meaning EÙ®ri;n, Laughter has killed me! His voice was echoed round the world for people to know that laughter will always overcome wickedness. Kindheartedness will always be triumphant over all evil designs.

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To make matters worse for Ami; he died right at the feet of EÙ®ri;n, his intended victim. E®Ùri;n simply stood rigid for several moments, unable to understand what really went right for him and wrong for Ami;. Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo Di;a; fu;n Iku; Ti;i; sô’oômoô Ami; Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbogbo Di;a; fu;n EÙ®ri;n Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloô;fin A®woôn me;je¾e¾ji¾ joô n;so¾ôre;ô o¾sôeye¾ka¾n-sôolu¾ku¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe E®Ùri;n ni¾kan ni; n¾beô leô;yin ti; n;sôeôboô N®je;ô EÙ®ri;n pa mi; o! E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙ wa; ba;’ni la;ru¾u;sôeô ogun A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba;’ni leô;se¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sa¾ Translation: Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Iku; (Death) The son of Ami; Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾ Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for E®Ùri;n (Laughter) The son of OÙloô;fin Both of them were so close that their friendship could be mistaken for a consanguineous bond They were advised to offer eôboô Only E®ri;n complied with the advice Behold, E®Ùri;n has killed Ami;! Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Join us where we offer eôboô to overcome enemies Victory over adversity is what Ifa; guarantees

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Ifa; assures this person victory over his/her enemies. He/she will never be allowed to fail. His/her enemies will never have the opportunity of laughing at his/her expenses. 6. Ifa; asks the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to feed his/her EÙgbe;ô so that all his/her Ire in life can come within his/her reach. Ifa; says that all these Ire are presently outside the boundary of his/her place of abode. There is therefore the need to direct the EÙgbe;ô of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed back to his/her home in order for them to assist him/her by handing over all his/her Ire to him/her. Not only this, the EÙgbeô; will also support him/her by creating opportunities and chances for him/her and ensuring that he/she is able to take advantage of these opportunities and chances. In one word, the EÙgbeô; of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will be close to him/her and will urge him/her to success, accomplishment and elevation. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens, two cocks, two guinea fowls, two pigeons and money. This eôboô will be placed by Esu¾ close to his/her house. After this, he/she needs to feed EÙgbeô; with 16 wraps of eôk¾ oô (corn meal) and 6 a¾ka¾ra¾ (bean cakes) fried with palm-oil. These items will be placed in a wide container such as a calabash-tray or even plastic or aluminium tray and placed outside the boundary of the town, city or village where the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed lives. If these two steps can be taken, the EÙgbe; of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will surely move to the town, city or village where he/she lives and trace him/her to his/her home in order to be close to him/her so as to assist and support him/her at all times. A stanza in Ogbe¾-Yeôk¾ u¾ in support of all these assertions states thus: Olo;wo; ni;i; sôe bi;; aja; I®woô¾fa¾ ni;i; sôe bi; o¾ôboô woô¾’lu; Di;a; fu;n Aka;sôoôle;ri; (oru;koô eôgbeô;) Ti;i; sôe Oni;bode¾ OÙloô¾run Wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôeôboô Ki ari;si¾ki; i re¾ô o; lee¾ woôle; wa;

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Translation The rich is he who behaves like a dog The one in servitude enters the town like a monkey These were Ifa;’s declarations for Aka;sôoôle;ri; The sentry in Heaven She was advised to offer eôboô In order for all her prosperity chances to enter her home Aka;sôoôle;ri; would coordinate the activities of all the EÙleô;gbe;ô people in heaven. She was always by the gate in heaven in order to remind all EÙle;ôgbeô; babies who were going from heaven to earth not to forget their promises and for them to ensure that they all returned to heaven at their appointed periods. That is how she had been handling things since the time that she had taken up her residence at the boundary between heaven and earth. She was making a really good job of her assignment. One day however, she decided that she too would love to visit the world and spend some time on the planet. She went to Olo;du¾mare¾ for permission and she was granted the permission. She moved to the home of SÙensôenti¾so¾ro¾ at the chamber of A®ja¾la;moô¾pi;n and chose the best Ori; (destiny). Some other things were given to her to complement what she had chosen. After this exercise she moved to the home of I®wo¾ri¾-Bogbe¾ OÙlo;ôko;ô and she was handed a hoe with which to dig a hole in the ground. She dug a very small hole. She moved to the boundary between heaven and earth and paid her boundary tax before moving into the world. All other things being equal, she was supposed to live a relatively easy and enjoyable life, full of joy and contentment. When she got into the world however, to eat became a problem. She had no food to eat, she had no good friends, she had no spouse, she had no children, and no sound health. Why are things like this? Was this the way she would continue to live her life? She never bargained for a miserable life. Why was it that she had no relevance in her life, her family, and her compound and in the community in general? What must she do to right all these wrongs? Who must she approach for help? How must she approach the person or persons for help? Meanwhile, as soon as Aka;sôoôle;ri; left heaven, all her EÙgbe;ô in heaven had a quick deliberation. They said that Aka;sôoôle;ri; had done marvellously for them when she was a sentry in charge of all the EÙgbeô; in both heaven and earth.

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Consequently, it was their duty to ensure that she lived a comfortable and rewarding life while on earth. They vowed that she must not be made to suffer in any way. She must not experience any form of want while on earth. They all gathered all the Ari;si¾ki; of life together to be forwarded to her on earth. The Ari;si¾ki; that they gathered together for her could not be exhausted in seven generations. They delegated three of them to go and deliver it to Aka;sôoôle;ri; as their own show of appreciation. When these delegates arrived on earth, Aka;sôoôle;ri; was nowhere to be found. They looked for her everywhere but they could not find her, for several years, they were looking for her- all to no avail. They vowed never to return to heaven without delivering the Ari;si¾ki; to her. They considered that the least they could do for Aka;sôoôle;ri; was to be sincere and dedicated to her now that she was on earth. The mere thought of the fact that she might be experiencing any form of need was very painful to these delegates. However, after several years of searching without success, the delegates decided to stay close to the boundary of a town and wait patiently for that day when they would be lucky to meet Aka;sôoôle;ri; and deliver all her Ari;si¾ki; to her. In the case of Aka;sôoôle;ri;, the situation was moving from bad to worse. One day, Aka;sôoôle;ri; summoned up courage and went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I ever succeed in life? During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku¾ was revealed. The Awo assured her that she would not only succeed in life, she would also get all the recognition she deserved. She was advised to put her mind at rest and continue to think, say and do what was right without ceasing. She was told that all what she was searching for was so close by and she would be able to get them in no time at all. She was advised to offer ebo as stated above. She complied. After this, she was advised to feed EÙgbe;ô with 16 wraps of eô¾koô and 16 balls of a¾ka¾ra¾. She procured all these too. She was asked to go and place the food at the boundary of the town. She also did. As soon as she left, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to work. He pointed the attention of the delegates who had come into the world with all the Ari;siki belonging to Aka;sôoôle;ri; to the food. He told them that the food was brought to them by Aka;sôoôle;ri; as a way of welcoming them to her vicinity. He advised the delegates to eat first in order for him to lead them to Aka;sôoôle;ri;’s home afterwards. They

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ate. They were so excited that at last, they had seen someone who would take them to the abode of Aka;sôoôle;ri;. When they got close to the abode of Aka;sôoôle;ri;, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ bid the delegates farewell and pointed out the house to them. The three delegates entered Aka;sôoôle;ri;’s home. She could not see the delegates but she sensed that some beings were in her home. These delegates delivered the Afi;si¾ki; into her home and left. They felt happy that they had accomplished their mission. When they got to heaven, they reported to all the other EÙgbeô; that the Afi;si¾ki; had been delivered into Aka;sôoôle;ri;’s home successfully. There was a big celebration in heaven on that day. Suddenly, Aka;sôoôle;ri; became the toast of everybody in her community. Everybody scrambled to please her. There was no project or activity that they did not want her to be involved in. Many suitors were competing for her hand in marriage. It was as if the whole world had just taken notice of her. Soon, she met someone she loved and whom she felt loved her and the two families met. They deliberated and the marriage was contracted. She became pregnant two months after. She gave birth to many children. Her business progressed, her health improved and everything about her life changed completely. She became happy and contented. Her EÙgbeô; in heaven ensured that she was accorded her deserved respect and honour on earth. One day, Aka;sôoôle;ri; sat down and ruminated over her journey from nothing to everything, from poverty to surplus; from agony to joy and anonymity to glory and prominence. She could not help but give glory to Olo;du¾mare¾, her Ori;, her Ifa;, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ and of course, her EÙgbe;ô. Olo;wo; ni;i; sôe bi;; aja; I®woô¾fa¾ ni;i; sôe bi; o¾ôboô woô¾’lu; Di;a; fu;n Aka;sôoôle;ri; (oru;koô eôgbeô;) Ti;i; sôe Oni;bode¾ OÙloô¾run Wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôeôboô Ki ari;si¾ki; i re¾ô o; lee¾ woôle; wa; O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni; ni; woô¾wo;ô ire gbogbo

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Translation The rich is he who behaves like a dog The one in servitude enters the town like a monkey These were Ifa;’s declarations for Aka;sôoôle;ri The sentry in Heaven She was advised to offer eôboô In order for all her prosperity chances to enter her home She complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall lack nothing in life. He/she shall be taken care of by his/her EÙgbeô; who will ensure that they cater for all his/her needs here on earth. He/she shall move from penury to opulence. He/she shall also be given honour and recognition in life.

7. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô and feed EÙgbeô; for his/her EÙgbeô; in heaven to row the boat of all the Ire of life to him/her. He/she has the potential to be great and to accomplish wonderful things at this moment. This is the reason why he/she needs to offer eôboô and feed EÙgbe;ô so that these opportunities will not pass him/her by. He/she needs not entertain any doubt or fear because when coming from heaven, he/she had chosen all the Ire of life as part of his/her destiny. To manifest all these Ire will not be a problem for him/her. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô as A®ru;kore with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two hens, two cocks, two guinea-fowls and money. He/she also needs to feed EÙgbe;ô with plenty of e¾¾ôkoô, plenty of a¾ka¾ra¾, honey and fruits. In Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾ a stanza laying emphasis on this aspect says: Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾ Are;e¾su; gba¾’ja; A ri; ko;o;ko hu;n’ra Afe¾ji¾gba¾ i¾le¾ôkeô¾ Kan’ru¾n A®ra¾ ti; Abo;do¾re;ô n da; o¾ lee¾ ba;je;ô Walami ni; n;jo; geregere lo;ri; oômi

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Di;a; fu;n OÙla;-Abo;do¾re;ô oômoô Atu¾lo;ôkoô¾ Wo;ôn ni ko; wa; sôeôboô si; oô¾na¾ Ire gbogbo Translation Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾ He who uses E®e¾su¾ (the wild grass) as loin cloth He who uses grasses to scratch his body He who adorns his neck with expensive beads The wonders being performed by Abo;do¾re;ô (he who is friendly with the stream) will not be spoilt forever He uses his paddles to manoeuvre in the waters These were Ifa;’s declaration for OÙla;-Abo;do¾re;ô, the offspring of the boat rowers He was advised to offer eôboô in order to open the path of all Ire in life When Abo;do¾reô; was coming from heaven, he chose, as part of his destiny, boundless opportunity to succeed and excel in all the things he laid his hands upon. He was also the head of his own EÙgbe;ô group in heaven. When he arrived on earth, he was born a very innovative and resourceful person. He tried his hands on many things and he was able to bring forth several things out of little or nothing. His area of specialization was in the area of boat construction. He built many types of fast-moving boats and put some into the streams, some into the rivers; some into the lagoons and some into the sea. He engaged in merchandize across several lands the world over. His EÙgbe;ô were bringing many great people across his path and he was a very successful person. Many of the things which he did and succeeded in most of his contemporaries had failed woefully in them. It was his rate of success that actually made him seek Ifa;’s advice on how he would be able to maintain the level he had occupied. When he got to the home of the Awo mentioned above, the only question he asked was “Will I be able to continue to succeed as I have found myself at the pinnacle of my chosen career?” When Ifa; was consulted, Ogbe¾OÙ®ye¾ku¾ was revealed.

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The Awo assured him that nothing would ever stop him from going up and up. He was told that the sky was just the beginning of his success. To continue to maintain his level of success and to surpass his position, he was advised to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two guinea-fowls, two hens, two cocks and money. He was also advised to feed his EÙgbe;ô with a lot of E®®ôkoô, a¾ka¾ra¾, honey and fruits. Abo;do¾re complied As soon as he returned home, more business opportunities opened for him. His home became a beehive of activities. He was more successful than the OÙba of his town. He had more respect and adoration than anyone in the land. His ability to row his boat to success both figuratively and metaphorically became legendary. By the time he died, he was the most successful boat constructor and handler ever known. Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾ Are;e¾su; gba¾’ja; A ri; ko;o;ko hu;n’ra Afe¾ji¾gba¾ i¾le¾ôkeô¾ Kan’ru¾n A®ra¾ ti; Abo;do¾re;ô n da; o¾ lee¾ ba;je;ô Walami ni; n;jo; geregere lo;ri; oômi Di;a; fu;n OÙla;-Abo;do¾re;ô oômoô Atu¾lo;ôkoô¾ Wo;ôn ni ko; wa; sôeôboô si; oô¾na¾ Ire gbogbo O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;'ni ni; woô¾woô; ire gbogbo Woô¾wo; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ Translation Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾ He who uses E®e¾su¾ (the wild grass) as loincloth He who uses grasses to scratch body He who adorns his neck with expensive beads The wonders being performed by Abo;do¾re;ô (he who is friendly with the stream), cannot be spoilt forever He uses his paddles to manoeuvre in the waters These were Ifa;’s declaration for OÙla;-Abo;do¾re;ô, the offspring of the boat rowers He was advised to offer eôboô in order to open the path of

30


all Ire in life He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life All the Ire of life is what Ifa guarantees for all its true devotees Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall excel in his/her chosen career. He/she will be known and respected from far and near. 8. Ifa; foresees the Ire of prosperity and childbearing for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa says that this person needs to take more seriously the need to beget children than the need to succeed financially. Ifa; says that whether this person offers eôboô for financial success or not he/she shall succeed; but he/she needs to offer ebo for him/her to have children who shall continue where he/she has left off when he/she dies. As a matter of fact, Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed during I®koôse¾da;ye; or I®teôni;fa; does not bring from heaven the destiny of having several children. The few they can have however shall be the most accomplished children in their community. There is therefore the need to offer eôboô for the children to arrive early in the life of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. On this aspect, Ifa; says: Ka; yeô po;po; bula;bula; Ka; mu; r’o¾kun loô¾oô; teôfa; Ka; yeô¾na¾ bula¾bula¾ Ka; mu; r’oô¾sa¾ loô¾o;ô teô’du¾ OÙ®g’eôsôin pi¾i;¾ti-pi;i¾ti l'eô;ba¾a; o¾kun Di;a; fu;n Abo;do¾re;ô Ti; woô;n ni; ko; f'eôboô oôla¾ si;leô¾ EÙboô oômoô ni ko; ma;a sôe

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Translation Let us construct a wide avenue And extend it to the sea for Ifa; initiation Let us clear a wide path And direct it to the lagoon for I®teô¾lo;du¾ He who rides his horse and gallops by the seaside They were the group of Awo who cast Ifa; for Abo;do¾reô When he was advised to leave the eôboô for prosperity And offer the one for him to beget children It was very clear that Abo;do¾re;ô would succeed in life, barring all unforeseen circumstances; he was very resourceful, he was witty, intelligent and imaginative. He knew how to convince people to patronize him in the area of his chosen career. He worked tirelessly to succeed in life. When he realized that he was going up in the socio-economic ladder, he went for Ifa; consultation in order to determine what to do for him to continue to succeed in life. During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-OÙ®yeô¾ku; was revealed. The Awo told Abo;do¾re;ô that he had come in order to ensure that he would continue to go up the ladder of success in life. He was assured that he had no problem in that area. He was however told that the area of his life that he needed to offer eôboô for was for him to be able to beget children. He was advised to offer eôboô in that area and for him to get married as soon as possible. Abo;do¾re;ô told the Awo that he would not only offer the eôboô, but he would also love to go for I®teô¾lo;du¾. He got many able-bodied people together to help him construct a wide road that would lead straight to the sea so that he could do his initiation close to the sea which was where his business was situated. He also employed the services of other groups to clear another path to the lagoon for him. This would make it very easy for his Awo to choose anyone that they preferred out of the two sites; seaside or lagoon-side. He gave the head of the group of Awo a strong horse to ride for the inspection of the two sites. In the end, the Awo chose the sea-side and his initiation was done there. Abo;do¾re;ô also offered the eôboô as stated above.

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In the end, Abo;do¾re;ô became the most successful merchant of his time. He was also blessed with two children who continued where he had stopped when he died. These two children grew to become more successful than their father. They built their father’s business empire beyond the wildest imagination of all those who were in their community. They had business links and contacts all over the world. When Abo;do¾re;ô died, he died a contented and accomplished man. When his two children died, they died happily. Ka; yeô po;po; bula;bula; Ka; mu; r’o¾kun loô¾oô; teôfa; Ka; yeô¾na¾ bula¾bula¾ Ka; mu; r’oô¾sa¾ loô¾o;ô teô’du¾ OÙ®g’eôsôin pi¾i;¾ti-pi;i¾ti l'eô;ba¾a; o¾kun Di;a; fu;n Abo;do¾re;ô Ti; woô;n ni; ko; f'eôboô oôla¾ si;leô¾ EÙboô oômoô ni ko; ma;a sôe O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa; wo’re o Translation Let us construct a wide avenue And extend it to the sea for Ifa; initiation Let us clear a wide path And direct it to the lagoon for I®teô¾lo;du¾ He who rides his horse and gallops by the seaside They were the group of Awo who cast Ifa; for Abo;do¾reô When he was advised to leave the eôboô for prosperity And offer the one for him to beget children He complied Before long, too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be blessed with financial success but will have few but great children. When he/she dies he/she

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will be remembered as someone who had left an enduring legacy for his/her children, group and/or community.

9. Ifa; says that it foresees the blessing of child-birth for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that this person has been struggling to be blessed with the fruit of the womb for quite some time now but it is time for him/her to receive this blessing. Ifa; says that this person did not choose to have many children as part of his/her destiny from heaven but he/she shall be blessed with few but great children. These children shall be greater than this person and he/she will have course to be grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities for these gifts. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾¾ is revealed to offer eôôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. He/she also needs to feed I®beji® (the Twins Divinity) with cooked black beans, one big cock and other edible items available at that time. He/she needs to invite children to come and feast on the provided food items. If these can be done, Ifa assures that this person shall be blessed with two great children. An aspect in Ogbe¾-OÙ®ye¾ôku; laying emphasis on this says: Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾ Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾ Di;a; fu;n A®gba; Ti; n;mo;ju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; is the father of all combinations Longevity is the father of EÙdan "What line of enterprise will I pursue" is the father of business principles These were Ifa;’s declarations for A®gba; When weeping in lamentation for her inability to bear children She was advised to offer eôboô

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A®gba; (the O®gbo;ni Drum) had everything going for her in the area of her chosen career. She was very successful. She had chosen the right business enterprise and she was making huge profits. She also had the right choice of spouse. Both of them were very compatible. She had every reason to be grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾. Anytime she would see her husband, smiles of joy and contentment enveloped her beautiful face. There was a big snag however, A®gba; had no child of her own. She was not blessed with the fruit of the womb. Much as she tried, she was not successful. One day, she decided to take the bull by the horns and made up her mind to seek the help of Ifa; in solving her problem. She therefore approached the group of Babala;wo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be blessed with the fruit of the womb? Will I have my own children? Who will carry on after I have passed on? Will I be able to have my own children whom I will love, train, pet, pamper and adore as other women do with their own children? In short, will I be prevented from losing out completely? When Ifa; was consulted, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; was revealed. The group of Awo told A®gba; that even though she was very successful economically, she had no complete joy and contentment because she had no child of her own. She was however assured that Olo;du¾mare¾ would bless her with the fruit of the womb. She was also informed that she had not chosen to have many children from heaven. Consequent upon this, she needed to offer eôboô as quickly as possible in order to ensure that she was able to have her children early in her life before it was too late. She was also advised to offer eôboô and feed I®beji¾ (the Twins Divinity) as stated above. She complied. A few months after this, she became pregnant. Ten lunar months after, she gave birth to a baby. The baby was named EÙdan, the Icon of O®gbo;ni. As soon as this child was born, everything changed in the life of A®gba; for the better. When the child started to speak, A®gba; gave him the best training possible. At a tender age, EÙdan became the Icon representing the O®gbo;ni cult. Both A®gba; and EÙdan were able to put in place the firm establishment of the O®gbo;ni cult. This move caught the attention of many people and drew them to the Ile;di¾, the O®gbo;;ni cult grove and shrine. They were able to attract many members.

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There arose another snag however: there was no priest to officiate in the Ile;di¾. Those who trooped there had nobody to take care of their spiritual and psychological needs. Most of these people were highly disappointed when their spiritual needs were not satisfied. It was during this period that A®gba; became pregnant again. She later gave birth to a baby boy named Ala;wo¾ro¾, the offspring Priest. The boy grew up rapidly and became the officiating priest in the Grove and Temple. Between A®gba; and her two children EÙdan and Ala;wo¾ro¾, they were able to establish and administer the O®gbo;ni cult successfully. Those who became members of the O®gbo;ni cult were no longer disappointed. Their success grew in leaps and bounds. In the lifetime of A®gba; her two children had succeeded. They had reason to be happy and contented. A®gba; was the happiest and proudest mother of her time. Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾ Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾ Di;a; fu;n A®gba; Ti; n;mo;ju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô I®gba¾ ti; yo;o; bi; O: bi; EÙdan O: si¾ bi; Ala;wo¾ro¾ E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙÙ wa; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô Translation: Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; in the father of all combinations Longevity is the father of EÙdan “What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of business principles These were Ifa;’s declarations for A®gba; When weeping in lamentation for her inability to bear children She was advised to offer eôboô

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She complied When she delivered She gave birth to EÙdan And later gave birth to Ala;wo¾ro¾ Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾ Join us where we are blessed with the fruit of the womb Ifa; says that this person shall be blessed with great children who shall succeed and become accomplished in their lifetime. He/she shall be a proud parent of well trained and well groomed children. Even though he/she shall not have many children, the few ones he/she will have shall make him/her proud. He/she shall grow old and go to his/her grave a very proud and contented person. 10. Ifa; says that there is the need for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô and feed OÙba¾ta;la; in order to protect his/her life from imminent danger. Ifa; says that there is a serious threat to his/her life but OÙba¾ta;la; will not let him/her be involved in any untimely death. OÙba¾ta;la; has been protecting his/her life from danger and threat, thus this person should become a devout follower and worshipper of OÙba¾ta;la;. They should adorn the shrine of OÙba¾ta;la; with his many icons and have regular festivities in honour of him. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land snails, shea butter, and 16 native chalk. On this aspect, Ifa; says: Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾ Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾ Di;a; fu;n O®os¾ ôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾er¾ô eô¾ma¾gbo¾ Ti; n; loô re¾e; K’o;wo; r’e¾ômi; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; in the father of all combinations Longevity is the father of EÙdan “What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of business principles

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These were Ifa;’s declarations for OÙba¾ta;la; When going pay for EÙ®mi; (Life) He was advised to offer eôboô OÙba¾ta;la;, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, O®gu;n and E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ were the four Iru;nmoôleô¾ whom Olo;du¾mare¾ assigned the task of creating E®ni¾ya¾¾n (human beings) to. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ was the one who went to I®koô¾le; O®Ùrun to bring the basket of sand which Olo;du¾mare¾ used to create the universe to use for the creation of E®ni¾ya¾¾n . O®gu;n moulded the bones of both males and females while OÙba¾ta;la; added the flesh to the bones before Olo;du¾mare¾ put the final A®sôeô. The assignment of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was to continuously consult Ifa; in order to ensure that everything was going according to the plan of Olo;du¾mare¾ and create a systematic order of activities and processes. In this assignment, OÙba¾ta;la; was put as the head of the group project. The four Iru;nmoôle¾ô and their subordinates performed splendidly and the job was completed to the satisfaction of Olo;du¾mare¾, even though there were several impediments along the way. All those who participated in this great assignment were aware that EÙ®mi; (Life force), which Olo;du¾mare¾ put into what they designed and moulded was the most important and most valuable element that the E®ni¾ya¾n possessed. Without EÙ®mi;, there would not be any E®ni¾ya¾n. This was the reason why OÙba¾ta;la; made it his concern to see to it that EÙmi;, which Olo;du¾mare¾ gave E®ni¾ya¾n was well protected and preserved. OÙba¾ta;la; however observed that there were so many things threatening the EÙ®mi; of E®ni¾ya¾n. There was no action or even inaction of E®ni¾ya¾¾n that was not fought with life-threatening things: eating or refusal to eat, drinking or refusal to drink; sleeping or walking, sitting or standing; walking or running, crawling or swimming, working or refusal to work, hard-work or laziness, wickedness or benevolence; trust or distrust, truthfulness or lies, cleanliness or dirtiness etc. all were accompanied by life snatching things. In spite of all these threats, OÙba¾ta;la; vowed that a means must be found to protect E®ni¾ya¾n from untimely death. That was why he went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be able to protect the E®ni¾ya¾n from meeting calamity and untimely death? If yes, what do I need to do to be able to do this?

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The Awo told OÙba¾ta;la; that the assignment that he had given to himself was a noble one. He was however informed that the assignment would only succeed under three conditions; one, the E®ni¾ya¾n who was given the EÙ®mi; must recognize that he/she must not engage in any unreasonable risk and expect that his/her E®Ùmi; be protected; two, he/she must be ready to surrender his/her EÙ®mi; to the Divinities for them to protect, and three, they must be able to pay the price and be obedient by listening to the advice, heeding warnings and offering eôboô when asked to do so. They also advised OÙba¾ta;la; to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money in order for him to succeed in the assignment. He was also asked to feed his O®ke¾-I®po¾ôri; with 16 snails, shea butter and EÙfun, native chalks. He complied. As of that moment, anyone who felt threatened where this Odu¾ was revealed would be advised to offer eôboô and feed OÙba¾ta;la; as stated above. As soon as these were done, such a person would be given air-tight protection which could only come from OÙba¾ta;la; and the other Divinities. As long as this person follows the instructions above, he/she would never have his/her E®Ùmi; cut short by anything in this world or beyond. He/she will be guaranteed long life for him/her to find, follow and fulfil his/her destiny on earth. That is why those who hand their lives to OÙba¾ta;la; continue to pray that their lives be given to the Divinity for protection and so their lives won’t be lost for any reason whatsoever. Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾ Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾ Di;a; fu;n O®os¾ ôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾er¾ô eô¾ma¾gbo¾ Ti; n; loô re¾e; K’o;wo; r’e¾ômi; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô N®jeô O®o¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôreôm ¾ a¾gbo¾ E®Ùmi; ti; mo fu;n oô du¾ Ma; ma¾ je;ô ko; boô; E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; Kangiri A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n, o; j’oyin loô o

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Translation: Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; in the father of all Odu¾ Ifa; combinations Longevity is the father of EÙdan “What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of business principles These were Ifa;’s declarations for OÙba¾ta;la; When going pay for EÙ®mi; (Life) He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Please O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôreôm ¾ a¾gbo¾ My EÙ®mi; which I give you to protect Please do not let it be lost Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Join us where we enjoy long life The longevity guaranteed by Ifa is sweeter than honey Ifa; says that the life of this person shall be protected. He/she shall not die young. He/she will also live long enough to be able to accomplish those things that he/she has come into this world to accomplish. Ifa however warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed against taking undue risks or being reckless with his/her life. Doing so may make it very difficult if not impossible, for him/her to have the protection of the Divinities. He/she also needs to heed warnings and follow the advices given to him/her by competent Awo. 11. Ifa; says that it foresees the Ire of long life and sound health for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that as OÙÙbatala is protecting this person so also is the Ori; of his/her mother responsible for his/her protection. Even though there are real threats to his/her life, he/she will not die young. He/she will manage to escape untimely death and live to his/her old age. He/she will also be able to accomplish all what he/she has chosen as his/her destiny in heaven before returning to heaven. Ifa; advises this person to offer ebo with one mature he-goat and money. There is also the need to ask Ifa; what the Ori; of his/her mother will take and use these materials to feed the Ori; accordingly. If the mother is dead, then the chosen items will be used to feed the spirit of the mother.

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A stanza in Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; says: Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾ Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾ Di;a; fu;n A:a;mi; Ti;i; sôe I®ya; OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n Woô;n ni; ko; ru;'boô si; la;i¾ku; oômoô reô Translation: Ogbe¾-OÙ®ye¾ôku; is the father of all combinations Longevity is the father of EÙdan “What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of all business principles These were Ifa;’s declarations to A:a;mi; The mother of OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n She was advised to offer the eôboô of longevity for her child A:a;mi; was a very honest, straight-forward, gentle headed, God-fearing and kindhearted woman. All the people in her community loved her. She had assisted many people to succeed in life. She had also saved many people from trouble and calamity. She did all things in her community with humility. She behaved as if those whom she was assisting were the ones doing her great favours. She also had a great sense of humour. She was happily married but she had no child. She tried all she could, yet she was not blessed with any child. Her inability to beget any child made A:a;mi; cry every day. She prayed and begged Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities to give her a child to love and cherish. Her appeals were given consideration by Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities. Her good deeds weighed heavily in her favour and it was resolved to bless A®a;mi; with a baby. A:a;mi; became pregnant afterward. Her pregnancy was like the whole community was carrying the pregnancy. When she gave birth to the baby, the whole community named the baby boy O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n (My matter has succeeded). O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n developed rapidly. A:a;mi; became a very happy and fulfilled woman. Her good and benevolent deeds in the community increased in many folds. By the time O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n grew up to become a teenager, he was known by

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everyone in the community. The way A;a;mi; treated her only child made it clear to everyone that the boy was her major source of joy. One day, O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n suddenly took ill. A few moments after, he fainted. When A;a;mi; was informed that her son had fainted, it was as if the whole world had come crashing down on her head. She screamed, cried, wailed and gnashed her teeth, all to no avail. Each moment made the condition of her son worse. That was when she decided to go to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation. Will my son survive? If yes, what do I need to do for my son to be well? The Awo assured her that her son would be well. They stated that it was her own Ori; that would help resuscitate her son. They made it known to her that the Divinities had seen the way she had been performing in her home, her environment and in the community at large and they were impressed with her. The Divinities knew that her son was her joy. For that reason, she was assured that the Divinities would ensure that her son survived. She was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. She was also asked to feed OÙba¾ta;la;. She was also told to feed her Ori; regularly. She complied. A few days after, her son recovered. To her, the weight of the whole world had just been lifted from her head. She then became the smiling, vibrant and humorous woman that she used to be again. One day, A:a;mi; sent O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n her son to go and fetch some wood in the forest. On his way, he fell down and sprained his left ankle. At the very same time, a big tree fell just close to his head. Had he not fallen down, he would certainly have been crushed to death by the fallen tree. The Divinities made sure that anything that would bring grief to A:a;mi; was averted. A few months after, O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n went to swim in the river. The tide suddenly became stronger and faster. He was being washed away and he was totally helpless to do anything about it. He was slammed against the roots of a mighty baobab tree which grew close to the river. His dress was entangled in the roots and debris which the river had washed away with him. He got stuck between the roots. He was there for several hours. That was how he escaped being completely washed away to his death. Again, it was not because of his good

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deeds. It was simply because the Divinities would allow A:a;mi; to grieve over her source of joy. On several occasions, O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n was close to death but he would escape miraculously. It was the Ori; of his mother, A;a;mi;, which continuously would save him. It got to a stage that people in the community were saying that had it not been for A;a;mi;, O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n’s mother, Death would have taken O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n away a long time ago. Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾ Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾ Di;a; fu;n A:a;mi; Ti;i; sôe I®ya; OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n Woô;n ni; ko; ru;'boô si; la;i¾ku; oômoô re O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô Ti; ko¾ ba; si; ti A;a;mi; Iku; i¾ba; ma¾ ti pa Oran-anyan E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n o; j'oyin loô Translation: Ogbe¾-OÙ®ye¾ôku; is the father of all combinations Longevity is the father of EÙdan “What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of all business principles These were Ifa;;’s declarations to A:a;mi; The mother of OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n She was advised to offer the eôboô of longevity for her child She complied Had it not been for A;;a;mi; Who was O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n’s mother Death would have snatched OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n away a long time ago Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾ Join us where we enjoy longevity The longevity guaranteed by Ifa; is sweeter than honey

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Ifa; says that this person shall not die young. He/she needs to be feeding the Ori; of his/her mother if she is alive; or feed her spirit if she is dead. This person needs to ask Ifa; what the mother’s Ori;/spirit will take every time he/she wants to do the feeding. By so doing, long life is guaranteed. 12. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô urgently in order to prevent a fellow human being from being the cog in his/her wheel of progress. Ifa; says that apart from offering the eôboô he/she also needs to be offering I®pe¾se¾ for the Elders of the Night on a regular basis. Ifa; says that he/she is not supposed to be at the level he/she presently is. Ifa; makes it clear that this person needs to be higher than where he/she is now. Those who are responsible for his/her lack of progress commensurate to his/her efforts are, unfortunately, those who are very close to him/her. They are people he/she trusts and whom he/she shares many things to and who knows a lot about him/her and his/her life. Ifa; advises this person to be more careful with those living in his/her home and/or close family or associates than with outsiders. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat for victory. The officiating Awo also needs to inquire from Ifa;, over what to use as I®pe¾se¾ for the Elders of the Night. This needs to be done regularly in order to pull this person up the ladder of success and give him/her the opportunity to actualize his/her full potentials in life. A stanza in Ogbe¾-OÙ®ye¾ku; on this aspect says: Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; o, Iku; yeô¾ Di;a; fu;n E®ni¾ya¾n Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; Aye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku;, Death is shifting forward This was the Ifa; cast for E®ni¾ya¾n The sibling of Aye; She was advised to offer eôboô

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E®ni¾ya¾n was the sister of Aye;. They were both born by the same parents. They were very close to each other. They had many things in common, even though they were not of the same sex. The love they had for each other was so great that many people envied their relationship in their community. Anytime that E®ni¾ya¾n purchased anything, Aye; would ensure that he paid part of the money back to his sister. One day, E®ni¾ya¾n went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in life? If so, how will I go about being successful? The Awo assured E®ni¾ya¾n that she would surely succeed in life. Not only that, she would be instrumental to lifting other people up in her community. She was also told that she had a sibling whom she needed to cooperate with at all times. By so doing, the Awo informed her, both of them would rise up together. Their fame would shine together and they would succeed beyond their wildest dreams together. The Awo advised her to offer eôboô as stated above and to ensure that there was no form of competition between her and her younger brother. Only cooperation must exist between the two of them. She offered the eôboô to succeed and overcome her problems that same day. Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; o, Iku; ye¾ô Di;a; fu;n Aye; Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; E®ni¾ya¾n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku;, Death is shifting forward This was the Ifa; cast for Aye; The sibling of E®ni¾ya¾n He was advised to offer eôboô Aye; was the younger brother of E®ni¾ya¾n. He was very fond of his sister. There was nothing that he was not ready to do for his sister in order to make her happy. When E®ni¾ya¾n was to get married, Aye; emptied all his savings in life as his own contribution towards the success of his sister’s marriage. When his sister gave birth to her first baby, Aye; organized the naming ceremony and ensured that it was not only successful, but also the talk of the community for a

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long time. When he went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation, his concern was how he and his sister would succeed in life. The Awo assured him that they would both succeed. He was advised to ensure that cooperation existed between the two of them more than ever before. He was advised to offer eôboôô as stated above. He too complied with the advice that same day. As soon as he returned home, he called his sister and informed her about what the Awo had said. He pledged his unflinching loyalty to his sister. During this time period, he cleared both his farm together with that of his sister. He worked tirelessly to ensure that the huge farm succeeded. When the harvest period came, he shared the proceeds with his sister, her husband, and her three little children. It never bothered him that her sister, her husband and her children never lifted a finger on the farm. He took the advice of the Awo seriously. One day, Aye; met a young lady that he felt would be a nice wife for him. His sister was the first person he told. He begged his sister to help him investigate the lady and help put things into motion if she was satisfied with the lady. For six months, his sister was still investigating. In the end, she told her brother to look for another lady. She convinced the brother that the lady would never make a good wife. On hearing this, he dropped the lady instantly. Five times, he met different ladies and asked his sister to help him investigate them. Five times his sister rejected them. This went on for a period of eight years. Unknown to the brother, the sister did not want him to get married at all. If he must get married it must be delayed for as long as possible. why? She felt that if her brother were to get married, the wife would not allow him to continue to serve her the way he had been doing. She also felt that he would begin to have his own children and this would not allow him to concentrate on her own children as he had been doing. In the end, on the ninth year, the sister met a girl whom she considered to be of low intelligence and whom she would easily intimidate. She told her brother that the girl was very homely and would make a good wife. The brother, suspecting nothing agreed with the sister and the marriage was conducted. All the neighbours were disappointed with the choice of spouse. Only Aye; and E®ni¾ya¾n were happy with the choice for different reasons.

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A few months after marriage, the girl became pregnant. E®ni¾ya¾n told the girl to come to her house everyday as the girl had no experience on pregnancy. She complied. When the pregnancy became five months old, the young girl began to complain of stomach trouble. A few days after, the pregnancy was miscarried. E®ni¾ya¾n blamed the girl for being careless. Unknown to anyone, it was the concoctions prepared for the girl by E®ni¾ya¾n that caused the miscarriage. Why would she do this? Simply to ensure that her brother continued to serve her and her family for as long as possible. Much as he tried, Aye; found it very difficult to make ends meet. Yet, he was unrelenting in his bid and vowed to cooperate with his sister. One day, one of his close friends gave him four hens. He started to rear the fowls and before long, they began to lay eggs. Within six months, the fowls had increased to over 40. That was when his sister and her children and husband found chicken flesh more agreeable to them than any other meat. Before long, they consumed the last fowl and that put an end to the idea of rearing fowls on commercial basis. Yet, he saw nothing wrong with what his sister had done. By the time Aye;’s wife had the fifth miscarriage, her parents came to pack her bags and baggage from his home, saying that there was the need for Aye; to have a thorough self-examination. They promised that as soon as this was done and a solution was found to his numerous problems, his wife would then be returned to him. This move devastated him greatly. He cried to his sister to help him find a solution. E®ni¾ya¾n on the other hand promised to go to his in-laws home to look for an amicable solution to the problem. Aye; was grateful to his sister. When she got there however, she provoked the in-laws to the extent that they vowed never to release the wife to Aye; anymore. As soon as she left, the elders in Aye;’s in-laws home knew something was terribly wrong. They also felt that what was wrong was totally beyond Aye; ’s comprehension and power. They decided to help him, if not for his own sake, at least for the sake of their own daughter, his wife, who had bluntly refused to leave him. She told her parents that instead of ordering her to leave Aye;, it would be better to find a way of assisting him because he was a great husband. One day, the head of the in-laws family sent someone to go and call Aye; to the farm. He was told that his wife would be returned to him on three conditions: one, he must go for Ifa; consultation in order to determine exactly what was wrong with him, two, he must move out of the family compound and three, he

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must not tell his plans to anyone until everything had returned to normal. He agreed. First, Aye; went for Ifa; consultation. That was when he was informed that his own blood was at the root cause of his misfortunes. He was advised to offer eôboô and feed the Elders of the Night as stated above. He complied. As far as he was concerned, it must be some of his close relatives who were responsible for all his misfortunes. He confided his suspicion in his sister who advised him to steer clear of all his relatives, except her of course. Secondly, he began to erect another building which he and his wife would live in outside the family compound. He was doing it secretly. He only told his sister what he was doing and the location of his new site. Before long, he was ready to roof the house. He told his beloved sister to come and pray for him the next day when the roofing would commence. In the dead of the night, something kept telling him to stand up and go straight to his new site. Initially, he ignored the urge. But when the urge became too persistent, he decided to go. What harm would it cause him when he was not able to sleep anyway? He moved rapidly, then slowly and then rapidly again. He was expecting anything out of place. When he got there, what he saw made him totally speechless. He saw his beloved sister, her husband and her three kids with clubs, diggers and batons breaking the walls and wood he had used to erect the house. Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; o, Iku; ye¾ô Di;a; fu;n Aye; Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; E®ni¾ya¾n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Aye; ni¾kan ni; n;beô leô;yi¾n ti; n;sôe¾boô Nj®e;ô aye; i¾ ba; ti ni; ogu;n eôru; E®ni¾ya¾n ni o jeô; EÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n eô jeô; n r’a;a¾ye¾ sôe te¾mi o EÙÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n Aye; i¾ ba; ti ni; oôgboô¾n i¾wo¾ôfa¾ E®ni¾ya¾n ni o¾ je;ô EÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n eô jeô; n r’a;a¾ye¾ sôe te¾mi o EÙÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n Aye; i¾ ba; ti ni; a¾ad; oô;ta omidan E®ni¾ya¾n ni o jeô; EÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n eô jeô; n r’a;a¾ye¾ sôe te¾mi o

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EÙÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n Ko¾ pe;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba;; ni la;;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ Translation: Ogbe¾-Ye¾kô u; (Death) is shifting forward This was the Ifa; cast for Aye; The sibling of E®ni¾ya¾n She was advised to offer eôboô Only Aye; complied with the eôboô Behold! Aye; would have been blessed with 20 servants But E®ni¾ya¾n did not allow it to materialize You human beings Please give me the chance to fulfil my destiny You human beings Aye; would have been blessed with 30 workers But E®ni¾ya¾n did not allow it to materialize You human beings Please give me the chance to fulfil my destiny You human beings Aye; would have been blessed with 50 damsels But E®ni¾ya¾n did not allow it to materialize You human beings Please give me the chance to fulfil my destiny You human beings Before long, not too far Join us where we offer ebo to have victory Offering ebo to have victory is what Ifa; guarantees at the feet of Obarisa Ifa; says it may be hurtful and agonizing in the end, but this person shall know those responsible for all his or her woes in life. The enemies shall be exposed and put to shame and they shall know victory. Ifa; says all one needs to do is perform all necessary rites and be prayerful and hopeful.

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13. Ifa; says that the person for who this Odu¾ is revealed has an adviser who has been guiding him/her aright. This adviser may be his/her Awo, spiritualist, Counsellor, Friend, Confidant or Aide. However, he/she has decided not to listen to this person’s advice anymore or he/she is no longer listening to his/her advice. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to do so as the consequence will be disastrous to him/her. There is the need for this person to quickly go and reconcile with his/her adviser in order to avoid everlasting regret and sorrow. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens, two shegoats and money. Out of these materials, two rats, two fish, one hen and one she-goat will be used to feed Ifa;. No matter what material is used for eôboô, the warning must be heeded. This person must listen to their adviser where this Odu¾ is revealed. It is more important than any other thing. An aspect of this Odu¾ says: Agungi o¾ r’eô;yi¾n aye; Ala¾n¾te¾te; o¾ r’eô;yi¾n osôu¾ Apa¾n¾te¾te; ori; o¾ r’OÙloô;run OÙba Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; n;sôoô¾re;ô Aye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: He who climbs a tree will not be able see the other side of the world A star gazer will not be able to see the other side of the moon He who raises his head by stretching his neck will not see the Heavens These were Ifa’s declaration for Ogbe¾ The friend of the earth The living beings were advised to offer eôboô When the planet earth was created by Olo;du¾mare¾. He sent O®gu;n, OÙba¾ta;la; and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to make it conducive and habitable for living beings. The assignment was successfully completed. After this, Olo;du¾mare¾ commissioned that Éníyán (Beings) be created to occupy and inhabit the earth. They existed on earth for

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several millennia before they began to destroy themselves and the world. This prompted Olo;du¾mare¾ to remove them from the earth. Not all of them died, and those remaining went into hiding. It was after this that Olo;du¾mare¾ sent OÙba¾ta;la;, E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾, SÙa¾ngo; and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to mould E®®ni¾ya¾n (human beings) and settle them on earth. This assignment was successfully completed. As a result of the events that had earlier taken place on earth, Olo;du¾mare¾ summoned all the 801 Iru;nmoôleô¾ to nominate someone who would be the guard, guide, adviser, protector and security person for the planet. After due consideration, the Iru;nmoôleô¾ nominated Ogbe¾, taking into consideration his antecedent as an astute organizer, coordinator and negotiator. When Ogbe¾ took up the assignment, it was clear that he was ready for the task. For several millennia, everything on earth was perfect. Human beings and other beings living on the earth had no problems whatsoever. One day, Iku;, Death, thought of visiting the earth in order to perform his assignment. Before he left heaven however, Ogbe¾ had known that he was coming. Ogbe¾ quickly summoned all the leaders on earth to a meeting. In the meeting, he announced to them the mission of Iku; and advised them to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and two female goats. They complied. Ogbe¾ successfully warded off Iku; from entering the earth. Iku; made several attempts to penetrate the earth but Ogbe¾ was proficient in his duties. In the end, Iku; gave up temporarily. Soon after this A®ru¾n, Affliction tried to visit the earth. Ogbe¾ informed the inhabitants of the world to offer eôboô as stated above. They did, Ogbe¾ also successfully blocked A®ru¾n from entering the earth. After this, EÙjoô;, Contention, I®ja¾, Fight, O®fo¾, Loss, EÙ®gba¾, Paralysis, E®sôe, Harm, E®te, Intrigue, OÙ®ra¾n, Implication, OÙ®te¾ô, Conspiracy, Ja¾m¾ba;, Disaster, I®ba¾nu;jeô;, Grief, Owu;, Jealousy, I®lara, Envy, Ma¾da¾ru;, Confusion, Ru;ke¾ru;do¾, Crisis and A®ko;ba;, Implications, came one after the other. They were all rebuffed by Ogbe¾ after the inhabitants of the earth had offered eôboô as stated above. One day however, the 17 negative Principalities decided to come into the world all at once. They began to plan their moves. As soon as they started their planning, E®®ôsu-OÙ®da¾ra¾ came and reported all their moves to Ogbe¾. This prompted Ogbe¾ to summon all the leaders of the world to an emergency meeting. In this

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meeting, he explained all the plans of the 17 negative principalities to his audience. He told them that the negative principalities must be stopped at all costs because if they were not stopped, it would spell doom, restlessness and uncertainty for the inhabitants of the planet earth. He stated that the only way to do this was for them to offer eôboô with 200 rats, 200 fish, 200 birds and 200 beasts. He emphasized that this must be done urgently as there was no time for delay. The elders left and informed Ogbe¾ that they would get back to him as soon as possible. On that same day, the leaders converged somewhere and they began another round of deliberation. Who does Ogbe¾ think he is asking them to offer eôboôô with 200 rats, 200 fish, 200 birds and 200 beasts each? Whom did he think he was? They wondered. One of the leaders said that it was high time they called the bluff of Ogbe¾¾. They must not offer the eôboô. If they did not stop this cheat now, the leader screamed, he (Ogbe¾) would come up with more eôboô materials in the future. This leader concluded that they needed to go back to Ogbe¾ and let him know that they had seen through all his cheap tricks. All the other leaders present agreed that it was the most reasonable line of action to take. One woman present pleaded with the leaders to exercise caution because all the predictions of Ogbe¾ in the past had actually come to pass. The woman was shouted down and asked to keep quiet for as long as the meeting lasted. At the end of the meeting, they trooped back to Ogbe¾’s house. When they got there, they dragged him out of his house and called him all sorts of names. He tried to explain the urgency of offering this ebo but nobody was ready to listen to him. They told him to go and do his worst and that they were sick and tired of all his cheap tricks. They spat on his face and called him a thief. They accused him of working to line his pocket with money. They then proclaimed him the enemy of the people. He was so provoked that he could do nothing but burst into uncontrollable tears. They all left him crying. He had nobody to console him. At night E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ came and he narrated his ordeal to E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾. Ogbe¾ was however told by E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ that he (Ogbe¾) had kept up his responsibilities and he would be absolved of any wrong-doing when the repercussions came. A few days later, the 17 negative principalities, led by Iku; came to visit the planet earth. Ogbe¾ who used to stay at the boundary between heaven and earth simply left the boundary which gave the 17 principalities the opportunity of

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visiting the earth. When they got to the earth, they vowed never to leave the planet again. As from that day, a series of mishaps, confusion, disasters, death, both timely and untimely intrigues, conspiracies, pandemonium and all other forms of negativity began to take place on the planet. These types of events had never happened before. The inhabitants of the planet earth began to worry greatly. They all went to plead with Ogbe¾ to please help them chase away all the negative principalities but alas, it was too late. Agungi o¾ r’eô;yi¾n aye; Ala¾n¾te¾te; o¾ r’eô;yi¾n osôu¾ Apa¾n¾te¾te; ori; o¾ r’OÙloô;run OÙba Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; n;sôoô¾re;ô Aye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Woô;n koô'ti; oôô¾gboônyin s’eô;boô N®je;ô Ogbe¾ ma; yeô; fu;n Iku; N®je;ô Ogbe; ma; ye;ô fu;n A®ru¾n N®jeô; Ogbe; ma; ye;ô fu;n EÙjoô; N®je;ô Ogbe; ma; ye;ô fu;n I®ja¾ N®jeô; Ogbe; ma; yeô; fu;n O®fo¾ N®je;ô Ogbe; ma; ye;ô fu;n gbogbo Ajogun K'a;ye; e wa o; le baa¾ da;ra ni OÙmoô ara;ye; i¾ ba; te¾te¾ moô¾ Woôn o¾ ba; wa; f'owo; sô’a¾ru;fi;;n eôboô Translation: He who climbs a tree will not be able see the other side of the world A star gazer will not be able to see the other side of the moon He who raises his head by stretching his neck will not see the Heavens These were Ifa;’s declaration for Ogbe¾ The friend of the earth The living beings were advised to offer eôôboôô They refused to offer the eôboô Now Ogbe¾, do not allow Iku; (Death) to come in

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Now Ogbe¾, do not allow A®ru¾n (Affliction) to come in Now Ogbe¾, do not allow EÙjo;ô (Contention) to come in Now Ogbe¾, do not allow I®ja¾ (fight) to come in Now Ogbe¾, do not allow O®fo¾ (Loss) to come in Now Ogbe¾, do not allow any negative Ajogun to come in So that our lives can have meaning Had all the living beings known ahead of time They would have offered the prescribed eôboô Ifa; says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to come face to face with disaster, together with his/her loved ones. This is the reason why he/she needs to take the advice of the person who had been giving him/her counselling very seriously. Refusal to heed advice can lead to untold calamity where this Odu¾ is revealed. 14. Ifa; warns that something serious and of calamitous magnitude is about to happen where this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; recommends that eôboô should be urgently offered in order to avert this calamity. Ifa says that four rats, four fish and one mature he-goat are the ebo materials to avert calamity where this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; equally warns that nobody should rear cocks where this Odu¾ is revealed. By extension, the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is forbidden from going into the poultry business. He/she cannot breed cocks and it is not advisable for him/her to live in a house where they engage in poultry business. Ifa; says that if there are cocks where this Odu¾ is revealed, all the cocks present should be used to feed E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ immediately. This is very important if disaster is to be averted. On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; says: B’o;bi¾nrin ba; f’oju; kan owo; EÙ®reôk¾ eô; e reô¾ a gb’eô¾ri;n Di;a; fu;n Oni;gure¾-Agoô¾tu;n EÙboô Ajogun ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe

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Translation: If a woman sights money Her face will dissolve into a huge smile This was Ifa;’s declaration to Oni;gure¾-Ago¾ôtu;n When advised to offer eôboô against Ajogun The inhabitants of I®gure¾ town had everything going for them. Their land was very fertile. The people were very enterprising. They were blessed with bountiful harvests. They developed their town to the envy of all their neighbours. Oni;gure¾-Ago¾ôtu;n, the OÙba of I®go¾ôtu;n land, was the happiest and proudest OÙba in his area. His reputation as a good leader spread far and wide. One day, Oni;gure¾ had a terrible and terrifying dream. He could not make any sense of the dream but he was sure that a disaster of gigantic magnitude was about to happen in the land. This worried him seriously. He summoned all the chiefs in the land to a meeting. He explained his premonitions to them. After much deliberation, it was concluded that there was the need to call an Awo for Ifa; consultation. That was the reason why they called the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will there be peace and harmony in the land? What was the significance of Oni;gure¾’s dream? What did they need to do to avert any possible disaster? During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; was revealed. The Awo explained that the dream of Oni;gure¾-Ago¾ôtu;n was loaded with grave consequences. There was the need for the inhabitants of the land to offer eôboô against the envy of their neighbours which could lead to these neighbours overwhelming them. The Awo made it clear to them that their neighbours were planning to wage a fierce war against them. All their neighbours, they were told, had ganged up to wage this war. The Awo stated further that it was useless thinking that they could contain the aggression of these neighbours because they would be greatly outnumbered. The only way out was for them to offer eôboô. The Awo therefore advised them to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, and one mature male goat. They were also advised to slaughter all the cocks in their town and give them to E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾. It was by so doing that they would overturn and destroy the military might of their neighbours. The Awo also advised them to dig trenches and underground tunnels that they would hide into when the invaders arrived.

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The inhabitants of Igure¾ land put their heads together. They concluded that they would offer the eôboô. They were also prepared to dig trenches and tunnels in order to hide themselves when the invaders arrived. They however could not see why all their cocks should be slaughtered to feed E®sôu¾. What was the significance of cocks in warfare? Would they bring success or defeat, they wondered? In the end, they concluded that there was no need for them to slaughter their cocks for any Divinity, whether it is E®sôu¾ or not. For that reason, they only offered the eôboô as advised by the Awo. They dug the trenches and underground tunnels as they were instructed; but they kept all their cocks in defiance of the advice of the Awo. A few weeks after the completion of the work, the invaders arrived! Oni;gure¾ Ago¾ôtu;n quickly ordered all the inhabitants to go into the trenches and tunnels. They did. They took with them all their belongings, and live-stock. They took their goats, sheep, pigs, fowls, cocks, pigeons, guinea fowls, ducks, etc into the trenches. The invading forces could see nobody. They moved from one house to the other but they found no one. They searched all the hamlets, farms, compounds, etc and yet they found nobody. What was this supposed to mean? To make matters worse, they had nothing to take away as the spoils of war! Everything and everyone had simply vanished! It was a disappointment of the highest order. They searched until the middle of the night. The invaders decided to sleep overnight and leave the town the following morning. At dawn the next morning, the invaders began to pack their things in order to leave. Suddenly, all the cocks began to crow. With the first cock crow, the others would chorus the crowing and the whole place was filled with the noise of crowing cocks! Initially, the invaders could not make out where the noise of the crowing cocks was coming from. Before long, they realized that it was coming from under the ground! They began to search and they found the entrance to the trenches and the underground tunnels! They entered and fished out all the inhabitants of I®gure¾. They were kicked and slapped. They were tied up one after the other. The invaders commended their ingenuity and said that if not for the crowing cocks, they would have been deceived.

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The inhabitants of I®gure¾ were full of lamentations. They then told the invaders that they had earlier been warned by their Babala;wo to slaughter all the cocks that they had for E®sôu¾ but they had failed to do so. The invaders then became very angry at hearing this and they said that even if they had had the intention of being lenient with them before, they would certainly not do so now, since they had earlier been warned and they had refused to heed the warning of their Awo. B’o;bi¾nrin ba; f’oju; kan owo; EÙ®reôk¾ eô; e reô¾ a gb’eô¾ri;n Di;a; fu;n Oni;gure¾-Agoô¾tu;n EÙboô Ajogun ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Woô;n koô'ti; oô¾gboôyin s’eô;boô EÙ®yin o¾ ri; a¾ku¾koô ga¾ga¾ra¾ To; wa;a; fi ara; I®gure¾ f’o;gun ko; E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙni gb'eô;boô ni;be¾ô ko; wa;a; sôeôboô o Translation: If a woman sights money Her face will dissolve into a smile This was Ifa;’s declaration to Oni;gure¾-Ago¾ôtu;n When advised to offer eôboô against Ajogun They refused to comply with the advice of the Awo Can’t you see the matured cocks Which have made the inhabitants of I®gure¾ become war captives Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾ Let those advised to offer eôboô heed the advice Ifa; says that it is the best interest of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô and at the same time follow the advice of the Awo. Furthermore the urgent need to heed all the warnings of this Ifa;, no matter how stupid or unrealistic the warnings/advice may seem to him/her.

15. Ifa; warns a woman where this Odu¾ is revealed to desist from showing arrogance to her husband. Ifa; says that the woman is too cocky and overbearing. Ifa; warns this woman to turn a new leaf, lest she face disgrace and humiliation.

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Ifa; says that this woman feels that she is superior to her husband and for that reason, she can maltreat and disrespect her husband as she sees fit. Ifa; cautions that the woman’s husband holds the key to her failure and success and she may come face to face with a sanction she never expected from her husband if she pushes him to use the key to open the door of failure for her. Ifa; says that the husband of the woman for whom this Odu¾ is revealed deserves to be given full honour and respect because, even though he may appear to be lower than the wife on the socio-economic ladder, he nonetheless he is working tirelessly for his wife to be elevated and be recognized in all spheres of life. This is the reason why the man must not be disrespected or humiliated. The man is also someone who cherishes and values his respect and self-esteem and who is ready to reciprocate in like manner if he is treated well and respected. Conversely, if he is disrespected or humiliated, he will go to any length to bring down the woman who does not treat him with respect. Ifa; advises the woman to offer eôôboô with four rats, four fish, one mature male goat, one knife and a lot of money. She also needs to feed O®gu;n with one mature cock, palm oil, roasted maize, raffia palm wine, roasted yam and a dog. If the woman is in the habit of showing arrogance toward her husband, she must put an end to such behaviour forthwith. She should serve Na¾na;; Bu¾u¾ku;u¾-Omolu;. On this, Ifa; says: OÙ®to¾¾ô l'ohu¾n E®e¾gu¾n OÙ®toô¾ l'ohu¾n EÙ®yoô¾ Ba;kanna;a¾ ni woô;n n; sunku;n Di;a; fu;n Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ Ti; n;loô re¾e; f’O®gu;n sô’oôkoô ni; SÙaki; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko;; wa;a; sôe Translation: The dialect of the E®e¾gu¾n people is different The dialect of the EÙ®yoô¾ (OÙ®yo;ô) people is different Nonetheless, all people cry the same way This was Ifa;’s message to Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ (Omolu;) When going to pick O®gu;n as her husband in SÙaki; land She was advised to offer eôboô

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Bu¾u¾ku;u¾, also known as Na¾na;; Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ or Omolu; was an extremely successful woman. She was very wealthy. She had a large followership. She was an O®ri¾sôa¾ whom many women were fond of. She guided, guarded and supported many women. Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ however did not give women children nor did she take their children from them either. She simply ensured the protection of women and their children. She also defended them against all aggression, particularly from their husbands and neighbours. All drunken and aggressive men who took pleasure in violating women as a way of letting out their own frustrations would realize that having the fear of Omolu; was the beginning of having wisdom. This was because she would go to any length to revenge any violence or humiliation meted out against the women who were her followers. For this reason, she had a large group of women following her. Membership into her group was forever. This made her even more popular. Many old women would see this as being a sanctuary against their husband’s families who would at times take pleasure in cheating them or creating problems for them as soon as their husband’s would die. All her followers were ready to offer any sacrifice that she asked them to do because they knew that the desired results would follow as soon as they did the sacrifices. In spite of this success, Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ was unable to have her own husband. The reason for this was because her reputation as an O®ri¾sôa¾ who protected and defended women against humiliation and violation from their husbands was very intimidating to most men. Many men did not have the courage to ask for her hand in marriage. Secondly, she was an extremely proud, arrogant and self-opinionated woman. Beside the fact that she needed a man to become pregnant and bear children, she found no other reason why she should be in any relationship with a man. She considered all men to be too chauvinistic and too self-centred for her liking. To her, men needed to be put into their place. For this reason, she had no patience for any man. She would often be found shouting them down and bullying them at the slightest opportunity. Men who were in their right sense would run away from her and she would see nothing wrong with this. All the same, she needed a man to at least give her children but who could this man be? She did not need to love the man or be loved back because to her, true love couldn’t possibly occur with any man anyway. She did not need to respect

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the man either because no man, according to her, deserved respect anyway. She also did not need to follow any advice from a man or listen to any instruction because as far as she was concerned, all men had no sense of direction anyway. There were only two criteria that the man must fulfil; one, he must be strong and healthy enough to father her children and two, he must have popularity and a large followership. These criteria were what she used before she narrowed her search down to O®gu;n. By that time, O®gu;n was living in SÙaki; town. O®gu;n had the reputation and the bearing of a very strong man. He also had the charisma as someone who could make things happen. This was somewhat pleasing to Bu¾u¾ku;u¾. Secondly, O®®gu;n had a lot of adherents, both males and females. Unknown to many, there was nothing that Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ set her mind to achieve which she would not get. Even though many women looking for compatible spouses would go to her for a solution to their problems, they never thought that she would ever have the need for a man as ordinary women did. That was why they were unmindful of the fact that she needed a spouse of her own. People believing this suited her very well because she did not want any man or person, let alone any of her numerous followers, to know what she too desperately needed a man to at least make her a mother of children. In order to succeed in her plan, she went to the home of the Babala;wo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation. She wanted the Awo to work on this personal project so that it would succeed. She was convinced that she would not be able to live with the shame and humiliation if she were to be turned down by O®gu;n. How would she be able to face her numerous followers, if this were to occur? During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; was revealed. The Awo informed Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ that she planned to marry a very powerful and important man. She was assured that she would succeed in her mission. She was however warned never to look down upon her man because doing so would lead to undesirable consequences. She was advised to respect, love, honour and listen to her husband when she got married. She was informed that doing so would be the only way to ensure matrimonial peace, harmony and success. She was also advised to offer eôboô and feed O®gu;n as stated above. She considered the statements of the Awo. The Awo said that she would succeed in her bid to marry O®gu;n. If that was the case, of what use was the eôboô that the Awo recommended? If she refused to respect her husband, what was the

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Awo’s concern in that? To rub injury with salt, why should she be asked to go and feed the O®ke¾-I®poô¾ri; of O®gu;n? Anyway, she concluded, only busy-bodies like the Awo would insult her with such recommendations; she stood up and simply walked out without uttering a word, to the amazement of the Awo. The wedding ceremony between Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ and O®gu;n was the talk of the whole community and its environment for a very long time. Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ however left nobody in doubt as to who was calling the shots in the relationship. She made sure that everyone present realised that she was the person in charge. Meanwhile, O®gu;n was totally blind to all her schemes and manners. He was simply in love with her. He was prepared to satisfy her and dance to her tunes. When he noticed that she had several followers trooping to their house everyday in order to find solutions to their problems, he would even arrange things so that she would always have people assisting her. These people would help her offer the sacrifices required by her clients and devotees. O®gu;n even gave her his steel knife for her to use in slaughtering the animals that her clients and devotees had brought for sacrifice. Nonetheless, everything that O®gu;n was doing for Bu¾u¾ku;;u¾ did not impress her one bit. She only translated these actions to mean that O®gu;n was simply performing his duties as a husband. What was his duty? To Bu¾u¾ku;u¾, O®gu;n’s duty as well as the duty of all men to all women, was just to make her happy and do all that she wanted. Any man who was not ready to make a woman happy and do what she wished, had no business in a woman’s life in the first place. She also believed that there was no reason for any woman to make a man happy because the man would only end up taking advantage of that and lord it over the woman. In spite of all the things that O®gu;n was doing for her, she could not see any reason why she should cook him food or bring him water to drink or bathe. To make matters worse, any time that O®gu;n tried to advise her, she would just shout him down. It took less than three months before O®gu;n became the laughing stock of everyone in SÙaki;. The other wives in O®gu;n’s household could not believe what was happening to their husband. Those who had originally accorded O®gu;n high regard and respect were so appalled that they lost all respect for him. One day, O®gu;n called Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ for a discussion in order to straighten things out with her. She could not be bothered. She asked O®gu;n to come and meet her in her room

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if he felt that there was anything to discuss. She consented to discuss with him after much pressure from O®gu;n and the only way the discussion could take place was if he agreed to discuss things with her in her room. As soon as O®gu;n started the discussion, Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ lost interest. She was so uninterested in what he was saying that at a stage, O®gu;n became visibly angry. Noticing this, she simply shouted him down. If O®gu;n was not satisfied with the treatment she was giving him, he was free to go and hang himself or better yet, throw himself into a lagoon or a well. She had no time to give him better treatment. Besides, he had other wives who could satisfy his silly needs. She then screamed at him to get out of her room. She cursed and abused him. She ran her mouth upon him any way she liked and in a way that nobody, man or woman, had ever talked to O®gu;n before. She then topped it off by spitting in his face! By this time, everyone in the household and some of the neighbours had gathered around their home. They could not believe what they were seeing and hearing. This could not be happening to O®gu;n. This man standing before Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ cannot be the O®gu;n they know. It cannot be him. It must not be him! She then began to push O®gu;n to get out of her room. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. O®gu;n became livid with rage! He began shaking all over! When he finally spoke, Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ became overwhelmed with fear! “I will not allow you to disrespect me in my home any longer! Even if yesterday’s pounded yam does not satisfy one or fill one’s belly, its mere look is not enough to instil fear into one’s mind. Who are you? What do you represent? Who gave birth to you? What do you want? What are you looking for? What has entered into your dumb head? What has turned your little brain upside down? What gives you this temerity? Don’t you have any fear? Who do you think you are? Can’t you recognize your mate? What gives you this bloated impression about yourself and your worth? What are you thinking about yourself? Where are your manners? Where is your womanhood? Where is your decency? Where is your decorum? Where is your self-respect?” He then paused. By this time, the whole room was charged. The expression on the face of Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ changed from arrogance to anger, from anger to surprise, from surprise to confusion, from confusion to regret, from regret to fear, from fear to horror! By the time O®gu;n was done with her, he had shed all his humanly garment and had adorned himself with those of an Iru;nmoôleô¾!

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He then told her, “I will spare you my wrath today. Go and remove all your things and move out of my home now! Leave all my things behind. This includes the steel knife that I had given to you to use in slaughtering the animals brought to you. As of today, you will desist from using anything that belongs to me: knives, blades, axes, cutlasses, hoes, diggers, cudgels, and so on. Get out now before I change my mind about you!” As he was speaking, he was shaking all over. Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ was sweating bullets. She had nobody to plead on her behalf. At that moment, she remembered all the things that the Babala;wo had told her. It was just too late to do anything about it now. She blamed herself for over-doing things. She began to pack all her belongings and some of her followers who were attracted to the scene assisted her in moving her things out. The shame she did not want to happen to her was witnessed by everyone around. It was news in the area for a long, long time. This became a lesson to all arrogant women up till today. When Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ left, she had no knife to slaughter or skin her animals. She therefore began using bamboo to skin them instead. From that time, Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ would use only sharpened bamboo to skin her animals since she had been banned from using any knife or anything made of metal which belongs to O®gu;n. OÙ®to¾¾ô l'ohu¾n E®e¾gu¾n OÙ®toô¾ l'ohu¾n EÙ®yoô¾ Ba;kanna;a¾ ni woô;n n; sunku;n Di;a; fu;n Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ Ti; n;loô re¾e; f’O®gu;n sô’oôkoô ni; SÙaki; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko;; wa;a; sôe O: koô’ti; oô¾gboônhin s'eô;boô Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ to; ni; t’O®gu;n ko¾ si; Bo; ba;a; p’eôran Ko¾ ni;i r’o;ôbeô kun’ran E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙni to; gb’e;ôboô ni;be¾ô ko; sôeôboô o Translation: The dialect of the E®e¾gu¾n people is different The dialect of EÙ®yoô¾ (OÙ®yo;ô) people is different Nonetheless, all people cry the same way

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This was Ifa;’s message to Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ (Omolu;) When going to pick O®gu;n as her husband in SÙaki; land She was advised to offer eôboô She refused to comply Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ who says that O®gu;n amounts to nothing If she slaughters an animal She won’t have any knife to skin the animal Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Let those advised to offer eôboô comply with the advice Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to mal treat her man. She must respect, show love for her man, and she must not humiliate her husband in any way. That is the only way that she will have peace of mind and matrimonial comfort. Ifa; says, that if this woman does not change her attitude toward her husband, the disgrace and humiliation she will bear will be very great. 16. Ifa; gives a very serious warning here, especially where the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is planning a party or get-together involving several children and young ones or where he/she is planning to attend an occasion involving many children together with his/her own children. It is in the best interest of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with two mature female goats and money in order to avert the loss of the lives of young ones. If this is not done before the said occasion, it is most likely that this person will suffer the loss of lives of children and young ones. If the celebration or ceremony is in the form of a picnic or an outing by the seaside or a body of water, or is a swimming training or competition, then it is even more imperative for the eôboô to be offered before the day of the event. If this eôboô cannot be offered, then it is advisable for the event to be postponed or put off altogether. On this, Ifa; says: Bi; a ba; ri;, a¾a; wi; A®bi; a ki¾i; wi; A®i¾wi; n’i¾ka¾

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Bi; a ba; wi;i la;wi¾i;ju¾ A ma;a d’a¾wo¾ko Di;a; fu;n oô¾ko¾ôoô¾ka¾n le;ni;ru;n Iru;nmoôleô¾ Woô;n n; loô ba; Olo;kun peô¾sa;n oôdu;n EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: Should one see and say something Or should one not say anything at all? Refusal to speak out amounts to wickedness But if one says too much One will be viewed as a parrot This was Ifa;’s message for the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ When going to celebrate the annual festival with Olo;kun They were all advised to offer eôboô In terms of financial and asset accumulation, Olo;kun was the most successful being ever created by Olo;du¾mare¾. She owned four-fifths of all the resources on the earth. She controlled many more things on the earth than all the other Iru;nmoôleô¾, O®ri¾sôa¾, and human beings put together. She was a highly honoured and respected O®ri¾sôa¾. Her annual festival was also the grandest event on earth. Anytime she invited the Iru;nmoôleô¾, O®ri¾sôa¾, and human beings to her celebration, they were expected to come with at least one of their children. When the guests would arrive at the celebration, something would happen that would affect their children. When it was time to start the ceremony, the children who accompanied their parents would either be washed away by the sea or they would lose their lives by drowning in the ocean. Most of those who attended the ceremony would return home without their children and with a long sad story to tell others. The time came again when Olo;kun invited all the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ to her annual festival. They were all expected to come with at least one of their children. It was impossible for them to refuse to attend because this was not the way of the Divinities. That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ finally decided to go for Ifa; consultation: What must I do to avoid losing my child if I attend Olo;kun’s annual festival?

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The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ebo with two mature she-goats; one would be for eôboô and the other one to be handed over to Olo;kun instead of his own child. OÙru;nmi¾la¾ was urged to offer the eôboô before the date of the festival. He was assured that if he did this, his child would be spared. He was also cautioned not to go to the ceremony with any of his children. He complied. On the day of the ceremony, every invitee came with his/her child. Only OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went there with his own she-goat. All those who saw him thought that he was either insane or being cynical. All of them had been told to invite at least one of their children, so why did O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ come with a she-goat?! All the invitees were totally convinced that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would receive the humiliation of his life that day because Olo;kun would not find this queer sense of humour a funny affair at all. When the time came for the children to go and celebrate with Olo;kun, one by one, all the invitees went forward and handed over their children. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ also went forward but handed over his she-goat. In the presence of the parents, the children were marched to the sea. Most of them were washed away while the remaining ones drowned right in the very eyes of their parents! Orunmila’s she-goat was slaughtered for consumption, also in the presence of all the invitees. Before the close of the ceremony, Olo;kun summoned OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and all the other invitees to her presence. They all waited eagerly to witness how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ would be given the dressing down that he deserved. How dare he bring along with him a she-goat when all the others had brought with them their children, they wondered? When they had all assembled, Olo;kun faced OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and asked; “why is it that you chose to bring along with you a she-goat when you were supposed to come with one of your children? Can you explain yourself to everyone here what is behind your action?” The whole gathering became dead silent. They wanted to hear his reasons for behaving in such a funny manner before Olo;kun descended on him. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ cleared his throat and with a smile, he responded, “after deliberating deeply with my Ori;, I concluded that it would bring me much sorrow and agony for my beloved child to be put to death right before my very eyes. That is why I decided to instead bring a she-goat along with me. If the she-goat were to be slaughtered, like you have done, it would not pain me or cause me grief like it

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would if it were the death of my own child. That is why I could not bring my child to this ceremony and see my child die before my eyes. “Is that your reason?”, asked Olo;kun. “Yes, that is my reason”, responded OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. Olo;kun then turned her attention to the other guests who had all lost their children. She then asked them”, why is it that none of you have reasoned the way OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ has? None of you are the least bit brilliant. Those who are brilliant are not intelligent. Those who are intelligent lack understanding. Those who have understanding among you do not know how to couple it with wisdom. Those who have wisdom don’t know how to apply your hindsight and foresight in any way! You are all fools! You have all been bringing your children to my festival and every time they have been dying. Was that first experience not enough to teach you all a lesson? Can you not borrow a leaf from hindsight? Why is it that none of you could foresee that this year, would follow the same pattern as last year and the year before? You have all continued to bring your children here to be killed! Where have your brains gone to? Have your brains suddenly leaked out of your ears? Are you the Iru;nmoôleô¾ whom the affairs of the world rest in their hands? You are all Fools! Anyway, don’t worry about this any longer. Next year, just bring your children again and witness them being killed! She then paused a little. By this time, the faces of all the invited guests had contorted into huge grimaces of agony. Many of them began wishing the ground to open up and swallow them. She then asked, “when you all were invited the first time and you lost your children, why didn’t you use your hindsight and discretion when you were invited again the following year? If all of you had decided to leave your children behind at home, what could one person do against 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ once you had all taken a decision? She then declared, “when a law is made, as soon as one realizes that the law is not in the interest of the group, the only reasonable thing is to abrogate such a law! Why didn’t you all use your common sense? For this reason, all of you need to praise OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ for using discretion, hindsight and foresight. He is the only one who was spared of agony among you! This is all I have to say to everyone present here today. I bid you all a good day!”

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Bi; a ba; ri;, a¾a; wi; A®bi; a ki¾i; wi; A®i¾wi; n’i¾ka¾ Bi; a ba; wi;i la;wi¾i;ju¾ A ma;a d’a¾wo¾ko Di;a; fu;n oô¾ko¾ôoô¾ka¾n le;ni;ru;n Iru;nmoôleô¾ Woô;n n; loô ba; Olo;kun peô¾sa;n oôdu;n EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ni¾kan ni; n;beô leô;yi¾n to; n; sôeôboô N®jeô; yo;o; d’i¾i¾ro¾nu; Aka;po¾ Ka; to;o; le¾ ma;a p’oômoô eôni l'o;ju; eôni Yo;o; d’i¾ba¾nu;je;ô Aka;po¾ E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙni gb’eô;boô ni;beô¾ ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô Translation: Should one see and say something Or should one not say anything at all? Refusal to speak out amounts to wickedness But if one says too much One will be viewed as a parrot This was Ifa’s message for the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ When going to celebrate the annual festival with Olo;kun They were all advised to offer eôboô Only OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered the eôboô Behold, it will became a matter of sorrow for the Aka;po¾ If one’s child is killed in one’s presence It will become a matter of agony for the Aka;po¾ Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾ Let those advised to offer eôboô comply with the advice Ifa; says that it is in the best interest of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to do a thorough investigation before he/she allows his/her child to go to any occasion when this Odu¾ is revealed, especially if the occasion is close to a river, lagoon, the sea, etc. Ifa; says that this person will be spared the agony and sorrow of weeping over the death of a loved one. On the other hand, anyone organizing an event where many children are invited needs to investigate thoroughly before embarking on it. This is in order for him/her not to have the

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deaths of children and young ones on his/hers conscience for the rest of his/hers life. It is very important here for the person to use common sense, discretion, and hindsight and to speak up when something appears wrong, where this Odu¾ is revealed. If this advice is not taken, the person may experience a serious loss and may feel sorry and regret for many years to come. A®boôru; A®boôye¾

B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-OÙ®YEÙK ® U: FOR THOSE BORN BY THE ODU DURING I®KOÙSEÙD ® A:YE: OR I®TEÙ®NI:FA: By nature, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children are born organizers. They have the uncanny ability to organize people and materials to achieve set objectives. They are dogged, unassuming, courageous, tireless and accommodating people. These qualities more often than not account for the success, greatness and reputation of those born by this Odu¾ during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;. Coupled with this is the fact that they believe in doing things correctly, orderly, with discipline, and doing the right thing at all times. They are good advocates, campaigners, advertisers and demonstrators. They also grow to become great labour leaders or political leaders. They however do not progress well in politics because many people usually find their forthrightness a bitter pill to swallow. This is why many people end up ganging up against them to make their lives very difficult. However, they triumph in the end. Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children live to their old age because they have the support of the Divinities who help them to close the doors of death, affliction, litigation, loss and all other life-threatened principalities. They are also blessed with compatible spouses who understand, love and appreciate them. Most Ogbe¾Yeô¾ku; children do not have many kids of their own but the few they beget end up making their parents, extended families, community and society at large very proud. They also have the gift of raising and training children who later grow up to become useful adults in the society. All Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children however are warned not to pursue wealth at the expense of childbearing. Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children are also very temperamental but they are also very straightforward with people. They value true friendship. They however have a way of picking friends who will later on become their bitter enemies. They however

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overcome these enemies. The cause of the enmity more often than not emanates from their insistence that their friends must change their bad habits (or perceived bad habits) to having good conduct. They will repeat this to the extent that it will irritate these friends and they will end up becoming antagonists and bitter enemies. Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children are also leaders of their various EÙgbeô; in heaven. They have a lot of respect, reward and support from their EÙgbeô;. This is why those born by this Odu¾ will never lack anything in life. Anytime they are in acute want of anything in life, the moment they feed their EÙgbeô; as appropriate and required, whatever they lacked hitherto will be supplied in surplus. These children are very lucky to be born and raised by mothers who believe in proper upbringing for their children. They are often well brought up. Their mothers also have the qualities of being relevant in the community they find themselves. The good deeds and behaviour of their mothers always end up rubbing off on them. The Divinities make it a duty to protect them in order to prevent their mothers from weeping over them. Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children are truly witty and highly intelligent. This is why they sometimes ignore the advice of others and do their things their own way. Ifa however warns against this as the result will not be in their favour. They need to learn to listen to others. Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; female children must never look down upon their husbands or humiliate them. They must treat their husbands with respect. If they don’t, they will fail. In summary, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children shall reach the top of their chosen careers. They must not let anyone or anything intimidate them. On top is where they have been destined to be. The position is always beckoning to them to come and occupy it. A®boôru; A®boôye¾

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C. AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA: AND IRU:NMOÙLEÙ® OF OGBE®-‘YEÙ®KU: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Ifa; – for overall success, protection and elevation Ori; – for support, victory and overall wellbeing E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ –for victory, support and guidance EÙdan O®gbo;ni – for longevity, children and support Odu¾ – for compatible spouse EÙgbeô; – for success, child-bearing, support and victory Sôa¾ngo; – for victory over adversaries OÙba¾ta;la;– for overall well-being and protection against untimely death O®gu;n – for victory, leadership, success and overall well-being

D.

TABOOS OF OGBE®-OÙ®YEÙ®KU:

1.

Must never use I®ye¾rosu¾n during Ifa; consultation especially during the I®koôse¾ôda;ye; of his/her child – to prevent the premature death of the child Must never go into the poultry business or rear roosters as pets in his/her home – to avoid misfortunes and calamity. Must never eat bat or use it for anything – to avoid the problem of childlessness Must never take his/her child to events (especially where water is near) without proper investigation first – to avoid the child’s premature death Must never ignore useful advice – to avoid unconsummated fortune and disaster. Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; women must never be arrogant toward their husbands – to avoid unconsummated fortune Must never set traps for others – to avoid falling into the trap that he/she has set for others. Must avoid black, red and hand-painted dresses – to avoid unconsummated fortune Must avoid going out at night–to avoid being harmed grievously.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Must never eat groundnuts – to avoid being implicated in what he/she knows nothing about and to avoid a situation where his/her good intentions may turn sour and he/she will be held responsible for causing harm or death to those he/she intended to help.

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E.

POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE-OYEKU

i. MALES 1. 2. 3. 4.

Ifa;feô;mi – Ifa; wants me Ifa;lo;yin – Ifa; has honey Ba;ngba;la¾ – Let OÙba¾ta;la; hand me my purity (white cloth) for me to carry my baby O®ri¾sôa¾da;yi¾i;si; – O®ri¾sôa¾ spares this from death

ii. FEMALE 1. 2. 3. 4.

Odu¾yeômi; – Odu¾ befits me Ifa;lo;yin – Ifa; has honey Ifa;sôeôwa¾ – Ifa; makes things beautiful Aji;nase¾ô – She who sits and stretches her legs early in the morning

A®boôru; A®boôye¾

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Chapter 2

Ogbè Ìwòrì

II I II II II I 73

OGBE® I®WO®RI® OGBE® -W'E®ôYI®N A.1. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù¾ is revealed during I®te¾ôlo;du¾ or I®koôseô¾da;ye; shall move from hardship to comfort. He/She shall rise from grass to grace. He/she shall occupy a leadership position in life.

The person for whom this Odù¾ is revealed is destined to mould other people’s character; not just as a teacher, but as someone who shall lead by example. He/She shall teach people how to think, speak and act in pragmatic ways. Ifá says that a very heavy responsibility is placed on his/her shoulders and he/she cannot afford to fail or let himself/herself down in this divine assignment. Ifá says that he/she will constantly be confronted with contentious situations, but he/she should not over-emphasize his/her rights when dealing with these situations. When cheated, he/she should not over-react or show that it pains him/her too much. All what he/she needs to do is put it at the back of his/her mind and know that it shall be well in the end. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọwith three pigeons, three cocks, three guinea fowls and money. He/she is also advised to feed Ifa; with bitter-leaf soup (Vernonia Amygdalina). The stanza in Ogbe¾ W'eô¾yi¾n, which is in support of these assertions says: Bi; woô;n ba; j’e¾e¾ru¾ du¾n yi;n Eô ma; jeô¾e;ô ko; du¾n yi;n ra;ra; Oun ti; Awo yo;o; jeô Ki¾i; wo;n ô l’eôs ; e¾ô Ikin Di;a; fu;n Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n Ti;i; sôe A®re¾m ô oô Ewu;ro I®gba¾ti; n; beô la;a¾rin i¾po;ônju; ẹbọni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

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Translation: If you are denied of your rightful share Do not let it perturb you at all Whatever an Awo will consume Will never be scarce at the feet of Ifá This was the declaration of Ifá to Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n (It-shall-be-sweet-in-the-end) The first child of Ewu;ro, the Bitter-leaf When he was in the midst of misery and want He was advised to offer eôboô Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n was totally convinced that something was seriously wrong. He worked himself up to the extent that he believed that something was amiss in his life. He saw all his colleagues and young ones succeeding and he could not understand why he had failed to succeed. He had been initiated into Ifá for over 15 years and he had been studying and following Ifá for about 10 years before then. Yet, he had nothing to show for it. He had been hardworking, dedicated, honest and unassuming. Yet, he had been wallowing in penury. He had never lied, cheated or usurped other people’s belongings. Yet, he was being cheated and denied his rights and what belonged to him on a constant basis. He would work selflessly and tirelessly to achieve a goal only for others to come from nowhere to enjoy the fruits of his labour. Surely, he concluded, something was seriously wrong with him. What was it that was really wrong? He reasoned that it must be one of two things: he did not choose a good destiny from heaven or he was being attacked by witches and other negative principalities. Before long, he began to see himself as someone who did not choose a good destiny from heaven and who was a victim of the witches and evil people’s attacks. One day, Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. He asked: why must I be working for others to enjoy themselves while I am being denied of my rightful share? Why, in spite of my dedication, selflessness, honesty and benevolence, do I have nothing to show in terms of achievement? Why must I be the target of attacks from the witches, wizards and evil ones? Why did I not

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OGBE® I®WO®RI®

choose a good and comfortable destiny from heaven? treating me so badly? Why? He asked.

Why is life

The Awo told Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n that his situation in life was pathetic at that particular point in time but he should however be assured that in the end, failure would give way to success; sadness to joy; and hopelessness to boundless opportunities. He was told that his life would be likened to that of the Ewu;ro, bitter-leaf. When first tasted, it will be very bitter in the mouth; but in the end, it will bring out sweet tastes which those who have tasted it will really enjoy. Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n was told that things were hard and rough for him now because that was the way it was at the initial stage for the bitterleaf. He was advised to persevere and he would be pleasantly surprised that everything would change for the better for him. The Awo advised him to offer ẹbọas stated above and to feed Ifá with bitter-leaf soup. He complied. He was also asked to be patient and hopeful. He was ready to do those too. The Awo told him that Olo;du¾mare¾, his Ori;, and Ifá would give him all the support that he needed to wade through the turbulent period of his life. He was told to continue doing well at all times; to move closer to Olo;du¾mare and never give up. He equally complied with all of these directives. When going, the Awo told him never to think that anyone was after him or that he had chosen a bad destiny. Rather, he was advised to be hopeful that his time to succeed was very near. With these assurances, Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n left the home of the Awo with the determination to live his life within the ambit of the advice of Ifá. He continued to do good, please people and work tirelessly for the success and happiness of others. At the initial stages, those who had been cheating him continued to do so, thinking that Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n was simply a fool. Before long, others who had benefited from his benevolence stood up in his defence. They did not allow anyone to cheat him any longer. Soon after this, he no longer slept in hunger or want. His due recognition was given to him. He continued to pray to Olo;du¾mare¾, his Ori;, and Ifá to make his life change from bitterness to sweetness, just like the ewu;ro, bitterleaf.

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It did not take him much longer before he began to accumulate wealth. With this wealth, he secured a good spouse. Together, they had many children. The children and his spouse joined hands with him to erect a befitting mansion. He was highly recognized and respected in his community. At a stage, no decision could be taken in that community without his knowledge and approval. One day, Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n sat down quietly in his home to take stock of his journey from penury to wealth; from failure to success and from agony to joy. He had no option but to give thanks and praise to Olo;du¾mare¾, his Ori;, and Ifá. Bi; wo;ôn ba; j’e¾e¾ru¾ du¾n yi;n Eô ma; je¾ôeô; ko; du¾n yi;n ra;ra; Oun ti; Awo yo;o; jeô Ki¾i; wo;n ô l’eôs ; e¾ô Ikin Di;a; fu;n Yo;o;-du¾¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n Ti;i; sôe A®re¾ômoô Ewu;ro I®gba¾ti; n;; beô la;a¾rin i¾poô;nju; ẹbọni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô bo; ba; w’oôla; OÙloô;run O®Ùroô¾ mi ka¾sô¾a¾i¾ du¾n gbe¾ôyi¾n Bo¾; ba; w’oôla; Ori; mi O®Ùroô¾ m¾i ka¾sôa¾i¾ du¾n gbe¾ôyi¾n Bo; ba; w’oôla; Ifá; mi O®Ùroô¾ mi ka¾sôa¾i¾ du¾n gbe¾ôyi¾n Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Eô wa; ba;’ni b’a;yo¾ô Eôô wa; wo’re o Translation: If you are denied of your rightful share Do not let it perturb you at all Whatever an Awo will consume Will never be scarce at the feet of Ifá This was the declaration of Ifá to Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾¾n (It shall be sweet in the end) The first child of ewu;ro, the Bitter-leaf

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When he was in the midst of misery and want He was advised to offer eôboô He complied By the special grace of Olo;du¾mare My situation shall be sweet in the end By the special grace of my Ori; My situation shall be sweet in the end By the special grace of my Ifá My situation shall be sweet in the end Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of endless joy Come and perceive all Ire Ifá says that this person shall witness all the Ire of life. He/she shall have reason to celebrate in life. With perseverance, he/she shall attain recognition, honour and success. 2. Ifá says that if Ikin are used for Ifá consultation on any issue whatsoever and Ogbe¾-w'e¾ôyi¾n is revealed and it comes out in A®ye¾ôwo¾, certain information must be borne in mind: one, although Ifá is not predicting Ire at this initial stage, this does not necessarily mean that Ifá does not foresee Ire. What this means particularly is that the spirit of Ifá is not in the home of this person at this point in time. The consultation must be stopped as soon as A®ye¾ôwo¾ is revealed. The Awo in charge will then procure two big kola nuts with four lobes each and break them open for Ifá in order to summon back the spirit of Ifá into this person’s home. After this has been done, the Awo will then continue by asking again if Ifá foresees Ire or A®ye¾ôwo¾. Ifá promises that by so doing, Ifá will cast its benevolent glance at the Awo and the client(s). If A®ye¾ôwo¾ is revealed again after feeding the kola nut, the Awo will continue the casting as usual. Two, Ifá says that there is equally the need for the person for whom this Odù¾ is revealed to seek the support of Egu;ngu;n and Oro¾. This is because the person for whom this Odù¾ is revealed has a close affinity with these two divinities. There is the need to find out what to use to feed these divinities and to do so promptly.

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Three, there is the need to offer ẹbọ of A®ru;kore in order for the client to be the recipient of all Ire in life. The ẹbọ materials include: two rats, two fish, two hens, two cocks, two guinea fowls, two ducks, two pigeons and money. On these, Ifá says: Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, a¾bi; ko¾ si; ni;le;? Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oômoô ab'OÙ®sôun lô';e;ôri Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oôômoô ab'OÙô®o¾ôsôa¾ kan ji¾ngbi¾nni¾ lo;tu Ife¾ô Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oômoô oô¾pe¾ô kan n;la; ti; n;fi oju; joô a¾gba; ni;le; ire;ôgi;-ire;ôgi;; A®woôn ni woôô;n m'o;bi¾ me;ji¾ ko¾gba¾di¾-kogbadi Woô;n; fi n;b'e;ôfoô¾n sô’oô¾ta; O: ni; a;; paa; o A® la;a pa a; Woô;n ni; ni;bo la gbe; pa a; si; Mo la;a paa; si; ori;ta Olu; O: ni; a; kun-u;n o A® la;a kun-u;n Wo;ôn ni; ni;bo la gbe; kun-u;;n si;;? A ni; a kun-u;n s’o;ôna¾ Di¾ndi¾nri¾n A®woôn O®ke¾ ni o¾ fibi ri¾nmi¾ri¾nmi¾ teô’leô¾ Di;;a; fu;n Egu;ngu;;n Ti; woôn o; ma pe¾ e; ni; Baba Oro¾ ni o¾ r'eô;ni ti; yo;o; pe¾e; mo;ô Translation: Is Ifá at home or not? Ifá is at home, he who propitiates OÙ®sôun inside the river Ifá is at home, he who propitiates an elegantly decorated O®ri¾sôa¾ in Ile;-Ife¾ô Ifá is at home, the holy palm tree that resembles an a¾gba; drum in its entirety May two big kola nuts be procured And let us use them to confront a buffalo They asked us to break the kola nuts We responded that the kola nuts have been broken They wanted to know where the kola nuts were broken

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We responded that they were broken at the crossroad leading to Olu;’s home We were asked to cut them into pieces We responded that they had been cut into pieces They wanted to know where we had cut them We responded that it was on the way to Di¾ndi¾nri¾n-Land A®woôn O®ke¾ ni o¾ fibi ri¾nmi¾ri¾nmi¾ teô’le¾ô (Big hills do not sit on their tips turned upside down) They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Egu;ngu;n Who would be known and called “Baba” But Oro¾ was he who had no one to salute him In the beginning, Oro¾ and Egu;ngu;n were planning to leave I®ko¾ôle; O®Ùrun (heaven) for I®ko¾ôle; Aye;, (the Earth) together. Their intention was to come and settle on earth. When they got to the boundary between heaven and earth, Oro¾, the Elder divinity instructed Egu;ngu;n his younger one to go into I®ko¾ôle; Aye;, to find out if I®ko¾ôle; Aye;, would be conducive for them to stay. Oro¾ also wanted Egu;ngu;n to report back to him after investigating the earth. Egu;ngu;n came into I®ko¾ôle; Aye;,. When he arrived, those who saw him realized that he was not an ordinary human being, especially with his costume. They greeted him with reverence. Egu;ngu;n responded in like manner and told them that he would like to be taken to the palace of the Ϙba of I®ko¾ôle; Aye;. He was taken there accordingly. On getting to the palace of the Ϙba of I®ko¾ôle; Aye;, the Ϙba asked him what roles he planned to perform. He responded that he would perform the roles of blessing the childless with children; blessing the unmarried with a good spouse; blessing the poor and helpless with success chances and wealth; and that he would bless people and the community with prosperity, peace and tranquillity. In summary, he promised to change the bad aspects of people’s lives to good so that life would be worthy of living for them. When asked what he would want to be offered for performing these roles, he responded that he would like to be offered A®ka¾ra¾ (fried bean cakes), E®koô (cold corn meal), OÙ®o¾ôleô (cooked bean fritters), Obi¾ (Kola nuts), A®ku¾koô (cocks), Oti; (liquor) and A®gbo¾ (Ram).

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The Ϙba then instructed that the first person that saw Egu;ngu;n should take him home and this person should be given the title of A®a¾reô O®je;¾. Also, that Egu;ngu;n should be propitiated and the ceremony should be performed by the A®a¾reô O®je;¾., the first person to “see” Egu;ngu;n. Where Egu;ngu;n was located as his permanent place of abode was known as I®gba¾le¾ô. Egu;ngu;n could only be seen outside on special occasions when special ceremonies were to be performed. For 12 full months, Egu;ngu;n had a field day. People kept trooping into his I®gba¾le¾ô. He performed as he had promised: the sick got well; the poor became rich; the debtor paid off his/her debts; the bachelor/spinster became blessed with a suitable spouse; the barren received the blessing of the fruit of the womb; the hopeless became hopeful. In short, life changed for the good for all the inhabitants of Ile;-Aye; who approached Egu;ngu;n for assistance. While all this was occurring, Oro¾ was still waiting at the boundary of Aye; and O®Ùrun. Initially, he felt that there was nothing to worry about. Three full moons after, he became concerned: Why is Egu;ngu;n taking so long to come and report to him? Did he meet with calamity when he got to Ile;-Aye;? Oro¾ quickly removed these thoughts from his mind because he knew that if Egu;ngu;n was in any type of problem, he (Oro¾) would notice it instantly. But if Egu;ngu;n was not in any type of trouble, then what was causing the delay? By the time it was seven full moons, Oro¾ was getting angry with Egu;ngu;n. Oro¾ felt that it should not have taken Egu;ngu;n more than seven days to find out if Ile;-Aye; was conducive for them or not and report back to him. He began to think some more. Why then was it that an assignment that was supposed to be performed in seven days has not been completed in seven months? Why? By the time it was 10 months, Oro¾ had worked himself up into red hot anger. He concluded that Egu;ngu;n was only being impertinent. He reasoned that Egu;ngu;n was doing that in order to slight him. He decided that he would not be bothered. Egu;ngu;n had to come and meet him at the boundary and purge himself of his impertinence. He promised that he would tongue lash Egu;ngu;n and tell him things he would never forget in a hurry. When it became 12 full moons, the inhabitants of Ile;-Aye; put their heads together and performed a one year ceremony to commemorate

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when Egu;ngu;n arrived into their midst. Everyone had good tales to tell. It was a grand occasion and all those who participated in the ceremony were abundantly blessed. There was singing and dancing, drumming and displays of costumes. The devotees of Egu;ngu;n had increased in many folds. On the 13th full moon, a thought occurred to Oro¾: Maybe Egu;ngu;n has been living so good in Ile;-Aye; that he has simply forgotten his own elder who had sent him on a very simple errand? The thought looked so preposterous to Oro¾ that he quickly dismissed it from his mind. But what could make Egu;ngu;n refuse to come and report back to him? It had been 13 months and him being in any form of trouble had been ruled out; but then what other reason could there be? None! It must be that Egu;ngu;n has been really enjoying himself at the expense of his elder! No, it can’t be so; it really is so! Yes, it is so! It has to be so! But why? Egu;ngu;n must be taught a lesson for this! He must be punished for this! He must be rubbished for this! It must be done right in the presence of the people of Ile;-Aye; so that they will know that Egu;ngu;n has broken a great oath and has betrayed the trust reposed on him! Egu;ngu;n has cheated his Elder and he must be punished! Yes, he must be punished! With this resolved, Oro¾ angrily left the boundary between Aye; andOÙ®run and stormed into Ile;-Aye;. As soon as he got to Ile;-Aye;, he was asking for Egu;ngu;n. In his blind fury he was a very awful spectacle. The first person who saw him was so terrified that he did not know what to do. In the end, he decided to take Oro¾ to the palace of the Ϙba of Aye;. While at the palace, Oro¾ was demanding for Egu;ngu;n. His anger was totally uncontrollable. As soon as the Ϙba of Aye; saw this, he summoned his chiefs and had a quick meeting with them. Meanwhile, Oro¾ was made comfortable but he could not be comforted completely. He could not wait to set his eyes on Egu;ngu;n.. However, during their deliberation, the Ϙba and his chiefs concluded that Oro¾ must never be allowed to set his eyes on Egu;ngu;n. They reasoned that in the past 13 full moons, their lives had changed for the better and the quality of their very existence had greatly improved; all

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due to the activities of Egu;ngu;n. For this reason, they would have to defend Egu;ngu;n at all costs. The only way to do this, they reasoned, was to ensure that where Egu;ngu;n was living must remain hidden from Oro¾. The chiefs also felt that they could equally take advantage of the presence of Oro¾ in Ile;-Aye;, and make use of his abilities too. They approached Oro¾ and demanded from him what roles he could perform while in their midst. He explained what he could do for them. They realized that his roles were similar to those of Egu;ngu;n. They also discovered that Egu;ngu;n and Oro¾ both represented the Ancestors even though Oro¾ was the Elder Divinity. They demanded from Oro¾ to tell them what he would love people to give him as propitiation material for all the good things he would be doing for them. He explained to them what the items were and most of them were similar to those of Egu;ngu;n.

Ϙba-Aye;, then directed that the first person who saw Oro¾ should take him home and put him in a grove. The grove was known as Igbo;ro¾. He also directed that Egu;ngu;n must be coming out in the day time while Oro¾ should be coming out during the dead of the night. This was to avoid confrontation and friction between the two. Since that time up till today, Egu;ngu;n and Oro¾ are still not in good terms. Even their devotees are not the best of friends. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to send anyone on any errand that is known to be very important to his/her life. Ifá says that he/she will not be in any position to blame the person sent on that errand if that person decides to go and exhibit his/her own potentials where he/she has been sent. When anything is very important to the person for whom this Odù is revealed, it is in his/her best interest to perform that assignment by himself/herself. That is the only way he/she will not have everlasting regret. Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, a¾bi; ko¾ si; ni;le;? Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oômoô ab'OÙ®sôun lô';e;ôri Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oôômoô ab'OÙô®o¾ôsôa¾ kan ji¾ngbi¾nni¾ lo;tu Ife¾ô Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oômoô oô¾pe¾ô kan n;la; ti; n;fi oju; joô a¾gba; ni;le; ire;ôgi;-ire;ôgi;; A®woôn ni woôô;n m'o;bi¾ me;ji¾ ko¾gba¾di¾-kogbadi

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Woô;n; fi n;b'e;ôfoô¾n sô’oô¾ta; O: ni; a;; paa; o A® la;a pa a; Woô;n ni; ni;bo la gbe; pa a; si; Mo la;a paa; si; ori;ta Olu; O: ni; a; kun-u;n o A® la;a kun-u;n Wo;ôn ni; ni;bo la gbe; kun-u;;n si;;? A ni; a kun-u;n s’o;ôna Di¾ndi¾nri¾n A®woôn O®ke¾ ni o¾ fibi ri¾nmi¾ri¾nmi¾ teô’leô¾ Di;;a; fu;n Egu;ngu;;n Ti; woôn o; ma pe¾ e; ni; Baba Oro¾ ni o¾ r'eô;ni ti; yo;o; pe¾e; mo;ô EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki;; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Egu;ngu;n ni¾kan lo; n;beô l’eôy ; i¾n to; n;s’ô e¾boô N®je;ô Olu;yoôku¾n Baba ni o Ifá; Olu;yoôku¾n Baba ni EÙ®yin o¾ mo¾ô ‘pe; Olu;yoôku¾n ni Baba n;je;ô A®se ô ; Olu;yoôku¾n Baba ni o Translation: Is Ifá at home or not? Ifá is at home, he who propitiates O®Ùsun inside the river Ifá is at home, he who propitiates an elegantly decorated O®ri¾sôa¾ in Ile;-Ife¾ô Ifá is at home, the holy palm tree that resembles an a¾gba; drum in its entirety May two big kola nuts be procured And let us use them to confront a buffalo They asked us to break the kola nuts We responded that the kola nuts have been broken They wanted to know where the kola nuts were broken We responded that they were broken at the crossroad leading to Olu’s home We were asked to cut them into pieces We responded that they had been cut into pieces They wanted to know where we had cut them We responded that it was on the way to Di¾ndi¾nri¾n-Land A®woôn O®ke® ni o¾ fibi ri¾nmi¾ri¾nmi¾ teôle¾ô

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(Big-hills-do-not-sit-on-their-tips-turned-upside-down) They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Egu;ngu;n Who would be known and called “Baba” But Oro¾ was he who had no one to salute him They were advised to offer ẹbọ Only Egu;ngu;n complied Behold! Olu;yoôku¾n is Baba Ifá Olu;yoôku¾n is truly Baba Don’t you know that Olu;yoôku¾n is the name of Baba So, Baba is known and called Olu;yoôku¾n Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be known and called Baba, the Father. There is however the need for this person to make himself/herself relevant to his/her family, group, community and the whole society at large, at all times. Where maturity is expected to be applied, he/she needs not display anger. 3. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person shall be counted among the movers and the shakers of his/her groups, family or community. Ifá says that this person shall come across something or someone who shall turn him/her into a highly influential person in his/her community. No serious decision can or will be taken outside his/her knowledge. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to procure two dogs for ẹbọ. One of the dogs shall be returned to him/her to keep as a pet while the second one shall be retained by the Awo. He/she also needs to feed his/her Ifá with Iku;n (Squirrel). If these two steps can be taken, success is guaranteed. Leadership is assured. On these, Ogbe¾-'We¾ôyi¾n says: Ogbe¾-'Weô¾yi¾n b’a;ja; reô o; baa¾ pa Iku;n Dia fun O®Ùru;nmi;la¾¾ T’I:fa; yo;o; woô;n’ja; Ti; yo;o; soôoô; ni; Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe; EÙboô ni wo;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

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Translation: Ogbe, look back, maybe your dog will kill a squirrel This was Ifá’s message to Orunmila Who would procure a dog And name it Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe (Benevolence is not in vain) He was advised to offer ẹbọ OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was farming and doing Ifá business simultaneously. He cultivated a large farm. He primarily planted yams. He was very sure of a bountiful harvest that year. In spite of this hope, he went to the home of the Awo mentioned above, who incidentally was one of his former students, for Ifá consultation. Will I succeed this year? The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would succeed beyond his expectations. He was told that he would come across something that would elevate him financially. He was assured that he would become very influential in his community. The Awo also advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with two dogs. He complied. One of the dogs was returned to him. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to name the dog “Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe”–meaning “Benevolence-is-not-in-vain”. He did. He was also advised to ensure that he fed his Ifá with squirrel on a regular basis. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ returned home with his dog and with the determination to ensure that his Ifá was fed with a squirrel at least once every 17 days. Anywhere he went, it was with Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe his dog. The dog soon became his favourite pet. The dog was also very good in hunting. As a matter of fact, Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe’s training was thorough and intense. The dog would kill rabbits, big rats, grass cutters, antelopes, brown rats, grey rats, squirrels, etc. All of these were very easy kills for the dog. One day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went to his farm together with Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe. As soon as they got to the farm, they saw a squirrel. Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe sited the squirrel first, even before OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. The dog needed no prompting before giving the squirrel a hot chase. The squirrel entered a hole in an anthill close by. Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe began to dig the hole with his hands and legs. Before long, the dog fell into a big hole, saw and killed the squirrel

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but at the same time, it saw two big loads of expensive jewellery, coral beads, elephant tusks, enamels, etc in the big hole. Unknown to anyone, about 20 years back, a group of armed bandits had gone on robbery operations. They had robbed and killed the high and mighty in several towns and villages and dispossessed them of their goods. While they were carting these goods away, common sense told them to hide the goods somewhere for sometime in order to allow public outcry to subside. They dug a large hole at the particular site and buried all their loot there. The next day, there was heavy rainfall. All the signs they made in order for them to easily identify the spot where the loot was buried were obliterated. A week or so after, they came to the spot to retrieve their loot but they could not spot the place where all the jewellery, enamels and ivories were buried. They were able to retrieve the clothes, shoes and leather materials only. They promised to come back at a later date to comb the site more thoroughly. The following week, they went on another robbery operation. This time around, the public was ready for them. The robbery gang was wiped out mercilessly. Soon after this, ants made the site where the loot was buried their home. They moulded their hill on the very spot. About 10 years or so, they left the spot. The anthill became the home of rodents, rabbits, big rats, snakes, etc. That was how the squirrel ran into the anthill when Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe was in pursuit. Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe called the attention of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to the jewellery. As soon as he saw the jewels, he remembered what his Awo had told him. He packed all the jewellery, enamels, ivory, etc and took them to his home. He also used the squirrel to feed Ifá. That was how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ became the richest man in his community in one day. He invited the leader of the community to his home. He showed them what he had found. They deliberated together on what to do with them. In the end, they shared them among the inhabitants. A part of the materials were sold and the proceeds were used to execute public projects. They however ensured that the biggest share went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ who brought their attention to his change of status. Everyone

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gave OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ respect because they knew that not all people would agree to share their wealth with others. Ogbe¾-'Weô¾yi¾n b’a;ja; reô o; baa¾ pa Iku;n Dia fun O®Ùru;nmi;la¾¾ T’I:fa; yo;o; woô;n’ja; Ti; yo;o; soôoô; ni; Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe; EÙboô ni wo;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ® ba; ba;’ni b’a;yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: Ogbe, look back, maybe your dog will kill a squirrel This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Who would procure a dog And name it Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe; (Benevolence is not in vain) He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and behold all the Ire of life Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have cause to celebrate. He/she shall be highly honoured and respected in his/her family, community and the society at large. 4. Ifá says that the person for whom Ogbe¾-We¾ôyi¾n is revealed shall make huge profits in his/her chosen career. If his/her profession has to do with farming or agriculture in general, he/she shall succeed very well. He/she shall not regret his/her chosen career. Ifá, at the same time, says that he/she shall also make huge profit in his/her marriage, especially with regards to the resultant children that he/she will produce and raise from the marriage. His/her children will bring him/her huge profits, joy, pride, peace of mind, contentment and

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satisfaction. He/she shall be very proud of these children. In fact, these children shall be greater than him/her in the future. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons, four guinea fowls and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with one mature she-goat. On these, Ifá says: Ako;’gi-l’a;pa;, t’e¾ôyi¾n lo; po¾ô ju t’iwa;ju; loô o Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; Baba yo;o; f’oko la¾ Ti; yo;o; si¾ f’oko; la¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: In order to carry a bundle of firewood in one’s arm successfully, the part extending to the back needs to be longer than the part extending to the front This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Who would succeed on the farm And would also succeed while raising a family He was advised to offer ẹbọ OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was contemplating going into full-scale farming. He planned to cultivate yams, maize, okra, sweet potato, melon and plantain. He secured very fertile land for his intended project. Before embarking on anything further, he went for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed? Is farming in line with my destiny? The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would be very successful in his chosen career. He was told that he would make a huge profit that would turn him into a very wealthy man. He was advised not to entertain any fear whatsoever. The Awo also told him that his real profit in life depended on him getting married and producing his own children. He was told that his children would give him more profit and joy than any financial success could ever do for him. The Awo informed him that raising his own family was his

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real gain in life. He urged OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to go ahead and get married and have his own children as soon as possible. After this, he advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ and feed Ifá as stated above. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied. As soon as he got home, he embarked on the two projects - cultivating his farm and finding a suitable spouse. He soon cleared the land and at the same time cleared the way for marriage. He made heaps for planting and at the same time, he got married. He planted yams on the farm and planted babies at home, when his yams germinated on the farm, his wife delivered a baby at home. His joy knew no bounds. He became very wealthy on the farm and became a proud father in the home. Many years after, his wealth on the farm helped him to train his children in the home. The children soon became richer than him. They became his greatest source of joy. Ako;’gi-l’a;pa;, t’e¾ôyi¾n lo; po¾ô ju t’iwa;ju; loô o Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; Baba yo;o; f’oko la¾ Ti; yo;o; si¾ f’oko; la¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô mo r’e;re¾ l’o;ko; Mo r’e;re¾ l’o;ko E®re¾ ti; mo ri; l’o;ko ko¾ to; t’oko; Translation: In order to carry a bundle of firewood in one’s arms successfully, the part extending to the back needs to be longer than the part extending to the front This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Who would succeed on the farm And would also succeed while raising a family He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Behold, I have profited while raising a family I have also profited on my farm The profit I have made on the farm is nothing compared to the one I have made with my genitals

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Ifá says that this person shall have no regrets in his/her business and family undertakings. 5. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be blessed with a bouncing baby boy. When this baby arrives, the name of the baby should be Ifá;wuyi¾. If a pregnant woman is where this Odù is revealed, the woman is to be assured that she will have a safe delivery. Not only this, the coming baby shall be a male and the name to be given to the baby is Ifá;wuyi¾. Ifá says that if this Odù is cast during the I®koôse¾ôda;ye of a male baby, the name of the baby is Ifá;wuyi¾. Ifá also says that this baby shall enjoy the special protection of Ifá. The baby shall not die young. He shall live to his old age. The baby shall also accomplish many things in his life. Ifá however advises this person to be very close to Ifá. He must never contemplate leaving the path of Ifá as there lays his protection and sanctuary. On all these, Ifá says: A® n; ki; oômoô eku OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju; Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;n lo; de; Ti; o; fi n; wo iwa;ju; O: ni; iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju; Lo; pa ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-ideô A® n; ki oômoô eôja OÙmoô eôja n; w’e¾ôyi¾n wo¾ Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja ki;n lo; de; Ti; o; fi n; wo eô¾yi¾n wo¾ O: ni; iku; ala;i¾ we¾ôyi¾n wo¾ Lo; pa ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-ideô Mo wa; wo iwa;ju; E®mi wo e¾ôyi¾n E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifá; Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti;i yo;o; bi¾i; Ifá;wuyi¾ l’o;ômoô EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko;o wa;a; sôe

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Translation: While greeting Eku (the Rat) The rat continued to look forward They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred that you are continuously looking forward?” The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was what led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ” While greeting EÙja (the Fish) The fish continued to look backward They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that you are continuously glancing backward?” The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô ” I looked forward And I even glanced backward I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá These were Ifá’s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Who would give birth to a baby called Ifá;wuyi¾ He was advised to offer ẹbọ OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was very successful in his calling as a Babaláwo. His clients had cause to rejoice any time they went to him for solutions to their numerous problems. In the end, they usually showed him their appreciation by showering him with gifts. For this reason, money was not OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s problem. He was also blessed with a nice and beautiful spouse. His wife was totally devoted to him. She also believed absolutely in him. In spite of this, there was a problem however. There was no fruit of the womb to show for the love and belief they had for each other. One day, his wife called him and told him that she found it difficult to believe how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ could be looking after her for all these years that they had been married without helping her to solve her infertility problem. After all, there had been several people who had come for the same problem whom OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had helped and these women were already proud mothers many times over! She said that a woman’s child

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is her pride and wealth in her matrimonial home. What love does OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ profess to have for her when he has failed to help her solve her infertility problem? In the end, she accused OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ of being insensitive to her plight and by extension, just paying lip service to his love for her. In his response, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ assured her that he was also suffering from the same problem of childlessness. He told her that he too yearned to have his own child that he could love, cherish, send on errands and confide in. He said that he had tried to find a solution to this problem but Ifá told him that with a little more patience, they would soon become proud parents. With this assurance, she calmed down. Six months after, they were still having patience and hoping that the baby would soon come. The wife could wait no longer. She called OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ again and screamed at him that he could afford to wait until his old age because as a man, he could still father a baby when he was very, very old but in her own case, her time was limited. “You are callous!” she screamed. “You are a wicked man! You have not tried hard enough!” If it had been other people, you would have found a solution! What offence have I committed against you that has made you not to take my matter seriously? Why?!” In the end, she pleaded with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to let her go if he felt that he was no longer in love with her. In his response, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told his wife that he was still in love with her and that he would do anything for her to make her happy. He assured her that Ifá said that she was just at the verge of getting pregnant. Consequently, she had no cause to leave her matrimonial home or be angry. He explained to her that he had even gone to meet the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation on the issue. The Awo had assured him that whether he offered ẹbọ or not, his wife would become pregnant. What he needed to take more seriously was for the baby not to be snatched away from them by the cold hands of Ikú (Death). He informed his wife that he had been advised to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens and money in order for his wife to become pregnant. He was also advised to add a mature he-goat to the ẹbọ so that his baby would not die young. After this, Ifá had advised him to feed Ifá with a mature she-goat. It was on the morning of that very day that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered all the ẹbọ.

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When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her all of these, she was somewhat pacified. She felt that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was really concerned about their welfare. That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her that the coming baby would be a male and its name should be Ifá;wuyi¾-Ifá is prestigious. In the end, apologies were offered and accepted on both sides. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ apologised to his wife even though he was doing everything for her. The problem was that he was not keeping her in the picture of what he was doing to help. In the case of the wife, she apologised for the use of intemperate language against him. That very month, she became pregnant. Every OÙ®se¾ô Ifá;, they cast Ifá to ensure that nothing happened to the pregnancy. In the end, she gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. The baby was named Ifá;wuyi as Ifá had advised. From that day, they began to shower their love and affection on the baby. At the same time, they began to do everything and anything to protect the life of Ifá;wuyi, their jewel of inestimable value. A® n; ki; oômoô eku OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju; Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;n lo; de; Ti; o; fi n; wo iwa;ju; O: ni; iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju; Lo; pa ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-ideô A® n; ki oômoô eôja OÙmoô eôja n; w’e¾ôyi¾n wo¾ Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja ki;n lo; de; Ti; o; fi n; wo eô¾yi¾n wo¾ O: ni; iku; ala;i¾ we¾ôyi¾n wo¾ Lo; pa ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-ideô Mo wa; wo iwa;ju; E®mi wo e¾ôyi¾n E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifá; Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti;i yo;o; bi¾i; Ifá;wuyi¾ l’o;ômoô EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko;o wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ifá;wuyi¾ oômoô oô¾ mi o Ifá;wuyi¾ o¾ gboôdoô¾ ku; ni; ke;kere; Ifá;wuyi¾ oômoô oô¾ mi o

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Translation: While greeting Eku (the Rat) The rat continued to look forward They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred that you are continuously looking forward?” The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was what led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ” While greeting EÙja (the Fish) The fish continued to look backward They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that you are continuously glancing backward?” The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô” I looked forward And I even glanced backward I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá These were Ifá’s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Who would give birth to a baby called Ifá;wuyi¾ He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Ifá;wuyi¾ is my beloved child May Ifá;wuyi¾ not die young Ifá;wuyi¾ is my beloved child Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will be blessed with a baby boy and the baby will be protected from dying young or meeting with any calamity. 6. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed had hitherto used his/her mouth to create problems for himself/herself. Ifá says however that it is the same mouth that he/she will use to pull himself/herself out of the problems. Ifá says that this person has a keen sense of observation. His/her sense of observation will eventually exalt him/her. He/she shall become a leader and shall be found in the midst of royalty.

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Ifá also says that there is a pregnant woman where this Odù is revealed. The woman will give birth to a male baby. Ifá equally warns a man who is having a disagreement with his spouse where this Odù is revealed to act with levelheadedness. He must not behave like a bastard! Ifá says that a bastard is he who encounters something that angers him (because something bad has been done to him) but who shies away by not showing any anger; also, it is a bastard who is begged for forgiveness and refuses to accept the plea. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with one mature she-goat and 30 bags of money. On these, Ifá says: OÙgboô;n inu; u woôn ni;i; ra;n woôn lo;gun OÙ®fun i¾mo¾ôra¾n ni;i; ro i¾mo¾ôra¾n l’e;;ro¾ Bi; woô;n ba; gboô;n l’a;gbo¾ôn-o;ônju¾ Oko aje ni;i; mu; woôn-oô;n loô Di;a; fu;n Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ Ti; n;ba; Olo;wo; o re¾ô loô sa;la¾de OÙ®yoô; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Their wisdom is it that sends them to the war front And their voice is it that haunts them If they claim to be too intelligent They will be forced to face trial by ordeal These were Ifá’s declarations to Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ (He-who-uses-his-mouth-to-offset-his-debts) When following his lord to OÙ®yo;ô land He was advised to offer ẹbọ Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was a man with a very keen sense of observation. He could accurately read any situation and make a perfect deduction from his observations. He was also a very ambitious man. His intention was to make it big in life, no matter the odds. People would often tell him that if there is a will, there is surely a way. He was convinced that he had the will to succeed; therefore, there must be a way to do just that.

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One day, the Baa;le; of a family close to him died. Instead of leaving behind any fruitful legacy for his family, he left huge amounts of debt, amounting to hundreds of bags of cowries. This became a very serious embarrassment to the whole family. In this wise, an emergency meeting was quickly summoned in order for the family to address this problem and find a quick solution to it. When all the various representatives of the extended family had assembled, the convener of the meeting, who incidentally was the next Baa;le; of the family, stood up to address those present at the meeting. He stated thus: “I greet you all in the name of our ancestors. May Olo;du¾mare¾ grant all of us the grace to live to our old age before we pass on to the great beyond. Our Baa;le; who has just joined our ancestors lived to his old age. He witnessed the birth and growth of his children, grand-children and even great grand-children. He was a father to all. He was also fair to everyone”. He paused to let the words sink into their heads before he resumed his speech. By this time, the gba¾gede that they all sat in was dead silent. When he resumed, his voice was a little higher than before. He declared; “There is nobody here who our dead father had not assisted one way or the other. We are no longer seeing him, but I can assure you that he is seeing each and every one of us here. If anyone here feels that he had not assisted him/her in any way, that person is free to speak out now”. After saying this, the Baa;le; designate sat down. One after the other, all those present started extolling the virtue of the dead Baa;le;. The general consensus was that the deceased was a likeable person when he was alive. He was a man who would go to any length to help other people; especially members of his extended family. As soon as this fact was settled, the Baa;le; designate stood up again to speak. He said; “it is clear that our late Baa;le; would receive merciful consideration from Olo;du¾mare¾ because he had made this family better than how he met it. May the ancestors continue to bless and pamper him in the realm of the Dead”. As he said this, all those present responded with a resounding “A®sôeô”.

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When the Baa;le; designate knew that he already had all those in attendance in his pocket, he decided to drop the bombshell of the real reason why the meeting was called. He then said, "In spite of these great qualities of our late father and Baa;le;, something however is amiss. There is a big patch of palm-oil that has stained his otherwise immaculately white garment. Our Baa;le; has left a huge debt, running into the hundreds if not thousands of bags of cowries for us to offset. If he had left a huge legacy for us, I am sure that we would all have gladly shared it. Now that he has left a debt for us, it is equally our duty to share it. That is what we can do to save this noble family from disgrace and embarrassment. It is the least we can do to remove the stain in our late Baa;le;’s immaculately white garment. Are there any objections to this? Do we have anyone with a different viewpoint? Let the person stand up and speak out now if they do." This time, he did not sit down. Instead, he began to look round the gba¾gede to see if anyone would stand up to speak against what he had just said. Nobody did. “I now realise that we are all in agreement that what I have said is the noble thing to do to save the face of a noble family and pull out a noble man from ignoble embarrassment. Is that not correct”? All those present shouted that it was certainly the correct thing to do under that circumstance. The Baa;le; designate continued, ”I do not intend to take too much of your time. All of you have one thing or the other to do. You are all busy and serious-minded people. I will soon ask you to go. Before that however, there is the need for us to share the debt among ourselves according to our capabilities. All this has been put into consideration.” He paused again to let his words and its implications sink into their heads before he continued. Then he pointed to the first man directly in front of him and said; “You, your own money is 40 bags of cowries. He then pointed to another person and said yours is 30 bags of cowries. The man next to you, yours is 25 bags of cowries. And you, it is 55 bags of cowries. As for me I will take 100 bags of cowries. You next to me, yours is 25 bags of cowries....”. That was how he began to share the debt for everyone present. There was no objection from any quarter. As the money to be paid back was being shared, that was precisely the time that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾¾ passed behind the house. What he heard was “you, yours is 25 bags of cowries and you, yours is 35 bags of cowries...”. He quickly gathered that the Baa;le; had just died; a family

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meeting had been summoned; money was being shared; definitely, it must be the legacy of the man that was being shared among his brethren. This was an ample opportunity for him to partake in the sharing of the legacy. Truly, if there is the will, there is a way. He must let the family know that he had 30 bags of cowries to collect from their late Baa;le;. With that amount he could start life anew as a rich man. He was truly in luck; he concluded. Before thinking any further, he shouted at the top of his voice, “mine is 30 bags of cowries! Please let me in”. When those present at the meeting heard this from Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, they were all taken aback: who was this transparent, honest person who would declare that he had 30 bags of cowries to pay back to a dead man, when nobody even knew that he owed the dead man any money at all? The Baa;le; designate quickly summoned him inside. When he entered, he greeted all those present at the meeting. The Baa;le;, who had been standing all the while, addressed him and said; “Young man, I am pleasantly surprised that youth like you can still be found in this community. Youths of your type are very rare to come by nowadays. With your transparent honesty, I am convinced that there is still hope for this community and the future is very bright for this generation”. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ responded that since he was born, he had never told any lie because his parents insisted that he must never lie, no matter how difficult the situation may be. The Baa;le; said,” You do not need to tell us that; you have really demonstrated that you were well trained and that you actually imbibed all the advice and instructions of your parents. If not so, how many people could ever come out and declare that they owed a dead man money when there was no witness? It is only an honest person like you who can do that. On behalf of the family, I thank you for your honesty and at the same time, I will like to inform you that we need this money in two days' time”. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ could not believe his ears. What was this supposed to mean? Had he inadvertently put himself into trouble? Where would he come by 30 bags of cowries? He was looking for cheap money, had he cheaply organised himself into debt and embarrassment? His head was spinning and planning. He must get himself out of this problem one way or the other. He quickly thought of an appropriate response to pull him out of the trouble. When he felt that he had articulated the

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appropriate sentences to get him free of the trouble, he said,” Thank you everyone. As I had earlier told you, I have never lied in my life. There is no reason for me to lie. My parents gave me that training and it was well imbibed by all the children. Besides this, I am a living witness of the virtues of honesty and truthfulness everyday and every time. For these reasons, falsehood can never be a part of my life. “What really happened was that the late Baa;le; was actually owing me 30 bags of cowries. The late Baa;le; planned to assist some people but he had no money to execute his plan. He therefore approached me for assistance. I gave him the 30 bags of cowries in order to ensure that he was able to actualize his plans. That was how the late Baa;le;, may his soul rest in peace, came to owe me the money. Even if I were to tell lies, would I lie against someone who is dead?” He paused to let his statement sink in. After a while, he continued; “What I will really appreciate now is for this family to look for a way to avoid being embarrassed. It will not be appropriate for you to be dragged to the authorities simply because your late Baa;le; owed me money. Please arrange for my money now and let me leave you in peace so that you can continue with your deliberation. The whole gba¾gede was dead silent when he finished his speech. He was very sure that he had confused and outwitted the whole family. For a long while, nobody said or could say anything. In the end, the Baa;le; designate responded. Before speaking, he cleared his throat. He said; “Young man, you have really convinced all of us present here today that our late father actually borrowed money from you. It is a good thing that you said it was not more than 30 bags of cowries. Somehow though, I do not believe you. Our father gave us all the names of those he owed money to and your name was not mentioned. We shall pay your money first however. In fact, we shall pay your money today”. When Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ heard this he silently congratulated himself. He praised his intelligence. He promised himself a big bowl of pounded yam and a keg of palm-wine when he received the money. The Baa;le; designate resumed his speech, “Here are the 30 bags of cowries. Young man, here is the money you claim our father owed you. But before you take the money however, we are going to place the bags

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of money on our father’s grave for you to pick up. Not only this, you are going to take a bath with the sponge with which the corpse of our father was given his last bath before he was buried. We will put a little sand in a calabash. This sand will be taken from our father’s grave and a little water will be added to it. You will drink the water. After this, you are free to take the money and depart in peace. I can assure you that if you have taken a false oath, you will not last seven days on earth before you join our father in the spirit world”. When Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ saw that the money had been brought out, he was full of contentment. He was even happier when the Baa;le; designate told him that the money was for him. However, his face changed from contentment to utter consternation when the Baa;le; designate threw the bombshell that he must swear to an oath before he went away with the money. He desperately needed the money; he however did not want to die young. How was he going to extricate himself from this problem now? He must not take the oath; that was certain. At the same time, he must not lose face in the presence of the whole family. What must he do now? In the end, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ decided to bluff his way out of the problem. He looked at the Baa;le; designate in the face and thundered, “So, it is now an offense for me to show kindness to your late father when he was in dire need of money? Where were you all when he came to me to borrow money? Because I had pitied your late father, you think that you will now question my integrity and spoil the name I have laboured to build since I was young? So, you think that you will not pay back my money unless and until I swear to an oath? I will never do that! You are all ingrates! Pay me my money and let me go now! Was it because I did not ask for interest? You now have the temerity to impugn upon my integrity! I will deal with all of you! There will not be peace in this family until you pay me my money! Thieves!” The Baa;le; designate looked at him for a long time and said, ”Young man, we shall pay your money today; but if you do not swear, you will not collect the money. What is more, you will not be allowed to leave. The Ϙba of this land will hear about this. I was totally convinced that you had spoken the truth the very first time when you said that you owed our father 30 bags of cowries. I do not know what entered into your head to lie afterward. Young man, you have two options now; you

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either take the 30 bags of cowries after swearing, or you pay the 30 bags of cowries you are owing our father!”

Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ then realised that the more he tried to bluff himself out

of trouble, the more he entangled himself deeper into the crisis. He decided to give it a last trial. He said,”In all my life, I have never met a family who was so insensitive. I lent your late father money without conditions and now that it is time for this family to pay me back my money, you begin to bring conditions! You even go to the extent of insisting that I should swear to an oath! In any case, it is not in my character to do that. I will rather prefer to forgo the money and leave everything to Olo;du¾mare¾ to judge. It will however be on record that this family owes me 30 bags of cowries! That is all I have to say. Good day!” As soon as he finished, he made to go out of the gba¾gede. He was however accosted. He was thoroughly roughened up. In the end, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was dragged before the Ϙba. The Ϙba heard both arguments and ordered that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ must swear to an oath if truly he was not the one owing the late Baa;le some money. He could not. He later confessed that he was lying. The Ϙba ordered the palace guards to give him 20 strokes of the cane for lying against a dead person, trying to cheat and planning to cause chaos and confusion in the community. He was also ordered to pay the family the 30 bags of cowries he owed their late father. All his pleadings that he made about not owing any money fell on deaf ears. He pleaded that he could not get the money. As a matter of fact; his newly married wife had just dressed him down because he could not provide any money for the family upkeep before he left home. After much deliberation, it was agreed that the 30 bags of cowries would be paid by the Ϙba. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was then ordered to be serving the Ϙba as one of his domestic servants until he could pay back the money. This was done. For six months, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was still serving the Ϙba. He would resume duty very early in the morning and leave late at night. He had no time to work for himself and look for the money that he owed. He was in grief and melancholy.

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One day, the Ϙba summoned him to his presence and told him that he, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, would accompany the Ϙba to OÙ®yo town the next day. He was allowed to go home early in order to prepare himself for the journey. When he was going home, he began to ruminate over his plight: was this the way he would live for the rest of his life? Would any miracle happen to him that would enable him to regain his freedom? Would he not be able to fulfil his destiny as a result of perpetual servitude? These and many more related questions were what dragged Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. In the home of the Awo, he was informed that it was his mouth that had landed him into trouble in the first place. The Awo however assured him that the same mouth would also pull him out of the trouble. The Awo said that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was a highly intelligent man with a keen sense of observation. He had however chosen to apply his intelligence in a fraudulent way. It was his wisdom that sent him to war where he found himself in servitude. When he felt that he was too intelligent, that was the time that he was asked to come and swear to an oath. Because he was truly intelligent, he quickly realized that swearing a false oath would cut short his life, he refused to do so. That he refused to do so was what made all those listening to him to disbelieve him. That was how he ended up incurring a huge debt. He was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. After the ẹbọ, he was counselled to use his intelligence in positive ways at all times. With this, he left the home of the Awo fully determined to succeed in life. The next day, he was the person who woke everyone up in the Ϙba’s palace. Soon after, they set out on their journey; the Ϙba rode on a horse while Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ trekked. Shortly after they passed through the town and moved into the road that led to OÙ®yo town, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ shouted; “Ka;bi;ye¾si, please halt!” confused, the Ϙba drew the rein of the horse. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ said; “a horse has passed through this same path a short while ago. The horse has only the right eye that is working while the left eye is blind”. “How do you know this?”, the Ϙba inquired.

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“Let us move more quickly so as to meet the horse on the way. But Ka;bi;ye¾si, let’s make a deal, if we eventually meet the horse and we find it to have only one eye, then 10 bags of cowries must be deducted from my debt,” Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ declared. “Ok. I agree. But if we cannot not find any horse that has only the right eye without the left, then 10 bags of cowries will be added to your debt,” said the Ϙba.

Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ also agreed and they moved quicker than before. Before long, they came across the O®gu¾n River and they crossed it. As soon as they did so, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ shouted again; “Ka;bi;ye¾si, please halt”.

“What is it this time?”, the Ϙba asked.

Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ declared; “a woman has just urinated here.

The

woman is pregnant and she is carrying a male baby in her womb”. “How do you know this”, the Ϙba inquired.

Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ responded thus; “let us move even faster than before.

If we meet the woman and she says that she is the one who urinated here, close to this Iya; tree, then 10 bags of cowries must be deducted from my debt. If the woman is pregnant, another 10 bags of cowries must be deducted. If the woman eventually gives birth to a baby boy, then I should be the one to ride your horse back home. The Ϙba considered all these things and said,”Ok. I agree. But if these assertions of yours are not found to be so, you shall be serving me perpetually until you die”. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ also agreed.

What continued to baffle the Ϙba was the fact that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was absolutely unperturbed. His level of confidence was unbelievable. He was totally sure of himself. The Ϙba could just not understand where such confidence came from. In the end, the Ϙba concluded that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was totally fed up with life and was just looking for somewhere to stay to spend the rest of his miserable life.

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They moved faster and faster. Before long, they met a man with a horse. They were both resting under the shade of a mighty Baobab tree. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ approached the man and asked;” Baba were you by any chance coming from O®ke¾-O®gu¾n region?” The man responded that he was. The horse he was riding was examined. It was found out that the horse had an eye on the right side of its head but the eye on the left was not there!

Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ invited the Ϙba to come and take a look at what he

had seen. When the Ϙba had satisfied himself that the horse indeed had only one eye, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ said; “Ka;bi;ye¾si, my debt remains only 20 bags of cowries”. The Ϙba agreed.

When the Ϙba realised that what Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ said had been confirmed, he began to want to change his mind on the deal he had made. Who was this person? Did it mean that he had special means for knowing things which others did not? Was he specially blessed by the divinities? Or, was this an extension of his numerous tricks which had landed him into trouble in the first place? Who exactly was he? The Ϙba was still ruminating over this when they met a woman who was eating eô¾koô, cold corn meal, and a¾ka¾ra¾¾, bean cake, under the shade of a tree along the road. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ approached the woman immediately and asked; “woman, were you by any chance coming from O®ke¾-O®gu¾n region?” “Yes, I was”, responded the woman. “Did you cross the O®ogu¾n River close to the Iya;; tree?” “Yes, I did. But why do you ask?” “Nothing in particular, I just wanted to know if you were the one who urinated by the foot of the tree. That is all.” “Yes, I was the one. You know, since I’m heavy with pregnancy, I urinate more frequently than ever before. This is my first pregnancy and people say that it is normal for me to urinate the way I am doing at this stage. Is there anything particularly wrong with my urinating?”

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“There is nothing wrong with your urinating. What you will never realize is that your urine has just set me free of all debts. However, how advanced is your pregnancy?” The woman was totally confused. How did her urine set this strange man free of all his debts? She however responded thus, “Any moment from today, I will give birth to my baby. I am going to O®Ùyoô; town to meet my husband’s relations so that they will take proper care of me”. “Which compound are you going to?” Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ asked. “The name of my husband’s family compound is the Pa¾ra¾ko¾yi; Compound. It is well known in the whole of O®Ùyoô; town”. With this, they bid the woman farewell and promised to come and check on her at O®Ùyoô;. On the way, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ told the Ϙba that he no longer owed him any money. The Ϙba agreed. He told the Ϙba that they needed to stay behind in O®Ùyoô; for the woman to deliver her baby, so as to determine who would ride the horse back home. The Ϙba also agreed, adding that if the woman gave birth to a female, then Asoô¾ro¾ôsan-gbe¾se¾ would resume serving him perpetually. Three days after their encounter with the woman, she went into labour. She gave birth to a baby boy! When they went to see the woman in her husband’s family compound, they were greeted with the news. As soon as they heard this, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ told the Ϙba that, “we can now return to O®ke¾-O®gu¾n. But remember Ka;bi;ye¾si, I am the person who will ride your horse back home. We have just confirmed what I have already known”. The Ϙba dismounted and Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ mounted the horse and rode on it to O®ke¾-O®gu¾n while the Ϙba trekked all the way. By the time they returned to their land, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ had no more debt to pay. He had used his mouth to offset all his debt. He was however in constant touch with the Ϙba. Many times when the Ϙba wished to go anywhere, he would invite Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ to accompany him and he would oblige the Ϙba. One day, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was invited by the Ϙba to come and accompany him to a ceremony the next morning. He was urged to arrive very early in the morning. He agreed to come.

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The next day, he woke up very early and headed for the Ϙba’s palace. When he got there, he met the Ϙba and one of his wives engaged in a serious physical confrontation. Everybody around tried to pacify the Ϙba but he just refused to listen. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ also tried, but the Ϙba refused to be pacified. In the evening Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ returned to his own house while the fight was still raging. The following day Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ returned to the palace to see the Ϙba. He asked him why he was so angry. The Ϙba responded that the woman had really infuriated him. As the Ϙba was narrating his experience with the woman he became livid with anger, and once again, another round of fighting ensued. They begged the Ϙba to calm down, all to no avail. When the situation was getting out of hand, Asoô¾ro¾ô-sangbe¾se¾ sneaked out of the palace and rushed back to his house. About one week after, the Ϙba invited Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ to follow him to the farm in order to go and inspect the progress his slaves and servants had made on the farm with the work that they were doing for him there. They went together that same day. When they got to the farm, the Ϙba was so angry with the slow pace of work that he jumped down off his horse and began to beat up the workers. They pleaded, shouted, begged and appealed- all to no avail. “You good-for-nothing slaves and servants! May SÙa¾ngo; send his thunder and strike you all down! So, this is all the work you have done on this farm! You have been eating my food for nothing! My God, what have I spent my money to purchase in the market? I have gotten for myself a bunch of fools whose bones have suddenly turned to cartilage! May SÙa¾npo¾ônna; strike all of you dead!” He continued to beat them with canes, clubs, whips and anything he could lay his hands upon. All their pleading did not have any effect on him. At a stage the Ϙba began to scream at the top of his voice, slapping, kicking and biting the slaves and servants. All the while, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ stood aside watching the macabre scene with complete detachment. He did not stop the Ϙba anymore. When the Ϙba became truly tired and exhausted, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ simply told him to let them go back to the palace. He sheepishly obliged him. On their way to the palace however, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ threw him a lifechanging bomb-shell. He said; “Ka;bi;ye¾si; with all due respect, you do not

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have one drop of royal blood in your veins. The late Ϙba who joined his ancestors before you, who stepped on the thrown, was not your real biological father. The person who actually impregnated your mother that led to your birth was at best, a half-crazy and never-do-well fool. Everything about you shows that you hail from a social refuse site and not from a home of royalty!" “How dare you talk to me like that"? said the Ϙba! "This is the reason why it is not advisable to allow commoners like you to move too close to me! Because I have condescended so low as to call you to accompany me to places, it has now given you the license to abuse me! I will not take this lightly with you. I will put you in your proper place! I assure you of that. You must prove that the circumstances of my birth are anything short of what they are supposed to be. If you cannot prove this, I will make sure that you die in my palace as my horse-keeper! Everyone in the land knows that I am the first son of the late Ϙba. That was why I was made their Ϙba when my father joined his ancestors”. The Ϙba thundered. He continued on and on, for several moments. “Ka;bi;ye¾si;, it is true that everybody in the land believes that you are the first son of the late Ϙba but your mother knows whose son you really are. Fortunately for you and for me, your mother is still alive. You have given me your own condition and it is alright with me. But if it is found out that you are indeed the son of a good-for-nothing man, then you must abdicate the throne and make me the Ϙba. Do not forget this land cannot afford to have the son of a half-insane person as their Ϙba”. That was the response of Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ to the Ϙba. Until they got home, both of them did not utter one word to each other. As soon as they got home, the Ϙba went straight to his mother and said; “mother, I beg you in the name of I®ku;nle¾ô-Abiyamoô. What I want to ask you now, please tell me nothing but the truth...”. He wanted to continue but Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ stopped him, “No Ka;bi;ye¾si;! This is not the way to handle this. What will drive you out of the palace is not something that you will handle with your mother alone. You need to summon the whole land to the market square by breakfast time tomorrow, and then ask your mother your question in the presence of the whole town. If I am wrong, then the whole land will know about it. If I am right on the other hand, the whole land will know why you are leaving the throne for me to become the Ϙba”.

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By breakfast time the following day, the whole of the village square was filled up with people. Those who were unable to walk employed the services of able-bodied men to carry them there. The atmosphere was charged. The tension in the air was almost touchable. As soon as the Ϙba came out, together with his mother on one hand, and Asoô¾ro¾ô-sangbe¾se¾ on the other, the village square went dead silent.

Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ cleared his throat and, in a dramatic manner declared

thus; “Today will determine many things in this village. First, today will determine whether or not our Ϙba will continue to be our Ϙba. Second, if he cannot continue to be the Ϙba, then I, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ will assume the throne. As he was speaking, everyone kept wondering what he was really heading for, and what could lead to such a statement? After what looked like a very long pause, he continued, “What will bring about all the changes in the life of this village is simply the circumstances surrounding the birth of the person we all know and believe as our Ϙba. I have told him, and by extension, I am telling the whole village that he is not of a royal birth. I told him that he had no royal blood flowing in his veins. I declared to him that the person who fathered him was at best a half-sane person. The Ϙba disputed my claim. We have said that if my assertions are incorrect, then I will return to his palace and serve him for the rest of my life. This is alright with me. On the other hand, if my assertions are found to be correct, then he will have to leave the throne and I will become the Ϙba. He has also agreed to this”. He paused again for good effect. The Elders present could not believe what they had just heard. Was this true? They all believed that the Ϙba was the first son of the immediate past Ϙba. Were they all wrong to have chosen this Ϙba to assume the throne? No! They were right! The person who was wrong and who ought to be wrong must be Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ ! If he was found guilty of false accusation, he must be severely punished, apart from making him serve the Ϙba for the rest of his life. That would teach other jokers like him a lesson. But what if he was right and his allegations were found to be true? No, he could not be right! He must not be right! In fact he is not right! He has no right to be right!

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As they were deliberating on this issue, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ resumed his speech; “The Ϙba and I have agreed that this is not enough. The whole town also needs to agree with what we have said. Is anyone present here in any disagreement?” Yes, this was the opportunity the village needed to severely deal with this joker. He would never in his life level any false allegation against anyone again. Without thinking any further, the town shouted in unison that they were all in agreement! That was when Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ turned to the Ϙba’s mother and declared, “Mother, you are the only one here who can shed light on what we are saying now. What we need from you is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Yesterday, your son, the Ϙba begged you to tell him the truth. He invoked the spirit of I®ku;nle¾ôAbiyamoô to plead with you. I am using the same I®ku;nle¾ô-Abiyamoô to beg you to tell us the truth here and now, so that the wrath of I®ku;nle¾ôAbiyamoô will not be on your head for the rest of your life. Please, tell the whole town the circumstances of the birth of your son, our Ϙba”. The Ϙba’s mother looked at her son and asked, “Why have you brought it to this level? Why did you not ask me before making it an open debate?” The Ϙba simply said, “Mother, this matter started yesterday when we were returning from my farm. What I am really interested in now is the truth. I am more interested in knowing the truth than in retaining my crown. Please mother, in the name of I®ku;nle¾ô-Abiyamoô tell the world the truth of the matter”. The old woman looked round the whole crowd and burst into uncontrollable tears. Meanwhile, the people remained silent and were full of expectation. After a while, she said, “I knew no man before I was married to your father, the Ϙba. We were living happily together for eight months. Throughout this period, I was not blessed with the fruit of the womb. Your father and I began arguing incessantly over this issue. One day, he got angry with me and I got angry too. I packed my things and left the palace. My thinking then was that the misunderstanding would be resolved within a few days. I was convinced that the Ϙba would come and beg me to come back home but he never did. For six months, the matter remained unresolved”. She burst into tears again. The whole of the village square was charged, electrically charged. Everyone held his/her breath. What would come out next?

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With a huge sob, she continued, “while in my parent’s home, people would barely look at me. Being married to the Ϙba did not reduce my appetite to satisfy my emotional needs. It was unfortunate that nobody in his right sense would ever move close to an Ϙba’s wife. I was given food because your father regularly sent abundant food to my family and I was also sent clothing materials of all kinds but I was feeling very lonely and lacked physical and emotional affection. This, nobody could, or was ready to satisfy since the misunderstanding was yet to be settled”. She looked up to assess the mood of the crowd. She felt that the women pitied her condition while the men showed understanding. When she looked at her son, she realised that his face was contorted into a grimace of pain, grief and frustration. She also saw that her son had resigned himself to his fate. She could also see satisfaction in the face of Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾. She continued; “One day, I saw a drunkard in our area. He looked young and handsome. When I enquired about him, I was informed that he was always drunk. One day, he got drunk and fell down close to our backyard. I drew him close to me and took him home. Ostensibly I took care of him. I cleaned him up and gave him a mat to sleep on. Eventually, one thing led to another and I decided to satisfy my sexual needs with him. This happened four times over a period of two weeks. When it was time for my menstruation to come, I realised that I had missed my period. That same week, the misunderstanding between the Ϙba and I was finally settled. Who was I to tell him that a drunkard had impregnated me?! So, I decided to keep this secret and take it to my grave. That was how you were born and that is why everyone believes that you are the true son of the Ϙba. “In order to keep my great secret, I ensured that this drunkard was banished from our community. He was sent far away. I later learned that he fell into a ditch four months after. He died even before you were born, when I was still carrying your pregnancy in my womb.” There were mixed feelings among the crowd. Some felt disappointed; some were outraged; some angry; while some could just not be bothered. For the Ϙba, he felt pain and anguish.

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In the case of Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, he felt contentment. Soon after, the crowd went dead silent again. The Ϙba stood up from his stool. He surveyed the whole crowd and saw pity on their faces. He cleared his throat to speak but no words came out of his mouth. Instead of speaking, hot tears were just rolling down off his cheeks. In the end, he said, “Well, I have accepted my fate. Sometimes in our lives, our own mothers are our nemesis. The actions and inactions of our mothers affect our destiny and change the course of our lives. My mother has dug the grave which I have fallen into today. This grave was dug ever before I was born”. He paused. After a while, he continued; “What my mother did before I was born has come to visit me today. I have no regrets. If the truth had been said earlier, I would have had no right to the throne in the first place. I am going to vacate the throne today because it does not belong to me in the first place. Before I leave however, I have three questions to ask Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾. If he answers my questions to my satisfaction, I will go. I do not want to know whether or not you install Asoô¾ro¾ô-sangbe¾se¾ as your next Ϙba. What really concerns me is that I am not entitled to the throne in the first place. One, when we went to OÙ®yo; town, on our way, you said that a horse had earlier passed through the same path and that the horse had only one eye. And it was so. How did you know this? Two, when we crossed the Oo®gu¾n River, you said that a woman had just urinated by the foot of an Iya; tree, that the woman was pregnant, and that she would deliver a male baby. It was found to be so. How did you know this? Three, when we were returning from my farm yesterday, you declared that my actual father was at best a half-insane man. It was so. How did you know this?”

Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ instantly became the focus of all eyes. Everyone was

interested in knowing how he was able to accurately predict all these events. Was he using special means? Curiosity engulfed the whole village square. It was indeed Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾’s day.

He stepped into the middle of the village square. He took his time before he began to speak. “First of all, I have no special means to know anything. The difference between you and I is that while you see things, I go beyond that by observing what others see. It is lack of observation

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that usually prevents people from making accurate deductions from what they have seen. “When we went to OÙ®yo;ô town, on our way, I observed the print of horse hooves on the ground. That made me realise that one horse had earlier passed through that path. I also noticed the biting of the horse’s mouth on the grasses on the right side but there was no such thing on the left. That made me realize that the horse was eating grass that it saw. That gave me the conclusion that the horse could only see the grass on its right and it had no eye to see what was on its left side. That was why I declared that the horse had the right eye and did not have the left eye. It was only through observation that I knew this and nothing more”. He looked round the crowd to see whether they were following his analysis or not. They were. “The second question: it is very simple as well. When a man urinates, the urine will first go forward away from the person urinating and will gradually move towards the person as his bladder is becoming empty. In the case of a woman, the whole bladder is emptied on the same spot. When I moved close to the Iyá tree, I observed that someone had urinated there. The mark of the urine was in the same spot. This made me realise that the person who urinated there was a woman. Also, when a woman is pregnant, the womb will put heavier pressure on her bladder and the force of the urine will be more than that of a woman who is not pregnant, especially if the pregnancy has reached an advanced stage. That was why the hole that the force of the urine will make on the soil will be deeper than that of a woman who is not pregnant. I observed this and I knew that the woman who urinated there was pregnant. Furthermore, there is something called La¾n¾ko¾ri¾ which our elders usually observe in the urine mark of a pregnant woman in order to determine the sex of the foetus. If it was a female foetus the La¾n¾ko¾ri¾ would make a deep round hole in middle of the soil where the woman had just urinated. If it was a male foetus, the mark would make a linear hole. I observed that it was a linear hole that the urine of the woman made in the middle of the soil where she urinated. That was how I knew that the woman would give birth to a male baby.”

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At this point, the crowd became flabbergasted at such an informative utterance coming out of Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾’s mouth. They exchanged glances and could not believe this man to be so knowledgeable and observant to that level. The crowd then started moving even closer to him. As a result, it was so difficult to control the excitement of the crowd. “Now back to the third question,” continued Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾. “Royalty is synonymous with decorum, maturity, understanding, protocol and orderliness. That is the blood that runs through the veins of those with royal birth. When I came into the palace to see the Ϙba, I saw him engaging in physical combat with his wife. Those who were there begged him to stop but he refused to listen. This shows lack of any form of maturity, decorum or orderliness. Yesterday when we went to his farm, he jumped down from his horse and began to beat up his slaves and servants. These were the same set of people who had done the work to the stage that he found it. They begged him and he refused to listen. He did not show any understanding, protocol, maturity or orderliness. If it is true that these are characteristics of royalty, then he has no such blood in his veins. It is only a bastard who will see something that’s annoying and not be annoyed by it; in the same vein, only a bastard is he who will be begged and will not listen to appeals. There are more mature ways that those who have royal blood in their veins handle anger and dissatisfaction. His own father, the former Ϙba handled issues with maturity and understanding. That was how I concluded that the person he claimed to be his father was not his real father. His erratic behaviour made me assert that his real father was, at best, a half-insane person. I rest my submission.” For what looked like an eternity, nobody spoke or moved. They all stood rigid in one spot. Suddenly, they rushed toward Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾. They carried him shoulder-high and began to sing, thus: Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re o o¾ Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re OÙba na;a¾ i¾ ba; ru; o A: pe;ô l’o;ye¾ e re¾ô o Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re

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Translation: Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you have been vindicated Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you are really correct Had the Ϙba heeded the warnings He would have stayed longer on the throne Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you have been vindicated They all danced round and round the village square until evening time when everyone finally returned home. OÙgbo;ôn inu; u woôn ni;i; ra;n woôn l’o;gun OÙ®fun i¾mo¾ôra¾n ni;i; ro i¾moô¾ra¾n l’e;ro¾ Bi; wo;ôn ba; gbo;n ô la;gbo¾ôn-oô¾nju¾ Oko aje ni;i; mu; woôn-oô;n loô Di;a; fu;n Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ Ti; n;ba; Olo;wo; o re¾ô loô sa;la¾de OÙ®yo;ô EÙboô ni woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re o o¾ Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re OÙba na;a¾ i¾ ba; ru; o A pe;ô l’o;ye¾ e re¾ô Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re Translation: Their wisdom is it that sends them to the war front And their voice is it that haunts them If they claim to be too intelligent They will be forced to face trial by ordeal These were Ifá’s declarations to Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ When following his lord to O®Ùyo;ô land He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Now, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you have been vindicated Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you are really correct Had the Ϙba heeded the warnings

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He would have stayed longer on the throne Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you have been vindicated Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be elevated from grass to grace. He/she shall move from disgrace to respect and honour. That is the message of Ifá for this person. 7. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed has the full backing of the Divinities. Ifá says that he/she shall also be protected against problems and untimely death. This person shall not be rejected by Ifá. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature ram and 20 blades. He/she also needs to feed Ifá. There is the need to find out from Ifá the exact materials needed to feed Ifá. When the ẹbọ is to be offered, this person needs to shave all the hair on his/her body and use it as part of the ẹbọ. A stanza in Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n on this aspect says: OÙ®pe¾ i¾ha;ha;, abi¾jin re¾ôreô¾e¾rô eô¾ Di;a; fu;n A®ja¾sa; Ti;i; sô’oômoô Odu¾duwa¾ Woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôeôboô si; la;i¾ku; ara reô Translation: The forest palm tree with its broad shade This was the Awo who cast Ifá for A®ja¾sa The child of Odu¾duwa¾ He was advised to offer ẹbọ against untimely death A®ja¾sa was one of the children of Odu¾duwa¾. He was also a favourite of the Divinities. He was well-behaved, level-headed and truthful. He was always found in projects that would bring development to the community. He assisted many people without expecting any reward from them.

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One day, A®ja¾sa fell ill. The illness became serious. He was doubtful of whether he would survive or not. He began to wonder whether Ifá had rejected him. After all, he reasoned, a true child of Ifá is not expected to die in his/her prime. What then has gone wrong in my own case? These were the questions at the back of his mind when he approached O®Ùpe¾ô i¾ha;ha; abi¾jin reô¾re¾ôeôr¾ e¾, a veteran Babaláwo of that time for Ifá consultation: Will I survive? If yes, what do I need to do to survive? If not, what have I done wrong? The Awo assured A®ja¾sa that he would not only survive, he would also live to his old age. He was assured that Ifá was solidly behind him. He was counselled that a child of the Divinities might face problems, but he/she surely will overcome them. "There is nowhere that Ifá says that you will not have problems; what is sure however is that you will overcome your problems." This is what the Awo told him. He was then told that he still had a lot of good work to do for the Divinities. He was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. One of the blades was used to shave all the hair on his body. After the ẹbọ, Ifá was fed with a mature ram as advised. When he returned home, he began to notice an improvement in his health, life and family. He regained his strength and his family became stronger than ever before. He was able to help more people than he had done before. He gained self-fulfilment more than ever before. He then realised that Ifá had never at any time, abandoned or rejected him. OÙ®pe¾ i¾ha;ha;, abi¾jin re¾ôreô¾e¾rô eô¾ Di;a; fu;n A®ja¾sa; Ti;i; sô’oômoô Odu¾duwa¾ Woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôeôboô si; la;i¾ku; ara reô O: gb’eô;boô, O: ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, Ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri N®je;ô abeô o¾ koô’ri;; o A®gbo¾ o¾ koô¾’ja¾ Ifa; o¾ koô¾ mi; ‘Moôdeô I®reôsa¾

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Translation: The forest palm tree with its broad shade This was the Awo who cast Ifá for A®ja¾sa; The child of Odu¾duwa¾ He was advised to offer ẹbọ against untimely death He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy longevity Behold, the blade cannot reject shaving hair And the ram cannot reject a fight Ifá does not reject me, M’oôdeô I®reôsa¾ offspring of the hunter of I®reôsa¾ land Ifá says that this person will never be rejected by Ifá for any reason. He/she has done well; therefore, he/she has the backing of Ifá at all times. 8. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is suffering from back problems. Ifá says that these problems will soon disappear. With appropriate ẹbọ, they shall soon become things of the past. On the other hand, Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be the instrument to the finding of solutions to the ailments of the back being suffered by an important person. Ifá says that with the solution, this person shall be handsomely rewarded for a job well done. If the person for whom this Odù is revealed is the victim of back ailments, there is the need for him/her to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat. If on the other hand, the person for whom this Odù is revealed is the one trying to proffer a solution to the back ailments of another person, then he/she needs to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea fowls and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with one hen and plenty of palm-oil. On these, Ogbe¾-We¾ôyi¾n says: A n; ki; oômoô eku OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju; Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;nlo; de;

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Ti; o fi n; wo iwa;ju; O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju; Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-Ideô A n; ki; oômoô eôja OÙmoôô eôja n; weôy ¾ i¾n Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja Ki;nlo; de; Ti; o fi n; weô¾yi¾n O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾ weôy ¾ i¾n Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-Ideô Mo wa; wo iwa;ju; E®mi wo eô¾yi¾n E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifa; Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;loô re¾e; wo a¾ru¾n e¾ôyi¾n sa¾n Ni;le; Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; EÙboô ni woôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: While greeting Eku (the Rat) The rat continued to look forward They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred that you are continuously looking forward?” The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was what led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ” While greeting EÙja (the Fish) The fish continued to look backward They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that you are continuously glancing backward?” The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô” I looked forward And I even glanced backward I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá These were Ifá’s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la When going to solve the problem of the back ache In the home of Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; He was advised to offer eôboô

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Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; was the wealthiest person Olo;du¾mare¾ had ever created. She had influence, command and respect all over the world. She was also known everywhere. Whatever she said was law for both men and women. She also controlled more than three-quarters of all the world’s resources. In spite of her enormous wealth and power, she was humble, graceful and respectful. These qualities made her to be loved by all. Anytime she showed anger, it was believed that she had been greatly provoked. However, she was known to be ever-returning to mercy. One day, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; woke up with a slight leg pain. She thought nothing of it. A few days later, the pain moved to her lower back. Yet, she considered it a minor inconvenience. The pain persisted. It however reached a stage where it became unbearable. She could neither stand nor sit. She was forced to support her back with many pillows, yet the pain refused to subside. Several herbs and roots were recommended, all to no avail. When the pain became unbearable, she asked her domestic staff to look for a competent Ifá priests who would help solve her problems. They invited Kogu;n-Kogu;n, Awo ile; Ala;ra;,, He-who-recites-20-stanzas-in-eachOdù, the resident Awo of Alárá’s palace. He tried all he knew but the backache persisted. Next they invited Koôgboô¾n-koôgboô¾n, Awo O®ke¾ I®reôji¾, He-who-recites-30-stanzas-in-each-Odù, the Awo of O®ke¾-I®reôji. He tried all he knew and failed. The back-ache even became worse. Next, they invited Ka¾a;doô;ta-ka¾a;doôô;ta, Awo Epa To¾o;¾ro¾mo¾fe;, He-who-recites-50stanzas-in-each-Odù, the Awo of E®pa-To¾o¾ro¾mo¾fe; land, He was full of promises and assurances but tried and failed. They went to invite many more prominent Awo and these Awo also tried all they could but they all failed. That was when they decided to invite OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ himself to come and solve the problem of Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;. As soon as OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;’s message, he approached the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed on this mission? If yes, what do I need to do to ensure success? On the other hand, if the chance of success is slim, what do I need to do to turn the impediments in the way of success to opportunity?

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The group of Awo, who were his former students, assured him that he would surely succeed. He was told that he would not only succeed in finding a solution to the problem of Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;, he would equally be handsomely rewarded for doing so. He was advised to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea fowls and money. He was also advised to feed Ifá with plenty of palm oil. He complied. Soon after this, he set out on his journey to Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;’s home. When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ got to Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;;s palace, she summoned him to come straight into her innermost room where she laid down, resting her back on some soft pillows. She asked OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to consult Ifá for her. He did. During Ifá; consultation, Ogbe¾-We¾ôyi¾n was revealed. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ assured Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;, that her back ailment would soon be a thing of the past. He told her that all the other Awo who had visited Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; before him had prescribed the right herbal remedies for her, but they were not enough. They should have offered appropriate ẹbọ first before administering those remedies. The ẹbọ would have assisted to attack the ailment spiritually so as to accelerate the process of healing. He therefore advised Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; to offer ẹbọ with a mature he-goat and money. She was also advised to feed Ifá with a big she-goat. She complied. After these processes had been completed, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ began to apply herbal medications on her. Within three days, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; could sit un-aided. In a week, she could stand up on her own. Soon after this, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; could move about in her palace. Three weeks after the medication began she had all but forgotten about the backache. Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; could not believe the rate of recovery. She pleaded with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to stay two weeks extra with her. He did. By the time OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was to leave, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; had recovered her health completely. As a token of her appreciation, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; gave OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ several coral beads, plenty of money, different types of clothing material, and several able-bodied servants to help him carry all the goods back home. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ became fabulously rich. Anyone who asked him how he came about his wealth, he would inform them that his success came from his ability to find a solution to backache problems.

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A n; ki; oômoô eku OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju; Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;nlo; de; Ti; o fi n; wo iwa;ju; O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju; Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-Ideô A n; ki; oômoô eôja OÙmoôô eôja n; weôy ¾ i¾n Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja Ki;nlo; de; Ti; o fi n; weô¾yi¾n O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾ weôy ¾ i¾n Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere ideô Mo wa; wo iwa;ju; E®mi wo eô¾yi¾n E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifa; Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;loô re¾e; wo a¾ru¾n eô¾yi¾n Seô¾ni;ade; Ni;le; Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'e;ôboô, O: ru;'boô Ko¾ pe;ô, Ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; jeôb ¾ u;tu; ire gbogbo Jeô¾bu;tu; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni leô;se¾ô oô¾pe¾ô N®je;ô a¾ru¾n eôy ¾ i¾n l’E®Ùdu; wo¾ sa¾n o A®ru¾n eô¾yi¾n l’EÙ®du; wo¾ sa¾n Mo si;n’de¾ s’o;ôwoô; Mo la’de¾ b’oôru¾n A®run e¾ôyi¾n l’EÙ®du; wo¾ sa¾n o Translation: While greeting Eku (the Rat) The rat continued to look forward They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred that you are continuously looking forward?” The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was what led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ” While greeting EÙja (the Fish) The fish continued to look backward They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that

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you are continuously glancing backward?” The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô” I looked forward And I even glanced backward I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá These were Ifá’s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la When going to solve the problem of the back ache In the home of Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and behold all the Ire of life Now, It was the back ache ailment that EÙ®du; had resolved It was the back ache ailment that EÙ®du; had resolved I have adorned my wrist with ide¾, Ifa; beads I have also adorned my neck with ide¾ It was the back ache ailment that EÙ®du; had resolved Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be very happy in life. He/she shall be honoured and respected. On the other hand, the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have course to be grateful. He/she shall have his/her health restored to normal and shall enjoy sound health as soon as the ẹbọ in this stanza is complied with. 9. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá promises that this person shall be very successful in life. Ifá advises him/her to offer ẹbọ with one mature ram and a lot of money. He/she is also advised to feed I®ya;-Aje;, the icon of the Divinity of Wealth with snails, honey and e¾kuru (bean fritters) that are cooked without salt, palm-oil or pepper. He/she is also expected to sprinkle the e¾kuru round his/her compound, house and/or room as the case may be, depending on how spacious his/her apartment, house or compound is.

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Ifá also advises this person to show hospitality to visitors, especially total strangers. His/her success will come from visitors and those who he/she may normally overlook and/or discountenance. To those for whom this Odù is revealed, showing courtesy to visitors and strangers is the most important ẹbọ than all the ẹbọ materials in the world. This is why he/she needs to be very careful when dealing with visitors, strangers and people who look like they belong to the lower socioeconomic ladder. A stanza in Ogbe¾-'Weô¾yi¾n laying emphasis on this aspect says: EÙÙ®eô¾kan e¾ôba; oôn ¾ a¾ ni;i; hu¾ le;ôba¾a; oô¾na¾ Ni;i; sô’eônu ganngan s'i;ta Di;a; fu;n Aje; Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni;’bu¾do; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The blade grass by the roadside is it that grows by the roadside And shoots outside the road This was the Ifá cast for Aje; When weeping in lamentation for her inability to secure a suitable home of her choice She was advised to offer ẹbọ In spite of the enormous wealth controlled by Aje;, she was avoided by all prospective suitors. In fact, as a result of her wealth, many suitors believed that it was not advisable to marry her because they felt that her stupendous wealth had definitely gotten to her head and she was not a woman that could easily be handled. For this reason, no man in his right sense wanted to have anything to do with Aje;. They believed that she would only bring them grief because there was no point in marrying a woman they could not easily handle.

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Aje; was looking for was a man who would respect her, treat her well, and understand her. She vowed that if she could find such a man in her life, she would turn herself into that man’s slave. However, she was not in search of just any man. She had certain qualities she was looking for and she would not settle for less. These qualities were: the man who would win her heart must be kind, honest, considerate, benevolent, accommodating, brilliant and intelligent. She could not find this quality in any man who had approached her thus far. Her inability to find a man who met her standards however was a cause of concern and sadness for her. She would cry almost daily. Tired of this, she approached the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I be able to find the man of my dreams? Will I be loved and will I be able to share my love with someone of my choice? Will I find someone intelligent enough that could help in advising me on how to manage my wealth to the best advantage of the world? Will I be able to have my own kids who will love and respect me and my husband? These and many more were the questions she asked Ifá in the home of the Awo. The group of Awo told Aje; that she was actually looking for a spouse who would be everything to her. They assured her that she would be blessed with such a spouse and the time that she would receive this blessing was very near. She was advised to offer ẹbọ with one big ram and plenty of money. After this, she was advised to feed her O®ke¾ I®po¾ôri; with E®kuru mixed with honey and snail juice. She complied. E®e¾kan e¾ôba; oô¾na¾ ni;i; hu¾ le;ôba¾a; oô¾na¾ Ni;i; sô’eônu ganngan s'i;ta Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ Baba n; sunku;n ala;i¾lo;bi¾nrin EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The blade grass by the roadside is it that grows by the roadside And shoots outside the road

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This was the Ifá cast for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When weeping in lamentation for his inability to secure a compatible wife of his choice He was advised to offer eôboô O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had everything going for him in his work. He had a lot of clients. He had the most impressive record ever. He was able to proffer solutions to the problems of all his clients. His clients trooped into his home morning, afternoon and night. He had no time to rest, he had no time to go to the market to procure the materials needed to do ẹbọ or other rituals for his clients. Two reasons were responsible for this: one, all his students had graduated at that particular point in time; and two, he had no wife in his home that could assist him in any way. He soon realised that his clients began to complain that their work was being delayed. This brought frustration for both O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and his numerous clients. While he was ruminating over this problem, it occurred to him that with his own wife at home a substantial part of the problems would be solved. His wife could help him by going to the market and procuring materials while he was busy attending to clients; his wife could also help him pound, grind and/or mix various remedies for his clients, his wife could prepare meals for him while he was with his clients; and his wife could help him wash his dirty dresses, fetch him water to take his bath and clean up the house and the environment. All these O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had to do by himself when he had nobody with him. That was how he decided that, instead of lamenting over his inability to secure a compatible wife, he needed to take practical steps to get one. For this reason, he approached the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I be able to secure a compatible spouse who will be my wife, helper, supporter, confidant and life partner? Will I be able to find a woman who will understand me enough to work hard hand-inhand with me to solve the problems of the world? Will I be lucky enough to find someone who will have my interest at the back of her mind and assist me in the household chores and other assignments and therefore relieve me of most of my burdens and prevent me from working myself to death? All these and many more were the questions at the back of his mind when he approached the group of Awo for Ifá consultation.

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The Awo made it clear to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that who he needed was not just any woman, but rather, an understanding, passionate, selfless, considerate, loving and supportive woman. The woman he needed must be able to adore and assist him without giving any conditions. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was assured that he would be able to find and marry such a woman. He was told that as he was lamenting his inability to find a compassionate and compatible woman who would support him in every way so also the woman he would marry was lamenting for her inability to meet a man who was intelligent, loving, accommodating, considerate, respectful, and who could complement her own efforts and make her happy and proud in all ways. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to offer ẹbọ with one mature ram and plenty of money. He was also advised to feed his O®ke¾-I®po¾ôri; with one mature she-goat and a lot of palm-oil. He complied. A few days after this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to the market. On the same day, Aje; went to the same market. They met. One thing led to the other. They both developed interest in each other almost immediately. Aje; went back to her Awo to find out if O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was the man that Ifá was referring to. Ifá confirmed that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was the man of her dreams. She returned home a happy woman. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ also went to his Awo to find out if Aje was the compassionate and compatible woman who would support him in life. He was told that she was the woman being referred to by Ifá. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ returned home a happy man. All arrangements were made and the marriage was the talk of the whole community. When they began to live together, Aje; was very happy because O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was able to consult for her and help her plan all her financial endeavours. He stood firmly beside her as her pillar of support not only by guiding her but in every other way as well. She never regretted one day that she got married to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. She was also blessed with many children whose conduct and upbringing made her proud and happy all the time. In the case of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, he realised that his work load suddenly reduced drastically. Many of the regularly used materials were being sold in the house by Ajé so he had no reason to leave his work and go to the

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market to look for such things anymore. If there were items that were not readily available at home, Ajé would volunteer to go and get them for him in the market. When his children grew up, the pounding, grinding, holding of the I®bo¾ determinants, breaking of bitter kola and kola nut were done by them. This made his work-load even lighter. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s family soon became more prosperous, united, happier and better organized than the families of all his neighbours. Anytime O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, passed along the road, other people who recognised him would greet him thus,”O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ peô¾le,;ô oôkoô Aje;-meaning “gently O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, the husband of Aje;, the Divinity of Wealth and Prosperity”. On the other hand, when they would see Aje; they would greet her thus; “Aje; peô¾le;ô, oni;soô¾ ibo¾o¾ji”–Meaning “gently Aje;, the owner of the shaded market stall”. EÙÙ®eô¾kan e¾ôba; oôn ¾ a¾ ni;i; hu¾ l'e;ôba¾a; oô¾na¾ Ni;i; sô’eônu ganngan s'i;ta Di;a; fu;n Aje; Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni;’bu¾do; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô E®®Ùe¾ôkan e¾ôba; oôn ¾ a¾ ni;i; hu¾ l'e;ôba¾a; oô¾na¾ Ni;i; sô’eônu ganngan s'i;ta Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ Baba n; sunku;n ala;i¾lo;bi¾nrin EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®je;ô OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ peô¾le;ô o OÙkoô Aje;; Aje; pe¾ôleô; o Oni;so¾ô ibo¾o¾ji Translation: The blade grass by the roadside is it that grows by the roadside And shoots outside the road

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This was the Ifá cast for Aje; When weeping in lamentation for her inability to secure a suitable home of her choice She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied The blade grass by the roadside is it that grows by the roadside And shoots outside the road This was the Ifá cast for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When weeping in lamentation for his inability to secure a compatible wife of his choice He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire in life Now, gently, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ The husband of Ajé And gently, Ajé The owner of the shaded market Ifá says that prosperity, happiness, elevation and contentment shall be the lot of the person for whom this Odù is revealed. 10. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is about to be robbed. There is the need for him/her to offer ẹbọ urgently for this not to happen. He/she also needs to be extra vigilant. The person planning to steal his/her things is very close to him/her. This is the reason why there is the need for extra vigilance on his/her part. Ifá says also that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is not only well-trained, he/she is also very intelligent. He/she however needs to offer ẹbọ regularly in order for his/her intelligence to shine through at all times. It would not be good for him/her to be made a fool of by those who are not as intelligent as he/she is. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with

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two rats, two fish, one hen and a lot of palm-oil. All of these need to be done as urgently as possible. On all these, Ifá says: Bi; OÙdeô me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn Woôn a jo; Mi¾koro-mi¾koro Bi; a¾gbeô¾ me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn Woôn a si¾ jo; mi¾wo¾ôya¾-mi¾wo¾ôya¾ Bi; Babala;wo me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn Woôn a da¾bi; iye¾kan Woôn a sôe i¾roô;ke;ô gbon¾dori¾gi¾-gbon¾dori¾gi¾ Woôn a sôe i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ tieômi¾-tieômi¾ Di;a; fu;n A®le;n¾gba¾ Ti; yo;o; ma;a ra;n’Fa; koko Ti; yo;o si¾ ra;n o¾o¾gu¾n koko EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: If two hunters meet each other They will dance with their hunting tools in their hands If two farmers meet each other They will hold their hoes while embracing each other If two Babaláwo meet each other They will be like children from the same mother They will waive their I®roô;ke;ô tappers at each other They will also greet each other with their I®ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ in their hands These were Ifá’s messages for A®le;n¾gba¾ Who would study Ifá extensively And study medicine extensively He was advised to offer ẹbọ A®le;n¾gba¾ was a serious-minded person. Right from his youth, he had planned to become the best Babaláwo and herbalist of his time. He had studied extensively and had also travelled wide to fulfil his dream and he was on his way to become the very best. Anyone who was lucky to meet him at home for either Ifá consultation or healing of any kind of ailment would never be disappointed. He was so good that he was in

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high demand. He was sought after by the movers and shakers of different societies. This made him very successful. His success gave him the drive to study more. And he did. All the other Awo and Herbalists of his time knew that he was not in the same league with them. All of them respectfully admitted that he was far ahead of them in terms of wit, knowledge acquisition and success in resolving problems for clients. At a stage, there was a general belief that some extra-terrestrial beings were responsible for A®le;n¾gba¾’s vast knowledge. They also believed that he was being taught Ifá and medicine in his sleep, if not, they reasoned, how could any normal human being be that versatile? The fact of the matter, however, was that A®le;n¾gba¾ was very serious, determined, and he studied hard. In spite of all these achievements however, A®le;n¾gba¾ could not explain how his hard-earned money and materials would disappear in his house. Several Ifá consultations confirmed to him that his things were being stolen by someone very close to him. Who was this person? A®le;n¾gba¾ was advised to offer ẹbọ and be very vigilant. His studies had always precluded him from having the chance to be more vigilant therefore, the stealing continued unabated. One day, A®le;ng ¾ ba¾ summoned up the courage to put his studies aside and deal with this problem decisively. He went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I be able to catch this thief? The Awo assured him that yes, he would catch the person stealing his things. He was advised to offer ẹbọ as prescribed above. He complied. He was also advised to be extra vigilant. He was also determined to do so.When he got back home, he went straight into his room and began to take more interest in his environment. Two days after, what did he see? While he was going outside, he suddenly turned back and behold, he saw I®wo¾ri¾, his own sibling packing his belongings to the backyard through the window! So, it had been I®wo¾ri¾ stealing his things all along! Oh, what a shame. Bi; OÙdeô me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn Woôn a jo; Mi¾koro-mi¾koro Bi; a¾gbeô¾ me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn Woôn a si¾ jo; mi¾wo¾ôya¾-mi¾wo¾ôya¾

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Bi; Babala;wo me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn Woôn a da¾bi; iye¾kan Woôn a sôe i¾roô;ke;ô gbondori¾gi¾-gbondori¾gi¾ Woôn a sôe i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ tieômi¾-tieômi¾ Di;a; fu;n A®le;n¾gba¾ Ti; yo;o; ma;a ra;n’Fa; Koko Ti; yo;o si¾ ra;n oo¾gu¾n koko EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni la;;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba;’ni le;ôseô¾ OÙp ® eô¾ Ogbe¾ o o¾ we¾ôyi¾n I®wo¾ri¾ n; ko; oô le;ôru¾ u; loô o Translation: If two hunters meet each other They will dance with their hunting tools in their hands If two farmers meet each other They will hold their hoes while embracing each other If two Babaláwo meet each other They will be like children from the same mother They will waive their I®roô;ke;ô tappers at each other They will also greet each other with their I®ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ in their hands These were Ifá’s messages for A®le;n¾gba¾ Who would study Ifá extensively And study medicine extensively He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we overcome adversity Victory is what Ifá guarantees for its devotees Ogbe¾ look at your back I®wo¾ri¾ is packing your things away! Ifá says that those who hide in the dark to kill and consume the hens incubating eggs in the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed, shall be exposed and put to shame.

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Conversely, if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is the culprit, he/she must put an end to his/her nefarious activity forthwith, lest he/she is exposed and put to public odium and ridicule. The shame will stay with him/her for the rest of his/her life. 11. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall succeed where others have failed. He/she shall be blessed and accepted where others have been confronted and chased away. If the person for whom this Odù is revealed is a man, he shall be accepted and even assisted by women. They will find him very agreeable and for this reason, they will not confront him for any reason. The man must always be careful not to be in contention or confrontation with women for any reason. He must never dream of taking advantage of any women for any reason because if he does, the women will resist and fight him to the end. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with 30 fowls and 30 bags of cowries. He/she also needs to make himself/herself agreeable with women so as to succeed in his/her endeavours. On these issues, Ogbe¾-Weô¾yi¾n says: E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n Di;a; fu;n woôn ni; I®lu; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n Ni;'jo;ô ogun run akoô ni;nu; woôn bi; isôu Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe Translation: The clustering of ants And the movement of ants That was Ifá’s message for the inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land When war had eliminated all the males They were advised to offer ẹbọ The inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land were very enterprising. They developed their land to the envy of all the neighbouring communities. Their businesses thrived. They made a lot of profit and they would use

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their gains for the progress of their community. Unfortunately they never planned for war so they never had any protection. When war came to them, it had devastating consequences for the inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. All the males in the land were killed. Not only this, all the pregnant women were also slaughtered in case they gave birth to male children. The land was therefore left with only women. In spite of this, life continued. They made the I®ya;lo;de the head of all the women in the land. One day, they went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: What can we do now that we have not a single man in our midst? How will we survive all the vagaries of life without men? The Awo told them that they must always do all their things as a group. They must behave as the ants do in their kingdom. The ants do all their things as a group. That is why it is impossible for anyone to take advantage of ants as small and as seemingly powerless as they appear. The Awo assured them that if they did their things as a group, nobody, man or woman would be able to take them for a ride. They were advised to offer ẹbọ with a mature He-goat. They complied. As soon as they got back home, they called everyone together and had a meeting. In this gathering, everybody pledged to work together and treat any man they saw as a potential enemy. They vowed never to trust any man again, as men were the ones who had reduced their land and had snuffed out the joy from their hearts. They promised each other that they would battle any man who felt that he could take advantage of their vulnerability. They said that such a man would meet with the shock of his life. A few days after this, O®gu;n heard that there were no men in I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. He was told that they had all been killed. O®gu;n and his men planned to go to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land to have a nice time there. What with all the men in the land killed, surely the women would be longing for the company of able-bodied men by now. Those who did not want to cooperate could be roughened up a little and made to cooperate. When O®gu;n and his group arrived in I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n, because of the confidence they had that the women could not put up much resistance and that if they did, before long, they would cave in. What they met

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was far from what they bargained for. The women put up an unbelievable resistance and were very resilient. They simply overwhelmed O®gu;n and his men. They swarmed over them like ants. In the end, O®gu;n and his men were chased out of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land with ignominy. Next came OÙ®sôoô;o¾ôsôi¾ and his men; they were overwhelmed and chased out. I®ja, O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko, SÙa¾ngo;, OÙbalu;waye;, OÙba¾ta;la;, Erinle¾ô, Ko;ri¾, etc came and they were all disgraced and chased out of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. In the end, 399 Iru;nmoôleô¾ had tried to enter I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n but they were all chased away. They simply could not understand how and why these weak women were able to overpower the strong and mighty Iru;nmoôleô¾. Where did they acquire this power to overcome the Iru;nmoôleô¾, they wondered. All the 399 Iru;nmoôleô¾ ended up going home to nurse their disgrace and humiliation. E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;sôawo loô si;lu¾u; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The clustering of ants And the movement of ants That was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going on an Ifá mission to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land He was advised to offer ẹbọ O®Ùru;nmi¾la was the only Iru;nmoôleô¾ who had not gone to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land to force the women into submission. He heard of the attempts made by all the other Iru;nmoôleô¾ and their consequent failures. One day, O®Ùru;nmi¾la made up his mind to go to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. His reason for going there was however different from that of the other Iru;nmoôleô¾ who had been there before. The reason for him going was that even though the women had the full right to protect themselves and uphold their dignity from aggressive men, he felt that they were being too extreme in not allowing any man at all to enter their land. He

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reasoned that the stance taken by the women would not be favourable to them in the long run. If care was not taken, he reasoned, they would all die off without leaving behind anyone to continue their legacies. O®Ùru;nmi¾la resolved that the women needed to understand that they needed men just as much as men needed them, and of course, not as tools to be trampled upon or taken advantage of, but as partners who had specific roles to play that were in accordance to the design of Olo;du¾mare¾. The women must understand this, but how? Because these women had experienced severe pain and trauma by men, they had all taken the extreme stance to suspect, hate, resist, and not have anything to do with any man ever again. To succeed in this mission O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ decided to approach the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed? How should I approach these women? What do I need to do for these women to soften their stance toward men and allow me to speak with them? These were the questions that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ asked Ifá during consultation. The Awo in his response, told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he was about to undertake a very delicate task. He was assured that he would succeed if he approached the issue with wisdom, caution and great understanding. He was also told that he needed to behave like a fool if he was to succeed. The Awo made it clear to him that only a wise person can pretend to be a fool; but a fool had no power or capability to pretend like a wise person. He was told that his assignment was such that any confrontation would never work. If he went there and he began to behave like someone who had come to teach them something or to tell them that they were wrong in how they were behaving, he would definitely fail. What he needed to do was to work himself into their minds. He must convince them that he meant no harm firstly before he could even begin to tell them anything. He also needed to show them evidence that he had no hidden agendas. This was the only thing he could do that would make the women lower their guard so that he could commence to talk to them. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that the women he was going to meet at I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n had experienced intimidation, cheating, bullying, deceit, victimization, abuse of all types, and chauvinism by men, and that none of those things would ever work anymore.

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The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with 30 fowls, two I®ru¾keô¾re¾ô, and 30 bags of cowries. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ did. At the end of the ẹbọexercise, the Awo gave him one I®roô;ke;ô and one I®ru¾keô¾re¾ô. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that instead of bows and arrows, spears, javelins, clubs and blades, he needed to go to the land with an I®roô;ke;ô and one I®ru¾keô¾re¾ô. He was advised to go there alone. He was also told to go with fowls and pretend to be a trader among them. He agreed. The 30 fowls were put in a cage and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ carried the cage and set out on his journey to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. It took him several days to get there. In the end, he got to the land and went straight to the market place. As soon as the women saw him, they put up their guard. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ extended his greetings to them, but none of them answered. They quickly averted to report the presence of a man to the Iyalode and the other chieftains of the land. When they heard that he was alone, they became suspicious. They sent out scouts to comb the whole area in order to ascertain whether or not, he had other people hidden nearby. In the end, they discovered that he was the only one who had entered I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n. Still, they decided to put him at arms length. During the evening time, as O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was hawking his fowls, they all escaped from the cage and ran everywhere. He became confused as to what to do. That was when E®su ô ¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ whispered into his ears that the opportunity he needed to take advantage of had just happened. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ told him to seek the assistance of the women to help him catch his fowls and put them back into the cage; and while doing this, he needed to let them know that he was harmless. Taking the cue from what E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ told him, he cleared his throat and began to sing thus: Ara; ilu I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;;nni mo wa; sôe o O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o¾ I®ya;lo;de i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô mi o O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o¾ EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi I®ro;ôkeô; jagun

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O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ eô¾ tu;’lu¾u; O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o¾ O®Ùtu;n i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o O®si¾ i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o¾ Ki;nni mo wa; sôe o o? O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o¾ Translation: Inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land, what have I come to do? Trading That is what I have come to do Trading I®ya;lo;de, please help me retrieve my fowls Trading That is what I have come to do Trading Nobody uses an I®roô;ke; to wage war Trading That is what I have come to do Trading Nobody uses an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾ to sack a town Trading That is what I have come to do Trading OÙ®tu;n, please help me retrieve my fowls Trading

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That is what I have come here to do Trading O®si¾, please help me retrieve my fowls Trading That is what I have come here to do What have I come to do? Trading That is what I have come here to do Trading Hearing this song, the women became confused as to who was this man? Truly, who could wage war with an I®roô;ke; or an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾ as a weapon? What did this man want? Was it safe to come close to him and allow him to come close to us? Was it advisable to listen to him? Was this mission truly for commerce and trading as he was saying? Looking at OÙ®ru;nmi¾la, the women realized that truly, instead of a bow and arrow, he was holding an I®roô;ke;ô, instead of a javelin or a spear, he was holding an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾. Did this man come for war or peace? Surely, nobody wages war with an I®roô;ke;ô and an I®ru¾keô¾reô. Consequently, this man must have come in peace but what did he stand to gain? The women decided that they would wait to see. They resolved to help him catch his fowls. By the time that they finished catching them up, it was night time. He was then invited to stay in the I®ya;lo;de’s house for the night. While in the I®ya;lo;de’s house he was able to discuss many things with her and converse with her over the virtue of living harmoniously and in complementary relationships with men once again. After much discussion they both agreed that it was the right thing to do provided that both parties would not have the intention of taking the other party for a ride. The next day, the I®ya;lo;de explained her discussion with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la with the other women. After much discussion, they eventually agreed that they needed to reduce their suspicion and hatred toward men and give them another chance. They did and they never had cause to regret this decision ever again.

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E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;sôawo loô si;lu¾u; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô Ko¾ pe;ô, Ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;yo¾ô, eô wa;a wore o N®je;ô ara; i¾lu; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;nni mo wa; sôe Ara; i¾lu; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;nni mo wa; sôe o O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o¾ I®ya;lo;de i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô mi o O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o¾ EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi I®ro;ôkeô; jagun O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o¾¾ EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ eô¾ tu;’lu¾u; O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o¾ O®Ùtu;n i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o O®si¾ i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o¾ Ki;nni mo wa; sôe o o? O®wo¾ o¾ o¾ Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe O®wo¾ o¾

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Translation: The clustering of ants and the movement of ants That was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going on an Ifá mission to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Come and join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Now, Inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land, what have I come to do? Trading That is what I have come to do Trading I®ya;lo;de, please help me retrieve my fowls Trading That is what I have come to do Trading Nobody uses an I®roô;ke; to wage war Trading That is what I have come to do Trading Nobody uses an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾ to sack a town Trading That is what I have come to do Trading OÙ®tu;n, please help me retrieve my fowls Trading That is what I have come here to do Trading O®si¾, please help me retrieve my fowls Trading That is what I have come here to do What have I come to do? Trading That is what I have come here to do Trading

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Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have cause to celebrate in life. He/she shall be happy and contented. On the other hand, the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to be careful never to plan to take anyone for a ride or take undue advantage of anybody. Anyone who plans to do so shall be humiliated. 12. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to under-estimate any child or young one. Ifá says that as elders have their wisdom, young ones also have their own areas where they excel. For this reason, as youths love to learn a lot from elders, so also should elders have some things to learn from youths and young ones. Ifá says that for the person for whom this Odù is revealed, he/she must endeavour to hear all sides of any matter before making any pronouncement or taking any action. This, Ifá says, is the noble course he/she must always take. If this is not done, he/she will end up being blamed for taking action without proper deliberation first. Ifá also says that if there is any form of contention where this Odù is revealed there is the need to resolve these issues as soon as possible. This is because, if left unsolved, the consequences will be grave for all those involved. In order to enjoy peace of mind therefore, all misunderstandings, altercations, contention, suspicions, hostilities and/or brickbats must be amicably resolved urgently and permanently. In this same stanza, Ifá enjoins all elders where this Odù is revealed to ensure that a good and enduring legacy is left behind for future generations. Any action that can lead to controversy or crisis after an elder has joined their ancestors must be resolved amicably before they pass on to the great beyond. Ifá equally says that there is a pregnant woman where this Odù is revealed, that needs to offer ẹbọ so that she will have a safe delivery. Ifá advises the following ẹbọ to be offered: i.

To benefit from the knowledge of youths and other young ones; there is the need to offer ẹbọ with three hens and money. There is also the need to feed Ifá with two kola nuts and liquor.

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ii.

Not to be blamed for acting without seeking and understanding all sides of a story; one mature he-goat and money.

iii.

To be able to resolve all contentious issues before they get out of hand; one mature he-goat and money.

iv.

For elders to leave behind an enduring legacy for future generations; one big she-goat, one he-goat and money.

v.

For a pregnant woman to have a safe delivery; two rats, two fish, one hen and money.

After all these have been done, there is the need to feed OÙba¾ta;la;. The Awo needs to find out what OÙba¾ta;la; will like to take and use it to feed the Deity accordingly. On all these, Ogbe¾-'Weô¾yi¾n says: Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la; When going to learn wisdom from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la every five days He was advised to offer ẹbọ OÙ®ru;nmi¾la and OÙba¾ta;la; were good friends. They had been together for a long time. One day, OÙba¾ta;la; told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la that he wanted to study Ifá philosophy, esoteric language and in-depth understanding of life with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la. After some deliberation, they concluded that OÙba¾ta;la; needed to come to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la’s house every five days to learn new things.

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The first OÙru;n came and OÙba¾ta;la; went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la house. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la was not home. He however met his child, a seven-year old at home. After both of them exchanged greetings, OÙba¾ta;la; asked the boy where exactly OÙ®ru;nmi¾la had gone to. The boy responded thus, “Baba mi¾ ra;n asôoô aweô; kan loô ni” meaning “my father has gone to sew one strand of clothing material and has left behind the other strand un sewn”. OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of what the boy was saying. “What is that supposed to mean child?” The boy said, “Baba, if you want me to tell you the meaning, then you have to pay me two kola nuts with four lobes each and a bottle of liquor”. Out of curiosity, OÙba¾ta;la; paid the boy. The boy then explained thus, “Baba, as you are aware, my father has two wives, OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ and my mother. When my father went out very early this morning there was a little misunderstanding between the two wives. As soon as my father returned, my mother, the younger wife, complained bitterly to my father about what had happened in his absence. She was crying and wailing as she was narrating her story, giving my father the impression that she had been abused and maltreated by Iya OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾, the senior wife. Instead of investigating fully by listening to the other side of the story and if possible interviewing those present when the quarrel had taken place, my father descended on his senior wife. She wanted to explain, but he shouted her down without giving her any chance to speak. If one inquires what has occurred from the first party, is it not wise to ask from the other when two parties are involved in any issue? That was why I told you that my father had sewn one strand of clothing material but had left behind the other strand un-sewn”. When OÙba¾ta;la; heard this, he knew that there was a lot of sense in what the child had just said. He thanked the child and turned back to go home. The boy declared, “Baba, before saying anything or taking any action on any issue always endeavour to hear all sides of a matter. This will make you an impartial and a level-headed judge”. Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

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Translation: Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la; When going to learn wisdom from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la every five days He was advised to offer ẹbọ On the next OÙru;n, OÙba¾ta;la; went again to learn from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la. When he got there, he met his child outside the house. “Good morning son, is your father at home?” he asked. Good morning Baba. My father has gone out”. Where exactly has he gone?” The child responded thus, "Oku¾n aye; feô; ja; o; loô tu;n-un so" meaning, “the rope of the world is about to break. My father has gone to tie it back together.” Again, OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of it. He asked the child to explain. Again, the child asked him to bring two kola nuts and bottle of liquor. OÙba¾ta;la; did. The boy then explained thus, “Baba, there is a serious disagreement between OÙba A®ja¾la;ye; and OÙba A®ja¾loô;run which my father has gone to settle. If this misunderstanding is left unsolved and allowed to degenerate into full-scale war, the very fabric of this world will have its foundation shaken and existence on earth will cease or at the very least be seriously threatened. In order to ensure that the rope which Olo;du¾mare¾ uses to tie the world is not broken, my father has gone to bring peace among these two Divinities. Baba, don’t you know that any fight between OÙba A®ja¾la;ye; and OÙba A®ja¾loô;run will certainly break the rope used to hang this world in balance if things are not mended between them?” OÙba¾ta;la; thought about this statement and concluded that what the child had said made a lot of sense. He told the child to extend his greetings to his father when he returned. “Baba, please remember, the rope of the world must never be allowed to break. Any time you find two very important people engaged in a quarrel, any time you find two or more major groups engaging in a misunderstanding or any time you find two societies, communities, regions or countries engaged in any quarrel, ensure that you bring peace before it leads to a full-scale crisis or war.

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If you fail to do so, then you may end up witnessing the rope of the world being broken.” “Thank you, son. Greet your father for me; I will be back on the next OÙru;n. Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us This was Ifá’s message for O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ When going to learn wisdom from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ every five days He was advised to offer ẹbọ Again on the next OÙru;n, OÙba¾ta;la;; went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house to study. And again OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had gone out of the house. He again met the child at home. He again asked where OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had gone to? The child replied by saying, “Baba mi loô tu;n e¾ôhi¾n aye; sôe ni” meaning “my father has gone to mend the world in preparation for the time he will no longer be around”. What does this mean? The child asked OÙba¾ta;la; to procure the usual two kola nuts and liquor. He did. The child said, “my father has been receiving signals that he is about to be summoned by Olo;du¾mare¾ to return to I®koô¾le; OÙ®run in due course time. He knew that some of the elders in his family were not in good terms. He was convinced that if he should depart the world while this altercation was still going on, these elders would surely tear each other apart when he was no longer around to serve as a control for them. That is why my father has gone to the family compound to settle all the rifts and return life in the family to normalcy. Don’t you know that when there are unresolved rifts in any family, before the head of the family departs, such a family stands the

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chance of disintegrating at the slightest chance? The head of that family will then stand condemned forever and ever”. When OÙba¾ta;la; ruminated over what the child had just said he agreed with him completely. He asked the child to extend his greetings to his father and turned left to go. "Baba, please ensure that all unresolved crises in your household is resolved amicably before you return to the great beyond. You have all worked hard and done well while on earth; do not let that rubbish all your good works. You need to leave a great legacy behind; it is equally important for you to leave behind those who will continue where you have left off. This can be done only when there is love, understanding, and cooperation”. Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us This was Ifá’s message for O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ When going to learn wisdom from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ every five days He was advised to offer ẹbọ On the next OÙru;n day, OÙba¾ta;la; again went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house to learn. He had vowed that he would become one of the most knowledgeable Iru;nmoôle¾ô of all time. When he got there again, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was not at home. “Where has your father gone this time?” OÙba¾ta;la; asked OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s child, who was always at home. In his response the child said “I®ya; mi loô fa oku¾n aye; a¾ti t’oô¾run. Bo;ya; t’aye; lo; ma;a ja; mo;ôoô l'oô;wo;ô ni ta¾bi; t’oô¾run ni eôni¾kan ko¾ mo¾ô. Baba mi¾ loô la;ti m’o;ju; to;o”. Meaning “my mother is pulling the chord of Ayé (earth) and OÙ®run (heaven) with her hands right now. Whether the chord of Ayé is the one that will eventually remain in her hands or that of heaven, nobody can say for certain. My father has gone to take care of this matter“.

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OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of this statement. In order to get the full explanation of what the child had said, OÙba¾ta;la; himself, without any prompting, gave the child two kola nuts and a bottle of liquor. The child said, “My mother, right now, has gone into labour. Nobody can predict the outcome. If she has a safe delivery, then the chord of Ayé is the one that has remained in her hands. On the other hand, if she dies in the process, then the chord of OÙ®run is the one that has remained in her hands. To ensure that it is the chord of Ayé that remains in her hands, my father has gone to where she is to oversee things for himself." When OÙba¾ta;la; heard the explanation of this child, it occurred to him that even if he had met OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ every time he had been coming, he would not have learnt something different. He concluded that as elders have their wisdom, youths are not totally bereft of wisdom and understanding. “Ok child, tell your father that I am no longer coming. You have given me enough wisdom for a lifetime”. As he turned to go back home, the child said; “Baba, any time your wife is pregnant, ensure that you give her all the things that will make the day of delivery relatively easy and convenient for her. Do so for all the wives of your loved ones and clients as well. By so doing, people will have cause to come and thank you for a job well done. This is what my father does all the time”. Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô O: de;'le; O®rÙ u;nmi¾la¾ Baba ko¾ si; ni;le;. Ni;bo ni Baba loô? OÙmoô reô¾ ni; Baba o¾un ra;n asôoô aweô; kan loô ni Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô

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O: de;'le; O®rÙ u;nmi¾la¾ Baba ko¾ si; ni;le;. Ni;bo ni Baba loô? OÙmoô reô¾ ni; oku¾n aye; feô; ja; Baba o¾un lo¾ôoô; tu;n-u;n so Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô O: de;'le; O®rÙ u;nmi¾la¾ Baba ko¾ si; ni;le;. Ni;bo ni Baba loô? OÙmoô reô ni; Baba o¾un loô t'eô;yi¾n aye; sôe ni Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾ Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô O: de;'le; O®rÙ u;nmi¾la¾ Baba ko¾ si; ni;le;. Ni;bo ni Baba loô? OÙmoô reô¾ ni; i¾ya; o¾un loô fa oku¾n aye; A®ti oô¾run Bo;ya; t'aye; lo; ma;a ja; moô;ôoô loôw ; o;ô ni Ta¾bi; t'oô¾run ni EÙni¾kan ko¾ mo¾ô Baba o¾un loô re¾e; m’o;ju; to;o E®ro¾ I®po, E®ro¾ OÙ®fa EÙ®yin o¾ moô¾ wi;pe; oômoôde; gbo;ôn A®gba¾ na;a¾ gboô;n La fi mu;'le; aye; ro; ni ndan? Translation: Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from

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those behind us This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la; When going to learn wisdom from Oru¾nmi¾la¾ every five days He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied When he got to Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s home Oru¾nmi¾la¾ was not at home Where has he gone to? Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s child responded that his father went to sew one strand of clothing material but left behind the other strand un-sewn Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la; When going to learn wisdom from Oru¾nmi¾la¾ every five days He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied When he got to Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s home Oru¾nmi¾la¾ was not at home Where has he gone to? Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s child responded that the rope of the world was about to break And his father had gone to tie it back together Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la; When going to learn wisdom from Oru¾nmi¾la¾ every five days He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied When he got to Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s home Oru¾nmi¾la¾ was not at home Where has he gone to? Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s child responded that his father had

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gone to mend the world In preparation for the time that he would no longer be around Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la; When going to learn wisdom from Oru¾nmi¾la¾ every five days He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied When he got to Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s home Oru¾nmi¾la¾ was not at home Where has he gone to? Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s son responded that his mother was pulling the chord of Ayé (earth) and OÙ®run (heaven) with her hands right now If the chord of Ayé is the one that will eventually remain in her hands or that of heaven Nobody can say for certain My father has gone to take care of this matter Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾ Don’t you know that the wisdom of both youths and elders is what Olo;du¾mare¾ has combined to establish governance in this world? Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed need not overrely on the fact that only elders will or can share their knowledge with him/her. He/she needs to make use of wisdom, wise counselling, advice or guidance from anyone who can share it with him/her - whether that person is an elder or a youth does not really matter. What is important is for him/her to use the idea shared with him/her in a very positive way. 13. Ifá says that it foresees victory over an untimely death for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. He/she will be spared where people will be dying in multitude. He/she will not be at home if the building where he/she stays is going to collapse. He/she will not be

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involved in any boat, ship or motor mishap that will snuff out his/her life. He/she will not be allowed to fall off a tall tree or building which may result in his/her death. He/she will not be mistakenly poisoned. No stray bullet will hit and kill him/her. Assassins will fail if they intend to eliminate him/her. He/she will not slip on a wet floor and break his/her skull. Fire will not burn him/her to death. He/she will not lose his/her life during times of war and uprising. When there is pestilence in the community, he/she shall be spared. Ifá says that with the exception of suicide, either intentional or inadvertent, the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be spared from any violent death. He/she shall live long. He/she shall not experience any group death. He/she shall witness his/her old age, the birth and growth of his/her children, grand children and even great grand children. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with three mature he-goats and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with a mature she-goat and plenty of palm-oil. After these have been done, he/she needs to handle life with care and caution. That he/she has offered ẹbọ is not enough reason to be reckless in life. On these, Ifá says: A®da¾ba¾ ga;n ba;yi¾i; A®da¾ba¾ fo¾ ba;yi¾i; Di;a; fu;n Ori;sôa;nku; Ti;i; sô'eô¾gbo;ôn Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n Iku; o¾ lee¾ pa o¾un lo; n;da;'fa; si; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The dove landed here The dove took off from here This was Ifá’s message to Ori;sôa;nku; The elder brother of Ogbe¾-I®wo¾ri¾ He had consulted Ifá to escape untimely death He was advised to offer ẹbọ

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Ori;sôa;nku; was Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n’s elder brother. He had witnessed many people dying in their prime. Many people had died violent deaths. Many more were living in fear of dying through violence. He was one of the people nursing this fear. As a result of this, Ori;sôa;nku; went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. Will I live long? If so, what do I need to do to ensure that nothing cuts short my life as I have witnessed many youths whose lives have been cut short while in their prime. He had witnessed the inexplicable deaths of people who had everything going for them. Surely, he did not want to be one of these people. What then could he do to make him live to his old age? Will I be able to escape all these problems and grow old? The Awo assured Ori;sôa;nku; that he would live long. He was told that outside outright suicide, he would surely grow old. This was because Ifá would protect him and ensure that he would be spared the agony of experiencing untimely or violent death. He was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. The Awo however warned him that he needed to do all things with care and caution. That, according to the Awo, this advice was a more important ẹbọ than all the materials he had procured. As long as he followed the advice and he refused to dare death when it threatened, then long life was guaranteed for him. When Ori;sôa;nku; got home, he began to do everything with care and caution. He was in turn protected by Ifá. If there was any mishap, it would happen immediately before or after Ori;sôa;nku; had left the scene, when people asked him why he was always lucky to escape death, he simply responded that he did not follow anyone into the world, he therefore would not follow anyone to heaven. He came into the world at the very end when all those who would be unlucky to meet with violent deaths had already departed. A®da¾ba¾ ga;n ba;yi¾i; A®da¾ba¾ fo¾ ba;yi¾i; Di;a; fu;n Ori;sôa;nku; Ti;i; sô'eô¾gbo;ôn Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n Iku; o¾ lee¾ pa o¾un lo; n;da;'fa; si;

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EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô Ko¾ pe;ô, Ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri A®i¾ku;; Ifa; du¾n o; j’oyin loô N®je;ô n o¾ ba; woôn wa; Ti; n o; ba; woôn loô o Ni;tori; ni; 'keôyi¾n-keôyi¾n ni mo to;o; de; o Translation: The dove landed here The dove took off from here This was Ifá’s message to Ori;sôa;nku; The elder brother of Ogbe¾-I®wo¾ri¾ He had consulted Ifá to escape untimely death He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy long life The longevity guaranteed by Ifá is sweeter than honey I did not follow them into this world Therefore, I will not follow them to heaven This is because I came into this world very, very late Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be given long life. He/she shall be spared the agony of dying violently. He/she shall not die together with others during mishaps, crises, uprising, or even disasters. 14. Ifá says that for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to live long and die peacefully, meekness and I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô are the watchwords. Without these, it will be very difficult, if not totally impossible for him/her to live long and attain his/her old age. Ifá says that longevity has no special panacea; I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô is the only known medicine for long life. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed must never be in the forefront of any uprising. He/she

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must never organize, coordinate, or direct mass unrest; he/she must also not try to be a hero; he/she must not try to show that he/she is bolder than others. If there is the need to retreat when death threatens, especially when it is possible to do so, he/she must do just that immediately. Apart from these, the person for whom this Odù is revealed must have deep respect for elders and those in authority over him/her. He/she must avoid being cursed by elders or incur their wrath. Curses from elders or their wrath do not allow one to live long. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with three items, I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô, I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô and more I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô. Ifá says that this person can never have too much I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô . There is no such thing as excessive I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô but there can be I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô in short supply. A stanza in Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n on this aspect says: A n; ki; oômoô eku OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju; Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;nlo; de; Ti; o fi n; wo iwa;ju; O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju; Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-Ideô A n; ki; oômoô eôja OÙmoôô eôja n; weôy ¾ i¾n Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja Ki;nlo; de; Ti; o fi n; weô¾yi¾n O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾ weôy ¾ i¾n Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere ideô Mo wa; wo iwa;ju; E®mi wo eô¾yi¾n E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifa; Di;a; fu;n Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; Ti; n; raye; e re¾ô la;i¾ ni;i; ku EÙboô ni woôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe

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Translation: While greeting Eku (the Rat) The rat continued to look forward They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred that you are continuously looking forward?” The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was what led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ” While greeting EÙja (the Fish) The fish continued to look backward They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that you are continuously glancing backward?” The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô” I looked forward And I even glanced backward I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá That was the message of Ifá for Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; (Meekness brings longevity) When coming to enjoy long-lasting life on earth He was advised to offer ẹbọ Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; had witnessed several people dying, especially youths who had died violent deaths. He had seen the remains of those who died when their boats capsized in the middle of the sea; he had witnessed the burial of those who were burnt beyond recognition when they were asleep and the lamp which they lighted overturned and the ensuing fire burnt down the whole building, including those who were occupants of the house. There were no survivors. He had seen people who had gone to rescue a child who had fallen into a well and in the process they drowned along with the child because they did not understand how to get out of a deep well. He had been called upon when members of his family got killed when their mud house suddenly collapsed, killing all occupants; he had heard the story of those who died when they went to rescue those whose boats capsized and they were not good swimmers. The instances of sudden, violent and multiple deaths were simply endless. These incidents made Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; and all those around him live in constant fear of death. This was why one day, Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo;

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decided to approach the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: What do I need to do in order to live long, avoid a violent death, and also avoid being part of those who die in groups or in multitude? The group of Awo told Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; that he had justifiable reason to fear for his life, nonetheless, he had been destined to live long and die in peace. They however cautioned him that because he had been destined to live long did not give him the license to live a rough life or take unreasonable risks. They made it clear to him that if he did not handle life with caution and I®wa¾ Pe¾ôleô;, he would just rubbish the promises of his destiny. What must I do and what must I avoid? Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; asked the group of Awo. i.

If a stream is full and too swift, especially when rain has just fallen, do not attempt to cross it.

ii.

If you do not know how to swim, do not jump into a river.

iii.

When fire is raging on the farm or inside a house, do not enter the fire to salvage any goods. Your life is more precious than material wealth.

iv.

Do not use banana leaves to climb a palm-tree.

v.

Do not prove any point by eating or drinking contaminated or poisoned food or drink.

vi.

Do not develop the habit of moving about in the dead of the night.

vii.

Do not challenge a multitude of people to a fight.

viii.

Do not under-estimate the capability of anyone especially women and youths.

ix.

Do not fail to save your life when death threatens, especially when it is possible to do so.

x.

Do not be disrespectful or rude to elders.

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xi.

Do not defecate in public utilities.

xii.

Do not conspire against anyone or plan evil against innocent ones.

xiii. Do not set traps against innocent people. xiv. Do not steal or take what belongs to other people. xv. Do not reap where you have not sown. xvi. Do not harbour evil thoughts in your mind against yourself or other people. xvii. Whatever people do to you that causes you pain, do not do unto others. Do not dash the hopes of others. xviii. Do not be prideful and/or arrogant in all the things you do. Humility is your watchword. xix. Do not use or do anything that can affect or alter the normal functioning of your brain. That is the seat of your destiny. xx. Do not ignore the advice of Ifá; on any issue. Do not delay the offering of ẹbọ unduly. xxi. Do not attempt to be what you are not. Be yourself. Be true and honest to yourself. Don’t love others more than yourself. All these, Je;ôeô;je;ô-Logbo memorized and determined to comply with. He actually complied with all of them. It soon dawned on him that longevity had a special panacea, meekness and I®wa¾ Pe¾ôleô;, were the only known panacea for long life. A n; ki; oômoô eku OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju; Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;nlo; de; Ti; o fi n; wo iwa;ju; O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju;

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Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-Ideô A n; ki; oômoô eôja OÙmoôô eôja n; weôy ¾ i¾n Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja Ki;nlo; de; Ti; o fi n; w'eô¾yi¾n O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾ weôy ¾ i¾n Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere ideô Mo wa; wo iwa;ju; E®mi wo eô¾yi¾n E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifa; Di;a; fu;n Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; Ti; n; raye; e re¾ô la;i¾ ni;i; ku; EÙboô ni woôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;'boô N®je;ô jeô;e;ôjeô; logbo; o Ogbo; o¾ lo;o¾gu¾n kankan I®wa¾ pe¾ôle;ô logbo; o Ogbo; o¾ lo;o¾gu¾n kankan Translation: While greeting Eku (the Rat) The rat continued to look forward They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred that you are continuously looking forward?” The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was what led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ” While greeting EÙja (the Fish) The fish continued to look backward They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that you are continuously glancing backward?” The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô” I looked forward And I even glanced backward I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá That was the message of Ifá for Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; (Meekness brings longevity) When coming to enjoy long-lasting life on earth He was advised to offer ẹbọ

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He complied Behold, meekness enhances longevity I®wa¾-pe¾ôle;ô ensures longevity Longevity has no other panacea Ifá says that with meekness and I®wa¾-pe¾ôle;ô, longevity for the person for whom this Odù is revealed is guaranteed. Jeô;e;ôjeô; and I®wa¾-peô¾le;ô work together and together they ensure and enhance longevity. That is the message of Ifá for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Even if he/she is destined to live long in heaven, if he/she has Jeô;e;ôjeô; and I®wa¾peô¾le;ô in short supply, he/she will surely die young in a sorry way and manner. 15. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed to take care of himself/herself first before thinking of helping others. Ifá says that there is the need for this person to ensure that he/she pulls himself out of the waters before attempting to pull other people out. If this is not done, Ifá says that he/she will not have the capacity to help him/herself and others when the time comes. Ifá also advises this person to take care of his/her health before ever contemplating any form of help for other people. If this is not done, the ailment will incapacitate him/her and he/she will no longer be in the position to help him/herself and those he intends to assist. Ifá recommends for this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and 30 bags of cowries. After this, he/she needs to take care of himself/herself first before rendering any help to other people. On these aspects, Ogbe¾-W'e¾ôyi¾n says: A ri; t'eôni moô¾oô; wi; A f’a¾pa;a¾di¾ ba¾ra¾mu¾ bo tire¾ô mo;ôleô¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;sô'awo re’le; oni;hann¾han EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

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Translation: He who is preoccupied with analyzing other people’s problems But uses a big potsherd to cover his own inadequacies This was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going on an Ifá mission to the home of Oni;hann¾han He was advised to offer ẹbọ Oni;hann¾han was a very generous and benevolent man. He loved to help other people. In fact, he enjoyed rendering help to people. Several people, men and women, had been elevated financially through the help of Oni;hann¾han. Not only that, he usually made it a point of duty to find an amicable solution to any rift. There was no way one could count the number of domestic problems he had resolved. People had lost count of the number of intra and inter communal clashes he had found lasting solutions to. He had footed the bills for many ill people and they had regained their health. Several people in the community and even outside the community had complementary comments on Oni;hann¾han . One day, Oni;hann¾han woke up with a slight head-ache. He thought nothing of it. He believed that the head-ache would go away on its own. Why should he bother about a slight head-ache when he had people who were on the verge of death who needed his urgent assistance? He simply ignored the head-ache. Three days after, the head-ache had become more severe and persistent. Yet, he could not be bothered because many people needed his help. By the time he felt that something must be done, he could no longer sleep. He could not eat, drink, sit upright or do anything again. He could not help anyone again. In fact, he did not have the strength to help himself. He relied on his children to do everything for him. He could not wash his mouth, take his bath, or empty his bowels without assistance. What gave him the greatest worry of his life was that he was no longer in a position to help those who needed his assistance. His worry added to his problems. He became weaker and sadder. That was when the family of Oni;hann¾han invited O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to their home to come and consult Ifá for Oni;hann¾han. Before going, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to

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the Awo mentioned above to determine Oni;hann¾han’s home would be: Will I succeed?

how

his journey to

The Awo assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would surely succeed. His degree of success however depended entirely on whether or not the person on behalf of whom he was invited was ready to heed the advice. How? O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was told that this person loved other people more than himself. He had been working hard to help others and put smiles on their faces at the expense of his own health and well-being. It had then reached a stage that he was no longer in a position to help himself, not to talk of others. O®Ùru;nmi¾la was asked to advise him to offer ẹbọ as stated above. If he agrees to offer the ẹbọ, he will also need to take care of his health first before he can think of rendering any form of assistance to other people. It was only when this advice was complied with, that he could ever succeed. If the person on behalf of whom O®Ùru;nmi¾la was invited is not ready to heed this advice, then O®Ùru;nmi¾la’s journey to his home would amount to a sheer waste of effort. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la got to Oni;hann¾han’s house, the man was in a sorry state. O®Ùru;nmi¾la explained to him that he would get well and regain his strength in no time at all if only he could concentrate all his effort now on how to take care of his health and regain his strength and health first before thinking about how to assist others. O®Ùru;nmi¾la told him that he had been loving other people more than himself and that this attitude was what brought him into the sorry state he had found himself. He was also advised to offer ẹbọ with one bearded he-goat and 30 bags of cowries. He complied. After this, he was advised to purge his mind of any worry, use his medication which O®Ùru;nmi¾la had prepared for him and allow the healing process to take place. He agreed and complied with the advice. In no time, he began to regain his health and strength. That was when he realized that there was nothing wrong with caring for other people; but when this was carried to the extreme when he/she cared for others more than himself/herself, then the result would be disastrous for him/her because he/she would drive himself/herself to a stage where it would be impossible to help himself/herself and others he/she intended to assist. This realization made him to rearrange his priorities accordingly.

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A ri; t'eôni moô¾oô; wi; A f’a¾pa;a¾di¾ ba¾ra¾mu¾ bo tire¾ô mo;ôleô¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;sô'awo re’le; oni;hann¾han EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;'boô Ko¾ pe;ô, oô¾na¾ o¾ ji¾n EÙ wa; ba; ni la;to¾le; ire gbogbo A®to¾le; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'e;s ô eô¾ O®Ùpe¾ô Translation: He who is preoccupied with analyzing other people’s problems But uses a big potsherd to cover his own inadequacies This was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going on an Ifá mission to the home of Oni;hann¾han He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all Ire This is what Ifá guarantees for all its followers Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall surely be blessed with all the Ire in life. His/her heart is pure, he/she is benevolent but he/she cannot do everything at his/her own expense. There is nothing wrong with caring for others but it must not be carried to the stage where he/she will be caring for other people more than himself/herself. 16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to engage in any fruitless exercises. Not only this, Ifá says that this person must never seek glory for their own vanity, must not exercise in vanity or even perdition. However, if he/she has already engaged in such a venture, then there is the need for him/her to stop forthwith. Ifá says that this person needs to not stress himself/herself too much to talk to anyone who has made up his/her mind not to listen or see reason with him/her. Such an exercise will not yield any fruitful results.

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Ifá says also that people hear what they want to hear; they see what they want to see. Trying to convince those who have intentionally closed their eyes and ears to see or hear the other side of an issue is an exercise in vanity. Ifá also warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to have extra-marital relationships of any kind; be it casual or serious, especially if this illicit partner is also married to someone else. If this has already been going on, he/she needs to put an end to such a relationship forthwith. This is because the result will be very disastrous. Ifá equally advises this person never to close his/her ears, eyes and brain to reason and logic. If anyone or any situation presents another side of an already held opinion, such an alternative view must be carefully considered before any decision can be taken to reject or accept it. In other words, all what the person for whom this Odù is revealed thinks, says or does must be based on rationale thinking and logic. Ifá says that if this person has been guilty of holding any rigid view on anything before or he/she has been involved in an extra-marital affair of any kind then he/she needs to offer ẹbọ with three mature he-goats, 30 bags of cowries and then stop such an attitude immediately. On all these, an aspect of Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n says: OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; orin ti; a koô lo;ju; aditi; n;ko;ô? Ki;n lo; ti ri;? Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;poô ju¾ Translation: OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “a song sung in the presence of a deaf person, How will it be received?” They said that it would be a fantastic song

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OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ summoned all his Aka;po¾ who were living close to him in order to teach them some life lessons. He asked them that if a melodious song were to be rendered in the presence of a deaf person, how do you all think the song will be received by the person? All those present concluded that the fact that the person was deaf would not stop the song from being melodious. They told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the song would remain melodious. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told them that to the deaf person, any singing in his/her presence amounted to an exercise in futility. This is because be it melodious or otherwise, this person will not hear it and it will be of no effect to him/her. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ warned all his Aka;po¾ never to bother singing for any deaf person because he/she would not hear it or make any good use of the song. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ijo; ti; a jo; l'oôd ; o¾ô afoô;ju; n;ko;ô? Ki;n lo; ti ri;? Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;poô¾ ju¾ Translation: OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “the dance steps taken in the presence of a blind person, How will they be received ?” They said that they would be fantastic dance steps Again, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked his Aka;po¾, if we were to dance in the presence of a blind person would he/she love it or not? Again after much deliberation all the Aka;po¾ present agreed that the blind person would love it because dancing would be an expression of joy. Again OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made it clear to them that dancing in the presence of a blind person would be an exercise in futility. This was because good or not, he/she would have no way of knowing if they were good or not. He therefore warned all his Aka;po¾ never to bother dancing for any blind person because it would amount to a sheer waste of time and effort.

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OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ere; ti; a ba; aya ala;ya sôe n;ko;ô? Ki;n lo; ti ri;? Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;po¾ô ju¾ Translation: OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “what if we were to makelove to another person’s spouse, How would that be?” They responded that it would be very enjoyable OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ then asked his Aka;po¾, what can be gained by making-love to another man’s wife? All of them answered that it would at least be enjoyable while it lasted. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made it clear to his Aka;po¾ that making love to another man’s wife was an exercise in perdition. He said that before love-making could be said to be a completely enjoyable exercise, three conditions must be fulfilled: One, it must have legitimacy. This can only come after all marriage rites have been performed. Love-making when rites are not yet performed cannot be said to be legitimate. Also pre-marital sex in itself can cause many problems that otherwise could have been avoided. Two, love-making must be done with a clear conscience. Any man making love to another man’s wife, or a married woman making love to another woman’s husband cannot be said to be an exercise done with a clear conscience. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ stated further that anything we do under cover is wrong and unacceptable to Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾. Three, if pregnancy were to occur with someone else’s wife, the baby would not belong to the man who had made love to the other man’s wife. The reason for this is that Ifá does not support such relationships in the first place. The only things that could result from such a union are anger, conflicts, public condemnation, disgrace or even death.

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For these three reasons, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ warned all his Aka;po¾ never to make love to other people’s wives as the results would never be favourable. All the Aka;po¾ present agreed with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ on the first two reasons he gave but they did not understand why the resultant pregnancy and baby from the relationship would not belong to the man who actually impregnated the woman. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ then explained by giving the following illustration: If a thief breaks into a house and steals expensive jewellery from the house, and the thief then sells the jewellery and uses the money from the sale to build a house for himself; if eventually the thief is caught, who can we say is the rightful owner of the house built by the thief with the money he realized from the sale of the stolen jewellery? Of course we cannot say that the house rightfully belongs to the thief. It belongs to the original owner of the jewellery. In this same vein, Ifá does not agree that the baby produced as a result of an illicit relationship with another man’s wife belongs to the man who engaged in the adultery. The child born from the illicit affair will stay in the husband’s family to bring benefit to his family and not to the man who impregnated his wife. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; orin ti; a koô lo;ju; aditi; n;ko;ô? Ki;n lo; ti ri;? Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;poô¾ ju¾ OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni Ni;tori; ko¾ gboô; Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ijo; ti; a jo; l'oôd ; o¾ô afoô;ju; n;ko;ô? Ki;n lo; ti ri;? Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;poô¾ ju¾ Orunmila ni egbe ni Ni;tori; ko¾ ri;i OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ere; ti; a ba; aya ala;ya sôe n;ko;ô? Ki;n lo; ti ri;? Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;po¾ô ju¾

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OGBE® I®WO®RI®

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni Ni;tori; Iku; lo; wa¾ ni;be¾ô OÙmoô to; ja;de ni;be¾ô ki¾i; si¾i; sôe t'eôni Translation: OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “a song sung in the presence of a deaf person, How will it be received?” They said that it would be a fantastic song OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ replied that it would simply be an exercise in vanity Because he would not hear the song OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “the dance steps taken in the presence of a blind person, How will they be received ?” They said that they would be fantastic dance steps OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ replied that it would simply be an exercise in vanity Because he would not see the dance steps OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “what if we were to make love to another person’s spouse, How would that be?” They responded that it would be very enjoyable OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ replied that it would simply be an exercise in vanity Because the only gain would be death and humiliation The resultant pregnancy and baby would not belong to us Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to be careful and not engage in any non-productive or vain activities which could lead to regrets, pain, loss, or death. If this person has already involved himself/herself in it, then he/she needs to offer ẹbọ with three mature he-goats. He/she also needs to put a stop to such an exercise immediately. A®boôru; A®boôye¾

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B.

SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-'WEÙ®YI®N FOR THOSE BORN BY THE ODU® DURING I®TE®ÙNI:FA:: OR I®KOÙSEÙD ® A:YE:

Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children are generally lovable people. They possess the ability to make those around them happy when they too are happy. On the other hand, they also infect their loved ones with grief and pain whenever they are sad or dejected. It is therefore advisable for those close to them to insist that they must not brood over trivial issues since their moods, more often than not, dictate the mood of the group they move with. Again, because these people have the tendency to be loved by all, including the high and mighty, males and females, those who love them are also usually very jealous and they crave for the attention of Ogbe¾'W'eô¾yi¾n children. The challenging part is that they do not always know how to strike an acceptable balance among all those who love them. More often they create crises among their admirers and they appear not to bother about the possible implications of their actions and/or inactions. For Ogbe¾-'W'eôy ¾ i¾n children, success comes from two major areas- their work and their family, especially their family of procreation. They are usually blessed with fine work whether they are on their own or they work with/for others. Their intelligence is superb and they quickly get to the zenith of their chosen career. Their families also show them love and deep understanding. However, no matter how great they are in their work their real satisfaction usually comes from the success of their family as a whole. They take more pride and accolade in the achievements of their children than any other thing in life. Many times, Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children talk too much and end up putting themselves on the spot with what they say. This is not surprising in the sense that they are acutely aware that they are very intelligent. They also feel strongly that others are not, and cannot be, as intelligent as they are. For this reason, they always end up putting themselves in huge trouble. The interesting part however is that as soon as they enter into this trouble, they have an unbelievable way of talking themselves out of trouble. Not only this, they end up attaining higher positions and

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social status through their words. This is why it is not in the best interest of anyone to compare themselves with Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children in this aspect! This is due to the fact that Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children are always protected by the Divinities, sometimes even against themselves. For Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children, their main physiological problems are back troubles, internal organ problems, and heart and respiratory challenges. With appropriate ẹbọand constant monitoring however, the problems can be put in check. It is not advisable for Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children to get themselves involved in two relationships at the same time. This is because of the fact that they usually find it tough to maintain equality on emotional issues, instead of being diplomatic they either end up being glaringly one-sided or being totally cold and un-emotional. This usually brings pain and frustration to those who love them passionately. As an adjustment to this, Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children must never engage in extra marital activities of any kind. This will only reduce their spiritual and economic gains to the barest minimum. Sometimes these relationships can even lead to their death! On the whole, Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children succeed where others have failed. They gain acceptance where others have been rejected. They are respected and honoured where others have been humiliated and ridiculed. To Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children, life usually has extra meaning that must be explored and put to good use.

C.

TABOOS OF OGBE®-'WEÙ®YI®N

1.

Must never eat beef or use any part of cattle – to avoid suffering, where there is supposed to be honour.

2.

Must not ignore his/her health condition – to avoid incapacitating himself/herself.

3.

Must never maltreat dogs – to avoid losing spiritual support.

4.

Must not marry anyone who hails from his/her place of birth – to avoid a matrimonial breakup and failure

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5.

Must not attempt to outwit anyone or take undue advantage of anybody or any situation – to avoid being ridiculed and humiliated.

6.

For Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n women: they must investigate fully all social organizations before joining them - to avoid putting the lives of their children on the line.

7.

Must not engage in extra marital affairs – to avoid putting himself/herself in destructive or perditious circumstances.

8.

Must not eat squirell (but can use them to feed Ifá) – to avoid losing success chances.

9.

Must never use dove for anything whatsoever, must never eat it, use it for medicine or keep it in bondage as a pet – to avoid unconsummated fortunes and constant agony and misfortune.

10.

Must never care for others more than himself/herself – to avoid incapacitating himself/herself.

11.

Must never under-estimate anyone– to avoid disappointments in life.

12.

Must never kill ants of any kind - to avoid contentious issues in his/her life.

D.

AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA®/IRU:NMOÙLE® OF OGBE®-W'E®ÙYI®N

1.

Ifá – For guidance, direction, protection, success and general well-being

2.

Orí – For elevation, success and spiritual harmony

3.

E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ – For success, victory and fortune

4.

Egu;ngu;n – For overall success, protection and ancestral support

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OGBE® I®WO®RI®

5.

Oró – For overall success and protection

6.

SÙa¾ngo; – For victory and protection

7.

OÙba¾ta;la; – For spiritual elevation

8.

Ajé– For prosperity and financial success

9.

O®gu;n– For victory over all adversity

10.

O®ke¾ – For victory, success and spiritual elevation

E.

POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE®-'WEÙ®YI®N i. MALES

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Ifa;ti¾mi;le;ôyi¾n – Ifa; gives me backing Ifa;o¾koô¾mi; – Ifa; does not reject me Ifa;wuyi¾ – Ifa; is prestigious Olu;sôeô;gun – The Lord is victorious Aye;gbaje;ôje;ô – The world needs meekness Adi¾mu; – Hold onto the tenets of the Divinities Yo;o¾du¾ngbeô¾yi¾n – It shall be sweet in the end ii. FEMALES

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Teô;woô;gbade; – Spread your hands to receive your crown of honour Adi¾mu; – Hold unto the tenets of the Divinities Yo;o;du¾ngbeô¾yi¾n – It shall be sweet in the end Jeô;eô;je;ô-L’ogbo; – Meekness guarantees longevity Ifa;wu¾mi; – I love Ifa;


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Chapter 3

Ogbè Òdí

I I II I II I I I 173

OGBE®-O®DI: OGBE®’DI: OGBE® E TI®DI: OGBE® DINDI A.1. Ifa; says that all the good things of life that people strive for shall be given unto the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. He/she shall be blessed with wealth, compatible spouse, good children, happiness, victory, sound health, while long life shall be added to these desirable gifts as bonus. Ifa; says that this person was not created to come into this world to experience want or to suffering. He/she shall be elevated. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats and four fish for childbirth; two hens for spouse, if a man; two cocks for spouse, if a woman; two pigeons for wealth; two guinea fowls for peace of mind; two mature cocks for victory, sound health and long life; two ducks for elevation; and money. On these, Ifa; says: Poro n;la;nl; a; aboju; gbaragada Di;a; fu;n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Ti; n;;’toô¾run boô¾ w'a;ye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The broad farm ridge with a clear view This was the Ifa; cast for Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n When coming from heaven to earth She was advised to offer eôboô When Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n was coming from heaven to earth, she pleaded for, and was granted, the Ire of prosperity, compatible spouse, well-behaved children, sound health, victory over adversary, peace of mind, mental, social and spiritual elevation, long life and all the Ire of life. When she arrived on earth, she began to receive the bounties of Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Iru;nmoôleô¾ which no human being could give or take away from her.

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Her youthful life was challenging and interesting; she got married at the right time, and to the right man; she got her children at the right time; the children were well brought up; they became the envy of the community they lived in; and they were very useful to the community; she was blessed with sound health; she was looking and acting younger than her age; she carried herself very well; and she was not involved in any form of scandal in her community. She was blessed with an opulent mansion which she insisted on its construction together with her husband and children; she turned the bush around her parents home into living apartments; she converted the refuse dump-site in her community into a daily market-place; she was fond of coming up with brilliant, well articulated and well implemented ideas and she was highly honoured and respected in the society. There was no good project in the community that would be implemented without her input. In spite of all these good attributes, Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n did not allow her achievements to enter into her head. She was very humble, respectful and unassuming. She never ignored or overlooked anyone in the community. To her, nobody was useless, everyone deserved love, and everyone had a contribution to make to the society. Even though she tried to make everyone important, she was still hated and envied by a pocket of people who could not understand why she should be so blessed by Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities. Her antagonists were never noticed in the community and they had no relevance in the community of important people. The sheer force of the goodwill of Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n drove these detractors to the ground. They remained on the ground. They lived with their sorrow. They died with their sorrow. As a bonus for all the good deeds which Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n did for herself, her immediate family, her extended family and the community at large, Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities gave her long life. She became the historian in the community. Young ones also went to her for advice and counselling. She never disappointed any of them. Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n lived happily. She died a contented and fulfilled woman. Poro n;la;nl; a; aboju; gbaragada Di;a; fu;n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Ti; n;t'oô¾run boô¾ w'a;ye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

175

OGBE®’DI:

O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô OÙ®wo;ô Aje; n; wo;ô joô l'eô;yi¾n mi boô¾ wa; Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n OÙ®woô; joô OÙ®woô; joô OÙ®woô; aya n; wo;ô joô l'eô;yin mi bo¾ô wa; Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n O®®Ùwo;ô joô O®Ùwoô; joô O®Ùwoô; oômoô rere n; woô; joô l'eô;yi¾n mi boô¾ wa Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n O®Ùwo;ô joô O®Ùwoô; joô O®Ùwoô; ile; n; wo;ô joô l'eô;yi¾n mi bo¾ô wa; Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n O®w Ù o;ô joô O®Ùwoô; joô O®Ùwoô; Ire gbogbo n; woô; joô l'eô;yi¾n mi boô¾ wa; Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n O®Ùwoô; joô O®Ùwoô; joô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni ba';yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: The broad farm ridge with clear view This was the Ifa cast for Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n When coming from heaven to earth She was advised to offer eôboô She complied The benefit of prosperity is coming to me Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n

176


Let them gather together and come Let them arrive The benefit of compatible spouses are coming to me Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Let them gather together and come Let them arrive The benefit of well trained children are coming to me Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Let them gather together and come Let them arrive The benefit of comfortable homes are coming to me Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Let them gather together and come Let them arrive The benefit of all the Ire in life is coming to me Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n Let them gather together and come Let them arrive Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she shall be relevant in his/her home and community at large. He/she shall be in high demand. He/she shall live happily. In his/her old age, he/she shall recline comfortably and watch his/her handiwork grow steadily. He/she shall die with a smile on his/her face. That is the message of Ifa;. 2. Ifa; says that there are five issues which the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed needs to address as soon as possible in order for him/her to enjoy his/her life to the fullest. These issues are: i. His/her Ori; is not strong enough. This is the reason why many evil plans against him/her, both physical and preternatural, readily affect him/her. ii. His/her health is not sound. He/she has health issues that require urgent attention. He/she cannot continue to live his/her life with ill health. iii. His/her life is not free of contentious issues. This is why he/she is easily implicated in issues which he/she knows about and those he/she knows nothing about.

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OGBE®’DI:

iv. He/she is not enjoying the fullness of his/her life. This is why he/she always feels that something is always missing in his/her life. v. Most of the Ire he/she is expecting are not yet within his/her reach. This is the reason why he/she ends up toiling so much before he/she can make ends meet. Ifa; recommends for this person to offer the following items as eôboô and to use them to feed his/her Ori; in order to redress the issues stated above: i. Two coconuts to make his/her Orí strong enough to ward off the evil plans against him/her. ii. Two dry EÙda; (grey rats) to boost his/her health so that he/she will stop living his/her life in ill-health. iii. Two dry eômoô; (brown rats) to make his/her live his/her life free of contention. iv. Two dry iku;n (type of squirrels) to make him/her enjoy the fullness of his/her life. v. Plenty of brown shrimp for his/her Ire to come within reach. One of each item will be used as eôboô while the remaining material will be used to feed his/her Ori. On these aspects, a stanza in Ogbe¾‟Di; states: Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;sunku;n Ori; o¾un o¾ gbo; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; Baba n;sunku;n ara o¾hun o¾ da; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la

178


Baba n;sunku;n ara o¾hun o¾ moô; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;sunku;n ile; o¾hun o¾ ku;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la Baba n;sunku;n Ire o¾hun o¾ de; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When lamenting that his Ori; was not strong enough Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When lamenting that his health was not sound Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When lamenting that his life was not free of contention Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When lamenting that he could not enjoy the fullness of his life Ti;ni¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When lamenting that the Ire he was expecting was not manifesting He was advised to offer eôboô OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was a very sad man indeed. He could not understand why all the evil plans of his antagonists, both physical and preternatural, continued to affect him adversely in spite of all his efforts to put an end to them; he failed to comprehend why his bad health had failed to improve despite all the

179

OGBE®’DI:

remedies he had applied; he continued to wonder why people loved to implicate him and drag his reputation through the mud over what he knew nothing about, in spite of all his efforts to put a stop to these problems; he was at a loss as to why he could not enjoy the fullness of his home and life, even though he had put in all efforts to enjoy his life to the fullest. He could also not understand why he needed to toil so much before he could make ends meet. He was unhappy that all the Ire in life that he was expecting eluded him. Why must I continue to live this type of life, he wondered? What must I do to improve my life? He asked himself repeatedly. These were the problems that took him to the home of the two Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will my life improve and change for the better? Will I be able to actualise my destiny? If yes, what do I need to do to make this happen? The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that even though he had chosen all the good things of life from heaven, he was nonetheless facing the problem of unconsummated fortune as listed above. He assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that all these problems would be things of the past because they were not supposed to be his portion in the first place. He was told that he needed to offer ẹbọ and feed his Orí in order to right all these wrongs. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to procure two coconuts, two eômoô;, two eôda;, two iku;n, plenty of ede; (brown shrimp) and money. He was told that one coconut, one eômoô;, one eôda;, one iku;n and half the quantity of the edé would be used to offer the eôboô while the remaining materials would be cooked well and use to feed his Ori;. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ provided the items as soon as he could lay his hands on them, and the eôboô was done. After this, he fed his Ori; as instructed by the Awo. The transformation was magical. The result were miraculous. As soon as these rituals were performed, the life of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ changed completely for the better. His Ori; became very strong; his health improved and all his health issues became things of the past; all the contention in his life became a matter of history, he was no longer implicated in matters he knew nothing about; he began to enjoy the fullness of his home and life, the feeling that something was missing in his home and life disappeared; he was able to realise all the things he had been expecting. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was overwhelmed with joy that he rolled out the drums, singing and dancing, saying:

180


Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;;n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Mo f’a¾gboôn boô’ri; mi o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Ori; mi; i ma¾ ma¾ gbo; o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Mo f’eôda; boô'ri; mi o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Ara mi ma¾ ma¾ da; o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Mo f’eômoô; boô’ri; mi o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Ara mi ma¾ ma¾ moô; o Ti;n--i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Mo f’iku;n boô’ri; mi o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Ile; mi ma¾ ma¾ ku;n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Mo f’ede; boô’ri; mi o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Ire mi ma¾ ma¾ de; o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;ndin o Translation: Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o I have used coconut to feed my Ori; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o And my Ori; has become strong Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o I have used eôda; (grey rat) to feed my Ori; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o And my health has improved tremendously Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o I have used eômoô; (brown rat) to feed my Ori; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o And my life has become free of contention

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OGBE®’DI:

Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o I have used iku;n (squirrel) to feed my Ori; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o And I enjoy the fullness of my home and life Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o I have used ede; (brown shrimp) to feed my Ori; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o And all my fortune has been consummated Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o That was how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ moved from sadness to joy; he moved from anxiety to peace of mind; and from uncertainty to confidence and comfort. Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;sunku;n Ori; o¾un o¾ gbo; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; Baba n;sunku;n ara o¾hun o¾ da; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la Baba n;sunku;n ara o¾hun o¾ moô; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;sunku;n ile; o¾hun o¾ ku;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la Baba n;sunku;n Ire o¾hun o¾ de; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Ire gbogbo wa; ya de; tuturu O: wa; sôi;hu¾n Ifeô¾

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Ala;do; wa; f'orin si;i leô;nu O: ke;’jasa¾ Orin Ikin ni; n;koô O: n; pe; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;;n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Mo f’a¾gboôn boô’ri; mi o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Ori; mi; i ma¾ ma¾ gbo; o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Mo f’eôda; boô'ri; mi o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Ara mi ma¾ ma¾ da; o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Mo f’eômoô; boô’ri; mi o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Ara mi ma¾ ma¾ moô; o Ti;n--i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Mo f’iku;n boô’ri; mi o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Ile; mi ma¾ ma¾ ku;n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Mo f’ede; boô’ri; mi o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Ire mi ma¾ ma¾ de; o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;ndin o E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; Ire gbogbo Woô¾woô; Ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ Translation: Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When lamenting that his Ori; was not strong enough Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾

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OGBE®’DI:

When lamenting that his health was not sound Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When lamenting that his life was not free of contention Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When lamenting that he could not enjoy the fullness of his life Ti;ni¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When lamenting that the Ire he was expecting was not manifesting He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far All Ire trooped in abundantly He opened his mouth to speak Ifa; put a song into his mouth He called his musical group together It was Ifa;‟s song he raised He sang: Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o I have used coconut to feed my Ori; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o And my Ori; has become strong Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o I have used eôda; (grey rat) to feed my Ori; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o And my health has improved tremendously Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o I have used eômoô; (brown rat) to feed my Ori; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o And my life has become free of contention Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o I have used iku;n (squirrel) to feed my Ori; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o And I enjoy the fullness of my home and life Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o

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I have used ede; (brown shrimp) to feed my Ori; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o And all my fortune has been consummated Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾ Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life All the Ire of life is what Ifa; guarantees for all its devotees Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall have course to celebrate in life. He/she shall live a fulfilled life and overcome his/her challenges in life. 3. Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she shall surely be blessed with all the Ire of life that he/she needs. Ifa; says that this person needs to work in conjunction with his/her Ori; and Ifa;. If he/she has any problem now, it is simply because he/she has not been in close alliance with his/her Ori;. This, he/she needs to do in order for the Ire to stay with him/her for the rest of his/her life. Ifa; advises this person to provide the following materials as a matter of urgency: six coconuts, six wa¾ra¾ (goat-milk cheese lumps) and plenty of brown shrimp. Two coconuts, two cheese (wa¾ra¾), shrimp and money will be used to offer eôboô. Two coconuts, two wa¾ra¾, shrimp, and money will be used to feed Ifa;; while the remaining two coconuts, two wa¾ra¾ and shrimp will be used to feed his/her Ori;. Ifa; says that as soon as these are done, all the Ire of life shall come trooping in to him/her. On this aspect, a stanza in Ogbe¾‟Di; says: Eruku to;o;ro; abeô apata I®ja¾ n;la; ni;i; seô¾’gboro keô¾ke¾ôeô¾ke¾ô O®si¾fi¾ aba¾ ni;i; ya¾’ka A®wo¾ra;n mo ko¾ n’isa¾n awo ‘La;gbe;nro; Di;a; fu;n Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i; OÙmoô ar’a;gboôn sôoô¾run Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ ntoôla¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

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OGBE®’DI:

Translation: The dust that passes under a masquerade‟s Apata costume A serious uprising is it that shakes a city to its foundation An oversized barn is it that caves in from the centre A®wo¾ra;n-mo-ko¾, (different images are carved for different masquerades) the Awo of „La;gbe;nro; They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ori;-ni;-n-sôe-ba;yi¾i; (Ori;-instructs-me-to-do-my-things-this-way) He who uses coconuts to feed his Ori; To acquire prosperity quickly He was advised to offer eôboô Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i; had great potentials. He was very resourceful. Yet, he found it difficult to consummate his fortunes. Why? He could not understand. He tried many things and yet he could not consummate his fortunes. Tired of what was happening in his life, he decided to go for Ifa; consultation: What can I do to right this wrong? The Awo assured Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i; that he had come into this world to succeed. They assured him that he would not only succeed, the whole world would also bow to him and celebrate with him on his fortunes. He was however told that he was having all sorts of problems which were leading to his unconsummated fortunes because he was not in alignment with his Ori;. He was urged to find out what he must do on a regular basis in order to be in alignment with his Ori;. The Awo then gave him the following analogy: There were certain Egu;ngu;n that used to parade the town with Apata. (This Apata was a specially carved image which one of the high-ranking officials of the Egu;ngu;n cult would carry for the masquerader). It was not a masquerade per se, but it would be used to pray by passers-bys). Rapid movements of people and passers-bys would often raise dust that would pass under the Apata. The dust however never had the power to affect the Apata in any way. But anytime there was an uprising, the uprising would raise up a huge dust cloud and create crises and anxiety. The whole community would be shaken to its very foundation. There would also be several costumes carried for different masquerades which would enhance the beauty, dignity and respect of their appearance. One costume was not expected to be the same as the other.

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The Awo basically likened his case to that of the small dust that moves under the Apata and has no effect on the Apata. Basically, his prayers were like the dust which, were not having any effect on his life whatsoever. The Awo stated further that when his wishes were not manifesting, it was like the dust raised by an uprising which would bring a lot of anxiety, pain, anguish, agony and frustration. The Awo concluded that all these things were happening in his life because his Ori; was not in harmony with him and he was not in alignment with his Ori;. Different things place different people in alignment with one‟s Ori;, just as different costumes make different masquerades appeal to their spectators. In his own case, the Awo said that the usage of coconuts, wa¾ra¾ (cheese), and brown shrimp would place him in alignment with his Ori;. He was therefore advised to procure six wa¾ra¾ and plenty of brown shrimp to be used as EÙboô and to feed his Ori; and Ifa;. Fully determined to be in alignment with his Ori; Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i; quickly complied. True to the prediction of the Awo, his transformation from poverty to riches: his conversion from hopelessness to boundless opportunities and his elevation from the dregs to the zenith happened in a very sudden manner. He too could not believe his good fortune. Initially, he had to convince himself over and over that he was not dreaming. He would prick himself, look at himself in the water that he had fetched which acted as his mirror and he would ask neighbours if truly he was awake or deep in slumber and in dream to convince himself that he was really wide awake. Everything came to him very quickly and like a torrent. He became stupendously rich. He was blessed with a compatible spouse. That same month that the spouse got to his home, she became pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful baby 10 lunar months after. Within seven years, he was blessed with four children. He had several properties scattered in many choice locations. His health never failed him again. He was always full of life and was looking and feeling much younger than his age. He was indeed a well fulfilled man. He was able to look back at the trend and movement of his life and beat his chest that he had truly and permanently parted ways with unconsummated fortune.

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OGBE®’DI:

Eruku to;o;ro; abeô apata I®ja¾ n;la; ni;i; seô¾’gboro keô¾ke¾ôeô¾ke¾ô O®si¾fi¾ aba¾ ni;i; ya¾’ka A®wo¾ra;n mo ko n’isa¾n awo ‘La;gbe;nro; Di;a; fu;n Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i; OÙmoô ar’a;gboôn sôoô¾run Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ ntoôla¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ori; ni; n l’a;je; Mo l’a;je; Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a nt'oôla¾ Ire aje; ti; mo feô; ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri; Ede; lo; ni; ko; de; Ori; ni; n l’a;ya Mo la;ya Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a t’aya Ire aya ti; mo feô; ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri; Ede; lo; ni; ko; de; Ori; ni; n bi;'moô Mo bi;'moô Ni wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a t’oômoô Ire oômoô ti; mo feô; ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri; Ede; lo; ni; ko; de; Ori; ni; n koô;’le; Mo koô;'le; Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a t'ile; Ire ile; ti; mo fe;ô ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri; Ede; lo; ni; ko; de; Ori; ni; n l’e;ôsôin Mo l’eô;sôin Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a teôsôin Ire eôsôin ti; mo fe;ô ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri; Ede; lo; ni; ko; de; Ori; ni; n ni;’re gbogbo Mo ni;’re gbogbo Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a toôla¾ Ire gbogbo ti; mo feô; ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri; Ede; lo; ni; ko; de;

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Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; wa b’a;yo¾ô EÙ wa; wo’re gbogbo o Translation: The dust that passes under a masquerade‟s Apata costume A serious uprising is it that shakes a city to its foundation An oversized barn is it that caves in from the centre A®wo¾ra;n-mo-ko¾, (different images are carved for different masquerades) the Awo of „La;gbe;nro; They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ori;-ni;-n-sôe-ba;yi¾i; (Ori;-instructs-me-to-do-my-things-this-way) He who uses coconuts to feed his Ori; To acquire prosperity quickly He was advised to offer eôboô He complied My Ori; says that I will be blessed with prosperity I will be prosperous I will acquire the blessing of prosperity quickly The Ire of prosperity which I have not yet acquired It is ede; (the shrimp) that decrees for it to come now My Ori; says that I will be blessed with a spouse I will be a married person I will acquire the blessing of a compatible spouse quickly The blessing of a spouse which I have not yet acquired It is ede; that decrees for it to come now My Ori; says that I will be blessed with children I will become a proud parent I will acquire the blessing of beautiful children quickly The blessing of children which I have not yet acquired It is ede; that decrees for it to come now My Ori; says that I will be blessed with property I will have many properties I will acquire the blessing of properties quickly The Ire of properties which I have not yet acquired It is ede; that decrees for it to come now My Ori; says that I will be blessed with many horses I will have many horses I will acquire the blessing of horses quickly The blessing of horses which I have not yet acquired

189

OGBE®’DI:

It is ede; that decrees for it to come now My Ori; says that I will be blessed with all the Ire of life I will have all the Ire of life I will acquire the blessing of all Ire quickly The Ire that I have not yet acquired It is ede; that decrees for them to come now Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire in life Ifa; promises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she shall be blessed with all the Ire in life. He/she shall lack nothing in life. He/she shall be denied nothing. He/she has come into the world to achieve greatness. As long as he/she stays in alignment with his/her Ori;, the sky is just the beginning of his/her achievements in life. 4. Ifa; foresees the Ire of prosperity and boundless opportunities for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; advises this person never to forget the person who had made it possible for him/her to succeed in life. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three pigeons and money. He/she is also advised to feed SÙa¾ngo; and Baa;ya¾nni¾. There is the need to ask Ifa; what these two Divinities will take from the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed and feed them accordingly. A stanza in Ogbe¾-E-Ti¾di; laying emphasis on this aspect says: Koô;la;wu¾mi; Awo abeô; ata Ejo¾ ni;i; ko; na¾ng¾ bo¾ôn na¾ng¾ bo¾ôn woô’sa¾ OÙjoô; oore e; pe;ô Asôi¾we¾re¾ e; gba¾gbe; Di;a; fu;n Baa;ya¾nni¾ Ti; n;sôawo re’ju¾ I®seô¾leô¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Koô;la;wu¾mi;, the Awo under the pepper plantation The snake is it that enters the hole with its entire length Because the day a favour had been extended to one had long passed by

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The foolish person who was the recipient of the favour totally forgot These were Ifa;‟s messages for Baa;ya¾nni¾ When going on spiritual mission to the wilderness of I®seô¾leô¾ He was advised to offer eôboô Baa;ya¾nni¾ was an elder brother of SÙa¾ngo;. Both of them also had another sibling who was older than them. His name was Da¾da. Da¾da was living in the wilderness of I®seô¾le¾ô. He was known to be a very physically weak Iru;nmoôleô¾. His hair was also always in locks. Unlike him, his two brothers, Baa;ya¾nni¾ and SÙa¾ngo; were very strong, fearless and forceful personalities. There was nothing that they would not confront and battle to the very end. The two of them were very fond of their elder brother who was a weakling and they were ready to defend him to the very last. Anyone who planned to cheat Da¾da would always have the two brothers to contend with. That was why people would say; “Dada ko¾ le¾ ja¾, sôu¾gboôn; o; l’a;bu¾u;ro¾ to; gbo;ju;”, meaning that; “Even though Da¾da has no strength to engage anyone in a fight, he nonetheless has brave brothers”. One day, Baa;ya¾nni¾ planned to go on spiritual mission to I®seô¾leô¾ wilderness. He went for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed where I am going? The Awo cast Ifa; for him and Ogbe¾-Di;i; was revealed. The Awo assured him that he would surely succeed where he was going. He was however, told that he needed to assist all those he met there so that everyone would be happy. He said that those assisted would owe him the duty of being grateful and would show their gratitude. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied. When he got to I®se¾ôleô¾ wilderness, he met his elder brother, Da¾da. He realised that trying to make Da¾da a strong and brave person might not work. He therefore offered eôboô and made Ifa; preparations for him to succeed financially. Before long, Da¾da become a financially successful man. While Baa;ya¾nni¾ concentrated on ensuring financial success for him, SÙa¾ngo; continued to protect and defend him against all forms of aggression. When Da¾da realised that his success and security were coming from his two younger siblings, he decided to show his own gratitude to them by making the whole world know that these two great Iru;nmoôleô¾ were the ones who assisted him in succeeding. He tied plenty of cowries to the hair locks on his head. Anyone who saw him would call him thus, “Da¾da A®wu;ru; oô¾yale¾ô yagi oko.

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OGBE®’DI:

Da¾da olo;wo; eôyoô. Bu¾nmi lo;o;kan n so moôri;. Olo;wo; ori; la moô¾ ni; Da¾da” meaning “Da¾da the brave, he who tears both the ground and the forest trees apart (reference to SÙa¾ngo¾) Da¾da, owner of the cowries (money). Please give me some cowries to tie to my hair. Those who have money tied to their heads are the ones recognised as Da¾da". It never occurred to him for one day that those two Iru;nmoôleô¾ were younger than him and therefore, he need not advertise to the world that they were the ones who had made him great. Koô;la;wu¾mi; Awo abeô; ata Ejo¾ ni;i; ko; na¾ng¾ bo¾ôn na¾ng¾ bo¾ôn woô’sa¾ OÙjoô; oore e; pe;ô Asôi¾we¾re¾ e; gba¾gbe; Di;a; fu;n Baa;ya¾nni¾ Ti; n;sôawo re’ju¾ I®seô¾leô¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô Da¾da A®wu;ru; O®Ùyale¾ô ya'gi oko E®ro¾ I®seô¾leô¾ n; bo¾ô lo;ôna¾ Da¾da, Olo;wo; eyoô Fu;n mi lo;o;kan n so mo;;ôri; Da¾da Olo;wo; eyoô Olo;wo; ori; la mo¾ô ni; Da¾da Translation: Koôl; a;wu¾mi;, the Awo under the pepper plantation The snake is it that enters the hole with its entire length Because the day a favour had been extended to one had long passed by The foolish person who was the recipient of the favour totally forgot These were Ifa;‟s messages for Baa;ya¾nni¾ When going on spiritual mission to the wilderness of I®seô¾leô¾ He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Behold Da¾da the Brave He who tears both the ground and the forest trees apart Travelers to I®se¾¾ôle¾ô land are coming along the road Da¾da, the owner of plentiful cowries

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Please give me some cowries to tie to the hair of my head Da¾da, the owner of plentiful cowries Those who have money tied to their heads are the ones recognised as Da¾da

Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall succeed in life. Not only this, he/she shall also be given adequate protection by the Divinities. He/she must however not forget those who have assisted him/her one way or the other to succeed in life. By showing gratitude to those who have assisted him/her, he/she shall continue to receive elevation and security for the rest of his/her life. 5. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall succeed this very year. His/her success shall be so sudden that he/she too will find it difficult to understand how the success has happened. Ifa; advises this person to always respond personally anytime he/she is invited to any occasion or when asked to go anywhere. He/she should not send anyone to go on his/her behalf, especially if where he/she was asked to come is very crucial or important. Ifa; recommends for this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons and one shegoat. ¾H;e/she also needs to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land snails, shea butter and native chalks. Even though the eôbo materials are important, the more important aspect of the eôbọ is for him/her to heed the advice of the Awo by ensuring that he/she attends where he/she is invited personally. On this aspect, Ogbe®-„Di¾i; states thus: O®n®peni ni;i; f’oôla; O®n¾jeôpe¾ ki;i; f’oôla; Di;a; fu;n Erin Ti; n; lo¾ôoô; f’ara sô’oôfa¾ l'o;ôdo¾ô EÙtu EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Privilege is for the person who calls someone The person who is called has no such privilege This was Ifa;‟s message for Erin (the Elephant)

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OGBE®’DI:

When going to serve under Eôtu (the Antelope) He was advised to offer eôboô EÙtu, the Antelope was very close to OÙba¾ta;la;. He was well loved by OÙba¾ta;la;. Why OÙba¾ta;la; loved him that much was unknown to anyone. OÙba¾ta;la; too could not explain why, in spite of EÙtu‟s many inadequacies, he was still loved. The privilege given to EÙtu by O®ba¾ta;la; made many people respect him. By this time, Erin (the Elephant) was serving under EÙtu. Erin was not bigger than a rodent during this time period. Erin was looking for money but could not get any. For this reason, he went to EÙtu to borrow money and he gave money to him. When it was time to pay back the money, he had no money to pay. Consequent upon this, he decided to serve EÙtu until he could get the money to pay him back. As soon as he got to EÙtu‟s home, he had no peace of mind. He was given no freedom whatsoever. EÙtu was working him to death. Unfortunately for Erin, he had nobody to complain to. Everyone feared OÙba¾ta;la;. Unknown to many however, OÙba¾ta;la; had been warning EÙtu against being too high handed but he simply would not listen. Erin would work on the farm for EÙtu from dawn to night time. He would only be allowed to rest when it was complete darkness. Erin was fed only once a day, just to make sure that he did not die of starvation. He would not be given more than this one meal. One day, Erin stole some time to go for Ifa; consultation in order to determine his fate in life: Will ever regain my freedom? Will I ever became successful in life? Will I be able to assert my own authority and influence in life? If yes, What do I need to do? The Awo assured him that he would surely succeed in life. He was told that his success would be so sudden that he would never believe what had happened to him. He was told to ensure that anywhere he was sent, he should not avoid that errand or skip that job. He was advised to persevere and that it would be well in the end. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He had no money to do it. For this reason, he went to borrow money from EÙtu. EÙtu gave him the money, believing that he would never be able to pay it back. He made Erin toil harder than ever before. Erin did everything without complaining, believing that it would truly be well in the end as the Awo had told him. One day, OÙba¾ta;la; decided to transform EÙtu into a great person. EÙtu must be turned into a giant, Oôba¾ta;la; boasted. He began to make many preparations for

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EÙtu. When it was time for OÙba¾ta;la; to administer it on EÙtu, he sent a message for EÙtu to come immediately. When Eôtu got the message, he felt that he was too important for anyone, OÙba¾ta;la; inclusive, to just summon him without notice. He decided that he would not go. Instead, he sent Erin to go and tell OÙba¾ta;la; that he had no time to come that day and that OÙba¾ta;la; was free to give the message to Erin. When Oôba¾ta;la; saw Erin and heard what EÙtu had told Erin to inform him, he was totally disappointed. Out of anger, OÙba¾ta;la; decided to make Erin a giant instead of EÙtu. That was exactly what OÙba¾ta;la; did. Within a few moments, Erin was transformed from a rodent to a mountain. The front door of OÙba¾ta;la;‟s house was broken in order to allow Erin to pass through because of his massive size. This was unbelievable! Erin told himself repeatedly. OÙba¾ta;la; blessed him and ask him to return home. On his way home, everyone gave him way to pass. The branches, creeping plants and trees which stood in his way were all uprooted by his sheer might, size and force. When EÙtu saw Erin, he simply took to his heels! Those who saw Erin when he was going to OÙba¾ta;la;‟s house and when he was returning exclaimed thus: I¾si¾nyi; la r‟Erin, ni;gba¾wo lo wa do¾ke¾!? - meaning, we have just seen Erin, when did you turn into a mountain?! Erin just responded that the work of the Divinities was beyond comprehension. O®n®peni ni;i; f’oôla; O®n¾jeô¾pe¾ ki;i; f’oôla; Di;a; fu;n Erin Ti; n; lo¾ôoô; f’ara sô’oôfa¾ lo;ôdo¾ô EÙtu EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô Fi¾ri;fi¾ri; la r’Erin Erin ni;gba¾wo lo wa d’o¾ke¾ Translation: Privilege is for the person who calls someone The person who is called has no such privilege This was Ifa;‟s message for Erin (the Elephant) When going to serve under Eôtu (the Antelope) He was advised to offer eôboô He complied

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OGBE®’DI:

We barely noticed Erin (on his way to OÙba¾ta;la;‟s house) When did you become a mountain? Ifa; says that this person shall move from insignificance to prominence within the twinkling of an eye.

6. Ifa; says that it foresees victory for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa ;says that this person is being worked upon by enemies in order for him/her to fail, misbehave, disappear or simply die altogether. Ifa; assures him/her that the negative designs of his/her enemies shall fail. Those planning to tie down his/her progress, freedom, reasoning or life shall be put to shame. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôbo with one hen whose legs are tied with rope, salt wrapped in a leaf and tied with rope, locust beans wrapped in a leaf and tied with rope, pepper wrapped in a leaf and tied with rope, melon wrapped in a leaf and tied with rope, and three yams tied together with rope. These ropes will be untied and added to the eôboô as well and after the eôbo, the hen will be slaughtered to feed Ifa;. The same hen will be cooked with the same pepper, salt, locust beans and melon. The three yams will be prepared into pounded yam. All these will again be used to feed Ifa; while all Awo present will consume the rest. A stanza in Ogbe¾‟Di¾i; on this aspect says: Ta wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ ta O®® ta si;gbo; ele;gbe¾e; Ni;bi; ti; wo;ôn gbe; n; di; oômoô A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: To jump with agility To jump into the woeful forest Where they were tying down the essence of Agbonni;re¾gu;n‟s child He was advised to offer eôboô A®gboônni¾¾re¾gu;n‟s child had everything wrong with him. He could not make ends meet. His colleagues were at work against him. They were planning to run him down completely. They were sure that it was just a matter of time before he would lose everything he had ever laid his hands upon in his life.

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His clients had all disappeared. He was spending the money he had made before his crisis began. He had almost run through all his savings. His health was failing as a result of sorrow and regret. He had taken to excessive alcohol consumption in order to quell his sorrow. As soon as his brain settled a little, his sorrows would multiply. He was using the alcohol in order to sedate himself to sleep. One day, he got drunk to the extent that he collapsed. He regained his consciousness four days later. That was when he began to think about his ill luck and illness and he burst into tears. He realised that within a short period, he had lost everything he had ever acquired in his life, his wealth had almost gone completely; his wife and children had abandoned him; his family members had vowed never to come to him anymore; his community had already seen him as a classical example of a failed man; and children in the community made jest of him as a compulsive drunkard. He cried and cried. In the end, he began to console himself that no amount of weeping would ever change his condition. He assured himself that since he was still alive, he should not lose any hope. He told himself that once there is life, there is hope and opportunity. He decided to visit a Babala;wo for a lasting solution to his problems. It occurred to him that he had just been proving his enemies right when he took to excessive drinking. He told himself that he must not give his enemies the pleasure of coming to shed crocodile tears over his dead body. That evening, he decided to go to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in life, in spite of all the misfortune that has befallen me? What do I need to do to right all the wrongs in my life? In fact, what is responsible for my misfortunes in the first place? Are they man-made or natural? The Awo told him that he had come into the world full of opportunities and success chances. He was told that he had actually begun to exhibit his potentials before things began to go wrong for him. The Awo told him that his situation did not worsen naturally; but rather, there were people who had taken it upon themselves to tie down his success and opportunities. These people saw nothing wrong in tying him to death, both figuratively and metaphysically. The Awo however assured him that the negative designs of his enemies would collapse and fail. He was told that even though these enemies had succeeded in tying him down, Ifá would nonetheless untie him completely and set him free of all negative machinations and designs. The Awo then advised him to offer eôboô with all the items listed above, and explained that when these items were to be brought from the market, the mere fact that they were tied with strings would make them safe and secured but at

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OGBE®’DI:

the same time, they were not usable until they were untied. Consequent upon this, anyone who brings these items tied from the market to the house would need to untie them before they can be used. The Awo assured him that those who had tied him figuratively and metaphorically were bound to untie him, unless if those who bought salt wrapped in a leaf and tied with string could use it to cook without untying the string before using it; unless if those who bought locust beans wrapped with leaf and tied with string could use it to cook without untying the string before using it; unless if those who bought melon wrapped with leaf and tied with string could use the melon for cooking with the string attached to it; unless if those who bought a fowl whose legs were tied could cook the fowl together with the feathers and the string that was used to tie its legs; unless if those who brought three yams from the market tied with string could use them to prepare pounded yam without first untying the string from the yams. If all these strings must be untied before these items can be used, then, all the physical, spiritual, economical, social, psychological, mental and emotional strings used to tie him down would be untied unconditionally as soon as the eôboô was offered. Agboônni¾re¾gu;n‟s child (Ogbe;-Di;i;‟s child) was so impressed with the analysis of the Awo that he returned home instantly, took the remaining money he had left with him and headed straight for the market to purchase all the items mentioned by the Awo for eôboô. He returned to the Awo‟s house shortly after and the eôboô was offered accordingly. Ogbe¾-Di;‟s child returned home with hope. And true to the prediction of Ifa;, he began to feel that all the things used to tie him and his potentials began to loosen up. He began to feel relieved. His self confidence returned. And just as his problems had begun they all disappeared in like manner. He was able to consummate his fortunes. He also forgot that he had once been a compulsive drunkard. Once more, he became very wealthy and successful. He lived the rest of his life a happy and contented man. Ta wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ ta O¾ ta s'i;gbo; ele;gbe¾e; Ni;bi; ti; wo;ôn gbe; n; di; oômoô A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Ifa; ni; eô ma d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o E®e¾wo¾ Ifa; ni; eô ma d 'oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o E®e¾wo¾ A ki;i; di;rru; ka; ma; le e¾ tu o E®e¾wo¾ô

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Ifa; ni eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o E®e¾wo¾ô A ki¾i; d’ata ka; ma; le e¾ tu o E®e¾woô¾ Ifa; ni; eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o E®¾e¾wo¾ô A ki¾i; d’eô¾gu;si; ka; ma; leô e¾ tu o E®e¾wo¾ô Ifa; ni; eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o E®e¾wo¾ô A ki¾i; d’i¾yo¾ô ka; ma; l¾e e¾ tu o E®e¾wo¾ô Ifa; ni; eô ma d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o E®e¾wo¾ô A ki¾i; d’isôu ka; ma; le e¾ tu o E®e¾wo¾ô Ifa; ni eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o E®e¾wo¾ô A ki¾i; di; adi¾eô ka; ma; le e¾ tu o E®e¾wo¾ô Ifa; ni; eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o E®e¾wo¾ô Translation: To jump with agility To jump into the woeful forest Where they were tying down the essence of Agbonni;re¾gu;n‟s child He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di; It is a taboo Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di; It is taboo We will never tie locust bean without untying it It is a taboo Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di; It is taboo We will never tie pepper without untying it

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OGBE®’DI:

It is a taboo Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di; It is taboo We will never tie melon without untying it It is a taboo Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di; It is taboo We will never tie salt without untying it It is a taboo Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di; It is taboo We will never tie yam tubers without untying them It is a taboo Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di; It is taboo We will never tie a fowl without untying it It is a taboo Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di; It is taboo Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is reveled will not be incapacitated spiritually, mentally, psychologically, emotionally, economically, socially or physically. He/she shall be freed from any form of bondage. Ifa; assures this person that his/her fortunes shall be consummated.

7. Ifa; says that it foresees the blessing of a baby for the person who is seriously in need of the fruit of the womb. Ifa; says that very soon, this person shall become a proud father/mother. Not only this, he/she shall showcase his/her joy for everyone to see. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. Out of these items, two rats, two fish and one hen will also be used to feed Ifa;. By so doing, Ifa; will ensure that this person is blessed accordingly. On this aspect, Ifa; says: O®ni; wiriwiri Ogbe¾ Di; O®ôla wiriwiri Ogbe¾ Di; Di;a; fu;n Po;ônn;ge;le; Eku;n oômoô lo; n; sun

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EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Today, all things point to Ogbe¾ „Di; Tomorrow, all things point to Ogbe¾‟Di; This was the Ifa; cast for Poô;nn;ge;le; When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a child She was advised to offer eôboô

Po;ônn;gele; loved children and young ones to a fault. She was always found in their midst. She would play with them and tell them different stories. She would take them to places and organize outings for them. Many times, she would be the one who would stand sure for the young ones acting as their mother when these young ones were about to do great things in life. She used to sponsor many events which would elevate the children and young ones. They all loved her and respected her like their own mother. Unfortunately for Po;ônn;gele; however, she had no child of her own. Much as she tried, she could not get a baby of her own. Many times, she would be on her bed and cry for hours. Sometimes, she would cry and cry from night till day break. She prayed to Olodumare and the Divinities to bless her with the fruit of the womb, but her prayers were yet to be answered. After more than 18 years of prayers, she became desperate. She began to move from one healing home to another, all to no avail. One day, she decided to give Ifa; a trial, consequent upon this, she went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I receive the blessing of Olodumare by receiving the fruit of the womb? Will I become a mother of my own biological child? Will I continue being the „mother‟ of others young ones and children, without being a mother of my own biological children? If this is the case, how would this happen? What do I need to do for the good things to happen? The Awo assured her that she would surely become a mother of many children of her own. She was told not to lose hope or despair. She was told not to entertain any fear or doubt. The Awo advised her to offer eôboô and feed Ifa; as prescribed above. She complied. After this, she went home, full of hope and expectations.

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OGBE®’DI:

One lunar month after, Po;ônn;ge;le; discovered to her surprise that she missed her period. She refused to believe that she was really pregnant. No, it could not be true. It must be a delay. As time passed, she began to vomit, feel early morning sickness, weakness of the body and drowsiness. She still refused to believe that those were symptoms of early pregnancy. She rather considered them as signs of illness and nothing more. Four months after this, her breasts had developed and her stomach was bulging out. People began to greet her the way pregnant women are greeted. She realised then that she was indeed pregnant. There was no mistake about that anymore. When the foetus began to kick inside her, she began to imagine herself talking to her baby, singing for her and sending her on errands. She imagined herself sitting as the mother when the baby was old enough to be betrothed to a man. She vowed to herself that the marriage ceremony would be the talk of the whole community for a very long time to come. In her soliloquy, she imagined herself cruising into a contented smile as she proudly handed over the hand of her beloved daughter to her husband who would in turn hand over the bride to the most senior man in the groom‟s family. It would certainly be a grand occasion, she boasted to herself. But wait, what if the baby turned out to be a male? Well, the difference in sex would make no difference in the way the baby would be treated by her. But it is said that a male child is more difficult for a woman to raise on her own unless a father is present. But anyway, the father was there. She vowed to ensure that the father, played an active part in the raising and upbringing her boy. He would be beside her to ensure that her baby was given the best training. She almost swore that the boy would take after his father in stature, likeness, strength and character. She smiled with satisfaction at the thought of her boy growing up to become the best farmer, wrestler and administrator in the community, just as his father had proven over and over. With those thoughts, she slept off. That was the way she used to tease herself to sleep every single night during her pregnancy. On the 10th lunar month, Po;ônn;ge;le; gave birth to a baby. She was overwhelmed with joy that she never bothered to know the sex of the baby. When she got to know it however, it made no difference to her. The next thing she did was to start singing and dancing saying: Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; di¾ o Po;ônn;ge;le; 202


Emi; ti; d’oôlo;ômoô o Po;ônn;ge;le; Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; di; o Po;ônn;ge;le; Emi; ti; d’oôlo;ômoô o Po;ônn;ge;le; Translation: Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; Di; Po;ônn¾ge¾le; I have become a proud mother Po;ônn;ge;le; Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; Di; Po;ônn;ge;le; I am now a mother Po;ônn;ge;le; The whole community rejoiced with her on the occasion of her blessing. It was a big celebration in the community. For three days, people from far and near kept trooping to Poô;n;nge;le;‟s home to look at her bundle of joy and to celebrate with her. O®ni; wiriwiri Ogbe¾ Di; O®ôla wiriwiri Ogbe¾ Di; Di;a; fu;n Po;ônn;ge;le; Eku;n oômoô lo; n; sun EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O; gb’e;ôboô, o; ru’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna EÙ wa; ba; ni; ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô Nje Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; di¾ o Po;ônn;ge;le; Emi; ti; d’oôlo;ômoô o Po;ônn;ge;le; Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; di; o Po;ônn;ge;le; Emi; ti; d’oôlo;ômoô o Po;ônn;ge;le;

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OGBE®’DI:

Translation: Today, all things point to Ogbe¾ „Di; Tomorrow, all things point to Ogbe¾‟Di; This was the Ifa; cast for Poô;nn;ge;le; When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a child She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Before long, not too far Join us in the celebration of a new baby Now, Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; Di; Po;ônn¾ge¾le; I have become a proud mother Po;ônn;ge;le; Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; Di; Po;ônn;ge;le; I am now a mother Po;ônn;ge;le; Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she will be blessed with a new baby. With Ifa;, it is never too late for anyone to receive the blessing that would change his/her life from sadness to joy and from desperation to contentment.

8. Ifa; advises a woman who has only one child to offer eôboô so as to avoid a situation where this will be her only child in her life. Ifá warns this person to work on having more children now when it is not yet too late for her to do so. If this is not done as quickly as possible, it will be difficult for her to give birth to more children and in her later years of life, she will end up having many pains and regrets for the rest of her life. Ifa; recommends for her to offer eôboô with a completely black mature female goat and money. After the eôboô, she will need to make herself positively disposed towards having more children. On this, Ogbe;-„Di; says: Ogbe; di;ndi; ko¾ ya;a; bu¾ ku¾ Di;a¾ fu;n E®Ùki¾ri¾ Ti; yo;o¾ bi; o¾ôkan na;a¾

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Ti; yo;o; pa¾’di; moôô; EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ dindi; is not easy to reduce This was the Ifa; cast for EÙ®ki¾ri¾ (The bush Goat) Who would give birth to only one child And who would stop child bearing She was advised to offer eôboô EÙ¾®ki¾ri¾, the Bush Goat was blessed with a baby very early on in her life. She was really proud of her God-given gift. As soon as she had the baby, she felt that there was the need for her to take a long break from making any more babies. She wanted to achieve all the good things she needed in life. She however began to struggle to succeed in life. Any mention of child-bearing to her was out of it. She took good care of her only child all right, but she did not want to hear of having more. She was only interested in material acquisition and social elevation. In order to acquire more success and recognition, she went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in life? Will I be accorded more recognition? Will I make a lot of profit that will enable me to purchase dresses, jewellery and ornaments? Will I be able to go to places to enjoy myself? During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-O¾di; was revealed. The Awo assured her that she would certainly succeed in life. She was told that all her heart‟s desires would be accomplished. The Awo made it clear to her that whether she offered eôboô or not, she would reach the apex of her chosen career in life. She was however advised that there was the need for her to offer eôboô and to work seriously on ensuring that she gave birth to more children before it was too late to do so. She was also warned against concentrating all her efforts on the pursuit of mundane things at the expense of having more children. Her eôboô materials, the Awo said, were one giant black she-goat and money. When E®ôki¾ri¾ heard all these statements from her Awo, she became livid with rage. If she disrupted her quest to reach the top of her career in life with the silly idea of becoming pregnant at this particular point in her lifetime when she had everything going for her, what type of gains would she be able to

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OGBE®’DI:

make? No, this Awo must be either drunk, ignorant, or mischievous. Either way, she will not allow anyone to truncate her goals and ideals, her Awo inclusive. Instead of arguing with her Awo, she simply stood up, took back the five cowries she paid for the Ifá consultation and left the house of the Awo. The Awo looked at her in utter disbelief. He could not understand what was wrong with her. As she left, she vowed never to return to the Awo again in her life. Truly, she was making progress in her chosen career. Truly, she became the envy of all her colleagues. And truly, she was recognised as a truly successful woman. The thought of having more children never crossed her mind again. One day however, she was greeted with the sad news that her only daughter was seriously ill. All medications administered on her simply failed to work. For three long years, EÙ¾ki¾ri¾ was moving from one health home to the other, in search of a solution to her daughter‟s health problems. Yet, she could not find any. She began to live in constant fear for the life of her daughter. She soon realised that she could not do any work again, as she had nobody to help her stay with her daughter where she was receiving medical attention. She also realised that had she had another child, then the other child would have been of help to her during this period. Her business began to go down since there was nobody to look after her business. She concluded that she must work on having another child but two things worked against her: one, her age, and two, she simply did not have the time to work on having a child since there was nobody to look after her child or business. In a nutshell, it was too late for her to have any more children. She constantly remembered the advice of the Awo that she needed to have more children before it was too late. She lived and died with her regret. Ogbe; di;ndi; ko¾ ya;a; bu¾ ku¾ Di;a¾ fu;n E®Ùki¾ri¾ Ti; yo;o¾ bi; o¾ôkan na;a¾ Ti; yo;o; pa¾’di; moôô; EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe EÙ¾ki¾ri¾ i¾ ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ I® ba; wa; f’owo; sô’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô I®ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô Gbogbo i¾sôo¾wo¾ O®pe¾ô EÙni gb’eôboô ni;’beô, ko; sô’eôboô o

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Translation: Ogbe¾ dindi; is not easy to reduce This was the Ifa; cast for EÙ®ki¾ri¾ (The bush Goat) Who would give birth to only one child And who would stop child bearing She was advised to offer eôboô Had EÙ¾ki¾ri¾ known ahead of time She would have spent her money on offering the eôboô If only she had known ahead of time All adherents of the Holy Palm tree Let those who are advised to offer eôboô do so Ifa; says that it shall not allow this person to live and die with avoidable regrets. This person also needs to ensure that he/she does not pursue wealth at the expense of children. If children are pursued before it is too late, then everlasting regrets will be avoided.

9. Ifa; says that it foresees decisive victory over adversaries for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that his/her colleagues, relatives and/or close friends are behind his/her travails. Ifa; assures this person that victory is certain, no matter how strong the opposition may be. Ifa; says that this person may have cause to travel outside his/her normal place of abode on business together with many people. Ifa; says that he/she will face serious opposition where they are going. Ifa; however assures him/her not to entertain any fear as he/she shall overcome all oppositions. Ifa; assures this person that he/she will not only overcome, he/she will also return home with honour, prestige and success. He/she shall be accorded well deserved respect where he/she will go to. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with two cocks, two sharp knives and money. There is also the need to feed Ifa; with one mature hen. On all these, Ogbe¾-O®di; says: A®ro¾ôni¾ lo; ni; mo pa akoôgun i¾ya; o¾hun j¾eô o Di;a; fu;n Gbogbo I®wo¾ro¾ Wo;ôn n; sôawo loô ibi oô¾na¾ to; j¾i¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôj;o;ô Eôboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe

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OGBE®’DI:

Translation: A®ro¾ôni¾ was he who accused me of killing his mother‟s warrior This was Ifa;‟s message to all the A¾wo¾ro¾ When going on a spiritual mission to a far distant place They were advised to offer eôboô Out of the over 400 A¾wo¾ro¾, EÙse¾ô kan sôosôo Ogbe¾ had left no one in doubt that he was the most competent and the most gifted among them. He had the record to show for it. He could not count the number of debtors whom he had turned into financially buoyant people. There were countless invalid people who had regained their health and vitality. Several barren people had been turned into proud mothers. Many more impotent men had become sexually active again. Those who were destined to die young had been able to live up to their old age. Whenever there was crisis in the community, he knew exactly what to do to return the community to normal. He had also helped the community to develop financially, economically, socially and spiritually.

On this particular trip, it was generally assumed that Ogbe¾ would excel where all others had failed. That was precisely what the other I®wo¾ro¾ would never tolerate, not to mention accept. They were prepared to do anything and everything to stop him from out-shinning them, even if it meant killing him. When all the I®wo¾ro¾ planned to proceed on this spiritual journey, they went for Ifa; consultation in the home of the Awo mentioned above: Would they succeed in their mission? Would every one of them return home safely and happily? Would they gain recognition and fame? Would they also be spiritually elevated? Was there anything for them to do in order to bring accomplishment to the group? The Awo assured them that they would all succeed in their spiritual mission and sojourn. He told them that their lives would have meaning. They were told that there was the need for them to cooperate with each other in order for them to achieve resounding success and recognition. They must not conspire against anyone among them or plan evil against any member of the group. They were warned that this must never occur. They were all advised to offer eôboô as stated above. Meanwhile, all the I®wo¾ro¾ who planned to go on that mission were determined to ensure that Ogbe¾ did not out-shine them. Consequent upon this, they saw

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no reason why they should offer the eôboô since they knew that they needed to plan against him in order to make him fail. There was therefore no reason whatsoever to offer eôboô. For this reason, they simply ignored the advice of the Awo to offer eôboô and not to conspire against anyone. A®ro¾ôni¾ lo; ni; mo pa akoôgun i¾ya; ohun jeô o Di;a; fu;n EÙsôe¾ kan sôosôo Ogbe¾ Ti; n; sôawo loô ibi oô¾na¾ to; jin gboôoôroô bi; oj;o;ô EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: A®ro¾ôni¾ was he who accused me of killing his mother‟s warrior This was Ifa;‟s message for one leg of Ogbe¾ When going on a spiritual mission to a far distant place He was advised to offer eôboô EÙse¾ô kan Sôosôo Ogbe¾ was having the sensation that he was not safe. He felt that a grand conspiracy was being planned against him. From where, he was not sure. He did not suspect his fellow I®wo¾ro¾ O®ri¾sôa¾ in any way whatsoever. He continued to have bad dreams and terrible premonitions. Unable to stand it any longer, he decided to visit the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Am I safe? Will I overcome all the problems I have been feeling? The feeling of uncertainty and intrigue he was having had become very palpable. Will I succeed and be victorious? What will I do to survive, overcome and succeed where I am going along with all the other A®wo¾ro¾? The Awo made it clear to Ogbe¾ that he was not safe. He told Ogbe¾ that he was right in the midst of conspiracy and treachery. He was told that his colleagues were the ones planning evil against him. He was however assured that he would certainly overcome and succeed. The Awo advised Ogbe¾ to offer eôboô with two cocks, two sharp knives and money. He was also advised to feed Ifa; with a big hen. He complied. After the eôboô and ibọ the Awo gave Ogbe¾ one of the two knives to keep with him all the time. He was told to take it along with him on his journey. With this assurance, Ogbe¾ left. Very early on the day of their departure, all the I®wo¾ro¾, with the exception of Ogbe¾, had a quick meeting. In their deliberation, they concluded that the only way to stop Ogbe¾ from doing better than all of them was to eliminate him. They stated that in order not to make anyone suspect any form of foul play, it

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OGBE®’DI:

was advisable for them to do so in such a way that no tell-tale evidence would be left behind. His corpse must not be left anywhere for anyone to discover, so that no embarrassing questions would be asked. Consequently, it was concluded that Erin, the Elephant, would be made to swallow him completely. By so doing, they reasoned, nobody would be able to trace any part of him at all. This plan was unanimously endorsed by these conspirators. When they set out on their journey, Erin was the most friendly to Ogbe¾. For this reason, Ogbe¾ relied on him as a friend who would defend and protect him with his huge frame and power. Unknown to him, Erin was supposed to be his executioner. When they were almost approaching their destination, Erin moved close to his unsuspecting prey and before Ogbe¾ could realise what was actually happening, Erin gripped him from behind and swallowed him from head to toe! Why is this happening? Ogbe¾ was totally confused. He was engulfed in total darkness and unbearable heat: Why was this happening? He had offered all the eôboô and ibo that the Awo prescribed for him. Why must he meet with this type of calamity? Why must it be Erin, his confidant and friend who would end up being his killer? Why must he end up as food for his erstwhile friend who turned out to be his betrayer? Why must Erin betray the trust and confidence he had in him? Why? Why? Why? There were so many other whys that he had in mind to ask but there was nobody to talk to. Why was their nobody to talk to? That was another why in itself. As these thoughts entered into Ogbe¾‟s mind inside the belly of Eri;n, he began to feel unbearable pain. He became more confused. Suddenly, it occurred to him that the mere fact that he was feeling pain and discomfort indicated that he was still alive. It also showed that he was still breathing. How come that he was still breathing in the midst of the offal, excrement and half-digested food? The truth was E®sôu¾ was responsible for keeping him alive. E®ôsôu¾ then appeared to Ogbe¾ and said: “Have no fear, Ogbe¾. You have offered the eôboô and iboô prescribed for you. Those who offer their eôboô are always my friends. I will support you and you shall overcome all the conspiracies hatched against you? “Who are you? I do not know you”, Ogbe¾ said. Funny enough Ogbe¾ was able to see this being inside the belly of Eri;n. “I am E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra. I am your friend. I will get you out of this trouble. Just do as i tell you. It shall be well with you”. With this assurance Ogbe¾ relaxed a little. After a while, E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra said, bring out the knife that the Awo gave to you, use the knife to cut the intestine of Eri;n”. Ogbe¾ did as he was instructed. As soon as he did this, Eri;n

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felt a terrible pain inside his gut, he staggered but kept going. Now, use your knife to cut the liver, I shall show you where the liver is located.” E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra said. Ogbe¾ did as instructed. Eri;n felt like fainting. He shouted at the top of his voice! The other conspirators urged him to keep going on. They told him that it would be a shame if he succumbed to fatigue at this juncture. Eri;n kept going on. Next E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra told Ogbe¾; “Use your knife to pierce through the heart. This is where the heart is located”. E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra pointed out the heart to Ogbe¾. With all his might, Ogbe¾ then pierced through the heart. Blood gushed out of the organ. Eri;n coughed out blood from his mouth. His steps became more unsteady. By this time however, they were by the boundary of their destination. They continuously urged Eri;n to move on. He did. It was clear that it was raw will-power that kept him going. He continued to find each step extremely difficult to take. E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra then told Ogbe¾. “Look at this. It is the large intestine. It leads to the anus of your enemy. Cut it into two and then enter there. It will lead you out”. Ogbe¾ cut the intestine into two. Eri;n fell down. A few moments after, he bided the world good night. Just before his death, it occurred to him that there was no gain in conspiring against anyone. Ogbe¾ entered through the large intestine and moved downwards. He came out through the anus of Eri;n. It was a surprise to everyone present, both friends and foes alike. They all concluded that since Ogbe¾ had come out of the Elephant‟s anus. He should be known and called Ogbe¾-Ti¾di;i;. A®ro¾ôni¾ lo; ni; mo pa akoôgun i¾ya; o¾hun j¾eô o Di;a; fu;n Gbogbo I®wo¾ro¾ Wo;ôn n; sôawo loô o¾ôna¾ to; j¾i¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôjo;ô EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe A®ro¾ôni¾ lo; ni; mo pa akoôgun i¾ya; o¾hun j¾eô o Di;a¾ fu;n EÙse¾ô kan sôosôo Ogbe¾ O: n; sôawo loô o¾ôna¾ to; j¾i¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôjo;ô EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o EÙse¾ô kan sôosôo Ogbe¾ ni¾kan ni¾ n;beô le;ôyi¾n ti; n;;sôeôboô o N®®je;ô Ogbe¾ to; ti¾di; Erin bo;ô Ka; ma;a pe¾e; mi; Ogbe¾-Ti¾di; E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾ O®ôfa¾ Ogun lo; n; sôe;ô fu;n’ni ni;beôô¾ To; ba; bi; ni; o

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OGBE®’DI:

Translation:

¾ô i¾ was he who accused me of killing his mother‟s warrior A®ron This was Ifa;‟s message to all the A¾wo¾ro¾ When going on a spiritual mission to a far distant place They were advised to offer eôboô A®ro¾ôni¾ was he who accused me of killing his mother‟s warrior This was Ifa;‟s message for one leg of Ogbe¾ When going on a spiritual mission to a far distant place He was advised to offer eôboô Only Ogbe¾ complied with the advice of the Awo Now, the Ogbe¾ who comes out of the Elephant‟s anus Let him be known as, and be called Ogbe¾-Ti¾di;i; Travellers to Ìpo and Ofa; The ability to overcome adversity is guaranteed If this Odu¾ is one's birth Odu¾ Ifa; assures this person not to entertain any fear whatsoever. He/she shall overcome all the evil designs fashioned against him/her. In the same breadth, he/she must never be part of any conspiracy or evil design against anyone. If this warning is not heeded, it will lead to only one destination-disaster. 10.Ifa; assures the person for whom Ogbe¾-Ti¾di;i; is revealed that he/she shall overcome. Ifa; says that there is a plan to dispose this person of his/her hardearned money, goods or prosperity. Ifa; says that those planning to cheat him/her shall fail woefully. Ifa; says that the diabolical plans of some tricksters, fraudulent people or/and con men/women shall be exposed and they shall be put to ridicule. The person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed needs to put his/her faith in Ifa;. He/she needs not entertain any doubt, no matter how bad the situation may be. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with two cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifa; with one very big smoked catfish. On this aspect, Ifa; says: O®gu;n ni;i; deô Ifo;ôn O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsi¾ ni;i; boô i¾ge¾re¾ Yemo¾o; ni;i; sôe oni;po¾ôn'ti; O®ri¾sôa¾

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Di;a¾ fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; woôô;n o; j’ogu;n du¾n Ti; woôn o; ni; pi;n l’o;;gu;n EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: O®gu;n hunts with arrows O®ôsôoô;o¾ôsôi¾ propitiates the fishing net Yemo¾o; is the one in charge of the O®ri¾sôa¾ brewery These were Ifa;‟s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ When he was denied his own share of their ancestral legacy And was not given any share He was advised to offer eôboô OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ and seven others were beneficiaries of the will of a very influential woman in the community. When this woman was alive, she took O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ as her son because she had no child in life. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ took care of her and made her happy. Whenever she fell ill, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ was always available to take care of her. She trusted O®ôru;nmi¾la¾¾ more than any other person in the world. This woman was very wealthy. She was the most successful woman in her community. As a matter of fact, this woman owned nearly half of all the property in the community. Everybody in the community respected her for her luck, business sense and ability to read economic trends correctly. She had seven relatives but she relied on O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ for everything. She would tell whoever cared to listen that her properties must be divided into two parts, one part must be given to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ while the remaining half was to be shared equally among her seven relatives whenever she died. The seven relatives however saw no reason why O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ should be given any part of the woman‟s property, not to mention him being given the lion‟s share. They did not complain while the woman was alive but as soon as the woman died, they sprang into action. They blocked every avenue for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to claim any part of the property bequeathed to him. As if that was not bad enough they confiscated all the personal properties of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ claiming that he tricked other people before he could acquire them. Any attempt by O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to explain himself was met with rebuff. They would shout him down and call him names. To make matters worse, the seven relatives were very influential in the community. Those who knew them as being related to the departed woman

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OGBE®’DI:

respected them and were ready to do their bidding. Together with others, they stripped O®Ùru;nmi¾la; completely naked. To eat became a problem for him. He was ridiculed and victimized on top of him being stripped of his hard-earned possessions. One day, O®ôru;nmi¾la¾¾ decided to go to the home of the group of Babala;wo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be able to regain all my lost possessions? Will I overcome this grand conspiracy? Will my enemies be put into their proper places? Will I be victorious in the end? Would the community be able to see the truth at the end of the day? The group of Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ that he had been treated unjustly. He had suffered unduly. He was told to put his mind at rest. He was told that all his lost possessions would be recovered. Not only this, those who had usurped his possessions would suffer terribly. The group of Awo advised him to offer eôboô as prescribed above. He complied. After this, he was told to go about his day to day business. Meanwhile, the seven conspirators, two women and five men had a meeting on how to share the proceeds from their loot. They concluded that it would not be wise to share the loot; but rather, each person should be given money from time to time according to each individual‟s needs. All of them saw this as the most realistic thing to do under the circumstances. What they never bargained for was the surprise that E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ would pull on them. As soon as OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered the eôboô, E®sôu¾ gave one of the two women the gift of yaws and gave one of the men the gift of being a hunchback. They all began to look for solutions from several healing homes but there was no relief. They kept spending the money from the joint loot. The remaining conspirators began to complain after about six months that the two infected members were spending too much money on themselves at the expense of the others. Before long, one of the remaining men developed elephantiasis of the scrotum. Two months after, the other woman developed goitre. Three weeks after this, one of the three remaining men developed epilepsy; the second went totally blind while the third and last conspirator developed palsy. Why is all this happening to us? They concluded that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ must be responsible for all their woes. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ must be dealt with by all of us and by any means. It got to a stage that none of them had time nor paid attention to the much cherished loot. It did not take long before people began to insinuate that they were suffering from greed. People began saying that they had cheated and they were paying

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for their misconduct. The talk of the people was even more painful to the conspirators than their actual ailments. One day, the seven conspirators went to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation; they wanted the Awo to do two things for them; one, find solutions to their ailments; and two, to punish O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ for their woes. Were these possible? The Awo told them that they encountered their misfortunes simply because they lacked honesty. They were told to go home and change their attitudes. They must be honest. They must not cheat others. They must not conspire against anybody. If they had done so already, they must change and right the wrong. They were also told that they must forget about punishing O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ because he had never wronged them or planned evil against them. To plan against him would only bring more woes on them. The group of Awo asked the conspirators to go and apologize to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ and ensure that anything they had done wrong against him was corrected accordingly. The seven conspirators left the home of the Awo totally disappointed. Why must they go and apologize to someone who has inflicted so much pain and agony on them? They wondered. The conspirators concluded that it was a mistake to go to the home of the Awo to find a solution to their problems in the first place. They said that the Awo were all OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾‟s ex-students and they were bound to support him. Maybe they were the ones O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ used to inflict pain on them. For that reason, they were bound to support their master. If he had used the Awo to punish them, then they were no longer safe. The Awo had touched all of them; they sat down on their mats; they had used the consultation instruments to touch their hands, foreheads and chests! What if they had poisoned the instruments? Yes, they must have poisoned the instruments! What a mistake! They were going to be in more trouble! God! Why did they not think well and properly before they approached the Awo? They had dug their own graves by themselves! All of them began to panic. In their state of confusion, they began to make more and more mistakes. In the end, they heaped all the blames on the one among them who suggested that they should go to the Awo for Ifá consultation. That was the one with the elephantiasis of the scrotum. He got angry and began to rain curses on those blaming him. Before long, a big fight ensued. They were beating, cursing and tearing each other apart. Soon after this, a huge crowd gathered to watch the macabre scene. They began to expose each other and to explain to the watching crowd the role each

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OGBE®’DI:

and every one of them played in the grand conspiracy. They were so busy exposing each other that none of them wanted the others to outplay him or her in the revelation. In the end, they were all marched to the OÙba‟s palace. They narrated their stories to the OÙba. The whole community was in shock when they heard the story. In the end, the council of Chiefs ordered that the seven of them should be banished from the community. All of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾‟s possessions which they had unjustly usurped were returned to him. The community apologised to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ for not finding out the truth earlier when the matter first came up. O®gu;n ni;i; deô Ifo;ôn O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsi¾ ni;i; boô i¾ge¾re¾ Yemo¾o; ni;i; sôe oni;po¾ôn'ti; O®ri¾sôa¾ Di;a¾ fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; woôô;n o; j’ogu;n du¾n Ti; woôn o; ni; pi;n l’o;;gu;n EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ j¾i¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba¾ni¾ la;ru¾us; ôe;ô o¾gu;n OÙ®ru;nmi;la¾ si¾ ru;boô ni;be¾ô O:: sôe;ôgun Translation: O®gu;n hunts with arrows O®ôsôoô;o¾ôsôi¾ propitiates the fishing net Yemo¾o; is the one in charge of the O®ri¾sôa¾ brewery These were Ifa;‟s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ When he was denied his own share of their ancestral legacy And was not given any share He was advised to offer eôboô Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; offered eôboô there And he had victory

Ifa; says that this person shall surely be victorious over conspirators. In the same vein, Ifa; warns this person never to conspire with others to cheat anyone. This is because their victim shall be victorious in the end.

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11. Ifa; promises that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall succeed and be prosperous in life. Ifa; advises this person to continuously offer the eôboô of victory over adversity together with that of prosperity. Ifa; says that in the life of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed, there is going to be success coupled with contention. After the success of this person, those close to him/her shall begin to raised inquiry on his/her source of prosperity. They will want to know how and from where he/she has made his/her wealth and prosperity. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, two pigeons and money. After this, he/she needs to procure kola nuts which have only one lobe, beads which have been broken into two and which no longer have holes that can be used to string them together, the leather used to cover the gu;du;gu;du; drum and amu;ni¾mu;ye¾ leaves. All these shall be pounded together by the Awo and this Odu¾ will be recited into it and be given to the person for whom this Odù is revealed to bathe with. On this, a stanza in Ogbe¾ „Di¾i; says: SÙa;ka; bale¾ô, sôa;ka; ro; yagbayagba I®sôu¾ o¾ôro¾ô bale¾ô ko; ra¾ti¾ra¾ti¾ E®Ùe¾ôru¾n lo; de;, loômoôde; ‘Ku¾nrin d’o¾ri; Ifa; Di;a¾ fu;n O®ôru;nmi¾la; Baba n¾sôawo loô si;le; A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ Ni;gba¾ti; o; n;fojooju;mo;ô sun-unrun i¾su¾nku;su¾n To; n;fojooju;mo;ô la; a¾la;ka;la¾a; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: SÙa;ka; bale¾ô sôa;ka; ro; yagbayagba I®sôu¾ o¾ôro¾ô bale¾ô ko; ra¾ti¾ra¾ti¾ E®Ùe¾ôru¾n lo; de;, loômoôde; „Ku¾nrin d‟o¾ri; Ifa; They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ When going on an Ifa; mission to the home of A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ When A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was having sleepless nights And was having nightmares O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to offer eôboô The life of A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was in complete disarray. He had lost almost all what he had made in his life. His business was in ruins.

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OGBE®’DI:

His problems were compounded when his wives and children abandoned him unceremoniously. He found it impossible to believe that his beloved wives and children would abandon him at this time that he needed their support the most. He cried and cried. Weeping only compounded his problems instead of solving them. Before long after his family left him, he began to have terrible and terrifying dreams. Sometimes, he would see himself being tied to a stake by some fierce-looking men and before he could shout for help, he would be doused with oil and fire would be set on him. Sometimes, he would be thrown into a swamp infested with giant open mouthed crocodiles and alligators. Within the twinkling of an eye, these amphibians would be feasting on his body. He would then scream out only to realise that he was dreaming. Sometimes, he would see himself being pursued with clubs, knives, sticks, cutlasses, swords and machetes. He would run and run only to see his pursuers overpowering him. Just as his attackers were about to deliver their deadly blows on him, he would wake up startled and have a terrible headache. Tired of all of this, he approached many medicine men and women for solutions to his problems. There was none. He tried many seers. There was no solution. Somebody told him about O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾. He decided to give him a trial. He therefore sent some people to go and invite O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to his house, telling OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ that his assistance was urgently needed. When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ saw A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s delegates, he decided to approach the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed at A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s house? Will I be able to proffer solutions to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s numerous problems? Will it be possible to move A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s present state of poverty to one of affluence? Will his family members who have abandoned him return to him again? If it is possible for me to do accomplish these things, what do I need to do? What eôboô do I need to offer? What advice do I need to give A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾@ The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ that whether he offered the eôboô of success or not, he would surely succeed in finding solutions to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s problems. He was however told that the main eôboô which he really needed to offer was that of victory over oppositions. He was advised to offer eôboô with one mature hegoat for victory and two pigeons for success. He complied. After this, the Awo prepared the Ifa; work for him as listed above. He was advised to use the herbal soap to bathe with until it was exhausted. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ also complied. The following day, he set out on his journey to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s house. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la; got there, he set out on his mission to improve his client‟s life immediately. All the advice of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ was carried out by A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾.

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O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ explained to him that the main reason why the problems were occurring in the first place was that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was out of tune with the Irunmoôle¾ who were guiding and protecting him. Because A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ had chosen to abandon these Iru;nmoôleôô¾ they too had abandoned him. When he was facing all the problems and tribulations, there was no guiding Iru;nmoôleôô¾ who was prepared to raise a finger to protect or defend him. A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was advised to offer eôboô and feed all the Iru;nmoôleôô¾ and O®ri¾sa¾ that he was affiliated to. He complied. He decided to embrace them all and feed them on a regular basis. Before long, A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s businesses, which had hitherto collapsed began to pick up. Soon after, he was back in the serious and profit-making businesses. He began to control huge amounts of money as he used to do before. When the wives heard that their husband had met with fortune once more and that success had begun to smile on him again, they too decided to return home together with their children to be part of the aspects of his life where smiles would light up his face. Within 15 lunar months, A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ had become stupendously wealthy. He began to control vast business estates. He was sought after by the high and the mighty. His wealth surpassed what he had before. He became the most successful man in his community. One day, A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ sat down and took stock of his journey so far. He realised that within 16 lunar months, he had moved from poverty to opulence. He had moved from severe want to surplus. All the members of his family who had abandoned him had returned to him. His nightmarish dreams had become things of the past. He had become happier, more influential, more respected and more honourable than ever before. He also noted that, but for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ all these would never have happened. He was very moved that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had stood by him when he had nothing and he did not work for him with monetary consideration. He concluded that the only right thing for him to do was to show his gratitude to him. How would he do this? He decided to reward O®Ùru;nmi¾la; with one quarter of his vast business estates. This amounted to more than enough for seven families to spend throughout their lifetimes. As soon as people found out that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had been given that much, envy set in. How could he be given such an amount of money and assets? What had he done which others had never done before? They concluded that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ must have used undue influence to twist the arms of A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ for him to part with such a huge amount of money and assets. These antagonists

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went to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ to convince him to change his mind and withdraw all the money and assets from O®Ùru;nmi¾la;. They told him that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was a fraudster, a cheat and wicked man who had used diabolical means to get all the things which A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ had given him. A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was however not impressed with their submissions. He chased them away and told them never to return to his house again. When they failed to persuade A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, the antagonists decided to deal with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ in their own way. They began to prepare potent charms to destroy O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. They failed. The charms had no effect on him whatsoever. They began to conspire against him. They did this for several months. It had no effect on him in any way. That was when one of them said that someone among them must be going to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ to reveal their plans. This led to mutual suspicion among the conspirators. One day, things blew up into an open confrontation. They fought for several hours. That was when someone went to call O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to come and see what was happening among the group of conspirators. When he got there, the conspirators shamelessly began to reveal all their diabolical plans against O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to him. As they were exposing each other O®Ùru;nmi¾la; kept smiling knowingly. When he was asked why he was smiling, he stated thus: EÙÙ®yin o¾ mo¾ô wi;pe; la;ki;ri;boto kan ki¾¾i; lo;ju; aweôô; E®ôla¾ i¾le¾ôke¾ô kan ki¾i; lo;ju; a¾toku¾nbo Bi; a ba; n; fu;n gu;du;gu;du; N®sôe lara re¾ô ma;a; n; le OÙwoô; o¾ô mi; wa; b’ewe; amu;ni;mu;ye¾ e te¾mi; Po¾ro¾ ti; mo ba; de; Ifa; Ka¾sa¾i¾ ba; mi; mu; wo;ôn ni;ye¾ i¾ku;n Translation: Don‟t you know that the la;ki;ri;boto kola nut has no lobe A split bead has nowhere to put string through If we pull on the leather used to make the gu;du;gu;du; drum It‟s sound will become more audible I have now gotten a hold of my own amu;ni;mu;ye¾ leaves As soon as i arrive Ifá will becloud their consicousiness

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O®ôru;nmi¾la¾ explained that since la;ki;ri;boto kola nut has no value because it cannot be split into pieces, all of them could not design anything that would affect him adversely. He said that since a bead that is split into two cannot be strung together again, no malicious designs of his enemies would have any adverse effect on him. He said that when the gu;du;gu;du; drum was tightened, it only made the drum stronger, all their conspiracies would only make him stronger; and it was Amu;ni;mu;ye¾ leaves that had ordered that all his enemies would lose concentration and cohesion. That was why all their diabolic plans had not been able to affect him in any way. When the conspirators heard these statements they simply disposed in disarray, OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ was given free hand to enjoy his hard-earned wealth. SÙa;ka; bale;ô, sôa;ka; ro; yagbayagba Is¾ôu¾ o¾ôro¾ô bale¾ô ko; ra¾ti¾ra¾ti¾ E®Ùe¾ôru¾n lo; de;, loômoôde; ‘Ku¾nrin d’o¾ri; Ifa; Di;a; fu;n O®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;sôawo loô si;le; A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ I®igba¾ti; o; n;fojooju;mo;ô sun-unrun i¾su¾nkusun To; n;fojooju;mo;ô la; a¾la;ka;la¾a; EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O® gb’e¾ôboô, o; ru’boô OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; de;le; A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ O: tu;n aye; A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ sôe O: wa; gba;gu;n owo; O: gba;gu;n ola; O: gba;gu;n ola; O: gba;gu;n oôlo;ôgi¾nni¾ng¾ i¾nni¾ asôoô I®ra¾da¾ Wo;ôn wa; ni; ni;bo ni; yo;o; gbe;e gba¾? O®Ùru;nmi¾la; ni; e¾ôyi¾n o; mo;ô wi;pe; la;ki;ri;boto ki¾i; loj;u; awe;ô E®ôla¾ i¾le;ôke;ô kan ki¾i; lo;ju¾ a¾toku¾nbo¾ô Bi; a ba; n; fu;n gu;du;gu;du; Nsôe lara re¾ô ma;a n; le OÙwo;ô o¾ô mi; wa; b’ewe; amu;nimu;ye¾ e te¾mi¾ Po¾ro¾ ti; mo ba; de; Ifa; Ka¾sôa¾i¾ ba; mi; mu; wo;ôn ni;ye¾ i;ku¾n Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni; ni; a¾ru;se;ô ogun Aj¾a¾sôe;ô ogun l¾a¾a; ba; ni; le;ôse¾ô OÙba;ri¾sôa;

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OGBE®’DI:

Translation: SÙa;ka; bale;ô, sôa;ka; ro; yagbayagba Is¾ôu¾ o¾ôro¾ô bale¾ô ko; ra¾ti¾ra¾ti¾ E®Ùe¾ôru¾n lo; de;, loômoôde; „Ku¾nrin d‟o¾ri; Ifa; They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for O®ôru;nmi¾la; When going on an Ifa; mission to the home of A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ When A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was having sleepless nights And was having nightmares OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; was advised to offer eôboô He complied When he arrived at A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ home He received gifts of cash He received gifts of clothing And received gifts of land and ornaments His antagonists threatened that he would not be able to consummate these fortunes OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; declared, Don‟t you know that the la;ki;ri;boto kola nut has no lobe A split bead has nowhere to put string through If we pull on the leather used to make the gu;du;gu;du; drum It‟s sound will become more audible I have now gotten a hold of my own amu;nimu;ye¾ leaves As soon as i arrive Ifa; will becloud their consciousness Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory Victory over adversity is what Ifa; guarantees for its followers Ifa; assures this person victory over all those who plan to block his/her fortunes and ensure that he/she fails to actualise his/her dreams and enjoy the fruit of his/her labour.

12.Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô urgently in order to prevent himself/herself from experiencing untimely death. Ifá says that the ground that will consume him/her is already open. The ground must be covered (propitiated) as quickly as possible. To do this, Ifa; recommends this person to procure one mature he-goat, plenty of idi; leaves and money. After the eôboô, a hole will be dug in the ground; the same he-goat from the eôbo will be sacrificed into the hole and the head of the he-goat will be placed

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inside the hole; the leaves will be placed on top of the goat‟s head. The Odu¾ (Ogbe¾-Odi;) will need to be imprinted on I®yer¾ô o¾su¾n in an OÙpon;ô Ifa; and this stanza will be recited. After this, the I®yer¾ô o¾su¾n will be poured on top of the leaves and the ground will then be covered with soil. That is when the threat of death will be eliminated for this person. On this aspect, Ogbe¾ Odi; says: Iku; du;du; ni;i; k’osu¾n du;du; Iku; pupa ni;i; k’osu¾n pupa Ai¾ri;ku¾n a ku¾n’le¾ôpa do¾do¾o¾do¾ Ti; n;beô l’a;la¾de O®®Ùrun Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ni;jo;ô oô wo;ôn ni; ile¾¾ô la'nu ni';le; e Baba EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Black death is it that paints itself with charcoal Red death is it that paints itself with camwood That which has nothing to use will rub on itself dug-up soil That resides in heaven above These were Ifa;‟s declarations for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ On the day that the ground opened in his home He was advised to offer eôboô To sleep was a serious issue. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ considered sleeping, even taking a nap as an ordeal that he was better off without. Why? The dreams that he was having were more than enough to drive anyone crazy. The dreams created serious fears and unbelievable premonitions in him. Yet, to sleep was sometimes inevitable. He dreaded the time that he would close his eyes. He used to see himself in the midst of wild animals being torn into shreds and scattered everywhere. Sometimes, he would see himself being buried alive, only for him to realise that he was just sleeping. Anytime that he slept, he would wake up with startled because of his terrible dreams. For how long would he continue to endure this discomfort? That was why, one day, he made up his mind to consult Ifá in order to put an end to these undesirable experiences. What did he need to do to get rid of these premonitions? He asked.

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OGBE®’DI:

The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; that the ground had opened in order to consume him. He was however assured that it would not happen. He was told that what he needed to do was to perform the necessary eôboô to fill up the hole that was meant to be his grave. He was advised to offer the eôboô as stated above. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ procured the eôboô materials immediately. The Awo performed the ceremony for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ that same day. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ returned home, full of hope and confidence. In the evening on that day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ fell asleep and woke up without any untoward incident. He even had a sweet dream! From that day onward, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ slept and woke up as normally as other people. He was so happy that his premonitions had all disappeared. He was able to concentrate on his assignments throughout his sojourn on earth. Iku; du;du; ni;i; k’osu¾n du;du; Iku; pupa ni;i; k’osu¾n pupa Ai¾ri;ku¾n a ku¾n’le¾ôpa do¾do¾o¾do¾ Ti; n;beô l’a;la¾de O®®Ùrun Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ni;jo;ô oô wo;ôn ni; ile¾¾ô la'nu ni';le; e Baba EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;;ôboô, o; ru;boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n, o; j’oyin loô Translation: Black death is it that paints itself with charcoal Red death is it that paints itself with camwood That which has nothing to use will rub on itself dug-up soil That resides in heaven above These were Ifa;‟s declarations for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ On the day that the ground opened in his home He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy long life The longevity guaranteed by Ifa; is sweeter than honey

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Ifa; says that this person shall not experience any untimely death. He/she shall live long, grow old and die peacefully.

13.Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô against untimely death. This person is being threatened by death and there is the urgent need to address the problem. Ifa; warns this person never to keep fowls in his/her home or engage in poultry business. This is indeed a very serious taboo for those born by this Odu¾¾. If it is revealed during routine Ifa; consultation, the person needs to stay away from where fowls are kept or reared. It is not in his/her best interest to be close to these birds. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one he-goat, plenty of idi; leaves, a long strip of fu;u¾ cloth and money. On this, Ifa; says: Ogbe¾ di; Ogbe¾ sôin SÙangiliti o¾ôpe¾ô sôinsôi¾nsôin Di;a; fu;n OÙloômoô A-gbo;ô-ha¾a¾-adi¾¾eô-ku; E®yi; ti; wo;ôn ni; ko; ru;’boô si; lai¾ku; araa reô Translation: Ogbe¾ di; Ogbe¾ sôin SÙangiliti o¾ôpe¾ô sôinsôi¾nsôin They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙloômoô-A-gbo;ô-ha¾a¾-adi¾eô-ku; (He-who-hears-the-sound-of-a-fowl-and-dies) Who was advised to offer the eôboô against untimely death OÙloômoô A-gbo-;ô ha¾a¾-adi¾eô-ku; was seriously ill. Most of her family members had almost lost hope of her ability to survive the illness. They did not even know what the illness was in the first place. They had spent a lot of money. Yet, there was no improvement on her state of health. At a certain stage, many of her family members no longer came to visit her. They felt that no amount of money could help her regain her health.

225

OGBE®’DI:

Her husband and two immediate family members however stood firmly by her. They did not hesitate to continue spending any amount on her in order to make her regain her health and vitality. They were prepared to go to anyone who claimed to have the knowledge or remedy for her ailment. One day, they heard about the group of Ifá priests mentioned above and off they went to seek a solution to A-gbo;ô-ha;a¾-adi¾eô-ku;‟s problem. When they got there, Ifa;; was consulted on her behalf and Ogbe-„Di was revealed. The group of Awo explained to them that A-gbo;ô-ha;a¾-adi¾eô-ku; was suffering from ailments caused by breaking taboos. They were told that she was the victim of a spiritual allergy which was caused by her close contact with fowls. The Awo told them that she might lose her life if she did not move away from where there were fowls and other birds. They were also advised to offer eôboô as stated above. They offered the eôboô instantly. When they returned home, they moved away all the fowls in the compound. They ensured that no animal with feathers gained entrance into their compound. Before two weeks, they noticed a slight improvement in the condition of her health. Could it be true that her close contact with birds was really what was responsible for her ill-health? They continued to apply the medication given to them by the Awo on her. Five weeks after, she was able to stand and walk by herself. Her appetite improved. Eight weeks after the eôboô was offered, they noticed a little smile on her face. This was too good to be true. They also noticed that some of her family members who had hitherto stayed away from her returned, giving all sorts of excuses for their long absence. Three months after, A-gbo;ô-ha;a-¾ adi¾eô-ku; regained her health. She returned to her normal business. She was full of gratitude to OÙlodumare, Ifa;, the Awo and her family members who stood by her during her health ordeal. Ogbe¾ di; Ogbe¾ sôi;n SÙangiliti o¾ôpe¾ô sôinsôi¾nsôin Di;a; fu;n OÙloômoô- A-gboô;-ha¾a¾-;adi;eô-ku; E®yi; ti; wo;ôn ni; ko; ru;'boô si; lai¾ku; araa reô O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ j¾i¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba¾ ni; la;i¾ku; kangiri Ai¾ku; Ifa; du¾n o; j'oyin loô

226


Translation: Ogbe¾ di; Ogbe¾ sôi;n SÙangiliti o¾ôpe¾ô sôinsôi¾nsôin They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙloômoô-A-gbo;ô-ha¾a¾-adi¾eô-ku; (He-who-hears-the-sound-of-a-fowl-and-dies) Who was advised to offer eôboô against untimely death He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy long life The longevity guaranteed by Ifa; is sweeter than honey Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall enjoy his/her life to the fullest, he/she shall live long without any health challenges which may cut short his/her life.

14.Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to deliberate carefully before taking any major decisions in life. He/she needs to ensure that he/she does not take any decision that may bounce back on him/her in the end. In other words, this person is advised not to inadvertantly set traps against himself/herself. Ifa; equally warns this person not to be too rigid in any pronouncement that he/she makes. He/she needs to be cautious when enacting any law or rule that is expected to be followed strictly by all and sundry. On the other hand, it is possible that this person has already made some pronouncements or laws which have backfired on them. He/she has sanctioned others with the pronouncement but right now, he/she has become a victim of his/her own pronouncements. Ifa; therefore advises this person to offer eôboô in order to pull himself/herself out of the dilemma. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks, two fresh fowl eggs, shea butter and money. After this, Ifa; says that there is the urgent need to review some enactments where this Odu¾ is revealed. Any law or enactment which has become unrealistic must be reviewed accordingly.

227

OGBE®’DI:

On these aspects, Ogbe¾‟Di¾i; says: Ee;wo n;la; ni;i; soô i¾mo¾ôra¾n l’e;ônu Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; n;;lo¾ôoô; jeô ol’o;ri; asôo¾fin i¾lu;; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: A big boil exasperates an understanding person This was Ifa;‟s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la; When going to become the head of the law-makers in the community He was advised to offer eôboô There were too many criminals in town. Consequent upon this, there was general consensus that such drastic problems required even more drastic solutions. It was therefore decided that all those who committed crimes, big or small, must be put to death on the very day that the crime was committed. Nobody was above the law; nobody should be treated as being above the law. All criminals must be executed the day that they were caught, even for small offenses. One day, Ala;ra;‟s son was caught eating a morsel of meat that he took from his mother‟s pot of soup without first asking for permission from his mother. Before he could explain himself to those who had caught him, he was beheaded in broad daylight! This made Ala;ra; grieve uncontrollably. He could do nothing about it because he was one of the people who had decreed this punitive law. Three weeks after this, Ajero¾‟s daughter, his only female child was caught rubbing her mother‟s coconut oil into her hair. She had gone inside her mother‟s room to pick the oil when her mother was not at home. Why was she using her mother‟s oil without asking for permission? What belongs to her mother also belongs to her impressed none of the prosecutors. She however was adjudged guilty and was beheaded instantly. There was a serious disagreement between two families over land issues. One of the two warring families set fire on the disputed land. They were caught. The whole family was arrested, arraigned and executed that same day.

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In the estimation of the community, that was the best way to curb any form of crime. Petty larceny, adultery, promiscuity, rudeness, public assault, and any other small or big offense deserved capital punishment.. It was at this period that O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was conferred with a chieftaincy title. As an additional responsibility, he was told to be the head of the law makers. It was pronounced that all criminals must be brought before him. He would have to listen to the case and pronounce the suspect guilty or innocent. The moment the culprit was pronounced guilty, he/she would be executed instantly. There was no room for postponement of any case. It must be concluded on the very day that the crime was committed. When these explanations were given to O®Ùru;nmi¾la;, he knew instantly that this was not wise. Why must all offences carry the same punishment? Why must the punishment be capital punishment? Why must someone who used his/her parents' things without permission be killed because of that? Why must someone who eats two pieces of stolen bananas be killed for that? Why must there be capital punishment for people who were found guilty of rudeness? What kind of society were they trying to build? O®Ùru;nmi¾la; concluded that there was an urgent need to review this law. It was clear to O®Ùru;nmi¾la; that those who promulgated these laws did so without proper deliberation and wisdom. They failed to think about the future and the consequences of the laws they were making. That was why many of the lawmakers had become victims of the same laws they had promulgated. Instead of regulating anything in the society, they had actually set traps for themselves and many of them had fallen into these traps. These laws must be reviewed, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; vowed. But how? He had no idea. That was why he went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I do well as the head of the law makers in the community? What do I need to do in order to succeed in my new assignment? The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He was also assured that there would be an opportunity to effect the much needed change because it is highly imperative to ensure that the changes took place, and very urgently too. Four days after he became the head of the law makers, something serious happened; his son, the child of OÙlo;ôfin, the daughter of Ala;ra;, two of the children of Ajero¾, two of the children of OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n-A®ga and the daughter of Olo;jom¾bo; were caught eating coconuts that were assumed not to be theirs. Their explanations did not impress those who accosted them. They were

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beaten to a pulp. Those who beat them up decided to take them to O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s house that same evening in order for them to be summarily executed. While they were on their way, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ rushed ahead of them to go and leak out their plans to O®Ùru;nmi¾la;. Why must eight young ones be executed simply because they were caught eating coconuts that were not theirs? Who will benefit from this law? What must he do to avert the death of these children? He asked himself. Eṣu however assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la; that the young ones would not die that day. He said that he would ensure that O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was not in any position to make any pronouncements that day. He then proceeded by rubbing the body of O®Ùru;nmi¾la; with the shea butter that he used as part of his eôboô materials. He also deposited the two fresh eggs into his mouth. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to feign illness when the people arrived in his house. Soon after this, both the accusers and the accused arrived. They were prevented from entering O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s room by E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾. He told them that O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was very ill. They insisted that there was the need for O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to make a pronouncement on the eight culprits this very day. That was the law and the law must be obeyed. E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ said that it was not possible for O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to make any pronouncement because he was very ill. The accusers would have none of that, they insisted that he must do so. E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ then told them to choose two people among them to enter the room to see O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s condition. They did. When they entered the room, E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ hit O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s left cheek with his elbow. One of the two eggs lodged in his mouth broke. He threw everything down, it looked like vomit. E®sôu¾ O®®Ùda¾ra¾ told the accusers that it was because they were trying to force O®ôru;nmi¾la¾¾ to speak that he vomited. Before they could say anything, E®sôu¾ O®®Ùda¾ra¾ hit O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s right cheek with his elbow and the second egg broke. He "vomited" again. E®sôu¾ O®®Ùda¾ra¾ then chased them away from O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s house. As soon as they left, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; and E®sôu® O®®Ùda¾ra¾ had a good laugh. The trick was perfectly executed. It also brought the desired result. Very early the next day, the accusers returned. They met E®sôu¾ O®®Ùda¾ra¾ again. He asked them what their mission was. They told him. E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ then shouted at the top of his voice and called them names. He said, "You are all fools!" He shouted; "you have all spoilt this law! This judgement should have occurred yesterday! You all are stupid people! Why are you all coming now? What have you found out now that was different from what you discovered yesterday? Fools! Idiots! Why didn‟t you use your brains yesterday? Have you idiots found new information now? If yes, what did you find out"?

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That was when one of them responded that they had since found out that the young ones actually bought the coconuts from the owner and didn‟t steal them. They were assured that the coconuts were not stolen. It was an error of judgement in the first place to accuse the young ones of stealing. "When did you find this out?" E®sôu¾ OÙda¾ra¾ asked. "We discovered this just this morning", they responded. "Why did you rush here yesterday when you had not done your investigations properly?" E®sôu¾ asked them. They had no answers to that. After this E®sôu¾ said, "If O®Ùru;nmi¾la; had been well yesterday, you all would have taken the lives of these innocent children!" They kept quiet. "Nitwits! Fools! Murderers! Blood suckers! Wicked souls! Why are you taking delight in taking innocent lives? Olodumare will punish you all for killing innocent people." The accusers were totally confused to open up this time. They wished for the ground to open up and swallow them. This was when O®Ùru;nmi¾la; came out of his house and declared that the laws were supposed to be made for the benefit of mankind. Any law serving no benefit to mankind must be reviewed further. He declared that all laws promulgated in the land must be reviewed and amended as required. He then set the eight young ones free. Ee;wo n;la; ni;i; soô i¾mo¾ôra¾n l’e;ônu Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; n;lo¾ôoô; jeô ol’o;ri; asôo¾fin i¾lu; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô'boô o; ru';boô Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni; ba;yo¾ô EÙ wa; wo're o Translation: A big boil exasperates an understanding person This was Ifa‟s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la; When going to become the head of the law-makers in the community He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life

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Ifa; says that this person shall not be allowed to make a law that will backfire against him/her in the end. This is the reason why he/she needs to weigh any pronouncement and really think about its impact and effectiveness before declaring something as law. 15. Ifa; says that if conditions are unfavourable for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed and if this condition has failed to improve after much effort, the reason for this is that the person has made a solemn promise that he/she has failed to fulfil. Ifa; says that this person has paid the good deeds of his/her benefactors with evil. He/she has bitten the hand that feeds him/her. This is the reason why his/her situation had deteriorated and defied all solutions. Ifa; also says that if this person borrows any money, he/she will attempt to delay the time they need to pay back the money. If care is not taken, he/she may even look for means and ways of ensuring that the money is never paid back and may even intend on inflicting pain on his/her benefactor. Ifa; stresses the fact that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is actually suffering from a curse placed on his/her head by someone who he/she had wronged. Until and unless this curse is removed, this person shall continue to live a life of sorrow, agony, and regrets. Ifa; advises someone whose situation has gone from bad to worse to go and be initiated into Ifá. This person has no money to do the initiation right now. He/she may be assisted by the Awo but the Awo should know that this person may not honour any pledge that he/she makes to the Awo. Ifá however warns this person to ensure that he/she does not forget or maltreat his/her benefactors. No matter what this person offers as ẹbọ, the most important thing is for him/her to never repay good with evil and to always honour his/her pledges. On these aspects, Ogbe¾-O®di; says: O®Ùru;nmi¾la; ni; bo;ô ba; ka¾n ni;'pa; EÙ je;ô ko; ka¾n ni;'pa; Bo; ba; ka¾n ni; ja¾ge¾de¾ Ki; a ka¾n-a;n ni; ja¾ge¾de¾ Ta ti¾le¾ô ni ko¾ mo¾ô wi;pe; ja¾de¾ge¾ ni; yo;o; ti; le¾ô ko;ôko;ô d 'a;ye;? Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾

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Baba n; loô re¾e; teô A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ ni;'fa; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ declares that if it requires physical force Let us use physical force If it requires the use of preternatural force Let us use preternatural force Who does not know that preternatural forces manifest before any other force These were Ifa;'s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ When going to initiate A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ into Ifa; He was advised to offer eôboô By the time that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, the master of strong charms and preternatural manifestations, came to O®Ùru;nmi¾la; for Ifa; consultation, he was simply fed up with life. He could not understand why despite his mastery of vast esoteric knowledge, everything good just refused to move into his life. He had the knowledge on how to conjure things and yet he had nothing to show for it. For instance, he could turn stones into meat, sand into grains and water into blood but he had failed woefully to turn his own life around from the situation where he had run it aground. He prepared several good luck and success potions which worked perfectly for others but which simply failed to work for him. What was this supposed to mean, he asked himself repeatedly. He could not come up with any concrete answer. He could only guess why his life had not improved. His enemies must be responsible for his woes, he concluded. If not, what else could it be? He began to convince himself that this must be the case. Before long, he began to believe that it was simply the case. He convinced himself that it was the case. He began to use several potions against his enemies and adversaries. There was no solution. As a matter of fact, his case went from bad to worse. He soon concluded that the best thing was to confront these enemies. But who were they? He could not be so certain of who to confront. Before long, all his strong charms failed to work anymore. He could not use his hands to do anything effective for anyone. His two hands became spiritual and esoterically dead. What was this? Hunger and frustration set in. Soon after, desperation joined his woes. He concluded that he was better off dead than being alive. Before he died however, he decided to go to O®Ùru;nmi¾lá to find out why his life had failed so badly. He had worked himself up so much that his mind was not thinking of any turn-around in his life. He believed that

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if there was any chance of improvement in his life, his strong charms would have done it. He only wanted to know why his life had collapsed before he committed suicide. In O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s home, A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was informed that even though his success chances had run down considerably, nobody was responsible for his failure. He was assured that his situation would improve and he would be able to actualize his potentials. He was advised to go and get himself initiated into Ifá immediately, as that was the only thing lacking in his life and was the only thing that could break the yoke of failure and poverty for him. It was with amazement and utter disbelieve that A®roôô¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ heard what O®Ùru;nmi¾la; said. So, it was because he had not been initiated into Ifá that his life had gone down completely? So, there was nobody trying to put him down? So, his life could still improve and his things go up again? So, joy and contentment could still return into his life? So, his hands could be resurrected to make his charms work again? Well, he reasoned, if that is the case, then he had better give it a trial and if there is no improvement, especially after about six full moons, he would then go ahead and terminate his life. There was another problem however; where would he get all the money and materials to use for his initiation when he knew for certain that he was worth nothing as he sat before O®Ùru;nmi¾la;?He knew of nobody who would take the risk of lending him money, when they knew that he had no means of paying back the loan. Well may be his lot was not to succeed in life. If not, what could explain what had been happening to him. The advice of O®Ùru;nmi¾la; which he wanted to give a trial had become impossible because he had nobody to lend him the money. In pain, agony and disillusion he stood up to go. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; asked him what was amiss. He responded that much as he would have loved to comply with O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s recommendation for him, he did not have the money or materials to do the initiation. He concluded that he had come into the world to fail and be frustrated. He had therefore decided to return to his house to die. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; took pity on A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji¾a¾ when he heard what he said. He decided to help him out. Consequently, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; got all the materials for A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji¾a¾ and the initiation was performed. It was a comprehensive affair. All the money spent for the initiation was calculated and A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ promised to refund everything if his life improved as O®Ùru;nmi¾la; had assured him that it would.

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The day A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾ ¾left the Igbo;du¾, he had not reached his own house before he knew that his life and condition had actually improved. All his clients who had hitherto abandoned him were looking for him. He even gained more customers. Seven days after he completed his initiation and left the Igbo;du¾, his main problem was how to satisfy his numerous clients. He employed more hands and got more students who were to study under him. By the time it was six months since he had left the Igbo;du¾, he had success stories to tell. He had however forgotten about O®Ùru;nmi¾la; and the money he was owing him. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; gave A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾ two years before he decided to ask for the money that he was owing him. By this time, A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji;;a¾ had become the most successful person in the community. He was held in awe because of his numerous charms. Nobody dared to confront him on anything he did. That was why O®Ùru;nmi¾la; could not understand why A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji;a¾ failed to redeem the pledge he made on paying back the money. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; concluded that A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji;a¾ must have forgotten about the money. All he needed to do was to remind him and he (A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji;a¾) would send over the money immediately. The amount that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was owing O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was like a drop of water in a deep well. Consequently O®Ùru;nmi¾la; sent one of his students to A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia to inform him not to forget his pledge. When the student returned home, he had been beaten black and blue. One of his legs was broken. Blood was flowing all over his body. What went wrong? O®Ùru;nm¾ila¾¾ was informed that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ considered it an insult for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to remind him of such money. A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾ told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾„s student that such money would never be paid back. He also warned O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ never to send anyone to ask for the money again. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la; heard this, he felt strongly that it must have been the manner in which his student approached A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾ that had infuriated him. He asked the student if visitors were present when the message was being relayed. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was not satisfied with his students explanation. Two days after, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; sent another student to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾. This student was senior to the first one and was also older in age. He told the student to go and apologise to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji¾a¾ if the former student had embarrassed him in any way and for A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ to use his discretion on when the money would be refunded. The older student returned with a broken arm. He lost two of his fingers and five of his teeth. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; asked his student what had happened. The student said that A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia was angry that he was sent to come and demand for money. The student was also hit with a rod and the rod broke his arm. When he narrated his ordeal to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, he was totally at a loss as to

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why the youths were finding it so difficult to show humility and respect to an elder. He was still of the opinion that his students were the ones who provoked A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia. He restrained himself from blaming the two students because he realised that they were in deep pain. Still he wanted to prove to them that their approach was wrong. He wanted to show them that A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia was a responsible person who would not pay good with evil or display wickedness where kindness had been shown to him. Five days after the second incident, he sent the eldest of all his students to A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia with the instruction that he should apologise for the misconduct of his two students and after that, he could then ask A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia about the money. He was warned to ensure that he was very diplomatic in his approach. He must not be rude in any way to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾. He left for A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾'s house. As soon as he left, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; told all his students that they would see that the eldest student would bring good results back from A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾'s house. He lectured them on the virtues of respect for elders, humility and diplomacy. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ vouched for A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾'s good character. He stated further that those who lacked humility, respect, diplomacy and meekness would be appropriately sanctioned. They were still on this lecture session when the Awo returned missing one eye. He was also accompanied by one of A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾'s aides. The aide told O®Ùru;nmi¾la; that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ just pitied the student sent to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ and that was why his (the student's) life was spared. The aide also warned O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ never to send any other person to A®Ùro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a's¾ house again, stating that the money should be forgotten as it would not be paid back. If anyone was sent to A®Ùro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a's¾ house again, the aide emphasised, that person would be dealt with without mercy as force and strong charms would be liberally used to attack the person. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; could not believe his ears when he heard all that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾'s aide had finished saying. He spoke with utter arrogance and disrespect. He slammed shut the door when he left the house. All of them kept looking at the Aide as he walked down the street until he disappeared from sight. After some time had passed that seemed like an eternity, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ told his Awo that it was time for him to go there and see things for himself. He however waited for another five days before he went to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾'s house. When he got there, he met A®Ùro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ in the frontage of his house. He greeted A®Ùro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ but the greeting was not returned. He began by apologising to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ on behalf of the three students whom he claimed had been rude

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and disrespectful to him (Aroni). Before he could finish, A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ gave him a heavy blow to the eye. This shook O®Ùru;nmi¾la; and dazed him. He picked a long cane and began to whip O®Ùru;nmi¾la; with the cane. He beat him until he (A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾) was exhausted. He then kicked O®Ùru;nmi¾la; with his right leg and O®Ùru;nmi¾la; fell down. As O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was on the ground, A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ started kicking him with both legs. That was when O®Ùru;nmi¾la; made his weeping the weeping of shouting, he made is i¾ye¾ôre¾¾, the i¾ye¾ôre¾ô of lamentation, and declared thus: A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko;ô eô ni;'po O ma¾we; mi Apa; reô kan a; loô si A®roô¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo koô; eô ni;'po O ma¾we; mi Esôe¾ô reô kan a; loô si A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko;ô eô ni';po O ma¾we; mi; Oju; reô kan a; loô si A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko; eô ni;po O ma¾we; mi; o! Translation: A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, I initiated you and made you great But you pay me back with ingratitude One of your arms shall be lost because of this A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, I initiated you and opened the doors of opportunity for you But you pay me back with wickedness One of your legs shall be lost because of this A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a,¾ I initiated you and ensured that you would become great in life But you pay me back with malevolence One of your eyes shall be lost because of this A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a,¾ I initiated you and made you relevant and important in life But you pay me back with inconsideration As soon as O®ru;nmi¾la¾ finished this i¾ye¾¾ôre¾¾ô, it turned into a curse and all the Awo in heaven and earth, those under the sea, ground, rivers, lakes, mountains and

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hills upheld the curse. A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ began to experience strange feelings around him; they cut his right arm off, then his left leg, and removed his right eye. That was how A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ became an entity with one arm, one leg and one eye up until today. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; ni; bo;ô ba; ka¾n ni;'pa; EÙ je;ô ko; ka¾n ni;'pa; Bo; ba; ka¾n ni; ja¾ge¾de¾ Ki; a ka¾n-a;n ni; ja¾ge¾de¾ Ta ti¾le¾ô ni ko¾ mo¾ô wi;pe; ja¾de¾ge¾ ni; yo;o; ti; le¾ô ko;ôko;ô d 'a;ye;? Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n; loô re¾e; teô A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ ni;'fa; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko;ô eô ni;'po O ma¾we; mi Apa; reô kan a; loô si A®roô¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo koô; eô ni;'po O ma¾we; mi Esôe¾ô reô kan a; loô si A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko;ô eô ni';po O ma¾we; mi; Oju; reô kan a; loô si A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko; eô ni;po O ma¾we; mi; o! E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾ o¾fa¾ Eni¾ gb' eô¾boô ni; be;ô ko; wa;a; sôeboô o Translation: O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ declares that if it requires physical force Let us use physical force If it requires the use of preternatural force Let us use preternatural force Who does not know that preternatural forces manifest before any other force These were Ifa;'s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ When going to initiate A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ into Ifa; He was advised to offer eôboô He complied

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A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, I initiated you and made you great But you pay me back with ingratitude One of your arms shall be lost because of this A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, I initiated you and opened the doors of opportunity for you But you pay me back with wickedness One of your legs shall be lost because of this A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a,¾ I initiated you and ensured that you would become great in life But you pay me back with malevolence One of your eyes shall be lost because of this A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a,¾ I initiated you and made you relevant and important in life But you pay me back with inconsideration Travellers to Ìpo and o¾fa¾ Let those advised to offer eôboô comply accordingly Ifa; says that it shall not let the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed live with a curse for the rest of his/her life. This person however needs to appreciate the value of paying back goodness with goodness. Ifa; also advises one Babala;wo/Iyanifa to be very careful before using his/her own money to procure eôboô materials (or other form of financial assistance) for a client. This client may not be inclined to refund the money when it is due. 16. Ifa; says that where this Odu¾ is revealed, someone has recently been initiated into Ifa;. This initiate has used the lkin of a dead person to do his/her Iteôni;fa;. The dead person may be the parent, relative, family member or close acquaintance of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that this dead person whose lkin was used to perform the Iteôni;fa; for the person for whom this Odù is revealed was also initiated into Ifa; but the final burial rites were not performed according to Ifa;; specifications. The dead person is waiting impatiently for the rite to be performed and if it is not done, the consequences will be very grave for the person who has used the dead person‟s lkin to perform iteôni;fa;. Ifa; says that there is the urgent need to bury all the lkin at the back of the house where the water from the bathroom, kitchen and restroom normally passes outside the house. A hole will be dug, cocoyam leaves will be spread at the bottom of the shallow hole, the lkin will be emptied in the hole, and a

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mature pig will be slaughtered and the blood drained into the hole where the lkin have been placed. An Ifa; tray will be procured and Iyerosun will be used to imprint Ogbe¾-O®®di; on the tray. The Odù will be recited and the Iyerosun will be poured into the hole. The hole will then be covered back with sand. After this, a new set of lkin will be prepared for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Once all these have been performed, this person‟s life will be full of life. On this aspect, Ifa; states thus: A®gba; n; sôubu; l' a¾gba; Ogi¾dan n; sôubu; lu ogidan I®pe¾se¾ n; sôubu; lu i¾pe¾se¾ Di;a; fu;n Ewu; Ti; yo;o; gba lkin O®Ùro¾¾ôroôô¾ te¾ô EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: A®gba;; drums are falling on other A®gba;; drums Ogidan drums are falling on other Ogidan drums Ìpe¾se¾ drums are falling on other Ìpe¾se¾ drums This was the message of Ifa; for Ewu; Who was initiated with Ikin that were earlier used by O¾ô®roôô¾ro¾¾ô for initiation He was advised to offer eôboô OÙ®ro¾ôroôô¾ was a fantastic Ifa; priest and practitioner when he was alive. He abided by all the rules and regulations of Ifa;. Not only this, he was well trained, very efficient, effective, honest, humble and hopeful. He was benevolent to a fault. He was always looking for ways and means of assisting others. Any time there was any problem, OÙÙ®roôô¾ro¾¾ô would be one of the people who would find a lasting solution to the problem. Anyone who went to him for help would never be disappointed. When OÙÙ®roôô¾roôô¾ died, it was a big loss to the whole community. The family had a quick meeting and decided to ensure that at least one of his children continued where he had left off. It was unanimously decided that Ewu; must be the one to continue the good work of his father.

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O®Ùro¾ro¾ died during breakfast time and he was buried at dinner time. The same Ikin that he used while he was alive were used to initiate Ewu; into Ifa; three days after. Ewu; spent 17 days inside the Igbodu¾ and all the rites were comprehensively performed. When O®®Ùroôô¾ro¾¾ô arrived in heaven, his good character eminently qualified him for oôgba¾ i¾ter;ô o¾ô, the garden of eternal peace. He was welcomed to the gate of ogba¾ ite;rô oô¾ with pomp and pageantry. The sentries in heaven asked him questions on how he lived on earth with respect. He responded with humility. The sentries in heaven told him that his good character was his passport to enter oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô. He was assured that he was more than qualified to be in oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô. They then demanded for his Ikin which were supposed to be buried with him after all necessary rituals had been performed on him and his Ikin. (The normal practice is for one hand of Ifa; (16 lkin) to be buried with the dead in order to serve as his/her visa to oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô). None were buried with him. O®Ùro¾ôro¾ô simply told the sentries in heaven that his children and loved ones would soon perform the remaining rites and his Ikin would soon be buried with him inside his grave. The sentries then told him that even though he had the passport to be in oôgba¾- ite;rô o¾ô, his visa (the Ikin) to enter the innermost chamber of oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô were not available. For this reason, OÙÙ®ro¾¾ôroôô¾ was told that he was not allowed to enter the main garden of oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô. He was therefore told to stay outside the garden. Even though the outside garden was peaceful and comfortable, OÙÙ®ro¾¾ôroôô¾ was not satisfied, but there was nothing he could do about it. The only thing he could do was wait for his loved ones on earth to perform the rituals to qualify him to gain entrance into the innermost garden. For seven years, he waited. Ewu; simply continued to use his father‟s Ikin to perform as his father OÙÙ®ro¾¾ôroôô¾ was doing while on earth. In the end, O®Ùroôô¾ro¾¾ô became restless and uncomfortable. He decided to pay a visit to earth and bring back his Ikin by himself. Ewu; began to have frightening dreams and terrible premonitions. That was why they took him to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: What is the meaning of the dreams I am having? The Awo told him that the owner of the Ikin that he was initiated with wanted the Ikin back and they must be returned to the owner. Ewu; was advised to do it as explained above. When Ewu; got home, he was totally convinced that the Awo was being mischievous. How could he go and bury the Ikin that his father had used successfully and which was also giving him success? No. That would not be done. If he had been told to bury a new set of Ikin, he

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could do that; but to give away his father‟s Ikin, this was totally out of the question. For this reason, he did not offer the eôboô. Before the end of the year, O®Ùro¾¾ôroôô¾ finally arrived on earth. He went straight to Ewu;'s house. He grabbed his Ikin together with Ewu; and pulled both Ewu; and the Ikin to heaven! A®gba; n; sôubu; l' a¾gba; Ogidan n; sôubu; lu ogidan I®pe¾se¾ n; sôubu; lu i¾pe¾se¾ Di;a; fu;n Ewu; Ti; yo;o; gba lkin O®Ùro¾¾ôroôô¾ te¾ô EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O;: ko'ôti; oôô¾gboônhin s'ôe;ôboô N®je;ô o; n;gbe; ikin re¾ôe;ô loô o O: n; gbe; ikin re¾ôe;ô loô o E®Ùyin o¾ ri; O®®Ùro¾¾ôroôô¾ Ti; n¾gbe; ikin re¾ôe;ô loô Pe¾ôlu; Ewu; O: n¾gbe; ikin re¾ôe;ô loô o Translation: A®gba; drums are falling on other A®gba; drums Ogidan drums are falling on other Ogidan drums Ìpe¾se¾ drums are falling on other Ìpe¾se¾ drums This was the message of Ifa; for Ewu; Who was initiated with Ikin that were earlier used by O¾ô®roôô¾ro¾¾ô for initiation He was advised to offer eôboô He simply ignored the eôboô Behold, he is carrying away his Ikin He is taking away his Ikin Can't you see OÙ®ro¾¾ôroôô¾ Who is taking away his Ikin Together with Ewu; He is taking away his Ikin Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to ignore this warning. Doing so can only lead to grief and gnashing of the teeth.


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B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® O®DI: FOR THOSE BORN BY THIS ODU DURING I®KOÙSEÙD ® A:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA: When Ogbe¾ O®di; children were coming from heaven, the Ire of financial success, compatible spouse, great children, sound health, several properties, longlife, and self actualization were specifically loaded into their Ori as part of their destinies on earth. Consequent upon this, there is no aspect of Ire that they will not achieve. Not only this, Ogbe¾ O®di; children also have the luck of being elevated over and above their contemporaries. For all Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, they usually contend with five major issues in their lives. These issues are i) There Ori appears not to be strong enough to withstand the evil plans and activities of their detractors. ii) They also have health challenges that usually take them to healing homes on a regular basis. iii) They are always implicated on issues which they know little or nothing about. iv) They find it a challenge to enjoy the fullness of their lives, this is because they are always having feelings that something important is missing in their lives. And v) They find it difficult to actualise their expectations in life. With appropriate eôboô however, all these shall become things of the past. This is the reason why it is advisable for all Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, to feed their Ifa; and Ori; regularly. For Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, it is imperative for them to note that anytime that they want to undertake any project or assignment that is very important to their lives, they must never send other people. It is in their own interest to personally attend to such assignments. The reason for this is that if they send someone to do for them what is very crucial to their lives, there exists the tendency that the person sent on this errand will end up taking the glory and the profit of the assignment. Ogbe¾ O®di; children are always threatened by death. There is therefore the need for them to ensure that they offer appropriate eôboô on a regular basis. There is therefore the need for Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, to regularly consult Ifa; and offer eôboô on their health issues. As long as this can be done regularly, Ogbe¾ O®di; children have nothing to fear. In the day to day activities of Ogbe¾-O®di; children, they end up gathering a lot of opposition and enemies. The good thing is that they also have the good

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luck of overcoming all their enemies. Also, people love to cheat Ogbe¾ O®di; children and dispossess them of their hard earned money and belongings. Again, Ifa; says that with appropriate eôboô, they will be victorious over their detractors. Ogbe¾ O®di; children have the tendency of forgetting those who assist them to get to the top as soon as they feel comfortable in life. This is something that they need to take into serious consideration and prevent from happening. Failure to recognise those who do good to them and refusal to honour such good deeds are major things that may lead to the downfall of Ogbe¾ O®di; children. For Ogbe¾ O®di; female children, they appear to be trouble mongers, especially if they are of short stature. They love to create problems and when confronted, they simply burst into uncontrollable tears that can last for several hours. Many times, this is the behaviour that leads to separation or divorce for this woman. For Ogbe¾ O®di; male children, they appear to be quick tempered and they easily jump into conclusions. This makes them to act first and regret later. There is the need for them to review this character in order to live in harmony with others. In general, Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, have come into this world to live rewarding, contented and profitable lives. They will have cause to celebrate their success in life. They are also blessed with great children who will carry on their names when they have departed from this world.

A®boôru; A®boôye¾ C. AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA/¾ AND IRU;NMOÙLEÙ® OF OGBE® O®DI: 1. Ifa; - for progress, direction, victory, long life, elevation, protection, contentment, and overall wellbeing. 2. Ori; - for fulfilment of destiny, victory, support, sanctuary, elevation, direction, contentment, and self actualization 3. E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ - For victory, sanctuary, protection, support, long life, elevation, and overall success 4. O®gu;n - For victory, leadership, success, elevation, and general wellbeing 5. O®Ùna¾ - For achievement, direction, success, elevation, and general wellbeing

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6. OÙ®sôun - For compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing, protection, and general wellbeing 7. OÙba¾ta;la; - For leadership, success, comfort, support, elevation, and general wellbeing 8. EÙgbeô; - For comradeship, leadership, elevation, support, success, victory, and general wellbeing 9. Baa;ya¾nni¾ - For financial success, elevation, progress, direction, contentment and overall wellbeing 10. I®beji¾ - For childbearing, childrearing, support, financial success, and general wellbeing 11. SÙa¾ngo; - for victory, leadership, success, elevation and general wellbeing 12. Egu;ngu;n - for ancestral support, leadership, progress, victory and general wellbeing

D.

TABOOS OF OGBE® O®DI: CHILDREN

1. Must never produce, consume or sell alcohol - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure, regrets and disaster 2. Must never draw money with force from debtors - to avoid disaster, threat to life and calamity 3. Must never repay good deeds with evil - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure, disaster and regrets 4. Must never engage in usury - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure, calamity, and regret 5. Must never accompany anyone going to draw money with force from a debtor - to avoid calamity, and regrets 6. Must never send another person on an errand that is very important to his/her life - to avoid losing his/her success opportunities to others 7. Must never use any Ikin that was used for the initiation of a deceased person - to avoid untimely death and calamity 8. Must never use any part of the elephant for anything - to avoid dwindling success chances, failure and regrets 9. Must never act before proper deliberation is performed on any issue - to avoid unconsummated fortune, ridicule, humiliation, and regret 10. Must never engage in poultry business or consume fowl - to avoid threat to life and disaster

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E. POSSBILE NAMES OF OGBE® O®DI: CHILDREN i. MALES 1. OÙla;gbe;nro; - Honour elevates and sustains me 2. OÙla;n;rewa;ju; - Honour is progressing 3. Ifa;korede; - Ifa; brings all the Ire of life 4. Ifa;la¾na¾ - Ifa paves the way 5. Ifa;di;ya¾ - Ifa; blocks the paths against suffering ii. FEMALES 1. Olu;ko;yin - The Lord brings honour to my life 2. Ifa;sôee;ke;ô - Ifa; is worthy of pampering 3. Ifa;da;mila;re - Ifa; absorbs me 4. Ifa;pami;le;ôrin - Ifa; makes me smile 5. Ifa;peô¾ro¾ô - Ifa; brings peace into my life


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Chapter 4

Ogbè Ìrosùn

II II II I II I 247

OGBE® I®ROSU®N OGBE® DO®SU®MU: OGBE® DA:’WO:Ù O®SU® TEÙ’LEÙ® A.1.Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed during

I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa; shall live a fulfilled life. He/she shall be given space to exhibit his/her full potentials. Ifá says that this person shall succeed more in the rural environment than in an urban centre. This is not to say that he/she cannot succeed in the urban centre, what it means is that he/she will have better chances in a rural setting, or try to consider getting involved in urban agriculture. In this way the connection with the Earth and agricultural land use is established and maintained. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea fowls and money. A handful of red peppers (hot) should also be added as part of the ẹbọ materials. They should also serve O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko as appropriate and indicated by Ifá. On this, a stanza in Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; says: Ogbe¾ d’o;ko, n lo; f’eôseô¾ OÙsi¾n teô’leô¾ l’oô;da¾n Di;a; fu;n Ata Pupa Ti; n;loô oko a¾lero¾ l’oô;du;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ got to the farm and stretched her legs of royalty to the grass-field This was Ifá‟s message for Ata-Pupa, the Hot-Red Pepper When going to the farm for the annual cultivation She was advised to offer ẹbọ

Ata Pupa was full of potential and promise. She planned to multiply in order to satisfy the common good. For this reason, she wanted to

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know which location would make her exhibit her full potentials best. After much deliberation, she decided to go to the farm to stay and multiply. After she had taken this decision, she decided to go to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. Will I make it as expected if I and stay on the farm? Will I be able to multiply and come up in surplus if I invest myself on the farm or if I do this in any other place? Will I be able to satisfy the common good? These and many more were the questions on the mind of Ata Pupa when she approached the Awo for Ifá consultation. The Awo informed Ata Pupa that she had come to determine her success chances where she was going to establish herself. He informed her that she would succeed where she was going because she had a better success chances in a rural area than in the city. When she said that she was actually going to the farm, the Awo told her that no location could be better than that for her. She was informed that her investment would succeed and multiply. She was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied. A few days after, she headed for the farm. She buried herself in the ground. Five days after, she began to come out of the ground with leaves. A month after this, she had bloomed splendidly. Three months after, she had multiplied herself in several hundreds. The outcome was beyond her expectations. She was very glad and grateful to Olo;du¾mare for the blessings of multiplying. Ogbe¾ d’o;ko, n lo; f’eôseô¾ OÙsi¾n teô’leô¾ l’o;ôda¾n Di;a; fu;n Ata Pupa Ti; n;loô oko a¾lero¾ l’oô;du;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô Ifa; ma; je¾ôeô; k’a;ye; e¾ mi o; le¾ p’e¾ôdi;n o Ata Pupa, ki¾i; p’e¾ôdi;n oôr’oô;be¾ô Ata Pupa Ifa; ma; je¾ôeô; k’i;re mi o; le¾ p’e¾ôdi;n o Ata Pupa, ki¾i; p’e¾ôdi;n oôr’o;ôbeô¾ Ata Pupa

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Translation: Ogbe¾ got to the farm and stretched her legs of royalty to the grass-field This was Ifá‟s message for Ata-Pupa, the Red Pepper When going to the farm for the annual cultivation She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied Ifá please do not let my life reduce Ata Pupa (the red pepper) will never have its life reduced in any soup The Red Pepper Ifá please do not let my Ire reduce Ata Pupa will never have its Ire reduced in any soup The Red Pepper Ifá says the person for whom this Ifá is cast will receive the support of Ifá, and have success in his/her choosen field. What he/she needs to do is hold Ifá close and follow the advises of Ifá, while also appeasing the O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko (deity of the Farm). Furthermore they should not abuse the Earth and plant pepper seeds close to their place of abode. 2. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of boundless prosperity for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person shall return home from where he/she is going with abundant Ire. This person has a very good chance of succeeding in rural areas compared to urban centres. This person may set up his/her home in the city but he/she will do better by setting up his/her workplace in the rural area. By so doing, he/she shall become influential and honourable. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea fowls, two hens, two cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed Odù deity as Ifá specifies. A stanza in Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾nmu on this says: Ogbe¾ da;’wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾ O: sô’oju; sôorosôoro Di;a; fu;n Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ Ti; n; re’nu; i¾gbeô; lo¾ôoô; k’a;je; wa;’le; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

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Translations: Ogbe¾ used O®su¾ as a walking stick And its tip left a deep narrow hole (eye) in the ground This was Ifá‟s message for Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ When going into the forest to bring home wealth She was advised to offer ẹbọ Odu¾-Kek ¾ô eô¾ was the container in which the 256 Odu¾-Ifa; resided. Nobody could go for initiation without picking one of the Odu¾-Ifa; from her. When she wanted to start the business of initiating people, she thought about where to set up her business that would be the most convenient and most profitable. After much thought, she decided to use the forest for her business. (This is why Babaláwo call the forest of initiation Igbo;du¾ - the forest of Odù). Before starting her business however, she went for Ifá consultation to know for sure how successful her business would be: Will I be able to impact the initiates positively from the forest? Will my business strive in the forest? The Awo told her that the most convenient place to set up her business was in the forest. She would make profit beyond her wildest dreams. She would also be able to transact her business without much distraction in the forest. She was reminded that her business was not the type that allowed for much interference or interruptions. She was dealing with the esoteric aspect of people‟s lives. Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ was told that she could live in the city but her business was best transacted in the forest where there would be peace and space. Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied. Soon after, she went to the forest to look for the most conducive area which would be close to a stream for her business. If anyone planned to go for Ifá initiation, the person would be advised to procure 16 fowls, 16 pigeons, guinea-fowls, part of an antelope, part of a bush-goat, giant rats, plenty of kola nuts, bitter kolas, alligator peppers, palm-oil and so on. The person would then be taken to the forest to meet Odù. During the process of initiation, the person would undergo a spiritual rebirth and one of the Odù-Ifá would give birth to the new initiate. At the end of the exercise, people would know which Odù-Ifá gave birth to the initiate and that would become the symbol of his/her full destiny.

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The more the initiates came for initiation in the forest, the more successful Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ became. She was so successful that she had nothing to say but to give thanks and praise to Olo;du¾mare and Ifá for all the days of her life from that period until today. Odù promised to continue to give thanks and praise till the end of life and existence on this planet earth. This was because as long as life remained on earth, initiations would continue to take place and she would continue to make profit during the initiations. Ogbe¾¾ da;’wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾ O: sô’oju; sôorosôoro Di;a; fu;n Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ Ti; n; re’nu; i¾gbe;ô loô¾o;ô k’a;je; wa;’le; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;,ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Ire gbogbo wa; ya de; tu¾tu;ru N®je;ô i¾woô Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ Ifa; n;ko;’re e; bo¾ô wa; ba; oô o I®woô Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ Translation: Ogbe¾ used O®su¾ as a walking stick And its tip left a deep narrow hole (eye) in the ground This was Ifá‟s message for Odu¾-Kek¾ô eô¾ When going into the forest to bring home wealth She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied Before long, not too far All the Ire of life came trooping in Behold, Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ Ifá is ushering in all the Ire of life to you Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ Ifá says that all the good and beneficial things of life shall be brought to the person for whom this Odù is revealed wherever he/she stays.

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He/she does not need to struggle or scramble for great things before they are giving to him/her. 3. Ifá says that there is the need for many people to be initiated into Ifá when this Odù revealed. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to be initiated into Ifá and at the same time, for his/her siblings to be initiated too. If they cannot do the initiation together, Ifá advises them to do so one after the other in quick succession. Ifá says that if this can be done, everyone will have cause to be grateful to Olo;du¾mare for the rest of their lives. Going for initiation will make their luck shine. They will all be able to achieve all their heart‟s desires. The whole household will succeed together in their various fields of endeavour. On this particular aspect, Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾nmu; says: Ogbe¾ da;’wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾ O: sô’oju; sôorosôoro Di;a; fu;n Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ Ti; n; re’nu; i¾gbeô; lo¾ôoô; k’a;je; wa;’le; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The small hill here and now The ditch here and now These were Ifá‟s declarations to E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ (the shoulders) When carrying O®su¾ to Igbo;du to be initiated into Ifá He was advised to offer ẹbọ O®su¾ was very ill. All medications administered on him proved ineffective. He was even dying. He did not want to die. He was determined to live, but his ailments were tearing his body and soul apart. While he was battling with his life, his immediate younger brother was in deep trouble with the state. He was being accused of planning

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OGBE® I®ROSU®N

against the state. All efforts to prove his innocence fell on deaf ears. The fact that he was not in the vicinity when the offence took place did not seem to impress anyone at all. The one next to this one was unhappily married. She had been turned into a punching bag in her husband‟s house. All of his family was asking her to leave but she would refuse to leave. Where would she go when she already had five children for her husband? They promised to make life unbearable if she did not leave. They accused her of many things she knew nothing about. It even got to a stage where they began calling her the head of the Red Witches and accused her of running her husband‟s fortunes to the ground. The fact that she had been made to swear on ordeals two times to prove her innocence and she survived the two ordeals impressed nobody. She must be kicked out of the husband‟s house, they vowed. The last brother in the house was running away from his creditors. He had no peace of mind whatsoever. His business had collapsed and he was being pursued by both creditors and by those who stood sure for him. To make matters worse, his father-in-law was one of the people who had stood sure for him. His creditors had been pestering the life of his father-in-law who in turn had been putting pressure on his wife to ensure that the loan was paid forthwith. At a stage, nobody believed him anymore. They were all of the opinion that he had diverted all the money into something else and was pretending that the business had collapsed. His father-in-law was already considering taking steps to take his daughter from him. There was crisis and confrontation in his house. He didn‟t even have respect among his neighbours. He was being looked down upon and scorned anywhere he went. When O®su¾ had exhausted all avenues to get himself healed and all proved abortive, he called on his bosom friend E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ to help him. That same day, E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ went to the home of the two Babaláwo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will my friend get the much needed healing that he is looking for? Will he survive this ailment? The Awo told E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ that his friend was in deep trouble at that particular point in time. The Awo said that it was not only him that was in trouble. All his other siblings were equally in trouble. The Awo

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explained to E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ that O®su¾ and all his other siblings came into the world with great destinies, but there is negative interference which must be cleared up and straightened out. To do this, all of them need to be initiated into Ifá as quickly as possible. That was the most realistic step to take. The Awo however implored E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ to assist his friend during the initiation process. They told him that he would have to carry O®su¾ to the Igbo;du¾ for the initiation. He agreed to inform him and to carry him into the Igbo;du¾. When E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ returned home, he discussed the messages of Ifá with O®su¾ and all the other members of his family. The family concluded that O®su¾ should be taken to Igbo;du¾ for initiation first before any decision could be taken on other family members. The family had no money to finance the I®teô¾ni;fa; ceremony. That was when E®ji¾ka;Go¾go¾ro¾ volunteered to pay the bill of his friend‟s initiation. Three days after, O®su¾ was taken to Igbo;du¾ with the help of his friend E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ both financially, physically and morally. Three weeks after the initiation, O®su¾ bounced back to his normal self. He had returned to his boisterous and lively self. Except for the fact that he had not yet fully regained his weight, it was difficult for anyone who was seeing him for the first time after a while to believe that he had just recovered from a very serious illness. The result that they got from O®su¾‟s initiation prompted the family to sell a part of the family land to finance the initiation of the brother who was having problems with the state. Again, E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ was there to assist in the initiation process. When he came out of the Igbo;du¾ after the initiation, he was summoned to the Ϙba‟s Palace. He was informed that after a thorough investigation, it was discovered that he had no hand in the plot against the state. Consequently, he was discharged and acquitted. The day of his discharge and acquittal was the day his immediate younger sister was sent out of her matrimonial home in an unceremonial manner. The woman cried and cried. The family decided to take her to the Igbo;du¾ for initiation. They looked for money and sold more part of the family land to raise money. The woman went for initiation; E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ also played a vital role in her initiation. The day she came out of the Igbo;du¾, she met her husband and his family by her

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family‟s compound‟s doorstep. They were begging for her to return home. The family discussed everything fully and it was agreed that she would return to her husband‟s house as long as the abuses ceased and never occurred again. Her husband then said that he too would like to undergo Ifá initiation together with the last brother in her family. One week after, the woman‟s husband and the man who was in debt went into the Igbo;du¾ together. E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ was there with them. They performed all the rituals for them together. When they came out of the Igbo;du¾, it was clear to them that all their problems were over. The husband began to see his wife in a very loving and positive way. He then began to take proper care of her and give her all the attention and respect she deserved. On the other hand, those who her brother owed ended up giving him space to find their money. Before long, he was back on his feet and was doing very well in his business. His father-in-law even became his business partner. They both succeeded together. Gegele ba;yi¾i;-ba;yi¾¾i; Ko¾to¾-ko¾to¾ ba;yi¾i; ba;yi¾i; Di;a; fu;n E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ To; n; gbe; O®su¾ re Igbo;du¾ loô teô¾ ni;fa; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Ire gbogob wa; ya de; tu¾tu;ru N®jeô; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ la¾ n; ka'se¾ô Odu¾ Ti; a ba;; teô eô¾gboôn ; ta;n o Ka; tu;n teô a¾bu;ro¾ Wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ la¾ n; ka'seô¾ Odu¾ Translation: The small hill here and now The ditch here and now These were Ifá‟s declarations to E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ (the shoulders) When carrying O®su¾ to Igbo;du to be initiated into Ifá He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied

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Before long, not too far All Ire came trooping in In quick succession do we do initiation After initiating the elder sibling Let us initiate the younger ones too In quick succession do we do initiation Ifá says that it shall be well for all the people that Ifá speaks about where this Odù is revealed. As soon as they undergo Ifá initiation, all their problems shall become things of the past.

4. Ifá says that if anything is lost where this Odù is revealed, the thing shall be found, no matter what it is that is missing. Once the person offers the ẹbọ the missing item shall be found. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is Ifá's child. As soon as he/she undergoes I®ten ¾ô i;fa;, all his/her problems shall disappear. Ifá says that if this person is suffering from illness, no matter how grave the illness may be, it will disappear as soon as he/she undergoes Ifá initiation. Ifá says that the problems and tribulations of the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall become joy and fulfilled dreams very soon. They should offer ẹbọ with three cocks and money. They should also serve Ifá and O®su¾ as indicated while feeding the ground. On these, Ifá says: A®te;’ô woô; Awo ni A®te;’ô seô¾ Awo ni E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ Awo ni O®su¾ Ga¾ga¾ag ¾ a¾ ni;i; sô'oômoô i¾keôyi¾n woôn le;n;je-le;n;je A®woôn meô;re¾ôeô¾rin n; sô’awo loô si;’le;; OÙloô;fin A®wo¾ro¾ Aja; OÙloô;fin lo; soônu¾ O®un le¾ ri; aja; o¾un lo; da;’fa; si; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

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Translation: A®teô;’wo;ô, the Palm is an Awo A®te;ô’seô¾, the Foot is an Awo E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾, the Shoulders is an Awo O®su¾ Ga¾¾ga¾ag ¾ a¾ is the youngest among them The four of them went on an Ifá mission to OÙloô;fin’s Palace A®wo¾ro,OÙloô;fin’s dog, got lost How to get his dog back was the reason why he summoned the Awo for Ifá consultation He was advised to offer ẹbọ A®wo¾ro was the name of OÙloô;fin’s favourite dog. A®wo¾ro used to sleep in OÙloô;fin’s Palace. The dog was of the opinion that she was actually a human being. She would stay in the palace without going anywhere if the Ϙba was around. If there was any important meeting in the Palace, A®wo¾ro would definitely be there. If she was chased out of the meeting venue, she would act as if her rights had been infringed upon! The next thing would be for OÙloô;fin to bring her back into the fold! That was the extent of OÙloô;fin’s love for A®wo¾ro. One day however, it was discovered that A®wo¾ro had disappear! Where had she gone to? Nobody knew. A search party was organized to find the dog. The party returned empty-handed. That was when OÙloô;fin summoned the four Babaláwo mentioned above to come and cast Ifá for him on how to find the dog. The Awo told OÙloô;fin’s that something was missing in his household and that he would surely find it. They asked OÙloô;fin to offer ẹbọ with three cocks and money. OÙloô;fin did. The Awo told O®su¾ who was the youngest of the four of them to go and place the ẹbọ that they just offered at the E®sôu¾ shrine. On his way to the shrine, a big rainfall started. The flood of the rainfall washed O®su¾ off his feet and he fell down and was unable to stand up again. He was just rolling and crawling on the ground by the E®sôu¾ shrine. Meanwhile, the rainfall also washed A®wo¾ro, OÙloô;fin’s dog into the palace. There was a big celebration in the palace. But when they realized that O®su¾ who had gone to place the ẹbọ by the E®sôu¾ shrine had not yet returned, they thought that he was still looking for the dog. The three other Babaláwo went out, saying:

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Wa;’le;, O®su¾ wa;’le; A r’A:wo¾ro¾ he o O®su¾ wa;’le; o A ti r’A:wo¾ro¾ he o Translation: Return, O®su¾ please return home We have found A®wo¾ro¾ O®su¾ please return home We have found A®wo¾ro¾ While they were singing this song, they were moving towards the E®sôu shrine. When they got there, they saw O®su¾ still crawling and rolling on the ground! What went wrong? O®su¾ told them that the flood had washed him off his feet and much as he tried, he could not stand up on his feet again. When they wanted to help him to his feet, he said: ô oô; oô reô,¾ A®tel;ô esô e,ô¾ o; ya; ma;a “A®teôl; eôwoô; gbe; mi, E®ji®k¾ a; Go¾go¾ro¾, gba¾ mi; l'o;w gbe; mi ni¾sôo;; meaning; “A®te;ôleôwoô;, the Palm, please lift me up, E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾, the Shoulders, pull me up from the Palm; and A®te;ôleôseô¾, the Foot, move on and take me back home”. As they were going back home, the three Awo were singing, saying: EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’o;ri; EÙÙ gb’O:su¾ l’eô;se¾ô o o¾ L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’o;ri; o EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’e;ôseô¾ L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ Awo Translation: Lift O®su¾ on your head Move O®su¾ with your legs Straight and erect does one find O®su¾ Lift O®su¾ on your head And move O®su¾ with your legs Straight and erect does one find the O®su¾ of an Awo

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Note: O®su¾ must never lie prostrate in the presence of an Awo. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will not fall ill and if he/she is ill, he/she will rise up and recover his/her health. They should be inviting Awo to be serving O®su¾ on their behalf. A®te;’ô woô; Awo ni A®te;’ô seô¾ Awo ni E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ Awo ni O®®su¾ Ga¾ga¾ag ¾ a¾ ni;i; sô'oômoô i¾keôyi¾n woôn le;n;je-le;n;je A®woôn meô;re¾ôeô¾rin n; sô’awo loô si;’le; OÙloô;fin A®wo¾ro¾ Aja; OÙloô;fin lo; soônu¾ O®un le¾ ri; aja; o¾un lo; da;’fa; si; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O; gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’o;ri; EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’eôô;se¾ô o o¾ L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’o;ri; o EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’e;ôseô¾ L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ Awo Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;i¾ku; kangiri N®je;ô eô gb’O:su¾ l’O:ri; EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’e;ôseô¾ o o¾ L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ O®su¾ ki¾i; do;ôgbaleô¾ l'o;ju; Awo Translation: A®teô;’wo;ô, the Palm is an Awo A®te;ô’seô¾, the Foot is an Awo E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾, the Shoulders is an Awo O®su¾ Ga¾¾ga¾ag ¾ a¾ is the youngest among them The four of them went on an Ifá mission to OÙloô;fin’s Palace A®wo¾ro,OÙloô;fin’s dog, got lost How to get his dog back was the reason why he summoned the Awo for Ifá consultation He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied

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Lift O®su¾ on your head Move O®su¾ with your legs Straight and erect does one find O®su¾ Lift O®su¾ on your head Move O®su¾ with your legs Straight and erect does one find the O®su¾ of an Awo Before long, no too far Join us where we enjoy longevity Now, lift O®su¾ on your head Move O®su¾ with your legs Straight and erect do one find O®su¾ O®su¾ will never lie prostrate in the presence of an Awo Ifá says that all shall be well for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. He/she needs to be initiated into Ifá where the O®su¾ will be carried into the Igbo;du¾ for him/her when the initiation takes place. 5. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a new baby where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that the person who needs the Ire of a new baby needs to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. Ifá also says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to offer ẹbọ in order to be blessed with sound health and vitality. He/she needs to offer ẹbọ against ill-health. For this to happen, he/she needs to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. The he-goat must not be slaughtered. He/she also needs to feed O®su¾ with whatever material that Ifá recommends to be used.

A stanza in Ogbe¾-Da;wo;ô-O®su¾-teô'leô¾ on this aspect says: I®ri¾ wo¾ôoô¾wo¾ôoô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô l’eô;yi¾n Di;a; fu;n O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ Ti; n;s’ô awo loô s’o;de I®se ô rô i Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô Translation:

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The dew is it that wets the back of a farmer This was Ifá‟s message for O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ When going on an Ifá mission to I®sôerô i land He was advised to offer ẹbọ of long life and vitality O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ was an accomplished Babaláwo. He had consulted Ifá for the high and mighty and his predictions had come to pass. He was held in high esteem by all and sundry. When any serious Ifá consultation was about to be made, O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ was everyone‟s first choice; it was only when he was not available that any alternative Babaláwo would be approached with some measure of reluctance. When the inhabitants of I®sôerô i felt the urgent need to do Ifá consultation, it was O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ they approached. When he received the message of the inhabitants of I®sôerô i for him to come and consult Ifá for them, O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ went to I®ri¾ woo ¾ô w ô¾ oo ¾ô ô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô ley ô; i¾n, another Babaláwo, for Ifá consultation: How will his sojourn to I®sôeôri land be? Will I be able to solve the problems of the people who called upon him for Ifá consultation? Will I succeed in I®sôerô i land? These were the questions which O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ asked his Awo when he did the consultation. The Awo told O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ that he was called to I®sôerô i land because many of the women in that land were suffering from infertility. The Awo said that he would be able to solve the problems that would be brought to his attention in the land. He was told that he would be highly honoured and respected because of the level of success that he would record in the land. O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ was however warned that he should not overwork himself in the land, even though he would be in very high demand. He was cautioned to take things easy because if the warning was not heeded, he stood the chance of ruining his health and losing his life in the process. The Awo advised O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. He was informed that the he-goat was not to be slaughtered. O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ complied with the advice of the Awo and offered the ẹbọ before he set out on his journey to I®sôerô i.

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O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, Awo woôn l’o;;de I®se ô rô i Di;a; fu;n woôn l’o;de I®se ô rô i EÙku;n oômoô ni woô;n n; sun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, their Awo in I®sôerô i land He cast Ifá for the inhabitants of I®sôerô i land When they were weeping in lamentation for their inability to bear children They were advised to offer ẹbọ The inhabitants of I®sôerô i land were eagerly awaiting the arrival of O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾. When he eventually arrived in the land, they took him directly to the Palace of the Oni;sôerô i,, the Ϙba of the land. Oni;sôerô i, was an old kind-hearted man who took the overall interest of the land to heart. He could not bear to hear the cry of pain and grief of the women who had not been blessed with the fruit of the womb who had been married for several years. When O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, arrived, the Ϙba ordered that he should be settled in his palace and that the consultation must be made as soon as O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, settled down. He also instructed that the consultation must be made in the presence of all his chiefs who would act as witnesses and would be able to relay the messages of Ifá to all those concerned in their various wards. When O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, consulted Ifá for the inhabitants of I®sôerô i land, Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; was revealed. He informed all those present that the main problem in the land which warranted Ifá consultation was that of infertility. He explained that the problem of infertility in the land was actually divided into three parts but the inhabitants had been looking at only one part all along; the three parts were: (i) male infertility; (ii) female infertility; and (iii) infertility of both male and female. He said that the problem was evenly distributed in the land but efforts had been concentrated on only female infertility because they expected the woman to produce the evidence of pregnancy but if it did not come, they assumed that the problem was from the woman. How would a

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woman become pregnant if her husband‟s semen was not viable? He asked. He explained to them that he would have to make Ifá preparations for them to use. One of the preparations would be for the man to use separately; one for the woman to use separately and the third for the couple to use jointly. He also advised each couple looking for the blessing of the womb to offer Ϙba with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. All the chiefs went to their respective wards to inform all the affected couples of what O®su¾ had just said and what they needed to do in terms of solution to their problems. The next day, as early as dawn, there was a long line made from the couples who had come to O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, with their ẹbọ materials. When he saw the people, he quickly took care of his personal hygiene and set out to work. He offered ẹbọ from morning till late at night. He promised those who he offered ẹbọ for to come and collect their Ifá preparations three days after. Before sunrise the next day, he was already on his way to the forest, looking for the herbs, roots, barks, leaves and animals to use in preparing the remedies for the people. He could hardly sleep. Two months after the arrival of O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, in I®sôerô i land, many couples had begun to congratulate each other and thank their Orí secretly for the blessing of Olo;du¾mare¾ in their lives but could not announce openly because it was not the custom to do so. The ẹbọ and remedies which O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, gave to them had worked! This made the demand for him to be even higher. The success story had left nobody in doubt that O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, held the key to their joy in I®sôerô i land. For one full year, O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, could not go back home. Many women had delivered safely. He was the one they continued to call upon to take charge of the deliveries. He was a very busy man. He was also a very successful man. After two years from his arrival in I®sôerô i land, Oni;sôerô i, died. He was given a befitting burial. The Chiefs and other elders in the land put their heads together and proposed O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, as the next Oni;sôerô i, on the premise that he had brought so much joy to the land than they could ever imagine. The honour they could give him was to make him the Ϙba. He remembered that his Awo, I®ri¾ wo¾o ô ôw ¾ oo ¾ô ô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô l'eyô; i¾n had once predicted that he would be highly honoured in the land. He

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accepted the honour on the condition that it would not affect his work as a Babaláwo. His installation was grand. He still continued as a Babaláwo. One day, the strain and pressure of his work took its toll on O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾. He collapsed while attending to some of his subjects. He had not slept for three days. Pandemonium erupted. The news spread like wild fire. What could they do? O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, could not afford to fall ill, not to mention die! There were several people waiting for him to take care of them.

¾ô ô¾woo ¾ô ô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô The next morning, he quickly sent for his Awo, I®ri¾ woo l'eôy; i¾n to come quickly and help his friend and colleague. I®ri¾ woo ¾ô w ô¾ oo ¾ô ô¾ dropped everything he was doing and set out on the journey as soon as he heard that O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, was ill. When he got to I®sôerô i land, he began serious Ifá work for Oni;sôerô i, also known as O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾. He instructed all the inhabitants to come and sing Ifá songs for O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, every day until he recovered and became hale and hearty again. He taught them to continuously sing thus: Oni;se ô rô i m’o;ri; ro; o Ko; o ma; du¾bu;le¾ô eô I®du;ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ O®su¾ o¾ ba; ma¾ m’o;ri; ro; o Ko; o ma; du¾bu;le¾ô L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ o Translation: Oni;sôerô i, please raise up your head Do not lie prostrate Straight and erect does one find O®su¾ O®su¾, please rise up and stand Do not lie down Straight and erect does one find O®su¾ After 17 days of intensive Ifá preparation and continuous singing of the I®ye¾ôreô¾, O®su¾ regained his health. Nobody preached to him after that time before he knew that he needed to take all things easy.

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I®ri¾ ¾wo¾ôoô¾wo¾ôoô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô l’eô;yi¾n Di;a; fu;n O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾¾ Ti; n;s’ô awo loô s’o;de I®se ô rô i Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô¾ O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, Awo woôn l’o;de I®se ô rô i Di;a; fu;n woôn l’o;de I®se ô rô i EÙku;n oômoô ni woô;n n; sun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Woô;n gbe;ô’boô, woô;n ru;’boô Ko¾¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾¾nna¾¾ Ire gbogbo wa; ya de; tu¾tu;ru N®jeô; Oni;se ô rô i m’o;ri; ro; oKo; o ma; du¾bu;le¾ô I®du;ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ O®su¾ o¾ ba; ma¾ m’o;ri; ro; o Ko; o ma; du¾bu;le¾ô L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ o E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®ôÙfa¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: The dew is it that wets the back of a farmer This was Ifá‟s message for O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ When going on an Ifá mission to I®sôerô i land He was advised to offer ẹbọ for long life and vitality He complied O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, their Awo in I®sôerô i land He cast Ifá for the inhabitants of I®sôerô i land When they were weeping in lamentation for their inability to bear children They were advised to offer ẹbọ They complied Before long, not too far All the Ire of life came trooping in Oni;sôerô i, please raise up your head Do not lie prostrate

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Straight and erect does one find O®su¾¾ O®su¾, please rise up and stand Do not lie down Straight and erect does one find O®su¾¾ Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Ifá says that this person shall enjoy his/her life in good health. He/she shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. However, he/she needs to take things slow and easy in order to enjoy the fruit of his/her labour.

6. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to persevere. Only a little time remains for all his/her efforts to materialize and for him/her to actualize his/her destiny. Ifá assures this person that all his/her struggles, sufferings and toiling in life are about to end. These then will be replaced with contentment, peace and accomplishment. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea fowls, two hens, two cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko as appropriate. On this aspect, Ifá has this to say: I®ya¾ la¾a; jeô teô;’le¾ô iku¾n Ka; to;o; j’oore o Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko;-Irin Ti; n; sô’awo o; loô s’o;de I®ra¾wo¾ô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: There is the need to experience suffering and tribulations Before experiencing favour and benevolence This was Ifá‟s declaration to Kok; o;-Irin, the Iron Knob Collection When going on spiritual mission to I®ra¾wo¾ô land He was advised to offer ẹbọ

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Kok; o;-Irin, was the collection of Iron knobs. He was known by nobody important and he was also a nobody. He was suffering and facing a series of tribulations. To feed himself was a very serious problem, not to mention to cloth himself. He continued to persevere. One day, Kok ; o;-Irin, planned to go on a spiritual mission to I®ra¾wo¾ô land. That was why he decided to go for Ifá consultation in the home of the Awo mentioned above in order to determine his success chances in I®ra¾wo¾ô land where he was going: Will I succeed in I®ra¾wo¾ô land? Will my sufferings and tribulations end when I get to the land? Will I be recognized where I am going? Will I become someone important and be given reverence over there? The Awo told Kok ; o;-Irin, that even though he had been suffering throughout his lifetime, only a little period remained for all his sufferings and tribulations to end. He was advised to persevere. The Awo told him that it is better to face suffering and tribulation before entering into enjoyment, favours and benevolence than to enjoy first and then enter into sufferings and pains. He was told that his sufferings remained just a little; and after that, he would become a very important personality in life. The Awo advised Kok ; o;-Irin, to offer ẹbọ as stated above and at the same time, be ready to face the remaining hardship in his life with courage and perseverance. Kok; o;-Irin, complied. A few days after, he set out on his journey to I®ra¾wo¾ô land. As soon as Kok ; o;-Irin, got to I®ra¾wo¾ô he was recognized as fit and proper to be moulded into an O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko staff. They gathered all the Kok; o;-Irin, and placed it into an iron container. They placed it on fire, real red-hot fire! Ko;ko;-Irin, screamed. “But you all told me that I would become somebody important. What then is the reason why you should set me on fire!? The Blacksmiths who were working on Ko;ko;-Irin, responded; “Patience please. Your suffering is about to end. Just persevere”. Before long, Ko;ko;-Irin, was moulded into a hoe. They placed the hoe on an anvil and used a big sledge hammer to pound him into shape. The pain was unbearable and Ko;ko;-Irin, screamed in agony. He was counselled to exercise patience and to have persevere.

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A few days after this, Kok ; o;-Irin, was again placed on fire and melted again. He screamed and cried. He was told to persevere. He was moulded into a long Iron staff. He was placed on the anvil again and hammered into shape once more. When the Blacksmiths had become satisfied with what they had turned Ko;ko;-Irin, into, they looked for an iron sponge and started to scrub Ko;ko;-Irin, with it. He screamed. He was advised to persevere. He did. After this, they began to put ornaments and other decorations on Kok; o;Irin,. In the end, he became an O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko staff. He was fed with one she-goat per day for 16 consecutive days. He became the most expensive O®ri¾sôa¾ to acquire. He found out that everyone came to pay respect to him, saying; “O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko pe¾lô eô; o, A®gba¾ I®ra¾wo¾ô” – meaning; greetings to O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko, the Elder in I®ra¾wo¾ô land. From that day onwards, his sufferings ended and he became the most important personality in I®ra¾wo¾ô land. I®ya¾ la¾a; jeô teô’leô¾ iku¾n Ka; to;o; j’oore o Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko; Irin E®yi; ti; n;s’ô awo loô s’o;de I®ra¾wo¾ô Ti yo;o; loô k’oô;ro¾ô wa;’le; Ti; yo;o; j’oye¾ Ajori;-Iwin EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô N®jeô; O®ri¾sa ô -¾ Oko peô¾le;ô o A®gba¾ I®ra¾wo¾ô O: wa;a; d’eôni a¾pe;si¾n Translation: There is the need to experience suffering and tribulations Before experiencing favour and benevolence This was Ifá‟s declaration to Kok; o;-Irin, the Iron Knob Collection When going on spiritual mission to I®ra¾wo¾ô land He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied

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OGBE® I®ROSU®N

Greetings, O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko The Elder in I®ra¾wo¾ land You have now become someone that is collectively venerated Ifá says that this person shall be honoured and respected. He/she shall be placed in the highest position among his colleagues. He/she only needs to persevere as his/her time to succeed and prosper is close at hand. NOTE: Ajori;-Iwin or Olo;ri;-Iwin is the highest title among the O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko devotees. 7. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of resounding victory for the person for whom Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; is revealed. He/she shall overcome all his/her antagonists and enemies. None of his/her enemies will be able to inflict any harm on him/her. In fact, the enemies will disperse with tales of woe to tell, which would have happened to them. Ifá also advises a woman where this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ of victory for her child in order to enable the child to overcome all his/her enemies. Ifá says that there are many people who are after her child but they shall all fail in their evil designs. Ifá advises those involved here to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. As usual, the he-goat must not be slaughtered. There is also the need to feed O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko with whatever Ifá recommends. On this, Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; says: Ogbe¾ du;ro; ni;nu; igbo; O: fi¾’di; O®su¾ la’le¾ô ga¾ar¾ a¾ga¾ ja;’na¾¾ Di;a; fu;n Gboônna¾ Ti;i; sôe’¾ ya; O®ke¾ Ni;gba¾ti; O®ke¾ n;beô l’a;ar¾ in E®di¾di¾ Ti; n;beô l’a;ar¾ in o¾ôta; Ti; n;f’ojooju;mo;ô koôminu; ogun Awo;, oô¾ta; O®ke¾ ni Olo;bu¾ro;, o¾ôta; O®ke¾ ni A®paro¾, oô¾ta; O®ke¾ ni EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

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Translation: Ogbe¾ stood in the forest And used the O®su¾ staff to draw a line from the forest to the main road This was Ifá‟s declaration to Gboônna¾ The-mother-of-O®ke¾ When O®ke¾ was in the midst of enemies And living with the anticipation of an uprising Awo;, (the Guinea-fowl) was O®ke¾‟s enemy Olo;bu¾ro; was O®ke¾‟s enemy A®paro¾, (the Partridge) was O®ke¾‟s enemy She (Gboônna¾) was advised to offer ẹbọ Gboônna¾ was the mother of O®ke¾. O®ke¾ was her only child. It took Gboônna¾ several years before she could be blessed with O®ke¾. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was the Awo that she cried to for help when she was unable to become pregnant and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ prepared several Ifá works and ẹbọ for her before Olo;du¾mare¾ answered her prayers and gave her O®ke¾. When she gave birth to O®ke¾ and the I®koôseôda;ye; rite was performed on the third day of the baby‟s birth, it was clear that O®ke¾ was much more than 20 children put together. She was a very special child! When O®ke¾ was growing up into her adolescent age, her rising profile was very daunting. She instantly became the enemy of some people who could not handle her high profile. These people were: Awo; (the Guinea fowl) Olo;bu¾ro,; and A®paro (the Patridge). These three hated O®ke¾, the daughter of Gboônna¾ with passion. Why should this child with such a magnificent personality come from Gboônna¾, and not from any of the three of them? They queried. This was what they could not handle. Consequent upon this, they planned to eliminate O®ke¾ by any means available to them. Instead of Gboônna¾ receiving blessings from her child, which would give her additional popularity in the community, it was better for all of them to get rid of the child and so neither of them would have popularity or prominence. They decided to sneak into Gboônna¾‟s home at night, strike O®ke¾ to death with their beaks and consume her remains or part at least part of her. This arrangement suited the three conspirators and they congratulated each other. To them, it was a fool-proof plot. They would execute

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OGBE® I®ROSU®N

their plot whenever Gboônna¾ was not at home. Gboônna¾ was a big time trader who travelled from place to place at regular intervals. To make the plot easy to execute, any time that Gboônna¾ was about to travel, she would call her three “friends” and put her home and only daughter into their care. A few days after this, Gboônna¾ was preparing to travel on business as usual. She planned to spend two weeks before she returned. She went to inform her three „friends‟ that she would be leaving her only daughter in their care. The „friends‟ willingly agreed to help her look after her house and daughter. Gboônna¾ however did what they did not expect her to do - she went for Ifá consultation before going on her trip. Primarily, her intention was to find out how her journey would be and the chance of her making huge profit on her journey and business transaction. These were the only things on her mind. When the Awo consulted Ifá for her, they informed her that there was no problem whatsoever with her business. They equally told her that death was dangling precariously over the head of her only child. They said that the death was coming as a result of the evil plans of envious and treacherous people in the community. They warned her that her daughter must not die, that if she died, there would be a terrible chain of events which would bring disaster upon disaster to the world and to all those living in it. The Awo advised her to offer ẹbọ to save the life of her daughter as stated above. She offered the ẹbọ that same day. They told her to go and bring O®ke¾. She did. The Awo prepared some potent Ifá works for O®ke¾ and made her use them all that same day. After that, they asked both mother and child to return home with the assurance that nothing evil would happen to the child anymore. As soon as they got home, O®ke¾ transformed into a mighty hill. Her sheer size and structure became very daunting and intimidating. Those who saw O®ke¾ the next moment marvelled at her from a distance. The size of O®ke¾ however did not intimidate A®paro, Olo;bu¾ro;, or Awó in any way. If anything, it only increased their envy and their determination to eliminate her. As soon as Gboônna¾ travelled to transact her business, the three conspirators went to work. Awó flew upward to strike her on the head. As she did so with all her might, her beak broke into pieces! Not only this, she tasted sour dust in her

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mouth. She cried out in agony saying: O®ke¾ kan go;go;o;go;!!! - meaning; “O®ke¾ is very acidic and sour!!! Unknown to Olo;bu¾ro; that A®paro was already in trouble, she too flew up in order to strike O®ke¾ her own deadly blow. She planned to strike her on the neck. She did. Her beak also broke and her lower jaw bent sideways. She screamed saying “O®ke¾ La;kir;;a”!!! meaning “O®ke¾ is very sturdy”!!! She returned home in pain, holding her broken lower jaw with her two hands. When A®paro saw Olo;bu¾ro; holding her lower jaw with her hands, E®sôu¾ appeared and said she had struck O®ke¾ and had eaten her flesh to her satisfaction and was only taking part of O®ke¾‟s flesh home to be consumed later! A®paro then rushed out of her house to go and have a piece of the action herself. She flew up in order to strike O®ke¾ in the mouth. She did so mightily. She lost her beak and broke her neck. She wailed in agony, saying; “EÙnu reô¾ ku¾ra¾mi¾”!!! meaning “her mouth is solid rock”!!! When the three conspirators met, they only had tales of woe to tell each other. O®ke¾ became unmovable, untouchable and beyond the scope of their evil designs. They however learnt to live with O®ke¾ and used her as their sanctuary when there was heavy heat as a result of intense sunlight or when they were being attacked by other people. Ogbe¾ du;ro; ni;’nu; igbo; O: f'i¾di; O®su¾ la’le¾ô ga¾ar¾ a¾ga¾ ja;’na¾ Di;a; fu;n Gboônna¾ Ti;i; sôe’¾ ya; O®ke¾ Ni;gba¾ti; O®ke¾ n;beô l’a;ar¾ in E®di¾di¾ Ti; n;beô l’a;ar¾ in o¾ôta; Ti; n;fojooju;mo;ô koôminu; ogun Awo;, o¾ôta; O®ke¾ ni Olo;bu¾r¾o;, o¾ôta; O®ke¾ ni A®paro¾, o¾¾ôta; O®ke¾ ni EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ;ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'e;ôboô, ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;se ô ô; ogun

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OGBE® I®ROSU®N

A®ja¾se ô ô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ O®Ùpe¾ô Awo; ni;; O®ke¾ kan go;go;o;go; Olo;bu¾ro; ni; O®ke¾ l'a;ki;ra o A®paro¾ ni; eônu reô¾ ku¾ra¾mu¾ Translation: Ogbe¾ stood in the forest And used the O®su¾ staff to draw a line from the forest to the main road This was Ifá‟s declaration to Gboônna¾ The mother of O®ke¾ When O®ke¾ was in the midst of enemies And living with the anticipation of an uprising Awo;, (the Guinea-fowl) was O®ke¾‟s enemy Olo;bu¾ro; was O®ke¾‟s enemy A®paro¾, (the Partridge) was O®ke¾‟s enemy She (Gboônna¾) was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory Victory over enemies is what Ifá guarantees for all its devotees Awó declared that O®ke¾ is very acidic and sour Olo;bu¾ro; screamed that O®ke¾ is just very sturdy And A®paro¾, wailed that O®ke¾‟s mouth is solid rock Ifá declares that the enemies of the person for whom this Odù is revealed will have tales of woe to tell if they ever make any attempt to harm him/her. It is better to leave him/her alone as he/she has not offended them at all. Conversely, Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to conspire against anyone. If he/she does so, he/she will also have tales of woe to tell at the end of the day. There will be weeping, moaning and gnashing of teeth for him/her to contend with for the rest of his/her life.

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8. Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she will never be disgraced or humiliated. Ifá says that this person is about to be given an impossible task to perform. He/she needs not refuse to do it. Ifá says that it will make the impossible possible. Ifá advises this person to leave all things in the hands of Ifá and Ifá will make him/her shine. Ifá also advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one big container filled with guinea corn, one mature she-goat, a lot of palm-oil and money. On this, Ifá says: E®Ùseô n¾gbi¾n EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô Di;a; fu;n E®Ùri¾ndi;nlo;gu;n Oju; Odu¾ Woô;n n;; re’le; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n (The legs plant) EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô (The legs step on) They were the Awo who cast Ifá for the 16 major Odù When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace for Ifá business They were advised to offer ẹbọ OÙloô;fin could be very mischievous and funny sometimes. He was in a mischievous mood when he called the 16 principal Odù to his palace to come and consult Ifá for him. Prior to the time that he summoned the 16 Awo, he called his domestic servants and told them to get him a container filled with guinea-corn grains. When this was procured, he asked them to go and boil the guinea-corn. When it had been well boiled, he instructed the domestic servants to go and plant the corn in his farm. After this had been done, he asked one of the servants to go and call the 16 principal Odù for him. What he wanted to know from them was whether or not the boiled guinea corn grains that he had just ordered to be planted would germinate and grow.

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OGBE® I®ROSU®N

When the 16 Odù received his message they went to EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n and EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô for Ifá consultation: Will we succeed where we are going? Will we be able to satisfy OÙloô;fin this time around? Will we be given respect and honour? The two Awo told the 16 principal Odù that it was something impossible that OÙloô;fin wanted them to make possible. They told the 16 Odù that Ifá would make it possible. They only needed to inform OÙloô;fin that Ifá said that even though he had asked them for the impossible, Ifá would make it possible in five days‟ time. They then warned the 16 Odù never to refuse to do OÙloô;fin‟s bidding. They also recommended for them to offer ẹbọ with a container filled with fresh guinea-corn, one she-goat (which must not be slaughtered), plenty of palm-oil, and money. They complied. After this, they headed for OÙloô;fin‟s palace. When the 16 principal Odù got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace, they cast Ifá for him and the Odù that was revealed was Ogbe¾-Da;wo;ô-O®su¾-teôleô¾. They told OÙloô;fin that he had done something that he felt he would use to test the efficacy of the Awo. They said that Ifá assured him that what he had done would germinate and bring forth good fruits. That was when OÙloô;fin told them that what he had done was to boil guinea-corn grains and then instructed his servants to plant them in his farm. He had asked if it was possible for the boiled grains to germinate and grow. The Awo responded that they would sprout forth leaves in five days' time. OÙloô;fin declared that the 16 Principal Odù were the most incredulous Awo he had ever come across in his life. How could they tell him that the grains would germinate when they had been boiled already before they were planted. He said that they must tell him what they wanted him to do against them if the planted grains failed to germinate. The Awo responded that the grains would surely germinate in five days‟ time and that if they failed to do so, OÙloô;fin was free to do whatever pleased him against them. When OÙloô;fin heard this, he asked the 16 Awo to state their ẹbọ. They did. OÙloô;fin offered the ẹbọ. The 16 principal Odù returned to EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n and EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô to explain to them what they encountered in OÙloô;fin‟s palace. They explained to the two Awo that OÙloô;fin had planted boiled guinea-corn grains in his farm

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and expected the grains to germinate. The Awo told the 16 Odù that the grains would surely germinate since that was what Ifá had said. E®sôu¾ then appeared and brought out the container of the guinea-corn used as ẹbọ and they fed SÙan ¾ go; with one big cock. Ϙya was also fed with one hen. Ϙya started with her strong wind and SÙan ¾ go; opened the door of rainfall and the rain fell from evening till the next day. Meanwhile, the farm owned by OÙloô;fin was highly fortified and guarded by many skilled soldiers. To circumvent this, E®sôu¾ employed the services of Iku;n (the squirrels) to carry the guinea-corn grains to OÙloô;fin‟s farm for planting. Iku;n went to work. They however had problems knowing which areas to plant the grains and which ones to leave out because there was no light. When E®sôu¾ realized this, he informed the 16 principal Odù. That was when they started to chant I®ye¾rô eô¾ for lightening to strike at regular intervals in order to allow the squirrels to see what they were doing and where to plant the grains. The I®ye¾ôreô¾ went thus: O® ba; sa;n n ri;’ran o I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô sa;;n, n ri;’ran I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô o O®jo¾ n;la; ni; n; bo’se¾ô OÙloô¾run I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;’;ran I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô Di;a; fu;n E®Ùri¾ndi;nlo;gu;n Oro;du¾ I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;’ran I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô Ti; wo;ôn n; sô'awo loô si;’le; OÙloô;fin I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;’ran I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô We¾re;we¾re; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; Iku;n I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;’ran I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô Sa;n n ri;’ran o I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;'ran I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô

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OGBE® I®ROSU®N

Translation: Strike for me to see I®moô¾nm ¾ o¾ (lightning), please strike for me to see I®moô¾nm ¾ o¾ (lightning) Heavy rain is it that covers the legs of the high heavens I®moô¾nm ¾ o¾, please strike for me to see I®moô¾nm ¾ o¾ They cast Ifá for the 16 principal Odù I®moô¾nm ¾ o¾, please strike for me to see I®moô¾nm ¾ o¾ When going on an Ifá mission to OÙloô;fin’s Palace I®moô¾nm ¾ o¾, please strike for me to see I®moô¾nm ¾ o¾ Quietly is how squirrels work I®moô¾nm ¾ o¾, please strike for me to see I®moôn ¾ m ¾ o¾ That was the way the 16 principal Odù chanted the I®yer¾ô eô¾ from dusk till dawn and the squirrels planted the fresh guinea-corn grains from dusk till dawn, until the whole farm was touched. For the five days, SÙan ¾ go; continuously opened the door of rainfall in very moderate proportions for the grains, and the grains were doing very well. Very early on the fifth day, OÙloô;fin summoned the 16 Principal Odù to his palace. He asked them to cast Ifá for him. They did. Again, Ogbe¾Da;'wo;ô-O®su¾-teô'leô¾ was revealed. The Awo told OÙloô;fin that what he planted five days ago was what he wanted to know about. They assured him that it had germinated and had come out very well. They told him that he thought that it was not possible but Ifá and E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra, together with SÙan ¾ go; and Ϙya had made the impossible possible. OÙloô;fin asked his domestic servants to lock all the doors in order to prevent the 16 Awo from running away. They however assured OÙloô;fin that they would go nowhere. The doors were securely locked anyway. OÙloô;fin asked the O®ro¾reô; bird to go out to his farm and check what had happened on the farm. He went. When he returned, he told OÙloô;fin “Baba, O: ku;n Si;nmu;-si;nmu;”” meaning, “father, it is filled up to the

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edge of the farm”. What? It‟s the germinated grains. OÙloô;fin said that O®ro¾reô; must have consumed too much alcohol to be saying such nonsense. OÙloô;fin sent the Eg ®Ù a¾, bird (the Palm-bird), to go and check his farm and report back to him. Eg ®Ù a¾, went. When he came back, he declared; “o; ga sôoôr¾ o¾sô ôoôr¾ o¾ô” meaning “they have all grown tall for everyone to see”. OÙloô;fin stood up by himself and opened the door that led to his farm; Behold, all the grains have filled the farm! He could not believe what he was seeing. When he returned to his seat, he declared that the Babaláwo were really great. He said that he witnessed the boiling and cooking of the grains before they were planted. How was it possible? The Babaláwo responded that they too did not know but he needed to not forget that Ifá had promised to make what was impossible possible. With this, OÙloô;fin went inside his chambers and honoured the 16 principal Odù. They all became an instant success. EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô Di;a; fu;n E®Ùri¾ndi;nlo;gu;;n Oju; Odu¾ Woô;n n; re’le; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe Woô;n gbe;ô’boô, woô;n ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô, eô wa;a; wo’re o Translation: EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n (The legs plant) EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô (The legs step on) They were the Awo who cast Ifá for the 16 major Odù When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace for Ifá business They were advised to offer ẹbọ They complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life

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OGBE® I®ROSU®N

Ifá says that the person(s) for whom this Odù is revealed must never plan to humiliate or disgrace anyone. If he/she plans this, he/she shall fail. The Divinities shall find a way of protecting his/her/their would-be victim(s). 9. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ in order for his/her secrets not to be exposed to those who are not supposed to know the secrets. Ifá however assures this person that his/her secrets will remain unexposed. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat, strong rope or twine and money. He/she also needs to feed Oro¾ with whatever Ifá recommends. On this aspect, Ifá has this to say: Ogbe¾ d’a;wo;ô O®su¾ teô’leô¾ Di;a; fu;n La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ Ti; n; sô’awo re’gbo; EÙ®gba; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ stuck the tip of the O®su¾ in the ground This was Ifá‟s message for La¾ka¾la¾ka¾, the Oro¾ blade When going on spiritual mission to the EÙ®gba; grove He was advised to offer eôboô La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ also known as Abeô Oro¾ was the Oro¾ blade. He had to have a rope attached to him to make him work as expected. (This cannot be explained beyond this point because of the secrets surrounding this cult). When La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ planned to go to the E®Ùgba; grove on a spiritual mission, he went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. The Awo told him that the only thing he needed to do was to offer eôboô so that his secrets would not be exposed to the un-initiated, especially women.

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He was told that his secrets might be exposed during that particular journey. He was advised that in order to prevent that from happening, he needed to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, a long strong rope or twine. He also needed to add money to it. After this, he needed to feed I®ta; and I®re¾ôleô,¾ the Oro¾ Divinity icons, for them to make his secrets remain intact. La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ complied. When they got to the E®ôÙgba; grove and the ceremony was about to begin, they called on La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ to send everyone a note of warning that the Oro¾ ceremony was about to start. He did. When the ceremony began, La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ was making the Oro¾ sound as expected. Suddenly, it was discovered that the rope that La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ was attached to was about to break. That was when E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ came into the scene and began to sing I®ye¾rô eô¾ song; E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ sung: EÙ ba; wa w’o;ku¾n to; yigbe¾ e¾ EÙ ba; wa w’o;ku¾n to; yigbe¾ La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ ki¾i; gbe¾ e; ja; o EÙ ba; wa w’o;ku¾n to; yigbe¾ Translation: Please look for a strong rope for us Please fetch us a strong rope It won't take long for La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ to break off Please look for a strong rope Those present knew that if La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ should break, he would just fling away and would certainly fall into the hands of the uninitiated ones, in particular, women. If that were to happen the secrets of La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ and those of Oro¾ would be exposed for the world to see. They quickly looked for stronger rope. They could not find any. E®sôu¾ however supplied the rope that was added to the ẹbọ. They attached it to La¾ka¾la¾ka¾. It was strong enough to sustain La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ throughout the ceremony. This was how the secrets of La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ remained unexposed.

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OGBE® I®ROSU®N

Ogbe¾ da;’wo;ô O®su¾ teô’leô¾ Di;a; fu;n La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ Ti; n; sô’awo re’gbo; E®Ùgba; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô eô ba; wa w’o;ku¾n yigbe¾ e¾ EÙ ba; wa w’o;ku¾n to; yigbe¾ La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ ki¾i; gbe¾ e; ja; o EÙ ba; wa w’o;kun to; yigbe¾ o Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: Ogbe¾ stuck the tip of the O®su¾ in the ground This was Ifá‟s message for La¾ka¾la¾ka¾, the Oro¾ blade When going on spiritual mission to the EÙ®gba; grove He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Now, please look for a strong rope for us Please fetch us a strong rope It won't take long for La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ to break off Please look for a strong rope for us Before long, and not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have his/her secrets kept intact. This however does not suggest that he/she is at liberty to take undue risks with his/her secrets. Conversely, this person must never be a party to the unjustifiable exposure of other people‟s secrets. He/she must never plan to do so. If he/she does, Olo;du¾mare will protect his/her would-be victim and he/she will be put to well deserved shame. Protection is granted to those whom adhere to this advice.

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10. Ifá says that if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is not a practicing Babaláwo/I®ya;ni;fa;, then two great things are coming his/her way during the coming dry season or summer time. Ifá says that a third Ire will come but that one is for his/her Awo. It is not for him/her. If the third Ire comes, he/she needs to refer it to his/her Awo immediately. On the other hand, if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is a practising Babaláwo/I®ya;ni;fa, then he/she needs to understand that the first two great things that will come during the coming dry/summer season (or change of season) do not belong to him/her. It is the third great thing that is really his/hers. He/she must not be avaricious on this matter. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with a mature she-goat. This animal is not to be slaughtered. It must be taken away to live by the Awo. After this, he/she needs to feed his Orí with a very big catfish. Ifá says that two of the ancestors of the person for whom this Odù is revealed were very prominent personalities when they were alive. Both of them are in the same location in heaven. They are both looking after the person for whom this Odù is revealed together with other members of his/her extended family. Ifá recommends that a big live catfish needs to be used; to feed Odù so that all these great things will come as predicted. On these aspects, Ifá states thus: O®gbo;lo;gbo¾o; Oni;sôe¾gu¾n lo; su¾n l’e;ji¾gbo¾ôn Lo; fi o;n;de¾ e re¾ô roô’ri; poônpoôn-oônpoôn Di;a; fu;n Ma¾ga¾la;ja; Ti; n;loô ile; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: A great Herbalist was sleeping in the corner of a room And was resting his head firmly on his leather charm belt This was Ifá‟s message for Ma¾ga¾la;ja; When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace for on an Ifá mission He was advised to offer ẹbọ

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OGBE® I®ROSU®N

There was chaos and tension in the land. Something urgent had to be done to bring the land back to normal. OÙloô;fin was concerned. That was why he sent for this great Babaláwo called Ma¾ga¾la;ja; to come and consult Ifá for him in order to know what to do to ward off all the evil principalities in the land. When Ma¾ga¾la;ja; heard the news that OÙloô;fin was looking for him to come and consult Ifá in his palace, he went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for his own consultation: Will I succeed in OÙloô;fin‟s palace? Will I be able to solve OÙloô;fin‟s problems? The Awo told Ma¾ga¾la;ja; that Ile;-Ife was in chaos. There was the need to do high-level e¾tu¾tu¾ for the land in order to ward off all the negativities there. He was assured that he was capable of doing it. He was however warned to be very careful and watch his tongue while there, so as not to say something that would put himself into deep trouble while performing his duty. Ma¾ga¾la;ja; thanked the Awo and left. He could see no way how he would land himself into trouble while performing his duty. When he got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace, he consulted Ifá for the Ϙba and Ogbe¾Do¾su¾-mu; was revealed. He told OÙloô;fin that there was crises in the land and that he was capable of warding off the evil. He told OÙloô;fin that all what he needed to bring were four she-goats, one man suffering from elephantiasis of the scrotum, four sacks of cowries and four large kegs of palm oil. He insisted that the ẹbọ must be performed on that same day. OÙloô;fin sent all his domestic servants out to go and look for the materials. They combed everywhere and were able to procure the four she-goats, four kegs of palm-oil, four sacks of cowries but they could not find a man afflicted with elephantiasis of the scrotum. Time was of paramount importance. OÙloô;fin instructed Ma¾ga¾la;ja; to commence with the e¾tu¾tu¾. He did. When he completed the preparation, he told OÙloô;fin that the only item remaining was the man afflicted with swollen testicles. He said that they needed to slice the man open and pour plenty of palm-oil on his intestines and the e¾tu¾tu¾ would be completed. Where would this e¾tu¾tu¾ be placed? OÙloô;fin asked Ma¾ga¾la;ja;.

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He responded that each goat would be buried in each corner of the town while the man with elephantiasis of the scrotum would be thrown into the middle of a flowing river. OÙloô;fin then whispered to one of his domestic servants to hit Ma¾ga¾la;ja;‟s head with a pestle. The servant did, and Ma¾ga¾la;ja; died instantly. He was stripped naked. That was when they discovered that he was suffering from elephantiasis of the scrotum. OÙloô;fin told them that he had noticed this as soon as Ma¾ga¾la;ja; had entered his palace. They sliced the chest of Ma¾ga¾la;ja; open and completed the e¾tu¾tu¾ as he had instructed them to do. They buried the e¾tu¾tu¾ in the areas that Ma¾ga¾la;ja; had earlier specified. His corpse was then thrown into a river. With the e¾tu¾tu¾ done, there was no improvement in the land. The situation was simply getting worse. What did they need to do now? Bi; Babala;wo ba; gbo;ô’f;a; l’a;gboô¾o;ôju¾ Araa woôn ni woô;n n; ya¾n m’eô;boô Di;a; fu;n Se¾kunda; Ti; n; loô ile; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: If a Babaláwo understands Ifá too excessively He will end up recommending himself as ẹbọ material This was Ifá‟s message for Se¾kunda; When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace on an Ifá mission He was advised to offer ẹbọ When there was no solution yet to the problems plaguing Ile;-Ife, OÙloô;fin summoned Se¾kunda; for Ifá consultation: What is to be done to put a permanent stop to all the crises in the land? When Se¾kunda got OÙloô;fin‟s message, he went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed in OÙloô;fin‟s palace? Will I be able to solve the problems in the land? Will I be adequately rewarded?

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The Awo informed Se¾kunda; that there was a series of problems in Ile;Ife. They told him that he would be capable of solving all the problems there. They however warned him against being over-zealous or showing that he could analyze Ifá better than O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ himself. He was advised to watch his utterances and weigh every statement that he would pronounce before voicing it out, lest he put himself into trouble by his statements. Se¾kunda; thanked the Awo and left. He could not see how he would analyze and put himself in trouble. As a matter of fact, he reasoned, it was his in-depth knowledge and accurate analysis of Ifá that made the high and the mighty to come looking for him any time that there were problems in their lands. He had analyzed Ifá for Ala;ra;, Ajero¾, Oni;sôerô i, Oni;mia, and so on and all his analyses had been found to be very accurate. He concluded within himself that the group of Babaláwo were just envious of his chain of achievements. He refused to offer their ẹbọ. How could he, when they were just a bunch of jealous fools? The next day, he set out on his journey to OÙloô;fin‟s palace. When Se¾kunda got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace, he consulted Ifá and Ogbe¾Do¾su¾mu; was revealed. He told OÙloô;fin that there was an urgent need to offer ẹbọ in order to chase away all the evil spirits causing problems in the land. He said that the ẹbọ must be performed that same day. The ẹbọ materials were four mature she-goats, 16 sacks of cowries, four kegs of palm-oil and one bald headed man. He had totally forgotten that he was a bald headed man before he pronounced the ẹbọ materials. OÙloô;fin instructed his domestic servants to go and fetch all the items. They went and got all the materials - minus the bald-headed man. OÙloô;fin told Se¾kunda to proceed with the ẹbọ. When he finished, he told OÙloô;fin that it was only the bald-headed man that was delaying the ẹbọ. How can that be done? OÙloô;fin asked. Se¾kunda responded that the bald-headed man needed to be sliced open and the I®yeôr¾ o¾su¾n used for the ẹbọ would be poured over the intestines, together with plenty of palm-oil. The ẹbọ was to be deposited inside the river while the four she-goats were to be buried in the four corners of the town. OÙloô;fin gave his domestic servants the signal. They understood. They got the pestle and hit it heavily on Se¾kunda‟s head. In the split moment before his death, he remembered the warning of the Awo that he had gone to meet, he remembered that he was indeed a baldheaded man, and realized to his everlasting regret that he was the one

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who had actually pronounced himself to be used as part of the ẹbọ materials. His corpse was sliced open, the I®yerô¾ o¾su¾n and palm-oil were poured inside and he was deposited inside the river. As soon as this was done, the situation in Ile;-Ife worsened. On that very day, many evil things happened to the inhabitants of the land. Life became very unbearable for the inhabitants. Many of them began to contemplate leaving the land for other places altogether. What is it that I need to do? OÙloô;fin questioned himself. He concluded that he would continue to look for competent Ifá priests to come and help him solve the problems until he got an Awo or group of Awo who would find him a lasting solution and chase away the evil spirits plaguing the land. Iku;; to; pa e¾bu¾ e¾siô ;n n;beô l’oô;ru¾n ebe¾ Iku; to; pa baba oômoô O: n; wa; oômoô kiri Di;a; fu;n O®Ùwoô¾nni-we¾re¾ Ti; n; re;’le OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: What killed the yam piece that was planted last year is still on the farm heap What killed the father is still looking everywhere for the child These were Ifá‟s declarations to O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace on an Ifá mission He was advised to offer ẹbọ When OÙloô;fin heard that O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ was a very competent Babaláwo, he sent for him to come and help him solve the problems in his land. When O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ received the message of OÙloô;fin, he went to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed where two other great Babaláwo have failed? The Awo told O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ to be very careful with where he was going. He was told that there was the need for him to procure a lot of

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beef, cook it well, and use it to feed O®Ùsu ô n in the river. By so doing, he was told, he would understand exactly what to do when he got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace. He thanked the Awo and left. When he got home, he went straight to the market to procure the beef. He cooked the meat and took the soup to the river. As soon as he got to the river, I®ya; O®Ùsôun appeared to him. O®Ùsôun asked him, why have you come to feed me? He explained to O®Ùsôun that he was summoned by OÙloô;fin to come and consult Ifá for him. Two other Babaláwo had earlier gone to OÙloô;fin‟s palace but they never returned home. He said that that was the reason why he was concerned. He had gone to his Awo and they were the ones who advised him to come and feed O®Ùsôun before going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace. O®Ùsôun then told O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ that when he got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace and after the Ifá consultation, he must not recommend more than four pigeons and four sacks of cowries as ebo. He must also not slaughter any of the pigeons. If OÙloô;fin asked him what remained to do done, he must tell OÙloô;fin that what remained was the benefits which OÙloô;fin would receive during the coming dry season. O®Ùsôun told O®Ùwoô¾nniWe¾re¾ to inform OÙloô;fin that before the end of the following dry season, three great things would come to OÙloô;fin. The first two of these things belonged to OÙloô;fin while the third and last one belonged to O®Ùwoô¾nniWe¾re¾, the Awo. She informed O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ that the third one that was his would come from the river and must be taken directly to his (O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾) house. When it had been taken it to his house, he must lock all the doors and windows of his house before he began to examine it. O®Ùwoôn ¾ ni-We¾re¾ thanked O®Ùsôun and left. The next day, he headed for OÙloô;fin‟s palace. When he got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace, he cast Ifá for OÙloô;fin, and again, Ogbe¾Do¾su¾mu; was revealed. He told OÙloô;fin that there was a series of problems and crises in the land. Evil spirits had taken over the land. He however assured OÙloô;fin that all the problems would soon disappear. He said that there was no need to slaughter any animal, as doing so would only invite more evil spirits to the land. He therefore recommended four pigeons and four sacks of money as ẹbọ material. Are you sure these are all the materials we need for the ẹbọ? OÙloô;fin asked. O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ assured OÙloô;fin that he did not need more than those items. He offered the ẹbọ for OÙloô;fin.

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As soon as the ẹbọ was offered, the crises and tension in the land cooled down. Life returned to normal. Debtors in the land were able to pay off their debts; the invalid became well and happy; the barren became pregnant; the pregnant ones had safe deliveries; the farmers recorded bountiful harvests. Everyone in the land became happy. When the dry season arrived, a giant elephant left a forest and headed for OÙloô;fin‟s palace. The elephant fell in front of OÙloô;fin‟s palace and rested its trunk on the veranda of OÙloô;fin‟s house. The news spread like wild fire and soon came to the notice of OÙloô;fin. People said it must be one of the great gifts which O®Ùwoôn ¾ ni-We¾re¾ had predicted for OÙloô;fin. OÙloô;fin summoned all able-bodied men around to help him dissect the animal and bring the meat into his innermost chamber. They did so and the whole town rejoiced with OÙloô;fin. About three market days after (that is 13 days), a giant buffalo left the grass-land and headed for OÙloô;fin‟s palace. When it got there, it fell and rested its two horns on OÙloô;fin‟s veranda. The citizens proclaimed that O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ had predicted this. They knew that it was the second free gift that was predicted that had come OÙloô;fin‟s way. They helped him to dissect the animal and took the parts into his palace‟s innermost chamber. Three market days later, early in the morning on the fourth market day, women who went to the river to fetch water rushed back home to announce that they saw a fish whose size they had never seen before. The fish was twice the height and about four times the weight of a tall human being! Where did this come from? They quickly went to report their finding to OÙloô;fin. When he heard this, OÙloô;fin told them that the fish belonged to O®Ùwoô¾nniWe¾re¾. He ordered that it must be taken to O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾‟s house. They took the fish there. When O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ saw the fish, he knew that the gift which I®ya; O®Ùsôun had told him had come his way and had just arrived. He locked the doors and windows as instructed by O®Ùsôun. He got his knife ready. He began to slice the fish open. When he got to the belly of the fish, he heard some voices telling him, “Gently, great Awo.

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Please be careful. Do not cut us with your knife”! Fear gripped him. What was this supposed to mean? Those inside the fish said; “Great Awo, please continue with what you are doing. It is well”. When he sliced open the fish‟s belly Ma¾ga¾la;ja;; was the first to come out. After that, Se¾kunda; came out. They thanked him profusely. They asked him to go and bring four knotted calabashes, known as “igba;du¾”. He brought them. Ma¾ga¾la;ja;; and Se¾kunda; converted themselves into part of the essences of Igba; Odu¾. They filled the four igba;du¾ and became Igba; Odu¾. O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ then fed them accordingly. Those planning to undergo igba;du¾ ceremony began to visit O®Ùwoô¾nniWe¾re¾ and he began to use the Igba; Odu¾ for them. People then began to feed them. (more cannot be explained beyond this point because we need to preserve the secrets of Odù). Those who came to feed Odù or undergo the igba;du¾ ceremony began to sing thus: Igba; d'igba; a wa a¾joôboôô wa ni o Igba; di'gba;; a wa a¾joôboô wa ni Igba; I®re¾se; o, ti Gbe;ôna¾lo;ko¾ Igba; d'igba; a wa, a¾joôboô wa ni Translation: These calabashes have become our joint property that we need to feed jointly These calabashes have become our joint property that we need to feed jointly The calabashes of I®re¾se and those of Gbe;ôna¾lo;ko These calabashes have become our joint property that we need to feed jointly NOTE: That was how everyone who needed to feed Igba; Odu¾ ensured that they were done jointly. One set of Igba; Odu¾ is enough for one or two whole towns to own and use together collectively. It is not necessary for every Babaláwo to think of possessing Igba; Odu¾ individually.

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O®gbo;lo;gbo¾o; Oni;sôe¾gu¾n lo; su¾n l’e;ji¾gbo¾ôn Lo; fi¾ o;n;de¾ e re¾ô roô’ri; poônpoôn-oônpoôn Di;a; fu;n Ma¾ga¾la;ja; Ti; n;loô ile; OÙlofô;in lo¾ôoô; gb’awo EÙboô ni woôô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: f’eti; o¾ôtu;n gb’e;ôboôô O: fi t’o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾ Bi; Babala;wo ba; gboô;’fa; l’a;gbo¾ôoô;ju¾ Ara a woôn ni woô;n n; ya¾n m’e;ôboô Di;a; fu;n Se¾kunda; Ti; n; re’le; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: koô’ti; o¾ôgboônyin s’eô;boô Iku; to; p’e¾eb ¾ u¾ e¾siô ;n n;beô l’oô;ru¾n ebe¾ Iku; to; pa baba oômoô O: n;wa; oômoô kiri Di;a; fu;n OÙ®woô¾nni-We¾re¾ Ti; n;re’le; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e::ôboô,ô o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®je;ô igba; d'igba; a wa a¾joôboôô wa ni o Igba; di'gba;; a wa a¾joôboô wa ni Igba; I®re¾se; o, ti Gbe;ôna¾lo;ko¾ Igba; d'igba; a wa, a¾joôboô wa ni Translation: A great Herbalist was sleeping in the corner of a room And was resting his head firmly on his leather charm belt This was Ifá‟s message for Ma¾ga¾la;ja; When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace for on an Ifá mission He was advised to offer ẹbọ He heard the advice with his right ear But threw the advice out with his left ear If a Babaláwo understands Ifá too excessively He will end up recommending himself as ẹbọ material

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This was Ifá‟s message for Se¾kunda; When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace on an Ifá mission He was advised to offer ẹbọ He paid no attention to the advice What killed the yam piece that was planted last year is still on the farm heap What killed the father is still looking everywhere for the child These were Ifá‟s declarations to O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace on an Ifá mission He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Now, these calabashes have become our joint property that we need to feed jointly These calabashes have become our joint property that we need to feed jointly The calabashes of I®re¾se and those of Gbe;ôna¾lo;ko¾ These calabashes have become our joint property that we need to feed jointly Ifá says that it shall be well where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says also that if there is any serious problem or crisis where this Odù is revealed, the ẹbọ materials should not exceed four pigeons and four sacks of money. If this is done, then normalcy will return to the place very quickly. There should not be any slaughtering of any animal, lest the presiding Awo put his/her life on the line. These are the messages of Ifá on that matter. 11. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of wealth and accomplishment for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she shall succeed. Ifá advises this person never to sleep in total darkness. This is just to enable Ajé the divinity of Wealth to see him/her wherever he/she sleeps so that the Divinity can come and stay with him/her for the rest of his/her life.

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Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons and money. After the ebo, feed E®sôu¾ with one mature cock and feed Ajé with E®kuru, honey, and land snails. On these aspects, Ifá says: A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ To; ji; l’o;ro¾o¾ru Ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ Ti; ko¾ ri; oo;kan a¾a; yoô oô; na; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni He was the Awo who cast Ifá for Ogbe¾ Who woke up early in the morning But had no money to spend He was advised to offer eôboô Ogbe¾ could not understand why he would work so hard without seeing anything to justify all his hard work. He worked more than his contemporaries, yet he was not as successful as any of them. True, he was told that there was reward in working hard, but all what he got for his own hard work, however, was starvation, want and hunger. When would these end? He wondered. If he had no money to feed himself, how could he even talk about marriage and children? Where would he find the means to feed his wife and children? If he had no wife and children, how could he ever dream of seeking permission from the head of his family to erect his own personal building? What would he do with it? Who would help him to do it? Who would live there with him even if there was a miraculous development which made it possible for him to erect his own personal structure? Without his own building, how could he even dream about buying a horse? Where would he keep it? Olo;du¾mare¾, is my life on earth a mere waste? Nobody really had faith or belief in him at all. That was why he had no serious customers. Will all these things change? Will I turn out to become a great person in my

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life? These were the thoughts at the back of his mind when he approached his Awo, A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni for Ifá consultation. The Awo told Ogbè that he was fretting over his present condition in life. A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni told him that it was totally unnecessary for him, Ogbè, to work himself up because his success was just around the corner. Ogbè was assured that he would certainly attain all the Ire of life which he had chosen in O®rÙ un. He told Ogbè to be a little more patient. A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni explained to Ogbè that his destiny did not like to be in total darkness. He said that he had remained poor because Ajé, the Goddess of wealth, could not stay in his house because he loved to sleep in total darkness. He was advised to ensure that he always put on light in his room any time he wanted to sleep. He said that on several occasions, Ajé had made attempts to come and stay with him but she could not come because Ajé loved to move at night but she always found his room in total darkness. This had always made Ajé turn back and go elsewhere. Ogbè was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. He also ensured that he put on light in his room every time. As soon as Ogbè offered the ẹbọ and started to put light in his room every night, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ went to work, whispering into the ears of all the people in the community that Ogbè was a very competent Ifá priest who specialized in all matters of Ifá consultation. He informed the people that whenever they needed any medical or spiritual service, Ogbè‟s home must be their first port of call. That was exactly what the people began to do. Ogbè woke up one day and found a long line of people waiting to consult Ifá from him. He quickly dressed up and began to consult Ifá for all the people. The number of people trooping into his house was so many that it was obvious that he needed assistants within a few days that this started. Ogbè got two more hands as students. As this was going on, some of his clients suggested to him that he would need a wife who could be taking care of his domestic needs, someone who he could have conversations with, have children with, and raise his family with. He had the means to do this at that point in

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time. These clients and his family put their heads together. They found Ogbè a compatible wife. He loved the wife very much and the wife loved him too. In between the two of them, they raised several children, both biological and adopted. Within a few years, it was obvious that the house he was using had become very inadequate for the present size of his family. Ogbè, his wife and children, together with many well-wishers erected a big mansion. It was the talk of the whole community. Everyone in the community came to rejoice with Ogbè on the achievement. To crown the gain, Ogbè was presented with a horse by the Ϙba of the town. He became an honourable man in his community. He was loved and respected by all. When Ogbè looked at the way his life had changed within a short period of time, he began to give many thanks and praises to Olo;du¾mare.

A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ To; ji; l’o;ro¾o¾ru Ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ Ti; ko¾ ri; oo;kan a¾a; yoô oô; na; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni Owo; fe;ôreô¾e;ô de; na; o A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n Aya fe;rô eô¾eô; de; na; o A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n OÙmoô feô;reô¾eô; de; na; A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n Ile; fe;ôreô¾eô; de; na; A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n EÙsôin feô;re¾ôeô; de; na;

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A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n Ire gbogbo fe;ôre¾ôeô; de; na; A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni He was the Awo who cast Ifá for Ogbè Who woke up early in the morning But had no money to spend He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Ogbè, please do not fall asleep Wealth is coming soon A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni Ogbè, please do not fall asleep A spouse is coming soon A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni Ogbè, please do not fall asleep Children are coming soon A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni Ogbè please do not fall asleep Property is coming soon A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni Ogbè, please do not fall asleep Horses are coming soon A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni Ogbè, please do not fall asleep All the good things of life are coming soon A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni Ogbè, please do not fall asleep Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life

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Ifá assures this person that he/she shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. There is nothing that he/she fervently wishes for which will not be given to him/her. He/she needs not despair or lose hope.

12. Ifá warns that there is a fair-skinned woman where this Odù is revealed. This woman is Ifá‟s daughter and wife from heaven. No man who has not undergone I®te¾ôni;fa; ceremony can marry her and have a successful relationship. If anyone wishes to marry her, then the person must be advised to go for initiation as soon as possible. On the other hand, if a man is already initiated into Ifá and wishes to marry this woman, a thorough investigation must be made to ensure that this woman is not with an Awo already. If this woman is not with anyone already, then further steps can be taken. Ifá advises the man planning to marry this woman to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. The woman needs to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two cocks and money. She also needs to feed Ifá as recommended. On these aspects, Ifá says: A su;re; ni;’nu; e¾ôeô¾kan Ko¾ sôe l’o;ri; asa;n Bi; ko¾ ba; le; nn¾kan Nn¾kan lo; n; le; e Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Teô;e;ôreô; Ti; yo;o; sô’oôkoô I®rosu¾n pupa EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: He who runs inside the blade grass It cannot be for nothing If he is not pursuing something Then something is pursuing him This was Ifá‟s message for the Slender Ogbè When planning to marry the light skinned I®rosu¾n He was advised to offer ẹbọ

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Since the time that I®rosu¾n was born, her parents had been told that she could not marry any man who was not initiated into Ifá. This was because she had certain characteristics that only someone who was initiated into Ifá, casted Ifá, and offered ẹbọ regularly could handle her. For this reason, she had resisted all proposals from all men who had approached her to be their wife, especially if they informed her that they were not initiated into Ifá. One day, Ogbè met I®rosu¾n on the road and became attracted to her. Ogbè was a slim tall man while I®rosu¾n was a fair skinned woman. He could not concentrate any longer. He longed to see her and stay close to her all day. When this was becoming very unbearable to him, he informed his relatives. That was when they went to the home of the Awo stated above for Ifá consultation: Will Ogbè be able to marry I®rosu¾n? Will the relationship be peaceful and will it be blessed with children? Will both of them live long and enjoy the fruits of their labour? Will there be no regrets from both families? The Awo informed them that the woman in question was an Apet¾ô eb ô¾ i; from heaven therefore, she had to marry an initiated man. Since Ogbè had already been initiated into Ifá, the relationship stood a good chance of succeeding. The Awo however informed them that they needed to investigate in order to ensure that I®rosu¾n was not involved with another man already. The Awo advised them to offer ẹbọ as stated above. They complied and left the home of the Awo to go and investigate I®rosu¾n. Their investigation revealed that I®rosu¾n had no man. They also discovered that she was a very kind-hearted and attentive person. When they discovered this, the family of Ogbè was very happy. They sent people to the family of I®rosu¾n in order to inform them of their interest to have I®rosu¾n be a part of their family. The family of I®rosu¾n did their own investigations, both physical and spiritual. They found that both of them stood a good chance of living happily as husband and wife. Before long, the marriage was contracted. Both of them lived happily ever after. They were equally blessed with children, long life and sound health.

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A su;re; ni;nu; e¾ek ¾ an Ki¾i; sôe l’o;ri; asa;n Bi; ko¾ ba; le; nn¾kan Nn¾kan n; le;e Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Te;ôeô;re;ô Ti; yo;o; sôô’oôkoô I®rosu¾n Pupa EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: He who runs inside the blade-grass It cannot be for nothing If he is not pursuing something Then something is pursuing him This was Ifá‟s message for the Slender Ogbè When planning to marry the light-skinned I®rosu¾n He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Come and perceive all the Ire of life Ifá says that it shall be well for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that the relationship shall be blessed and rewarded for both the man and the woman.

13. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of pregnancy and bouncing baby for a woman who is desperately in need of the fruit of the womb. Ifá says that this woman has toiled and cried endlessly to receive this blessing for a long time and all to no avail. Ifá advises this woman to continue to be positive as her time to receive her own blessing is at hand. She must not think about how much she has spent to receive help as Ifá will answer her prayers.

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Ifá also advises her to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens and a lot of money. She also needs to feed Ajé with whatever Ifá recommends for feeding the Divinity. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ da;'wo;ô O®su¾ teô’leô¾ jinngi;nni Di;a; fu;n Are;bu¾jo; E®yi; to; ji; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ To; n;f’omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ used O®su¾ as a walking stick and stepped gingerly This was Ifá‟s message for Are;bu¾jo; She who was waking up early in the morning And weeping profusely in lamentation for her inability to bear any child She was advised to offer ẹbọ Every morning of her marital life, she would weep. Why? She was yet to be blessed with the fruit of the womb. Imagine this, she would say, a fowl which has nobody to take care of her medically or spiritually is able to lay several eggs and hatch them without any form of assistance. Yet, she has moved from one herbal home to the other for several years and has not had any pregnancy at all! A small she-goat was given to her neighbour just a year ago. This she-goat had delivered two small kids of her own and was again pregnant! If the deities could answer the prayers of birds and beast, why were her own prayers remaining unanswered? Why? She cried. When would her sorrow end? She searched for solutions in far distant places and found none. She looked for solutions around her, there was also none. That was when she was advised by a neighbour to try Ogbè and see if Olo;du¾mare¾ would answer her prayer. This prompted her to go to the home of the Awo for Ifá consultation. Will I be blessed with the fruit of the womb? Will I have a baby of my own? Will I be a mother who has given birth to her own baby and quit the league of barren women? Will my wailing stop? Will I have my own children that

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I will be able to send on errands? She remembered vividly one incident which made her feel depressed for a very long time. She remembered when she sent her neighbour‟s son out to buy something for her in the market. The boy went eagerly. As soon as the boy left, the mother marched into her house, complaining that she did not like her son being sent on such errands. What if his father was to return home and did not meet his son at home? She gave Are;bu¾jo; a piece of advice though: why don‟t you pray to Olo;du¾mare¾ to give you your own child, instead of sending other people‟s children on errands? Well, it was not the woman‟s fault. It was her own Ori; destiny who allowed such an insult to be passed on to her. That was what she thought about until she got to Ogbè‟s home. She asked Ogbè to consult Ifá for her. Ogbè did. Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; was revealed during Ifá consultation. The Awo told her that Ifá foresaw two Ire for her: The Ire of wealth and the Ire of a baby. Ogbè said that she would be very happy and would have cause to celebrate. She was told that she would be able to bear babies who would grow up in one day and she would bear babies who she would give her own breast milk to and train to her satisfaction. The children she would bear who would grow up in one day were not the ones who would suck her breast milk; they were the ones who would be weaned and trained by other women. The two sets of children would make her happy and fulfilled. The Awo advised her to continue to do good and to spend her money on the right courses and projects. She must also assist people in the community and ensure that her presence is always felt in all community projects. The Awo also advised her to offer ẹbọ with the materials stated above. She complied. As soon as she returned home, she intensified her good deeds in her home, her environment and in the whole neighbourhood. She extended her good will to all. About five days after, Are;bu¾jo; carried her keg to go and fetch water in the stream. One of her neighbours saw her. She rushed out of her home and said: “No! You should not do that. Let my daughter fetch the water for you. She is your daughter too. Remember, anytime you want to fetch water, call her and she will do it for you. The girl is your daughter”. Are;bu¾jo; thanked the woman profusely. The water was fetched for her. Every day, the girl would come to her to ask for what she needed to do in the house. Before long, the girl packed her things and moved into Are;bu¾jo;‟s house to live.

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At another time, Are;bu¾jo; grabbed her cutlass to go into the forest to look for firewood. A man saw her and stopped her from going. “Why are you going into the forest to cut wood? My son can do that for you. He is equally your son. Anytime you need to do something like that, call him and he will do it for you”. Before long, the boy packed his things and moved into Are;bu¾jo;‟s house. Within six months, Are;bu¾jo; had five children living with her. That was when she remembered what the Awo told her that she would bear children in one day and the children would grow up in one day. She also remembered that the Awo said that she would not be the person who had breast fed the children. Two months after the ẹbọ was offered, Are;bu¾jo; became pregnant. She needed a lot of rest. The children in her house were doing all the domestic chores that she would hitherto have been doing. They washed the clothes, the dishes and the floor for her. They swept the ground, they fetched water, they cut firewood, they went to the market and would do all other work that made life easier for Are;bu¾jo;. By the time Are;bu¾jo; gave birth to her first child, she already had five other children. Her joy knew no bound. The whole community rejoiced with her. She later gave birth to many more children. She lived and died a very contented woman. She agreed that money put into the right use could make one give birth to a child in one day and the child would be able to go on errands for one on that very day! Ogbe¾ da;’wo;;ô O®su¾ teô’leô¾ jinngi;;nni Di;a; fu;n Are;bu¾jo; E®yi; to; ji; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ To; n;f’omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; wo¾ôwoô; oômoô rere Woô¾wo;ô oômoô rere la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙ®pe¾ô N®je;ô Are;bu¾jo; O®ôÙja¾ja¾ Owo; ni;i; bi;’moô l’o;o¾jo;ô T’o¾un ti¾’kooro l’eô;nu o

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Translation: Ogbe¾ used O®su¾ as a walking stick and stepped gingerly This was Ifá‟s message for Are;bu¾jo; She who was waking up early in the morning And weeping profusely in lamentation for her inability to bear any child She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of good children Good children are what Ifá guarantees Behold Are;bu¾jo; O®Ùja¾ja¾ Money is it that gives birth to a child in one day And the child will have all his teeth complete Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have her dreams fulfilled. She will live happily and die content. 14. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed has a friend who is very dear to him/her. This friend also thinks high of him/her and is ready to do anything he/she can to improve the quality ofhis/her friend‟s life. Unfortunately however, this friend finds it difficult to be present any time his/her friend is doing something. This is either due to the fact that the friend has problems with his/her legs or his/her work schedule is such that it is difficult for him/her to be present. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to take the patience of ensuring that this friend is present anytime he/she is doing anything. The friend‟s presence will add quality to whatever he/she is doing. Ifá says that both of them will help each other. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two hens, two cocks, two guinea fowls and money. He/she also needs to move close to his/her parents all the time.

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On this, Ifá; says: Ogbe¾ da;'wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾ O: du;ro; jinngi;nni Di;a; fu;n E®®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ Ti; yo;o; gbe; O®su¾ de;’gbo; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ struck O®su¾ down It stood gingerly This was Ifá‟s message for ®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ (the Shoulders) Who would help carry O®su¾ to the Igbo;du¾ He was advised to offer ẹbọ O®su¾ was the best friend of E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro. They loved each other dearly. Unfortunately, anytime that E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro had anything to do, O®su¾ was never present. This was because O®su¾ could not walk. Anytime that E®ji¾ka; was doing anything, he would have to contend with missing the energy of his best friend. This gave him much concern. That was why E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: What can I do to help my best friend? The Awo told E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro that O®su¾ was very important to have in anything that he was doing. His absence in all rituals and initiations which E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro was doing was a big minus. Consequent upon this, E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro was advised to ensure that O®su¾ was carried by him to the Igbo;du¾ anytime that an initiation rite was to be performed. By so doing, E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro was assured, it would be beneficial to both friends. The Awo also advised E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. The next time that initiation was to be performed, E®ji¾ka;Go¾go¾ro made it a point of duty to carry O®su¾ to the Igbo;du¾. It was a grand performance that the two friends recorded. Before long, E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro ensured that O®su¾ was not too far away from the Igbo;du¾. This made it more convenient for both friends. They both recorded more successes than ever before.

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Ogbe¾ da;’wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾ O: du;ro; jinngi;nni Di;a; fu;n E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ Ti; yo;o; gbe; O®su¾ de;’gbo; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô N®jeô; eôni eôni l’oni;ra¾nwo;ô eôni o EÙniô eôni l’oni;ra¾nwoô; eôni E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ ni yo;o; gb’O:su¾ de;’gbo; EÙni eôni l’oni;ra¾nwo;ô eôni o Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;;a; ba; ni ni; wo¾ôwoô; ire gbogbo Translation: Ogbe¾ struck O®su¾ down It stood gingerly This was Ifá‟s message for E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro (the Shoulders) Who will help carry O®su¾ to the Igbo;du¾ He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied One‟s person is one‟s helper One‟s person is one‟s supporter E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro is the one to carry O®su¾ to Igbo;du¾ One‟s person is one‟s helper Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life Ifá says that it shall be well for two friends who genuinely love each other. Their relationship shall be mutually beneficial to the two of them. 15. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed loves children beyond description. Ifá says that for this reason, he/she shall enjoy the benefits of children and young ones. He/she shall also be loved, honoured and respected by the children. They will not live to do anything to hurt him/her because they know that he/she has suffered for them.

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Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two rats, two fish, two hens and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá as appropriate. On this, Ifá says: I®lu; ke;re;je, ki¾ki¾ ohu¾n gooro Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; ko¾ ni; le¾ su¾n Ni;tori; oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;;a; sôe Translation: A small town with loud voices This was Ifá‟s message for Ogbè Who was not able to sleep Because of children He was advised to offer ẹbọ Ogbè could not sleep because of his children. How could he sleep? He had suffered a lot before he could give birth to these children. He suffered even more when he was raising them. He suffered to ensure that they became useful children to him and to themselves. How could he sleep, when there were many fearful and fearsome things happening everyday out there? He could not sleep because he feared for his children. He could not sleep because he loved his children very much. He could not sleep because his children had not reached the height that he prayed Olo;du¾mare¾ and all the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ to let them be. He could not sleep because there was still a very long way to go. This was the reason why he went for Ifá consultation: Will my children be useful to me, to themselves and to the society at large? Will they be protected against all the dangers of life? Will they live long enough to succeed? These and many more were the questions that he asked Ifá during the consultation. The Awo informed Ogbè that even though he had every reason to be apprehensive on the welfare and well-being of his children, he however needed to take things easy because only Olo;du¾mare¾ could take care of

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children. If not for Olo;du¾mare¾, he, Ogbè, too would be totally powerless to do anything about his children. This was not to suggest that he needed not perform his parental roles on the children though. Ogbè was assured that these children would turn out to be great children who would all make his life easy, who would make him proud and happy, and who would became great ambassadors of their family, their community and the whole society at large. The Awo advised Ogbè to offer ẹbọ as stated above, ensure that the children were given the necessary parental guidance and leave the rest in the hands of Olo;du¾mare¾. That was exactly what Ogbè did. In turn, the children turned out to be exactly whom Ogbè wanted them to be.

I®lu; ke;re;je, ki¾ki¾ ohu¾n gooro Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; ko¾ ni; le su¾n Ni;tori; oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;to¾le; ire A®to¾le; Ire la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ O®Ùpeô¾ N®jeô; i¾lu; ke;re;je o Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n Translation: A small town with loud voices This was Ifá‟s message for Ogbè Who was not able to sleep Because of children He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life Piling up all the Ire of life is what Ifá guarantees its devotees Now, The small town Ogbè, please do not sleep

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Ifá says that all shall be well for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. The must ensure to socialize their children well and be a role model for them and others. 16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to be a doubter. If he/she fails to heed this warning, it may spell doom for him/her. Ifá advises this person not to go out when it is dark for 17 days. Heeding this warning will help him/her ward off any impending disaster coming his/her way. Ifá also advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature she-goat, his/her coverlet and money. The she-goat must not be slaughtered. All that the Awo needs to do is cut a tiny part of the goat‟s ear in such a way that blood will not come out of the cut part, cut a part of the rope used to tie the goat, and cut tiny parts off the four edges of the coverlet and put all these into the ẹbọ. The ẹbọ is to then be buried by the E®®sôu¾ shrine. The Awo is then to take the goat away live. The Awo is free to do whatever pleases him/her with the goat when he/she takes it to his/her own house. This is what Ifá says on this aspect: Aa;ya;n ile; ni;i; fe;ô’raa woôn l’e;ti;-l’e;ti O®Ùoô¾ku¾n gi¾di¾gba¾ ni¾;i; ri¾n t’araare¾ô-t’araareô¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙÙloô;fin ade;ôja¾a; Wo;ôn ni; ko; f’asôoô ru;’boô ni;tori; iku; Translation: Cockroaches are insects which blow air into each other ears The millipede is the animal that walks alone on the road This was Ifá‟s message for doubting OÙloô;fin Who was advised to offer his coverlet as ẹbọ in order to avert untimely death

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What kind of dream was this? OÙloô;fin wondered. Why must he see himself being pierced with arrows, spears and javelins in his dream? To make matters worse, all those who came to his rescue just stood by watching the massacre scene. Certainly, his enemies were at work, he concluded. But wait a moment; the weapons which were used were actually brought out from the palace. Not only this, he was the one who handed over the weapons to them before they turned them against him! What was this supposed to mean? Surely, there is conspiracy against him by those close to him. Well, he knew how to deal with that, he assured himself. As soon as he woke up in the morning, he rounded up all the palace guards and locked them up. Not only this, he ensured that a new set of palace guards were put in their places immediately. Those who planned to use the guards against him would be surprised and disappointed, he assured himself with a deep sense of satisfaction. He went to sleep in the evening of that day with a high sense of relief. At night, however, he had the same dream, this time around, with more people hitting and striking him with weapons. He saw his blood flowing freely with nobody to come to his aid! When he woke up, he realized with a deep sense of urgency that this was more than the conspiracy of his enemies. He concluded that there was the need for him to consult Ifá as quickly as possible. He therefore summoned the Awo mentioned above to come and consult Ifá for him urgently. What is the meaning of these dreams that I have had? Who are these enemies planning against him? What must I do to overcome them? After overcoming these enemies, what punishment must be meted out to them to serve as a deterrent to others? The Awo consulted Ifá and informed OÙloô;fin that even though death was hovering round his head, it was not as a result of anyone or any group conspiring against him. He was informed that a bad omen was around him at that particular point in time. Not only that, life-threatening spirits were surrounding him. They had settled down with him in preparation to snuffing out his life. The Awo advised OÙloô;fin to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He was also advised not to go out at night for 17 days. He was assured that if

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these advices could be kept, then the evil spirits would pack up and leave him alone. OÙloô;fin was very skeptical of the fact that nobody was responsible for the threat to his life. Nonetheless, he offered the ẹbọ as advised. He began to plan frantically to ensure that his enemies were dealt with ruthlessly. He ordered four of his guards to be on the alert every night. These guards were: O®ri;si;nsi;n-tasi;n oôdeô OÙlo;ôfin O®ri;si¾nsi¾n-tasi¾n oôdeô OÙloô;fin Atama;ta¾se; oôdeô OÙloô;fin O®ri;yii-ta¾ri;-o¾yi¾i¾yi oôdeô OÙloô;fin Translation: O®ri;nsi;nsi;n-tasi;n OÙloô;fin‟s guard O®ri;si¾nsi¾n-tasi¾n another guard of OÙloô;fin The-Expert-Whose-Shot-Never-Misses-its-Target, OÙloô;fin‟s guard O®ri;yi ta¾ri; o¾yi¾i¾yi, OÙloô;fin‟s guard OÙloô;fin instructed them that if they saw any movement around his main chamber in the palace any time at any night henceforth, they must shoot first and ask questions later. He went inside and brought out more bows and arrows, spears and javelins for the guards. He felt secured after this. In the evening when he went to bed, his favourite wife came to his room and told OÙloô;fin that she would like to have a word with him. OÙloô;fin let her in. As soon as she sat down, she said, “Ka;bi;es¾ i;, is it wise for fraudsters to come inside this palace to dupe you? Can‟t you see that these people no longer fear or respect your Royal Majesty? Why do you allow tricksters to be close to this palace in the first place?” OÙloô;fin looked at his favourite wife, but he could not understand what exactly she meant. “What are you trying to tell me, dear? Let me know who has come to dupe me in this palace.” “Your so-called Babaláwo have come to dupe you! They were the ones who have come to cheat you! They are liars and cheats! Those bunch of incompetent fools! They must be dealt with ruthlessly!”

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“What exactly did they do? I must know before I take any action.” “You want to know? Surely, you shall know. Did those thieves who call themselves Babaláwo not tell you that they were going to bury the goat and your coverlet by the E®sôu¾ shrine? I was watching the bastards when they were offering the ẹbọ for you. They didn‟t know that I was watching them. What did I see? They cut the rope on the neck of the goat, the skin of the ear of the goat, bits of cloth from the four edges of your coverlet and buried all these things together with the ẹbọ. They took away the goat and your coverlet right in my presence! I swear! Those Babaláwo are thieves! “Is that so?” OÙloô;fin asked incredulously. "Ok, don‟t worry my dear, I shall take appropriate action. Those Awo will be taught a lesson that will serve as a deterrent to others. Go and have your well-deserved sleep”. As soon as his favourite wife left, OÙloô;fin began to roll over what he had just heard in his mind. “So, these Awo are thieves. So they were the ones who put imprecations on me to have such terrible and terrifying dreams in order for them to come and dupe me of my she goat and coverlet. Anyway, they will suffer. I swear by the spirit of my forefathers. They will suffer!” OÙloô;fin declared repeatedly. As he was doing this, he was also planning the type of punishment for them. After much deliberation, he concluded that the most appropriate punishment for the two Babaláwo was for them to be burnt alive. When he settled this in his mind, he settled down to sleep. Even though he had settled the punishment of the two Babaláwo in his mind when he settled down to sleep, his mind could not settle. Why? Something kept nagging him that he had not investigated the allegation to be sure that what his favourite wife was telling him was the truth. How could his wife lie to him? He queried in his mind, yet the nagging did not stop. That was when he stood up in the middle of the night to go and investigate. Truly, if he investigated, his assurance would be double and all doubts would be removed completely. As he moved to go, he toyed with the idea of going with a lamp. What for? Something told him. There was no need to take a lamp. There was no point in disturbing other people in the palace. As he was going, he smiled to himself: he was a very good investigator who his subjects

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ought to praise and respect. If not for his royal calling, he would have been a full-time spy or investigator, he mused. When he got to the E®sôu¾ shrine, he saw freshly dug and covered sand beside the shrine. He knew that it must be the site where the thieves who called themselves Babaláwo had buried his ẹbọ. He used his hand to dig the soil. As he did so, his hand touched the rope that was used to tie the she goat. He pulled the rope; and behold, the full goat was pulled out, together with his coverlet! The goat began to bleat loudly! As the goat began to bleat, this attracted OÙloô;fin‟s four hunters/guards. They wasted no time in unleashing their poisoned weapons in the direction of the sound. After all, they had the standing order of OÙloô;fin himself to shoot first and ask questions later. The arrow struck OÙloô;fin in the throat and came out the other side of his neck; the spear struck him in the chest and pierced through his heart and came out at his back; the javelin struck him in the stomach, tore open his liver and came out from his back; and the boomerangs sliced his bowels open. Blood flowed everywhere. In the split second before his death, he remembered his two dreams and recollected that he was the one who had given the guards the weapons with which he was struck dead. He died by the E®sôu¾ shrine. A:a;yan ile; ni;i; fe;ô’raa woôn l’e;ti;-l’e;ti; O®Ùoô¾ku¾n gi¾di¾gba¾ ni;i; ri¾n t’araare¾ô-t’araareô¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙloô;fin ade;ôja¾¾a; Wo;ôn ni; ko; f’asôoô ru;’boô ni;tori; iku; O: gb'e;ôboô, o ru;’boô SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moô; A®woôn O®ri;si;nsi;n-tasi;n oôdeô OÙlo;ôfin O®ri;si¾nsi¾n-tasi¾n oôdeô OÙloô;fin Atama;ta¾se; oôdeô OÙloô;fin O®ri;yii-ta¾ri;-o¾yi¾i¾yi oôdeô OÙloô;fin OÙlo;ôfin o¾ ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô I®® ba; wa;a; f’owo; sôô’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô E®ro¾ I®po e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ EÙni gb’eô;boô ni;’be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô o

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Translation: Cockroaches are insects which blow air into each other ears The millipede is the animal that walks alone on the road This was Ifá‟s message for doubting OÙloô;fin Who was advised to offer his coverlet as ẹbọ in order to avert untimely death He offered the eôboô But he refused to respect the warning O®ri;nsi;nsi;n-tasi;n, OÙloô;fin‟s guard O®ri;si¾nsi¾n-tasi¾n, another guard of OÙloô;fin The expert whose shot never misses its target, OÙloô;fin‟s guard O®ri;yi ta¾ri; o¾yi¾i¾yi, OÙloô;fin‟s guard Had OÙloô;fin known the implication He would have offered the prescribed eôboô Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Let those warned to offer eôboô do so Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will not be allowed to die a violent death. He/she however MUST heed the warnings of Ifá. He/she must NEVER doubt his/her Awo.


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B.

SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® DO®SU®MU: FOR THOSE BORN BY THIS ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA: Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, have the potential to succeed in life. They are also blessed with the ability to live a fulfilled life and achieve self realization in their various fields of endeavour. They tend to succeed more in rural areas than in urban centres. This is not to suggest that they cannot succeed in urban centres as well; but the point is that their success chances are brighter in rural settings than in urban settings. This is the reason why it is very good for Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, to set up their work places in the rural areas. They may live in urban centres but they should work in rural areas. They may also live and work in rural areas in order to double their success chances. Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, will do much better if they and all their siblings are initiated together or one after the other. Doing so will make their luck and success potentials rise together and they will all be able to realise their hearts' desires together. For Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, their ability to survive serious ailments is incredible. No matter how serious ailments may be, they have the tendency of overcoming such ailments and bouncing back to normalcy and sound health. The moment that Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children undergo Ifá initiation, that is when miracles begin to enter into their lives. The importance of this is that Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, live their lives with the blessing of sound health and vitality. At the initial stage, Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, may experience some hardship in their lives. All what they need to do is to persevere. With perseverance and resilience, all their sufferings, struggles, toiling and hardships in their lives will disappear. They will in turn be blessed with peace of mind, comfort, contentment, and accomplishment. It is not a wise thing for anyone to antagonise Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children unjustly. Anyone who attempts this will be crushed because the children of Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; have the support of Ifá, Orí, E®sôu-¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾¾, and O®ri¾sôa¾ Oko. These four Iru;nmoôleô¾ are solidly behind them and they

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always assist them in crushing all their antagonists. As an adjunct to this, Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children always make impossible things possible. They have the blessing of Ifá, E®sôu-¾ O®Ùda¾ra, SÙan ¾ go; and OÙya and they will never allow this person to be disgraced or humiliated in any venture that they set their minds on. Their secrets can never be exposed to those who are not supposed to know them. When offering the ẹbọ of Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu;, on no condition must there be slaughtering of any animal. Also the Ikin of Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children must never be fed with blood of any kind. This is very important to note in order to avoid a situation where blood spilling will lead to more complications instead of solving any problem. Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; male and female children are generally very inquisitive, they love to see and know what are behind closed doors. They are never satisfied with accepting that there is something or anything that they are not supposed to see or touch. They want to know everything and see everything. Many times, when Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children are in deep trouble, their curiosity and inquisitiveness are responsible for the trouble. For all Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; female children it is advisable for them to marry people who are either Ifá practitioners or those who are initiated into Ifá. It is a taboo for all Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; female children to be involved in adultery or promiscuity. Doing so may make their Orí turn against them and refuse to support them in any of their undertakings in life. For Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; male children, they must never be dishonest or cheat in their businesses and in their love lives. They must also investigate extensively before they get involved in any business transaction or any love relationship. Doing this will help them avoid suffering, gnashing of teeth and regrets. Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, love their children deeply, both biological and adopted, with passion. This is the reason why Olo;du¾mare¾ makes it possible for them to enjoy the benefits of children and young ones. The children that they give birth to and raise have the potential to be useful to themselves, to their parents, to their contemporaries, to their communities and to their countries at large.

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OGBE® I®ROSU®N

On the overall, Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children live their lives in such a way that they leave their marks on the sand of time that it becomes very difficult to forget them in a haste.

A®boôru; A®boôye¾.

C.

AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ/® O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® DO®SU®MU:

1. Ifá - For success, victory, direction, leadership, elevation, sanctuary, protection, security, support, contentment, fulfilment, and self actualisation 2. Orí - For fulfilment of destiny, guidance, protection, leadership, support, sanctuary, elevation, protection, contentment and self realisation 3. E®su ô ¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ - For support, sanctuary, protection, victory, leadership, elevation, achievement, direction, protection, and overall wellbeing. 4. O®gu;n (especially that of the Blacksmiths) - For success, victory, inspiration, guidance, direction, support, leadership, and overall wellbeing 5. O®ri¾sa ô -¾ Oko- For financial success, victory, support, leadership, elevation, and general wellbeing 6. SÙan ¾ go;- For victory, support, achievement, leadership, protection, sanctuary, and general wellbeing 7. O®su¾- For sanctuary, support, sound health, success, and general wellbeing 8. EÙgbeô;- For success, leadership, victory, comradeship, direction, and general wellbeing 9. O®Ùsu ô n- For childbearing, childrearing, success, victory, compatible spouse selection, direction, guidance and general success 10. O®ri¾sa ô ¾ O®ke¾- For leadership, victory over enemies, sanctuary, protection and general wellbeing 11. Odu¾¾- For financial success, leadership, general acceptance, elevation, protection, and general wellbeing 12. Aje; - For financial success, elevation, contentment, leadership, self realization and general wellbeing

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D.

TABOOS OF OGBE DO®SU®MU:

1. Must never eat Okra - To avoid a threat to the lives of his/her children, unconsummated fortune and failure 2. Must not go out at night - To avoid a threat to one‟s life, unconsummated fortune, failure, regrets and disaster 3. Must never put blood on his/her Ikin - To avoid unconsummated fortune, threat to life, failure, regrets and disaster 4. Must never be avaricious - To avoid unconsummated fortune, failure, humiliation, and regrets 5. Must never engage in secret love affairs/promiscuity - To avoid unconsummated fortune, dwindling resources, failure, regrets and disappointment 6. Must never ignore his/her dreams - To avoid regrets, and disappointments 7. Must never plan to disgrace or humiliate anyone - To avoid unconsummated fortune, failure, disappointment, regrets and disaster 8. Must never be in a hurry to achieve success - To avoid failed opportunities, disappointments and regrets 9. Must not walk bare footed, especially on farms - To avoid serious injury that may lead to a threat to one‟s life 10. Must never abandon his wife when she is ill - To avoid losing her to the healer who treats her.

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OGBE® I®ROSU®N

E.

POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® DO®SU®MU:

i.

MALE

1. Do¾su¾mu; - I hold onto the O®su¾ staff for support 2. Ifa;so ô ôla; - Ifa; brings me honour 3. Ifa;gbe;miga - Ifa; elevates me 4. Ifa;sa ô yoô¾ - Ifa; brings joy 5. Ifa;se ô ô;gun - Ifa; gives me victory 6. Ifa;ra¾nmi;lo;ôwoô; - Ifa; comes to my aid 7. O®ke¾se ô ô;gun - O®ke¾ brings me victory

ii.

FEMALE

1. Ala;la¾at; a¾ - She who turns her dreams into money making ventures 2. Ifa;da;ra¾ - Ifa; performs wonders in my life 3. Ifa;sa ô yoô¾ - Ifa; brings me joy 4. O®ke¾gba¾mi;la¾ - O®ke¾ comes to my rescue 5. Odu¾so ô ôla; - Odu¾ brings me honour and prosperity 6. Ayo¾m ô i;de; - My joy has arrived


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Chapter 5

Ogbè Ọ̀wọ́nrín

II I II I II II 319

OGBE® OÙ®WOÙ:NRI:N OGBE® WU:N’LE: OGBE® HU:N’LE: A.1. Ifá says that, for a person born by this Odù during I®te¾ôni;fa; or

I®koôseô¾da;ye;, at least six different kinds of Ire are coming for him/her

within four days. If this person does not have these Ire in his/her hands, the foundation of all the Ire will be laid within the four days. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with six pigeons and money. There is also the need to feed Ifá with whatever Ifá prescribes for this person. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ hu;n’le; Ile; la¾a; hu;n Di;a; fu;n O®ôru;nmi¾la¾ Baba yo;o; ri; ire me;ôfa¾ ni;’re¾ni; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbè, please mind your home It is one’s home that one should mind was the declaration of Ifá to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When going to be the recipient of six Ire in four days He was advised to offer ẹbọ

The dream convinced him that some things of great significance were about to take place in his life. But what were they? OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ could not readily put his fingers to it. Much as he tried to understand the dream, he realized that there were too many possible explanations to the dream. To be very sure of what the dream was all about, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ summoned his Awo who incidentally was one of his former students to come and consult Ifá for him. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾ OÙ®woôô;nri;n was revealed.

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The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he was approaching six different Ire of life which would change his life forever. Not only that, these Ire would also make all those who came in contact with him to view him with more honour and respect. The Awo advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with six pigeons and money. He was also advised to feed his Ifá as appropriate. The Awo explained further that Olo;du¾mare¾ had placed him under close observation and the report which Olo;du¾mare¾ got on OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had been very satisfactory. For this reason, Olo;du¾mare¾ had decided to reward him with the six Ire as stipulated above. All the Ire would however arrive and be in the reach of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ within four days. The Awo congratulated OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in advance. On that very day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied by offering the ẹbọ. He even found out what exactly Ifá wanted for him to use as the feeding material. After verification, he feed Ifá accordingly. When all these had been done, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was full of hope that his life would change for the better. The first thing that he noticed very early on the next day was that there was an unusually large number of people who were at his house entrance waiting for him to wake up in order to consult Ifá for them. He quickly took care of his personal hygiene, prayed together with all the members of his household and set to work. Before evening he had realized in one day what he could not make in six months! Even at night time, people kept trooping into his house! All of them told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that they were asked to come to his house by one short man. They stated that the man told them that the only person who had the capability to turn their lives from bad to good was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. Who then was this short man? How could OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ know that the short man who kept referring everybody to his house was E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾? How could he know that immediately after OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered the ẹbọ, Olo;du¾mare¾ had summoned E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ to carry the ẹbọ to I®wa¾run where all ẹbọ are deposited in the spirit world. From there, Olo;du¾mare¾ ordered the ẹbọ to be transferred to Ibu¾da¾ where all ẹbọ are accepted in the spirit world. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ was also ordered to point his A®sôeô to the ẹbọ for all the Ire of life which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was craving for to manifest. All these happened in quick succession.

321

OGBE® HU:N’LE:

After these had been done, Olo;du¾mare¾ mandated E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ to ensure that all the six Ire that Ifá promised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ got to him within four days as specified. What OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was experiencing in his home was the manifestation of financial success in his life. It was a big surprise to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he was making so much money that had transformed him into an instant success. This was no surprise to E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ and Olo;du¾mare¾. They knew that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was reaping the profit of what he had sowed. People kept coming to his house. Those whose crops had failed, they could not understand why their own crops could fail in spite of the fact that they were blessed with fertile soil. Why should their own crops fail when all their colleagues who had their farms adjacent to theirs recorded bountiful harvest? How could anyone explain to them that their farms were destroyed by pests when the farms of all their neighbours were left unaffected? Why should pests single out their own farms for destruction? Why? Why? Why? People kept coming to his house. Those whose health had failed, they could not understand why they should be suffering from malaria when all their colleagues who were living in the same environment with them were enjoying sound health? Some of them were vomiting and defecating at the same time. The disease was called Oni;gba;-Me;ji¾ the ailment which makes victims use two containers (one for defecating and the other for vomiting)'. Why should this happen to them? They were told that the water they drank had venoms of OÙbalu;aye; which caused them to stool and vomit at the same time. Nonsense! Were they the only people who drank the water? Why must they be the ones afflicted by this disease? Why must OÙbalu;aye; single them out for punishment? Even if OÙbalu;aye; wanted to punish them, why this particular type of disease and not other water-borne diseases? There must be an explanation for what was happening to them. People kept coming to his house. Those whose brother, father, son or relative fell from a tall palm-tree and broke their backs, or lost their lives in the process; those whose family members or relatives were struck to death by poisonous snakes; those whose family members or relatives were killed by wild

322


animals; those whose relatives or family members were victims in a canoe mishap; those whose family members or relatives were victims of fire outbreak; those whose family members or relatives lost their ways in the wilderness and were not found. The list was endless. They all came to find out from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ two things? One, why is this happening to their own relatives and not someone else's? Two, what could they do to either find a solution to the problem or put an end to such problems? People kept coming to his house. Those whose lives had begun to look brighter; those whose economic outlook had begun to improve; those who have course to celebrate one thing or the other in their lives; those who had just met the partners of their dreams; those looking for the blessings of the fruits of the womb; those going on a journey; those who were about to start a business undertaking; those whose spouses were pregnant and were praying for safe delivery; those whose spouses had just delivered and were looking for the best for their bundle of joy; those who just wanted routine Ifá consultation in order to have something to guide their lives so as not to make any mistakes. They came to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in order to receive appropriate Ifá guidance. All of these people who came to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house returned to their homes, satisfied that if anyone could assist them, it was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ ensured that all what OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told them met their satisfaction. They were also prepared to offer all the ẹbọ which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ recommended for them. The second Ire that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received was for him to be able to give satisfactory answers to all the questions and inquiries of all his clients. It was this ability that kept convincing the clients to offer the ẹbọ. It also gave them the hope that once the ẹbọ was offered the solutions to their problems would come. It also convinced them that improvement and stability would come to their lives. This ability is called A®soôgba¾ – The ability to give a acceptable explanations to questions. The third Ire that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received within four days was known as A®sôegba¾. This was the ability to embark on what will meet the acceptance of the Divinities and Olo;du¾mare¾. All the ẹbọ, i¾boô and a¾ko;sôe that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ performed for all these clients were accepted by

323

OGBE® HU:N’LE:

the Divinities and they all had positive impacts on the lives of his clients. This alone convinced them beyond all doubts that the most sensible thing for them to do was to stick to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and invite all members of their household to make OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ their personal doctor. This made OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s popularity skyrocket beyond his wildest imagination. The fourth Ire which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was blessed with was that the whole community began to see him with genuine love, honour and respect. They saw him as indispensable to the community. They felt that they needed to consult him before any major decision was taken in the community. The fifth Ire that came to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was that he found himself more and more relevant in the community. He was regarded as an intelligent and understanding elder in the community whose opinion on any issue counted very much. He became the crises resolution elder, a progressive member of the society and the right hand man of the Ϙba of the community. The sixth Ire that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received was contentment. He was satisfied with the blessings of Olo;du¾mare¾ in his life. He was reasonable and realistic enough to understand that Olo;du¾mare¾ showered His blessings on whosoever He pleased and that the decision of Olo;du¾mare¾ could not be questioned or challenged. He was always grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾ over what Olo;du¾mare¾ gave him. He did not envy the blessings of others. Instead of that, he was always prepared to rejoice with those that Olo;du¾mare¾ had chosen to shower blessings upon.

Ogbe¾ hu;n’le; Ile; la¾a; hu;n Di;a; fu;n O®ôru;nmi¾la¾ Baba yo;o; ri; ire me;ôfa¾ ni;’re¾ni; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô OÙ®runmi¾la¾ EÙri¾gi¾ I®ya¾nda¾ Ifa; ma; je¾ôeô; ki; ire me;ôfa¾ o; se;; mi o Translation:

324


Ogbè, please mind your home It is one’s home that one should mind This was the declaration of Ifá to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When going to be the recipient of six Ire in four days He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ also known as EÙri¾gi¾ I®ya¾nda¾ Ifá please do not let my six Ire of life skip me by Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed must not miss the six Ire that is coming his/her way within four days. These six Ire will also not be allowed to skip him/her by. This is the message of Ifá for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. He/she needs to prepare his/her mind for the acceptance of these six Ire.

2. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom this Odù is revealed together with another person who is living far away from the place of abode of this person. Ifá says that both of them shall succeed together in their different localities. Ifá advises each of these people to offer ẹbọ with four white pigeons and money. On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Hu;nl'e; says: Hun’le; Hu;n’de Di;a; fu;n Akeôsôeô A bu¾ fu;n O®go¾do¾ EÙboô aje; ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn sôe Translation: Mind your home Mind what’s outside This was Ifá’s message for Akeôôsôeô (the silk cotton) And for O®go¾do¾ (the cotton wool) They were both advised to offer ẹbọ for prosperity

325

OGBE® HU:N’LE:

Akeôôsôeô, the Silk Cotton and O®go¾do¾, the Cotton wool were bosom

friends. They had been friends from youth. They loved each other and they loved to do things together. Many people would often mistake one for the other. One day, the two friends decided to pursue their professional careers and were determined to reach the zenith of their chosen professions. Both of them went for Ifá consultation. The Awo told Akeôôsôeô that he would succeed in the home while O®go¾do¾ would succeed in the farm. Both of them agreed and Akeôôsôeô stayed at home while O®go¾do¾ moved to the farm. They maintained close contact with each other though. About six months after this, Akeôôsôeô went for another round of Ifá consultation; this time to determine his success chance in life. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾ Hunle; was revealed. The Awo assured Akeôôsôeô that he would be very successful. Not only this, he would also become a very prominent person in life. He was informed that he had another friend who was not living in the same locality with him who would also succeed like him. The Awo told Akeôôsôeô that both he and O®go¾¾do¾ would have achievement and they would be prominent in their communities. They would also have course to showcase their achievement in life. The Awo advised each of them to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons and money. That very day, Akeôôsôeô sent a message to O®go¾¾do¾ to inform him of what the Awo had said. Both friends procured the ẹbọ materials and returned to the Awo in order to offer the ẹbọ for them. It did not take long before they were convinced that their ẹbọ had been accepted. Both of them blossomed in majestic splendour. Everyone began to seek them. Their products became precious and invaluable to those who were lucky to acquire them. The products were being converted to dresses and garments. Both Akeôôsôeô and O®go¾¾do¾ were being treated with honour and respect. Their lives changed for the better and they moved up in the social-economic cadre of their society. When asked how they became so successful in a short time, they responded that it was simply because they were children of Ogbe¾Hunle;! It is therefore not a surprise to see children of Ogbe¾-Hunle; succeeding beyond their wildest dreams.

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Hun’le; Hu;n’de Di;a; fu;n Akeôsôeô A bu¾ fu;n O®go¾do¾ EÙboô aje; ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn sôe Woô;n gb’eô;boô, woôn ru;’boô Akeôsôeô la¾ nile¾ô O®go¾do la¾ lo;ko Gbogbo wa la o; je;ô’woô; oômoô Ogbe¾-Hu;nle; Translation: Mind your home Mind what’s outside This was Ifá’s message for Akeôsôeô (the silk cotton) And for O®go¾do¾ (the cotton wool) They were both advised to offer ẹbọ for prosperity They both complied Akeôsôeô succeeded at home And O®go¾do¾ succeeded on the farm We shall all display the success potentials of Ogbè-Hu;nle; children Ifá says that those who have come for Ifá consultation where this Odù is revealed shall succeed in their various localities. Their success will turn them to prominent and highly respected personalities in their localities. They need to follow the advice of Ifá, be hopeful and hardworking. Success is very close to them. 3. Ifá says that there is the need for this person to go and receive prayers from his/her mother. The prayers from his/her mother will change his/her life from bad to good and from good to better. The solemn prayers from this person’s mother are more potent and more efficacious than any strong charm or ẹbọ material in the world. If this person’s mother is dead he/she needs to visit the burial site of his/her mother and pray solemnly for all what he/she wants in life. If the burial site of the mother is not accessible due to one reason or the

327

OGBE® HU:N’LE:

other, the person needs to summon the spirit of his/her mother either through Ifá or Ile¾,ô the mother Earth.

Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four guinea-fowls and money. After this, he/she needs to ask for the solemn prayers of his/her mother. On these aspects, Ifá says: EÙtu ko; k'a;ra ki;ri; l’aje; O®o¾ri¾ ko; k’a;ra ki;;ri; l’agbe¾ A®ri¾jo¾ ti; yo;o; ba; jo; Ko; m’e;ôse¾ô eô re¾ô ko; le kokooko Di;a; fu;n O®o¾re¾ô Se¾ôgi¾ Ti;i; sô'oômoô EÙleô;ku¾re;ô EÙbo a¾sôeyoôri; ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a sôe Translation: Let the antelope prepare himself for financial success Let the O®o¾ri¾ bird get ready to play the Agbè (the calabash drum) music Those who will dance to the music Let them have strong legs for manoeuvring These were Ifá’s declarations to O®o¾reôô¾ Se¾¾ôgi (the porcupine) The offspring of EÙleô;ku¾re;ô He was advised to offer the ẹbọ of accomplishment O®o¾re¾-Se¾ôgi¾, the Porcupine, the offspring of EÙleô;ku¾re; was a very hardworking person. He was very ambitious. His eyes were always on the zenith of the socio-economic ladder. He dreamt of being there all the time. For this reason, he worked hard, he sweated, and he toiled and stressed himself to the limit. Yet, he had very little to show for all his efforts. He changed his line of work many times. He started as a farmer. No success. He changed to being a sculptor. No success. He changed to being a trader, yet there was no success! That was why he decided to go for Ifá consultation in order to determine what exactly

328


was wrong with him that made him fail in all his chosen careers. He also wanted to know what he must do to convert his failure to success. During Ifá consultation Ogbe¾-Hun'le; was revealed. The Awo told O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ that he had come into this world to succeed in life. He was told that he had no business with failure in any way whatsoever. The Awo told him that he had been experiencing failure in his life simply because he needed to receive the solemn prayer of his mother and he had not done so yet. He was told that changing his profession was not the solution to this problem. He only needed to offer ẹbọ and go to his mother for comprehensive prayer that only a mother can give her child. The Awo advised O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ to offer ẹbọ with four guinea-fowls and money. After this, he needed to go to his mother for prayer. The Awo told O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ that his mother needed to raise her voice aloud to screaming level when giving him the prayer in order for all the Divinities in heaven to hear her voice. This was because whenever the guinea-fowl summons her children, it is always with a loud voice. The next day, O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ procured all the ẹbọ materials and the ẹbọ was offered. As soon as this was completed, he headed for the home of his mother. He pleaded with her to give her a solemn prayer as prescribed by his Awo. The mother raised her voice as loud as she could and gave her son a prayer from the very bottom of her heart. A few days after this, those who had hitherto failed to notice O®o¾re¾ôSeô¾gi¾ as a trader who dealt in clothes sales began to notice and patronize him. Within a short time, O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ was able to support himself and fend for his family financially. Soon after this, he was able to save enough money to start thinking of erecting his own personal property. Life became comfortable for O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾, the offspring of Eleôku¾re;. He had course to be grateful to Olodumare and his mother. He saw no reason why he should not celebrate his success. EÙtu ko; k'a;ra ki;ri; l’aje; O®o¾ri¾ ko; k’a;ra ki;;ri; l’agbe; A®ri¾jo¾ ti; yo;o; ba; jo; Ko; m’e;ôse¾ô eô re¾ ko; le kokooko

329

OGBE® HU:N’LE:

Di;a; fu;n O®o¾re¾ Se¾ôgi¾ Ti;i; sô'oômoô EÙleô;ku¾re;ô EÙboô a¾sôeyoôri; ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a sôe O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô I®ya; a; mi ni yo;o; gbe¾ mi; o Igbe Kankan L’eôtu¾ n; ke; p’oômo reô¾ Igbe kanka¾n Translation: Let the antelope prepare himself for financial success Let the O®o¾ri¾ bird get ready to play the Agbè (the calabash drum) music Those who will dance to the music Let them have strong legs for manoeuvring These were Ifá’s declarations to O®o¾reôô¾ Se¾¾ôgi (the porcupine) The offspring of EÙleô;ku¾re;ô He was advised to offer the ẹbọ of accomplishment He complied My mother is the one to give me support With a very loud voice The guinea-fowl summons her children With a very loud voice Ifá says that this person shall succeed through the support of his/her mother. Ifá says that this person needs the spiritual support and prayer of his/her mother more than any other thing in life. If these steps can be taken, success is assured. 4. Ifá says that it foresees all the Ire of life for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person shall accomplish all his/her hearts desires in life. Ifá assures this person that Ifá will personally direct all the Ire of life that he/she is craving for to his/her direction. This is because all the things that have been making him sad and dejected are also making Ifá sad and dejected. For this reason, Ifá will ensure that this person is happy and contented so as to make Ifá

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happy and contented. Ifá says that it cannot afford seeing this person in a sad and uncomfortable mood. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons, four hens, four guinea-fowls, four roosters, six bananas, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with one pigeon, one guinea-fowl, one hen and plenty of bananas. On all these, Ifá says: Ala;ba¾n¾toto¾-o mi eô¾lu¾ju¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ifa; n; sunkun Aka;po¾ o re¾ô kiri Eôboô ni; woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: My unripe banana tree of the wilderness This was Ifá’s declaration to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When weeping in lamentation for his Aka;po¾’s pitiful condition He was advised to offer ẹbọ The Aka;po¾ was well trained. He was versatile in his chosen career. He served OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ with undivided loyalty for a very long period. He was truthful, honest, pious, hopeful, dedicated, steadfast, humble and unassuming. In spite of all these noble qualities, the Aka;po¾ had very little to show in terms of achievement. The Aka;po¾ had no money. He could not afford to eat two times in a day. He had been due for a wife for over ten years, yet he remained a chronic bachelor because he had no money to have a wife. How could he even think of having his own children when he had no wife of his own? A person who has no money, no wife, and no child cannot dream of erecting a personal property of his own, and if he dreams of it, such will remain a mere dream that can never become a reality. The Aka;po¾ knew within himself that he had abided by all Ifá’s injunctions; and yet he remained unknown and unsuccessful. He also knew without being told that he was a failure in all aspects of life. He had no money, no spouse, no children, and no personal property. It

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OGBE® HU:N’LE:

got to a stage that his health began to deteriorate as a result of constant sorrow. Sadness and weeping became his regular companions. It was for this reason that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ took it upon himself to consult Ifá on behalf of his Aka;po¾. How could an Aka;po¾ score so many high points in terms of moral and ethics and yet score so low in the areas of achievement? OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was convinced that people would soon begin to make jest of his Aka;po¾ as a result of his failure and by extension make jest of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ too. The failure of the Aka;po¾ became very worrisome to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. The sadness of the Aka;po¾ became OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s constant source of worry. That was why OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ decided to go for Ifá consultation on behalf of his Aka;po¾ in order to find a lasting solution to the problem that the Aka;po¾ was facing. During Ifá consultation Ogbe¾-hu;n'le; was revealed. The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the pains of his Aka;po¾ were also his pains. The failures of the Aka;po¾ were also his failures because people assess others through their products. The Aka;po¾ was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s product and if he remained unsuccessful, then by extension OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was also unsuccessful. He however assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the situation of the Aka;po¾ would improve and that he would soon have course to smile and celebrate his success and achievements. The Awo advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons, four hens, four guinea-fowls, four roosters, six bananas and money on behalf of his Aka;po¾. He was also advised to feed Ifá as stated above. On that very day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied with the advice of the Awo. He invited the Aka;po¾ and his (Aka;po¾’s) Ifá was propitiated as advised by the Awo. Four days after the ẹbọ was offered the wife of the Basôoôrun of the land was very ill, all medications proved ineffective. That was the reason why they came to the house of the Aka;po¾ for Ifá consultation: Will there be relief for his wife? Will she regain her health and vitality? These and many more were the questions which the Basôoôrun asked Ifá. The Aka;po¾ told Basôoôrun that his wife would regain her health and vitality in no time. He prescribed ẹbọ for Basôoôrun and all the ẹbọ

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materials were procured immediately for the ẹbọ to be offered. The Aka;po¾ prepared all the necessary medication remedies for the wife of Basôoôrun and within five days, she was already attending to all her personal business. There and then, the Basôoôrun turned the Aka;po¾ into his household Babaláwo. He showered the Aka;po¾ with money and other gifts. He also introduced his friends to the Aka;po¾. Before long, the Aka;po¾’s name became a household name in the community. The elders in the community who had benefitted from the efficacy of the Aka;po¾’s work gathered their heads together one day and decided that the Aka;po¾ must not be allowed to remain a bachelor. They reasoned that he alone could not continue to attend to the needs of all his clients, which had grown tremendously and at the same time attended to his own personal needs all by himself. The Aka;po¾ needed an assistant and the best assistant for him was a wife. They arranged for this and got the Aka;po¾ a very nice woman. Both the Aka;po¾ and the woman were compatible and grew to be very fond of each other. The marriage was considered to be the marriage of the whole community. All the nobilities including OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ attended the ceremony. It was the talk of the whole community for a long time. Less than one year after the marriage, the whole community gathered once again to celebrate the naming of the couple’s bouncing baby. Many more children came after this. The community gave the Aka;po¾ a parcel of land to erect his personal property. He did. Many people assisted him to do this. He became a highly respected member of the community. He was very happy. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ his mentor also became very happy. Ala;ba¾n¾toto¾-o mi eô¾lu¾ju¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ifa; n; sunkun Aka;po¾ o re¾ô kiri Eôboô ni; woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O gb’ebo, o ru’bo Ire Aje; ti; mi¾ o¾ ni; Ni’fa; n; sunku;n-u¾n mi to¾ o; si; OÙÙ®ge¾ôde¾ô oôm ¾ i¾ni¾ ma¾ de; o¾ Abomi¾ oju; su¾u¾ru¾su¾ Ire aya ti; mi; o¾ ni;

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OGBE® HU:N’LE:

Ni;’fa; n; sunku;n-u¾n mi to¾ o; si; O®ôge¾ôde¾ oô¾mi¾ni¾ ma¾ de; o¾ Abomi¾ oju; su¾u¾ru¾su¾ Ire oômoô ti; mi; o¾ ni; Ni;’fa; n; sunku;n-u¾n mi to¾ o; si; O®Ùge¾ôdeô¾ o¾ômi¾ni¾ ma¾ de; o¾ Abomi¾ oju; su¾u¾ru¾su¾ Ire i¾le;ô gbogbo ti; mi; o¾ ni; Ni’fa; n; sunku;n-u¾n mi to¾ o; si; O®®Ùgeô¾de¾ô oôm ¾ i¾ni¾ ma¾ de;; o¾ Abomi¾ oju; su¾u¾ru¾su¾ Ire gbogbo ti; mi; o¾ ni; Ni’fa; n; sunkun-u¾n mi to¾ o; si;; O®Ùgeô¾de¾ô o¾ômi¾ni¾ ma¾ de; o¾ Abomi¾ oju; su¾u¾ru¾su¾ Translation: My unripe banana tree of the wilderness This was Ifá’s declaration to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When weeping in lamentation for his Aka;po¾’s pitiful condition He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied The blessing of financial success that I lacked Was the reason why Ifá was crying profusely over my predicament Here comes the banana The owner of profuse tears The blessing of spouse that I lacked Was the reason why Ifá was crying profusely over my predicament Here comes the banana The owner of profuse tears The blessing of children that I lacked Was the reason why Ifá was crying profusely over my predicament Here comes the banana The owner of profuse tears The blessing of property that I lacked

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Was the reason why Ifá was crying profusely over my predicament Here comes the banana The owner of profuse tears The blessing of all the Ire of life that I lacked Was the reason why Ifá was crying profusely over my predicament Here comes the banana The owner of profuse tears Ifá says that the tears in the eyes of the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be wiped off and be replaced with smiles and contentment. Ifá assures this person that he/she shall soon have course to be happy and celebrate his/her success and achievements in life. 5. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a compatible spouse for a woman for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that her Orí has brought her to the person and place where her life will experience peace, comfort and contentment. She will be very happy in the relationship. The man will cater to all her needs and treat her very nicely. She only needs to be careful of not being misled by others. She must not allow people to talk her into leaving her matrimonial home for any reason whatsoever. Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. She also needs to feed her Orí with one hen. On this, Ifá says: Ori;san Awo ko;ko¾ Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko¾¾ Ti n; loô¾oô; s’obi¾nrin A®ku¾ro¾ô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; se Translation: Ori;san, the Awo of Ko;ko® (Cocoyam) He cast Ifa; for Ko;ko¾

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OGBE® HU:N’LE:

When going to become the wife of A®ku¾ro¾ô (the Swamp) She was advised to offer eôboô Right from her adolescent age, her ambition in life was to become a successful married woman in order to enjoy matrimonial bliss. She watched all the wives in her area very closely in order to determine what a woman needed to do to make her man happy. She understood and perfected those little gestures which made men run crazy with love and adoration. Before long, she convinced herself that she was ready and fully prepared for the marriage market. She was sure that she would spoil her man with love. The first person she met who wanted her hand in marriage was A®pa;ta, the Rock. It did not take long before she realized that she could not find the much deserved contentment and comfort that she craved for in the relationship. Next came O®Ùda¾n, the Savannah. She also realized that the relationship was bound to fail. She continued to pray for a compatible man. When she met A®ku¾ro¾, the swamp, something told her that she had just met the right man in her life. In order to be very certain, she went to the home of Ori;san for Ifá consultation: Will the relationship be good if I marry A®ku¾ro¾? Will I live with peace, satisfaction and comfort? Will I be able to satisfy my man when I get married? Will my man appreciate what I do for him and will he love me in return? Will my man’s family members treat me with respect and honour? Will I be able to beget nice children with A®ku¾ro¾? All these formed part of the questions which she posed to Ifá during Ifá consultation. The Odù that was revealed was Ogbe¾-Hu;'nle. The Awo assured Ko;ko¾ that her Orí had just directed her to the right person who would turn her dreams into reality. The Awo told her that she would be loved, adored, honoured, respected and appreciated by all if she agreed to marry A®ku¾ro. She was also told that she would give birth to, and raise, all her babies in relative comfort. She was told that she would not experience any want or lack anything in her life

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The Awo advised Ko;ko¾ to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. She was also advised to feed her Orí with one hen. She complied. Her marriage ceremony was simple but eventful. All the predictions of Ifá on her relationship with A®ku¾ro¾ came to pass. Her children were also blessed with all what it takes for children to be great in the future. She was so happy that her Orí made it possible for her to meet a man like A®ku¾ro¾ in her life. Ori;san Awo ko;ko¾ Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko¾¾ Ti n; loô¾oô; s’obi¾nrin A®ku¾ro¾ô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; se O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’bo N®je;ô Ori; san Ko;ko¾ O: ba; A®ku¾roô¾ pa¾de; E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: Ori;san, the Awo of Ko;ko® (Cocoyam) He cast Ifa; for Ko;ko¾ When going to become the wife of A®ku¾ro¾ô (the Swamp) She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Orí favours Ko;ko¾ She met A®ku¾ro¾ô Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Come and join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Ifá says that the woman for whom this Odù is revealed shall live a very happy and comfortable life in her matrimonial home. She will be loved, adored, respected, honoured and pampered. Her children shall be well trained in the right direction.

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OGBE® HU:N’LE:

6. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of victory, success and accomplishment for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person and someone else are in competition but that he/she shall be victorious over his/her co-contestant. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guineafowls, two roosters and money. He/she also needs to feed his/her Orí with one pigeon and one guinea-fowl and feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 snails, shea butter and chalk. On this, Ifá says: Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾, Awo Oyi¾nbo; Te¾mi;-le;ke¾ Awo Ori¾sa¾ (OÙba¾ta;la) Di;a; fu;n Ori¾sa¾n;la; O®Ùsôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ T'o;un Oyi¾nbo; jo¾ô n;le;re; oôna¾ oôô; po¾¾ô EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni;; ko; sôe Translation: Te¾mi¾-le;kè (mine is triumphant), the Awo of Oyi¾nbo; Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾, the Awo of O¾ri¾sa¾ He cast Ifa; for Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ When he was in competition with Oyi¾nbo; over who was the better designer He was advised to offer eôboô It was an established fact that Oyi¾nbo; had a lot of designs to his credit. There was nothing to think of that Oyi¾nbo; had not designed. All the designs were working and were very relevant to human beings in order to bring comfort and to make their day-to-day activities very easy to perform. All these designs were imitations of the original designs of Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾. The problem however was that Oyi¾nbo; had used a lot of Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ publicity to promote his own designs to the extent that many people believed that the designs of Oyi¾nbo; were the original ones while those of Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ were the imitations. This situation swelled up the head of Oyi¾nbo; to a point where he challenged Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ to a

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contest in order to determine who was a better designer among the two of them. A date was fixed for the competition. OÙba¾ta;la; was not too keen on the contest but everyone around did not want to hear that OÙba¾ta;la; would not contest. If he did not contest, they considered that to mean the admission of his inferiority. When only nine days remained for the contest to occur, Oyi¾nbo; went to the home of Te¾mi;-le;kè for Ifá consultation in order to determine his success chances. He was advised to offer ẹbọ. He saw no reason why he should do that, especially when all evidence pointed to the fact that he would be triumphant in the contest. He simply left the home of the Awo and promised himself never to return until he had been declared the winner of the contest. OÙba¾ta;la; also went to the home of the same Awo for Ifá consultation. The Awo told him to offer ẹbọ in order to come out triumphant. He complied. He was also told to feed his Orí and his Oke-Ipori¾ as stated above. He also complied. On the day of the contest, it was evident that Oyi¾nbo; had prepared himself fully. He came out to talk. As soon as he stepped out, the whole arena went dead silent. His presence was intimidating. He talked with confidence and authority. He cleared his throat and declared; “the white dress worn by Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ was my design. If it wasn’t for me, what would he be wearing today?" The audience remained silent. “The sandals on his feet, the A®ja¾ in his hands, all the Seôseô-Efun beads round his neck and wrist were all my designs! If not for me, OÙba¾ta;la; would be here now completely naked!" Oyi¾nbo; allowed the information to sink in very well before he turned to the spectators. He declared; "If not for me, what would all of you be using? I designed everything that you are wearing or using in your homes. I even designed your various homes, your streets, your kitchens and even made sure that I designed what you use to improve the quantities and qualities of your farm products. If not for me, you all would be starving to death!” He cleared his throat again and continued, ”Where was OÙba¾ta;la; when I was designing all these things? Who is he to now come here and contest superiority over me? I expect him to bury his head in shame and go back to his home which I designed quietly.”

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OGBE® HU:N’LE:

Some of those present knew that not everything said by Oyi¾nbo; was true and correct. They knew that most of the things which he claimed to have designed had been in use even before the advent of Oyi¾nbo; man himself. He however sounded so sure and so convincing that most of the people present had began to accept his statements for a fact. The whole place still remained silent. Many were convinced that Ori®sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ would have nothing to say. Some were looking at him with pity. They felt that instead of saying anything that would bring him further humiliation, he ought to do as Oyi¾nbo; had said and return to his home quietly. To their surprise Ori®sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ came out to speak. He was even smiling. He started by thanking everybody present and wished them well in all their undertakings in life. He continued thus; "Even though you have heard all what Oyi¾nbo; has said and what he claims to have designed, I am not here to contest the validity of his statements. I am here to congratulate him for all his achievements. He paused a little. He then continued and said, “In spite of all these achievements, he cannot deny the fact that I, Ori®sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ am the one who designed him. If not for me, he would not be alive today to design all the things that he claims to have rightly and falsely designed.” He then simply bowed his head and went back to his seat. After this statement, the whole place busted into a tumultuous shout in praise and honour of OÙba¾ta;la;. Even Oyi¾nbo; rose from his seat and came to prostrate flat for Ori®sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾. Without being told, it became clear to everyone present that Ori®sa¾n;la; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ was far superior than Oyi¾nbo;. Instead of Ori®sa¾nl; a; returning home in shame, it was Oyi¾nbo; who did so. Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾, Awo Oyi¾nbo; Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾ Awo Ori¾sa¾ Di;a; fu;n Ori¾sa¾n;la; Osôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ T'o;un Oyi¾nbo; joô¾ n;le;ri; oôna¾ o;ô poô¾ Eôboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ko; sôe Ori¾sa¾n;la; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ ni¾kan ni; n;beô l'e;ôyi¾n ti¾ n;s'ô eôboô N®je; te¾mi ni¾ yo;o; sôeô;'te¾ô eô ti¾ woôn o Ori¾sa¾nla; Osôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ ni¾ yo;o; sôe'ô;te¾ô eôô t’Oyi¾nbo; T'awo ni® yo;o; sôeô;’te¾ô eô ti ¾won o

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Translation:

Te¾mi¾-le;kè (mine is triumphant), the Awo of Oyi¾nbo; Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾, the Awo of O¾ri¾sa¾ He cast Ifa; for Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ When he was in competition with Oyi¾nbo; over who was the better designer He was advised to offer eôboô Only Ori¾sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾re¾ôeô¾ma¾gbo¾ complied Now, mine will always overcome theirs The designs of Ori¾sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾re¾ôeô¾ma¾gbo¾ will always overcome those of Oyi¾nbo; An Awo will always overcome theirs Ifá assures this person that he/she will always overcome those contesting with him/her. Ifá says that he/she will always have cause to celebrate his/her success over competitors and antagonists. As long as he/she hands over all his/her activities to Ifá, OÙba¾ta;la; and Olo;du¾mare¾, he/she will always be victorious. 7. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of longevity for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá assures this person that he/she will not experience any form of premature death. He/she will live to his/her old age. He/she will also live a contented life. Ifá however says that this person has been experiencing life-threatening issues and has been having dreams that were not making him/her comfortable. Ifá says that it is not as a result of any negative design of enemies or evil people. It is coming from heaven. He/she shall however overcome the situation. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature ram and lots of money. He/she will need to mount a ram several times and allow his/her weight to make the ram collapse. This will be done as many times as practicable. After this, the ram will be used as ẹbọ. The ram should not be slaughtered on that day. The next day Ifá will be asked whether or not to ram should be slaughtered or not. This person also needs to feed Ifá as specified.

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OGBE® HU:N’LE:

On this, Ifá says: Oro;gbo; Osôu¾gbo; A®ja¾na¾-on ma¾ gbo; ti¾e¾ô-ti¾e¾ô Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Woôô;n n; ra;n’ni¾i; p’e¾ôdu; l’o;;ôrun EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: Oro;gbo; And Osôu¾gbo; A®ja¾na¾ who will become old and feeble with age They cast Ifá for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When delegates were sent to bring him back to heaven He was advised to offer ẹbọ He woke up with a start. He was sweating in all parts of his body. He was even shivering a little. The dream was terrible. Why was he seeing himself being carried away and being dragged from inside the safety of his home outside to be loaded onto a heavenly horse back to O®ôrun in an unceremonious manner? True, he had never been afraid of returning to O®ôrun but the point was that he had not completed his assignment that he was given yet. He needed to complete this assignment before returning to O®ôrun. This was what was giving OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ cause for concern. He realized, without being told that he was being summoned to return to O®ôrun. He also knew that going to O®ôrun at this point in time was not in his best interest; neither was it in the best interest of the assignment which Olo;du¾mare¾ gave him to come and perform on earth. What must he do then? The best and most realistic option left to him was to go for Ifá consultation. He knew that he would find a solution on how best to deal with the situation when Ifá was consulted. Incidentally, the three Awo were his former students whom he had given intensive training and who had proved their competence before they became independent. The only question which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked Ifá was what he needed to do in order to avoid going to O®ôrun at that particular point in time. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Wu;n’le; was revealed.

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The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that even though all arrangements had been completed to drag OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to heaven if need be, he would not go to O®ôrun at that particular point in time. He told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to go and procure a mature ram instead of a horse and announce that he was prepared to ride on this ram to O®ôrun. It was clear that the ram would not be able to carry his weight and it would collapse as soon as he mounted it. After many trials, he would tell the delegates from O®ôrun that he was not opposed to following them back to heaven, but that the ram that he had procured to ride to O®ôrun had simply and bluntly refused to move! OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied with all the instructions and advice of the Awo. He offered the ẹbọ as stated above and also fed his OÙ®ke¾ô-Ipoô¾ri;. He returned to his home full of confidence that the threat of death was all over. On the day that the delegates arrived to take him to O®ôrun, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was fully prepared for them. He welcomed them with respect and friendliness which was totally strange to give from anyone who was about to bid the world farewell. He told the delegates that he had been expecting them earlier. He told them that he had already procured his ram that he would ride to O®ôrun. He saddled the ram and mounted it. As soon as he did this, his massive weight was too much for the ram. It collapsed instantly. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ stood up and picked up the ram. He mounted the ram once again and the ram collapsed and fell down again. This exercise went on over and over, and again and again, and the ram would always collapse and fall down. When it was getting late, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told the delegates from O®ôrun to inform those who sent them that it was not as if he did not want to go, but that his ram was refusing to carry him there. He told them that he needed to feed the ram very well and make him strong so he could make the journey some other time when the ram was strong enough to make the journey. The delegates left OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house with regrets. For several years, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ would keep feeding the ram to make it strong enough for the journey to O®ôrun. For several years, the ram was still unable to support the weight of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. That was how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was able to stay on earth to accomplish all his major assignments on earth.

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OGBE® HU:N’LE:

Oro;gbo; O®sôu¾gbo; A®ja¾na¾-on ma¾ gbo; ti¾e¾ô-ti¾e¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Woôô;n n; ra;n’ni¾i; p’e¾ôdu; l’oô¾run EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô EÙ wi; fu;n woôn l’o¾¾ôrun Eô ni; n o¾ wa; mo;ô o A®gbo¾ E®Ùdu; ma¾ ko¾ô’ri¾n E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾¾ O®Ùfa¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni¾ la;i¾ku; kangiri¾ A®i¾ku; kangiri la¾ a; ba;’ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sa ô ¾ Translation: Oro;gbo; And Osôu¾gbo; A®ja¾na¾ who will become old and feeble with age They cast Ifá for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When delegates were sent to bring him back to heaven He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Please inform them in OÙ®run That I am no longer coming The ram procured by E®du; has refused to move Travellers to Ìpo and O®Ùfa¾ Join us where we enjoy the blessing of longevity In the midst of longevity does one find Ifá devotees Ifá says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odù is revealed to experience untimely death. Instead he/she will be blessed with the opportunity to accomplish all his/her major assignments in life before returning to heaven a fulfilled man/woman. In the same vein, those planning the premature death of this person will fail woefully. It is also not advisable for this person to plan against others. If he/she does so he/she will fail woefully too. That is the message of Ifá.

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8. Ifá says that this person has someone who he/she considers to be his/her friend but who is actually his/her enemy. This so-called friend had been busy planning to humiliate, and cause harm to the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that there is the need for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to identify this so-called friend and give him/her social and physical distance. On the other hand, Ifá says that there is a particular ailment that is afflicting the person for whom this Odù is revealed on a periodic basis. This ailment has been making it difficult if not totally impossible for this person to exercise his/her full potentials in all the things that he/she is doing. There is the need to identify this ailment and find a lasting solution to it. Ifá however promises that the bad friend and/or the ailment will disappear from the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed that very season. Ifá assures him/her that his/her problems will not extend to the next season. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one matured he-goat and money. After this, a special soap will be prepared for him/her with the head of a male lizard, the head of a female lizard, and plenty of re¾k ô u¾re¾k ô u¾ leaves (cassia rotundifolia). They will then be pounded together into a paste and mixed with soap for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to bathe with. On this aspect, Ifá says: A®ta¾n¾pa¾ko¾ ni;i; f’ori;i; ‘la;am ¾ u¾ so;ôoô¾oÙ;ka;n Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko; Orí Ti; n; ba; Orí sô’oô¾re;ô iku; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: The thumb of the hand makes the head of the lizard appear to be looking straight forward This was Ifá’s message for Ko;ko; Ori; (the lump on the head) That was involved in a fatal friendship with Orí (the Head) He was advised to offer ẹbọ

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Ko;ko; Ori; was the closest friend that Orí had. Orí was very proud of his friend and was ready to allow Ko;ko; Orí to accompany him to anywhere he went. Anywhere and anytime one found Orí, one could be certain that Ko;ko; Ori; would be there. It got to a stage where both of them had become inseparable. Unknown to Orí however, Ko;ko; Ori; had been nursing a deep hatred for his friend for a very long time. He could not understand why everyone would give Orí more attention than him. The loath became so intense that he concluded that the only thing that would satisfy him was to ensure that Orí was eliminated. Ko;ko; Ori; was prepared to die too, as long as Orí died with him. He could no longer tolerate seeing Orí taking all the glory and honour. If anyone wanted to propitiate his/her Orí, he/she would propitiate only Orí and he/she would totally ignore him and this was not acceptable! He could never allow this to happen again. If anyone had a narrow escape from danger, the person would be advised to give thanks to Orí and he/she would ignore him! This brought Ko;ko; Ori; a lot of serious frustration and he vowed to do something drastic about it, and do it fast too! If someone had made a good choice of a spouse or a business opportunity, such a person would be advised to give thanks and praise to his Orí while he, Ko;ko; Ori; would not be noticed or recognized at all! No! This simply could not be allowed to continue! To make the matter worse, Orí had never for once cautioned the people and asked them to pay him, Ko;ko; Ori; respect and honour at all. Ko;ko; Ori; vowed that Orí must be made to pay for it. He must suffer for making him go through all this humiliation without effecting any correction. That was the reason why Ko;ko; Ori; went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. All he wanted to know was how and what he needed to do to inflict maximum punishment on Orí and at the same time ensure that his death was extremely painful but very slow. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe;-Wu;nle; revealed. The Awo told Ko;ko; Ori; that he was about to inflict pain and undeserved punishment on an innocent friend who not only loved him, but equally trusted him deeply. He was blamed for allowing such negative thoughts to cross his mind at all. The Awo then warned him

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to desist from taking any further steps as it would only backfire and end up destroying him. He was also advised to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. Ko;ko; Ori; left the home of the Awo, livid with anger. Instead of desisting, he was more determined to destroy his friend. He believed that the Awo was supporting his friend against him and that the Awo was only interested in the he-goat for the ẹbọ and not in giving him necessary spiritual support with which to deal with and damage his friend. Ko;ko; Ori; was prepared to destroy himself as long as his friend was also destroyed in the process. He decided to plan his strategy all by himself. One day, Ori; woke up with a slight headache. He thought nothing of it. Four days later, the headache had become worse. There were lumps and swelling all over his face. He touched his face and felt serious pain and discomfort. He complained to his friend Ko;ko; Ori; and he was told that the lumps and swelling were put on his face and head in order to help combat the problem of the headache. Ori; instantly believed what his friend told him. This made Ko;ko; Ori; to secretly congratulate himself that his plans were working effectively. About 15 days after, Orí;’s neck had become very stiff. Every part of his face was swollen. His head had developed various lumps, bumps and contours of different sizes and shapes. He could no longer go out. His condition was getting worse by the minute. On the 21st day of the affliction, it was obvious that Ori; was on his way to his grave if nothing drastic was done to arrest the situation. However, the past 21 days were the happiest days in the life of Ko;ko; Ori;. He was sure that it was just a question of time before his friend breathed his last breath. He was already making burial preparations. He promised himself a large keg of palm wine on the day that the death of his friend was announced. Everybody in Ori;’s household was worried. What could have brought about this ailment? They were even more concerned that all the efforts of Koko Ori; to help solve Ori;’s health problem had only made the matter worse. The family members called for an emergency meeting and Ko;ko; Ori; was also invited. In the meeting, Orí’s health

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condition was reviewed and most of those present at the meeting agreed that there was the need to go for Ifá consultation on the matter. Ko;ko; Ori; told the family that it was not necessary as he was sure that all the medications he had administered for Orí would soon begin to work. The family agreed but still felt that there was the need to seek extra support from a Babaláwo in order to accelerate the improvement rate of Orí’s health. Off they went, but Ko;ko; Ori; gave an excuse and he did not accompany them to the home of the Awo. A®ta¾n¾pa¾ko¾ ni;i; f’ori;i; ‘la;am ¾ u¾ so;ôoô¾oÙ;ka;n Di;a; fu;n Orí Ti; Ko;ko; Ori; n; ba; sô’oôô®re; iku; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The thumb of the hand makes the head of the lizard appear to be looking straight forward This was Ifá’s message for Orí Who Ko;ko; Ori; was in fatal friendship with He was advised to offer ẹbọ When they got to the home of the Awo, Orí and his family members wanted to know what could have caused such serious health problems for Orí and what could be done for him to get relief from such an ailment. When the Odù was revealed, it was Ogbe¾-Hu;nle;. The Awo told them that the ailment being suffered by Orí was not a natural one. He made it clear to them that it was inflicted on Orí by a friend of his who was envious of his profile and achievements in life. He stated further that this friend was very close to him and had vowed that he would stop at nothing in ensuring that he saw the demise of Orí. At this stage, the whole family was in a state of alarm. Who could this friend be? They decided to find out. The Awo agreed to find out who this friend was. After much question and investigation through Ifá, the person was identified. That person was, of all people, Ko;ko; Ori;! This was a further alarm and shock to the whole family. The Awo warned them never to allow Ko;ko; Ori; to bring any more medicine for

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Orí. He must never be allowed to move close to him again. All the lumps, bumps and swelling must be pressed and the contents expelled from Orí’s body as quickly as practicable. The Awo also advised the family to offer ẹbọ with one mature hegoat and money. This was offered immediately. The Awo prepared a special soap for Orí with which to take his bath regularly. He also prepared other medications for him to use. With this, the family returned home in a state of utter disbelief. How could Ko;ko; Ori; do this to his bosom friend? What did he stand to gain? What offence had Orí committed against Ko;ko; Ori; to warrant this punishment? How could they know that everything was out of envy and jealousy? The family was however determined never to allow Ko;ko; Ori; to be too close to Orí any longer. Meanwhile, Ko;ko; Orí began to panic. He did not know what the Babaláwo had told Orí and members of his family. They had not come to him to inform him of the outcome of their investigations in the home of the Awo. He regretted not killing Orí instantly. He would have used a potent poison which would have killed Orí immediately. His desire to enjoy watching Orí die a slow but painful death had backfired! What must he do now before it was too late to do anything? He decided to go to Orí’s house and finish him off, if possible with force. When going; he armed himself with a bow and arrow, spear, dagger and machete. He decided that we would use tricks to gain access to Orí, and after that he would just stab him to death with his dagger. If the family refused to allow him in peacefully, he would force his way into Orí’s room and finish the job. Off he set out on his wicked journey. As Ko;ko; Orí was going to Orí’s house, one short man was already in the house, telling the whole family to be fully prepared for any form of eventuality. He told them to arm themselves against any attack since they had just been able to identify their enemy. The enemy might come to put up an unexpected fight against the family. The family saw this as a realistic precaution. They got themselves armed immediately! They didn’t know that the short person who had approached the family was actually E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ himself. Because the family had offered all the ẹbọ, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ had become the friend of the family and was ready to give the family all the necessary support.

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When Ko;ko; Ori; arrived at Orí’s house, he met more than his match. They were all more than ready for him. He was beaten mercilessly and he broke his back in the process. He screamed, cursed and fretted, all to no avail. He was not allowed to be close to Orí again. It however took the family three full lunar months to affect a total cure for Orí. This was because the slow poison injected into his body by Ko;ko; Ori; was also very slow in getting out of his body. In the end Orí regained his health. As from that day forward, people ensured that they do did not allow Ko;ko; Ori; any chance to be close to or even associate with Orí. When Ko;ko; Ori; is noticed, it is removed with ignominy. A®ta¾n¾pa¾ko¾ ni;i; f’ori;i; ‘la;am ¾ u¾ so;ôoo ¾ô k ;Ù a;n Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko; Ori; Ti; n; ba; Ori; sô’oôr¾ e;ô iku; EÙboô ni wo;n ô ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: koôti; oô¾gboônyin seô;boô A®ta¾npa¾ko¾ ni;i; f’ori;i ‘La;am ¾ u¾ so;o ô ¾ôok ô; a;n Di;a; fu;n Ori; Ti; Ko;ko; Ori; n; ba; sô’oôr¾ e;ô iku; EÙboô ni wo;n ô ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;b ô oô, o; ru;’boô Ko;ko; Ori; to; l'o;un o; p’Ori; Ko¾ lee¾ p’Ori; mo;ô o I®gba¾ eôe ¾ ¾rô u¾¾n yi¾i; ni yo;o; loô o I®gba¾ o¾jo¾ yi¾i; ni yo;o; loô o Akoô ala;a¾mu¾ ki¾i; la eô¾erô¾ u¾n me;ji¾ ja; Abo ala;am ¾ u¾ ki¾i; la eô¾erô¾ u¾n me;ji¾ ja; OÙwo;ô o¾ô mi wa; ba ewe; e sôe’;ô gun-sôôe’;ô te¾ô eô te¾mi Reôk ¾ô u¾re¾k ô u¾¾ oko N:se ô ni ma¾a; sôe;ô woôn l'o;gun N:se ô ni ma¾a; sôe;ô woôn l'oô;te¾ô

Translation: The thumb of the hand makes the head of the lizard appear to be looking straight forward This was Ifá’s message for Ko;ko; Ori; (the lump on the head) That was involved in a fatal friendship with Orí (the Head)

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He was advised to offer eôbọ He refused to comply The thumb of the hand makes the head of the lizard appear to be looking straight forward This was Ifá’s message for Orí Who Ko;ko; Ori; was in fatal friendship with He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Ko;ko; Ori; boasted that he would kill Orí He could not kill Orí anymore It is during this dry season that he will disappear It is during this rainy season that he will disappear A male lizard will not survive two dry seasons A female lizard will not survive two dry seasons I’ve now gotten a hold of my leaves which overcome both uprising and conspiracies Re¾kô u¾re¾kô u¾ leaves I will surely overcome their uprising And I will overcome their conspiracies Ifá says that this person shall live long and shall overcome all those who pose to be friends but who are working secretly to see his/her downfall. Ifá says that his/her enemies shall be exposed and be put to shame. Conversely, this person must never plan to destroy another person or subject anyone to ridicule or embarrassment. Ifá warns that if he/she attempts to do so, he/she will end up carrying all the negative designs that he had planned for others.

9. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is literally and figuratively bereft of all the Ire of life. Ifá says that he/she is going about nakedly. Ifá however promises that he/she shall be blessed with all the Ire of life that he/she is craving for in no time. Ifá advises this person to go and procure six bottles of alcohol on credit and purchase two mats and pay for the mats.

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These items will then be offered as eôboô for him/her and his/her life will improve for the better. Ifá also says that there is a barren woman close to the person for whom this Odù is revealed or that the woman for whom this Odù is revealed is praying fervently for the blessing of the fruit of the womb. Ifá says that this woman shall be blessed with her own child very soon. Ifá says also that the woman is someone who likes to show gratitude for any favour that is extended to her. Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with two hens, four rats, four fish and money. The Awo also needs to prepare a¾ko;sôe for her to use in order for her womb to open and for her to receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb as soon as possible. On these two aspects, Ifá says: Bi; Ifa; eôni¾ yo;o; ba; gbe’ni¾ I®se ô ku;se ô ni;i; ko;ôoô; sôe’ni¾ Di;a; fu;n E®er¾ e¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ Ti; n; re’le; Oni;ju¾mu; lo¾ôoô; sôu;’ti; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: When one’s Ifá is about to support one It will first make one go through tribulation This was the message of Ifá for E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ (the porcupine) When going to Oni;ju¾mu;’s house to procure liquor on credit He was advised to offer ẹbọ E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾, the Porcupine was one of the most proficient Awo who ever lived on earth. He was so versatile in all aspects of Ifá to the extent that those who were close to him felt that he was using other means to analyze and explain all the reasons why people were coming for Ifá consultation. He was always so accurate that he regularly left his clients dumbfounded. Nobody had ever said that E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ had missed the point on the reason why he/she had come for Ifá consultation.

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Ironically, E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ was one of the most unsuccessful Awo who ever lived on earth. It was so ironical that for E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ to eat once in a day was a big problem. In spite of his huge knowledge, anytime people came for Ifá consultation and he analyzed all their problems for them, somehow, they would never return to offer the ẹbọ. Instead, they would go to the home of other less competent Awo to offer the ẹbọ. Some of them complained that they did not feel comfortable with E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾. Others would say that he seemed to be penetrating their eyes and skull with his gaze. Some others said that they simply did not trust their lives into the care of someone who knew so much about them through just one Ifá consultation. The result of this was that E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ was always hungry and he had no dress to wear. He was completely naked! His nakedness was the reason which other people gave for not going to his home to offer their ẹbọ. If he was that versatile, why had he not found a solution to his chronic poverty problem, they queried. What kind of irony is this? E®e¾re¾-Se¾ôgi¾ asked himself over and over. Tired of living a life of want, inadequacy and frustration, he decided to approach the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: What do I need to do to improve the quality of my life? That was the major question that he asked Ifá when he got to the home of the Awo. The curious aspect of it was that he went there nakedly because he had no clothes or dress that he could wear to cover himself. Someone who had no clothes or dress, how could one expect such a person to have a wife or child at home? The fact of the matter was that he had nothing! When he got to the home of the Awo and Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾-Wu;n’le; was the Odù that was revealed. The Awo informed E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ that he had been experiencing hardship, deprivation and frustration most of his life in spite of the fact that he was a very competent Ifá priest. He assured E®e¾re¾-Se¾ôgi¾ that all these would soon disappear and his proficiency would be recognized and rewarded. The Awo advised him to go and procure six bottles of liquor and money for ẹbọ. That was when E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ burst into tears. He explained to the Awo that he could not boast of even one cowry shell, not to mention money to buy six bottles of liquor! He cried profusely. That was

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when the idea of going to procure the items on credit was mentioned. He agreed to approach Oni;ju¾mu;, a very successful business woman and liquor merchant and solicit her assistance in that regard. When he got to the shop of Oni;ju¾mu;, he explained to her the reason why he had come for her assistance. “Please, I really need your assistance. If you help me, I will come and pay you your money at the earliest opportunity. Please assist me so that I may get out of this life of deprivation”. Oni;ju¾mu;, looked at E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ with disdain. In her response, it was obvious that she was not prepared to help; “what makes you think that I will help you? If I had been giving out my things to people in an indiscriminate manner, do you think that I would still be in business today? Look at yourself! The only thing that you have in this world that I can see is your name and the name is worth nothing! Where will you get the money to pay me back? Tell me! You are worth nothing and you are nothing”! When E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ heard this, instead of getting angry, he simply smiled an innocent and accommodating smile. He responded thus: “it is certainly not your fault. The way I appear to you without any clothes on gives you that impression. You are probably right. Outwardly I am worth nothing and I am indeed nothing. Inwardly however, Olo;du¾mare¾ has endowed me with the intelligence that is totally uncommon to find in an average human being. It is in my bid to improve my outward appearance with my natural endowment that I have come to you for assistance. For example, my Ifá told me before I left home that you, Oni;ju¾mu;, had never experienced the pain and pleasure of being called a mother by your own baby in your life. You have never been blessed with the fruit of the womb. If you can offer my ẹbọ you will receive this blessing in no time. There is also the need to prepare a special Ifá work, a¾ko;sôe for you in order for your womb to open and carry your own baby. If you are interested your ẹbọ materials are two hens and money. This threw Oni;ju¾mu; totally off her guard. She had never heard anyone speak to her like that before. Not only that, what this naked man had said was the biggest problem of her life. She had hidden it from everyone, except her husband who knew of the problem. There were many children in her house who people believed to be her

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children but none of them were. Now, this naked man has come from nowhere to strip her closely-guarded secret! She felt more naked than the man in front of her. She simply closed her shop and asked E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi; to follow her to her home. On that very day, the ẹbọ was offered. The following day, the a¾ko;sôe was given to her to use. She gave the six bottles of liquor to E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi; on credit. The following month, Oni;ju¾mu; noticed that she had missed her period. It was later confirmed that it was pregnancy. On the tenth month, she gave birth to a bouncing baby. The whole household of Oni;ju¾mu; erupted into a big celebration. They announced to the whole world that the naming ceremony would be the grandest event the whole community had ever witnessed. Everybody began to prepare for the big day and the big event. While all these were going on, Oni;ju¾mu;’s mind was filled with worry and anxiety. How could she celebrate the naming ceremony of her bundle of joy without the presence of the Awo who made it possible for her to have the baby in the first place? How could this Awo appear for the ceremony naked? What could she do to show her own appreciation to this mighty Awo? This Awo had covered her barrenness' nakedness with a baby; it was therefore imperative for her to cover his own nakedness with dresses. How would she do this? Who would help her to do this? Where would she go to get this help? As she was thinking of all these in her mind, the thought for her to approach the Awo who asked E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ to procure six bottles of liquor came to her mind. Without any delay, off she went. She told the Awo that it was E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ who made it possible for her to become a proud mother of her own baby. The naming ceremony of the baby was about to be celebrated in a grand style. She felt that it would be totally unfair for the celebration to take place in the absence of E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾. She had come for the help of the Awo to find a way of ensuring that E®e¾reô¾-Seô¾gi¾ was properly clothed for the occasion. When Ifá was consulted, again, Ogbe¾Wu;nle; was revealed.

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The Awo told Oni;ju¾mu; to procure two big O®o¾re; mats and money. They were procured immediately. After this, E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ was invited by the Awo. When he arrived, he was still naked. He was asked to lie down on the mat. He did. The ẹbọ was offered for him. The surprising thing was that as soon as the Awo finished offering the ẹbọ, all the O®o¾re; mats stuck to the body of E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ and they became the spikes which covered all his body! His nakedness no longer showed. He was looking glorious and majestic! The transformation was totally unbelievable! E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ entered the home of the Awo completely naked and came out of the house completely clothed, from head to toe! The day of the naming ceremony was magnificent. All roads led to Oni;ju¾mu;’s compound. Food and drinks were in excess. E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ was placed on the High Table. There was singing, dancing and merriment galore. When it was time for Oni;ju¾mu; and her husband to come to the dance floor to dance, Oni;ju¾mu; insisted that she would be the one to sing and the musical band would only chorus her songs. Everybody was delightfully surprised. As she stepped out, she busted into a song of joy saying to the amazement of the attendants. She sang: Ta lo; soô mi; d’oôloô;moô o? O®o¾re;-Seô¾gi¾ Lo; soÙÙ mi d’oôlo;ômoô E®e¾re¾¾ô-Seôgi¾ Lo; soô mi d’onílé To; soô mi; d’ala;so ô ô O®o¾reô¾-seô¾gi¾ Lo; soô mi; d’oôloô;moô O®o¾reô¾ o o¾! Awo ile; Oni;ju¾mu; o O®o¾reô¾-se¾gi¾ Lo; soô mi d’oôloô;moô O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾

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Translation: Who turned me into a mother? O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾ He was the one who turned me into a mother O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾ He turned me into a property owner He turned me into an owner of garments O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾ He was the one who turned me into a mother O®o¾reô¾ o ò, the resident Awo of Oni;ju¾mu; o O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾ He was the one who turned me into a mother O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾ On and on, the song continued. All eyes were on O®or¾ eô¾-se¾ôgi¾. He became an instant celebrity. Everyone wanted to know where he had been hiding himself all these years. Everybody wanted to try his/her luck with him. All the chiefs, Ϙbas, market leaders and influential personalities in the society became his clients instantly. It was the time for O®or¾ eô¾-se¾ôgi¾ to manifest and fulfil his destiny. He did. None of the clients were disappointed. Bi; Ifa; eôni o¾ ba; gbe’ni I®se ô ku;se ô ni;i; ko;o; sôe’ni Di;a; fu;n O®o¾reô-Seô¾gi¾ Ti; n; re’le; Oni;ju¾mu; loô¾o;ô sôu’ti; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô O®o¾reô-Seô¾gi¾, Awo ile; Oni;ju¾mu; Di;a; fu;n Oni;ju¾mu; To; f'eô¾yi¾nti¾ mo;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®jeô; talo; soô mi; d’oôloô;moô? O®o¾re;-Seô¾gi¾ Lo; soÙÙ mi d’oôlo;ômoô

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E®e¾re¾¾ô-Seôgi¾ Lo; soô mi d’onílé To; soô mi; d’ala;so ô ô O®o¾reô¾-seô¾gi¾ Lo; soô mi; d’oôloô;moô O®o¾reô¾ o o¾! Awo ile; Oni;ju¾mu; o O®o¾reô¾-se¾gi¾ Lo; soô mi d’oôloô;moô O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾ Translation: When one’s Ifá is about to support one It will first make one go through tribulation This was the message of Ifá for E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ (the porcupine) When going to Oni;ju¾mu;’s house to procure liquor on credit He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied E®e¾re¾-Se¾ôgi¾, the resident Awo of Oni;ju¾mu; He cast Ifá for Oni;ju¾mu; When she was weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget her own child She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Now, who turned me into a mother? O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾ He was the one who turned me into a mother O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾ He turned me into a property owner He turned me into an owner of garments O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾ He was the one who turned me into a mother O®o¾reô¾ o ò, the resident Awo of Oni;ju¾mu; o O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾ He was the one who turned me into a mother O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾

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Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed only needs to persevere for a little more time as his/her Ire is about to reach his/her hands. Once he/she gets the Ire, his/her life will never be the same again. Ifá also urges somebody here to render a helping hand to the person who has approached him/her for assistance. Through this person, his/her own problems will also be solved. There is nothing that this person lacks in this world that Ifá will not give him/her. Ifá also says that once he/she gets his/her heart’s desires, he/she will remain fulfilled for the remaining part of his/her life. 10. Ifá says that the life of this person for whom this Odù is revealed shall change for the better. This person shall move from obscurity to prominence. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity, compatible spouse, great children, befitting property, longevity and all the Ire of life for this person. All he/she needs to do is offer ẹbọ and be hopeful. Ifá advises him/her to persevere. Ifá says that his/her success will be so sudden that it will baffle those who are close to him/her. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four white pigeons, a keg of honey and money. He/she also needs to feed Aje; (Wealth deity) with e¾kuru, bean pudding that is prepared without salt, oil or pepper. Honey however can be added to the e¾kuru. On this aspect, Ifá says: A®gba¾ra; o¾jo¾ ni;i; f’a¾ya¾ roô ko;o;ko di';na¾ Di;a; fu;n O®o¾reô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ Ti; yo;o; sôi;’gba; Aje; pi¾ri; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The rain flood is it that drags debris and blocks the main road This was Ifá’s message for O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ (the Porcupine) Who would open the calabash of wealth suddenly He was advised to offer ẹbọ

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O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾, the Porcupine, was a well trained Babaláwo. He was extremely proficient in his work. As good as he was; he had nothing to show for it. He had no money. He had no wife. He had no children. He was living in an abandoned family house. Anytime there was rainfall, he would have to stay awake overnight because the roof would leak. He had no good dresses that he could wear to anywhere. All his family members had abandoned him because they felt that he could never amount to anything in life ever. There were only two things left for him in his life as his assets: his extensive knowledge of Ifá and his hope. Those were the only two assets that kept him going. He was very sure that the future would be brighter for him. How? He could not tell. Still, he did not lose hope for one day. He was ready to persevere until his own time of success arrived. He knew for sure that his own sun would soon shine. He slept and woke up in hunger and with inadequacy every time. Yet, his hope and belief in Ifá was unquestionable. In his bid to know for sure what the future had in stock for him, O®or¾ eô¾Se¾ôgi¾ went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed in life? Will I be blessed with my own wife and children? Will I be among those who are destined to have their own personal properties in life? Will I be accorded with due honour and respect in life? Will my family members who had hitherto abandoned me return to me again? Will I stop living a lonely life, full of despair and disappointments? During Ifá consultation Ogbe¾-Wu;n’le; was revealed. The Awo assured O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ that his sun would soon shine for all to see and appreciate. He was urged to persevere as he was almost touching his success and opportunities. He was told not to lose hope or give in to despair. The Awo also advised him to offer ẹbọ with four white pigeons, and a keg of honey. He was also advised to feed Ajé as stated above. It took him a lot of effort and self deprivation to procure the materials. In the end, he got them and the ẹbọ was offered. For three full moons, nothing happened. Nothing changed. He was still living in abject poverty and want. Instead of any improvement, the situation was deteriorating further. To eat was getting tougher.

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It got to a stage that he could no longer afford the money to buy soap to bathe! Yet, O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ was hopeful that his sun would soon shine. For three full lunar months, his sun had failed to shine. His life remained in total darkness. One day, a young girl of about 15 years of age came crying into his house. This girl was covered with scabies all over her body. There was almost no space on her body that scabies had not covered. She was thrown out of her home because of the fear that she would infect others with her ailment. It was believed that she had done something wrong and O¾Ùbalu;aye; was angry with her. The family believed that the scabies were a punishment from O¾Ùbalu;aye;. That was why they felt that it was best to throw her out of the family for her to deal with her problem alone. When she got to O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾‘s house, she collapsed and sobbed uncontrollably. She was hungry and totally disoriented. She was also confused and the pain of being wickedly thrown out by her own family was too much for her to cope with. When O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ asked her to explain how it all happened, she could only cry and cry. She kept repeating "they threw me out” several times. O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ knew that the ailment that had afflicted the girl had absolutely nothing to do with O¾Ùbalu;aye;. It was something that he could cure. The only snag was that there was no money to buy the materials that he needed to use to cure the girl. There was no food in the house, and there was no soap to bathe with! He was fully determined to assist the girl in spite of his condition. The only way was for him to assure the girl that there was no problem between her and O¾Ùbalu;aye;. With appropriate medical attention, all the ailments would disappear from her body. After this, he went to cut down some dry wood so that he could sell it. He had never done this for himself before but for this girl, he was ready to do anything within his capacity to assist her. He only made a little money from this effort. He spent the money to get some food for the girl. The next day, he went out on an empty stomach to fetch more wood. He took the wood to the market for sale. He repeated the trip to the forest and the market four times that day. He got more money from the sale. He bought soap and some of the materials needed for the medication and some food. He did this for three days before all what he needed to cure the ailment was complete. He prepared the medicine and administered it on the girl. About 20 days after, the girl

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was totally cured! During the time he had been spending with her he realized that she was a very lovely person. The girl also felt very much at home with him. While he would go out to work, the girl would stay at his home and sweep the ground and fetch water. For the first time in many years, he saw someone who was ready to assist him without any consideration. Now, the next task in helping her out was in how to reconcile the problem with her parents and the entire household. At first, the girl felt reluctant to go. After much talk and persuasion however, she agreed to follow him to her parents’ house. When they got there, they discovered, to their chagrin, that there was nobody in the household who was not afflicted with scabies. The only difference was that they had not thrown anyone else out of the house. When they saw her, they were surprised that she was looking fresh without any affliction. O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ explained to the family that what they were suffering from had nothing to do with O¾Ùbalu;aye;. He also assured them that it could be cured. They all agreed for him to cure them of their ailments since they had seen their girl who had already been cured of the same ailment. They discussed further. They gave O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ an amount of money he had never seen before. The money transformed him immediately from a poverty-stricken man to a man of affluence and opulence. He already had an assistant. The girl returned with him to prepare the remedy for her household members. Three days later, the medicine was ready. About 20 days after, they were all cured of their ailment. Other families who had been afflicted approached O®o¾reô¾-Se¾ôgi¾. They paid huge sums of money and they were all cured. That was how O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ became an instant celebrity. He also became an instant success story. He became wealthier far beyond his wildest dreams. When members of his family who had hitherto abandoned him heard of his success, they began to look for him. They appealed to him to forgive them. He did. Two years after this, O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ woke up one morning only to find the family members of the girl who had been working with him in front of his house. They had come to discuss something very important with

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him. Their discussion centred on their girl. Since O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ had proved to be useful in the community and had assisted all those who needed his help, the family felt that they could only show their appreciation by giving him the hand of their daughter in marriage. When he heard this, he was overwhelmed with joy. He informed his own family members. They approved of the relationship. Ifá was consulted on the matter and Ifá gave its go ahead. The marriage ceremony was a huge spectacle and success. Everybody was happy. The bride was even happier. The woman gave him several children after. Their home was transformed from a leaky abandoned house to a magnificent home befitting an influential family in the community. He extended his wealth to both his and his in-laws' family members. Everybody around him was happy. One day, O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ planned to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his transformation from poverty to affluence. He also intended it to be a solemn thanksgiving ceremony. He invited many people to the occasion. He was pleasantly surprised to see his own family members and those of his in-laws singing, drumming and dancing together. They were saying: Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o o Awo l’O®o¾reô¾-Se¾g ô i¾ o O®o¾re¾ô lo sôi'; gba; aje; pi¾ri; Aje; poô¾ ni;’ran a¾wa Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o o¾ Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o O®o¾reô¾ lo; sôi’; gba; Aya pi¾ri; Aya po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o o¾ Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba; OÙmoô pi¾ri; OÙmoô poô¾ ni;'ran a¾wa Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o o¾ Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o

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O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba; Ile; pi¾ri; Ile; po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o o¾ Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba ire gbogbo pi¾ri; Ire gbogbo po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa Awo l’O®o¾re¾ô Seôg ¾ i¾ o Translation: O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a great Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a competent Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a prominent Awo O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened calabash of wealth Wealth abounds in our lineage O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a great Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a competent Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a prominent Awo O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened calabash of spouse Spouses abound in our lineage O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a great Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a competent Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a prominent Awo O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened calabash of children Children abound in our lineage O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a great Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a competent Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a prominent Awo O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened the calabash of property Property abounds in our lineage O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a great Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a competent Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a prominent Awo O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened calabash of all Ire All the Ire of life abounds in our lineage O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a great Awo

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That was how the celebration went with O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ and his woman feeling on top of the world. They were grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾, their Orí their Ifá, and all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ too. A®gba¾ra; o¾jo¾ ni;i; f’a¾ya¾ roô ko;o;ko di;na¾ Di;a; fu;n O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾ôgi¾ Ti; yo;o; sôi;’gba; Aje; pi¾ri; EÙboô ni woôn ; ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;b ô oô, o; ru;’boô Nj®eô; Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o o Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o O®o¾re¾ô lo sôi'; gba; aje; pi¾ri; Aje; poô¾ ni;’ran a¾wa Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o o¾ Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o O®o¾reô¾ lo; sôi’; gba; Aya pi¾ri; Aya po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o ô i¾ o o¾ Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba; OÙmoô pi¾ri; OÙmoô poô¾ ni;'ran a¾wa Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o o¾ Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba; Ile; pi¾ri; Ile; po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o o¾ Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba ire gbogbo pi¾ri; Ire gbogbo po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa Awo l’O®o¾re¾ô Seôg ¾ i¾ o Translation: The rain flood is it that drags debris and blocks the main road This was Ifá’s message for O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ (the Porcupine) Who would open the calabash of wealth suddenly

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OGBE® HU:N’LE:

He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Now, O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ is a great Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a competent Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a prominent Awo O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened calabash of wealth Wealth abounds in our lineage O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a great Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a competent Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a prominent Awo O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened calabash of spouse Spouses abound in our lineage O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a great Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a competent Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a prominent Awo O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened calabash of children Children abound in our lineage O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a great Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a competent Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a prominent Awo O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened calabash of property Property abounds in our lineage O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a great Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a competent Awo O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a prominent Awo O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened calabash of all Ire All the Ire of life abounds in our lineage O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ is a great Awo

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Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall move from grass to grace; from nothing to abundance; and from despair to boundless opportunities. Ifá enjoins this person never to lose hope. Ifá says that his/her sun shall shine and when this happens, the sun shall never set for the rest of his/her life.

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11. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a compatible spouse for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that the woman in question is a fair skinned woman. The relationship will be beneficial to both of them and it will be blessed with children. Ifá says that it is advisable for the couple to never sleep in total darkness. Their success and child-bearing chances are more enhanced if they sleep with at least a little light present. Ifá also advises the man to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. He also needs to feed Ifá with two rats, two fish, and one hen. On this, Ifá says: Aroô ni o¾ roô; gi¾di¾ l’a;;ja¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ Ti; yo;o; sô’oôôkoô Amoô;ye¾ye¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: A cripple cannot jump up onto the ceiling of a house This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ When going to become the husband of Amoô;ye¾ye¾ (the fair skinned woman) He was advised to offer ẹbọ OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ needed a woman who would be his wife. He consulted Ifá on the matter. Ifá said that the woman that would be compatible to his life at that; point in time would be a fair skinned woman. He was also told that the woman would give birth to many fine children for him. The revelation was very pleasing to OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ and he therefore decided to exercise patience for the right woman to come into his life. One day, OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ met Amoô;ye¾ye¾. Her body features matched the descriptions of the woman that Ifá had earlier told him that would be compatible to his life. To make sure however, OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ consulted Ifá again and Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; was revealed.

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OGBE® HU:N’LE:

In this Odù, Ifá explained that Amo;;ôye¾ye¾ would make OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ happy and fulfilled. He was also told that the woman would bear him the children of his dreams who would make him a proud father. These children would be useful to themselves, their parents, their siblings, their friends, their extended family members, their community and the larger society in general. The Awo advised OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. He was also told to feed his O®ke¾-I®po¾ôri; (Ifá) with two rats, two fish and one hen. OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ complied. It was after the ẹbọ and I®boô had been offered that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s family members went to Amo;;ôye¾ye¾’s family to ask for her hand in marriage. The family also went for Ifá consultation and it was revealed that the relationship would be of mutual benefit to everyone. A short while after this, the wedding ceremony was conducted. In spite of the fact that all the necessary rites were performed, the expected gains were not realized. What went wrong? What could have caused this? Was there anything that they were expected to do which they had left undone? Was there something they were not supposed to do which they had been doing? Why was it that the joy, satisfaction, contentment, self-actualization and babies which Ifá promised had not materialized? Seven years of marriage had passed already and still no progress; no satisfaction; not even one single baby, and no achievement. What could they do now? The only option left was for them to approach Ifá and demand for an explanation as to what was amiss. They returned to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. In the process, Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; was revealed. Ifá repeated that the marriage would be blessed with joy, satisfaction, contentment, elevation, progress, many children and selfactualization. The Awo told them that they would have no cause for regret in any way whatsoever. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ trusted this Awo. He was one of his former students who was well trained in all the departments of Ifá pedagogy. In spite of this, his predictions on this issue had not come to pass. Why? O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ explained the situation to the Awo. They asked Ifá to

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explain to them what actually was going wrong? That was when they came to realize that there was something that they ought to be doing which they had left undone. Better put, there was something which they had ought not to do which they had been doing. What was that? After much investigation, it was discovered that the delegates of Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Iru;nmoôleô¾ô who were responsible for bringing all the Ire of life that the coupled craved for could not operate in total darkness. They performed their functions in the middle of the night but some light had to be present. This was new information to them. Amo;ôye¾ye¾ was mandated by the Awo to ensure that there was light in the room they slept in every night. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ left the house of the Awo full of pride for his former student. All appropriate ẹbọ was offered. Four days after this revelation, things began to change positively for the couple. They began to feel joy and satisfaction in their lives. There was this inexplicable comfort and tranquillity that enveloped their lives. The next month, Amo;ôye¾ye¾ realized that she had become pregnant! On the tenth month, she gave birth to a baby girl. Their joy multiplied. Everything in their lives changed for the good. Their only regret was that they ought to have had light in their room since the first night of their marriage! Aroô ni¾ o¾ ro;ô gi¾di¾ l’a;ja¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; yo;o; sô’oôkoô Amo;ôye¾ye¾ EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe¾ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yoô¾ EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Nje Amoô;ye¾ye¾ tan’na; si;'le; O®ji;se ô ô; Iru;nmoôleô¾ n; bo¾ô wa o Amo;ôye¾ye¾ tan’na; si;’le; Translation: A cripple cannot jump up onto the ceiling of a house This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ When going to become the husband of Amoô;ye¾ye¾ (the fair skinned woman)

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OGBE® HU:N’LE:

He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Now, Amoô;ye¾ye¾ light up your room The delegates of the Iru;nmoôleô¾ are coming Amoô;ye¾ye¾ light up your room Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will have cause to celebrate his/her achievements and good luck. The couple for whom this Odù is revealed will also live satisfied and fulfilled lives. They will also be blessed with many wonderful children who will be useful to themselves and to the society at large. The couple will live for the rest of their lives as contented and self-actualized people as long as they do not allow anything or anyone to mislead them. 12. Ifá says that a woman has separated from her husband where this Odù is revealed. The separation may lead to divorce. Ifá says that it is not in the best interest of the woman to separate from her husband let alone divorce him. If a woman is contemplating separation or divorce where this Odù is revealed, it is not advisable for her to take such steps, it is in her best overall interest to stay in her matrimonial home and find a means of resolving whatever the problems were that had brought separation or divorce into her mind. If the woman has already separated from her husband, she is urged to return back to her husband. Ifá also advises a man whose wife has left him to allow her back if the woman takes steps to return to her matrimonial home. If the woman does not return, she will undergo further physical and emotional hardship. There is the need for forgiveness, peace and to give reconciliation a chance. Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat, two guinea-fowls and money. She also needs to feed Ifá with one mature she-goat. After this, there is the need for her to ensure that she does not allow anything and anyone to mislead her into taking wrong and unprofitable decisions.

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On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ wu;n’le; Ile; la¾a; wu;n OÙ®na¾ eôni la¾a; toô¾ OÙ®na¾ ti; a o¾ toô¾ ri; O®Ùna¾ ti; a o¾ loô ri; Ni;i; sôe’ni sôi¾ba;la;-sôi¾bolo Di;a; fu;n Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ Ti;i; sô’aya A®ba¾ta¾ l’O:do¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbè remain in your home It is preferable to stay in one’s home The path that one has ever taken before The path that one has ever trekked before Such a path usually brings confusion This was Ifa;’s message for Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ (the Giant Cocoyam) The wife of A®ba¾ta¾ (the Swamp) She was advised to offer ẹbọ Before she got married, Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ had many suitors. They all promised to take very good care of her. In the end, she went for Ifá consultation. Ifá advised her to marry A®ba¾ta¾ and if she did, she would be able to live her life to the fullest. She offered all the necessary ẹbọ and finally settled for A®ba¾ta¾. In a matter of 10 years after marriage, she had become a phenomenon. She had realized most of her desires in life. She was a happy and fulfilled woman. She also had several children who were well taken care of and these children all looked like her. There really was nothing that she fervently desired which Olo;du¾mare¾ would not bless her with. One day however her friends began to whisper into her ears that maybe, she would have been happier with another man. Maybe, she could have had more children for another man. Maybe, she could have been more fulfilled in the home of another man. Maybe, she

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could have become a more prominent woman in the home of another man. Maybe, she could have been accorded more regard and honour by another man. Maybe, their children could have been taken care of in a better way by another man. Maybe, her children could have become more prominent if she had given birth to them for another man. Maybe, maybe, maybe... At the initial stage, she took no notice of what her friends were telling her. The situation got so bad however with her friends, that almost every time her husband would caution her against doing something, her friends would scream at her and say,” If you had been married to Pa;pa; the Savannah) one of your former suitors, he would never had even thought about ever cautioning you or curtailing any action you wished to take.” They vouched that her husband was simply too jealous and envied how much prominence she had. They would also warn her that if she failed to take appropriate action, a time would come that her husband would completely cover up all her talents and potentials! Gradually, she began to think about what her friends were telling her. The more she thought about what they would tell her, the more she convinced herself that her friends were right after all. She convinced herself that she must take appropriate action. That was what she must do! She then began to view all the actions and activities of A®ba¾ta¾ with suspicion. The funny thing was that she had once admired how her husband would always look out for her and worry about her. What must she do? What was the appropriate action that she must take? How must she take the step? Her friends were handy to teach her what to do. The action that was most appropriate was to divorce A®ba¾ta¾! Divorce? Oh yes! That was the appropriate action to take! But, how do you divorce a man who has never offended you in any way? How do you separate yourself from a man simply because you suspect that he is trying to control and minimize your full potentials? How would I explain to my children that my reason for divorcing their father was based completely on suspicion? True, she had convinced herself that she would divorce A®ba¾ta¾ but how would she explain this to her children and family members?

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Apart from this, there were two other things to consider: How would she move out of her matrimonial home without incurring the odium of the larger society? And two, if she left, where would she go? It was obvious that her family members would never take her back because they could not see any offence that A®ba¾ta¾ had committed against her. Furthermore, she had never before gone to her family house for one day to report any misdeed perpetrated by A®ba¾ta¾. Then again, her friends were handy to tell her what to do and to give answers to all her questions. First, if there was no evidence against her husband to warrant a divorce, it could be invented. She could also provoke him into taking drastic actions against her and that would be used as evidence against him. She could push his patience to the limit and ensure that he misbehaved. All her friends promised to be nearby so that they would be her witnesses. Second, why must she be concerned about what other people say anyway? After all, none of them were experiencing the deprivation and curtailment which A®ba¾ta¾ was subjecting her to. She was the person facing the problem not them. The best all these people could be was just sympathizers. She must never allow the opinion of others to deter her from taking her decision. She could simply walk out of the relationship and that would be none of anybody’s business. As for her parents and children, they would forget their anger after sometime and they would embrace her back. After all, the children could not substitute another mother for her and her parents could not have another woman to replace her as their daughter. Third, where she would go to was obvious: to the home of Pa;pa; of course! He had promised to take better care of her. He would make her happier and more fulfilled. He had even promised that he would take responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of all her children. She would feel on top of the world if she moved into his home! With this assurance, the plan began in earnest. Her attitude changed completely. She became a stubborn, nagging and snappy woman. Nothing her husband did ever satisfied her anymore. She would constantly jump at him and rain curses and abuses on him. She would provoke him at every opportunity even for very small things. The husband was totally confused. He was however certain of one

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thing: this was not the natural attitude of his beloved wife. Something must be wrong. He resolved to talk it over with her. He called his wife for a talk. As soon as he called her “my darling wife”, all became pandemonium. She slapped him repeatedly. She screamed, kicked and panted. She cursed him for daring to call her his darling wife. She used her nails to cut him all over his face. Blood gushed out from the wounds. Yet, A®ba¾ta¾ remained calm. Her friends rushed in to see what was happening in order to serve as witnesses to the fact of her being abused. They were all surprised to see that A®ba¾ta¾ did not even lift one finger to defend himself; let alone raise his hand against her. He absorbed everything as if nothing had happened. This type of provocation became a common occurrence in their home but A®ba¾ta¾ would not react in any aggressive way. One day she even hit him on the head and blood gushed out. He still refused to react. This brought her more frustration. Meanwhile, she had been meeting Pa;pa; in a secret location. Pa;pa; was urging her to pack her things and move into his home as quickly as possible. He told her that he could not wait to see her in his home. He promised to do everything that she wanted for her. He also promised that he would not restrict her from doing whatever she wished to do. One day, A®ba¾ta¾ was resting outside his house. He saw his wife coming along the road with two bundles, one on her head and the other on her shoulder. He quickly rushed to meet her and help her with one of the bundles. The wife flared into an uncontrollable rage. “Who needs your help?" She screamed. She went on and on. When A®ba¾ta¾ refused to talk, she rushed at him and ripped his clothes off his body. At this particular moment, members of her own family were coming to visit her. When they saw what she had done, they all questioned her and asked her why she was humiliating her husband in public in such a manner. This made her very angry. She charged at them and told them to convert him to their own family member if they wished. She rushed in and began to pack her things. Her friends were nowhere to be seen and no one helped her pack her things. All appeals from her

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husband and her own family members fell on deaf ears. She left that day. All her things were packed into the home of Pa;pa;. For three to four months, it was enjoyment for her and her new found lover. Her friends visited her every day. They brought news of the sorrow of her former husband to her. It was the rainy season. Everything was in abundance for her. She hardly thought of her children and family members. As soon as the rain stopped however, trouble began. The lack of water, coupled with intense sun and her exposure to it made her suffer and she felt uncomfortable. She grew lean and ugly steadily. Soon after, she fell seriously ill. She called on her friends but they would not come. They then began to tell her that she left her husband’s home because she was too greedy. What else could she have wanted in her life which was not already given to her? They then made jest of her. She soon realized that she was all alone. Her behaviours soon began to put Pa;pa; off. He prayed for her to go away from his home. She was alone and lonely. She had nobody to console her. That was when she decided to go to the home of the Awo stated above for Ifá consultation. Her main question was what she needed to do to get herself out of her present predicament. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Hu;nle; was revealed. The Awo blamed her for listening to bad advice and for taking a bad and unjustifiable decision. The Awo told her that her husband from heaven was A®ba¾ta¾ but she deceived herself by moving in with another man. If she had stayed with her man, she was told, she would have never faced the predicament she found herself in. The Awo told her that the only solution was for her to find a way of returning to her husband’s home. She was advised to go and look for people who would help her appeal to her husband to accept her back into his life. She was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied. She went to plead with her friends and family members to help her appeal to her husband to accept her back. The same friends blamed her for not listening to good advice when they were telling her not to leave her husband and she refused to listen. She could not argue at all. She was not in any position to argue. She only wanted them to help her plead with her husband.

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Her friends and family members went to A®ba¾ta¾. They pleaded with him to forgive Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ and overlook all the bad decisions she had made. Surprisingly, A®ba¾ta¾ responded that he knew all along that how she was acting was not the usual character of his wife. He assured them that he had forgiven her and she was free to return to her home. When Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ heard this news, she was overwhelmed with joy. She returned to her husband’s home that same evening. As she was going, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ began singing, saying: Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ de; o Aya A®ba¾ta¾ Obi¾nrin n; re’le; oôkoô reô¾ a¾ar; o¾ô o Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ ma¾ ma¾ de; o Aya A®ba¾ta¾ Obi¾nrin ma¾ n;re’le; oôkoô reô a¾ar; oô¾ o Translation Here comes Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ The wife of A®ba¾ta¾ The woman is returning to her first husband’s home Here come Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ The wife of A®ba¾¾ta¾ The woman is truly returning to her first husband’s home That was how Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ returned to the home of A®ba¾ta¾. The following day, A®ba¾ta¾ called her very early in the morning for a serious discussion. They both discussed for a long long time. She tendered her unreserved apology to him and although everything that had happened had hurt him deeply, A®ba¾ta¾ forgave her. Since that day henceforth, Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ returned to comfort, joy and opulence. She reunited with her children and family members. She never listened to bad advice or contemplated taking any nasty steps again.

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Ogbe¾ wu;n’le; Ile; la¾a; wu;n OÙ®na¾ eôni la¾a; toô¾ OÙ®na¾ ti; a o¾ toô¾ ri; O®Ùna¾ ti; a o¾ loô ri; Ni;i; sôe’ni sôi¾ba;la;-sôi¾bolo Di;a; fu;n Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ Ti;i; sô’aya A®ba¾ta¾ l’O:do¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’bo;ô N®je;ô Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ o; de; o Aya A®ba¾ta¾ Obi¾nrin n; re’le; oôkoô reô¾ a¾ar; oô o Translation: Ogbè remain in your home It is preferable to stay in one’s home The path that one has ever taken before The path that one has ever trekked before Such a path usually brings confusion This was Ifa;’s message for Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ (the Giant Cocoyam) The wife of A®ba¾ta¾ (the Swamp) She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied Here comes Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ The wife of A®ba¾ta¾ The woman is returning to her first husband’s home Ifá says that if a woman is facing major tribulation, frustration, or illness where this Odù is revealed, it is because she has left her matrimonial home and it was not in her interest to do so. She needs to find the means and way to return to her matrimonial in order for normalcy to return to her life. Her man also needs to forgive her. If the couple can mend the relationship things will go very well for both of them.

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13. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of many children for the person for whom Ogbe¾-Hu;nle; is revealed. Ifá says that this person will not experience the problem of child-bearing in his/her life. Ifá says that if this person is already experiencing this problem however, it will become a thing of the past in no time. Ifá says that the coming baby has come into the world with its own name. The name of the baby is Ifa;re¾ômi;le;ôku;n or Reô¾mi;le;ôku;n for short. This name means: Ifá puts an end to my crying and lamentation. Ifá says that the coming of the baby will be accompanied with prosperity, property, success, joy, contentment, sound health, longevity and all the Ire of life. This person will not lack any Ire in life, but his/her biggest asset in life will be his/her children. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature she-goat and money. There is also the need for him/her to feed Ifá with another mature she-goat. On this, Ifá says: O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾ Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe; Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti; Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n Di;a; fu;n O®o¾re¾ô Ti;i; n;f'omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Black thread is not easy to spin It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away Sooner or later The termites will consume it

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Something ran across the road And swerved to this side Something ran across the road And swerved to that side These were Ifá’s messages for O®or¾ e¾ô (the Porcupine) When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget her own baby She was advised to offer eôôboô How could she not cry? Why must she not cry? What is so amusing in seeing one’s colleagues become pregnant and carrying their own babies when one’s own womb has remained flat without any seed of the womb germinating therein? Who could ever advise her not to cry? She had the right to cry! She was tired of counting the time, the days, weeks, months and years of her wedding without having any baby to crown her marital life. One day, O®or¾ e¾ô cried and cried and cried some more. She slept off. She had a dream where someone told her that crying would never solve her problem. She needed to find a solution to her problems instead of engaging in perpetual weeping. When she woke up, she headed straight for the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb in my life? Will my tears be wiped off and be replaced with laughter? Will I have my own babies and children to shower my love and attention on? Will I be blessed with my own children to send on errands? Will I become a mother in my own lifetime before it becomes too late for me to bear children? These and many more were the questions which O®or¾ e¾ô asked Ifá during the consultation. When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾-Hu;nle; was revealed. The Awo told O®or¾ e¾ô that through Ifá, Olo;du¾mare¾ was about to wipe off her tears and replace them with laughter. She was told that Olo;du¾mare¾ would give her several children to make her happy. The first baby, she was advised, should be named Reô¾mi;le;ôku;n, she was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied. She also propitiated Ifá as she had been advised.

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Two months after, O®or¾ e¾ô became pregnant. Because she had been told that her children would be her biggest blessings in life, she stopped working altogether for fear of losing the pregnancy. In spite of this, people kept bringing businesses to her at home. She was coordinating all her business from home and was making huge profit. She gave birth to the baby in opulence. The baby was named Ifa;re¾ômi;le;ôku;n- Ifá puts an end to my crying and lamentation. O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾ Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe; Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti; Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n Di;a; fu;n O®o¾re¾ô Ti;i; n;f'omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o O® ba; re¾ômi; leô;ku;n n da;boô¾ O®ri¾reô¾ Re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô O®ri¾reô¾ Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;boô¾ Aje; O®ri¾reô¾ Re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô O®ri¾reô¾ Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;boô¾ aya O®ri¾reô¾ Re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô O®ri¾reô¾ Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;boô¾ oômoô O®ri¾reô¾ Re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô

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O®ri¾reô¾ Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô ile; O®ri¾reô¾ Re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô O®ri¾reô¾ Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;boô¾ ire gbogbo O®ri¾reô¾ Re¾ômi; leôô;ku;n n da;boô¾ O®ri¾re¾ô Translation: Black thread is not easy to spin It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away Sooner or later The termites will consume it Something ran across the road And swerved to this side Something ran across the road And swerved to that side These were Ifá’s messages for O®or¾ e¾ô/O®ri¾reô¾ (the Porcupine) When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget her own baby She was advised to offer eôôboô She complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Please replace my tears and make me happy O®ri¾reô¾ Please replace my tears and make me happy O®ri¾reô¾ Please replace my tears and make me happy with financial success O®ri¾reô¾ Please replace my tears and make me happy O®ri¾reô¾ Please replace my tears and make me happy with a compatible spouse

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O®ri¾reô¾ Please replace my tears O®ri¾reô¾ Please replace my tears with children O®ri¾reô¾ Please replace my tears O®ri¾reô¾ Please replace my tears happy with properties O®ri¾reô¾ Please replace my tears O®ri¾reô¾ Please replace my tears with all the Ire of life O®ri¾reô¾ Please replace my tears O®ri¾reô¾

and make me happy and make me happy and make me happy and make me and make me happy and make me happy and make me happy

Ifá says that the tears of this person shall be wiped off and in their place will be the blessings of prosperity, spouse, children, properties, longevity etc. All the blessings of life shall come, one just needs to hold on to Ifá and be prayerful and dedicated. 14. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to offer the ẹbọ of childbearing. This is not only for him/her to be able to beget his/her own children, but also because children are his/her biggest support and blessing in life. His/her pride and achievements are in the number of children he/she has and how well-trained the children are. The number of children that this person intends to beget in life will determine the number of hens that he/she will offer as ẹbọ. But if the number of his/her own children, together with those of his/her own grand-children and the children of his/her beloved ones are put into consideration. It is advisable for this person to offer ẹbọ with 50 hens and money. Doing this will guarantee the success and elevation of his/her own children, grand-children, loved ones and followers in his/her life time.

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On this, Ifá says: O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾ Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe; Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti; Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n Di;a; fu;n Olo;gu;n EÙru; O®de I®bi;ni; EÙru; o¾un le¾ po¾ô si lo; n;da;fa; si; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Black thread is not easy to spin It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away Sooner or later The termites will consume it Something ran across the road And swerved to this side Something ran across the road And swerved to that side These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of the 20 servants of I®bi;ni; land When preoccupied with how the number of his servants would increase He was advised to offer ẹbọ Olo;gu;n-EÙru; the owner of 20 servants was a native of I®bi;ni; city. He was born and raised there. His own idea of wealth and success was in the accumulation of several servants who would serve him for the rest of his life. Consequent upon this, his major preoccupation was how to get more servants. It was for this reason that he went to the group of Awo stated above for Ifá consultation: Will I be able to

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acquire more slaves? Will I be successful in my life? During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Wu;nle; was revealed. The Awo told Olo;gu;n-EÙru; that he would become a very successful person in life. He would have people to serve him on earth but he would have no person to carry on his name and lineage after his death. He was advised to offer ẹbọ with 20 hens so he could have more servants and 20 more hens so that he could have his own children and continue his lineage after his death. Olo;gu;n-EÙru; thought about this for a long time. He concluded that as long as he was able to find servants who would serve him and follow all his directives without argument or questioning there was no way they would not continue doing so after his death. He therefore offered ẹbọ for him to have more servants only. He there procured only 20 hens and the Awo offered the ẹbọ for him. O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾ Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe; Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti; Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n Di;a; fu;n OÙÙlo;ôgboô¾n i¾wo¾ôfa¾ O®de I®ja;moô¾ I®woô¾fa¾ o¾un le¾ po¾ô si lo; n;da';fa; si; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Black thread is not easy to spin It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away Sooner or later The termites will consume it Something ran across the road And swerved to this side Something ran across the road

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And swerved to that side These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of the 30 serfs of I®ja;mo¾ô land When preoccupied with how the number of his serfs would increase He was advised to offer Just like Olo;gu;n-EÙru;, OÙloô;gbo¾ôn I®woô¾fa¾ was also preoccupied with what to do to increase the number of his serfs so that they would be able to serve him well and by so doing increase his success and prosperity. Consequent upon this, he decided to go to the home of the group of Awo stated above for Ifá consultation: Will it be possible for me to continue to multiply my wealth through the acquisition of many more serfs? Will they work for me unquestioningly? When Ifá was consulted, like Olo;gu;n-EÙru;, Ogbe¾-Wu;nle; was revealed. The Awo told OÙlo;ôgboôn I®woô¾fa¾ that he too would be very successful in his lifetime but that the success would go into ruins as soon as he died. He advised him to offer ẹbọ with 30 hens in order to succeed and with another 30 hens in order for his success not to perish as soon as he died. OÙlo;ôgboôn I®woôf¾ a¾ also thought over what the Awo said and felt that there was no point offering any ẹbọ whose manifestation would take place after his death. How would he be certain that the ẹbọ was really necessary when he would not be alive to know? He decided to procure only 30 hens and money. The Awo offered the ẹbọ for him with the 30 hens. O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾ Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe; Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti; Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n Di;a; fu;n Ala;aa ¾ ;do;tô a I®ya¾wo; O®de I®ra¾wo¾ô

385

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EÙku;n oômoô lo; n; sun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Black thread is not easy to spin It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away Sooner or later The termites will consume it Something ran across the road And swerved to this side Something ran across the road And swerved to that side These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of the 50 wives of I®ra¾woô¾ land When weeping in lamentation of his inability to beget his own children He was advised to offer ẹbọ His major concern was how to beget as many children as possible. He believed that children were his own prosperity. The more he had, the more prosperous he would become. For that reason, he married 50 wives. None of these women however were able to become pregnant. This made him very sad. Consequent upon this, he went to the home of the same Awo who Olo;gu;n-EÙru; of I®bi;ni; land and OÙlo;ôgboô¾n I®wo¾ôfa¾ of I®ja;moô¾ land had earlier gone to. Will I be able to have many children in my life? Will these children be able to carry on after my demise? What do I need to do to ensure that this happens? These and more were the questions at the back of his mind when he went for Ifá consultation. When Ifá was cast for him, Ogbe¾-Hu;nle; was also revealed. The Awo told him that he was preoccupied with how he would determine his success chances in life. He was told that children were truly the measure of his success. The more well-trained children he had, the more his success chances in his life. The Awo told him to offer ẹbọ with 50 hens and money so that he would beget children who would carry on his lineage after his death. He procured the materials and offered the ẹbọ that same day.

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Olo;gu;n-EÙru; was able to accumulate more slaves. His business thrived. He set up a massive trading enterprise. He sat on top of a big business organization. Money was not his problem. His profit-making skills were the envy and admiration of those around him. He had a firm grip on all his business ventures. As he was getting older however, problems began to rear their ugly heads up. He was no longer as active as he used to be. He found it difficult to monitor all his trading activities as he used to do. He had no child of his own to help him in coordinating all his business activities. He had earlier felt that it was not necessary. Now he knew that it was. However, he realized that it was just too late for him to begin to think of marriage and child-bearing at his old age. He began to live the rest of his life with regrets. Before he died, most of his business activities had gone into the hands of others. His profits were being enjoyed by his numerous slaves. He had no energy to effect any correction. When he died, all his slaves shared his remaining belongings and returned to their various family homes. Olo;gu;n-EÙru; died and lost everything. OÙloô;gbo¾ôn-I®woô¾fa¾ began as a farmer. Before long, his farming enterprise had become very large. In fact, they were larger than anything which anyone had ever seen before in that community. As he continued to amass more serfs, so did his farmlands expand where the serfs would work. He made more money than anybody had ever made before. He felt that he was on the very top of the world. When he began to grow older, he too started to lose grip of his command and authority. He had no child to assist him and his siblings were just after their own selfish interests. His serfs began to misbehave but he no longer had the strength to call them to order. His business enterprises began to reduce right in his lifetime. When he died, he too lost everything to other people just like Olo;gu;n-EÙru; his counterpart. On the day that Ala;aa ¾ d ; o;ôta-I®ya¾wo; went to offer his own ẹbọ, the Awo told him that the ẹbọ must be placed by the road-side in the dead of the night. He was told that he would meet a creature by the road-

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side but he must not entertain any fear. He was to place his ẹbọ by the side of this creature and then pray fervently for all his heart's desires. He was assured that all his prayers would be accepted and answered by Olo;du¾mare¾. That night, he went out with his ẹbọ. When he got to the spot where he was to place his ẹbọ by the road-side, he met this creature. All its body was covered with spikes. As he had earlier been told not to fear, he didn’t. He prayed for all what he wanted in his life. His prayers centred primarily on begetting children who would continue his lineage and would carry on his legacy whenever he died. As he was praying the creature approached him and asked “what are the things that you need in your life that impelled you to offer this ẹbọ?” He responded that he wanted to have well-trained and wellbehaved children who would carry on his lineage and legacy after his death. “Your prayers are answered. Go home. Please do not look back until you get home. My name is O®or¾ e¾ô, the Porcupine. I was created by Olo;du¾mare¾ to put an end to the suffering and lamentation of human beings. Go and meet your Babaláwo first thing tomorrow morning and they will tell you more about me. Good night”. Ala;a¾ad ; oô;ta I®ya¾wo; returned home totally amazed by what he had seen and heard. The next morning, he went to his group of Awo and explained to them all what he had experienced. They told him that his prayers had truly been accepted by Olo;du¾mare¾. He was told to go home and continue his business. He did. Three years after, Ala;aa ¾ d ; o;ôta I®ya¾wo; had more than 100 children. Twenty years after this, his numerous children were the ones in charge of all his business enterprises. He did not need to exert any energy in order to ensure that his various businesses moved the way he wanted. His children were the ones doing that. He was only coordinating all the activities of his children. As he grew older, he was sure that his children would not need him so much again as they were capable of handling the businesses on their own. He made his first son and his first daughter the head of his business enterprise. He lived the rest of his life a contented man. He died a fulfilled person, old in age but young at heart.

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O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾ Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe; Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti; Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n Di;a; fu;n Olo;gu;n EÙru; O®de I®bi;ni; EÙru; o¾un le¾ po¾ô si lo; n;da;fa; si; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾ Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe; Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti; Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n Di;a; fu;n OÙÙlo;ôgboô¾n i¾wo¾ôfa¾ O®de I®ja;moô¾ I®woôf¾ a¾ o¾un le¾ po¾ô si lo; n;da;fa; si; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾ Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe; Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti; Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾ O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n Di;a; fu;n Ala;aa ¾ ;do;tô a I®ya¾wo; O®de I®ra¾wo¾ô EÙku;n oômoô lo; n; sun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Ala;aa ¾ d ; oô;ta I®ya¾wo; ni¾kan ni; n;beô leô;yi¾n to; n; sôeboô Olo;gu;n-EÙru; ku; EÙru; re’le;

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OÙlo;ôgboô¾n I®woô¾fa¾ ku; I®woô¾fa¾ gba ibo¾mi;ra¾n loô E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙ®yin o¾¾ mo¾ô wi;pe;; oômoô ni i¾gbe¾ôyi¾n oôla¾ ni;pe¾ôkun N®je;ô ki;nlo; reô ni l'eô;ku;n o Ti;; mo fi d’e;ôbe¾ô o O®o¾re¾ô Lo; re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n o Ti; mo fi d’e;ôbeôô O®o¾re¾ô Translation: Black thread is not easy to spin It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away Sooner or later The termites will consume it Something ran across the road And swerved to this side Something ran across the road And swerved to that side These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of the 20 servants of I®bi;ni; land When preoccupied with how the number of his servants would increase He was advised to offer ẹbọ Black thread is not easy to spin It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away Sooner or later The termites will consume it Something ran across the road And swerved to this side Something ran across the road And swerved to that side These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of the 30 serfs of I®ja;mo¾ô land When preoccupied with how the number of his serfs would increase

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He was advised to offer ẹbọ Black thread is not easy to spin It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away Sooner or later The termites will consume it Something ran across the road And swerved to this side Something ran across the road And swerved to that side These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of the 50 wives of I®ra¾woô¾ land When weeping in lamentation for his inability to beget his own children He was advised to offer ẹbọ Only Ala;ad ¾ o;ôta I®ya¾wo; complied When Olo;gun-EÙru; died All his slaves returned to their various homes When OÙlo;ôgbo¾ôn-Iwoôfa¾ died All his serfs dispersed to different destinations Travellers to Ìpo and OÙ®fa¾ Can’t you see that it is the legacy of the owner of well-trained children that cannot go into ruin? Who was it that wiped off my tears for me to be blessed with achievement? O®o¾re¾ô He was the one that wiped off my tears And gave me the blessing of achievement O®o¾re¾ô Ifá says that this person's tears and melancholy will be wiped off and be replaced with joy, achievements and self-actualization. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to take the matter of childbearing, childrearing and child training very seriously because his/hers biggest blessings and profits will come from his/hers children.

15. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is in the habit of doing good for, and pleasing, outsiders at the expense of his/her own immediate family members. Ifá says that this is a very

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bad and unacceptable habit. There is the need for him/her to change this habit forthwith. This is because a time is coming when he/she will suffer and receive serious punishment from outside and he/she will end up needing the assistance and support of his/her own relatives but they will never give him the support if he is not helpful to them. This is the reason why he/she needs to assist his/her relatives in order for them to rise up in his/her support whenever he/she needs them. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. There is also the need for him/her to have a change of attitude and render support and help for his/her immediate family more so than for strangers or outsiders. On this, Ifá says: Ile; n'ile; ire O®de l’o¾de i¾re¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba yo;o; s’a¾se¾ boô; o¾ôka¾nle;nu; Irunmoôle¾ô l’oô;du;n Wo;ôn o; tu;n ko; pa¾sa;n ti¾i; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Home is the place where ire of life lives And outside is where ire of life is displayed This was Ifa;’s message for O®ru;nmi¾la¾ When feasting the 401 Irunmoôleô¾ during his annual festival And would be thoroughly beaten in the process He was advised to offer ẹbọ True, O®ru;nmi¾la¾ was in the world to satisfy everybody, both his immediate family and outside. In the spiritual sense, everyone in the world is like his children. That was why he simply could not understand why the members of his immediate household and relatives were always complaining that he was making outsiders happier than them. He called them together and explained to them that he needed to be fair to all in his dealings. He stated further that he could not be seen to lean towards his own family and relatives more than others.

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In their response, the family members agreed that he ought to be fair to all. At the same time however they pointed out that he should not neglect his fundamental responsibilities to his own family and relatives simply because he wanted to be seen to be fair to everyone. The discussion went back and forth for a long time. In the end, it degenerated into a heated argument where both sides stuck to their points of view. They left the meeting in anger. O®ru;nmi¾la¾ vowed not to have anything to do with his relatives again. His relatives vowed not to approach him for assistance again. They were all living in the same compound but they cut off all form of communication with each other. O®ru;nmi¾la¾ surrounded himself with outsiders and did all his things with them. His relatives were mere onlookers. This went on until the time for O®ru;nmi¾la¾ to celebrate his annual festival approached. He went for Ifá consultation in the home of one of his former students. Ogbe¾Hu;n’le; was revealed. The Awo told O®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he had leaned towards outsiders more than his own relatives in all his dealings. He told O®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the outcome of such an action would not be in his best interest. The Awo urged his former boss to have a change of attitude toward his family and relatives. He also advised him to offer ẹbọ with one mature hegoat and money. O®ru;nmi¾la¾ agreed to offer the ẹbọ and he did. He however felt that it was not yet time for him to reconcile with his relatives. What really angered him was that he perceived them hoping for his annual festival to flop! For that reason, he must prove to them that their refusal to participate would not make his festival to be unsuccessful. All the pleadings of this Awo fell on O®ru;nmi¾la¾’s deaf ears. Four days to the festival time, O®ru;nmi¾la¾ house was a beehive of activities. Everyone was doing everything to ensure the success of the festival. All the people were total strangers in the house. None of O®ru;nmi¾la¾’s relatives participated in any of the planning or activities. O®ru;nmi¾la¾ was moving up and down. He was sweating and toiling more than he had ever done before when all his relatives participated in the preparations. On the day of the festival, there was more than enough food and drinks for all the 401 invited Irunmole and their companions. He also

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ensured that all the taboos of each Irunmole and devotees were carefully avoided. Musicians were on the standby. The guests began to eat and drink. O®ru;nmi¾la¾'s relatives were merely looking at what was happening from afar. The musicians were the best around. It was a great occasion. Before long, most of the invited guests got drunk. Some Egu;ngu;n devotees grouped themselves together in a place and they began to beat each other with switches. This added glamour to the occasion. O®ru;nmi¾la¾ was very glad to see that his festival was a huge success. Towards the end of the festival, O®ru;nmi¾la¾ drew close to the Egu;ngu;n devotees in order to spend some money on them. In their state of drunkenness, they mistook his actions for something else. One of them grabbed O®ru;nmi¾la¾ by the neck, right in front of O®ru;nmi¾la¾’s relatives. They were just looking at what was happening. Before he could explain himself, the other Egu;ngu;n devotees descended on him. He was beaten black and blue. They rolled him on the ground. All those who rushed to the scene joined in beating O®ru;nmi¾la¾. He eventually passed out. He was kicked into consciousness. They said that he was merely pretending. They rained another set of beatings on him. He passed out again. He was kicked back into consciousness again. That was what was happening when Eṣu OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to meet his relatives. He told them that if they continued to stand aloof and watch, O®ru;nmi¾la¾ would be beaten to death. It was going to be the loss of the whole family. It was in their best interest to intervene and rescue him from further punishment. He told them that if someone in your family is so blessed to the extent of procuring a horse for his personal use, for whatever reason, if they failed to take care of the horse and the horse died, their family would cease to be known as the family of horse riders. When they heard what Eṣu OÙ®da¾ra¾ said, they rose in unison and stopped the people from inflicting further punishment on O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. They took him inside the house. They cleaned his wounds and cuts and they dressed him up. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ could not believe that it was the same relatives whom he had ignored in all the things he was doing that eventually rallied round him and came to his rescue. Three days after the incident, Eṣu OÙ®da¾ra¾ returned to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s house. He blamed O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ for his failure to heed the advice of Ifá. He resolved the problem for the family. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ readily accepted his

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fault. All the family members embraced one another. They also mandated O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to prepare their own feast for them as a sign of total reconciliation. He did. As from that period henceforth, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ started to put his relatives first in all his considerations.

Ile; n'ile; ire O®de l’o¾de i¾re¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba yo;o; s’a¾se¾ bo;ô o¾ôka¾nle;nu; Irunmoôleô¾ l’oô;du;n Wo;n o; tu;n k;o pa¾sa;n ti¾i; Ebo ni won ni ko waa se O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾ O®fa¾ Eni¾ gb’eô;boô ni;be¾ô ko; wa;a; seôboô o Translation: Home is the place where ire of life lives And outside is where ire of life is displayed This was Ifa;’s message for O®ru;nmi¾la¾ When feasting the 401 Irunmoôleô¾ during his annual festival And would be thoroughly beaten in the process He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Travellers to Ìpo and OÙ®fa¾ Let those advised to offer ẹbọ do so accordingly Ifá says that it is in the best interest of the person for whom this Odù is revealed to take good care of his/her household and relatives more than those who are outsiders. Ifá says that from time to time, he/she will be needing the help and support of his/her relatives. This may not be forthcoming if he has not been putting their family’s welfare at the top of his/her consideration. 16. Ifá says that the problem that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is having at the present time is caused by the Elders of the Night. There is therefore the need for him/her to appease the Elders in order for them to stop their anger against him/her. In order for the Elders to stop spoiling his/her things, there is the need for him/her to

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procure one mature hen. The hen is to be slaughtered and dressed. It is also to be cooked well while all necessary condiments are to be added. The soup is to be poured into a clay plate and be given as I®pe®se® to the Elders of the Night. On this, Ifá says: Ba; mi m’a;dele o¾ sô’apa; ire Di;a; fu;n Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-sôe Ti;i; sôe’¾ ya; OÙ®fa¾fa¾ E®yi; ti; yo;o; maa fi; gbogbo owo; oôwoô; oô re¾ô f’e;leôyeô EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: Help chase my fowl is not with good intention This was Ifa's; message for Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-sôee (That-is-the-way-she-behaves) The mother of OÙ®fa¾fa¾ (the Tree Hyrax) Who would lose all her money to the Elders of the Night She was advised to offer ẹbọ She was a very consistent woman. She never liked being advised or counselled against doing anything that was on her mind. If anyone tried to correct her, she would turn everything into a fight or serious argument. That was the way she would behave. Most people knew her by her attitude. Those who never knew her who ended up getting into trouble with her were usually told by those who already knew her that; “don’t you know that woman? That is the way she behaves”. That was where she got her nickname “that is the way she behaves”. Nobody can advise her on her attitude. Neither can she be made to accept any advice on her child OÙ®fa¾fa¾ (the Tree hyrax). It was this attitude of hers that put her into trouble with the Elders of the Night. Nothing that she laid her hands upon ever turned right. When she would go to the market to buy a bag of grain, she would ensure that she got the freshest ones, but the next day, the grains would simply turn bad and be filled with insects and rodents. Anytime she would buy fresh palm-oil for sale, two days later, the palm-oil would be filled

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with dead ants, gad flies, cockroaches and maggots. Anytime she would buy clothes and dresses, it would not take three days before the clothes and dresses would be filled with holes from rodents and cockroach bites. One day she decided to travel out of her locality in order to buy things for sale. She borrowed a lot of money for the trip. She was waylaid on the trip, beaten to a pulp and the money was snatched away from her. When she returned home empty handed, all her creditors descended on her and demanded for their money. That was what dragged her to the home of the Awo stated above for Ifá consultation. During the process, Ogbe¾-hu;n’le; was revealed The Awo informed her that the Elders of the Night were responsible for all her predicaments. She was however assured that the problems would become things of the past if she could offer I®pe¾se¾ as stated above. She was also counselled to have a change of attitude. She told the Awo that she had not offended anyone. She therefore saw no reason why she should offer I®pe¾se¾ to any Elder. She also told the Babaláwo that if he was not pleased with the way she was conducting herself, he was free to jump into and drown himself inside a lagoon! She then demanded for a refund of the money she gave the Awo for Ifá consultation, and the Awo returned it to her. She then stormed out of the Awo’s house and forcefully banged the door. From that day onwards, Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-se lived a sad and fruitless life and died an unfulfilled woman because no one could handle her attitude let alone be around her. Ba; mi m’a;dele o¾ sô’apa; ire Di;a; fu;n Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-sôe Ti;i; sôe’¾ ya; OÙ®fa¾fa¾ E®yi; ti; yo;o; maa fi; Gbogbo owo; oôwoô; oô reô¾ f'eô;leôyeô EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: koôti; oôgboônyin s'eôboô Nje; Aagba fe;ef¾ e;e¾ Be;e¾ ni;i; sôe o E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙni¾ gb’e;ôboô ni;be¾ ko; wa;a; sôeb ô oô o

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Translation: Help chase my fowl is not with good intention This was Ifa's; message for Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-sôee (That-is-the-way-she-behaves) The mother of OÙ®fa¾fa¾ (the Tree Hyrax) Who would lose all her money to the Elders of the Night She was advised to offer ẹbọ She refused to comply What a pity That is the way she behaves Travellers to Ìpo and O®ôfa¾ Let those advised to offer ẹbọ comply accordingly Ifá says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odù is revealed to die a sorrowful and unfulfilled life. This person however needs to comply with the advice of Ifá, perform all specified rituals and rites, and have a change of attitude.


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B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-OÙW ® OÙN : RI:N FOR THOSE BORN BY THIS ODU: DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:Y:E OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA:: For those born by Ogbe¾-O®Ùwoô;nri;n during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;, they normally move from obscurity to prominence, from inadequacy to surplus and from the bottom to the apex of the ladder in a very short space of time. Their progress and acceleration are always matters of surprise, admiration and even envy for those who are close to them. Before Ogbe¾-O®Ùwoô;nri;n children succeed, they will first face a lot of tribulations and hardship. The moment that any Ogbe¾-O®Ùwoô;nri;n child is facing serious hardship, there is the need for him/her to persevere and hang on, because his/her success period is very close at hand. If possible, he/she needs to roll out the drums in celebration because the progress and elevation coming is bound to come very shortly after the tribulations. Ogbe¾-O®Ùwoô;nri;n children are blessed with multiple Ire at the same time. It is therefore not a surprise to see these children celebrating several achievements together at the same time. It is in their destiny to do so. The success and elevation of all Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; children rest on Olo;du¾mare¾, their Ori;, the Irunmoôleô¾ and their mothers. The closer they are to their mothers, the more their mothers are happy with them. The more they receive the blessings and prayers from their mothers, the more their chances of success. In the same vein, Ifá will also ensures the success and progress of Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; children because whatever makes them sad will also make Ifá sad. In order for Ifá not to become sad, Ifá ensures that Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; children remain happy throughout their whole lives. For Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; male children, it is advisable for them to go for fairskinned women because their success and matrimonial life chances will be enhanced. For Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; female children, it is advisable for them to marry someone who is initiated into Ifá. The couple also needs to ensure that there is always light in the room where they sleep because the delegates of the Irunmoôleô¾ responsible for bringing

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Ire to them prefer to do so in the middle of the night when there is light in the room. It is forbidden for Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; male children to contemplate divorce or separation. It is also forbidden for Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; female children to do so. If however, divorce or separation has taken place, there is the need for the woman to return to her husband home. All steps must be taken to ensure that she returns without further delay. The husband too needs to accept her back and work out the problems. If the woman does seek forgiveness from her husband, she will experience continued hardship in her life. All Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children must beware of treacherous friends who plan secretly to destroy them or who plan to make life miserable and unbearable for them. At any point in the life of Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children, males and females, they are bound to encounter these types of friends and only Ifá and a keen sense of observation can protect them against these “friends”. Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children, males and females are fond of taking good care of outsiders at the expense of their own family members and relatives. This is an attitude that they need to change in order for them not to be ignored by those family members who can assist them when they need the assistance the most. It is advisable for all Ogbe¾wu;n’le; children to take proper care of their relatives first, before they venture to render any assistance to outsiders. It is also noted that most Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children do not like to be corrected when they are wrong. They do not handle instruction well. They are very recalcitrant and they do not hesitate in engaging in serious quarrels against anyone who tries to correct them or tell them what they need to do. On the whole, Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children, males and females, live relatively peaceful lives. They move rapidly and steadily to the top. They live very contented lives and they die feeling fulfilled and selfactualized. A®boôru; A®boôye¾

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C.

AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA AND IRU:NMOÙLEÙ® OF OGBE®WU:NLE:

1. Ifá – for direction, success, elevation, victory, sanctuary, progress, contentment and overall wellbeing. 2. Orí – for fulfilment of destiny, direction, progress, success, victory, elevation, contentment and self actualization 3. E®su ô ¾-O®ôda¾ra¾-for victory, sanctuary, support, direction, protection, elevation and general success 4. EÙgbe;ô– for comradeship, leadership, support, progress, elevation and general wellbeing 5. Aje; -for financial success, leadership, elevation and general success 6. SÙan ¾ go;– for victory, progress, leadership, elevation and overall success 7. Egu;ngu;n (A®gan)– for ancestral support, progress, leadership and general success 8. OÙba¾ta;la;– for leadership, progress, success, elevation, contentment and overall success 9. O®Ùsu ô n – for compatible spouse, child-bearing, child-rearing and general success 10. O®gu;n - for victory, progress, success, protection and general wellbeing

D. TABOOS OF OGBE® OÙW ® O:N Ù RI;N : 1. Must never sleep in complete darkness - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure, regrets and sorrow

2. Must never conspire against others - to avoid failure, regrets, melancholy, crisis and disaster 3. Must never kill, maltreat, consume or use the porcupine for anything-to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure, regrets, retrogression, disaster and calamity

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4. Must never lose hope over any issue - to avoid losing his/her success opportunities 5. Must never cater to outsiders more than his/her own relatives - to avoid losing the support of his/her relatives, suffering and disappointment 6. Must never fight over a woman and for a woman, must never allow two men to fight over her - to avoid crisis, tribulation, regrets, failure and calamity 7. Must never wear red caps or red head gear - to avoid unconsummated fortune, calamity, failure and shame 8. Must never contemplate separation or divorce - to avoid failure, regrets, disaster and unconsummated fortunes 9. Must never refuse to heed good advice given to them - to avoid failure, disaster, regrets and calamity 10. Must never refuse to take to good correction - to avoid negative public opinion, unconsummated fortune, failure and regrets. 11. Must never love material things at the expense of children - to avoid failure, disaster, calamity and lack of continuity. 12. Must never consume alcohol - to avoid failure, disaster, regrets and calamity

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E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® OÙW ® O:N Ù RI;N : i. MALE 1. Ifa;re¾ômi;le;ôku;n- Ifa;; puts an end to my crying and lamentation. 2. Ifa;la¾mi;- Ifa; turns me to a prosperous person 3. Ifa;to;o;yi¾nbo;- Ifa; is worthy of praising until one's lips peel off 4. Ifa;gbe¾mi;- Ifa; gives me support 5. Te¾mile;ke¾- Mine is exalted and victorious 6. Ifa;fimi;ha¾n- Ifa; brings me to the forefront 7. Ifa;se ô ô;gun -Ifa; brings me victory ii. FEMALES 1. Ifa;reô¾mi;le;ôku;n - Ifa; puts an end to my crying and lamentation 2. Mori;re - I have seen all the Ire of life 3. Ifa;to;o;yo¾s ô i; - Ifa; is worthy of rejoicing over 4. Ori;sanmi; - My Ori; supports me 5. Ifa;ko;rede; - Ifa; brings all the Ire of life 6. Ifa;gba¾mi;la¾ - Ifa; comes to my rescue


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Chapter 6

Ogbè Ọ̀bàrà

II II I II I II I 404

OGBE®-OÙ®BA®RA® OGBE® GBA®RA®DA: OGBE BA®A®RA®-BAARA OGBE¾® ONI:WA®A:RA: A. 1. Ifa; says that the person for whom Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; is revealed during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I¾teô¾lo;du¾ shall perform wonders in his/her lifetime. Ifa; says that this person shall ride very high on the tide of his/her life. Life shall be very interesting and highly rewarding to him/her. All what he/she needs to do are: offer eôboô, feed his/her Ori;, live well and carefully and work really hard. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two hens, two cocks, two guinea-fowls, two ducks and money. He/she also needs to feed his/her Ori; with a one pure white pigeon and one live catfish. On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da; says: Ogbe¾ Gb'a¾ra¾ da; ta;n T'eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾ Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n O:: ku t’eôleô;nu Di;a; fu;n A®ra¾ Ti;i; s'ôoômoô Olo;du¾mare¾ I®gba¾ti; o; n; t'oô¾run boô¾ wa;';ye; Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ had performed wonders Only the slanderers remained to be pleased After Ifa; had successfully accomplished all things Only the foul-tongued despisers remained This was Ifa;’s message for A®ra¾ (the Marvellous Feat) The son of Olo;dumare¾ When coming from heaven to earth He was advised to offer eôboô

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Ar®a¾, the Marvellous Feat, was one of the favourites of Olo;du¾mare¾. He was always referred to as the child of Olo;du¾mare¾ because he really and truly had space and privilege with the Almighty. While in OÙ®run, all beings there, be they Iru;nmoôleô¾, O®ri¾sôa¾, Egu;ngu;n, I®sôeô¾sôe, ancestors and so on, sought to be his friend at all times. Those who he accepted as friends and companions would automatically be given space and privilege just like him. Those beings would then be able to do marvellously wonderful things and perform highly impressive feats that would be marvelled at by all. On the other hand, those who could not perform any feat which others would marvel at were considered not to be favoured by A®ra¾. Such was the profile of A®ra¾ when he was in OÙ®run. One day however, A®ra¾ made up his mind to move from OÙ®run to Ile; -Aye; to live for some time. He went to the domain of A®ja¾la;moô¾pi;n to choose his destiny. Because he was a favourite of Olo;du¾mare¾, and because A®ra¾ had favoured A®ja¾la;moô¾pi;n on several occasions before, his destiny was a gloriously marvellous one. When A®ra¾ was about to leave OÙ®run for Aye;, all the Divinities in OÙ®run gathered together to pray for him. In their collective prayer, they declared that everyone in the world would be looking for him to be his/her friend and close associate, but only a few would be accepted and favoured. All those who were lucky to be accepted as his friends would be the ones who would end up becoming the pillars in the various families, communities, cities, groups, regions, countries or even continents that they belonged to. Those people would become the movers and shakers of their communities and they would be favoured, honoured and respected. A®ra¾ was advised to offer eôboô and feed his Ori; as stated above. He complied. As soon as these were done, A®ra¾ proceeded to Aye; to follow and fulfil his destiny. When he arrived in Aye;, only those who were favoured where the ones who ended up becoming A®ra¾’s friends. They were the lucky ones who performed marvellous feats in the world. They were the ones whose names went down in history as great men and women who were honoured and even elevated to the status of O®ri¾sôa¾ or as national heroes and heroines.

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OGBE®-OÙB ® A®RA®

Ogbe¾-Gb'a¾ra¾ da; ta;n Teôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾ Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n O; ku t’eôleô;nu Di;a; fu;n A®ra¾ Ti;i; s'ôoômoô Olo;du¾mare¾ I®gba¾ti; o; n; t'oô¾run boô¾ wa;';ye; Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbeô;’boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Ire gbogbo wa; ya de; tu¾tu;ru A®ra¾ wa;a¾ de;, oômoô Olo;du¾mare¾ EÙ®yin o¾ moô¾ wi;pe; t’a;ye; ba; yeô’ni O®un la¾a; da;’ra¾ ire ni? Translation: Ogbe¾ had performed wonders Only the slanderers remained to be pleased After Ifa had successfully accomplished all things Only the foul-tongued despisers remained This was Ifa;’s message for A®ra¾, (the Marvellous feat) The son of Olo;du¾mare¾ When coming from heaven to earth He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far All the Ire of life came trooping in Here comes A®ra¾, the child of Olo;du¾mare¾ Don’t you know that it is when life is agreeable to one That one performs marvellous feats? Ifa; says that this person shall live an agreeable life and he/she will be one of the lucky and very few people who will perform marvellous feats on earth. The Ori; of this person will surely support them. He/she shall be given space and opportunity to perform and actualize his/her destiny.

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2. Ifa; says that it foresees the Ire of accomplishment for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that this person shall achieve great feats on earth. Not only this, Ifa; also promises that all his/her achievements shall never be ruined or be spoilt while he/she is on this earth or even when he/she has passed on. Ifa; advises this person to offer ebo of A®ru;kore - that is, an all-encompassing eôboô with two rats, two fish, two pigeons, two hens, two cocks, two guinea-fowls, two ducks and money. Ifa; says that this person will excel in all spheres of life. He/she shall lack nothing on earth. On this, Ifa; says: Ogbe¾ gba¾ra¾ da; ta;n T’eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾ Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n O: ku t’eôleô;nu Di;a; fu;n I®sôa¾ga; OÙmoô af’o¾kun sô’e¾re OÙmoô af’oô¾sa¾ sôe’yoô¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ had performed wonders Only the slanderers remained to be pleased After Ifa; had successfully accomplished all things Only the foul-tongued despisers remained This was Ifa;’s message for I®sôa¾ga; Offspring of those who worship the High Seas And get their table salt from the Lagoon He was advised to offer eôboô I®sôa¾g¾a; came from a family of ship/boat builders - from both his father’s and mother’s lineages. He was born into the business. He knew of no other trade. Well, the only other venture he could handle a little bit was fishing. Ship and boat building and fishing went together on many occasions. Farming, blacksmithery, cloth-weaving, carving, dye-making, pottery, music and so on were

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definitely not for him. Not only were they not for him, he was simply not interested in them. In his innermost mind, I®sôa¾ga; planned to succeed in all spheres of life, he wanted his social, economic, family, religious, cultural and sentimental life to be a huge success. He also worked so hard toward achieving the goal. It was as a result of this fervent desire to succeed that he was pushed to go to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I live in good health throughout my life? Will I be happily married? Will I be blessed with children? Will my children become great law-abiding children who will be useful to themselves and the society in which they live? Will my business be successful? Will I be credited with new innovations and inventions in my ship-building business? Would I be able to make huge profits that I can use to develop myself, my family, my community, the whole society, and then lay a good foundation for the future generation? Will I live and be a happy and contented man? Will I die a satisfied and accomplished man? These were the questions at the back of I®sôa¾ga;’s mind when he approached his Awo for Ifa; consultation. The Awo assured I®sôa¾ga; that he had nothing to worry about. He said that I®sôa¾ga; would be blessed with sound health throughout his life; he would grow up to be a good husband to his spouses; he would be a wonderful father to his children, both biological and adopted; he would be a gentleman to his neighbours; he would be a useful and respected man among his in-laws; he would be a successful man among his business associates; he would be a genius in his work; he would be blessed with children who would live and work within the boundaries of the laws of the land and make him proud and fulfilled; he would be honoured for all his good and exemplary activities in the land; and in short, he would be a very lucky and accomplished man overall. The Awo advised I®sôa¾ga; to offer eôboô of A¾ru;kore as stated above. He complied. After this, he counselled I®sôa¾ga to be transparent in all his activities. He told him never to show anger or impatience toward anyone or anything, and must never allow anything, anybody or even any development to frustrate him at all. I®sôa¾ga; was warned that many people would attempt to pull him down because attaining success and accomplishment did not come cheap or easy; he however needed to remain focused and Ifa; would take care of the rest for him. He was assured that his detractors and despisers would be the ones to pursue him to where he would record more success and achievement than his original anticipation. With these

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done, I®sôa¾ga; returned to his home, full of determination to succeed than ever before. When he returned home, I®sôa¾ga; followed the advice of his Awo to the minute details in all his dealings. He harboured no ill-feelings against anyone. Nothing that anyone thought, spoke or did against him annoyed or frustrated him in any way. He never lied, cheated or planned any evil against anyone. He never demanded for what did not belong to him. He was very hard-working and he concentrated on his ship-building work. He had no time for idle gossip. He worked with his spouses and trained his children to do the same. He was always looking for ways and means to improve the lot of himself, his immediate and extended families, and his society and community at large. He succeeded considerably. His ship-building styles were far ahead of those of all his competitors. He was regarded as the friend of the High-Seas. None of his boats and ships ever capsized, no matter how strong a storm was. Many thought he had entered into a secret covenant with Olu;weôri so that all his (I®sôa¾ga;’s) handiwork would always be respected and spared from any storm or strong weather on the high seas. All the huge successes recorded by I®sôa¾ga; made him the toast of his society. He was able to impact positively his friends and foes. He never listened to gossip or cheap talk. He worked hard all the time. He trained many people and was able to live behind a good legacy. The leaders in the community were impressed with his achievements, both morally and socially. He was accorded befitting honour and recognition. Ogbe¾ gba¾ra¾ da; ta;n T’eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾ Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n O: ku t’eôleô;nu Di;a; fu;n I®sôa¾ga; OÙmoô af’o¾¾kun sô’e¾re OÙmoô af’oô¾sa¾ sôe’yoô¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbeô;’boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; Ire gbogbo

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A®ra¾ ti; I®sôa¾ga; n; da; ko¾ lee¾ ba¾jeô; la;i;la;i; Pi;pele lo; n;pele A®ra¾ ti; Ifa; ni; ki nda; o¾ ni;i; parun Translation: Ogbe¾ had performed wonders Only the slanderers remained to be pleased After Ifa; had successfully accomplished all things Only the foul-tongued despisers remained This was Ifa’s message for I®sôa¾ga; Offspring of those who worship the High Seas And get their table salt from the Lagoon He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life The marvellous wonders that I®sôa¾ga; is performing will never be ruined They will be multiplying The marvellous wonders that Ifa; has asked me to perform will never be ruined Ifa; says that this person will surely leave a legacy that will endure from generation to generation. He/she will live and die happily and satisfactorily. He/she will have children who will also reap the benefits of their parents efforts while leaving a positive mark upon the Earth.

3. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. He/she shall lack nothing in life. It may be rough in the initial stages, but he/she needs to understand that he/she is being prepared for things to come in the future. He/she is being processed to know and appreciate the fact that success does not come cheap or easy. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô of a¾ru;kore with two rats, two fish, two pigeons, two hens, two guinea-fowls, two cocks, two ducks and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifa; with two rats, two fish and one hen.

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On this, Ifa; says: Adi¾eô o¾pi¾pi¾ ye; moô ni';wo¾ôn Ko; o le¾ r’a;pa; b’eôyin Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ifa; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni;’re o EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation:

O®pi¾pi¾, the featherless hen, do not lay too many eggs

In order to enable your wings to cover all your eggs This was Ifa;’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When lamenting for his inability to acquire all the Ire of life He was advised to offer eôboô OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was living a very harsh and hard life . He had nothing to show for all his hard work. He had no money, no wife, no child, no personal property and no good health. What was all this supposed to mean? Granted, he had chosen the best destiny while coming from O®Ùrun to Aye;, if this was so, why was he facing these untold hardships and pains? Was he not supposed to have a smooth sail on earth when he had chosen a destiny to be able to accomplish all great things in life? Why must he toil and sweat before he could eat twice in a day? Why must he labour and go through suffering before he could change his garment? Why did he need to go to other people’s houses before he could get someone to send to the market? At his age, why was he the only one cooking, washing, cleaning and tidying up his environment? When would he begin to actualize his potentials and fulfil his destiny? Would he come into this world empty handed and return to OÙ®run empty-handed, without a spouse, child, legacy or a name or deed to remember by the coming generation? All these were what was on the mind of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ when he went to the home of the Awo mentioned above who incidentally was one of his ex-students, for Ifa; consultation. He asked, will I receive all the Ire of life? When Ifa; was consulted, Ogbe¾Oni;wa¾a;ra; was revealed. The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ not to be preoccupied with his present condition as everything would surely change for the better. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he was the one who taught them that the same Divinities who made sweet things were

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also the ones who made things bitter. They said he was tasting bitter things in his life at this point in time to prepare him in readiness for the sweet things that would surely come later. He urged OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to persevere. He assured his former teacher that joy and sweetness was just around the corner, waiting for him to come and grab them. The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer eôboô and feed his (OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ’s) personal Ifa; as stated above. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied. He continued to persevere and he was hopeful that he would surely taste sweetness soon. His lucky break came about three months after when the only child of the richest woman in the community fell from a velvet tamarind tree, broke his neck and went into a coma. The mother of the child rushed back home from the market when she heard of the news. They rushed the child to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. His mother nearly ran crazy. She did not know what to do. OÙ®runmi¾la¾ assured her that all would be well. The child’s mother told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that she would pay any amount that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ wanted to take from her as long as her jewel survived. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ assured her once again that her son would live. He commenced the treatment instantly. He concentrated on the neck and discovered that the boy also had a fractured skull. He began to treat the two parts together. He used incantations, herbs, roots and animal parts freely. It took 11 market days (that is 42 days) for the broken bones to heal properly. In the end, the boy recovered completely. The mother of the child insisted that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ must name his price for healing her child. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ said that there was no need for that. The woman thanked him profusely and left. Five days after, she came with many people to thank OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. They left him with food supplies that would last him for about three months. Two weeks after this, she came with another group of people to come and erect a bigger and more befitting house for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. This was completed within nine market days. One day, this woman came to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ for a serious discussion. She told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she did not like to sound rude or to interfere in his personal life, but she felt that it was high time that he had a wife in his house. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ told her that he would love to have one but he was not financially stable enough. In between the two of them, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ secured a wife. The wife turned out to be

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an ideal wife for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. They understood each other very well. She was willing to do anything for her husband and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was prepared to do anything for her at all times. Two months after marriage, she became pregnant. She gave birth to a bouncing baby and after that, she begot several more children for her husband. Before long, the reputation of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ as a very competent and humanitarian man spread beyond the confines of the community where he lived. He was loved, respected and sought after. At a stage, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was wealthy enough to help develop the society where he lived. He participated in many community projects. Any serious function in the community that excluded him was considered incomplete. He never disappointed anyone. One day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ sat down to ruminate over his journey. He realized that within a few years, he had moved from a virtual nobody to a very prominent person in the community. He lacked nothing and he had several things in excess. He could not but give thanks and praises to Olo;du¾mare¾ and Ifa;. Adi¾eô o¾pi¾pi¾ ye; moô ni;'wo¾ôn Ko; o le¾ r’a;pa; b’eôyin Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ifa; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni;’re o EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;’boô E®ro I®po, E®ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yoô¾ EÙ wa; wo’re o Translation: O®pi¾pi¾, the featherless hen, do not lay too many eggs In order to enable your wings to cover all your eggs This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When lamenting for his inability to acquire all the Ire of life He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Come and join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life

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Ifa; says that this person shall receive all the Ire of life. He/she chose all the good things of life while in heaven and none of them shall elude him/her when they arrive on earth. 4. Ifa; foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that this person shall become honourable and respectable in his/her life. Ifa; assures this person that he/she shall become very wealthy in his/her life. He/she however needs to work hard, consult Ifa; regularly and follow all the instructions of Ifa.; It shall be well for him/her if they follow these directives. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three pigeons and money. On this, Ogbe¾-Ba¾a¾ra¾-baara says: Ogbe¾ ba¾a¾ra¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾ SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l’oo¾gu¾n SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l’egbo¾ogi O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;;i; je;ô EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o Di;a; fu;n Du¾nn;ba;de; OÙmoô agbe;’ga¾nna; wo¾’ye o I®gba¾ ti; n; sunku;n oôwo;ô o¾un o¾ to;’re EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾ Only the tip of its head has medicinal value Only the tip of its head has herbal use Any preparation that is not going to be effective Do not rely on it These were Ifa;’s declarations to Du¾nn;ba;de; He who observes what goes on in the street from across the fence of his premises When weeping in lamentation for his inability to acquire all the Ire of life He was advised to offer eôboô

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Du¾nn;ba;de; was a multi-talented man. He was a good farmer. He knew how to weave clothing. He was also a very good hunter. He was an expert in boat rowing and a fantastic fisherman. He was a versatile story-teller, singer and musician of a very high degree. In spite of his vast talents however, he had a bad story to tell about himself. What was this bad story? When he went to the forest to hunt, he saw a big antelope. He shot the antelope with his arrow. It caught the animal in the chest. The animal began to take a death run with the arrow. He tried tracking it from mid-morning until evening time. He could not find the dying animal. Three days after, some women who went to the forest to cut firewood found the stinking dead body of the antelope, full of maggots and useless for consumption. He rushed there, only to see that he must have missed spotting the animal since it fell very close to where he had shot at it in the first place. A few days later he went fishing. His net caught a mighty fish. The fish, in its struggle to escape, pulled him into the water. As he tried to save himself from being dragged farther into the sea, he let go of the net. He lost the net and the big fish. But for the fact that he was a very good swimmer, he would have lost his life too. A few days after this incident, he was busy weaving clothes. He would never let any setback or disappointment weigh him down, he assured himself. That was why he went to get several bales of cotton wool on credit. He spun the wool into thread. He began to weave clothes. They came out strong and beautiful. Those who saw him at it ordered for many complete sets of asôoô o¾ke¾, agba;da;, bu¾ba;, sôo¾ko¾to¾, ge¾le¾, i¾ro; , i¾boru¾n, fi¾la¾, ke¾ômb¾ e¾ô and so on in advance. He told all of them to meet him in the market on the market day. On the eve of the market day however, fire gutted his house and everything he ever had in life, including all the clothes he had just weaved and the weaving machine, all went up in flames! He was left with the clothes that he had on him and debts from several quarters. That was when he knew that his matter was not that which he would sit by and look. He must seek spiritual assistance. That was exactly what he did. The next day, as soon as sympathizers left him, he went straight to the home of the group of Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation: Will I ever succeed in life? Will fortune ever smile on me? Will I have cause to celebrate and rejoice in

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life? Those and many more were the questions he asked Ifa during the Ifa; consultation. The Awo told Du¾nn;ba;de; that even though he had been experiencing agony and hardship in recent times, joy and comfort would soon be his lot. He was urged to persevere. He was informed that when the time came to actualize his destiny, he would surely forget all the pains and agony of the past. The Awo explained to him that he could not expect life to be full of joy perpetually. He must be prepared to experience some measure of sadness every once in a while. If it was joy all through, life would be boring and there would be no challenge to make life very exciting. The Awo assured him that he would soon have cause to laugh and celebrate. Very soon! The Awo also advised Du¾nn;ba;de; to offer eôboô as stated above. Du¾nn;ba;de; gathered more debt from people and offered the eôboô. As soon as he returned home, he knew that he had his numerous creditors to contend with. He had absolutely no money to use to offset his debts. Consequent upon this, he devised a means of leaving what was left of his room and moving into the main compound. There, he had an advantage of observing everything happening on the main road from across the fence of his compound. If any of his creditors were coming into the compound, he would simply disappear from the scene by hiding himself somewhere. He would stay in his hiding place until the creditor left. The creditors would usually leave threatening words behind before leaving. Before long, Du¾nn;ba;de; was spending more time in his hiding place than in his room. One day, the woman who gave the bales of cotton wool to Du¾nn;ba;de; on credit got a contract to supply dresses to members of a very large association. The notice given to her was very short. Who could work hard enough and good enough to meet the deadline and the quality prescription of the association? Du¾nn;ba;de; of course! Only Du¾nn;ba;de; could do that! Not only this, the dresses must be delivered to the members of the association who lived across the river. They would need to use a strong boat to transport the dresses. The woman went to the owner of the boat to discuss the terms. The owner knew that someone experienced and powerful would have to be the one to do the job. Who could that be? Du¾nn;ba;de; of course! Only Du¾nn;ba;de;

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could do it! E®sÙôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ kept suggesting the name of Du¾nn;ba;d;e; in the minds of everyone. The only problem that remained was how to locate Du¾nn;ba;de;. Nobody cared anymore about the debt he was owing them. They then thought to themselves that on the day of the ceremony, stories must be told and music must be played. Who could combine the two together and do it to the satisfaction of all? Again, Du¾nn;ba;de; of course! Only Du¾nn;ba;de; could do it! But how could this elusive Du¾nn;ba;de; be found? Everyone set out to look for him and fish him out. People then began to think about the food preparations! The guests must be entertained. People must wine and dine. A lot of fish must be used. Who could do this and get enough fish to satisfy the numerous guests that had been invited for the occasion? Once more, Du¾nn;ba;de; of course! Only Du¾nn;ba;de; could do it! Time was very important! Who could help locate Du¾nn;ba;de;? Time was running out! Du¾nn;ba;de;, where are you? While all these were happening, Du¾nn;ba;de; was totally unaware. He was busy planning how to hide himself from all these creditors and safe himself from their inevitable embarrassment and harassment. Meanwhile, all those who needed his services, who incidentally were the same set of people he was owing huge amount of money, gathered together to discuss how to get hold of him. In the end, they concluded that they must all troop into what remained of his house and lay siege on him. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ urged them to move immediately. That was the day that he overslept and was totally unprepared to rush into his hiding place. The numerous creditors woke him up. When he raised up his head from his mat, he was glaring at the faces of his creditors. He wished the ground to open at that instance and swallow him up. For a long but short moment, he could not move or say a word. The ice was broken by the woman who sold the cotton wool to him on credit. She told him the reason why they came to him and told him that he needed to let them sit down and work out how to pay back all the debts he was owing people, instead of running and hiding. By the time the woman explained all the businesses that had been lined up for him, Du¾nn;ba;de; prostrated flat in gratitude to Olo;du¾mare¾. Surely, the profits he would make were not enough to offset all his debts, but at least, his good business relationship with all his creditors would resume in earnest. By that, he would have the opportunity of feeding himself regularly, pay off his numerous debts, build himself up and actualize his destiny.

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They all agreed on the terms of payment of his debts and the business began immediately. The business was a huge success for both Du¾nn;ba;de; and his creditors. Six months after this, Du¾nn;ba;de; had no more debt to pay. Three years after he was one of the most successful people in the community. What was important however was that everyone knew Du¾nn;ba;de; as the person who knew how to satisfy the people’s needs most in the community. He was regarded as the utility man of the community. He was adequately honoured and respected for it. Ogbe¾ ba¾a¾ra¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾ SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l’oo¾gu¾n SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l’egbo¾ogi O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;;i; je;ô EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o Di;a; fu;n Du¾nn;ba;de; OÙmoô agbe;’ga¾nna; wo¾’ye o I®gba¾ ti; n; sunku;n oôwo;ô o¾un o¾ to;’re EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o;; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa; wo’re o Translation: Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾ Only the tip of its head has medicinal value Only the tip of its head has herbal use Any preparation that is not going to be effective Do not rely on it These were Ifa;’s declarations to Du¾nn;ba;de; He who observes what goes on in the street from across the fence of his premises When weeping in lamentation for his inability to acquire all the Ire of life He was advised to offer eôboô

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He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Ifa; says that all shall be well with the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. He/she shall certainly fulfil his/her destiny by actualizing his/her potentials and talents. 5. Ifa; says that all the Ire of life shall enter the home of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that he/she shall have cause to jubilee. Success and accomplishment shall be his/hers. He/she will be grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾ for his/her achievements in life. Ifa; advises this person to use the grass-cutter rat to feed Ifa;. As soon as this is done, all the Ire of life will enter the home of this person. On this, Ifa; says: A®da; oni;sôe¾gu¾n ni;i; m’egbo¾, ni;i; m'ewe; Di;a; fu;n I®ya; OÙmo;ôdu¾n, ni;'sa¾le¾ô A®re¾ômu; E®yi; to; ni; Ire gbogbo n;loô l'o;de OÙ®kan o¾ ya’le; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: An herbalist’s cutlass is well accustomed to both roots and herbs This was Ifa;’s message to I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n Who lived down at A®re¾ômu; Quarters And was complaining that all the Ire of life was passing by outside And that none would enter into her home She was advised to offer eôboô I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n was very hardworking, yet the Ire she expected did not come her way. She worked harder than most of her colleagues and contemporaries in her village, yet they seemed better off than her. Why? What was really responsible for this? What must she do to right this wrong? Would she continue her life without receiving any Ire of life? Would she live her life and die without a

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husband, child, joy or accomplishment of anything or any kind? These were the thoughts at the back of her mind when she decided to approach the Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation: Will I actualize the promises of my destiny? If yes, how soon? The Awo assured I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n that she surely would receive all the great things of life and it would not be too long before she received them. He said that many great things of life had been coming in her direction but they did not know exactly where she resided in order to come and stay with her for the rest of her life. All what she needed to do was to offer eôboô and feed Ifa; with a grass-cutter rat so as to enable all the Ire to know her home and to bring them in to stay. The Awo also made it clear to her that the children that she would give birth to would become the jewels of her life. They were the ones who would make her glow and give her all the remaining great things of life that she craved for: joy, wealth, vitality, sound health, pride, achievement, contentment and longevity. I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n complied with the advice given to her by the Awo and offered the eôboô accordingly. When she returned home, those who had never taken notice of her began to see her as a beautiful, good-looking woman, if not outright gorgeous. Many would swear that she was a beauty. Suitors began to troop to her home. She took her time and chose her man through Ifa; consultation. Before long, the two families met and marriage was discussed. When the families agreed on the lines of action to take, the marriage ceremony was performed. It was a solemn event. That same month, I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n became pregnant. She gave birth to a baby girl as her first child. She named the baby “OÙmo;ôdu¾n” meaning “Having one’s child is sweet”. That was how everybody started to call her “I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n”, meaning OÙmoô;du¾n’s mother. She gave birth to many more children. These children literally worshipped her. They took care of her; they protected her; they promoted her interests; they obeyed her; they never made her unhappy for one day; and they ensured that she got anything that she demanded for. The children built a new home for the family, not because of their father or the extended family, but primarily because of her. Every member of the community considered her a very lucky woman. She lived her life happily. She was indeed a contented woman, just as Ifa; had promised.

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A®da; oni;sôe¾gu¾n ni;i; m’egbo¾, ni;i; m'ewe; Di;a; fu;n I®ya; OÙmo;du¾n, ni;'sa¾le¾ô A®re¾ômu; E®yi; to; ni; Ire gbogbo n;loô l'o;de OÙ®kan o¾ ya’le; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; Ire gbogbo N®je;ô ki;nlo; ni;’re o; ya¾ ni';le; Awo? EÙran OÙ®ya¾ Lo; ni;'re o; ya¾ ni;'le; Awo EÙran OÙ®ya¾ Translation: An herbalist’s cutlass is well accustomed to both roots and herbs This was Ifa;’s message to I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n Who lived down at A®re¾ômu; Quarters And was complaining that all the Ire of life was passing by outside And that none would enter into her home She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life Now, what authorized all the Ire of life to enter the home of the Awo? It was grass-cutter meat That was what authorized all the Ire to enter the home of Awo It was grass-cutter meat Ifa; says that all the Ire of life shall come to the home of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed and stay with him/her for the rest of his/her life. His/her children are his/her jewels who must be taken proper care of and be guided aright at all times. 6. Ifa; says that there is a woman where this Odu¾ is revealed who is desperately awaiting that time that Olo;du¾mare¾ will open her womb for her to become pregnant and give birth to her own baby. Ifa; says that this woman has never

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menstruated in her life; and if for some reason she has, she has not seen her period in a long, long time. If she says that she is seeing her period regularly, she is just deceiving her partner to cover up her problem. Ifa; says that it foresees the Ire of a bouncing baby for this woman. Ifa; advises this woman to offer eôboô with one ram and to go and feed Erôinleô¾ with another ram and then Ileô,¾ (Mother Earth). By so doing, she will menstruate normally and become pregnant. Ifa; says that the woman in question is the third generation of women suffering from such a problem in her family, or there are three women suffering from the same problem where this Odu¾ is revealed. Whichever the case may be, Ifa; foresees the Ire of pregnancy and child-bearing for the woman or women. On these, Ogbe¾ gba¾ra¾da; says: Isôeô; n¾ sôe n¾toô;ju; O®wo¾ n¾sôe n¾be;e¾re¾ Bi; wo;ôn ba; n; gbo;ôn'do¾ l'o;do¾ Omi a ta si; woôn l'o;ju; Omi a ta si; woôn l'enô; u Omi a wo;ô si; woôn ni; po¾ro¾poro po¾ga;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ja;-O®Ùgboô¾ku; Ti; n;m'o;ju; su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: One’s business ought to be taken care of And one’s trade ought to be handled well If one stays in the river to drain the water there in Water will splash on one’s face And splash into one’s mouth And splash all over one’s body This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùja;-OÙ®gbo¾ôku; When lamenting for her inability to beget her own baby She was advised to offer eôboô

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OÙ®ja;-O®Ùgboô¾ku; enjoyed all things in her husband’s home, but yet, she was not a happy or fulfilled woman. True, her husband and all the members of his family loved and pampered her. They looked after her and took care of her interests. They even protected her and absorbed her completely as one of the family. She was never treated as a wife; but rather, as a sister in the family. Yet she was not happy. Why, because she had no child for this loving family. Considering all the good things this family had done for her, how good would it be if she could pay such love and kindness back by her having her own children for the family? She believed that she would remain incomplete if she was not able to give birth to her own babies for this family. How then could she be happy when she remained incomplete? She asked. One day, OÙ®ja;-O®Ùgbo¾ôku; went to the home of the group of Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation. Will I ever be blessed with the fruit of the womb? That was all she asked for. That was all that mattered to her. The Awo told O®Ùja;-O®Ùgboô¾ku; to keep her mind at rest. She was told that there was no need for her to work herself up because of her childlessness. She was assured that she would be blessed with the fruit of the womb. She was advised to offer eôboô with a matured ram. She was also advised to feed Ileô¾, the Mother Earth as appropriate. She complied. Six weeks after she offered the eôboô and fed Ileô¾, she realized that she was pregnant. She was full of joy. She gave birth to her baby with relative ease. She was blessed with a female baby. The whole family had a big celebration. What would be the name of this new arrival; this bundle of joy? The family invited the Awo to come and help them find a suitable name for the baby. When the Awo arrived, they reasoned that since Ile¾,¾ô Mother Earth was propitiated before the mother could become pregnant, the baby should be considered as the egg that Ileô¾ had laid. They therefore named the baby “EÙyinle¾ô”, the egg laid by Ileô¾. Everybody knew and called the baby EÙyinleô¾ as instructed by the Awo. EÙyinleô¾ wa; da¾gba¾ ta;n O: n;m'o;mi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Woô;n ni; ko; f’aja; ru;'boô

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Translation: When EÙyinleô¾ grew up She too was lamenting her inability to have a baby She was advised to offer eôboô The Awo asked her to use a dog as eôboô material When EÙyinleô¾ grew up, she got married and she was, like her mother, the beloved of her husband's family. Unfortunately, she could not beget any baby. Just like her mother, she went to the home of the same group of Awo for Ifa; consultation. The Awo told her that she would be blessed with the fruit of the womb. She was advised to offer her own eôboô with a dog. She did. After the ebo, the dog was slaughtered and some of the meat was cut into long strips, called I®ja¾n¾ja;. These I®ja¾n¾ja; were again cut into bits and cooked with are;ôyi¾ngbo;ômoôpoô¾n leaves and given to EÙyinleô¾ to consume. She did. The following month EÙyinleô¾ became pregnant. She too delivered safely. What name were they going to give this baby? E®sôu¾ responded that since it was the I®ja¾n¾ja; of dog that was cooked for the mother to eat before she became pregnant, the baby ought to be named as I®ja¾n¾ja;, the child of EÙyinleô¾. That was exactly what they did. I®ja¾n¾ja; na;a¾ wa;a; da¾gba¾ ta;n Beô;e¾ô ni ko¾ ri; o¾de re¾ô ri; O: wa; n;f'omi oju; su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: When I®ja¾n¾ja; grew up to adulthood She never saw her menstrual period for a day She was weeping in lamentation for her inability to have a baby She was advised to offer eôboô Just like her mother EÙyinleô¾, I®ja¾n¾ja; had no problem getting married into a comfortable home. Everyone in her husband’s family loved and cherished her. However, she could not tell her husband or any member of his family that she had never menstruated in her life! They were both worried that she had not become pregnant after over three years of marriage. She secretly nursed the fear that she might never become pregnant in her life; but she told nobody. She

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however hoped that one day, she would see her period which would help her become a true woman. A woman who has never menstruated in her life is no different from a man. This thought is what led her to go to the home of the same group of Awo that her grand-mother and mother went to for Ifa; consultation. Will I succeed in seeing my period and become pregnant and give birth to my own babies? She asked. The Awo assured her that she would certainly have her own baby. She was told to go and meet her mother by the river side and pray to her mother EÙyinleô¾ to let her beget her own child. By that time, her mother had become an O®ri¾sôa¾ after her death and she was residing inside the river.

I®ja¾n¾ja; was advised to procure one matured ram, 50 bitter kolas, 50 kola nuts,

plenty of beans, plenty of palm-oil, a¾ma¾la¾ and so on, for her to go to the riverside to meet her mother. She also invited Ba¾ta; drummers to accompany her to the river. With the food and drinks that she prepared, and the Ba¾ta; drummers, they all went to the river. Several other people accompanied her to the river. When they placed everything that they brought to the river with which to meet her mother for prayers and blessings at the appropriate places that they were to be placed, she began to sing: Mo ko;’ro;gbo; Mo fi wa; I®ya;a¾ mi wa; Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla; OÙmoô erin ti;i; f'oôla; yan I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de; OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾ Mo ko;'bi¾ a¾ba¾ta¾ Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; I®ja¾n¾ja; mo ko;’bi¾ mo Ka¾a;la; Mo ko;’ro;;gbo; Mo Ka;’taare Mo fi wa; I®ya;a¾ mi wa; Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; EÙyinleô¾ su;re; wa; O wa;a; gba’hun Oro¾ l'oô;do¾ô oômoô Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla; OÙmoô erin ti;i; f'oôla; yan

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I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de; OÙmoô Eyinleô¾ l'o;do¾ Mo tu;n l'o;ôpoô¾ e¾ôwa¾ Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; Mo wa;'ya;a¾ mi wa; Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla; OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de; OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾ Mo m'a;gbo¾ gi¾i¾sôa¾ Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; EÙyinle¾¾ô su;re; wa; O wa; gb’ahun Oro¾ l'oô;doô¾ oômoô Erin j'ogu;n-oôla; OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de; OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾ Translation: I have brought bitter-kolas To come and meet my mother Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;, the Elephant has honour as its inheritance Offspring of the Elephant that marches majestically with honour I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come The daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river I have brought kola nuts To come and meet my mother I have really come in search of my mother I®ja¾n¾ja;, I have brought kola nuts and bitter kolas I have brought bitter kolas And have also brought alligator pepper To come and meet my mother I have come in search of my mother EÙyinleô¾, please come quickly And take all the ritual materials from your daughter Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla; Offspring of the Elephant that marches majestically with honour

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I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come Daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river I have also brought a lot of black-eyed peas To come and meet my mother Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla; OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan I®ja¾n¾ja; here I come Daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river I have also brought a matured ram To come and meet my mother I have come in search of my mother EÙyinleô¾, please come quickly And accept all ritual materials from your daughter Erin j'ogu;n-oôla; OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come The daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river As soon as she said this, her mother arrived! She simply packed all the ritual materials and threw them into the river! The whole place became charged with spiritual energy! I®ja¾n¾ja; started to pray. She narrated all her problems to her mother and her mother blessed her. While she was doing this, the Ba¾ta; drummers also began to play the drums right at the river side, the drums said: EÙyinleô¾ o¾ j’aja; EÙyinleô¾ o¾ j’a¾gbo¾ Ko; sôa; bu¾n mi l’oô;moô! Ko; sôa; bu¾n mi l’oô;moô! Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô reôp¾ e;ô !! Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô pe¾ôreô;!!! Translation: Even if EÙÙyinleô¾ will not eat my dog Even if she will not consume my ram All I pray for is for her to give me my baby! All I need is for her to bless me with my baby! Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô reô¾pe;ô !! Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô pe¾ôreô;!!!

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Sometime afterward everyone left the river-side, confident that I®j®a¾n¾ja;’s prayers had been given favourable consideration and had been answered. She began to dance round the town. As she was dancing about, she noticed, to her everlasting joy and surprise, that her menstruation started! With the menses, she danced round the whole town. That was the only menstruation she had before she became pregnant. She gave birth to several children in quick successions. Isôeô; n¾ sôe n¾toô;ju; O®wo¾ n¾sôe n¾be;e¾re¾ Bi; wo;ôn ba; n; gbo;ôn'do¾ l'o;do¾ Omi a ta si; woôn l'o;ju; Omi a ta si; woôn l'enô; u Omi a wo;ô si; woôn ni; po¾ro¾poro po¾ga;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ja;-O®Ùgboô¾ku; Ti; n;m'o;ju; su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'eôboô, o; ru;’boô O: bi'moô na;a¾ ta;n Wo;ôn s'oômoô na;a¾ ni; EÙÙyinleô¾ EÙyinleô¾ wa; da¾gba¾ ta;n O: n;m'o;mi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Woô;n ni; ko; f’aja; ru;'boô O: gb'ebô; oô, o; ru;'boô O bi'mo naa tan Won s'omo naa ni Ijanja I®ja¾n¾ja; na;a¾ wa;a; da¾gba¾ ta;n Beô;e¾ô ni ko¾ ri; o¾de re¾ô ri; O: wa; n;f'omi oju; su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Ow : a; ko; oun eôboô loô s'o;do¾ loô ba; EÙyinleô¾ i¾ya; a re¾ô Mo ko;’ro;gbo; Mo fi wa; I®ya;a¾ mi wa; Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla; OÙmoô erin ti;i; f'oôla; yan I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de; OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾

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Mo ko;'bi¾ a¾ba¾ta¾ Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; I®ja¾n¾ja; mo ko;’bi¾ mo Ka¾a;la; Mo ko;’ro;;gbo; Mo Ka;’taare Mo fi wa; I®ya;a¾ mi wa; Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; EÙyinleô¾ su;re; wa; O wa;a; gba’hun Oro¾ l'oô;do¾ô oômoô Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla; OÙmoô erin ti;i; f'oôla; yan I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de; OÙmoô Eyinleô¾ l'o;do¾ Mo tu;n l'o;ôpoô¾ e¾ôwa¾ Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; Mo wa;'ya;a¾ mi wa; Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla; OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de; OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾ Mo m'a;gbo¾ gi¾i¾sôa¾ Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa; EÙyinle¾¾ô su;re; wa; O wa; gb’ahun Oro¾ l'oô;doô¾ oômoô Erin j'ogu;n-oôla; OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de; OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾ Nje EÙyinleô¾ o¾ j’aja; EÙyinleô¾ o¾ j’a¾gbo¾ Ko; sôa; bu¾n mi l’oô;moô! Ko; sôa; bu¾n mi l’oô;moô! Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô reôp¾ e;ô !! Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô pe¾ôreô;!!! Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô Jeô¾bu;tu; oômoô la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾

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Translation: One’s business ought to be taken care of And one’s trade ought to be handled well If one stays in the river to drain the water there in Water will splash on one’s face And splash into one’s mouth And splash all over one’s body This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùja;-OÙ®gbo¾ôku; When lamenting for her inability to beget her own baby She was advised to offer eôboô She complied After giving birth to the baby She named the baby EÙyinleô¾ When EÙyinleô¾ grew up She too was lamenting for her inability to have a baby She was advised to offer eôboô The Awo asked her to use a dog as eôboô material She complied After giving birth to the baby She named the baby I®ja¾n¾ja; When I®ja¾n¾ja; grew up to adulthood She never saw her menstrual period for a day She was weeping in lamentation for her inability to have a baby She was advised to offer eôboô And was asked to go and meet her mother by the river-side I have brought bitter-kolas To come and meet my mother Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;, the Elephant has honour as its inheritance Offspring of the Elephant that marches majestically with honour I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come The daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river I have brought kola nuts To come and meet my mother I have really come in search of my mother I®ja¾n¾ja;, I have brought kola nuts and bitter kolas I have brought bitter kolas And have also brought alligator pepper

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To come and meet my mother I have come in search of my mother EÙyinleô¾, please come quickly And take all the ritual materials from your daughter Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla; Offspring of the Elephant that marches majestically with honour I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come Daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river I have also brought a lot of black-eyed peas To come and meet my mother Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla; OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan I®ja¾n¾ja; here I come Daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river I have also brought a matured ram To come and meet my mother I have come in search of my mother EÙyinleô¾, please come quickly And accept all ritual materials from your daughter Erin j'ogu;n-oôla; OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come The daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of several children Several children is what Ifa; guarantees Ifa; says that this person shall be blessed with children. As a matter of fact, if any barren woman has come to Ifa; to seek solution to her barrenness and this Odu¾ is revealed (Ogbe¾-OÙ®ba¾ra¾), it is advisable to recommend that the barren woman go and feed EÙyinleô¾ with all the ritual materials listed above. 7. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed has been subservient to someone for a long time. Ifa; is now ready to make him/her greater than his/her former boss. Ifa; says that this person shall be made a leader among leaders. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four big mortars, four pigeons, 10 yards of velvet cloth and money.

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On this, Ifa; says: Asôoô fe;ôleô;fe;lô eô; ni;i; b'oju; Egu;ngu;n Awoôô feô;e;ôreô; ni;i; b’e¾ôjeô¾ moô;’le¾ô A jeô; oôloô¾te¾ô-e¾e¾ya¾n ma;-l'e;ôgba¾a; kan-a¾a;-yoôoô;-na; Di;a; fu;n Erin du;du; igbo; I®do¾ôgoô¾ Ti; n;loô¾oô; fi gbogbo ara si¾n l'oô;do¾ô EÙtu EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Light cloth covers the face of the masquerade Thin skin covers the blood in the body He who conspires-will-not-have-any-money-to-spend They were the ones who cast Ifa; for Erin dudu (the dark skinned Elephant) of I®do¾ôgoô¾ forest When going to be a servant under EÙtu (the Antelope) He was advised to offer eôboô In the beginning, Erin the elephant was not as big as a rodent. On top of that, he was frail and angular. He would fall ill today and get well tomorrow. He was also working under EÙtu, the Antelope, a very wicked and totally inconsiderate boss. EÙtu was ready to work Erin to death. Erin had no time for himself at all. One day, Erin took some time out to go to the home of the three Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I amount to anything in my life? Will I continue to work for, and die as the slave of EÙtu? Will a miracle happen in my life so that I can exert my freedom and independence? Will I ever be my own boss so that I no longer have to answer to anyone? Will there be a time in my life that I will walk majestically around in the forest without fear of reprisal from any quarter? In short, will I ever be happy, proud and contented in my life? These were the questions which Erin asked Ifa; during consultation. The Awo told Erin that he would certainly become a great person in his life. He was assured that all those who acted as his boss at that time would eventually come to bow and shiver under him. He was advised to persevere as his time to assume his destined position of glory was very close. They told Erin not to

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despise his boss anymore because it was just a matter of time. Erin was told to go and prepare himself for everlasting celebration. The Awo advised Erin to offer eôboô with four large mortars, 10 yards of velvet clothing material, four pigeons and money. Erin had no money, but he was determined to offer the eôboô. When he returned to EÙtu for work, he got the beating of his life for coming late to his work. This did not deter Erin from offering the eôboô. He was determined to get another beating in order to get his freedom. He stressed himself and went to get all the eôboô materials on credit, promising that he would offset his loan very soon. When Erin got to the home of the Awo, the eôboô was offered. Towards the end of the offering process however, the Awo instructed Erin to stretch out his limbs. Erin complied. The Awo pulled the limbs and they stretched as if they were made of elastic substance! The Awo placed each limb in each one of the mortars. He covered Erin with the velvet clothing material and prayed for him. What did one see next? Lo and behold, Erin transformed into a mountain! The roof of the home of the Awo was burst open by the sheer size and might of Erin. The four mortars became his feet! He felt and looked enormous. When he forced his way out of the home of the Awo, the whole building simply collapsed! As soon as Erin noticed this transformation in his life, he made for EÙ tu’s farm immediately. When EÙtu saw the mountainous figure coming towards him, he simply took to his heels! From that day to the present, Erin has not taken a compassionate look at EÙtu. Anytime that Erin sets his eyes on EÙtu, he is ready to avenge all the ill-treatment he was subjected to by EÙtu. That was how Erin became the biggest animal in the forest. He became the Lord of the wilderness. All those who had hitherto been looking down upon him became his subjects. No one dared to look at him in the face anymore. Those who knew Erin before could not help but wonder how he became a mountainous animal within the twinkle of an eye. Asôoô fe;ôleô;fe;lô eô; ni;i; b'oju; Egu;ngu;n Awoôô feô;e;ôreô; ni;i; b’e¾ôjeô¾ moô;’le¾ô A jeô; oôloô¾te¾ô-e¾e¾ya¾n ma;-l'e;ôgba¾a; kan-a¾a;-yoôoô;-na; Di;a; fu;n Erin du;du; igbo; I®do¾ôgoô¾

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Ti; n;loô¾oô; fi gbogbo ara si¾n l'oô;do¾ô EÙtu EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa; wo’re o N®je;ô ni;si¾nyi; la r’e;rin Erin ni;gba¾ wo lo wa d’o¾ke¾? Translation: Light cloth covers the face of the masquerade Thin skin covers the blood in the body He who conspires-will-not-have-any-money-to-spend They were the ones who cast Ifa; for Erin dudu (the dark skinned Elephant) of I®do¾ôgoô¾ forest When going to be a servant under EÙtu (the Antelope) He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and see all the Ire of life Now, we have just seen Erin When did you transform into a mountain Ifa; says that the transformation of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed from grass to grace and from rubbish to royalty will happen so suddenly that he/she too will not believe his/her good luck. He/she only needs to persevere and live his/her life the Ifa; way. He/she needs to think no evil, speak no evil and do no evil. That is the Ifa; way. 8. Ifa says that the person for whom this Odu is revealed is planning to take something away from its owner. Ifa says that it is possible for him/her to do so but there may be trouble initially, but in the end, he/she will take the thing away completely and the original owner will not be able to do anything about it. Conversely, Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô in order to prevent a situation where someone will take away from him/her

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something/someone which he/she values very much. If the eôboô is not offered quickly and the thing/person is taken, it will not be possible to retrieve the item or person. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifa; with one hen or she-goat, depending on which one Ifa; chooses. On this, Ifa; says: Ogbe¾ gba¾ra¾ da; ta;n T'eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾ Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n O: ku ti gb'e;ônu-gb'eô;nu Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ifa; n; lo¾ôoô; gba A®ri¾ra; Ti;i; sô'obi¾nrin SÙaÙ¾ngo; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ had performed wonders Only the slanderers remained to be pleased After Ifa; had successfully accomplished all things Only the foul-tongued despisers remained This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to snatch away A®ri¾ra; (the Thunder) The wife of SÙa¾ngo; He was advised to offer eôboô A®ri¾ra; was the tool which SÙa¾ngo; used to employ to fight off his enemies. The weapon was being used indiscriminately by SÙa¾ngo; , this thunder-strike had destroyed the lives and homes of more innocent people than guilty ones. This was what gave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ serious cause for concern: why must this be happening when there are better ways of employing this power? He wondered. That was what made O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to resolve within his mind that he must have a serious dialogue with SÙa¾ngo; over the matter.

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One day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went to SÙa¾ngo;’s home very early in the morning. He explained to him what he had observed on the way that SÙa¾ngo; had been using A®ri¾ra indiscriminately; and told SÙa¾ngo; that such usage was unfair to innocent victims who had been losing their properties and even their lives when the thunder would strike their homes. He pleaded with SÙa¾ngo; to let there be a review of usage which would make only the guilty ones suffer and spare the innocent. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ pointed out to him that many of his own children who were his adherents had also been affected by the thunder strike. Some of them did not only lose their properties, they also died in the process. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declared that this was totally unacceptable to him. He pleaded with SÙa¾ngo; to spare all the children of Ifa; for his sake. In his response, SÙa¾ngo; sympathized with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ on the loss of his followers. He however told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that A®ri¾ra; was not only his weapon, she was also considered his wife. He said that he was at liberty to employ the usage of his wife as it pleased him and he would not entertain anyone to counsel him on how to do what pleased him with A®ri¾ra;. He advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to inform all his followers to make the fear of A®ri¾ra; the beginning of wisdom for them. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ pleaded with SÙa¾ngo; for several moments for him to have a change of heart, but all to no avail. With the deadlock both of them departed. While OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was on his way back to his home, he heard several thunder strikes. He also heard people screaming and wailing over the loss of their properties and the lives of their loved ones. That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made up his mind that A®ri¾ra; must be taken away from SÙa¾ngo;. This decision was what took O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to the home of the Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in snatching A®ri¾ra; away from SÙa¾ngo;? Will I be able to overcome SÙa¾ngo; in the eventual confrontation? The Awo assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would be able to do what he planned to do. He would also overcome SÙa¾ngo; if he ventured to confront him. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to offer eôboô and feed Ifa as stated above. He complied. A few weeks after, the essence of A®ri¾ra; was securely in the hands of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ . This infuriated SÙa¾ngo; to the extent that he prepared himself for confrontation with O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. As he planned this, somehow he could not make himself execute his plan. For this reason, SÙa¾ngo; decided to use the same thunder to strike down OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and all his followers. He realized however that even though the thunder struck, the homes of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and all his followers were

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spared. That was how SÙa¾n¾go; lost the battle to retrieve the essence of A®ri¾ra; that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ took away from him. Ogbe¾ gba¾ra¾ da; ta;n T'eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾ Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n O: ku ti gbe;ônu-gbeô;nu Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ifa; n; lo¾ôoô; gba A®ri¾ra; Ti;i; s;ô'obi¾nrin SÙa¾ngo;; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba;’ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun N®jeô; nini ni yo;o; maa tu¾ wa; nini O®ko¾ a¾ra; o¾ ni;i; ba;'le¾ô Ko; woô'le; Ifa; Nini ni yo;o; maa tu¾ wa; nini Translation: Ogbe¾ had performed wonders Only the slanderers remained to be pleased After Ifa; had successfully accomplished all things Only the foul-tongued despisers remained This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to snatch away A®ri¾ra; (the Thunder) The wife of SÙa¾ngo; He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we use eôboô to ensure victory Behold, peace and comfort shall be our lot The thunder stone will not strike the ground And enter the home of Ifa; Peace and comfort shall be our lot

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Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will overcome. He/she shall take whatever he/she plans to take away from its original owner. But it must be for the benefit of all. In this particular stanza, two things become apparent as Ifa; has stated: i. No true Ifa; priest/priestess will ever suffer from damage caused by a thunder-strike. Any Babala;wo/I®ya;ni;fa; who suffers this loss is considered to be a liar and a cheat and he/she has done something terribly wrong which has stripped him/her of the protection of Ifa;. ii. No true Babala;wo/I®ya;ni;fa; should ever find it difficult to summon rainfall. He/she will also never find it difficult to stop rainfall. This is because the very essence of A®®ri¾ra; is securely in the hands of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. iii. No true Babala;wo/I®ya;ni;fa; must ever use thunder to strike down anyone, ruin anyone’s home or life, or bring trouble into the community. It is against the spirit for which O®Ùru;;nmi¾la¾ snatched A®ri¾ra; from SÙa¾ngo;. 9. Ifa; advises the man for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to take good care of his wife at all times. He also needs to ensure that he is not too thrifty or cheap with her. By making sure that he makes her happy, the woman will go to any length to ensure that her man get the best out of life. She will help him with all her power and protect his interests at all times. He will be happy and will enjoy marital bliss. Ifa; advises this man to offer eôboô with two pigeons, one mature he-goat and money. He also needs to be more forthcoming in his desire to satisfy his wife’s financial and emotional demands, which must be done within his capabilities. On this, Ifa; says: Obi¾nrin sô'oôwoô; ku;du;ru; O;: m’o;ôkoô reô¾ l'a;hun O: sô'ohu¾n ku;du;ru; O: ni; to;o ba; sôe fu;n mi SÙebi; o o; ba;a l'a;ra o¾hun

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Di;a; fu;n Ebe¾ Ti; n;loô re¾e; gbe; Ba¾ra¾ n'i;ya¾wo; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: A woman demanded for something by turning her hand into a cup She accused her husband of being too stingy She opened her mouth challengingly And declared that “if you take good care of me You will surely see the result in my being" This was Ifa;’s message for Ebe¾ (the Farm Heap) When going to take Ba¾ra¾, the Melon seed as his wife He was advised to offer eôboô When the Farm Heap, Ebe¾, met the Melon seed, Ba¾¾ra¾, it was love at first sight. They loved each other and would do many things together. When it was time for them to consummate their relationship into marriage, Ebe¾ went to the home of the Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation in order to determine how successful the marriage would be. He wanted to know if, apart from love, were they compatible and meant for each other. He also wanted to know if their love for each other would last forever. The Awo told Ebe¾ that both Ebe¾ and Ba¾ra¾ were meant for each other. He told Ebe¾ that they would live long together and they would achieve a lot together. He however advised Ebe¾ to ensure that he was not miserly with his wife as that might create problems. As long as he satisfied her needs, she would be the best wife ever and would be the envy of others. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above and at the same time, to heed the warning and advice of the Awo. He complied. When the marriage was contracted, it of course turned out to be of benefit for both parties. Ba¾ra¾ also gave birth to several children. They were both successful and they were blessed with the children of their dreams. Obi¾nrin sô'oôwoô; ku;du;ru; O: m’o;ôkoô reô¾ l'a;hun O: sô'ohu¾n ku;du;ru; O: ni; to;o ba; sôe fu;n mi

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SÙebi; o o; ba;a l'a;ra o¾hun Di;a; fu;n Ebe¾ Ti; n;loô re¾e; gbe; Ba¾ra¾ n'i;ya¾wo; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; Ire gbogbo Ta lo; wa; ru;'boô oôla¾ To; tu;n ru; t';oômoô? Ba¾ra¾ Lo; ru;'boô oôla¾ To; tu;n ru; t'oômoô Translation: A woman demanded for something by turning her hand into a cup She accused her husband of being too stingy She opened her mouth challengingly And declared that “if you take good care of me You will surely see the result in my being" This was Ifa;’s message for Ebe¾ (the Farm Heap) When going to take Ba¾ra¾, the Melon seed as his wife He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all Ire Who offered the eôboô of prosperity And that of child-bearing? Of course, it was Ba¾ra¾ That had offered the eôboô of prosperity And that of child-bearing Ifa; assures this person that he shall not only be blessed with a good spouse, but that through his wife, success, prosperity and many children shall be received as blessings. A woman is also going to be blessed with a good husband who will provide her with all she needs and desires.

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10. Ifa; says that people are really deriding one another and subjecting each other to unwarranted ridicule where this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that these people need to put an end to this if any appreciable progress or success is to be recorded by those concerned. Ifa; advises all those involved to purge themselves of this type of uncivilized attitude and begin to mend things. They also need to offer eôboô with a mature hegoat and money. If several people are involved, each of them needs to add one mature cock and money. On this, Ifa; says: Ki;nni ohun ti; eô wi; Ti; n o¾ sôe o ? OÙ®na¾ wo leô pe; ki;; n gba¾ Ti; n o¾ gba¾? Di;a; fu;n woôn ni;;'lu¾u; E®Ùyoô Ki¾ki¾ e¾ôga¾n Ji;ji; ti; wo;ôn ji; Wo;ôn n; yoô’nu si;'raa woôn EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: What did you ask That I failed to comply with? Which road did you ask me to take That I refused to take? This was the Ifa cast for them at E®Ùyoô town When they were deriding one another When they woke up They were deriding each other They were advised to offer eôboô The inhabitants of EÙ®yoô town specialized in one thing; backbiting. They knew how to deride each other and run each other down. If anyone tried to prove himself/herself that he/she could do certain things effectively, his/her fellow inhabitants would go to town to prove to all those who cared to listen that he/she could not do that very thing. This attitude became so prevalent to the

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extent that they succeeded in running the whole community to the ground. None of them succeeded. Nobody from other communities liked associating themselves or working with anyone from that community. All the inhabitants of EÙ®yoô town were regarded as a pack of incompetent fools. They could not go to other communities to stay because nobody would want them there. They began to hate each other and at the same time, they hated themselves. At a stage, they began to believe that they were indeed incompetent fools in EÙ®yoô land. One day, the OÙba of the town joined his ancestors. A new OÙba was installed. It took a very long time before this could be done because of all the deriding taking place among the candidates. They were not looking for any of the positive sides of their lives but rather, they were looking for faults, weaknesses, scandals and controversy. Where there was none, they would quickly manufacture something and the candidate would be disqualified. After so much unnecessary delay, one candidate was eventually picked and installed as OÙba. The new OÙba happened to be one of the very few people left in the land who never for one day believed that nothing good could ever come out of EÙ®yoô land. Even though he realized that nothing good had come out of the land so far, he was absolutely convinced that a lot of good things could still be achieved. Consequent upon this, the new OÙba invited the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation. His main question was: What do we in E®Ùyoô land need to do to make things better here? The Awo told the inhabitants of EÙ®yoô land that they were the architects of their own failures and misfortunes. They were told that they had all the opportunities to be great but they simply bungled them. The Awo emphasized the fact that if they wanted to be great, they must change their attitude. They must stop running each other down. They must cooperate with each other in order to achieve progress and development. If they must compete with each other at all, the competition must be healthy competition. They must also stop looking at each other’s faults and start recognizing where each individual could be an asset to the whole community and assist such individuals in actualizing his/her full potentials. The Awo also advised the community to offer ebo as stated above. He told them to imbibe the idea that their neighbours are their siblings and they must have positive contributions to their successes. They complied.

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At first, it was very difficult for them to do. As time went by however, they realized that it was the best thing for them to do. Little efforts yielded great dividends. They formed cooperatives for the sole purpose of helping each other succeed. Before long, the whole community began to bubble with activities. There were opportunities and prosperity for everybody. Soon after, other communities began to trade and cooperate with them. Their cooperatives spread beyond the boundaries of their community. All the inhabitants of all the adjacent communities came to benefit from the opportunities that could be derived from the cooperatives. There was joy, contentment and self fulfilment in the land. Ki;nni ohun ti; eô wi; Ti; n o¾ sôe o? OÙ®na¾ wo leô pe; ki; n gba¾ Ti; n o¾ gba¾? Di;a; fu;n woôn ni;'lu¾u; E®Ùyoô Ki¾ki¾ e¾ôga¾n Ji;ji; ti; wo;ôn ji; Wo;ôn n; yoô’nu si;'raa woôn EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Wo;ôn gbeô;’boô, woô;n ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: What did you ask That I failed to comply with? Which road did you ask me to take That I refused to take? This was the Ifa cast for them at E®Ùyoô town When they were deriding one another When they woke up They were deriding each other They were advised to offer eôboô They complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life

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Ifa; says that there is nothing that love, cooperation and friendliness cannot achieve. Readiness to help one another to succeed goes a long way in the realization of tall dreams. Consequently, the more cooperation that exists where this Odu¾ is revealed, the greater the success chances of the people who live there will be. Ifa; says that there is going to be joy and self-fulfilment where this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; promises that marvellous wonders shall come out of where this Odu¾ is revealed. 11. Ifa; advises a woman where this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô in order to avoid a situation where she will end up marrying more than one man in her life and giving birth to children for each of the three different men in her lifetime. Ifa; says that if for any reason she does end up going through two divorces/separations and giving birth to children for her first two partners, the child that she will beget for the third husband will actually be the most successful of all her children. To avoid all these problems however it is best that she offer appropriate ebo and follow Ifa’s advice. Ifa; also says that the woman in question is an Apeô¾te¾ôbi;. She not only needs to offer ebo but she needs to tie on the ide¾. It is also highly advisable for her to marry a man who is initiated into Ifa;. It is also a taboo for her to eat kola nuts. Ifa; advises her to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. She also needs to feed Ifa with two rats, two fish and another mature she-goat. She must also be wearing and go out with the ide¾, Ifa bracelet, at all times. On these aspects, Ifa; says: Moto;o;ri;ki; Awo Mori;ke¾ôe;ô Moto;o;ri;ki¾ Awo mori;yo¾ô Mo to;o; f'obi¾ kan go¾do¾g¾ba¾-godogba ka¾n l'o;ri;; Awo ile; Oni;kewu; Di;a; fu;n Oni;;kewu;-A®sôa; OÙmoô A®wo¾di¾ ti;i; fo¾-rakin, fo¾-rakin l'o;ju; OÙloô;run O: f':ey¾ô i¾n ti¾ m'o;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

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Translation: Moro;o;ri;ki;, the Awo of Mori;ke¾ôeô; Moto;o;ri;ki¾, the Awo of Mori;yo¾ô I am worthy of being propitiated with one big kola nut The resident Awo of Oni;kewu; They cast Ifa; for Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; The offspring of the hawk that flies majestically in the sky When weeping in lamentation for her inability to receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb She was advised to offer eôboô Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; was happily married but she was not living happily in her marital home. Why? She had no child for her husband. She tried all she knew but all her efforts were to no avail. She became desperate because she knew that the productive period of a woman was much shorter than that of a man. For this reason, she approached the group of Awo above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be blessed with the fruit of the womb? The three Awo told Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; that whether she offered eôboôô or not, she would be blessed with children. She however needed to offer eôboô in order to avoid a situation where she would give birth to children for three different men in her life. She also needed to impress it on her husband to be initiated into Ifa; because she was an Ape¾ôteô¾bi; from heaven. The Awo advised her to offer eôboô as stated above and to avoid eating kola nuts. Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; looked at the three Awo in utter disbelief. What could make her have children for three different men in her life? She could not picture such a thing. What could make her leave her loving and beloved husband? Such a thought was totally preposterous. Certainly, she thought in her mind, it must be these Babala;wo who are looking for ways of getting animals from her. She vowed that she would never let them have their way. They must be defrauding others in this same way as well but they would fail this time around, Oni;kewu;A®sôa; mused. She then simply stood up from the consultation mat and walked out without saying a word. On her way home, she thought over the matter and vowed that she would not go to the home of any Awo again: what for? These ones had said that she would give birth to many children, whether she offered eôboô or not.

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Two months after this, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; became pregnant. Her husband, Olu;-Igbo; was the happiest man on earth. The love they had for each other grew in several folds. She was being pampered by all. When she gave birth, it was to a bouncing baby boy. They named the baby Apa;. She diverted all her love and attention to the baby. She had been looking for this baby for a long, long time. She would allow no one to touch the baby. She treated the baby like an egg which only she knew how to carry. Her husband and all members of his family became total strangers to her. Nobody and nothing interested her any longer, except her baby. When the family could take this no longer they invited her to a meeting. They made it clear to her that even though she was the one who gave birth to the baby, nonetheless, the baby was also a part of the husband and his family. She did not allow them to finish what they were saying before she charged at them, saying that where were they when she was suffering when looking for a baby? Where were they when eventually she became pregnant? Whom among them helped her to carry the baby when he was inside her womb for the 10 lunar months? Who among them felt her pains of pregnancy and suffered with her? Where were they when she went into labour? Oh! The pains! The agony! The excruciating pain! Where were they during those crucial moments? It was only her that was left to her fate! The baby was hers and nobody else's! If any of them wanted a baby that would belong to the whole family, they might as well give birth to that one themselves! Certainly not this one which Olodumare had given her. All those present could not believe their ears: so, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; had all along been hiding her true character? How can this woman be so rude to the elders in the family? As these thoughts were going on in their minds and to make matters worse, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ appeared and told Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; that there was the need to put all the family members into their proper places. Why should they attempt to claim ownership of the baby she had suffered to get? Breast-feeding; who among them had ever helped her to breast feed the baby? E®sôu¾ told her that the family was planning to take the baby away from her so therefore she needed to do something dramatic to ensure that the baby stayed with her. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ told her to rain abuses and insults on all of them and told them that only death could make her share her baby. As the head of the family was about to speak, E®sôu¾ told Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; to charge at him. Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; sprang up, spit into the face of the head of the family and made it abundantly clear to all of them that only death

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would allow any of them to touch the baby or take him away from her. All those present were shocked. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ continuously urged her on. When she was exhausted, she rushed out of the house. All the family members sat frozen to their various positions for a long time. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ then whispered into their ears that what Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; had just done was an abomination of the highest order. They must not accept her back into their fold. She must be thrown out of the house. If this was not done, other women in the family might emulate her behaviour and do the same thing. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ directed the proceeding of the meeting. He ensured that all her belongings were thrown out of the house that very day. Even though Oni;kewu; A®sôa; retained her baby, she was disowned by her husband’s family. Before it dawned on Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; that she could no longer be accepted into Olu-Igbo’s household, it was too late to make any amendment. All entreaties for her to return fell on deaf ears. When Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; realized that the door had been firmly slammed shut against her, she began to plan on how to live her life with her baby. Her own family members would not have any of that and encouraged her to look for someone else to marry, claiming that she was too young to stay alone without a husband. Before long, she met Olu;weôri. One thing led to another, and they became husband and wife. She was trusted by everyone in his family. They protected her and looked after her interests. Before long, she became pregnant again. She gave birth to another baby boy. The baby was named Toôpoôteôri. All the family members were very happy. This time around, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; had learnt her lesson. She allowed her husband’s family to touch and play with the baby. One day however, as Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; was busy cleaning her husband’s room, she saw four kola nuts wrapped with leaves in the room. They were big and fresh. Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; suddenly developed a hunger for kola nuts. She took and consumed one. A few moments after, she consumed the second one. Before long, she ate the four kola nuts. When evening time arrived, the friends of her husband began to arrive one after the other. When all of them had assembled, they asked Olu;weôri to go and bring the kola nuts that they wanted to use for the ritual that they had come to

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perform. Olu;weôri searched his room but could not find the kola nuts. He called his wife and asked her to show him where she had kept the kola nuts for him. She responded that she had consumed the kola nuts! Olu;;weôri could not believe his ears. All his friends who had come purposely for the kola nuts in order to perform the ritual looked at each other but said nothing. They were all waiting to see what Olu;weôri would do. Olu;weôôri spoke angrily to his wife and the wife tried to explain but he did not allow her to speak. Before long, the wife also spoke angrily back at him. A big scuffle ensued. The fight was so serious that before Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; knew it, she was back in her own families house that same day. She left Olu;weôri‘s house with her son for good. Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; thus now had two children from two different men. The two children were living with her and her parents. One day, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; met O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. She soon became O®Ùru;;nmi¾la¾’s wife. She was told by OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she was an Ape¾ôteô¾bi; from heaven. She was told that she needed to tie on the Ide¾, and she did. All other necessary ceremonies were performed for her. She soon became pregnant. She gave birth to another baby boy. The boy was named Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da¾. One day, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; went to her parents’ house to bring her other children Apa; and Toôpoôteôri to live with their brother. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ trained the three children together. But as predicted by Ifa; Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da¾ was the most successful among the three children. Moto;o;ri;ki; Awo Mori;ke¾ôeô; Moto;o;ri;ki¾ Awo mori;yo¾ô Mo to;o; f'obi¾ kan go¾do¾gba¾-godogba ka¾¾n l'o;ri; Awo ile; Oni;kewu; Di;a; fu;n Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; OÙmoô A®wo¾di¾ ti;i; fo¾-rakin, fo¾-rakin l'o;ju; OÙloô;run O;: f'e¾ôyi¾n ti¾ m'o;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: wa;a; f'eti; oô¾tu;n gb'e;ôboô O: fi t:'o¾si¾ da¾ a; nu¾ I®gba¾ ti; yo;o; bi¾i; O: bi; ;Apa; fu;n Olu;-Igbo; I®gba¾ ti; yo;o; bi¾i; O: bi; Toôpoôteôôri fu;n Olu;weôri I®gba¾¾ ti; yo;o; bi¾i;

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O: bi; Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da; fu;n Baba a¾ mi A®gi¾ri;-I®loô;gbo;ônô E®ro¾ ¾I®po, e¾¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ ¾EniÙ gb'e;ôboô ni;be¾ô, ko; wa;a; s;ô'eôboô o Translation: Moro;o;ri;ki;, the Awo of Mori;ke¾ôeô; Moto;o;ri;ki¾, the Awo of Mori;yo¾ô I am worthy of being propitiated with one big kola nut The resident Awo of Oni;kewu; They cast Ifa; for Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; The offspring of the hawk that flies majestically in the sky When weeping in lamentation for her inability to receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb She was advised to offer eôboô She heard about the eôboô with her right ear And threw the advice out with her left ear When going to give birth She gave birth to Apa;; for Olu;-Igbo; When going to give birth She gave birth to Toôpoôteôriô for Olu;weôri When going to give birth She gave birth to Ogbe¾-¾Gba¾ra¾da;; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, my father, the custodian of wisdom Travellers to I®po and O®ôfa¾ Let those advised to offer eôboô comply accordingly Ifa; says that the woman for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall not be made to lose her success chances. This is the reason why she needs to heed the advice of the Awo by offering the appropriate eôboô, tie on the Ide¾, marrying someone who is initiated into Ifa;; and abstaining from consuming kola nuts. 12. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed must not engage in power abuse. If he/she is pursuing something which he/she has not been able to get, he/she must not as a result of that behave wrongly or abuse the authority given to him/her. He/she must not cheat or harm others in order to have his/her way. If he/she does so, Ifa; says that he/she will be exposed and be openly sanctioned and disgraced and will only have himself/herself to blame in the end.

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Conversely, Ifa; says that a person has been cheated unjustly before or someone close to him/her has been cheated. The person who perpetuated the evil act has not been identified at this or that time. Ifa; however assures this person that the evil doer will not get away with the evil act. He/she shall surely be fished out by Ifa; and be dealt with accordingly. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboôô with a mature she-goat and money. At the same time, he/she needs to desist from his/her evil designs. Ifa; also advises the latter to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to await the judgement of Ifa;. On these, Ifa; says: EÙran gbi;gbeô ab'i¾di; ta¾pa¾la¾-tapala Di;a; fu;n Bo;ju;ri; Ti;i; sôe oôba woôn ni;'lu¾u; A®sôeô¾sôe¾ôyoô-O®o¾ru¾n Ti; yo;o; f’ayo¾ô j’aye; e re¾ô da;lu EÙboô ôni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Dry meat without any oily substance He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Bo;ju;ri; The OÙba of A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n town Who would use excessive joy to ruin his life and reputation He was advised to offer eôboô Bo;ju;ri;, the OÙba of A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n land, had one policy to govern his day-to-day activities; it was that he must get whatever he set his mind upon, no matter the cost. This had been his way and he had been having his way on all occasions. Those who did not want to yield to his request would have their arms twisted until they surrendered. One day, Bo;;ju;;ri;; met a young damsel whose name was 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô. He planned to add her to his group of wives. He made enquiries in order to know where she was living and also to know who her parents were. When he got all the necessary information that he needed, he summoned EÙran-gbi;gbeôô-ab'i¾di;-ta¾pa¾la¾-

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tapala, his Awo to come and consult Ifa; for him; what did he need to do to have 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô as one of his wives? After Ifa; consultation, the Awo told Bo;ju;ri; that even though he loved to have his way on all occasions, there was the need, this time around, to tread softly and ensure that he did not allow excessive joy to ruin his reputation. This might make him to lose everything he had ever acquired in his life. He was cautioned not to use force on anything and allow events to take their natural course. He was equally advised to offer eôboô with a mature she-goat and money. Bo;ju;ri; had been so used to having his way that he could not imagine that a time would ever come that he would be advised not to use force on anything to his favour. He thought deeply about what the Awo told him and concluded that he would not offer the eôboô. Not only that, he vowed that he would use everything and anything within his capacity to have 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô as one of his wives. Ibi ti; Ori; da; ni si; la¾a; gbe; O®Ùna¾ ti; E®Ùda; ya¾n fu;n ni la¾a; to¾ô Di;a; fu;n 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô To; ri; OÙba ni;l' e¾ô Ti; yo;o; loô re¾e; fe;ô olu¾sôeô; l'o;ôkoô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: It is what our Ori; chooses for us that we ought to accept It is the path of our Destiny that we ought to follow These were Ifa;’s declarations to 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô Who had the choice of picking an OÙba But chose to go for a pauper to be her husband She was advised to offer eôboô 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô came from a very humble home and she was an extremely beautiful woman. She was also level-headed, honest, hardworking, unassuming and a very jovial lady. She was also very kind-hearted. She loved to help people as much as she could. It was with honesty that she chose her future partner. This man was young, handsome, hardworking, kind-hearted and honest. Both of them made a perfect match. All those who knew them together could not but comment that they were made for each other from heaven.

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The day when the delegates of the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; arrived in 'Moôleô¾yo¾'ô s home to inform her parents that the OÙba was interested in having 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô as his wife was the day that fear and confusion entered into that household. 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô’s parents were the ones who trained their daughter to be truthful and honest to herself and others at all times. They knew without being told that 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô was deeply in love with her young man. They equally knew that if asked, she would tell them the truth about what she felt about the proposition made by OÙba Bo;ju;ri;; and the truth would certainly be that she was not interested in the OÙba at all! Who would ever turn down the proposition of this OÙba and get away with it? They could not even recall one incident where this had ever happened. They called on their ancestors to please help them out of the dilemma. When 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô returned to the house from where she went to deliver a message to a friend of her mother, she was informed that the OÙba had just sent a delegate to come and tell the family. Without blinking her eyes, 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô told her parents that she was not, and would not be, interested for any reason. How then would they handle this problem? 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô told her parents that whichever way they chose to handle the matter, she was already in love with someone of her choice. That was when 'Moôleô¾yo¾’ô s father suggested that they needed to go for Ifa; consultation in order to fashion a way out of the dilemma. Off they went to the home of the Awo mentioned above immediately: what was the most realistic way out? The Awo sympathized with the family. He told them that they were in a very serious state of confusion and dilemma. They did not know the path to follow. He said that it was what one’s Ori; chose for one which one ought to accept and it was the path of one’s Destiny which one ought to follow. He advised 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô to follow her heart in making her choice. He also recommended eôboô for her. The eôboô materials were one mature he-goat and money. The family complied. This made them very resolute that 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô would marry the man that she loved and nobody else. The persuasions made by the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; failed to change the mind of the family to shift ground. When the pressure was becoming very unbearable, the family of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô and that of her suitor, organized a quiet marriage for them. 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô became the wife of the pauper. That same month, 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô became pregnant.

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When the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; heard of this development, he became livid with rage. He vowed to abduct 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô by all means. The couple hid themselves away from the OÙbôa Bo;ju;ri;. One day 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô gave birth to a baby girl. This baby was even more beautiful than her mother. Those who saw this baby exclaimed that I®ya; O®Ùsôun had really done extra work on her in order to perfect her beauty. The baby was named EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; - wickedness cannot go unrewarded. Unknown to 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô however, the OÙba had sent several spies out to look for her. When she gave birth to this baby, the OÙba was aware because one of the spies had succeeded in locating where she was living and had informed the OÙ ba. When the baby was four months old, it was agreed that the baby was strong enough for 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô to strap on her back so that she could go to the farm in search of her means of livelihood. The first day that she went to the farm to fetch leaves that she would sell in the market, the spy followed her to the farm. He went to inform the OÙba. The second time that she left her house to go to the farm, the spy quickly went to tell the OÙba. As soon as 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô arrived to the farm, she removed her baby from her back and spread her wrapper on the ground. She placed the baby on the wrapper under the shade of a big banyan tree. The baby slept peacefully. While she was doing this, the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; quietly sneaked out of the palace through the back door. He disguised his appearance and went straight to the farm where 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô was fetching the leaves. She was totally unaware of his presence until he was right behind her. He caught her in his hold and it was very difficult for her to wriggle out. She made to cry but the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; gagged her. The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; then threw ô'Moôleô¾yo¾ô down on the ground with all his might. He attempted to defile her forcefully. 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô resisted. While they were struggling, 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô got hold of one big stick and used it to hit the OÙba Bo;ju;ri;’s head. This infuriated the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; and he went berserk with rage. He twisted the stick out of her hands and hit her with it repeatedly until she was no longer in a position to help herself. The last blow that the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; gave her cracked her skull open. With a shaking hand, she pointed her fingers at the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; and declared with a shaking voice “OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, I®ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾n ni yo;o; fi o;ô ha¾n”

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meaning, ”OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, the sun rays shall expose you”. immediately after.

She then died

The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; quickly wiped off all the blood stains from his face and body and sneaked back into the palace. Nobody noticed his absence. The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; did not notice the presence of E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; who was sleeping not too far away from where he had just murdered her mother. The OÙba Bo;ju;ri was satisfied that if he could not have 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô, then nobody could. When it was time for 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô to return home and she was not found at home, her husband became worried. When it was getting dark, he began to panic. He quickly organized a search party to go to the farm with him. The wailing of EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; attracted them to the site where she was. Further investigation revealed the corpse of her mother who laid in a pool of her own blood. The pain and agony for her husband could only be imagined. They took the baby and the mother’s corpse back home. They gave a decent burial and handed over EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; to one of her father's barren sisters. She grew up with the woman. When she was about nine years old, the woman travelled to live with her husband who was staying in about five villages away. Before long, E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe;’s father died. He had never remarried. Everyone in the village believed that the death of his wife and the sight of her blood-covered corpse were what damaged him beyond recovery. When E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; became matured enough for marriage, everybody in the land wished to marry her or marry her to either their son, or brother. She was so beautiful beyond description. She took after her parents in the areas of honesty, truthfulness, level-headedness, hard work and dedication to duty. She was equally kind-hearted. That was the time that her foster mother needed to move back to A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n land. She took E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; along with her. Not up to two weeks after they arrived, everyone in the land had begun to talk about the unusual beauty of EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe;. The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; heard about her and decided that he must marry her. He didn’t know that she was the daughter of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô. Not many people in the land were able to make that connection between EÙ®sanki¾¾i;gbe; and 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô either. Everyone thought that she was born by her father’s sister. She treated her as her own child and nobody knew that she really had no child of her own.

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When the delegates of the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; arrived at her home, her foster parents went to this Awo. Bi; a ba; n; sôe e; Ile; aye; ni;i; gbe; A ki¾i; sôe e; I®yeôn n;beô l'a;la¾de o¾ôrun Di;a; fu;n E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; Ti;i; sô'oômoô 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô Ti; yo;o; t'ori;i k’e;ôsan o; lee¾ ke; Ti; yo;o; loô re¾e; fe;ô OÙba l’oô;koô EÙboôô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: It is normal to do so The one that lives in Ile; Aye; It is not done The one that lives in O®Ùrun These were Ifa;’s messages for E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; The daughter of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô Who would in order for nemesis to take its due course Get married to the OÙba She was advised to offer eôboô EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; and her foster mother, whom everyone considered to be her biological mother, consulted Ifa; with the Awo mentioned above. What should they do over the matter? Was it wise for E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; to marry the OÙba? Would there be mutual benefit for the two families? The Awo told them that Ifa; said that E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; was free to marry the OÙb a. He stated further that if she became the wife of the OÙ ba, there would be a closely kept secret that would be revealed to her which would change several people’s lives in the community for the better. She was advised to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. She complied. The fact that the lives of many people in the land would be changed for the better if she agreed to marry the OÙba was what made her decide to marry the

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OÙba. She had nobody in particular that she had given her heart to and she had made no promises to anyone. That was why she agreed to marry the OÙba. Before long, the marriage ceremony was performed. She moved into the palace and instantly became the eye of the OÙba. He could do nothing without her. He was so fond of her that everybody in the palace had to go through her to get anything from the OÙba. There was nothing that EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; wanted that the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; was not ready to give her. He showered her with gifts of many kinds. He also gave her foster mother a lot of money and a large expanse of land to farm on. The arrival of EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; in the OÙba Bo;ju;ri;’s life changed the OÙba into a very expansive person. He joked and laughed a lot. One day however he began to have strange dreams. He would see the dying body of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô with blood all over her face and body and raising her shaking hands up and pointing her shaking fingers at him, saying: “OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, i¾ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾n ni yo;o; fi o;ô ha¾n!”- OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, the sun rays shall expose you! Many times, he would wake up startled. He would be sweating and shaking all over. Why must this happen to him now, when he had just found peace and satisfaction with himself? On some occasions, he would see 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô in his dream crying and laughing at the same time. Instead of tears, blood would be coming out of her eyes. She would be making jest of the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; saying; OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, i¾ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾¾n ni yo;o; fi o;ô ha¾n”! These words would reverberate in his brain over and over. Why now? Why must this come now? One day, he saw the ghost of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô right inside his room. He moved towards the extreme corner of his room. She followed him there. She laughed, a cold spine-chilling laugh. “Leave me alone, woman please let me be. I beg you. Do not torment me anymore. Leave me alone!” He screamed. Many people rushed into his room but could not see anything or anyone beside him. He was the only one seeing things. Before long, the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; had grown very lean. He became sick and withdrawn. E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; did everything to make him happy but it simply did not work. She pleaded with the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; to confide in her and tell her what was really eating him up. He would not say anything. One day, E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; brought food for the OÙba. As he was about to eat the food, sun rays penetrated through a crack in the roof and shone brightly on the food. The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; started to eat and he noticed the sun rays. His mind went

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straight to the statement of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô. He saw her face as it contorted into a grimace on the day of her murder and he went berserk, just like he had on the fateful day that he killed her. He shouted aloud,” what are you looking for again? Go, woman! Go! You are dead and buried. The dead has no business with the living! You are dead, dead, dead! Go! Go! Go! Let me enjoy my life! 'Moôleô¾yo¾,ô leave me alone! Forget about me because I have also forgotten about you!” As he was saying this, EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe;, who was attracted to the scene by the shouting of the OÙba Bo;ju;ri,; heard everything he said. She moved closer and saw the man shivering. “What is the matter, my Lord”? Please tell me” she pleaded. The OÙba pointed to the ray of the sun and told his youngest wife; “Look, Look at it”. “What do you want me to look at? This is just a mere sun ray". EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe;; responded. When she looked into the face of her husband, she knew without being told that something serious had happened to him. His face no longer had a human appearance. Something strange and bizarre had gotten hold of him. He then said it is the woman. It is 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô! Please tell her to leave me alone! She has been dead for a long time! Tell her to go away from me! The dead has no business with the living! Go!” He screamed at the top of his voice. With the patience and calmness that EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; herself did not know she had, she extracted all the information about the death and burial of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô from the OÙba Bo;ju;ri;. She realized as a rude shock, that it was actually her husband who had killed her biological mother! So, this was the secret which Ifa; said would be revealed to her that would change the lives of many people in the community for the better. She gave the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; some comfort and left him. All the love that she had for him disappeared instantly. How could she love her mother's murderer? If not for the OÙba, her parents would still be alive! She never knew her mother; if he hadn’t killed her, she would not only had known her, she would have been raised and trained by her! This wicked being shaking and snivelling did not allow that to happen! When she returned to her room, she began to think furiously, “my name is EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe;- wickedness cannot go unrewarded. This means that the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; must be exposed and punished”. That was what kept repeating itself in her mind.

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On the night of that same day, EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; sneaked out of the palace through the same back door that the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; had used on the day that he murdered 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô her mother. She went from house to house. She visited the houses of all the high-ranking chiefs in the community. She also went to the homes of all respected elders and youth leaders to narrate her story to them. All of them asked her one thing: was she ready to confront the OÙba with these revelations? She answered in the affirmative. Lastly, she went to the house of the spy that the OÙba used to trace her mother before she was murdered. The spy was ready to corroborate her story because, unknown to the OÙba, he actually witnessed the murder but could not tell anyone for fear of reprisal. His conscience had been troubling him ever since. He felt guilty that he was the person who exposed an innocent woman to an untimely but violent and underserved death. He was prepared to reveal it all. At dawn, before anyone woke up in the palace, EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; sneaked in through the back door. At mid-morning, the town crier went out to announce that the whole community should assemble in the market square in the evening of the same day for an important discussion. Nobody knew what the important discussion was for, except the high Chiefs, selected elders and youth leaders. The OÙba was not even aware of what the meeting would be about. In the evening, the market place was filled to the brim. The OÙba was invited out to join others in the market square. He was very angry that an important meeting like this was summoned behind his back. When all those invited had taken their various positions however, it was EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; his wife who came out to narrate her story. At that moment it dawned on him that E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; was actually the daughter of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô. He realized then and there that I®ta¾nsôan O®o¾ru¾n, the sun rays, had actually exposed him. When all those who had one or two things to say had finished their speeches, including the spy he employed to trace 'Moôleô¾yo¾,ô the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; knew that the game was up. He had nothing to say. He could only beg for forgiveness. Because he had wrecked so much havoc on the lives of the people while he was the OÙba, and the fact that his reign had not brought much benefit to the community, his plea was rejected. He was appropriately sanctioned. Three days after the market place meeting, there was an announcement that the Ka;bi;e¾si;, His Royal Majesty, OÙba Bo;ju;ri; had joined his ancestors.

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EÙran gbi;gbeô ab'i¾di; ta¾pa¾¾la¾-tapala Di;a; fu;n Bo;ju;ri; Ti;i; sôe OÙba woôn ni;'lu¾u; A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n Ti; yo;o; f'ayo¾ô j’aye; e re¾ô da;lu EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe O: f’eti; o¾ôtu;n gb’e;ôboô O: fi t'o¾si¾ da¾ a; nu¾ Ibi t'o;ri; da; ni si; la¾ a; gbe; O®Ùna¾ ti; eô¾d;a; ya¾n fu;n ni la¾ a; to¾ô Di;a; fu;n ;M ' oôleô¾yo¾ô To; ri; Oôba ni;l' e¾ô Ti; yo;o; loô re¾e; yan Olu¾sôeô; l'o;ôkoô EÙboô ôni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'eô;boôô, o; ;ru;'boô Bi; a ba; n; sôe e; Ile; aye; ni;i; gbe; A ki¾i; sôe e; O: n;beô l'a;la¾de O¾®Ùrun Di;a; fu;n E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; Ti;i; sôô'oômoô 'Moôleô¾yo¾¾ô Ti; yo;o; t'ori; i k'e;ôsan lee¾ ke; Ti; yo;o; loô re¾e; fe;ô OÙba l'oô;koô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko;; wa;a; sôe O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;'boô EÙÙni to; n; sôe rere Ko; mu;;ra si; rere E®Ùda; to; ba; si¾ n; sôô'i¾ka¾ Ko; mu;ra s;i;'k;a¾ A®t'oore, a¾t¾'i¾ka¾ OÙ®kan ki¾i; gbe; E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ I®ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾n lo; wa; fi wo;ôn sô'esô¾ i;n ni; gbangba N®jeô; I®ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾n ni yo;o; fi o;ô ha¾n O®fi¾ri¾-fi¾ri¾ EÙ®yin o¾ ri;’na; Ifa; ka¾n n;jo; woôn o O®®fi¾¾ri¾-fi¾ri¾

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Translation: Dry meat without any oily substance He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Bo;ju;ri; The OÙba of A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n town Who would use excessive joy to ruin his life and reputation He was advised to offer eôboô He heard the advice with his right ear And threw it out with his left ear It is what our Ori; chooses for us that we ought to accept It is the path of our Destiny that we ought to follow These were Ifa;’s declarations to 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô Who had the choice of picking an OÙba But chose to go for a pauper to be her husband She was advised to offer eôboô She complied It is normal to do so The one that lives in Ile; Aye; It is not done The one that lives in O®Ùrun These were Ifa;’s messages for E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; The daughter of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô Who would in order for nemesis to take its due course Get married to the OÙba She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Those who do good at all the time Continue to do good Those who engage in wickedness Continue to be wicked Both benevolence and wickedness Neither will go in vain Travellers to I®po and O®®Ùfa¾ The sun rays were what put them to ridicule in the open The sun rays shall expose you With fierceness Can’t you see the fire of Ifa; as it burns them? With fierceness

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Ifa; says that the fire of Ifa; shall burn all those who perpetrate evil. None of the evil doers shall go unpunished. The person is warned to not take the law into his/her own hands to make this happen.

13. If during the process of consulting Ifa;, Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da; is revealed, Ifa; says that if foresees either death or affliction and there is an urgent need for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and his/her coverlet that he/she uses while sleeping. This is in order to prevent this person from experiencing untimely death. On this, Ifa; says: Ba¾a¾ra¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾ SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'oo¾gu¾n SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'egb¾oogi O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;i; je;ô EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o Di;a; fu;n A®ra;gberi; OÙmoô aka¾n'le¾ôku¾n oô¾run gbo¾ôngboô¾n ma; re¾ I®gba¾ti; o; n; sô'oô¾gbo¾ôgboô¾ a¾ru¾n To; n; ta;'ju; a¾ti di¾de EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôeô Translation: Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾ Only the tip of its head has medicinal value Only the tip of its head has herbal use Any preparation that is not going to be effective Do not rely on it These were Ifa;’s declarations to A®ra;gberi; He who knocked on the door of heaven forcefully and repeatedly without entering When he was nursing a serious ailment And was longing for the day that he would rise up and be well again He was advised to offer eôboô

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They were all waiting. The ancestors were eagerly awaiting the arrival of A®ra;gberi;. An elaborate party had been organized to welcome him back to heaven. They had invited 420 agogo (gong) players and 1,460 i¾pe¾se¾ drum players to play for A®ra;gberi;. He was such an important man among the ancestors. Meanwhile, A®®ra;gberi; kept dreaming and finding himself in the midst of his dead relations, leading him into a nicely decorated room and telling him that the room had been specially made for him to stay until eternity. They were all singing and dancing. When he woke up, he could make no sense of the dream. Therefore, he went for Ifa; consultation. The Awo told him that it was a good thing that he came because the road to heaven had been paved for him and this was not the handiwork of evil people trying to kill him, or witches or wizards. It was rather the design of his numerous well-wishers in heaven who found that he would be more useful to them in O®Ùrun than in Aye;. A®ra;gberi; was asked to make up his mind on whether or not he wanted to proceed to O®Ùrun at the moment. He responded that he was not yet ready to move to OÙ®run. He had several uncompleted assignments that he must attend to and complete before he could go back to OÙ®run. The Awo advised him that if he was not yet ready to move to O®Ùrun, then he needed, as a matter of urgency, to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat, his coverlet and money. He complied. His colleagues and ancestors in OÙ®run continued to wait for him. Just when they expected him to appear, they would instead see the eôboô materials that would appear to them over there. Tired of waiting endlessly, they finally left A®ra;gberi; alone. Ba¾a¾ra¾¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾ SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'oo¾gu¾n SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'egbo¾ogi O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;i; je;ô EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o Di;a; fu;n A®ra;gberi; OÙmoô aka¾n'le¾ôku¾n o¾ôrun gboô¾ngbo¾ôn ma; re¾ I®gba¾ti; o; n; sôô'oô¾gbo¾ôgboô¾ a¾ru¾n To; n; ta'ju; a¾ti di¾de EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾

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EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri N®®je;ô Ori;; ya; 'moôleô¾ o Ori; ya; 'moôleô¾ Olo;wo;, agogo n;ro; I®pe¾se¾ n; lu¾ o o¾ Ori; ya; ‘moôleô¾ o Translation: Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾ Only the tip of its head has medicinal value Only the tip of its head has herbal use Any preparation that is not going to be effective Do not rely on it These were Ifa;’s declarations to A®ra;gberi; He who knocked on the door of heaven forcefully and repeatedly without entering When he was nursing a serious ailment And was longing for the day that he would rise up and be well again He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy long life Ori; has rejected all entreaties Ori; has rejected all appeals The Agogo is being beaten repeatedly And the I®pe¾se¾ drums are also being beaten Ori; has rejected all entreaties Ifa; says that this person will live long and complete all his/her major assignments on earth before proceeding to heaven. All his/her ancestors and colleagues in heaven have to exercise patience because his/her time to join them over there is not going to occur for several years to come. 14. Ifa; warns that Ibi (evil) associated with after-birth has entered the womb of a pregnant woman where this Odu¾ is revealed. There is the need to quickly offer eôboô in order to forestall any complication for the woman during labour and childbirth.

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Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with a coin and a small size clay pot of about 15cm in diameter and of about 10cm in depth. The coin will be placed inside the pot and when the eôôboôô has been completed, the pot will be covered with its lid and be buried by the Esu Shrine. If this can be done, Ibi will go and there will be no complication during labour and childbirth. On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Oni;wa¾a;ra; says: EÙyeô ke;kere;, ab';ohu¾n gogoro Di;a; fu;n Ibi To;’hun O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ joô n; sô'oô¾reô; EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The tiny bird with its loud, strong voice He cast Ifa for Ibi (evil) When he and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ were friends He was advised to offer eôboô

Ibi, Evil, was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s friend. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ chose to be his friend in order to checkmate him any time he planned to perpetrate any atrocity. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ had recorded a high degree of success in this area. The frustration caused by the success of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was what led Ibi to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Would I be able to wreck havoc into the thoughts, programmes, properties and lives of people without any hindrance? The Awo told Ibi that he had come to find out about something serious and delicate. He wanted to make innocent people grieve and suffer. He was told that it would not work. The Awo explained that if nobody offends him, he will not have the power to make anyone suffer. If he is offended however, then he is allowed to use that as an excuse to deal with the people. The Awo said that it was both Ibi and Ire that existed on earth. All those who did not wish for Ibi in their lives needed to pay their dues to Ibi so that he would move away from their lives. The Awo advised Ibi to offer eôboô as stated above. He was also advised not to strike anyone without any reason. He complied with the advice to offer eôboô but decided that he would continue to strike at anyone and everyone, whether they offend him or not.

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EÙyeô ke;kere;, ab'ohu¾n gogoro Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; o¾un Ibi joô n; sô'oô¾re;ô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The tiny bird with its loud, strong voice He cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When he and Ibi were friends He was advised to offer eôboô

Ibi decided to lie low in order to surprise and deal OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ a deadly blow. He

knew that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was responsible for most of his failures; those who he had tied to illness, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had untied them; those who were supposed to meet with violent deaths, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ warned them ahead of time; those whose love relationships were supposed to end in disaster and divorce, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would mend the relationship; the list was endless. It would be a sweet revenge if he hit OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ real hard and unexpectedly.

Ibi, one day went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and asked him (O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾) to give him ( Ibi) eôôgba¾a;. (EÙgba¾a; is the equivalent of about five cents) but O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ did not see any reason why Ibi should be given any money. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ refused to give the money to Ibi. The demand was made repeatedly and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ refused to give out the money. Ibi told O®Ùru;nmi¾¾la that he, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would see what he, Ibi would do to surprise O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. Ibi was told to get away because there was nothing he could do.

O®Ùru;nmi¾¾la¾’s wife was pregnant and the pregnancy had reached an advanced stage. There was no sign of any problem at all. On the day that O¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife went into labour, Ibi entered into her womb. While in labour, it was Ibi that came out first instead of the baby. (In this wise, what Ifa; is saying is that, as Ibi also means placenta, the placenta would threaten to come out first, leading to placenta previa, before the baby comes out). When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ saw this, he rushed to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation. During consultation, E®sôu¾ told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he created the problem for himself because he ought to have given the EÙgba¾a; to Ibi when the money was demanded from him, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was directed to go and do as he was told. When he got home he got the pot and placed the EÙgba¾a; into it. He told Ibi to come and take the money.

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Soon after this, the baby came out, followed by Ibi, the placenta. The placenta was placed inside the pot and buried. As soon as this was done, E®sôu¾ said that any time Ibi (the placenta) is seen, it must be buried that same day. That was how O®ru;nmi¾la¾ escaped the evil plan hatched by Ibi. EÙyeô ke;kere;, ab';ohu¾n gogoro Di;a; fu;n Ibi To;’hun O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ joô n; sô'oô¾reô; EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moô; EÙyeô ke;kere;, ab'ohu¾n gogoro Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; o¾un Ibi joô n; sô'oô¾re;ô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun N®je;ô o¾o¾jo; a r’I:bi N'Ibi; n; woô'leô¾ Ibi woô'leô¾ l'o;ni¾i; o Ara a; da; O®o¾joô; a r'I:bi N'Ibi n; woô'leô¾ Translation: The tiny bird with its loud, strong voice He cast Ifa for Ibi When he and O®Ùru;nmi¾¾la¾ were friends He was advised to offer eôboô He offered the eôboô But did not follow the advice of the Awo The tiny bird with its loud, strong voice He cast Ifa for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ When he and Ibi were friends He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory over adversity

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The day that we see Ibi (placenta) That is the day it must be buried in the ground Ibi (evil), has been run aground today We feel well and healthy The day that we see Ibi (placenta) That is the day it must be buried in the ground Ifa; says that complications and evil shall be driven aground in the life of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. The faster this eôboô is offered for this person, the better for him/her.

15. Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to keep all medicines, poisons, chemicals, acids and similar substances away from where anyone can have easy access to them. He/she also needs to keep guns, rifles, pistols, knives, swords, axes, bows, arrows, javelins cudgels and so on away from easy access. If this is not done, this person may end up using his/her own hands to bring calamity to his/her loved ones due to his/her negligence. He/she will have nobody to blame over the resultant unfortunate incident but himself/herself. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to heed this warning because no amount of eôboô offered is higher or even equal to heeding the warning. On this, Ifa; says: Ogbe¾ Ba¾a¾ra¾¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾ SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'oo¾gu¾n SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'egbo¾ogi O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;i; je;ô EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o Di;a; fu;n A®ra;gberi; EÙboô ko; ma; f'oôwoô; ara re¾ô sôe ara reô¾ ni woô;n ni; ko;wa;a; sôe o Translation: Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾ Only the tip of its head has medicinal value Only the tip of its head has herbal use

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Any preparation that is not going to be effective Do not rely on it These were Ifa;’s declarations to A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; Who was advised to offer eôboô so as not to use his own hands to cause havoc for himself A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; was a very powerful herbalist, soldier and hunter. He was well endowed in the area of charms and incantations. He had Egbe;, the medicine that transported him from one place to another whenever danger loomed; he had A®fe;ôerô¾ i;, the charm that made him disappear whenever he was surrounded by wild animals in the forest, or by enemies in the war front; he had E®Ùda¾, the charm that made it possible for him to conjure food, drinks, money, dresses and gifts from the thin air; he knew how to make and stop the rain; with ordinary incantation, he could set fire on a house or farm; and he could do many more. He was feared and respected by all his colleagues, friends and foes alike. In his house, he had many herbal herbicides, he had pesticides and mosquito killers. He also had very strong preparations for sexual virility, for strong health and vitality, and for safe delivery during labour. He was very generous in the community. He was ready to assist anyone with or without payment. One day, A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; went for Ifa; consultation in order to determine what the outcome of the hunting expedition that he was about to engage upon would look like. Will I be able to kill many game? The Awo told him that killing game had never been, and would never be, his problem. He however needed to offer eôboô against using his own hands to wreck havoc against himself. He was advised to keep all lethal weapons and strong charms away from the reach of his household members. He was also advised to offer eôboô. A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; offered the eôboô alright; but he could not see the correlation between his ability to kill many animals and keeping all the preparations in his home against the reach of the members of his household. He simply left everything in his house as they were and went on his hunting expedition. He would spend seven days in the forest. Before he left, he instructed his children to go to the farm and clear all the weeds in readiness for plantation. As soon as he left, the children began to pursue their individual agendas. They totally forgot about the assignment given to them by their father. When only two days remained for their father to arrive, they remembered their assignments. The eldest of the seven children that he gave the assignment to, remembered

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that their father had a preparation which increased performance. He told his brothers that first thing the following morning, they would all use the medicine and go to the farm to work. That was exactly what they did. Unfortunately however, instead of using the performance enhancing preparation, they used the pesticide! A few moments after they used this preparation, the seven of them were rolling on the floor in pain. By the evening of the same day, the seven of them were stone dead! They vomited blood all over the room where they had died. It was a very lethal poison that they had consumed. A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; returned from his hunting expedition with a lot of animals which he had no time to attend to when he saw the calamity that befell him at home. He remembered the warning of the Awo and realized to his everlasting regret that he was the one who actually used his own hands to invite disaster into his home and life.

Ogbe¾ Ba¾a¾ra¾¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾ SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'oo¾gu¾n SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'egbo¾ogi O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;i; je;ô EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o Di;a; fu;n A®ra;gberi; EÙboô ko; ma; f'oôwoô; ara re¾ô sôe ara reô¾ ni woô;n O: f'eti; o¾ôtu;n gb'e;ôboô O: fi t'o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾ A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; o¾ I®woô lo b'eô¾we¾ô p’oômoô oô¾ reô o I®woô lo b'eô¾we¾ô E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ EÙni to; gb'e;ôboô ni;'be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô'eôboô o

ni;ko;wa;a; sôe o

Translation: Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾ Only the tip of its head has medicinal value Only the tip of its head has herbal use Any preparation that is not going to be effective Do not rely on it

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These were Ifa;’s declarations to A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; Who was advised to offer eôboô so as not to use his own hands to cause havoc for himself He heard the advice with his right ear And threw it out with his left ear A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; o! You are the one who set up disaster against yourself You set up the disaster Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Let those who are advised to offer eôboô do so Ifa; says that E®sôu¾ will consider the person who provided all the eôboô materials without heeding the warning as refusing to offer the prescribed eôboô . It is therefore advisable for this person to offer the eôboô and at the same time heed the warning of the Awo. 16. Ifa; says that some women are planning to go somewhere (especially in the hinterland) where this Odu¾ is revealed. It may be for business to trade, fulfil a contract, or even a social occasion. Ifa; warns them not to go at all. This is because a trap has been set, knowingly or unknowingly for them. It would be terrible if they should allow themselves to fall into this trap. The only way to avoid this is to ensure that they do not go on the trip. This is what Ifa; says;; I®beô;n¾beô; sôekete ye;ke; Di;a; fu;n A®da¾ba¾ SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ Ti; yo;;o; sô’oôkoô Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o

Translation:

I®beô;n¾beô; SÙekete ye;ke;

He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ (the Dove) The husband of Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n He was advised to offer eôboô

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A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ and Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n loved each other beyond description. Both of them loved to do things to please each other. They had respect for each other and those who lived close to them admired them and wished that they could live like them with their spouses. One day, some women planned to go to the farm, to pick melon seeds. Many of them had planned to go the next day. Very early on the day that the women prepared to go, A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation in order to determine his success chances on his new business venture. The Awo told A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ that he would succeed; but he needed to offer eôboô. He was told that some women planned to go to a farm to work. They must not go because a trap had been set for them on the farm. What was the eôboô material for that A®da¾ba¾ S¾Ùu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ enquired? Nothing, he was told. The only eôboô was for the women not to go. When he got back home, he met his wife preparing for the trip. He told her what the Awo said about the trip. A lot of preparations had gone into the trip and it would not be appropriate for her not to go or for her to discourage others to abandon the trip. It was just not right. In the end, A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ and his wife concluded that the women should go and he would go into the ancestral shrine to pray for their well-being until they returned from the trip. Soon after, his wife, together with all the other women, left. A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ went straight into the ancestral shrine and began a marathon prayer session for the safe return of the women. A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ was still praying in the ancestral shrine when they brought the corpses of three women, Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n his wife included as one of the dead, back from the journey. What happened? Those who escaped explained that as soon as they got to the farm, they commenced working. They were not aware that the farmers had set I®yo¾,ô a trap made with strong stings in several parts of the farm. While they were working, they suddenly saw Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n and the other two women screaming at the top of their voices. They had put their necks into the strings unknowingly. As they struggled to remove the strings, it tightened round their necks. In the end, they were strangulated to death! A®da¾ba¾ SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ cried in agony.

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He began to scream from place to place, saying “Mi o¾ ri; Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n moô; o! Mi o¾ ri; Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n mo;ô o!!” He cried and cried! Up till today, A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ is still mourning the loss of his beloved wife. I®beô;n¾beô; sôekete ye;ke; Di;a; fu;n A®da¾ba¾ SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ Ti; yo;;o; sô’oôkoô Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: f'eti; o¾ôtu;n gb'e;ôboô O: fi t'o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾ N®jeô; mi o¾ ri; Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n moô; o! Mi o¾ ri; Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n moô; o!! E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙni gb'eô;boô ni;'be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô'eôboô o Translation:

I®be;ôn¾be;ô SÙekete ye;ke;

He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ (the Dove) The husband of Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n He was advised to offer eôboô He heard the advice with his right ear And threw it out with his left ear Behold! I do not see Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n anymore! I cannot see Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n any longer! Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Let those advised to offer eôboô do so.

Ifa; says that offering of eôboô without heeding Ifa;’s warning amounts to noncompliance to offer eôboô. That was what led A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾us¾ ôu¾u¾ to everlasting regret.


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B.

SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® GBA®RA®DA: FOR THOSE BORN BY THE ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙD ® A:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA: For Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children, males and females, they have come into this world in order to perform wonders. They are going to be in the company of wonderful and marvellous things. Life shall be interesting, comfortable, rewarding and exciting for them. They stand a good chance of becoming the shakers and movers of the societies they live in. Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children achieve a lot of things on earth and most of the feats that they perform on earth usually live long after them when they have departed from the earth. Many Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children have foundations, institutions, establishments, industries, streets, and so on named after them. Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children are never satisfied with the normal way of doing things. The urge to do things differently and with a touch of class usually distinguishes them among the crowd and makes them excel with high recognition. Also, Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children usually love to explore new avenues and exploit new areas and resources. They are very lucky and often come up with new inventions, new ideas, new innovations, and new useful results. The lives of Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children have the tendency of being rough at the initial stages but they will eventually enjoy sweet rewards at the end of any exercise. It should not come as a surprise to see Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children being more successful than most of their contemporaries. These successes usually come with accolades, honour, respect, and more opportunities to succeed. This is the reason why there is always something to jubilee over for Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children. One of the major weaknesses of Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children, males and females, is that they lack the ability to understand the intricacies involved in the use of power and authority. It is not uncommon to see Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children misusing or abusing their power or authority reposed on them. This attitude usually brings negative and regrettable results for them. Another weakness of Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; is that they have the tendency of subjecting other people to public odium, humiliation and ridicule. Doing this eventually makes them the victims of ridicule, humiliation and odium in the end.

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Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children also, more often than not, end up carrying out mischief that they plan against others. For Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; male children, there is the need for them to learn how to accept defeat in good faith and to know that in this life, you win some, you lose some. It is not those who win all the battles that are victorious. It is rather those who win the war at the end of the day that are victorious. Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; male children also need to work hard on being good husbands to their wives and good fathers to their children. For Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; female children, it is not advisable for them to contemplate separation or divorce from their husbands. Doing so may lead to a situation where they will end up in at least three matrimonial relationships and having children by three different men. This can be avoided if proper investigation is conducted before entering into any long lasting love relationship. On the overall, Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children move from grass to grace, from nothing to surplus, from obscurity to prominence, and from the base to the apex of any socio-economic and political ladder.


C.

AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ®/ /O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® GBA®RA®DA:

1. Ifa; - For guidance, support, progress, elevation, success, victory, comfort, satisfaction, and general wellbeing 2. Ori; - For fulfilment of destiny, progress, sanctuary, victory, direction, guidance, protection, elevation, contentment, and self actualization 3. E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ - For sanctuary, support, victory, success, progress, leadership, and general wellbeing 4. SÙa¾ngo; - For victory, leadership, support, progress, general wellbeing and overall success 5. Aje; - For financial success, leadership, progress, elevation, honour, respect, reward and general wellbeing 6. Egu;ngu;n - For ancestral support, leadership, continuity, victory, elevation, success and general wellbeing

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7. EÙyinleÙ¾ - For childbearing, childrearing, support, contentment and general wellbeing 8. EÙgbeô; - For comradeship, leadership, victory, success, acceptance, and general wellbeing 9. OÙbalu;aye; - For protection against pestilence and contagious diseases, victory, success, progress, and general wellbeing 10. O®gu;n - For victory, progress, leadership, innovation, and general wellbeing 11. O®Ùsôun - For compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing, relevance and overall success

D.

TABOOS OF OGBE® GBA®RA®DA:

1. Must never use A®fo¾ôn, bread fruit for anything - To avoid unconsummated fortune, failure, disappointment and regrets 2. Must never use O®pi¾pi¾, featherless bird for anything - To avoid unconsummated fortune, dwindling progress and resources, failure, disappointment and regrets 3. Must never subject anyone to ridicule - To avoid humiliation, regrets, failure and disaster 4. Must never conspire against anyone - To avoid ridicule, humiliation, failure, and regrets 5. Must never lend anything that is precious to him/her to others. Only lend things to others if you are fine with those items never being returned - To avoid losing what is precious to him/her 6. Must never use any part of an Elephant for anything - To avoid reduction in progress, failure, melancholy and regrets 7. Must never eat the liver of any animal - To avoid unconsummated fortune, unfulfilled dreams, failure, retrogression, disappointments and regrets 8. Must never misuse power or authority - To avoid failure, ridicule, odium, regrets and disaster 9. Must never contemplate separation or divorce - To avoid being in many unsuccessful matrimonial relationships 10. Must never allow disagreement between his/her siblings - To avoid everlasting family conflict and enmity. 11. Must never keep dangerous charms or weapons within the reach of members of his/her household - To avoid the weapons being used against the household members

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E.

POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® GBA®RA®DA:

i. MALE 1. Ifa;da;ra¾ - Ifa; performs wonders in my life 2. Oju;mo;ôri¾i;bi - May my eyes witness no evil 3. OÙla;be;rinjoô - Honour resembles an Elephant 4. Erinfoôla;mi; - The Elephant breaths with honour 5. Ifa;to;o;yanga¾n - Ifa; is worthy of being proud of 6. Aratu¾mi; - I feel comfortable 7. Du¾nn;ba;de; - Ifa; is easy to move along with ii FEMALE 1. Ifa;da;ra¾ - Ifa; performs wonders in my life 2. OÙmoôleô¾yo¾ô - My child is my most precious possession 3. EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; - Vengeance will never go without manifesting 4. Aratu¾¾mi; - I feel comfortable 5. Mora;yo¾ô - I find joy in my life 6. Ifa;bu¾nmi - Ifa; present this to me


477

Chapter 7

Ogbè Ọ̀kànràn

II I II I II I I I 478

OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N OGBE® KI®RA®N OGBE® KI®RA®N MO:Ù'LEÙ® A. 1. Ifá foresees three Ire for the person for whom this Odù is revealed

during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa; at the same time. Ifá foresees the Ire of victory, merriment and happiness; all at the same time for this person. Ifá says that the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed will have meaning if he/she is ready to confront challenges head-on. He/she will always return with sweet victory and will savour his/her success if he/she allows himself/herself to face the challenges of life. His/her close association with O¾®gu;n will also ensure victory for him/her.

Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two cocks, two guinea fowls and money. He/she also needs to feed O¾®gu;n with one cock. On this Ifá says: Ogbe¾ ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an tire¾ ko; ma; sôeô Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n Ti; n;gb’o;gun loô i¾lu; I®la;re; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ O®Ùka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for it not to come to pass This was Ifa;‟s message for O®gu;n When going to wage war on I®la;re; town (the land of Merriment) He was advised to offer ẹbọ This war must be waged and won. All necessary preparations must be made in order to ensure resounding victory and success. It is one thing to win a battle; to win a war is another. It is possible to lose a battle and still win a war. It is equally possible to win a battle but still lose the

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war. These were the considerations of O®gu;n when making his preparations to wage war on I®la;re; town. Part of his preparation was to consult Ifá in the home of the Awo mentioned above to determine his success chances on the war front. He also wanted to know what he must offer as ẹbọ for him to win and be successful in his endeavour. The Awo assured O®gu;n that he would not only win, but he would also bring honour and glory to his home and life. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. O®gu;n complied. Shortly after, he set out on his journey to I®la;re; town. When he got to the land, what he met was totally unexpected. Instead of hostility, he was greeted with pomp and pageantry. He was welcomed very warmly. He was well accommodated. He was also given every possible opportunity in the land. The hand of friendship extended to him in this land almost made him feel ashamed of himself for ever contemplating waging war against the land in the first place. When he was returning home, he was presented with all those things that would make him call for celebration when he got back home. He returned home a contented person. Ogbe¾ ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an tire¾ô ko; ma; sôeô Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n Ti; n;gb’o;gun loô i¾lu; I®la;yo¾ô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ OÙ®ka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for it not to come to pass This was Ifa;‟s message for O®gu;n When going to wage war on I®la;yo¾ô town (the land of happiness) He was advised to offer eôboô Again, no two wars are the same. There was still the need to prepare very well for the war that O®gu;n was planning to wage on I®la;yo¾ land. His experience in I®la;re; land might be different from what he would meet in I®la;yo¾ land. That was why it was absolutely necessary for him to prepare well for the new encounter. He could not afford to lose any war. His

480

OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N

pride and reputation would not allow for that to happen. He therefore returned to the home of the same Awo to consult Ifá for him. What must he do to win the war? He asked. What eôboô must he offer? The Awo assured him again that he would also bring back home honour and glory. He was also advised to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two cocks, two guinea fowls and money. He was equally told to feed his O®ke¾-I®po¾ôri; with one cock. O®gu;n complied. Shortly after this, he went to I®la;yo¾ town to wage war on the land. Again, when he got to I®la;yo¾ land, he regretted ever coming with hostility. He was hailed, pampered and venerated. The inhabitants of the land satisfied him with whatever he wanted. They accorded to him his deserved honour and respect. They were even friendlier than the inhabitants of I®la;re land. They gave him everything and anything that would enhance his status. He returned home a very happy person.

Ogbe¾ ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an tire¾ô ko; ma; sôeô Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n Ti; n;gb’o;gun loô i¾lu; I®la;re; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ogbe¾ ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an tire¾ô ko; ma; sôeô Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n Ti; n;gb’o;gun loô i¾lu; I®la;yo¾ô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e:ôboô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô O®gu;n ja I®la;re; o O®gu;n ja I®la;yo¾ô Ohun rere l’O®gu;n mu; bo¾ô Translation: Ogbe¾ O®Ùka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for it not to come to pass This was Ifa;‟s message for O®gu;n When going to wage war on I®la;re; town (the land of Merriment) He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied

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Ogbe¾ OÙ®ka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for it not to come to pass This was Ifa;‟s message for O®gu;n When going to wage war on I®la;yo¾ô town (the land of happiness) He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Now, O®gu;n waged war on I®la;re; land O®gu;n waged war on I®la;yo¾ô land O®gu;n brought back good things Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall bring back good things from all his/her endeavours. He/she shall be elevated, honoured, respected and be given high recognitions in all what he/she sets his/her mind on. He/she however needs to fight to acquire his merriment and joy and ensure that they are kept for good. 2. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to exercise patience and perseverance. He/she is presently experiencing hardship and pains. He/she however needs to wait it out because only a little period remains for him/her to have his/her break through where he/she presently is. Ifá advises this person not to contemplate a change of abode, change of work, change of spouse or even change of environment at the present moment. He/she needs not be impatient or be in a hurry. All the Ire of life that he/she is yearning for are on their way to him/her. Patience and perseverance ought to be his/her watchwords at this moment. Ifá advises this person to offer his/her ẹbọ as A®ru;kore: two rats, two fish, two hens, two pigeons, two guinea-fowls, two cocks and money. A stanza in Ogbe¾-„Ka¾nra¾¾n laying emphasis on this says: O®Ùpa; ni;i; fi’bi sôo;mu;so ô ;mu; teô’leô¾ Di;a; fu;n A®®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ Ti; Ire n; bo¾ô l’eô;yi¾n To; wa; n; bi;’nu; u; loô o EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

482


Translation: A staff is it that touches the ground with its pointed tip This was Ifá’s message to A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ (the Travelling Passenger) When all his Ire was coming from behind He was in a furious hurry to move on He was advised to offer eôboô A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ left his home land out of frustration. He had nothing to point to as his own. He was nothing. All his colleagues had succeeded; but through illegal means. He had bluntly refused to join any of their groups. He had vowed that he would never be a part of any crime or any form of illegality or antisocial activity. His colleagues made jest of him. When the pressure was too much for him, A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ packed his things and left the land. On the day that he left his homeland however, he vowed that he would continue to move on and on until he succeeded. He was a well trained Awo but nobody seemed to recognize that in him. He had no wife. He had no child. He had only one dress remaining and a wrapper to wrap round himself. He would often wash the dress, sundry it and then wear it again. Whenever he was in the midst of other Awo in the land, nobody would seem to recognize him. When they would cast Ifá on any issue, nobody would seek his opinion on it. He remembered how his fellow Awo at home who would carry on saying what Ifá had not said and how they would recommend heavy materials which Ifá had not ask for, all in the bid to make more money. Yet, somehow through their dishonesty, these Awo were successful financially. Tired of being ignored in his new place of abode, he decided to move on. Before he did that however, he went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. All what he wanted to know was if in the end, he would be able to make it through the use of legitimate means. He was so convinced that the land that he was at that time had nothing to offer him. He could hardly eat two times a day. He must move on and try his luck elsewhere. He was convinced that Ifá would tell him to move forward in order to make progress in his life.

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The Awo told A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ that he was going through a very trying time. He was assured that all would be well in the end. He was also informed that he was going to succeed in the land that he was in and he must not move anywhere else. Only a bit of time remained for him to be able to cut off the shackles of poverty that had tied him for a long time. The Awo also advised him to offer ẹbọ with two rats and two fish for child bearing; two hens for a good spouse; two pigeons for prosperity; two guinea fowls for peace of mind; and two cocks for victory. He was to also add money to the ebo materials. A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ looked at the Awo for a long time as if he did not see him at all. What was going on in his mind? Where did this Awo expect him to get the money to procure such items? He informed the Awo that he would love to offer the eôbọ but he simply could not afford it. He had no money to do it at all. The Awo promised to assist him. In between the two of them, the eôbọ was offered. The Awo also asked A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ to come every day and work with him in his house. Three days after this, the group of Awo in the land wanted to go and cast Ifá for the people of the land in order to improve the economic progress of the market. A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ followed Op Ù® a; ni;i; fi'bi sôo;mu;sôo;mu; teô'leô¾ to the home of the I®ya;lo;ôja¾, the head of the market women where the Ifá consultation would take place. Before they got there, E®®sôuô¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ whispered into the ears of everyone that A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ had the right information and preparation that would make the market have progress. He told them to give him audience. When they arrived in the home of the I®ya;lo;ôja¾, all eyes were on A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾. Seeing his appearance, they took pity on him. Instead of being disappointed, they were all determined to assist him to get out of his pathetic condition. When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾-O®ôka¾nra¾n was revealed. In accordance to custom, two Babaláwo recited Ifá and gave Ifá’s messages to the people who were there present. They were not impressed with what they had said. When it was the turn of A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ to speak, the whole place became dead silent. When he began to analyze the Odù, even his fellow Awo were all impressed. The depth of his analysis and the accuracy of his statements made everyone to look at him in amazement.

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When he concluded his statements, it was obvious that nobody was keen on hearing any other person speak. That was when I®ya;lo;ôja¾ whispered into the ears of two of her Pa¾ra¾ko¾yi;, market leaders, and before long, they came back with three complete dresses for A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾. They also gave him some personal money, apart from the one that they gave all the Awo present. Since that day, the life of A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ changed completely. He was the talk of the town. Everyone began to look for him for Ifá consultation and spiritual advice. When he had enough money, he went to Op ®ô a; ni;i; fi'bi sôo;mu;sôo;mu; teô'leô¾ to refund the money to the Awo who he had spent money in helping him offer his ẹbọ, but the former refused to accept the money. He told A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ that any problem that befell one Awo was the responsibility of all Awo present to handle and resolve. Within three months that they did Ifá consultation in the home of the I®ya;lo;ôja¾, everyone had been discussing with A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ that it was high time he had his own spouse. The inhabitants of the land made all necessary arrangements and a wife was found for him. The marriage ceremony was a solemn one. Two months after marriage, the woman was already carrying his baby. The baby came without incident. Within 10 years, A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ who came with nothing and who was in a hurry to leave the land, but for the advice of Ifá, became a wealthy man, a husband, a father, a landlord, the owner of a galloping horse, a title holder and an honourable man in the land. He got all these things without cheating, lying, stealing or defrauding anyone to do so. All he could do was to give praises and thanks to Olo;du¾mare¾, his Orí, Ifá, his fellow Awo and his numerous well-wishers. He also gave special thanks to E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra who also made everything possible in his life. O®Ùpa; ni;;i; fi’bi sôo;mu;so ô ;mu; teô’leô¾ Di;a; fu;n A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ Ti; Ire n; bo¾ô l’eô;yi¾n To; wa; n; bi;nu; u; loô o EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Ire gbogbo wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru N®je;ô A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ ma; ma¾ loô o A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ ma; ma¾¾ loô Ire n; bo¾ô ni;’wa;ju; o

485


Ire n; bo¾ô l’eô;yi¾n A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ ma; ma¾ loô o Translation: A staff is it that touches the ground with its pointed tip This was Ifá’s message to A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ (the Travelling Passenger) When all his Ire was coming from behind He was in a furious hurry to move on He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far All the Ire of life came trooping in Now, A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾¾ do not go A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ do not move on All Ire is coming in front of you All Ire is coming from behind A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾, please do not go Ifá says that this person will receive all the blessings of life where he/she is, if only he/she exercises a little more patience and perseverance. Moving away to another location will not solve his/her problem; but rather, it will postpone the arrival of all the Ire of life already lined up for him/her. 3. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to please take good care of visitors, especially strangers. Ifá says that a good stranger who will change his/her life for the better is about to visit him/her in his/her home. If this visitor is well taken care of, then he/she is assured success and accomplishment in his/her life. This person also needs to inform his/her spouse to take good care of the whole house and its vicinity. The wife must clean and tidy up everywhere because the coming visitor does not like unclean or unhealthy environments. It is also possible that the visitor is already in the house of the person for whom this Odù is revealed. If the visitor is well accommodated and given well deserved respect, success and accomplishment are

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guaranteed for the person for whom this Odù is revealed and his/her spouse. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two hens, two guinea fowls, two cocks and money. On this aspect, Ogbe¾-„Ka¾nra¾n has this to say: Koro ni faa fa;'gba; Fa¾la¾la¾ falala l’oôloô;ja¾ a; be¾ô’weô¾ Bi; wo;ôn ba; be¾ô oô; l’o;ôweô¾ Ti; o o¾ ba; je;ô O roôra pa koô;ro;ôkoô;ro;ô OÙ ma;a loô o Di;a; fu;n Olojo¾ Ti;i; sô'oômoô OÙba ni;’gbo; I®je¾ôbu; I®gba¾ to; n;loô s’a;jo¾ to; ji¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôjoô; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: Koro ni faa fa;'gba; It is with authority that a nobleman sends others on errands If you are sent on an errand And you do not perform You better move into hiding And secretly move away These were Ifá’s messages for Olojo¾ (the Stranger) A Princess from the forest of I®je¾ôbu; land When going on a very long journey that was the distance between the sun to earth She was advised to offer eôboô Olojo¾ was a princess. Her father was the Ϙba in the forest of I®je¾ôbu;-land. The name of the town was also known as I®je¾ôbu;-Igbo;. Her father was simply the wealthiest man in his town. Olojo¾ was his favourite daughter. Olojo¾ was a very neat, well-kept, small and extremely fashionable woman. She loved to see everything and everywhere around her neat and well kept. She was always prepared to do anything to compensate anyone who could tidy up where she was and ensure that the place was neat and to her taste.

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One day, Olojo¾ decided that she must travel round the world in order to enrich her experiences and understanding of many cultures besides her own. She decided to go for Ifá consultation in order to make three inquiries: one, to know how the trip would be; two, to know what she needed to take along on her journey; and three, how long it would take her to complete her journey. The Awo informed Olojo¾ that her trip would be very successful. She was planning a trip around the world but she would instead take a journey into the world. That was when she would understand what life was all about and appreciate the intricacies which existed in the world, Secondly, she was informed that she needed to take along with her all those things which would make her trip comfortable; money, clothing materials, jewellery, toiletries, gift items and so on. She must also fully prepare herself to avoid her lacking anything on her journey. Thirdly, she was told that such a journey did not have a specific time period. Everything depended on how deeply she planned to delve into the world. She was advised to offer eôboô as specified above. She complied. Soon after this, she set out on her journey into the world, even though she did not really understand the full meaning of what she was about to achieve. Pa’le; mo;ô P’oô¾na¾ moô; Awo ile; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ni;jo;ô Olojo¾ yo;o; wo¾ô si;’le; e Baba EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: Pa‟le; mo;ô, put the house in order P‟oô¾na¾ mo;ô, arrange the surroundings neatly The resident Awo of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s household They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When Olojo¾ would settle in his house He was advised to offer eôboô

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It was time for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to perform his OÙ®se¾ô (five day) Ifá consultation. This would serve as guide for him for the next five days. He would be able to know what was in stock for him and how to attain any good things coming his way. He invited two of his ex-students, Pa’le; mo;ô and P’oôn ¾ a¾ moô; to come and do the consultation for him. The Awo informed OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that in the next five days, there was the need for him and every member of his household to take good care of visitors, especially strangers. He was also told that he needed to keep the whole house and its vicinity clean and spotless during the period. They said that a stranger would be coming and would stay in his house. This stranger would make him extremely successful if he could be very hospitable and if he could keep his home clean, neat, peaceful and very accommodating. He was informed to impress it upon his wife to be at her best throughout this period that the visitor would spend with them. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was equally told that keeping the home clean and tidy was the responsibility of his wife. That was why he needed to ensure that his wife was on top of the situation throughout the period that the stranger would spend with them. The whole household must also be friendly with the stranger so that this stranger would not have any cause to leave unexpectedly or before the time that he/she wished to spend with the family. The Awo laid so much emphasis on the fact that the coming stranger would make OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and his household great. He was urged not to miss the opportunity because it was a chance of a lifetime. The Awo also advised him to offer eôboô as stated above. It was the same eôboô that Olojo¾ was advised to offer before she took off on her long, long journey. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied. He also had a discussion with everyone in his household and explained to them what the Awo told him about cleanliness. They were all determined to ensure that everywhere was spotlessly, clean and tidy even before the visitor arrived. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s wife became the coordinator who would ensure both cleanliness and hospitality for the stranger. Two days after this, this stranger, Olojo¾ arrived in OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house. She came with a long retinue of maiden servants and delegates. They were all at her beck and call, just to make her happy and contented.

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The first thing she did was to inspect everywhere, both the whole compound and its vicinity. She found them to measure to her taste and standards. She was quite satisfied with what she had found. She was ushered to her room and she settled in. All her aides were also given befitting accommodations.

When it was time for food, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ realized that everything she would eat for months was brought along with her. She told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ not to bother with her feeding. All she wanted was for her domestic servants to be given free access to the kitchen where they would prepare her food to her taste. This was quickly arranged. The following day, she settled down for real business. She told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she found his home very accommodating. She would however love to build more rooms so that her numerous servants would have more space for themselves. She sought OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s permission to do so and she was given the permission. Her male servants were set out to work immediately. She also told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she intended to make a trip round the world and she would like OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to advise her on how to proceed. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told Olojo¾ that there were two ways to make her trip. First, she could make a trip around the world; and second, she could travel into the world, she was informed that the former was exciting but the latter was more intriguing and more beneficial. How could one make a trip into the world she asked herself. She quite understood how one could travel around the world, but she had never been taught about how to travel into the world. This made her very interested in travelling into the world, like OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had mentioned, instead of travelling around the world. She also wanted to know when they would commence the travel into the world. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her that they would take the trip into the world the next day, as soon as the morning devotions and breakfast was finished. Throughout the remaining part of the day and the night, Olojò was busy packing her things and making preparations for the trip. She really did not know what she needed to take along on the trip, but she packed her essential things all the same.

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When everyone had taken his/her meal, Olojò ordered that two of her horses should be mantled and dressed up for the journey. When this had been done, she informed OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she was ready for the journey. That was when she was told that the trip would be embarked upon right inside the house. She became even more confused. How? She asked. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her that to go into the world, they must start from her. From her? She asked, now with more curiosity and impatience than she had ever experienced in her life. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ then told her, that as a woman, she was the world. She also owned the world and that every part of her body represented every segment of the world. How? She asked. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ responded that as women populated the world, it was their feminine energy that maintained and upheld the world. If there were no women, the world would cease to exist within a mere 150 years! It was women who gave birth to men before men were able to assume various positions of responsibilities. Women also gave birth to the Ϙba and other Royalty before they would turn into O®ri¾sôa.¾ The womb of a woman is the source of the world where all ingenious designs and products are manufactured. Olojò was totally baffled. She thought about this information for a long, long time and realized that it made a lot of sense but she wanted to hear more. She raised up her two hands and bowed her head, telling OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she had raised her two hands up and made her palms face up to confess her ignorance and readiness to learn more. She then repeated the gesture two more times. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ then told her that the journey would start with her two hands. There were two types of palms that the hands carried. There was the leprous hand and then the spotless hand. The leprous hand had five fingers; these fingers were; one, jealousy; two, envy; three, anger; four, backbiting and five, arrogance. The five fingers of the spotless hand were: one, hope; two, humility; three, benevolence; four, honesty and five, understanding. These were the fingers of those who would break or make the world. This is because almost everything we do in life is done with our hands, with our fingers constantly working on the various designs. The type of fingers one has determines the type of design one will produce. The leprous fingers will surely bring forth leprous products while the spotless fingers will produce spotless items.

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OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked Olojò to cast her mind back to her home land and think about those who worked for the progress as well as those who worked for the failure of the land and she would understand how they worked and why they always got the types of results they got. If ones actions cause sadness for others and one makes money from such actions, one cannot use the money to buy anything that will bring one joy. Conversely, whatever people do which make several others progress will not turn round and make the architect of that same thing sad or depressed. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told Olojò to go and go over the information in her mind until evening time when they would meet again under the moon light. That was the way the world worked, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her. On her way to her room, she met OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾, the wife of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ talking to two children. She stayed a while to listen to the discussions. In the end, she looked for a seat and sat beside them. When the children left, OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ told her that a child’s mother is a child’s closest confidant. The womb which carries the children for ten lunar months is deep enough to keep all their secrets. The depth of a woman’s feelings for each of her children must also be kept secret in the womb so as to avoid a situation where the woman may create jealousy, envy, and rivalry among her children. In the same vein, the secrets of her husband must be kept inside her womb so that his rivals or antagonists will not use her as bait for the downfall of her husband. OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ concluded by saying that the womb of a woman is deeper than the deepest point of the earth. She then left to think over what she had just heard from both the husband and the wife. In the evening, she was still thinking about all the information she received because some details of the information actually worried her. When she got to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, the first thing which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked her was: what is it that is worrying you so much? She explained that what she heard from his wife was worrisome to her because it is very difficult to maintain balance between all ones children, ones husband, and those associated with the husband by keeping all their secrets to avoid being instrumental in any downfall that may occur. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ said that that is what women must do at all times. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told Olojò that women are able to keep more profound secrets than men and that many secrets often go with women to their graves. He enjoined her to cultivate the habit of keeping secrets in order to protect herself, her family, and her loved ones. She must also be careful of what comes out of her mouth

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when there are quarrels because once she shares something, it will not be easy to retract what she has said once the matter has eventually settled. Olojò asked OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ how he knew that she had worries at the back of her mind which gave her concern. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ responded that the human mind is a fountain where all thoughts spring from and generate before they come out in the form of speech or action. The face is the mirror of the mind, when a person is angry, it will start in the mind before it shows on the face; if someone is happy, it will also start from the mind and then show on the face; and if someone is worried like you, it will start from your mind before it show on your face. You must learn the signs of the various gestures on the face in order to delve deeply into the world. Twice every day, Olojò and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had discussions on various issues, giving birth children, becoming pregnant, labour, and all the problems associated with it, raising the children, training, marriage, growing old and dying, business transactions, community development, selfdevelopment, commitments to duty, religion, love, hatred, travelling and so on. In the end, Olojò spent one full year with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. By that time, OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ had become her best friend. She showed OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ her own little world, and OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ showed her hers. She made OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ great by transferring most of her wealth to her. She made OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ popular and honourable by singing his praises everywhere she went. When Olojò was about to return to her native I®je¾ôbu;-Igbo; land, she did not remember about her wanting to take a trip around the world anymore and those whom she had been staying with were wishing her to stay forever because her stay had benefited the family and the whole community. Koro ni faa fa;'gba; Fa¾la¾la¾ falala l’oôloô;ja¾ a; be¾ô’weô¾ Bi; wo;ôn ba; be¾ô oô; l’o;ôweô¾ Ti; o o¾ ba; je;ô O roôra pa koô;ro;ôkoô;ro;ô O ma;a loô o Di;a; fu;n Olojo¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙba niÙ;’gbo; I®je¾ôbu;

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I®gba¾ to; n;loô s’a;jo¾ to; ji¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôjoô; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Pa’le; mo;ô P’oô¾na¾ mo;ô Awo ile; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ni;jo;ô Olojo¾ yo;o; wo¾ô si;le; e Baba EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EôÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®jeô; pa’le; mo;ô o¾, aya Awo Pa’le; mo;ô o o¾¾, aya Awo o Pa'le; mo;ô, p’oô¾na¾¾ moô; Olojo¾ n; bo¾ô o Translation: Koro ni faa fa;'gba; It is with authority that a nobleman sends others on errands If you are sent on an errand And you do not perform You better move into hiding And secretly move away These were Ifá’s messages for Olojo¾ (the Stranger) A Princess from the forest of I®je¾ôbu; land When going on a very long journey that was the distance between the sun to earth She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Pa‟le; mo;ô, put the house in order P‟oô¾na¾ mo;ô, arrange the surroundings neatly The resident Awo of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s household They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When Olojo¾ would settle in his house He was advised to offer eôboô He complied

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Before long, not too far Join us in midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Put the house in good order, Awo’s wife Put the house in perfect order, Awo’s wife Put the house in order, and make the surroundings neat Olojò is coming Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will have cause to celebrate his/her good fortune for the rest of his/her life. It is however important for this person to maintain good personal hygiene and to also make and maintain his/her surroundings neat and tidy. 4. Ifá says that if foresees the Ire of honour, title conferment and leadership for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that even though this person is underestimated and discountenanced; he/she shall be placed in a position of authority and respect. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboôô with two pigeons, two guinea fowls, two hens, two cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed his/her Orí with one duck and one ram. On this, Ifá says: I®ko;ko;ro; e¾lu¾boô; ni;i; sô’odo; gba¾n¾koko-gba¾n¾koko Di;a; fu;n ‘La;bo;gunde; Ti; n;f’omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ Ire gbogbo EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The small sun-dried yam meant to be pounded into yam flour is what rolls around inside the mortar This was the message of Ifá for „La;bo;gunde; When weeping in lamentation for his inability to secure any Ire of life He was advised to offer eôboô

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OÙla;bogu;nde; was a poor farmer. He could not boast of much achievement in his life. He had no money. He had no wife. He had not been blessed with any child of his own. His health was not too sound. This accounted for his inability to do much work on the farm. His inability to work well accounted for his poverty. His poverty accounted for his inability to give himself adequate and required medical treatment. His poor health and finance accounted for his inability to secure a spouse of his own. Because he had no spouse, there was no way he could have children of his own. His inability to have a spouse and kids made him a lonely man. Being lonely increased his sorrow. His sorrow aggravated his illness. Is this the way I will continue to live my life? „La;bo;gunde; asked himself over and over. There must be a solution to this miserable life that I am living, he told himself. „La;bo;gunde; never lost hope for one day. He knew that one day, his sun would rise. How? He could not say for certain. In his search for a solution, he went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I ever be blessed with all the Ire of life that I have been lacking since I was born? Would I ever succeed? The Awo cast Ifá and informed „La;bo;gunde; that he was just about to be made the Ϙba of the land. He informed him that he was looking for a means of survival but the Deities were busy working on how to make him the head of the land. He would be raised from grass to grace. He would be in a position to determine the direction and future of his community. The Awo advised „La;bo;gunde; to offer eôboô and feed his Orí as stated above. He had no money to do it. The Awo assisted him, and the eôboô was offered. What was done gave eôboô the hope that the future would be well after all. Before long, his health began to show signs of improvement. He could work more on the farm. About two years after this, the Ϙba of the land joined his ancestors. „La;bo;gunde; came from a Royal family. Nobody gave him any chance of becoming the Ϙba. When the race for the occupation of the vacant stool began, „La;bo;gunde; joined the race. When people heard that „La;bo;gunde; was in the race, they all had a merry laugh at his expense. He did not give up. He pursued his quest to become the Ϙba. On the day that the next Ϙba was to be chosen, the King-Makers invited all the candidates. They also invited some prominent Babaláwo from

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outside the land. After intensive Ifá consultation, Ifá picked „La;bo;gunde; as the next Ϙba of Ado; E®ki¾ti¾. His life changed instantly. He became the father of all. All the kingmakers said that it would not be wise for them to install „La;bo;gunde; without a wife of his own. A wife was chosen for him even before the installation ceremony. The whole land belonged to him. He was able to rule well and with good feelings for all. All those who thought that he stood no chance kept quiet forever and ever. I®ko;ko;ro; e¾lu¾bo;ô ni;i; sô’odo; gba¾n¾koko-gba¾n¾koko Di;a; fu;n ‘La;bo;gunde; Ti; n;f’omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ Ire gbogbo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾¾ ji¾nna¾ Ire gbogbo wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru A®sôe; ‘La;bo;gunde; l’OÙba ka¾n A®sôe; ‘La;bo;gunde; ni yo;o; j’oôba EÙ®wi; L’A:do; EÙ®yin o¾ gbo;ôn o EÙ®yin o¾ tile¾ô m’oô¾ra¾n EÙyin o¾ mo¾ô wi;pe; ‘La;bo;gunde; ti n;j’oôba EÙ®wi; loô o Translation: The small sun-dried yam meant to be poundedinto yam flour is what rolls around inside the mortar This was the message of Ifá for „La;bo;gunde; When weeping in lamentation for his inability to secure any Ire of life He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far All the Ire of life came trooping in So, it is „La;bo;gunde;’s turn to become the Ϙba So, it is „La;bo;gunde; who will become the next E®Ùwi; of Ado;-E®ki¾ti¾ land You are not wise And you also lack understanding Can’t see that „La;bo;gunde; is already the OÙba of Ado; E®ki¾ti¾¾

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Ifá says that this person shall be moved from the dregs to the apex of the society in a miraculous manner. 5. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of long life for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she will overcome all his/her enemies who wish him/her dead. Ifá says that a lot of people actually wish calamity to befall him/her but they will all fail. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed O®gu;n with one cock and E®sôu¾ with another cock. On this, Ogbe¾-„ka¾nra¾n says: Ogbe¾ kan OÙ®ka¾nra¾n kan Di;a; fu;n Agogo Ti; n; t’I®koô¾le; O®Ùrun boôô¾ wa\ I®ko¾ôle; aye; EÙboô a¾i¾ku; ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: One leg of Ogbe¾ (here on the right) One leg of OÙ®ka¾nra¾n (here on the left) This was the Ifá cast for Agogo (the Gong) When coming from heaven to earth He was advised to offer eôboô against untimely death Agogo, the Gong, was a product of O®gu;n. When he was being moulded by O®gu;n, it was with the sole intention of making him useful to human kind. He was intended to be a handy musical instrument that would be able to produce music, come rain or come shine. When the process of his creation was completed, he was asked to move from O®Ùrun to Ile;-Aye;. That was why Agogo went for Ifá consultation in order to determine how his sojourn in Ile;-Aye; would be: Will I be able to perform the task for which I was created? Will I fulfil my destiny satisfactorily? Will life and luck smile at me?

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The two Awo mentioned above told Agogo that the main reason why he had come for Ifá consultation was to determine whether or not he would be able to fulfil his destiny and to know if he would be able to live long enough to do it. They assured Agogo that he would surely fulfil his destiny and he would live to his old age to enjoy the fruit of his labour and to tell his success story to others. He was told that he would have a lot of enemies and antagonists who would be waiting for him on earth, fully determined to eliminate him as soon as he arrived. They would all fail, he was assured. He was told that some of these enemies would attack him directly while others would employ the services of hired killers to eliminate him. They would all fail, the Awo told him. The Awo also advised Agogo to offer eôbọ with three cocks and money. He was also asked to feed O®gu;;n and E®sôu¾ with one cock each. He complied. Soon after this, he moved from I®ko¾ôle; O®Ùrun to I®ko¾ôle; Aye;. As predicted by the Awo, as soon as Agogo arrived in Ile;-Ayé, his enemies greeted him with serious beatings in order to kill him. They knew that he was coming, and they had gone to cut 20 strong sticks ready for him in order to use them to beat him to death. The beating was intense. When one person became tired, he would pass Agogo to another person. Instead of killing or hurting Agogo, he continued to produce music! What baffled those who planned the death of Agogo was that one after the other, the sticks collapsed and broke into pieces and Agogo would remain unhurt! Every time that Agogo was taken out, several sticks would be cut to accompany him and to beat him all the way to and from his journey. The sticks would all die and Agogo would return home unhurt. At a stage, the Du¾ndu;n drums, Ba¾ta; drums, Omele drums, I®gbi¾n drums, Ga;ngan drums and so on, employed the services of hired killers to help them beat Agogo to death because any time they would go out together and there was rainfall, only Agogo would be of use and he would be the only one playing music out of all the other musical instruments, because rainfall had no effect on him. The hired killers too would go and look for sticks to beat Agogo to death. The hired killers usually would return to report their frustrations to those who had sent them. Agogo remained unhurt, strong and healthy. He lived to his old age and savoured the fruit of his labour.

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Ogbe¾ kan OÙ®ka¾nra¾n kan Di;a; fu;n Agogo Ti; n; t’I®ko¾ôle; O®Ùrun boô¾ wa; I®ko¾ôle; aye; EÙboô a¾i¾ku; ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;i¾ku; kangiri A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n, o; j’oyin loô o Translation: One leg of Ogbe¾ (here on the right) One leg of O®Ùka¾nra¾n (here on the left) This was the Ifá cast for Agogo (the Gong) When coming from heaven to earth He was advised to offer eôboô against untimely death He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy long life The longevity guaranteed by Ifá is sweeter than honey Ifá says that this person will live to his/her old age right in the midst of his/her enemies. All his/her enemies will always be frustrated.

6. Ifá foresees the Ire of victory for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. He/she has several enemies but he/she will be able to overcome them all. The enemies who Ifá refers to are mostly his/her relatives. They will try everything they have in their power but they will all fail. That is the assurance of Ifá for this person. Ifá advises him/her to offer eôbọ with one mature he-goat, one axe and money. Ifá also advises him/her to feed O®gu;n with one cock. On this aspect, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ kan OÙ®ka¾nra¾n kan Di;a; fu;n Abeyi;n-Ganngan

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Ti; n; gb’o;gun loô inu; oko lo¾ôoô; sôôeô;’ô;te¾ô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: One leg of Ogbè (here on the right) One leg of O®Ùka¾nra¾n (here on the left) This was the Ifá cast for Abeyi;n-Ganngan (the one with Pointed Teeth) When going to wage war to overcome enemies on the farm He was advised to offer eôboô They bragged. They boasted. They planned. They set traps. They were all planning against Abeyi;n-Ganngan, also known as A®ak; e;, the Axe. They planned to demolish him. They saw no reason why Abeyi;nGanngan should be moving on the surface of the earth like them. He must be run aground at all costs. Who were these enemies? All the trees in the forest had ganged up against the Axe. The fact that his handle came from the same forest made no impression on their minds. They were just after one thing and one thing only A®ak; e;, the Axe must be eliminated. The news of the plans of all the trees in the forest reached the Axe. He could not believe that those who he never offended could be planning evil against him. Initially, he did not believe the story. Before long, it became so rife that he became worried and very apprehensive. These were his own relatives who he expected to protect him and promote his interest. These were the same people planning his downfall. But why? In his bid to find out why they were planning this evil against him, he went to the home of the two Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. He wanted to know if he had in any way, overtly or covertly, offended the trees in the forest which he was unaware of. He also wanted to know whether or not he would be able to overcome these enemies. When Ifá was consulted, they found a leg of Ogbè on the right hand side of the Ifá tray and a leg of O®Ùka¾nra¾n on the left. The Awo told A®ak; e;, the Axe that he had not offended the trees in the forest in anyway. Their hatred was borne out of envy and malice. He

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was however assured that he would overcome. The Awo advised A®ak; e; to carry his own war to the forest and confront all these enemies. He was urged to move, not to wait endlessly in anxiety and apprehension. A®ak; e; was assured that the best and most practical form of defence was attack. Attacking his enemies first would bring him minimal damage and would inflict maximum damage on his numerous enemies. The Awo also advised A®ak; e; to offer eôboô and feed O®gu;n as stated above. A®ak; e; complied. As soon as he did this, he prepared himself for the confrontation in the forest. On the day that he would go to the forest, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ had been there before him. E®sôu¾ was the one showing him the trees to attack first. He followed the advice of E®sôu.¾ He began to fell all his enemies. He started with I®ro;ko¾, then Ooro, A®ra¾ba¾, Os®Ù ôun ; sôu;n, O®gu¾nber¾ô e,ô¾ Eri;mado¾ and Ka;nran. He then rested. When he resumed action, he descended on A®fon ¾ô , Ayu¾nre,ô; Ape;pe, Afa¾ra¾, Re;re;, Om ®Ù o,ô¾ Idi; and Osôe¾. By the time A®ak; e; finished for the day, over 15 trees had been reduced to mere stumps. In three months, over 1,460 trees had been felled. That was when the trees knew that they were no match for A®ak; e;, the Axe. Ogbe¾ kan OÙ®ka¾nra¾n kan Di;a; fu;n Ab’eyi;n-Ganngan Ti; n; gb’o;gun loô inu; oko loô¾oô; sôeô;’te¾ô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;se ô ô; ogun A®ja¾se ô ô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ O®Ùpeô¾ N®jeô; Ab’eyi;n-Ganngan ni yo;o; sôeô;’te¾ô eô woôn o Gbogbo igi oko Ti; n;ba; A®ak ; e; sô’oô¾ta; A®a;ke; ni yo;o; sôeô;’te¾ôeô gbogbo woôn Igba igi ti; n;da;’ri; iku; soô A®ak ; e; Rekete Ku¾ku¾te; l’A®ak ; e; soô woô;n da¾ Rekete

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Translation: One leg of Ogbè (here on the right) One leg of O®Ùka¾nra¾n (here on the left) This was the Ifá cast for Abeyi;n-Ganngan (the one with Pointed Teeth) When going to wage war to overcome enemies on the farm He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory over enemies Victory over enemies is what Ifá guarantees Behold, Abeyi;n-Ganngan will overcome them all All the trees in the forest Planning the death of A®ak; e; (the Axe) The Axe will overcome them all The 200 trees planning the death of A®ak; e; Completely A®ak; e; will reduce them all to mere stumps Completely Ifá guarantees that this person shall overcome all of his/her enemies, no matter how many or powerful they may be. 7. Ifá warns this person that evil principalities are already in his/her house or are about to enter the house. There is the need for this person to offer eôboô that will enable him/her to chase all this evil away from his/her house and life. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one cock, 16 six-inch nails or pincers and money. He/she also needs to feed E®sôu¾ with another cock. After the eôboô has been offered, it will be taken to E®sôu.¾ The eôboô is to be placed inside a leaf and the 16 nails will be nailed round the eôboô to grip it into the ground. When the cock for E®sôu¾ is slaughtered, the head of the cock will also be nailed to the ground at the E®sôu¾ shrine.

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On this, Ifá says: E®ki;ti¾ peô;te;ô Awo eô¾ba; oô¾na¾ Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; yo;o; kan Iku; o¾un A®ru¾n mo;ô’leô¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The small anthill, the Awo of the roadside He cast Ifá for Ogbè Who will nail Ikú (Death) and A®ru¾n (Affliction) to the ground He was advised to offer eôboô Ikú, Death and A®ru¾n, Affliction had successfully settled in Ogbè’s house. They were awaiting the arrival of EÙjoô; (Contention) and O®fo¾ (Loss) to join them before they began to wreck havoc in the house. When the latter was taking long in coming, A®ru¾n tied Ogbè down. He was afflicted with many ailments. He was getting weaker and sicker every day. Ogbè was being prepared in readiness for Ikú to strike. He began to have bad dreams and experience nightmares. When the pains and inconvenience had become very unbearable, he called on E®ki;ti¾ Peôt; e;ô Awo EÙb ® a; O®n ô a¾ for Ifá consultation: Would I survive? Yes. He would. The Awo assured him. The Awo told him that Ikú and A®ru¾n were in his house and that was what was responsible for his nightmares and ill health. There was the urgent need to chase away these evil principalities in order to return his life to normal. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. As soon as he procured all the eôboô materials, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ went to work. He invited Ikú and A®ru¾n to come and see what Ogbè was doing. He told them that Ogbè was the most foolish person he had ever seen. Instead of preparing himself for his death, which would come very soon, he was squandering his money on eôboô materials in the home of the Awo. He asked them to follow him to witness the foolish action which Ogbè and his Awo were engaging in which was the performance of the eôbo.

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As Ogbè was taking the eôbo to the E®sôu¾ shrine, E®sôu¾ asked Ikú and A®ru¾n to follow him. When Ogbè placed the eôbo on the ground, E®sôu¾ told Ikú and A®ru¾n that there was the need to investigate what Ogbè and his Awo had buried under the spot where the eôbo was placed. As Ikú and A®ru¾n squeezed themselves under the eôbo, EÙjoô; and O®fo¾ appeared on the scene. E®sôu¾ asked them to go under the eôbo too. They did. E®sôu¾ used his unbelievable power to press the four of them down under the eôbo and they were nailed down and rendered immobile and powerless! They were there under the eôbo for 17 days. On the 18th day, E®sôu¾ went to them and struck a deal with them: if they were prepared to leave Ogbè alone, they would be released. They agreed. As soon as E®sôu¾ released them, they scrambled out of Ogbè’s life and never returned. E®ki;ti¾ peô;te;ô Awo eô¾ba; oô¾na¾ Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; yo;o; kan Iku; o¾un A®ru¾n mo;ô’leô¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri N®jeô; Ogbe¾ lo; kan Iku; Ogbe¾ lo; kan A®ru¾n Ogbe¾ lo; ko; gbogbo Irunbi ka¾n moô;’le¾ô Translation: The small anthill, the Awo of the roadside He cast Ifá for Ogbè Who will nail Ikú (Death) and A®ru¾n (Affliction) to the ground He was advised to offer eôbo He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy longevity Behold, Ogbè has nailed down Ikú Ogbè has nailed down A®ru¾n Ogbè has nailed down all Evil Principalities

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Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will live long and will enjoy his/her life without the threat of death or ailment. 8. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of longevity for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that there is a particular Deity in the lineage of this person which must not be allowed to perish. Ifá says that there is the need for this person, together with all members of his/her extended family to identify all the O®ri¾sôa¾/Iru;nmoôleô¾ in the family and resume propitiating them. Ifá warns that if this is not done, the consequence will not be favourable. Ifá advises this person to offer eôbo with monkey flesh and money. After this, all the deities in this person’s family must be fed. This must be done at regular intervals. On these, Ifá says: E:eg ; u;n ni;i; f’oôwoô; pete mu;’gba; oôti; Pa¾ak ¾ a; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; fi¾nna¾-fi¾nna¾ mu;’da¾ Bi; ba¾ta; ba; n;pe 'La;pe¾ôkun 'La;pe¾ôkun ni ba¾ta; n;pe’ri; Di;a; fu;n OÙloô;fin Ti; yo;o; da¾gba¾-da¾gba¾ Ti; yo;o; f’eôran oô¾boô ru;’boô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: The Egu;ngu;n masquerade is he who uses gloves on his hands to handle the alcohol calabash The Pa¾ra¾ka; masquerade is he who uses his stretched hands to grip a sword When the ba¾ta; drummer calls on „La;pe¾ôkun It is „La;pe¾ôkun that the drummer focuses his attention on These were Ifa;;‟s messages for OÙloô;fin Who would grow so old And use monkey meat to offer eôboô He was advised to offer eôboô

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OÙloô;fin was the OÙba of Ile;-Ife¾ô. When he was installed as the Ϙba, there was progress, development and peace in the land. Gradually, the progress and development began to go down in the land. In their place came chaos and anxiety. OÙloô;fin was worried. He knew that he would soon join his ancestors, because he had grown old and feeble, but he did not want to depart only to tell the ancestors that when he assumed the position of Ϙba, the land was peaceful and there was development and progress; but by the time he left, the land had degenerated into chaos and anxiety. That was why he summoned the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. He wanted to find a possible solution to the problems in the land. When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾OÙ®ka¾nra¾n revealed. The Awo told OÙloô;fin that the reason why there was chaos in the land was that all the ancestral groves in the land had been abandoned and the ancestors had been left unpropitiated. As long as this continued to happen, so would there be chaos and anxiety in the land. OÙloô;fin was advised to identify all the sites of the ancestors and begin to propitiate them immediately. They also told OÙloô;fin to procure monkey meat and money for eôboô. OÙloô;fin ordered his hunters to get monkey meat for him. On that same day, they had more than enough meat to use for the eôboô. Before the hunters returned however, OÙloô;fin had identified all the ancestral sites. When the sites were examined it was discovered that all the O®ri¾sôa¾ô who used to reside there had all gone. After the eôboô had been offered, the Awo returned to the sites and placed “Oju;-Ob ®Ù oô”, the eyes of the monkeys into the ancestral sites and summoned the spirits of the O®ri¾sôa¾ô. They returned. As soon as these processes were completed, normalcy returned to the land gradually. Once again, there was development and progress. Peace and tranquillity returned. OÙloô;fin was ready to go and meet his ancestors in order to give them the report that he assumed the throne when there was progress, development, peace and tranquillity and he when he left it there was still progress, development, peace and tranquillity.

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E:eg ; u;n ni;i; f’oôwoô; pete mu;’gba; oôti; Pa¾ak ¾ a; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; fi¾nna¾-fi¾nna¾ mu;’da¾ Bi; ba¾ta; ba; n;pe 'La;pe¾ôkun 'La;pe¾ôkun ni ba¾ta; n;pe’ri; Di;a; fu;n OÙloô;fin Ti; yo;o; da¾gba¾-da¾gba¾ Ti; yo;o; f’eôran oô¾boô ru;’boô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®jeô; ko¾ si; O®o¾sôa¾ l’a;ye; mo;ô Oju;-O®Ùboô la¾ n; boô Translation: The Egu;ngu;n masquerade is he who uses gloves on his hands to handle the alcohol calabash The Pa¾ra¾ka; masquerade is he who uses his stretched hands to grip a sword When the ba¾ta; drummer calls on „La;pe¾ôkun It is „La;pe¾ôkun that the drummer focuses his attention on These were Ifa;;‟s messages for OÙloô;fin Who would grow so old And use monkey meat to offer eôboô He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life There are no more O®ri¾sôa¾ on earth We are only propitiating Oju;-O®b Ù oô Ifá says that this person will be able to bring his/her life back to normalcy if he/she can identify all their abandoned O®ri¾sôa¾ and ancestors and begin to propitiate them again.

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(Please note the pun on the words “Oju;-O®Ùboô”, meaning “the eyes of OÙ®boô, monkey” and the word “Oju;boô” meaning “the spot in a house where the ancestors and/or O®ri¾sôa¾ are being propitiated”)

9. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a spouse for a man looking for a compatible wife. Ifá says that he will also receive the blessing of children from the woman. Ifá says that two women will show up at the same time, or have already shown up, but he needs to pick one and marry her. One of the two women will be fair-skinned while the other one will be dark-skinned. The fair-skinned woman will be slightly prettier than the dark-skinned one. Ifá advises this person to choose the dark-skinned woman. That is the person who will add more meaning to his life. Ifá advises this person to offer eôbo ôwith two rats, two fish and money. He is also advised to feed Ifá with whatever Ifá demands for. A stanza in Ogbe¾-‟Ka¾nra¾n on this aspect says: E®ek ¾ a¾n Ka;ngun-Ka¾ngun Awo A®gboôn lo; di;a; f’A:gboôn A®gboôn n;w’o;ôkoô i¾mo¾ôra¾n-a;n ya¾n kiri EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: E®ek¾ a¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun The Awo of A®gboôn (the Coconut) cast Ifa; for A®gboôn When searching for an ideal spouse She was advised to offer eôboô A®gboôn, the Coconut, was a robust, tall, fair-skinned and very beautiful woman. She had attained the age that she ought to be married but she had no man of her own. All the men who had come her way were considered to be not up to her level of standard or were not compatible with her. She therefore went for Ifá consultation to determine when she would be able to find the ideal man to marry. The Awo told A®gboôn that she needed to lower her pride and arrogance and lower her standards slightly in order for her to be able to find a

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serious man to marry her. She was also advised to offer eôboô as stated above. She saw no reason why she should lower her standards; and for that reason, she simply ignored the advice of the Awo for her to offer eôboô.

E®ek ¾ a¾n Ka;ngun-Ka¾ngun Awo OÙ®peô lo; di;a; f’OÙ:peô O®peô n;w’o;ôkoô i¾mo¾ôra¾n-a;n ya¾n kiri EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: E®e¾ka¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun The Awo of O®Ùpeô (the Palm tree) cast Ifa; for O®Ùpeô When searching for an ideal spouse She was advised to offer eôboô O®Ùpeô, the Palm-tree, was a tough-looking, coarse, dark-skinned, and not so pretty woman. She too had attained the age when she was ripe for marriage but nobody seemed to notice her. She craved for an understanding husband who would appreciate the fact that it was not only physical appearance or beauty that made a woman desirable. She vowed within herself that she would try everything in her power to find a good husband and make him happy. Yet, she found nobody interested in her. Not long after this, she met OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ who was also looking for a wife. She was quick to find out that as she was interested in OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ so also was A®gboôn. She therefore went for Ifá consultation: Will I be blessed with my own man who will understand me? Will I become the wife of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾? If yes, will he take good care of me? Will I be happy in his home? Will the relationship be blessed with many children? The Awo assured O®Ùpeô that she would not only make a good wife, her man would be a good husband and make her glad and fulfilled. She was told that she was not the only one interested in the man, but with appropriate eôboô she would be the one the man would marry eventually. She would also be blessed with a peaceful home. She was assured that her man would take good care of her and make her the pearl of his

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eyes. She was told that a time would come when her man would not be able to do anything in her absence. She was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. Her belief in Ifá made her offer the eôboô because she knew that if she didn’t, she would not be able to compete with A®gboôn. After the eôboô, she kept her fingers crossed and waited for the miracle guaranteed by Ifá to come to her life. E®ek ¾ a¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun Awo O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ lo; di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;sunku;n ala;i¾l’o;bi¾nrin EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: E®ek¾ a¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun The Awo of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When weeping in lamentation for his inability to secure a compatible spouse He was advised to offer eôboô O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was in search of a woman who would be his companion and confidant. He was not sure of the many women who had come his way thus far. He was however giving serious consideration to two women, A®gboôn and OÙ®peô It was a difficult choice. A®gboôn was robust, fair skinned and very beautiful. OÙ®peô was tough looking, dark-skinned, and not that pretty. OÙ®peô however looked to be a very humble person. Who should he pick among the two women as his wife? That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ invited E®e¾ka¾n¾ ka;ngun ka¾to come and consult Ifá for him: Who must I choose among the two women? Who among the two will make me happy and fulfilled? Who will bring me many blessings? Who is compatible with my destiny among these two women? The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would have a very compatible wife who would be ready to put herself on the line for him to progress and succeed in life. Both of them would complement each other fully in all aspects of life. He would live a happy and fulfilled life. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was told that the woman who would be ideal for him was OÙ®peô.

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He was advised not to marry A®gboôn because they were not compatible and there would be no benefit in living a life with A®gboôn. The Awo also advised OÙ®runmi¾la¾ to offer eôboôô as stated above. He complied. Soon after this, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ got married to O®Ùpeô. As soon as O®Ùpeô entered into the home and life of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ everything changed for the better for him. He became more prosperous and his work became easier for him to perform. O®Ùpeô assisted OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in his work with every part of her being. She produced palm oil for him; she would also tapped into to palm-wine; her fronds were used to thatch the roof and to make brooms; her stem was use for construction; the rind of her nuts were used as fuel; the shell of the nuts was made into La;gi;di;gba beads; the seeds were extracted to make palm-kernel oil. In fact, there was no part of her that was of no usefulness on its own. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ benefitted immensely from the relationship. To crown it all, she also produced a special kernel known as Ikin which represented Ifá and which was used for consultation. Because of this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ enjoined all his children and followers that any benefit that they had the capacity of rendering must be given to O®Ùpeô because she had proved herself as a great wife. E®ek ¾ a¾n Ka;ngun-Ka¾ngun Awo A®gboôn lo; di;a; f’A:gboôn A®gboôn n;w’o;ôkoô i¾mo¾ôra¾n-a;n ya¾n kiri EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: f’eti; o¾tu;n gb’eô;boô O: fi t’o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾ E®ek ¾ a¾n Ka;ngun-Ka¾ngun Awo O®ÙpÙeô lo; di;a; f’OÙ:peô OÙ®peô n;w’o;ôkoô i¾mo¾ôra¾n-a;n ya¾n kiri EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô E®ek ¾ a¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun Awo O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ lo; di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n;sun’ku;n ala;i¾l’o;bi¾nrin EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô oore ti; eô ba; ni; Ki; eô ma; mu¾u; sô’A®gboôn OÙ®peô ni¾ka¾n l’olo;ore a¾wu;ro¾ô

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Translation: E®e¾ka¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun The Awo of A®gboôn (the Coconut) cast Ifa; for A®gboôn When searching for an ideal spouse She was advised to offer eôboô She heard the advice with her right ear And threw it out with her left ear E®e¾ka¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun The Awo of O®Ùpeô (the Palm tree) cast Ifa; for O®Ùpeô When searching for an ideal spouse She was advised to offer eôboô She complied E®e¾ka¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun The Awo of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When weeping in lamentation for his inability to secure a compatible spouse He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Any benefit that you receive Do not render it to A®gboôn Only OÙ®peô deserves benefits from the beginning Ifá says that both husband and wife will live happily and both of them will affect each other’s lives positively in a symbiotic manner. 10. Ifá advises the person or group for whom this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô for victory over adversity. Only eôboô can save him/her/them where this Odù is revealed. The opposition is very formidable, but with eôboô, he/she/they shall overcome. Ifá advises the person(s) to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, plenty of cactus plants and money. He/she/they also need to plant cactus trees round his/her/their house(s), if it is possible to do so.

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On this, Ifá says: I®lu; oro; woôn o¾ ju;’gbe¾e; I®lu; a¾je¾ji¾ woôn o¾ ju;’wo¾ô I®ya¾ a; jeô a¾je¾ji¾ ta;n O: t’ara i¾lu; u re¾ô para-pa¾ra¾-para Di;a fu;n Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n I®gba¾ti; n; f’ojooju;mo;ô koô’minu; ogun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: It is not easy living in a wicked town It is not easy entering a strange land When a stranger suffers untold hardship He will long for his native land unendingly These were Ifá’s declarations to Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n When he was in constant fear of war and uprising He was advised to offer eôboô Olo;mu¾, the OÙba of O®mu¾ land, had no rest anymore. He was also in constant fear of war. His spies had warned him that the people of I®da¾ho¾m ô i¾, the Dahomean people were planning to wage war against his land. The war machine of the I®da¾hom ¾ô i¾, people was awesome. Olo;mu¾ was objective enough to know that O®mu¾ was no match against the military might of the I®da¾ho¾m ô i¾, people. The military supremacy was simply overwhelming. Olo;mu¾ realized that unless there was Divine intervention, O®mu¾ would be levelled to the ground. Why must this happen when he was the Ϙba of the land? What bothered him more than anything else was the Cavalry battalion of the ô i¾ people. They were so ruthless and unsympathetic. Should he I®da¾ho¾m run away before the war begins? If he did so, what would happen to his subjects? What type of leader would he be if he abandoned all his subjects and went into hiding? Should he commit suicide as soon as the war gets to his town? If he did so, what benefit would that bring to his subjects? Should I just surrender myself and the town when the soldiers arrive? Would this save my domain? Truly, he needs divine intervention. That was precisely what he looked for when he summoned

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the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will my land survive the impending war? If yes, how? If no, what did he need to do? The Awo told Olo;mu¾ that there was an impending war which was sure to be waged against O®mu¾ land. He said that O®mu¾ land was no match against its opponent. He told Olo;mu¾ that only eôboô could save the land from total destruction. He said that the Cavalry unit of the enemies was more than enough to crush any town five times the size and strength of O®mu¾ land. He advised Olo;mu¾ to offer eôboô as stated above. Olo;mu¾ thought about the whole situation and concluded that he had no other realistic option than to offer the eôboô. He did it that very day. I®lu; oro; woôn o¾ ju;’gbe¾e; I®lu; a¾je¾ji¾ woôn o¾ ju;’wo¾ô I®ya¾ a; jeô a¾je¾ji¾ ta;n O: t’ara i¾lu; u reô¾ para-pa¾ra¾-para Di;a; fu;n OÙroô; Ti;i; sô’oôloôtan O®mu¾ E®yi; ti; yo;o; gb’o;gun ja¾ l’O:mu¾ Ti; yo;o; gb’O®mu¾ ka’le¾ô l'o;;ôwoô; iku; EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: It is not easy living in a wicked town It is not easy entering a strange land When a stranger suffers untold hardship He will long for his native land unendingly These were Ifá’s declarations to OÙroô; (the Cactus) The relative and neighbour of O®mu¾ land Who would brave the war of O®mu¾ And rescue O®mu¾ land from impending doom He was advised to offer eôboô OÙroô; felt sympathy in seeing the futile moves of the inhabitants of O®mu¾ land. He could read hopelessness and resignation on their faces. The inhabitants were just awaiting the arrival of the I®da¾hom ô¾ i¾ people and they all knew that the day the I®da¾hom ô¾ i¾ people arrived in their town would be

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the day that they would all die violently. That was what moved him to decide to help them. He knew that he had the power to incapacitate all ô¾ i¾ people and render both the the cavalry relied upon by the I®da¾hom horses and the riders useless and ineffective. That was exactly what he planned to do. For this reason, he went to the same group of Awo which Olo;mu¾ consulted to cast Ifá for him and advise him on what to do for his plan to work. The Awo told him that he had the good mind of helping his neighbours; and that his plan had a very good chance for working if well timed and well executed. He was advised to time everything he would do very well. He was also advised to offer the same eôboô which Olo;mu¾ was advised to offer. OÙroô; understood exactly what the Awo meant by timing his strategy very well. He also complied with the advice and offered the eôboô After this, he went to the people of O®mu¾ land and advised them to keep their minds at rest. He assured them that they would not lose the war. They all began to await the arrival of the I®da¾hom ô¾ i¾ soldiers. Shortly after this, the spies came to inform all the inhabitants that the soldiers were just a few posts to the land. OÙroô; asked all the inhabitants to dip the cactus that was in their homes into the stream that the cavalry would use cross into the land. They did. As soon as this was done, E®sôu¾ urged the soldiers to move quickly to overrun O®mu¾ land. When they got to the stream, the horses showed signs of thirst. E®sôu¾ encouraged the soldiers to allow their horses to drink water before they marched against the land. All the horses drank water from the stream that had been soaked with cactus. One by one, the horses fell and died! The soldiers became confused. E®sôu¾ told them that it would soon be their turn to die inexplicable deaths! When they heard this, they all took to their heels! The war was over before it even began. As soon as these soldiers left, E®sôu¾ came to announce to the inhabitants of O®mu¾ land that the war was over. The whole town burst into an exciting celebration. E®sôu¾ also told them to carry their bowls, trays and containers to go and cut up the horses and bring them home for consumption. That was exactly what they did. They used the horse meat to continue their festivities.

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I®lu; oro; woôn o¾ ju;’gbe¾e; I®lu; a¾je¾ji¾ woôn o¾ ju;’wo¾ô I®ya¾ a; jeô a¾je¾ji¾ ta;n O: t’ara i¾lu; u re¾ô para-pa¾ra¾-para Di;a fu;n Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n I®gba¾ti; n; f’ojooju;mo;ô koô’minu; ogun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô I®lu; oro; woôn o¾ ju;’gbe¾e; I®lu; a¾je¾ji¾ woôn o¾ ju;’wo¾ô I®ya¾ a; jeô a¾je¾ji¾ ta;n O: t’ara i¾lu; u reô¾ para-pa¾ra¾-para Di;a; fu;n OÙroô; Ti;i; sô’oôloôtan O®mu¾ E®yi; ti; yo;o; gb’o;gun ja¾ l’O:mu¾ Ti; yo;o; gb’O®mu¾ ka’le¾ô l'o;;ôwoô; iku; EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Peô¾le;ô Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n OÙmoô ar’oô;po;ôn n;la; j’omi-tooro eôsiô n E®yi; oômoô O®n¾seô¾gba¾ di;du¾n l’oô;na¾ O®mu Translation: It is not easy living in a wicked town It is not easy entering a strange land When a stranger suffers untold hardship He will long for his native land unendingly These were Ifá’s declarations to Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n When he was in constant fear of war and uprising He was advised to offer eôboô He complied It is not easy living in a wicked town It is not easy entering a strange land When a stranger suffers untold hardship He will long for his native land unendingly These were Ifá’s declarations to OÙroô; (the Cactus) The relative and neighbour of O®mu¾ land Who would brave the war of O®mu¾

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And rescue O®mu¾ land from impending doom He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Gently, Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n Offspring of those who have large bowls to consume soup made with horse meat Offspring of O®n¾seô¾gba¾ which is on the way to O®mu¾ land Ifá says that this person shall overcome a formidable enemy. Instead of being put to shame, the enemy shall be the one to experience shame. Conversely, the person for whom this Odù is revealed must never plan to put anyone to shame, lest his/her plan recoil on him/her. 11. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed plans to take something very useful and important from someone. Ifá says that this person will be able to take it. There will be crisis and problems at the initial stage but in the end, he/she will take it successfully. On the other hand, Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô so that something useful and important which he/she has will not be taken away from him/her. If he/she allows this to happen, all is/her efforts and struggles to retrieve the thing back will be fruitless. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks, 200 needles and money. On this Ifá says: A®ba¾ta¾ ni;i; mu;’le¾ô rin gbi¾ngbi¾n Di;a; fu;n Eku;nku;n Ti; yo;o; gba Iri¾n Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin Erin EÙboô ni woôô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: A marshy place is noted for its wetness This was the Ifá cast for Eku;nku;n (the needle grass) Who would snatch away Iri¾n

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The wife of Erin (the Elephant) He was advised to offer eôboô Iri¾n was a maltreated woman. She was very unhappy in her husband’s house. She had no peace of mind. She was constantly abused, physically, emotionally and mentally. She was to be seen but never to be heard. She however noticed how free her friends were in their respective matrimonial homes and this made her even more depressed. One day, she went out on an errand for her husband Erin, the Elephant. She met Eku;nku;n on the way. She had many things to carry and helped Eku;nku;n her to carry them. This had never happened between her and Erin. They conversed freely until she finally arrived to where she was going. This too had never happened before between her and her husband. When she was returning from where she went to, she met Eku;nku;n again. The next two months, they continued meeting up with each other and she developed a deep affection for Eku;nku;n. When she came to know that Eku;nku;n was not yet married, she felt that he would be a nice companion to have because he was a very nice man. Before long, they developed a relationship. She would go and rest, and have long conversations with Eku;nku;n and her mind would feel free and relieved while she was with him. One day, Eku;nku;n told Iri¾n that they could not continue to be secret lovers anymore because it was totally unethical and that it was unacceptable to him. He told her that he would like her to become his wife because he felt that both of them would make a good pair. Iri¾n responded that she was ready to be his wife but the problem was Erin, her husband. She told Eku;nku;n that her husband would go after him and crush him to death if he should find out that Eku;nku;n was planning to snatch her away from him. They discussed this matter for a long time. In the end, they agreed that Eku;nku;n needed to go to A®bat¾ a¾ ni;i mu;’le¾ô rin gbi¾ngbi¾n for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in my bid to become the husband of Iri¾n? Will both of us live to tell the story? The Awo assured Eku;nku;n that he would not only live to tell the story, but that the woman would be a good spouse and also give birth to many

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beautiful children for him. He was however informed that there would be crises and confusion, but in the end, he and Iri¾n would overcome. The Awo advised Eku;nku;n to offer eôboô with three cocks, 200 needles and money. He complied. As soon as the eôboô was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went into action. He stuck the 200 needles all over Eku;nku;n’s body, with the pointed edge of the needles pointing upward. Two days after the eôboô was offered, Iri¾n packed her things and moved into Eku;nku;n’s house. As soon as she moved in however, trouble started. Erin considered what had happened as an insult of the highest order. He simply could not live with such an insult, he insisted. He boasted that he would not only take back his wife but he would equally punish the person who had the temerity to snatch his wife away from him. He sent several people to investigate where Iri¾n had packed to and to identify the person who had lodged her in his home. Within a week, the exact location of Iri¾n had been identified. The same day that the report of Iri¾n’s location was given to Erin, he charged. When he got there, he saw Eku;nku;n spread everywhere. He marched forward to where Eku;nku;n was, but immediately let out a loud cry of anguish and rushed out. There was blood on his four legs. The needles which Eku;nku;n offered as eôboô, which E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ stuck to his body were marched upon by Erin and they had pierced his feet. He tried a second time but cried in anguish again. He finally went home. One week after, he attempted again to get his wife back but again he went back to his home with needles and sores. For one year, Erin kept trying and for one year, he kept suffering. Nobody appealed to Erin. He finally gave up on Iri¾n and she became Eku;nku;n’s wife without any more contention. A®ba¾ta¾ ni;i; mu;’le¾ô rin gbi¾ngbi¾n Di;a; fu;n Eku;nku;n Ti; yo;o; gba Iri¾n Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin Erin EÙboô ni woôô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô

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E®ro¾ I®po, E®ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;se ô ô; ogun A®ja¾se ô ô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sa ô ¾ A®gba¾gbe; la o; maa gba¾ woô;n ni;’re loô o A®gba¾kan l'eku;nku;n gba’Ri¾n l’o;ôwoô; Erin A®gba¾gbe; la o; maa gba¾ woô;n ni;’re loô o Translation: A marshy place is noted for its wetness This was the Ifá cast for Eku;nku;n (the needle grass) Who would snatch away Iri¾n The wife of Erin (the Elephant) He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Travellers to I®po of O®Ùfa¾ Join us where we use eôbo to overcome adversity Victory over adversary is what Ifá guarantees Without adverse consequences will we take Ire away from them Without adverse consequences does Eku;nku;n snatch away Iri¾n from Erin Without adverse consequences will we take away Ire from them Ifá says that it will guarantee victory and accomplishment for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. He/she also needs to offer eôboô against others taking away something from him/her that is of inestimable value. 12. Ifá advises a woman of substance where this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô against being subjected to ridicule by her envious colleagues. This is because there is something that is really agitating her mind and her colleagues are using that to make mockery of her. Ifá says that if she offers appropriate eôboô, the mouths of her envious friends and colleagues will be permanently shut when Ifá supplies to her what has been missing in her life.

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Ifá says that by the same period the following year, whatever is it that has been agitating her mind and has been causing her great sadness, pain and anxiety will be resolved and she will be in a position to celebrate and rejoice. Ifá advises this woman to offer eôboô with two rats, two fish, two hens, two cocks, two ducks, two guinea fowls, two pigeons and money. On this, Ifá says: Ori; ni; n; sôe woô;n ba;yi¾i;, Awo O®gu;nni;kin A®sôo¾wo¾o¾je¾er¾ e¾ bi; eôni wi;pe; eôni o¾ tile¾ô m'oôja¾a; na; ni Di;a; fu;n Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; Wo;ôn ni; ko; sô’eôboô oôla¾ Ko; si¾ sô’eôboô oômoô Translation: Their destinies directed them so, the Awo of O®gu;nni;kin If one trades and makes no profit, it is like one has no business sense These were Ifá’s declarations to Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; Who was advised to offer eôboô of prosperity And also for childbearing Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; was a relatively wealthy woman. She was blessed with the latest attire, jewellery, make-up, etc. She was also very beautiful. She was also very generous and she always made it a point of duty to contribute her quota to any community development programmes. She however was not blessed with the fruit of the womb. This was what had been giving her serious concern. She wished to have her own baby so as to stop sending other people’s children on errands. The day came for the annual event in the town. Everybody was expected to attend and dance. Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; ensured that she contributed more than others in order to make the event a huge success.

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When it was time for dancing, Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; stepped into the dancing arena and began to dance and put money on the foreheads of all the women present. They collected the money. Suddenly, the music and songs changed. The women who she had just pasted money on their foreheads began to sing thus: EÙni l’aye; ire e; de; Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; ire e; de; Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoôô oô¾ reô da¾ o Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ l'a;gbo O l’o;wo; l’o;ôwoô;, o o¾ r’oô;moô ra¾ o Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ l’a;gbo Translation: Owner of the world, here comes ire Si¾e-¾ô E®ji¾de;, here comes Ire Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby? Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby on this dancing floor? You are blessed with wealth but wealth cannot buy you your own baby Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby on this dancing floor? When the women began to sing this song, they all quickly went to carry their babies and strap them on their backs. It was a perfectly executed coup against Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de. She burst into tears and left the dancing arena immediately. She was crying home and began to say: Ko¾ ma¾ ma¾ s’o;ômoô l’a;teô o Olo;wo; i¾ ba; ra¾ o Translation: If there were markets where babies were sold The rich would go there to buy She was singing this song repeatedly. As she was singing, so was she crying. Suddenly, from nowhere in particular, she heard a voice singing another song; It was E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ singing in reply to her song of sorrow? The voice saying:

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OÙmoÙ ma¾ ma¾ n;beô l’a;teô o O: d’ile; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ o Translation: Of course there are children in the market Go to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾‟s home She looked around and she saw nobody singing. She tried running away from the voice she was hearing until she became tired. In the end, she decided to head for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house instead of running away from the person whom she did not see. When she got to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s home, she burst into tears again. She narrated her tale of sorrow to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ assigned two of his resident Awo, Ori; ni; n;sôe won ô; ba;yi¾i;, Awo O®gu;nni;kin and A®sÙo¾wo¾o¾je¾e¾re¾ bi; eôni wi;pe; eôni o¾ tile¾ô m’oôja¾a; na; lo; ri; to attend to her. They did. They advised her to offer eôboô as stated above, so that she could continue to succeed financially and at the same time, she would be blessed with the fruit of the womb. She complied. After this, they did Ifá work for her and that same month, she became pregnant. On the day of the following annual celebration, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ told her to carry her baby to the dance arena. He called on all her colleagues to sing and mock her as they had done the previous year. None of them would. They were all overwhelmed with shame. In the end, they began to sing thus: EÙni l’aye; e¾ ire e; de; Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de e¾ ire e; de; Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; o¾ oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ o? Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô re¾e; l’a;gbo O l’o;wo; l’o;ôwoô;, o tu;n gb’o;ômoô poôn ¾ o Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; o¾, oômoôô reô re¾e; l’a;gbo L’o;o¾o;to;ô l’oômoô ma¾ma¾ n;beô l’a;teô o O: d’ile; OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ o! Translation:

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Owner of the world, here comes Ire Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here comes Ire Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, where is your baby? Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here is your baby in the dancing floor You are blessed with wealth and strap your own baby on your back Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here is your baby on the dance floor Truly, there are children in the market Go to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s home! From that day onward, Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de was the happiest woman on earth. Until she grew to her old age and joined her ancestors, she remained grateful to Olodumare, her Orí, Ifá and her Awo. Ori; ni; n; sôe woô;n ba;yi¾i;, Awo O®gu;nni;kin A®sôo¾wo¾o¾je¾er¾ e¾ bi; eôni wi;pe; eôni o¾ tile¾ô m'oôja¾a; na; ni Di;a; fu;n Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; Wo;ôn ni; ko; sô’eôboô oôla¾ Ko; si¾ sô’eôboô oômoô O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;'boô EÙni l’aye; ire e; de; Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; ire e; de; Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoôô oô¾ reô da¾ o Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ l'a;gbo O l’o;wo; l’o;ôwoô;, o o¾ r’oô;moô ra¾ o Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ l’a;gbo EÙni l’aye; e¾ ire e; de; Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de e¾ ire e; de; Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; o¾ oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ o? Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô re¾e; l’a;gbo O l’o;wo; l’o;ôwoô;, o tu;n gb’o;ômoô poôn ¾ o Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; o¾, oômoôô reô re¾e; l’a;gbo L’o;o¾o;to;ô l’oômoô ma¾ma¾ n;beô l’a;teô o O: d’ile; O®Ùrunmila o! Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;'ni ba;'yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo're o

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Translation: Their destinies directed them so, the Awo of O®gu;nni;kin If one trades and makes no profit, it is like one has no business sense These were Ifá’s declarations to Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; Who was advised to offer eôboô of prosperity And also for childbearing She complied Owner of the world, here comes ire Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, here comes Ire Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby? Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby on this dancing floor? You are blessed with wealth but wealth cannot buy you your own baby Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby on this dancing floor? Owner of the world, here comes Ire Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here comes Ire Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, where is your baby? Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here is your baby in the dancing floor You are blessed with wealth and strap your own baby on your back Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here is your baby on the dance floor Truly, there are children in the market Go to Orunmila‟s home! Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all Ire 13. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed to ensure that he/she offers his/her eôbo as quickly as possible. Ifá says that he/she should not postpone any eôbo especially if found that he/she has the means and space to offer the eôbo at the earliest possible time. Postponing his/her eôbo until another time may spell doom for him/her in the end. As a matter of fact, urgently offering his/her eôbo may mean the difference between life and death for him/her. Ifá advises this person to offer eôbo with four cocks, four hens, four guinea fowls and money.

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On this Ogbe¾-„Ka¾nra¾n says: Gu;ru;kan lo; di;a; fu;n Egu;ngu;n F’e¾ôyi¾n-sô’oôroô¾ lo; di;a; fu;n Oro¾ Ajagunra;si¾n lo; di;a; fu;n Abiyamoô Abuke; ile; I®la;, Awo ile; I®la; O®Ùroô¾ gbe;’nu; gbe; si;, Awo woôn O®ke¾ I®jero¾ Atiro eôseô¾ ni;i; ri¾n sa;n;ge;le;-sa¾n¾ge¾le¾-sa;n;ge;le; Di;a; fu;n Ajagun-N:la; Ni;’jo;ô to; n;gb’o;gun loô I®lu; O®wu EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Gu;ru;kan was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Egu;ngu;n F‟e¾ôyi¾n-sôorô oô¾ cast Ifa; for Oro¾ Ajagunra;si¾n cast Ifa; for Abiyamoô (the Nursing Mother) Abuke; Ile; I®la;, the Awo of I®la; land O®Ùroô¾-gbe;'nu;-gbe; si;, their Awo in I®jero¾ land The limping person who walks sideways They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ajagun-N:la; When going on a military campaign to O®wu town He was advised to offer eôboô Ajagun-N:la; was a very brave warrior. He had engaged in several military campaigns and had returned home victorious in all. The fear of Ajagun-N:la; became the beginning of wisdom for all the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages. One day, Ajagun-N:la; heard that the inhabitants of O®wu land were boasting that they had no fear for Ajagun-N:la; and they would face him power for power, tactic for tactic and bravery for bravery. This information did not sit pretty with him at all. As soon as he heard this, he began to prepare for war. He would teach them a lesson they would not forget in a hurry. Who were they? What military experience did they have? Who was backing them that was giving them this false confidence? Did they not realize that they were rats, playing with the whiskers of a cat?

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He concluded that he would move against I®lu; O®wu in three days' time and not more than that. He would make them eat dust. They would prostrate, crawl and cry at his feet after he had rubbished them. By the time he finished with them, they would have learnt never to play with fire any longer. In order to finalize his war plans he decided to go for Ifá consultation in the home of the group of Awo mentioned above: what type of punishment did he need to mete out to the inhabitants of O®wu land? The Awo consulted Ifá and advised Ajagun-N:la; that if he must wage war against the inhabitants of O®wu land at all, he needed to postpone the time that he would set out for at least one week. The time he had chosen was not auspicious for what he planned to do. He needed to offer eôboô and performed certain rituals before he could go. He was urged to complete all the rituals before he set out on his journey. Ajagun-N:la; could not believe his ears. So, these Awo would advise him to postpone his journey to O®wu where the inhabitants had been boasting and making costly jokes at his expense? No. He would not postpone the journey. He loved to offer eôboô anytime that eôboô was recommended for him. He would certainly offer this particular eôboô too. However, this eôboô would have to wait until he returned from the military campaign. It was over his dead body that a bunch of fools and inexperienced military jokers would make expensive jokes like that and get away with them. They must be dealt with decisively in order to use it as a deterrent against other loose-mouthed cheap soldiers in other areas. There was no need to wait for the three days he had earlier said. He left that evening. When he got to O®wu land, what he met there in term of resistance was totally unexpected. He realized to his chagrin that when a rat continuously challenged a cat, a hole was certainly within the reach of the rat. All his military tactics were deployed but he could make no headway. He was totally overwhelmed. In the end, the youths of O®wu land, who had never been exposed to any serious military action before were the ones who surrounded Ajagun-N:la;. They captured him. They dragged him round their town. In the evening of that day, they cut off his limbs. Three days later, Ajagun-N:la; was killed. The inhabitants began to make expensive jokes against Ajagun-N:la;, over his dead body.

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Gu;ru;kan lo; di;a; fu;n Egu;ngu;n F’e¾ôyi¾n-sô’oôroô¾ lo; di;a; fu;n Oro¾ Ajagunra;si¾n lo; di;a; fu;n Abiyamoô Abuke; ile; I®la;, Awo ile; I®la; O®Ùroô¾ gbe;’nu; gbe; si;, Awo woôn O®ke¾ I®jero¾ Atiro eôseô¾ ni;i; ri¾n sa;n;ge;le;-sa¾n¾ge¾le¾-sa;n;ge;le; Di;a; fu;n Ajagun-N:la; Ni;’jo;ô to; n;gb’o;gun loô I®lu; O®wu EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: f’eti; oôôtu;n gb’e;ôboô O: fi t’o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾ Ajagun-N:la; o¾ ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô I® ba; wa;a; f’owo; sô’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô o E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ EÙni i; gb’e;ôboô ni;’be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô o

Translation: Gu;ru;kan was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Egu;ngu;n F‟e¾ôyi¾n-sôorô oô¾ cast Ifa; for Oro¾ Ajagunra;si¾n cast Ifa; for Abiyamoô (the Nursing Mother) Abuke; Ile; I®la;, the Awo of I®la; land O®Ùroô¾-gbe;'nu;-gbe; si;, their Awo in I®jero¾ land The limping person who walks sideways They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ajagun-N:la; When going on a military campaign to O®wu town He was advised to offer eôboô He heard the advice with his right ear And threw it out with his left ear Had Ajagun-N:la; known ahead of time He would have ensured that he offered the eôboô as prescribed Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Let those advised to offer eôboô please comply

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Ifá says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odù is revealed to experience everlasting regret in his/her life. Ifá urges him/her to ensure that he/she complies with the advice to offer eôboô and the advice given before embarking on anything or taking any step. 14. Ifá warns that there is the urgent need to call a young man to order where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this young man is engaged in activities which could cut his life short abruptly. Ifá says that the irregular and untoward behaviour of this young man in question are on the verge of dragging him face to face with disaster and doom. If the young man is not urgently called to order, the family where he hails from will surely mourn his loss very soon. Ifá advises that eôboô should be offered with a mature he-goat and money. The man in question also needs to have a change of attitude and behaviour immediately. On these aspects, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an ti’re¾ô ko; ma; sôeô Di;a; fu;n Oni;se ô ku;se ô Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙku¾nrin O®de E®yi; ti; woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô Ko; ma; pin araa re¾ô l’eô;mi¾i; Translation: Ogbe¾-'Ka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for it not to come to pass This was the Ifá cast for Oni;sôeku;sôe (the boy with untoward behaviour) The boy about town Who was advised to offer eôboô Lest he cut his own life short Oni;sôeku;sôe, the boy with untoward behaviour, was truly an incorrigible person. He was a thief. He was a liar. He was very promiscuous. He was a cheat. He was a conspirator. He was a hired assassin. He had a particularly foul mouth. He was also very rude and disrespectful to

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constituted authority. Because he was the only son his mother had, she would always find convenient excuses for his irregular behaviour. Sometimes, the mother would tell whoever cared to listen that the boy’s father was really responsible because he had not been taking proper care of him, and that was why he started stealing other people’s things. Sometimes, she would say her son was so kind-hearted and so generous that he did not know how to say no to anyone who asked him for help. If he had nothing to give at that particular point in time, he would get the thing for the person by any means and give it to the person who asked for his assistance. Part of the means to satisfy those who asked for his help was to steal. Sometimes, when someone was killed and people suspected her son; her excuse would be that her son would never hurt anyone intentionally and if he did, it could never be without a genuine reason. The person hurt or killed probably was a wicked person in the society who deserved to go anyway in order to allow the society to breath fresh air. Instead of people condemning her son, they ought to thank him for doing their dirty work for them. That was the way he had been living his life. That was also the way his mother had been giving him backing. The neighbours were watching with horror but Oni;sôeku;sôe and his mother appeared not to take notice. One day however, Oni;sôeku;sôe went for Ifá consultation. He wanted to go on a robbery operation. He was so confident that he would come back home with lots of loot. He wanted to know what to do before he proceeded on his illegal mission. The Awo told him that he was about to embark on a journey that had a very high propensity to cut short his life. He was advised to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and desist from this untoward behaviour. He was also advised to bring his mother along when coming to offer the ẹbọ. Oni;sôeku;sôe went home and called his mother to follow him to the home of the Awo. He procured the he-goat too. The Awo offered the eôboô for him. At the same time, the Awo told Oni;sôeku;sôe’s mother to warn her son to desist from all his untoward behaviour, lest he cut short his life. After this, they left. On their way back home, they both reasoned that as long as Oni;sôeku;sôe had offered the eôboô, nothing untoward would happen to him.

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They felt that the Awo was just jealous of his economic status. Oni;sôeku;sôe promised himself that when he returned from his robbery mission, he would go and give the Awo something to make him happy. That night, Oni;sôeku;sôe sneaked out of his house as was his usual practice and went on his mission. When he got there, the hunters were waiting. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ had gone to inform the hunters to be extra vigilant that night because hardened criminals and armed robbers might come to rob the community of its valuable items. Oni;sôeku;sôe got more than what he bargained for. He was shot with poisoned arrows in nine parts of his body. He died instantly. He died violently. Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an ti’re¾ô ko; ma; sôeô Di;a; fu;n Oni;se ô ku;se ô Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙku¾nrin O®de E®yi; ti; woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô Ko; ma; pin araa re¾ô l’eô;mi¾i; O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moô; E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ E®Ùyin o¾ wa;a; wo E®su ô ¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ Bo; ti wa; fi wo;ôn sô’eô¾si;n ni; gbangba Translation: Ogbe¾-'Ka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for it not to come to pass This was the Ifá cast for Oni;sôeku;sôe (the-boywith-untoward-behaviour) The boy about town Who was advised to offer eôboô Lest he cut his own life short He complied by offering eôboô But failed to heed the warning of the Awo Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Can’t you see how E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ Ridicules them out in the open?

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Ifá says that this person will not be subjected to ridicule. He also needs to ensure that he does not give E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ any reason to subject him to public ridicule or serious harm. 15. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed against taking his friend to his girlfriend’s house. If he does so, it is most likely that the friend will end up becoming the husband of the woman. Ifá warns that it is a big taboo for Ogbe¾-'Ka¾nra¾n children to steal their friends’ girlfriend or spouse. It is also not advisable for this person to take their male friends or male siblings to their lover’s place. Conversely, it is not advisable for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to accompany his friend or relative to his lover’s place only for him to manoeuvre the situation he found in the place to favour himself, where he would eventually become the husband of his friend’s or relative’s lover. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He also needs to be very careful in his dealings with others, no matter how close they may be to him. On this, Ifá has this to say: EÙ fi¾ loro EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾ Di;a; fu;n EÙpoô¾n Ti; yo;o; mu; Oko; re’le; obi¾nrin re¾ô O®bo¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: EÙ fi¾ loro EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾ They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for EÙpoô¾n (the Scrotum) Who planned to take Oko; (the Penis) to the home of his lover O®bo¾ (the Vagina) He was advised to offer eôboô

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Both Oko; (Penis) and EÙpoô¾n (the Scrotum) were close friends. They were so fond of each other that they had become almost inseparable. There was nothing that one would do outside the knowledge of the other. Because they loved to do everything in common and complimentarily, those who knew them very well preferred to refer to the two of them as the Genitals. One day, EÙpoô¾n (the Scrotum) met a woman that he was totally convinced would make him a good wife. The name of this woman was O®bo¾ (the Vagina). Before long, their love grew so deep that they soon began to consider marriage. EÙpoô¾n thought that it would be very unwise for him to take further steps without informing his bosom friend Oko; (the penis). Consequent upon this, he told Oko; everything that had been going on between O®bo¾ and himself. Oko; was extremely happy for this development. When this had been settled, he decided to go to the home of his Awo, EÙ fi¾ loro and EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾ for Ifá consultation. All that he wished to know was whether or not the relationship between him and O®bo¾ would be fruitful. The Awo told him that his lover was a great and loving woman. She was also very considerate. She would make a good home for him. He was however warned against taking anyone along whenever he planned to visit his lover at home. He was also told never to send anyone to her or ask anyone to represent him, no matter how close the person might be to him. He was warned to always go to her alone. The Awo also advised EÙpoô¾n to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He complied.

EÙ fi¾ loro EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾ Di;a; fu;n Oko; Ti; yo;o; gba obi¾nrin EÙpoô¾n l’a;gba¾gbe; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation:

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EÙ fi¾ loro EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾ They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Oko; (the Penis) Who would snatch the woman of EÙpoô¾n and make her his wife He was advised to offer eôboô Oko; (the penis) was very happy that his bosom friend EÙpoô¾n had secured a woman that made him happy. He wished him well in all ways. He was even prepared to assist the couple in any way he could to ensure that everything went well with them. He genuinely loved his friend and wholeheartedly identified himself with all what he was doing. When he got to know that his friend was happily hooked, he went to the home of the same Babaláwo for Ifá consultation in order to determine his own chance of meeting a woman that would make him happy also and fulfilled. When the two Awo cast the Ifá, Ogbe¾ OÙ®ka¾nra¾n was also revealed. The Awo informed Oko; that he too would soon be blessed with a woman who would be compatible to him. He was told that he needed to be patient because the time for him to secure his own lover would soon come. He was however warned against snatching another man’s wife or lover or even letting another man’s woman interest him in any amorous way. He needed to get such thoughts out of his mind immediately. The Awo advised him to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He was also told not to betray the confidence reposed in him by those who trusted and loved him. Oko; looked at himself very closely and declared that nothing on earth would ever make him develop any amorous interest in the woman of his own friend. There were too many eligible women around looking for partners. Why would he be interested in those who were already taken? He asked himself. He assured the Awo that such a thing would never happen to him. He could never and would never betray the trust reposed in him by anyone. He offered the eôboô as advised.

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One day, EÙpoô¾n planned to visit his woman. He was feeling shy to go there alone. Who would then accompany him to her place and help him call her out so that he could talk with her? He thought of many people and eventually settled with Oko;. As he was doing this, E®sôu¾ repeatedly whispered to him not to forget the warning of the Awo that he must never take anyone to his lover’s place. He considered this and concluded that if anyone would betray him, it could never and would never be Oko;. For every rule, there must be an exception. Oko; was the exception. He went and invited Oko; to accompany him. Being such good friends, Oko; obliged and accompanied him to the place. When they got near the place, EÙpoô¾n pointed to the house and begged his friend to go in and call his lover out for him. Oko; agreed. He entered into the house. The moment Oko; set his eyes on O®bo¾ and O®bo¾ saw Oko; everything changed. Oko; began to “transact” his own business at the expense of his friend. By the time he came out of the house, Oko; was too tired to discuss anything with EÙpoô¾n. The next day, Oko; followed EÙpoô¾n to the place. Oko; entered. EÙpoô¾n stayed outside. Oko; and O®bo¾ “transacted” business together again. The business was not unconnected with pregnancy and child-bearing. None of them remembered EÙpoô¾n. Oko; and EÙpoô¾n began to go together to the place; EÙpoô¾n would stay by the gate of the house; Oko; would enter to “transact” more business of baby making. Whenever he came out, he would tell his friend that he was being well represented. This was how everything was going on for a long time and EÙpoô¾n no longer had the chance to enter the house in order to discuss baby-making with his beloved, O®bo¾. One day, O®bo¾ became pregnant! When EÙpoô¾n heard of this, he nearly fainted. He made inquiries everywhere and found out that his bosom friend was responsible for the pregnancy! No! This was preposterous! It was totally impossible! It was unbelievable! It could not happen! He challenged his friend. All Oko; could tell his friend was for him not to worry, he (EÙpoô¾n) was well represented! EÙpoô¾n could not believe this, he decided to go and meet the parents of O®bo¾ in order to state his own case to them. When he got there, they painted a sorry picture of how his bosom friend had betrayed him; and

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how Oko; was in love with their daughter; how he had asked his friend to come and help him call her out but how his friend had taken over completely and how he had left him in the cold. When he finished his story, the parents of O®bo¾ looked at him with unhidden loath and anger. They told him that as far as that family was concerned, nobody knew him and nobody was interested in knowing him. The only person they knew with their daughter whom the whole family approved of was Oko;! They then warned him never to go about assassinating the good character of their daughter and made it clear that the family would go to any length to deal with him if they ever suspected such nonsense. He was told that it was in his best interest to ensure that the couple stayed happily married and joyfully together; if not, he would blame himself for any eventuality. After this, he was thrown out of the house unceremoniously. When he got back home, he realized that the only thing that would do him a world of good was to cooperate with both Oko; and O®bo¾. He was to accept the inevitable. He regretted that he had hitherto been warned never to take anyone to his lovers place, but alas, it was too late to do anything about it now. EÙ fi¾ loro EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾ Di;a; fu;n EÙpoô¾n Ti; yo;o; mu; Oko; re’le; obi¾nrin re¾ô O®bo¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moô; EÙ fi¾ loro EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾ Di;a; fu;n Oko; Ti; yo;o; gba obi¾nrin EÙpoô¾n l’a;gba¾gbe; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moôô; E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ EÙ®yin o¾ ri;’na; Ifa; ka¾n n; jo; woôn Translation:

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EÙ fi¾ loro EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾ They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for EÙpoô¾n (the Scrotum) Who planned to take Oko; (the Penis) to the home of his lover O®bo¾ (the Vagina) He was advised to offer eôboô He complied But did not heed the warning of the Awo EÙ fi¾ loro EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾ They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Oko; (the Penis) Who would snatch the woman of EÙpoô¾n and make her his wife He was advised to offer eôboô He complied But did not heed the warning of the Awo Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Don’t you see how the fire of Ifá continues to burn them fiercely? Ifá warns that after offering the eôboô it is imperative to heed the warning of the Awo. Even though Oko; succeeded in taking over the woman of his friend, he lived the rest of his life with the woman feeling very guilty for what he had done and his conscience never gave him a break. Oko; was never totally happy. Also, EÙpoô¾n was blackmailed into submission and lived with regrets. 16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to see his/her friend off across a bridge, stream, river or boundary of a town, province, state or country. It is a different thing if they are all going together to another place and he is a part of them. But if he/she is only seeing the friends off and after needs to return to his/her own home, he/she must not do so. All he/she needs to do is to see them off to the edge of a bridge, stream, river, town, province, state or country and turn back from there. This is very important to follow!

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Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to offer eôboô with the clothes he/she had on during the Ifá consultation. He/she also needs to feed O®gu;n and E®sôu¾ with one cock each. On this, Ifá says: Erin i; ra EÙfoô¾n ra A®ja¾na¾ku; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; i¾ja¾ ran¾ra s’oô;deô Di;a; fu;n Erin Ti; o¾hun O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ joô n; sô’oô¾reô; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The elephant disappears The buffalo disappears The elephant is it that raises its trunk threateningly at the hunter These were Ifá’s messages to Erin (the Elephant) When he and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ were friends He was advised to offer eôboô O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and Erin, the Elephant were close friends. They loved to visit each other regularly. Whenever they met, they would discuss several issues together and find ways of proffering solutions to the problems of life. One day, Erin went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above to find a solution to some of the issues affecting his community. The Awo consulted Ifá for him and they advised him to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He was also asked to offer eôboô with the dress that he was wearing on the day that he went for the Ifá consultation. Erin was ready to offer the eôboô quite alright. The problem however was that he was not prepared to release the dress that he was wearing,

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claiming that he did not have two dresses. He argued that he could not be going about naked. Erin was also warned not to see anybody off across any bridge, stream, river, town, province, state or country. He was advised to stay close to home for about six months. He said that he was moving about in order to reduce his massive size. His movements everywhere were in the form of exercise aimed at making him fit and slim so that he would not be looking awkward and mountainous. In short, he failed to offer the eôboô or comply with the warnings of the Awo. Two days after this, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ visited him. He told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ what the Awo had told him. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ urged him to go and offer the eôboô immediately. He gave Erin some money to purchase the he-goat and another dress for himself. He warned Erin that it was in his (Erin’s) interest to heed the warning of the Awo. Soon after, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ left for his home. Erin wanted to see him off but OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told Erin not to. He told Erin not to see anyone off and offer the eôboô as prescribed by his Awo. He promised to come back to visit Erin in two days' time.

In the morning, on the second day that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was to come and visit his friend, Erin had other friends with him. When they were about to leave, Erin decided to see them off to the spot across the stream. They went together. Unknown to Erin, so many people had been waiting in siege for him in order to kill him. They considered his crusade for people to change for the better as being irritating and disturbing. They planned to kill him. Many of these enemies did not even know him that well or at all. The only thing they knew about him was that he was always wearing velvet dresses. As soon as these enemies saw him crossing the stream with his friends, they waited for him to return alone. When he appeared, he was greeted with arrows, spears, javelins, swords, axes, batons, and so on. He died shortly after. Before his death however, he remembered that he had been warned not to see anyone off across any stream. In the evening, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ appeared at his friend’s house only to see his dead body. It was a painful spectacle. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declared to all sympathizers that Erin was a good fellow. Consequent upon that, he deserved a decent burial with all the rites of passage completed. That

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was exactly what Erin was given. When the final rites were being performed, all the Awo present began to chant I®yer¾ô e,ô¾ saying:

Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô’oro¾ Erin o o¾ Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô'oro¾ Erin Iku; o¾ ma¾ jeô; o, K’E:rin o; le¾ d’A:lo¾ô Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô’oro¾ Erin Translation: Rapidly does one perform the final rites of Erin (the Elephant) Forcefully does one perform the final rites of Erin Death was it that prevented Erin from accomplishing his purpose in life Powerfully does one perform the final rites of Erin All the rites of passage performed for Erin were supervised by OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ from the very beginning to the end.

Erin i; ra EÙfoô¾n ra A®ja¾na¾ku; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; i¾ja¾ ran¾ra s’oô;deô Di;a; fu;n Erin Ti; o¾hun O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ joô n; sô’oô¾reô; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: f’eôboô sô’aloô; N®je;ô gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô’oro¾ Erin o o¾ Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô'oro¾ Erin Iku; o¾ ma¾ jeô; o, K’E:rin o; le¾ d’A:lo¾ô Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô’oro¾ Erin Translation: The elephant disappears The buffalo disappears The elephant is it that raises its trunk threateningly at the hunter

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These were Ifá’s messages to Erin (the Elephant) When he and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ were friends He was advised to offer eôboô He delayed and failed to offer the eôboô at the appropriate time Forcefully does one perform the final rites of Erin Death was it that prevented Erin from fulfilling his destiny Powerfully does one perform the final rites of Erin Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be prevented from experiencing untimely death. That is why he/she needs to offer eôboô as quickly as possible and at the same time to follow the warnings of his/her Awo.


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B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N FOR CHILDREN BORN BY THE ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA: For the children of Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n, males and females, they are usually guaranteed with three great Ire at any given point in time in their lives. These three Ire are those of victory, merriment and happiness. These three Ire that are parts of the essential components of their destiny are the impetus that gear this person towards the achievement of great things in their lives. They give them the confidence to confront challenges, difficulties, duties, responsibilities, and assignments. At the end of the day, they come back with victory, sweet victory, which they savour for a long time. The success and accomplishment of Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n male and female children are more often than not cemented by strangers who either visit their locality or stay in their home. For these Ire to happen, there is the need for Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children to take good care of their homes and vicinity in terms of cleanliness, hygiene, and neatness. Their success chances are directly proportional to their level of neatness and hygiene. Consequent upon this, the more hygiene conscious they are, the better for their success chances. Through hard work, determination and resourcefulness, Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children usually return to their homes with honour, title conferment, leadership position, recognition and accolades. The more they receive, the more they push to achieve more. Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children have the propensity to live very long even while in the midst of enemies. There is no gainsaying the fact that many people wish them dead and buried. They will however live long to the regret and agony of their enemies. Those who take active steps for them to meet with calamity will end up falling into the traps that they set for Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children. The painful part of this aspect is that most of their enemies are within. They are the people that Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n do without relating to on a regular basis. Ifá will however make all these enemies fail in their deeds. The major weakness of Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children is that because they are used to receiving the three major Ire of victory, happiness and

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merriment, they cannot persevere in times of tribulation. They usually think of changing jobs, residence, or locality very quickly. However, their success will meet them right in their locality. They do not need to change their environment or job. They only need to persevere to make things better but that is what is difficult for them to do. For Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n male children, they have the chance and luck of picking compatible spouses that will be their partners for the rest of their lives. They however need to pick dark skinned women as opposed to fair skinned ones. Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children however ironically love fair skinned ladies more than dark skinned ones. Their destinies however do not support them being in relationships with fair skinned women. If they are married to a dark skinned woman, they will have a great marriage and will receive the blessing of great children who will make the community great. Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n male children must never make the mistake of taking their friends to their suitors houses. If they do, the friend will most likely end up becoming the husband of the woman. Conversely, Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children must never snatch the women of their friends because they too have the tendency to do so. For Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n female children, they make great spouses, good housewives and great mothers. Their fellow women however usually turn out to be their greatest source of concern and discomfort. Women tend to loathe and envy them with a passion. They do not wish them to succeed or beget children of their own. However, they will all fail at making the woman’s life difficult. On the overall, Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children live long in relative peace, progress, and happiness. They enjoy their lives to the maximum and they die contented and self realized.


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C.

AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ/® O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® 'KA®NRA®N

1. Ifá - For success, elevation, victory, contentment, direction, support, guidance, and overall wellbeing 2. Orí - For fulfilment of destiny, elevation, support, sanctuary, benevolence, victory, contentment, and self actualization 3. E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ - For direction, support, sanctuary, protection, victory, elevation, and general wellbeing 4. O®gu;n- For victory, success, leadership, contentment, achievement and general wellbeing 5. OÙbalu;aye;- For protection against pestilence and ailments, victory, support and overall success 6. EÙgbeô; - For comradeship, leadership, elevation, support, achievement, contentment, victory, honour, and overall wellbeing 7. Aje;- For financial success, leadership, satisfaction, victory, support, and general success 8. SÙa¾ngo;- For victory, support, elevation, success, leadership, and overall success 9. Egu;ngu;n- For ancestral support, victory, continuity, elevation, achievement, and general wellbeing 10. OÙ®su ô n - For compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing and general wellbeing

D.

TABOOS OF OGBE® 'KA®NRA®N

1. Must never consume chicken - to avoid the problem of unconsummated fortune, dwindling resources, health challenges and regrets 2. Must never perpetrate evil to revenge evil - to avoid facing problems and tribulations on a constant basis 3. Must never eat sweet potatoes - to avoid unconsummated fortune, dwindling resources and failure 4. Must never send negative energy against anyone - To avoid being the victim of his/her negative designs

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5. Woman must never ridicule or humiliate her husband - To avoid shame, odium, and regrets 6. Man must not marry a light skinned woman - To avoid major matrimonial problems 7. Must never conspire against anyone or any group - To avoid ridicule, humiliation, disgrace, failure, regret and disaster 8. Must not eat coconut - To avoid matrimonial problems 9. Must never allow filth and uncleanliness in his/her body, home and environment - To avoid missing his success chances, unconsummated fortune, failure and regret 10. Must never take any friend to his fiancée’s home - To avoid losing the woman to his friend 11. Must never snatch his friend's woman - To avoid the heavy burden on his conscience for the rest of his life 12. Must never accompany any friend across any river, boundary of a town, a region or a country - To avoid threat to life and disaster 13. Must never change ones job, position, or locality because of challenges - To avoid missing his/her success chances, unconsummated fortune and prolonged suffering 14. Must never wear red or black dresses - To avoid being surrounded by negative aura

546


E.

POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® 'KA®NRA®N

It is advisable for all Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children to have the prefix "OÙla;" in their names, together with any other names they answer to. i. MALES 1. OÙla;n;rewa;ju; - Honour is progressing 2. OÙla;dayo¾ô - Honour has turned to joy 3. OÙla;da;re - Honour absolves me 4. OÙla;du¾n-u;nni; - Honour is easy to acquire 5. Ifa;se ô ô;gun - Ifa; gives me victory 6. OÙla;pe¾ôkun - Honour crowns all attributes 7. OÙla;bo;gunde; - Honour comes with spoils of war ii. FEMALES 1. Ifa;ko;rede; - Ifa; brings all the Ire of life 2. OÙla;ke;ômi - Honour takes good care of me 3. OÙla;wu¾nmi; - I love honour 4. OÙla;ni;yi¾ - Honour has prestige 5. Ifa;to;o;ki; - Ifa; is worthy of salutation 6. OÙla;yeômi;; - Honour befits me 7. Ifa;se ô e;ke;ô - It is practicable to take good care of


547

Chapter 8

Ogbè Ògúndá

II II I I II I 548

Ogbe¾ O®gu;nda; Ogbe¾ E®e¾gu¾n Ogbe¾ Su¾u;ru¾ Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; A.

1. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of abundant success and prosperity for the person born by this Odù either during Ikoôse¾ôda;ye; or I®te¾ô¾ni;fa. Ifá says that this person has carried the Orí of accomplishment and fortune from heaven. Ifá says that this person has worked very hard in the past but their efforts have not yet yielded any results. He/She needs not despair all his or her fortune shall be consummated. Ifá says that this person needs to offer ẹbọ with all edible items available at the time that this Ifá is cast. This person also needs to procure some corn and guinea corn grains and give them to domestic animals to eat. If these two steps can be taken, prosperity will be guaranteed for him/her. On this, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu says: EÙyeô ab'apa; we EÙyeô ab'eôse¾ô we EÙyeô ab'i¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾ O®ri¾sôa¾-N:la; OÙs ® e¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Awoôn ni; woôn loô oja¾ Agu;nregej;e;ge; A wa; Awo ti;ti; A wa; o¾ r’Awo A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki; A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô wa; A®go¾ oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ I:feô¾ Oo¾ye¾ Wo;ôn l’oô;moô eku lo; gbe; e loô o Mo l' o;ômoô eku ko¾ to; A®go¾ oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te¾mi i; lo¾ E®sôu¾ oôdeô a deô pa;n;pe;ô Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eku

549


Translation: The bird with strong wide wings The bird with powerful legs The bird with a wagging tail Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market We searched and searched for a competent Awo We could not find one We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land And we even went to I®woônra¾n Where the good day dawns My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ They informed me that rats had taken it away I responded that no rat had the capability of using my Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume Those who set traps for rats Will certainly be the slanderers against the rats The Aka;po¾ was searching for a competent Awo who would cast Ifá for him in order to find out his identity and better appreciate his purpose on earth. He searched many places to locate a proficient Awo but he could not find one. When he returned home, he was looking for his Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which he used to celebrate the annual ceremony in Ife¾ô-Oo¾ye¾, but he could not find it. He made inquiries and was told that rats were the ones responsible for his missing costume. He cursed the rats for taking what was not theirs and what was clearly beyond their capability to use. He said that they would always meet their slanderers among hunters who would set traps to kill them.

550

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

EÙyeô ab'apa; we EÙyeô ab'eôse¾ô we EÙyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾ Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾ Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge; A wa; Awo ti;ti; Awa; o¾ r’A:wo A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki; A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa¾ A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa; Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ t'e;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾ Wo;ôn l'o;ômoô eôja lo; gbe; e loô Mo ni; oômoô eôja ko¾ to; Ago¾ô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a t'e¾mi i; lo¾ E®sôu¾ oôdeô ade¾ô'ge¾re¾ Ni; yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni¾ oômoô eôja Translation: The bird with strong wide wings The bird with powerful legs The bird with a wagging tail Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market We searched and searched for a competent Awo We could not find one We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land And we even went to I®woônra¾n Where the good day dawns My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ They informed me that the fish had taken it away I responded that no fish had the capability of using my Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume Those who set nets and hooks for fish Will certainly be the slanderers against the fish

551


True to the prediction of the Aka;po¾, the rats met their deaths in droves. After this, the Aka;po¾ set out on his search for a competent Awo who would give him direction in life. He could not find one. When he returned home, he could not find his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ again. He made inquiries to find out who had taken the costume this time around. He was informed that the fish had taken it. He said that no fish in any lake, pond, stream, river, lagoon, or sea had the capability to take and use his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾. After this, he cursed the fish and said that those who bait hooks and those who use nets will be their slanderers and will be the ones killing them in multitudes. E®ôyeô abapa; we E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾ Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾ Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge; A wa; Awo ti;ti; Awa; o¾ r’Awo A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki; A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa; Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾ Woô;n l' oô;moô eôyeô lo; gbe; e loô o Mo l' o;ômoô eôyeô ko¾ to; A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a te¾mi i; lo¾ E®sôu¾ oôdeô ada¾te¾ Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eôyeô Translation: The bird with strong wide wings The bird with powerful legs The bird with a wagging tail Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market

552

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

We searched and searched for a competent Awo We could not find one We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land And we even went to I®woônra¾n Where the good day dawns My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ They informed me that the birds had taken it away I responded that no bird had the capability of using my Me¾si¾a¾da costume Those who set ropes, cages, and bird-lime to catch birds Will certainly be the slanderers against the birds

As soon as the Aka;po put a curse on the fish, they began to meet their doom in the hands of hook and trap setters. After this, he retrieved his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da. He kept it at home and set out again in search of an Awo who could help him find out his identity. Again, he could not find one. He returned home only to find that his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da was missing again. He made inquiries as to the whereabouts of his costume and he was informed that birds were the ones who took the costume away this time around. He answered that no bird had the capability of taking or using his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da. Those who took it received curses from him. He declared that the kingdom of the birds would always meet their slanderers in the hands of the bird-lime and cage trap setters. E®ôyeô abapa; we E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾ Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾ Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge; A wa; Awo ti;ti; Awa; o¾ r’Awo A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki;

553


A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa; Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾ Wo;ôn l' oômoô eôranô lo; gbe; e loô o Mo l' oômoô eranô o¾ to; Agoôô¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a te¾mi i; lo¾ E®sôu¾ oôdeô ayi¾nla¾sa¾ Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eôran Translation: The bird with strong wide wings The bird with powerful legs The bird with a wagging tail Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market We searched and searched for a competent Awo We could not find one We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land And we even went to I®woônra¾n Where the good day dawns My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ They informed me that the beasts had taken it away I responded that no beast had the capability of using my A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da Those who shoot with rifles and spears at beasts Will certainly be the slanderers against the beasts The curse that the Aka;po¾ put on the heads of the birds made them fall into the traps of bird-lime and cage setters. The Aka;po¾ retrieved his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ and placed it back into his home and moved on in search of a competent Awo who would guide him on the right path to find, follow, and fulfil his destiny. He searched and searched but could not find one. He returned home only to

554

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

find out that his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume had been taken away from where he had kept it. When he made inquiries, he was told that the beasts were responsible for taking it away. He declared that no beast had the capability of taking away or using his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾. He cursed the kingdom of the beasts and said that they would always meet their doom in the hands of hunters who used rifles, spears, arrows, javelins, clubs, and knives and so on. E®ôyeô abapa; we E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾ Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾ Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge; A wa; Awo ti;ti; Awa; o¾ r’Awo A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki; A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa; Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾ Wo;ôn ni¾ oômoô eôni lo; gbe; e loô o Mo lo;ômoô eôni ni¾gba¾n¾te;ôyi¾n eôni sôe o Mo lo;ômoô eôni yo;o; gbo; ogbo; olu;ye;ôe;ôye;ôtuye¾ô Mo lo;ômoô eôni yo;o; gbo; ogbo; olu;ye;ôe;ôye;ôtuye¾ô Oômoô eôni yo;o; gbo;gbo;o;gbo; OÙmoô eôni yo;o; to;ôto;ôo;ôto;ô OÙmoô eôni yo;o; la¾la¾a¾la¾ OÙmoô eôni yo;o; bi;bi;i;bi; OÙmoô eôni yo;o; re¾rô e¾ôe¾ôre¾ô OÙmoô eôni yo;o; fa’ku¾n oôla¾ lale; aye; ja; gbeôreôgeôdeô A®woôn o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ gbo;ôn o A®wonô o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ mo¾ô A®woôn o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ mo¾ô pe; Ifá ; OÙla; n’Ifá ; a wa o Translation:

555


The bird with strong wide wings The bird with powerful legs The bird with a wagging tail Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market We searched and searched for a competent Awo We could not find one We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land And we even went to I®woônra¾n Where the good day dawns My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ They informed me that my children had taken it away I responded that my children are my future who will carry on when I am no more I pray for my children to live very long on earth And to grow old and feeble I pray for my children to grow very old And live very long And succeed in all departments of life And give birth to so many ideas and children And multiply in all aspects of life And spread the chain of prosperity to all parts of the world The uninitiated are not wise They also lack knowledge The uninitiated do not know that our Odù is the Odù of riches and prosperity The beasts did not fare any better than the rats, the fish, and the birds when the Aka;po¾ cursed them. The rifle shooter, the javelin thrower, the spear thrower, the arrow shooter, and so on continuously cut short their lives. The Aka;po¾ retrieved his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ and brought it back to his house. He left again in search

556

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

of those who could help him find his destiny. He would from them know how to follow and fulfil it. This time around, he was able to find EÙyeô Ab'apa; we, EÙyeô Ab'eôseô¾ we, and EÙyeô Ab'i¾ru¾ wemu¾wemu¾. They told him that even though the uninitiated ones had been making jest of him and saying that he would never succeed in life, he would be more successful than all those who had been subjecting him to ridicule. He was told that his Odù Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu;, was the Odù of patience and perseverance. He was also told that he would be blessed with children who would carry on after him. They told him that this was the most important of all the riches and prosperity. The Aka;po was advised to offer ẹbọ as explained above. He was equally advised to show kindness and consideration to all animals from that time onwards. He complied. When he returned home, he realized once again that his Agoôô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ had been taken away. He made inquiries and discovered to his everlasting joy, that his children were the ones who took it to Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ in order to represent him when he was not around to participate in the annual festival. The joy of the Aka;po¾ knew no bounds. He was certain that even if he joined his ancestors that very day, he had children who would carry on wherever he might have left off. He prayed for the children. Soon after, he discovered that most of the things which he had been doing without success, he was now being successful in. Several avenues for accomplishment opened for him and he took full advantage of these opportunities. In the end, he succeeded beyond all imagination. All those who had made jest of him turned round to bow to him. They confessed that they never knew that Ogbe¾I®yo;ônu; was an Odù that could make anyone that successful in life. EÙyeô ab'apa; we EÙyeô ab'eôse¾ô we EÙyeô ab'i¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾ O®ri¾sôa¾-N:la; OÙs ® e¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Awoôn ni; woôn loô oja¾ Agu;nregej;e;ge;

557


A wa; Awo ti;ti; A wa; o¾ r’Awo A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki; A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô wa; A®go¾ oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ I:feô¾ Oo¾ye¾ Wo;ôn l’oô;moô eku lo; gbe; e loô o Mo l' o;ômoô eku ko¾ to; A®go¾ oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te¾mi i; lo¾ E®sôu¾ oôdeô a deô pa;n;pe;ô Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eku EÙyeô ab'apa; we EÙyeô ab'eôse¾ô we EÙyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾ Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾ Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge; A wa; Awo ti;ti; Awa; o¾ r’A:wo A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki; A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa¾ A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa; Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ t'e;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾ Wo;n ô l'o;ômoô eôja lo; gbe; e loô Mo ni; oômoô eôja ko¾ to; Ago¾ô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a t'e¾mi i; lo¾ E®sôu¾ oôdeô ade¾ô'ge¾re¾ Ni; yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni¾ oômoô eôja E®ôyeô abapa; we E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾ Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾ Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge; A wa; Awo ti;ti; Awa; o¾ r’Awo A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki; A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa; Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾

558

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

Woô;n l' oô;moô eôyeô lo; gbe; e loô o Mo l' o;ômoô eôyeô ko¾ to; A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a te¾mi i; lo¾ E®sôu¾ oôdeô ada¾te¾ Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eôyeô E®ôyeô abapa; we E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾ Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾ Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge; A wa; Awo ti;ti; Awa; o¾ r’Awo A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki; A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa; Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾ Wo;ôn l' oômoô eôranô lo; gbe; e loô o Mo l' oômoô eranô o¾ to; Agoôô¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a te¾mi i; lo¾ E®sôu¾ oôdeô ayi¾nla¾sa¾ Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eôran E®ôyeô abapa; we E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾ Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾ Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge; A wa; Awo ti;ti; Awa; o¾ r’Awo A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki; A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa; Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾ Wo;ôn ni¾ oômoô eôni lo; gbe; e loô o Mo lo;ômoô eôni ni¾gba¾n¾te;ôyi¾n eôni sôe o Mo lo;ômoô eôni yo;o; gbo; ogbo; olu;ye;ôe;ôye;ôtuye¾ô Mo lo;ômoô eôni yo;o; gbo; ogbo; olu;ye;ôe;ôye;ôtuye¾ô Oômoô eôni yo;o; gbo;gbo;o;gbo; OÙmoô eôni yo;o; to;ôto;ôo;ôto;ô OÙmoô eôni yo;o; la¾la¾a¾la¾

559


OÙmoô eôni yo;o; bi;bi;i;bi; OÙmoô eôni yo;o; re¾rô e¾ôe¾ôre¾ô OÙmoô eôni yo;o; fa’ku¾n oôla¾ lale; aye; ja; gbeôreôgeôdeô A®woôn o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ gbo;ôn o A®wonô o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ mo¾ô A®woôn o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ mo¾ô pe; Ifá ; OÙla; n’Ifá ; a wa o Translation: The bird with strong wide wings The bird with powerful legs The bird with a wagging tail Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market We searched and searched for a competent Awo We could not find one We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land And we even went to I®woônra¾n Where the good day dawns My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ They informed me that rats had taken it away I responded that no rat had the capability of using my Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume Those who set traps for rats Will certainly be the slanderers against the rats The bird with strong wide wings The bird with powerful legs The bird with a wagging tail Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market We searched and searched for a competent Awo We could not find one We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land

560

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

And we even went to I®woônra¾n Where the good day dawns My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ They informed me that the fish had taken it away I responded that no fish had the capability of using my Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume Those who set nets and hooks for fish Will certainly be the slanderers against the fish The bird with strong wide wings The bird with powerful legs The bird with a wagging tail Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market We searched and searched for a competent Awo We could not find one We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land And we even went to I®woônra¾n Where the good day dawns My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ They informed me that the birds had taken it away I responded that no bird had the capability of using my Me¾si¾a¾da costume Those who set ropes, cages, and bird-lime to catch birds Will certainly be the slanderers against the birds The bird with strong wide wings The bird with powerful legs The bird with a wagging tail Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market We searched and searched for a competent Awo We could not find one

561


We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land And we even went to I®woônra¾n Where the good day dawns My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ They informed me that the beasts had taken it away I responded that no beast had the capability of using my A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da Those who shoot with rifles and spears at beasts Will certainly be the slanderers against the beasts The bird with strong wide wings The bird with powerful legs The bird with a wagging tail Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market We searched and searched for a competent Awo We could not find one We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land And we even went to I®woônra¾n Where the good day dawns My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ They informed me that my children had taken it away I responded that my children are my future who will carry on when I am no more I pray for my children to live very long on earth And to grow old and feeble I pray for my children to grow very old And live very long And succeed in all departments of life And give birth to so many ideas and children And multiply in all aspects of life And spread the chain of prosperity to all parts

562

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

of the world The uninitiated are not wise They also lack knowledge The uninitiated do not know that our Odù is the Odù of riches and prosperity Ifá assures this person that his/her success will surely come with patience and perseverance. He/She also needs to show kindness and understanding to all animals. His/Her greatest asset however is his/her children who will carry on wherever he/she has left off. 2. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be bestowed with a great honour and recognition in life. He/She however will not be the only one considered for the honour but He/She will be the one to receive it. Ifá urges this person never to show impatience or anger. He/She must be patient at all times. His/Her success lies in His/Her ability to persevere, be kind to all people, not show anger or frustration and never contemplate vengeance. Ifá advises him/her to offer ẹbọ with two rats, two fish, two pigeons, two hens, two ducks, two guinea fowls, two roosters, and money. After this, he/she needs to display patience and perseverance. On this, Ifá says: I®bi;nu; o¾ da nn¾kan fu;n ni; o Su¾u;ru¾ ni¾ baba i¾wa¾ A®gba¾ to; ni; su¾u;ru¾ Oun gbogbo lo; ni; Di;a; fu;n Ina; To; lo;un o; j’oye¾ Olo¾n¾roro EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o

563


Translation: Anger amounts to nothing for one Patience is the father of all good character An elder who is patient He is blessed with all the good things of life These were Ifá’s messages for Iná, the fire Who wanted to be installed as Olo;n¾roro, the illuminator He was advised to offer ẹbọ Ina, fire, was a very ambitious person and he had every reason to be. He was the eldest of those vying for the post of Olo;n¾roro, the illuminator. Even the counsellor of king makers felt that he deserved the position. He had worked his way up with hard work and determination. He felt that everyone ought to understand that it was not an easy thing to do. He was fully determined to add colour and respect to the position. Consequently, he vowed that he would not brood any form of nonsense, ignorance, stupidity, or carelessness from any of his subjects. He must be accorded his full respect and honour. He must also be given appreciable distance. He will not be in a position where his subjects will think that they are free to do whatever they liked. He simply would not tolerate such things. It was better for them to understand the type of leader he was right from the beginning. That is what he concluded to himself. How would the day of the installation look like? How would he look on that day? What type of clothing would he put on that day? The issue of his other co-contestants was a non-issue for him. Why? They were of no consequence. They did not possess the clout or personality to contest him. His decision to go to the group of Awo mentioned above was absolutely not because of them; rather it was for him to determine how grand the day of his installation would be.

564

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

When the Awo consulted Ifá, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu was revealed. They told Ina that he was contesting for a position with other people. They told him that he would be the one to be installed into that exalted position. He was however cautioned to exercise patience and constraint in dealing with his subjects, lest he lose the opportunity. He was advised to listen to his subjects and tolerate them, even if he noticed some excesses in them. He was urged to guard, guide, and direct his subjects correctly. He was also told never to show anger or impatience while dealing with them. The Awo concluded by advising him to offer ẹbọ with two rats, two fish, two pigeons, two hens, two ducks, two guinea fowls, two roosters, and money. Iná, looked at these Awo with unhidden contempt. He felt they were trying to tie his hands behind him for his subjects to insult him. This, he vowed, would never happen. He told the Awo that they were advising him in how to be a weakling and he would not be. Whatever they liked they could say or plan, they would always meet him fully prepared. All their plans failed and he started getting angry with them. He told them to never expect him to come and offer any ẹbọ as all their recommendations were based on bias and fraud. He accused them of advising him in bad faith. He stormed out of their home. That day, he torched the farm of the Awo. Two of the king makers lost their homes. Some of this subjects-to-be lost their farms, some lost their clothing, and some lost their lives to the fire. When he was told, he retorted that they lost their things due to their carelessness and stupidity. That was the day that the king makers made up their minds to look for a more suitable candidate. They concluded that Iná would not and could not be the good, gentle, kind-hearted, and tolerant leader that they were mandated to have by the citizens to search for. I®bi;nu; o¾ da nn¾kan fu;n’ni; Su¾u;ru¾ ni¾ baba i¾wa¾ A®gba¾ to; ni; su¾u;ru¾

565


Oun gbogbo lo; ni; Di;a; fu;n O®o¾ru¾n Ti; yo;o; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: Anger amounts to nothing for one Patience is the father of all good character An elder who is patient He is blessed with all the good things of life These were Ifá’s messages to O®o¾ru¾n, the sun Who wanted to be installed as Olo;n¾roro, the illuminator He was advised to offer ẹbọ O®o¾ru¾n, the sun, considered himself eminently qualified to occupy the position of Olo;n¾roro. He even saw himself as more qualified than anyone or anything created by O:lo;du¾mare to assume the position. There was nowhere his rays could not penetrate, even the deepest part of the ocean. Who dared venture to contest the position with him, he queried. He was so certain that anyone who did would not only fail, but such a person would find himself to blame. He was convinced that the king makers should use their senses to bring the title to him and hand over all the paraphernalia of office to him quietly, if they loved themselves. This title was Olo;n¾roro, the illuminator and who illuminated better than him? Of course, nobody could. He needed to assume the position in grand style. That much he was certain of. He therefore needed to prepare fully for the coronation day. But wait a moment, if not because of insolent behaviour, what was causing their delay? Did he need to come and beg them to hand over what rightfully belonged to him? Couldn’t the king makers use the little common sense they had left in their heads? Couldn’t they apply what was left of their brains to do the right thing? They must be taught a very bitter lesson. If the king makers were a

566

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

pack of fools, who selected them to their various useless positions? The inhabitants of course selected them! These fools who elected greater fools should also be dealt with in a very decisive manner. He had no patience for such people. He needed to plan well for his upcoming coronation. That was why he went for Ifá consultation. During the consultation, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu; was revealed. The Awo told O®o¾ru¾n that he was eminently qualified for the position. He however needed to offer ẹbọ as stated above and he would also need to exercise patience and restraint. O®o¾ru¾n was advised against being provoked into anger. When O®o¾ru¾n heard this, he got so annoyed that he lacked the correct words to describe the Awo. He simply walked out and made a loud hiss. He intensified the sun’s brightness and many crops began to fail. Many youths and adults developed fevers and other types of ailments caused by febrile conditions. Famine set in when all streams and small rivers dried up. Several evil things happened in the land. The problems were investigated and traced to O®o¾ru¾n. All the inhabitants, including the king makers decided unanimously not to give O®o¾ru¾n the position. I®bi;nu; o¾ da nn¾kan fu;n’ni; Su¾u;ru¾ ni¾ baba i¾wa¾ A®gba¾ to; ni; su¾u;ru¾ Oun gbogbo lo; ni; Di;a; fu;n Osôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾ Ti; yo;o; j'oye¾ Olo;n¾roro EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Anger amounts to nothing for one Patience is the father of all good character An elder who is patient He is blessed with all the good things of life

567


These were Ifá ’s messages for O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri;mu, the Full Moon Who wanted to be installed as Olo;n¾roro, the illuminator He was advised to offer ẹbọ Nobody gave O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri;mu, the Full Moon much of a chance. He was neither as powerful nor as capable as Iná or O®o¾ru¾n. All that kept him going was the simple fact that he meant well for the people. He was sure that if he was installed as the Olo;n¾roro, the people would prosper. He knew that there would be peace and enjoyment in the land. How would he be able to prove that he was worthy of the trust and confidence of the people? Given the credentials of Iná and O®o¾ru¾n, where did he stand? If care was not taken, would Ina and O®o¾ru¾n not crush him even before the day of the installation? What did he need to be doing to avoid the wrath of his more formidable co-contestants? These were the questions at the back of his mind when he went for Ifá consultation. During consultation, Ogbe¾-Su¾u;ru¾ was revealed. The Awo informed O®sôu¾pa; that he was contesting for a position of honour and respect and that his co-contestants were more capable than him. He was told that he needed to exercise patience and perseverance in order to be installed into the royal position. He was advised to never allow frustration or provocation to push him into avoidable anger. They told him that there was no time that patience could become too much; it could never be enough. He must continue to exercise real love and understanding at all times, and if this was done, having patience would become easier for him to exercise. The Awo told him that it was one thing to have the capability of doing something for someone but it was another thing for people to put their trust in you for you to do it on their behalf. The Awo said that his co-contestants were more capable them him but the people did not trust or love them enough to hand over the mandate to either of them.

568

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

The Awo advised him to offer ẹbọ and the same materials that were prescribed for Iná and O®o¾ru¾n were also prescribed for O®sôu¾pa;. Emphasis was also laid on having patience and self restraint. O®sôu¾pa; offered the ẹbọ that same day. As soon as he returned home in the evening, he decided to show himself to the people. When the moon appeared, all those who had found shelter under big trees, under the roof of their homes, and beside the shadows of big hills and so on decided to move out. They found the moon’s illumination enough for them to see and at the same time, cool and comforting. E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ advised them to bring out their children to play outside in the moon shine. They did. The children greeted the moon with joy and enthusiasm. E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ told the king makers and the other elders in the land that it seemed to him that O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾ had the credentials to be installed as the Olo;n¾roro. Granted, he had no power of illumination as great as Iná and O®o¾ru¾n, but his force and power were very soothing, and it did not bring problems to anyone and it allowed for relaxation. E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ urged the elders to ensure that the installation was done right away before the two trouble makers returned to cause chaos and confusion. That same evening, O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾ was installed to the exalted position of Olo;n¾roro. It was a spontaneous but unanimous decision. Nobody complained except for Iná and O®o¾ru¾n because nobody had any cause to do so. The ceremony was peaceful and without any untoward event.

I®bi;nu; ko¾ da nn¾kan fu;n’ni o Su¾u;ru¾ ni¾ baba i¾wa¾ A®gba¾ to; ni; su¾u;ru¾ Oun gbogbo lo; ni; Di;a; fu;n Ina; Ti yo;o; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro

569


EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe I®bi;nu; ko¾ da nn¾kan fu;n’ni o Su¾u;ru¾ ni¾ baba i¾wa¾ A®gba¾ to; ni; su¾u;ru¾ Oun gbogbo lo; ni; Di;a; fu;n O®o¾ru¾n Ti; yo;o; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro EÙboô ni¾ woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Di;a; fu;n O®su ô ¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾ Ti; yo;o; joye¾ Olo;n¾roro EÙboô ni¾ woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O®sôu¾pa; ni¾ka¾n ni¾ n;beô le;ôyin ti; n;sôeôboô A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ ire de; A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ aye; gu;n A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro La;sa;n n’Ina; gbo;ju; Ina; o¾ ni;wa¾ ni;nu; A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro La;sa;n l’O®o¾ru¾n gbo;ju; O®o¾ru¾n o¾ ni;wa¾ ni;nu; A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ ire de; A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ aye; gu;n A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro Translation: Anger amounts to nothing for one Patience is the father of all good character An elder who is patient He is blessed with all the good things of life These were Ifá’s messages for Iná, the fire Who wanted to be installed as Olo;n¾roro, the Illuminator He was advised to offer ẹbọ Anger amounts to nothing for one

570

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

Patience is the father of all good character An elder who is patient He is blessed with all the good things of life These were Ifá’s messages to O®o¾ru¾n, the sun Who wanted to be installed as Olo;n¾roro, the Illuminator He was advised to offer ẹbọ These were Ifá’s messages for O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾, the Full Moon Who wanted to be installed as Olo;n¾roro, the Illuminator He was advised to offer ẹbọ Only O®sôu¾pa; complied with the advice of the Awo We have installed O®sôu¾pa; and all Ire has arrived We have installed O®sôu¾pa; as the Olo;n¾roro We installed O®sôu¾pa; and the world has become peaceful We have installed O®sôu¾pa; as the Olo;n¾roro In vain was the competence of Iná Iná has no good character We have installed O®sôu¾pa; as the Olo;n¾roro Of no purpose is the capacity of O®o¾ru¾n O®o¾ru¾n is not endowed with good character We have installed O®sôu¾pa; as the Olo;n¾roro We have installed O®sôu¾pa; and all Ire has arrived We have installed O®sôu¾pa; as the Olo;n¾roro We installed O®sôu¾pa; and the world has become peaceful We have installed O®sôu¾pa; as the Olo;n¾roro, the Illuminator Ifá says that good character, patience, perseverance, and understanding for the person whom this Odù is revealed will be his/her credential that will see him/her into an exalted position in life.

571


3. Ifá foresees the ire of victory and accomplishment for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person is right in the midst of antagonists but it is from there that his/her success will come from. Nobody and nothing can stop him/her from succeeding. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one hegoat, 200 blades, one long cutlass, and money. He/she must not allow anymore or anything to intimidate him/her. On this, Ogbe¾-E®e¾gu¾n says: O®Ùte;ôe;ôre;ô n’ile¾ô n; yo;ô O®Ùte¾¾ôeôr¾ e¾¾ô n’ileôô¾ n; yo¾¾ô B’ile¾ô ba; yo¾ô l’a;yo¾ôju¾ Ara; ile; eôni ni;i; sôe’ni pe¾ôle;ô Bi¾ri; l’oôko¾ô n; da¾ Yi;yi; l’aye; n; yi; Be;ôe¾ô na;a¾ l’aye; n; sôe Di;a; fu;n O®Ùni¾-wa¾a¾ka¾ Ti; yo;o; gbe;’nu; o¾ôta; la¾bu; Ti; yo;o; d 'akoôgun ni;nu; omi EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The ground is melting The ground is slippery If the ground is too slippery (and one falls) One’s house mate will commiserate with one With suddenness does the boat capsize In rotation does the world move That is exactly the way the world acts These were Ifá’s messages for O®Ùni¾-Wa¾a¾ka, the crocodile Who would grow to maturity and succeed in the midst of enemies Who would become a great warrior in the waters He was advised to offer ẹbọ

572

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

O®Ùni¾-Wa¾a¾ka, the crocodile, was living his life in anxiety. He was right in the midst of enemies. All the fish in the water, together with the shrimp, the crabs, the crayfish, the lobsters, and so on, were all after the life of O®ôni¾. They saw no reason why he should exist with them in the water. They decided that he must be eliminated without a trace and all the members of his household must also be eliminated. They considered it an insult for O®ôni¾, who did not look like them to have a space or stay with them in the water. It would be better to remove the chaff from the grain. O®ôni¾ was the chaff that should be removed with ignominy. Before long, the information filtered to O®ôni¾ that all the fish, crayfish, shrimp, lobsters, crabs, etc. were looking for him in order to eliminate him. Consequently upon this, the O®ôni¾ went into hiding but how could he continue to live his life in hiding? What would he do in order to overcome all those who were pursuing him? Why must they think of his death when he had not wronged them in any way? How would he be able to escape all the evil plans they hatched against him? Would he live to tell the story? Would he overcome? These questions led him to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. The Awo made it clear to O®ôni¾ that he was right in the midst of enemies. He needed to ensure that his vulnerability was turned to strength if he would survive. He was advised to offer ẹbọ so that he would turn invincible. Doing so was the only way that would enable him to live, grow, and survive in the midst of his numerous enemies. The Awo recommended for him to offer ẹbọ with one matured he-goat, 200 blades, one cutlass, and money. He complied. He was also urged never to be afraid of anyone henceforth. He was told never to allow anyone or anything to intimidate him no matter how many they might be. He was told that he must conduct all his affairs with self-confidence. With this advice, O®ôni¾ returned to his home.

573


As soon as O®ôni¾ got to his house, he went straight to sleep. That was when E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ went to work. E®sôu¾ stuck the 200 blades that O®ôni offered as part of the ẹbọ materials to his body and stuck the long blade of the cutlass to his tail. He further ensured that these blades would not come off. By the time that E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ completed working on O®ôni, he had become totally invincible. Every part of his body had become a lethal weapon. When O®ôni woke up, E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ whispered into his ear that he must never be afraid of anyone again. He must face and confront all his enemies if they made any attempt to attack him. While the transformation process was going on in the life of O®ôni, his enemies were having a very crucial meeting on how to attack and kill O®ôni. They concluded that to snuff out the life of O®ôni. They must storm his hiding place and bite and beat him to death. If that was the plan, then what were they waiting for? They needed to move against him immediately. They needed to crush this chaff instantly. They then proceeded to move in the millions. The fish, the lobsters, the shrimp, the crabs, the crayfish, and all the other co-conspirators living in the water rushed into the hiding place of O®ôni. Their numbers instilled fear into his mind. He was shaking and shivering all over. They crowded him and they began to beat and bite him. He continued to back away. That was when the voice of E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ rang in his head again and said, ” O®ôni, Do not be afraid of anything or anyone. You must face and confront all your enemies if they make any attempt to attack you!” That was when he charged! He swung his tail and several fish, crabs, shrimp, lobsters, etc. were divided into fragments. He swung his tail again and several more died. By the time he swung his tail six times, hundreds of fish, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, crayfish, etc. had met their untimely deaths. They tried several times more to kill him but they were eventually forced to run away. The fear instilled by O®ôni soon became the beginning of wisdom for the conspirators.

574

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

That was when they decided that it would be better to leave O®ôni alone so that they would not be experiencing avoidable deaths. O®Ùte;ôe;ôre;ô n’ile¾ô n; yo;ô O®Ùteôô¾e¾rô eôô¾ n’ileôô¾ n; yo¾¾ô B’ile¾ô ba; yo¾ô l’a;yo¾ôju¾ Ara; ile; eôni ni;i; sôe’ni pe¾ôle;ô Bi¾ri; l’oôko¾ô n; da¾ Yi;yi; l’aye; n; ye; Be;ôe¾ô na;a¾ l’aye; n; sôe Di;a; fu;n O®Ùni¾-wa¾a¾ka¾ Ti; yo;o; gbe;’nu; o¾ôta; la¾bu; Ti; yo;o; d 'akoôgun ni;nu; omi EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbeô;boô, o; ru;bo Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni¾ la;ru¾u;sôe; ogun Translation: The ground is melting The ground is slippery If the ground is too slippery (and one falls) One’s house mate will commiserate with one With suddenness does the boat capsize In rotation does the world move That is exactly the way the world acts These were Ifá’s messages for O®Ùni¾-Wa¾a¾ka, the crocodile Who would grow to maturity and succeed in the midst of enemies Who would become a great warrior in the waters He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we offer ẹbọ to ensure victory

575


Ifá says that this person shall overcome all his/her enemies no matter how many they may be. He/She however needs to not run away from them nor go into hiding because of their enemies. He/She needs to stay right in their midst and express his/her potentials. It is in their midst that he/she will succeed and attain self-actualization. 4. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is an EÙle;ôgbe;ô. He/she has heavenly peers who are very active in his/her life. They give support, guidance, and encouragement to him/her on every move he/she has ever made and will ever make. This is the reason why he/she needs to identify with them, feed them, and make them feel close to him/her on a regular basis. If this can be done, he/she will continue to receive the support of his/her EÙle;ôgbe;ô until he/she reaches the very zenith of his/her ambition and destiny in life. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one matured he-goat and money. After this, he/she needs to get one of his/her own complete set of clothing, many types of edible fruits and food stuffs, and drinks. All these items are to then be packed together and placed in a big white bag. The bag will then be taken to the forest and hung on the branch of a tree. On this aspect, Ifá says: Gbogbo i¾gi¾ ka;’wo;ô s’o;ôrun I®ja¾ OÙ®ri¾sôa¾ ni¾ wo;n ô n; gbe¾ O®®ri¾sôa¾ n; gbe'¾ja¾ oôkoô¾ Di;a; fu;n Mobo;ôla;ta;n Ti;i; sô'oômoô ara; A®ka;nja¾re EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation:

576

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

All trees turn their branches toward heaven They are all fighting the cause of the Deities The Deities are fighting the cause of the vessels of destinies These were Ifá’s messages for Moôbo;ôla;ta;n (I-thoughthonour-was-exhausted) The child of A®ka;nja¾re She was advised to offer ẹbọ Moôbo;ôla;ta;n was a very successful woman. She had everything going for her. She was relatively rich, happy, and ambitious. She succeeded in her trading business. She also had a lovely partner whom she believed would be her future husband. Most of her friends envied her because of her good luck. Suddenly, everything went downwards. Her business no longer thrived. She recorded losses in her trading. Disagreement became the order of the day between her and her fiancé. She became sad and desperate. What was the cause of all these problems? That was exactly what she went to the home of the group of Awo stated above to find out. The Awo told her that her problems came about because she had neglected her EÙgbe. They told her that her EÙgbe had all along been responsible for her success and good luck. The EÙgbe had now turned their backs on her because she had failed to acknowledge them and had refused to identify with them accordingly. She was advised to turn over a new leaf and align herself with her EÙgbe. The Awo told Moôbo;ôla;ta;n to offer ẹbọ with one matured he-goat and money. She was also advised to get all edible fruits and food items available at that time, together with one of her complete outfits. She was told to place everything inside a white bag. She did. The bag was taken to the forest and was hung on the branch of a tree. When this was done, Moôbo;ôla;ta;n returned home. As soon as Moôbo;ôla;ta;n offered the ẹbọ and fed her EÙgbe;ô, E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ went

577


into action. He summoned all the heavenly EÙgbe;ô of Moôbo;ôla;ta;n and showed them what Moôbo;ôla;ta;n had brought for them. He said that Moôbo;ôla;ta;n went to the extent of doing all of this for them because she appreciated all the efforts of her EÙgbe;ô as they had been giving her support, encouragement, and assistance. E®sôu¾ also assured them that Moôbo;ôla;ta;n offered ẹbọ in appreciation of the support that EÙgbe;ô gave to her. He urged the EÙgbe;ô to continue to support her because it would be a shame if the EÙgbe;ô withdrew their support or relent in their efforts. After much deliberation, the EÙgbe;ô agreed to continue to support Moôbo;ôla;ta;n. They concluded that failure to continue to give her support would be viewed by others as letting down someone who was appreciative of their efforts. From that day forward, all the good things which Moôbo;ôla;ta;n had in her life began to multiply in several folds. She became wealthier, happier, more successful, and more elevated. She was dancing and singing and saying: Gbogbo i¾gi¾ ka;’wo;ô s’o;ôrun I®ja¾ OÙ®ri¾sôa¾ ni¾ wo;n ô n; gbe¾ O®Ùri¾sa¾ n; gbe'¾ja¾ oôk ; oô¾ Di;a; fu;n Mobo;ôla;ta;n Ti;i; sô'oômoô ara; A®ka;nja¾re EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru';boô N®je;ô bi; o l'o;wo; l'o;ôwo;ô Ni;boô loô fi; t’e¾keji¾ i¾ re si; Mobo;ôla;ta;n oômoô ara; A®ka;nja¾re Bo; o bimoô le;moô Ni;bo lo fi te¾’keji¾ i¾ reô si; Mobo;ôla;ta;n oômoô ara; A®ka;nja¾re Bo; o koô;'le; mo;ô'le; Ni;bo lo fi te¾’keji¾ i¾ reô si; Mobo;ôla;ta;n oômoô ara; A®k;a;nja¾re Bo; o ni;'re gbogbo Ni;bo lo fi te¾’keji¾ i¾ reô si;; Mobo;ôla;ta;n oômoô ara; A®ka;nja¾re

578

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

Translation: All trees turn their branches toward heaven They are all fighting the cause of the Deities The Deities are fighting the cause of the vessels of destinies These were Ifá’s messages for Moôbo;ôla;ta;n (I thought honour was exhausted) The child of A®ka;nja¾re She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied If you become very wealthy Where are the gifts to your EÙgbe;ô Moôbo;ôla;ta;n, offspring of A®ka;nja¾re If you give birth to several children Where are the gifts to your Egbe Moôbo;ôla;ta;n, the offspring of A®ka;nja¾re If you erect several homes Where are the gifts to your EÙgbe;ô Moôbo;ôla;ta;n, the offspring of A®ka;nja¾re If you are blessed with all Ire of life Where are the gifts to your EÙgbe;ô Moôbo;ôla;ta;n, the offspring of A®ka;nja¾re Ifá says that this person shall receive the support and assistance of all his/her EÙgbe;ô in heaven. They will ensure that his/her succeeds in life. That is why he/she needs to feed his/her EÙgbe;ô on a regular basis. 5. Ifá says that it foresees the ire of prosperity and boundless opportunities for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá refers to two people here. Ifá says that the two of them shall succeed together.

579


Ifá says that it is not the work that these people are doing that will make them great, but it will be through this work that they will meet their success. Ifá warns the person who was born by this Odù either during Ikoôse¾ôda;ye; or I®te¾ô¾ni;fa; never to eat egg at all. Consequently, all eggs be they fowl eggs, guinea fowl eggs, turkey eggs, duck eggs, partridge eggs, etc are taboo. All eggs laid by birds are taboo! Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two hens, two guinea fowls, two roosters, and money. They also need to feed O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ as appropriate. On this, Ifá says: Igba; n;la; kiribi;ti; I®fa¾ n;la; kiribi¾t¾ i¾¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙdeô Aye; A bu¾ fu;n Oôdeô O®Ùrun Awo;ôn re;je¾e¾ji¾ n;loô re¾’gbe;ô oôdeô EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: The big calabash with a rounded base And an inordinate gain feeds the ground These were Ifá’s messages for OÙdeô Aye;, the hunter of the earth And also for Oôdeô O®Ùrun, the hunter of heaven When both of them were going on a hunting expedition They were both advised to offer ẹbọ O®gu;n was known as Oôdeô O®Ùrun, while O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ was known as OÙdeô Aye;. Both of them were hunters. Anytime the two of them set out on a hunting expedition, they usually would spend 16 years before they returned to their respective homes. During the 16 years there

580

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

was no forest on earth or heaven that they would not visit. All what they were searching for was resounding success, but it eluded them. One day, both of them met again for another hunting expedition. This time around, they decided to consult Ifá in order to determine their chances of success. Would they succeed? Would they have something tangible to show for their efforts this time around? Would they move up the socio-economic ladder? These were the questions at the back of their minds when they approached the group of Awo stated above for Ifá consultation. The Awo assured both of them that they would not only succeed, but their success would be known and recognized all over the world. They were however informed that even though they would succeed, there was the need for them to abstain from eating eggs. They were also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. The two of them offered the ẹbọ. A few days after, they set out on their journey. For 16 years, they were roaming the forests of the world and heaven. Yet, they could not kill any game worthy of mentioning. On the last day of their expedition, they stopped at the base of OÙdeô O®Ùrun, the hunter of heaven, O®gu;n. Both of them complained bitterly that after offering all the ẹbọ prescribed for them by their Awo, they could not find anything in the forest to make them successful. Both of them stood by the roadside to bid each other farewell. As they did this and were about to disperse, they stepped on a small anthill. The anthill caved in and behold, they found two giant eggs in the hole. Each egg was the size of a pumpkin. They shared the two eggs, one each, and said that they would go and show their oversized eggs to their Awo. They also reminded each other that the eggs must not be consumed because their Awo had warned them earlier never to eat any egg at all.

581


When they got to their respective homes, OÙdeô O®Ùrun, O®gu;n narrated his story to this wife. He explained how they roamed all the forests in the world and heaven without finding any game to kill. He showed his wife the egg he had found right before he and O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ were about to depart from each other. He said that the egg was nothing but compensation for them by Olo;du¾mare since they did not bring anything back to their homes, while they were gone for 16 years. In view of this, he could see no reason why he should not eat the egg. He instructed his wife to cook the egg for them to eat. The wife did just that. They consumed the egg. It was the most delicious egg they had ever eaten in their lives. When Oôdeô Aye;, O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ got to his home, he too explained his experience to his wife. He also showed his wife the egg. They concluded that the egg must be kept somewhere safe until the next day when he would go and show it to his Awo. That was exactly what O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ did. He and his wife slept with an empty stomach on that day. Very early the next morning, O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ went to where he kept the egg in order to go and show it to his Awo. When he got there, what he found was the biggest spectacle of his life. He found 3,000 bags of money neatly stacked in the room where the egg was. The egg was placed gingerly on top of the money. Each bag contained 20,000 cowries! O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ became an instant success. For 17 days, he continued to find 3,000 bags of money appearing in his room. He set out to erect for himself, the biggest mansion ever seen in the vicinity. It took him six full moons to complete this project with over 250 people working day and night on the site. When the project was eventually completed, it was the talk of the whole community. They all confessed that they had never seen anything of that magnitude before. Oôdeô Aye; became a celebrity. One day, Oôdeô Ayé decided to pay his friend OÙdeô O®Ùrun a visit. He was convinced that his friend was also swimming in majestic splendour as a result of the wealth which he too must have been

582

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

able to make through the mysterious egg. Oôdeô Ayé considered his friend more imaginative and more artistic than him. For this reason, he concluded, he must have designed a palace that would be more spectacular and more befitting. Oôdeô Ayé was very eager and curious to see what his friend had done with his own wealth. When Oôdeô Ayé saw OÙdeô O®Ùrun, he was totally disappointed! He met him still patching his old clothes in the shoulder and buttocks. His old house had almost collapsed and was totally unrepaired. What went wrong? Where were his friend’s riches? Why was he hungry-looking and un-kept? Why were his wives dressing themselves in old rags? Why were most of his children completely naked? Why had the situation not changed for the better? Why? Why? Why? He explained to Oôdeô Ayé that he and his family had eaten the egg. When he learned that Oôdeô Ayé’s egg had brought him riches and affluence, he regretted ever eating his own egg. He lived with this regret for a long long time! Igba; n;la; ki;ribi;ti; I®fa¾ n;la; kiribi¾t¾ i¾¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙdeô Aye; A bu¾ fu;n Oôdeô O®Ùrun Awo;ôn re;je¾e¾ji¾ n;loô re¾’gbe;ô oôdeô EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe OÙba Aye; ni¾kan ni; n;beô l'e;yi¾n, ti; n;sô';eôboô OÙba Aye; ni¾kan lo; ru';boô a¾pe;si¾n OÙba O®Ùrun i¾ ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô I® ba; wa;a; f'owo; sô’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ EÙ wa; ba; ni; b'o;ôla¾ EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: The big calabash with a rounded base And an inordinate gain feeds the ground These were Ifá’s messages for OÙdeô Aye;, the

583


Hunter of the Earth And also for Oôdeô O®Ùrun, the Hunter of Heaven When both of them were going on a hunting expedition They were both advised to offer ẹbọ Only OÙba Aye; (O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾) complied with the directives of the Awo Only OÙba Aye; offered ẹbọ and succeeded Had OÙba O®Ùrun known He too would have offered ẹbọ to succeed Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Join us in the midst of accomplishment Come and behold all Ire in life Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall succeed only if he/she offers the prescribed ẹbọ and at the same time heeds all the warnings of the Awo. 6. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to get angry over any issue and they need not be unduly sensitive to their rights. This person is advised to understand that it is not all insults, abuses, condemnations, humiliations, or ridicules that one needs to shake off or avenge in life. Ifá urges this person to let things go by being silent and enduring in the face of humiliation or intimidation. Furthermore, Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prestige, honour, and progress for the person whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she shall be highly elevated and respected for his/her resilience, patience, and hopefulness. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two hens, and money. He/she also needs to be patient, meek, and calm in the face of turbulence and intimidation.

584

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

On these aspects, Ifá says: Igbo; eti;le; o¾un e¾g ô bin Ya¾ra; a¾ju¾mo¾ôsu¾n o¾un i¾¾ya¾ Ya¾ra; a¾ju¾mo¾ôsu¾n i¾tale¾ô ni;i; je;ô Di;a; fu;n Ma;ko¾ôsô;eô; A bu¾ fu;n Ma;ko¾ôya¾ A®woôn je;je¾e¾ji¾ n;sunku;n oôwo;;ô a¾woôn o¾ ba’re EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: The forest close to the town is filled with filth And the common room which many sleep in is full of afflictions The common room is known for harbouring a lot of grubs These were Ifá’s declarations to Ma;ko¾ôsôeô, Do not challenge your tribulations The same was also declared to Ma;ko¾ôya, Do not challenge your suffering When both of them were weeping that they had not secured any ire of life They were advised to offer ẹbọ Enough is certainly enough, Ma;ko¾ôsôeô declared! He must put an end to all these unwarranted and undeserved tribulations. He must show them that he knows his rights and that he equally knows how to claim them. Why must he allow people to freely and willingly trample upon his fundamental rights, he queried. Ma;ko¾ôsôeô was a farmer. He was very strong and he worked tirelessly in order to become a great and respected person in the society. Much as he strived, they would not let his efforts translate into success. He was sure of a bountiful harvest that year. He had already been celebrating his success in advance. When only two weeks remained for him to start harvesting his crops, something

585


terrible happened in the community. The community had captured three people in the next community. They thought that they were from another hostile community. All the entreaties of the three people fell on deaf ears. They were manhandled when they demanded to be taken back to their community. In the end, two of them died and the third one was badly injured. The injured person managed to escape and return to his own community but he was at the brink of death. He narrated his ordeal and the community raised a high-power delegate to protest the killings. They headed for Oyo to lodge their protest. The culprit community began to panic. In the end, the judgment was for the culprit community to pay reparations for the violation of the community. In the end, the farm of Ma;ko¾ôsôeô was handed over to the victim’s community as compensation. Ma;ko¾ôsôeô not only lost his farm, but his crops, and his hard work and dreams of becoming a successful man that year were gone. Why must it be his own farm, out of all the farms in the community that was handed over to compensate other people? This incident made him and all the members of his family to experience untold suffering. His wife insulted him endlessly. She called him a good-for-nothing husband who would not protect the interest of his own family. The explanation that it was to avert war and uprising in his community fell on deaf ears. As if that was not bad enough, Ma;ko¾ôsôeô was equally mandated to ensure that the crops on his farm were skilfully harvested and handed over to the victim’s community. Ma;ko¾ôsôeô’s wife considered this like rubbing pepper into an open wound. She screamed at her husband not to take this. He must not lift a finger to do anything on the farm. He must show that he was not a fool. He must demand for his rights over the matter. In fact, he must fight to take back his farm. He must not hand the farm over. If they want compensation for any reason, they must look for another farm. The cheating was just too much, she cried.

586

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

This was exactly the reason why Ma;ko¾ôsôeô went for Ifá consultation. He wanted a clear guide on the direction to take on the matter. He wanted to be sure that he was doing the right thing and taking the right step on whatever decision he took. His wife advised him to travel far beyond a land where he was not known in order to get an unbiased interpretation. That was what he did. The Awo told him that he felt cheated and frustrated and that he thought people had trampled upon his rights and privileges. The Awo told him that even though this was true, he however needed to exercise restraint and perseverance. He must not take any step that would challenge the constituted authorities in his community. He was urged to abide by all the instructions and directives of the authorities. He must also continue to exercise patience in the face of apparent provocation. He was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He did. Before he got back home, he was fully determined to abide by the directives of his community. He felt that doing the above was a great sacrifice (ẹbọ) for his community in order to avert the untold hardship of war and uprising. That was exactly what he did when he returned home to the surprise and admiration of everyone. In the case of Ma;ko¾ôya¾, he was even slapped and kicked. His clothes were torn and he was made to trek from the market place to his home naked. Why? He met two groups fighting in the market place. He tried to resolve their differences for them. They refused to listen and they continued with the fight. Dangerous weapons were freely used but Ma;ko¾ôya¾ continued to look for peace. One of the combatants saw a thorny branch and carried it in order to use it to hit and break the skull of his opponents. Ma;ko¾ôya¾ wrestled the wood stick out of his hands. That was his offense. The fight stopped abruptly. Both parties confronted him and accused him of being one-sided. He was slapped repeatedly. He was kicked and pushed. He was thrown on the ground many

587


times. His clothes were torn into shreds. He was made to trek naked from the market-place to his house. When they led him to his home, all the occupants, his three wives, children, brothers, and sisters, and other relatives were chased out of the house and they were not allowed to take out anything. They whole compound was razed to the ground. Those who saw this incident or heard of it were totally enraged. They urged Ma;ko¾ôya¾ to take up the matter at the highest level. Some said that they were ready to assist him to revenge the dastardly act. This act must be avenged, if not for himself then for the sake of all the members of his family who were subjected to pain and agony in an unjust and unjustifiable manner. In order to take appropriate action, his wife and children advised him to first of all go for Ifá consultation on the matter. He was urged to do whatever Ifá recommended for him. They told him that even though it was a clear case of unprovoked assault and intimidation, Ifá knew best and would guide the family better than any human being could. That was why Makoya went for Ifá consultation. What should he do in the face of this cheating and provocation? The same Awo were consulted. They told Ma;ko¾ôya¾ that it was glaring that he had been provoked, insulted, assaulted, and intimidated, but he however needed to show a high level of maturity by leaving everything in the hands of Olo;du¾mare¾ . He was also advised to continue to do good to everybody and for him to wave the incident to the back of his mind. He was assured that Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾ would surely compensate him as appropriate. He was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. When he returned home, everybody was expecting him to start his own war against those who touched his compound and humiliated him in public. Instead, they realized to their surprise that he extended the hand of love and fellowship to them. Those who heard of this considered him a big fool. Before long, both Ma;ko¾ôsôe;ô

588

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

and Ma;ko¾ôya¾ became the laughing stock in their community. If anyone did anything that they thought must be avenged, they would tell them not to be as foolish as Ma;ko¾ôsôe;ô and Ma;ko¾ôya¾. Both of them were not perturbed in any way. Their response had always been that what happened to them and their responses to those incidents were beyond human comprehension. Everything was in the hands of their creator. They had drawn their authority to act the way they did from Ogbe¾ and O®gu;nda;. Three years after all of these incidents, the community was involved in a very serious crisis. Several people suffered. The crisis extended to the neighbouring communities. All the leaders in all the affected communities would find no solution to the problems, much as they tried. In the end, some of the leaders in the neighbouring communities put their heads together and came to the conclusion that if anyone could solve this problem, it must be someone who has the patience, perseverance, and resilience to make peace in the face of provocation. They reasoned that out of the over 20 communities involved in the crisis, two names readily came to mind as those who could bring peace back into the communities. These people were Ma;ko¾ôsôe;ô and Ma;ko¾ôya¾. They were promptly contacted. They were given all the free hands and support that they would need to find a solution to the problems. The two of them set out to work. Two months later, peace returned to all the communities thanks to Ma;ko¾ôsôe;ô and Ma;ko¾ôya¾. They became celebrities. In the end, the communities resolved that a parcel of fertile land that was 10 times bigger than the farm land that Ma;ko¾ôsôe;ô lost must be given back to him as a token of appreciation. It was also decided that the farm land must be cleared, weeded, planted, and harvested for him for five years by the community. In the case of Ma;ko¾ôya¾, his compound was extended four times bigger than its Original size. All the houses therein were reconstructed and more buildings were added to it for him by the community.

589


Igbo; eti;le; o¾un e¾g ô bin Ya¾ra; a¾ju¾mo¾ôsu¾n o¾un i¾ya¾ Ya¾ra; a¾ju¾mo¾ôsu¾n i¾tale¾ô ni;i; je;ô Di;a; fu;n Ma;ko¾ôsô;eô; A bu¾ fu;n Ma;ko¾ôya¾ A®woôn je;je¾e¾ji¾ n;sunku;n oôwo;ô a¾woôn o¾ ba’re EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn sôe Wo;ôn gb’eôboô, wo;ôn ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni¾ ni; wo¾ôwo; ire gbogbo N®jeô ma; ko¾¾ô'sôeô; o Ki; o si¾ ma; ko'¾ôya¾ Ma; ko¾ô'sôe;ô-ko'¾ôya¾ Ko; o ma; da’re wo¾ônyi; nu¾ Translation: The forest close to the town is filled with filth And the common room which many sleep in is full of afflictions The common room is known for harbouring a lot of grubs These were Ifá’s declarations to Ma;ko¾ôsôe;ô, Do-notchallenge-your-tribulations The same was also declared to Ma;ko¾ôya, Do-notchallenge-your-suffering When both of them were weeping that they had not secured any ire of life They were advised to offer ẹbọ They complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all ire of life Please do not challenge your tribulations And do not challenge your sufferings Do not challenge both your tribulations and sufferings So as to not lose all the Ire of life

590

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

Ifá says that patience and perseverance can never be excessive, they can only be inadequate. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to exercise patience and resilience in the face of provocation and intimidation. There is where success and recognition lies for him/her. 7. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ in order to avert an untimely and premature death. Ifá advises this person to show caution and meekness at all times. He/she needs to understand that we are all the eggs of Olo;du¾mare¾ who are placed on this earth to hatch and manifest our destiny. He/she must never consume eggs in his/her life. It is a serious taboo for him/her to do so. Ifá also says that a hen is incubating eight eggs where this Ifá is being consulted. If this is so, the hen, together with the eight eggs must be removed from that house immediately. Four of the eight eggs need to be boiled while the remaining four will be left raw. The fowl needs to be sliced open from the chest to the abdomen with a sharp knife. The heart of the hen will then be removed and the eggs will be placed inside a pot and a lot of palm-oil should be added to it. This will then be given to the Elders of the Night. Alternatively, if there is no hen that is incubating where this Odù is cast, then a hen and eight fresh eggs should be procured and prepared as stated above. Ifá explains in this Odù, especially in this particular stanza the reason why people die and why death does not follow any seniority pattern. Iku, death, may leave the grandparents, the parents, and then snatch away all the children while in their youth. The elder siblings may live up to 100 years while their younger brother or sister might have died while He/she was just 13 years of age. The husband may die at the age of 36 while the wife may live past 95 years on earth and so on.

591


In this Odù, Ifá says: 'Mode; ke;kere; n;fe;ô ‘bi¾nrin O®gbo;ni Wo;ôn gbo;ô, wo;ôn o¾ gboôdo¾ô wi;; Ge¾ôde¾ôge¾ôde¾ô wo;n ô o¾ gboôdo¾ô fo¾ô Di;a; fu;n Iku; A bu¾ fu;n O®o¾sôa¾n;la; Wo;ôn n;t'oôrun bo¾ô wa;'le; aye; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: A youth is having a secret love affair with the wife of an O®gbo;ni Elder They’ve heard of it, but they must not say anything Even the consequence of doing so must not be pronounced This was Ifá’s message for Ikú, Death And also for O®o¾sôa¾n;la;, OÙba¾ta;la; When coming from heaven to earth They were advised to offer ẹbọ Ikú, Death and OÙba¾ta;la; were mandated by Olo;du¾mare to go to the planet earth and continue the work of ensuring that the planet was made suitable for human habitation. When they were about to proceed, Olo;du¾mare gave them eight fresh eggs, four for Ikú and the remaining four for OÙba¾ta;la;. As soon as they arrived on earth, Ikú gave his own eggs to OÙba¾ta;la; for safe keeping. He told OÙba¾ta;la; that he wanted to walk to every part of the planet in order to see for himself what was actually there. When he left, Olo;du¾mare instructed OÙba¾ta;la; to boil his eggs. He did. He was also instructed to remove the shells from the eggs. He also did. After this, Olo;du¾mare told him to close his eyes and throw the shells all around him. He did. By the time he opened his eyes, he saw to his surprise that the food items had begun to grow on the planet. The

592

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

food was of different varieties: yam, millet, maize, guinea-corn, cocoyam, potatoes, sweet potato, etc. When these food items were ripe enough for harvesting, the eggs belonging to Ikú began to burst open. As they did, human beings began to emerge from the eggs in pairs, a male and female. As they were coming out, they began to inhabit the planet and they were living on the food that had been harvested by OÙba¾ta;la;, which was in turn made possible by the egg shells that OÙba¾ta;la; had thrown and spread round the planet. It took Ikú over 400 years before he returned. When he came back, he was totally surprised to find several people inhabiting the planet. He demanded from OÙba¾ta;la; to explain to him what really happened in his absence. OÙba¾ta;la; told him everything. In his response, Ikú said that all the human beings on earth belonged to him. Consequently, he would take all of them away on that very day. OÙba¾ta;la; disagreed with him by saying that it was from his own eggs that they were being fed and nurtured. This led to a heated argument between the two Iru;nmoôle. In the end, they decided to take the matter to Olo;du¾mare¾ for adjudication. Both of them narrated their sides of the story to Olo;du¾mare¾. In his own judgment Olo;du¾mare¾ told Ikú that even though all living beings on earth belonged to him in the end, he however was not allowed to take them all away at once. Ikú was allowed to go to the planet earth and take away whoever pleased him and at any time that pleased him, but not all of them at once. That was when both Ikú and OÙba¾ta;la; left the presence of Olo;du¾mare¾ and returned to their respective places of abodes. From that time onwards, death disregarded whether anyone was old or young before snatching them away. Ikú snatches away whoever he likes at any time that soothes his fancy. This is why human beings need to offer ẹbọ regularly to postpone the period that Ikú will arrive to take them away.

593


'Mode; ke;kere; n;fe;ô ‘bi¾nrin O®gbo;ni Wo;ôn gbo;ô, wo;ôn o¾ gboôdo¾ô wi; Ge¾ôde¾ôge¾ôde¾ô wo;n ô o¾ gboôdo¾ô fo¾ô Di;a; fu;n Iku; A bu¾ fu;n O®o¾sôa¾n;la; Wo;ôn n;t'oôrun bo¾ô wa;'le; aye; 'Mode; ke;kere; n;fe;ô ‘bi¾nri¾n O®gbo;ni Wo;ôn gbo;ô, wo;ôn o¾ gboôdo¾ô wi; Ge¾ôde¾ôge¾ôde¾ô wo;n ô o¾ gboôdo¾ô fo¾ô Di;a; fu;n Iku; A bu¾ fu;n O®o¾sôa¾n;la; Wo;ôn n;t'oôrun bo¾ô wa;le; aye; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Wo;ôn gb’e;ôboô, wo;ôn ru;’boô Ko¾ pe; ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Eô wa;a; wo’fa; ojo;ôun nni¾ bo; ti; n; sôeô Translation: A youth is having a secret love affair with the wife of an O®gbo;ni Elder They’ve heard of it, but they must not say anything Even the consequence of doing so must not be pronounced This was Ifá’s message for Ikú, Death And also for O®o¾sôa¾n;la;, OÙba¾ta;la; When coming from heaven to earth They were advised to offer ẹbọ They complied Before long, not too far Come and see how the Ifá that was cast on that day has manifested Ifá says that even though the person for whom this Odù is revealed cannot escape death completely, it can at least be postponed for him/her until he/she gets to his/her old age before experiencing the inevitable reality of death.

594

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

8. Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she shall succeed and shall be victorious in life. Ifá says that he/she is feeling apprehensive over something. He/she needs not be because Ifá says that he/she shall overcome all their problems. He/she shall prosper where others have experienced problems. He/she shall experience gains where others will experience losses. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to engage in alcohol intake because it is not good for him/her. It will reduce their chances of having success in life. They can however use alcohol to feed Ifá and other divinities. Ifá further advises this person to offer ẹbọ with three pigeons, three roosters, plenty of alcohol, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with plenty of alcohol. On this, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu; says: SÙa;ki;ti; Awo Oni;sôaki; Di;a; fu;n Oni;sôaki; OÙmoô O®gu;n o¾ roô'ke Ja;;nga;n n¾ ja¾nga;n, Ja¾nn¾ga¾nte;e¾le¾ Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; yo;o; maa s'ôo¾wo¾ i¾ja¾kadi¾ ka';ri; aye; O: de;’le; Ala;ra; O: da; Ala;ra; O: pa Ala;ra; O: de;’le; Ajero¾ O: da; Ajero¾ O: pa Ajero¾ O: de;’le; OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n A®ga O: da; OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n A®ga O: pa OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n A®ga O: wa; n;gb’o;gun loô si;le; Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

595


Translation: SÙa;ki;ti;, The Awo of Oni;sôaki;, the OÙba of SÙaki; Town He cast Ifa; for Oni;sôaki; Offspring of O®gu;n devotees who cannot mold ivory Ja;nga;nn¾ja¾nga;n and Ja¾nn¾ga¾nte;e¾le¾ They cast Ifa for Ogbè Who going to engage in the profession of wrestling the world over When he got to the palace of Ala;ra;, the OÙba of I®la;ra; Mo¾ôki;n He threw down Ala;ra; And killed Ala;ra; When he got to the palace of Ajero, the OÙba of I®jero¾-Eki¾ti¾ He threw down Ajero¾ And killed Ajero¾ When he got to the palace of OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n-A®ga, the OÙba of I®la;-O®®Ùra¾ngu;n-A®ga He threw down OÙwara¾ngu;n-A®ga And killed OÙwara¾ngu;n-A®ga He then went to wage war on Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô, the OÙba of A®ja¾sôe;ô Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô was advised to offer eôboô Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô could neither eat nor sleep. He was full of apprehension. He lost interest in everything and anything. All what he was doing was counting the days he had left to live. He realized however that when he used his two hands and fingers to count his days left on earth, some of his fingers were left uncounted! He realized to his utter regret, that he had less than 10 days left to live. This made him very irritated with everyone around him. Any sound made by anything or anyone was being interpreted in his brain as the approach of death to his palace. He would snap at anyone or anything that made a noise. Why was he so scared and irritated? It was because of Ogbè, the wrestler. Ogbè had earlier engaged Ala;ra; in a duel and threw Ala;ra;

596

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

down and killed him. Not only this, he confiscated all his belongings and consumed them! When he got to Ala;ra;’s palace, he shouted at the top of his lungs saying,” SÙu¾ti;!” Ala;ra; responded with “SÙu¾te¾ô!” and the duel started. Within a twinkle of an eye, Ala;ra; was thrown down and was stone dead. Next, Ogbè went to Ajero¾ and shouted his usual challenge to have a duel,” SÙu¾ti;!”. Ajero¾ responded with “SÙu¾te¾ô!” Ajero¾ was thrown down and was killed. All his properties were swallowed by Ogbè. OÙwa;ra¾¾ngu;n was next. He too was killed and all his belongings were consumed. All crowned rulers and merchant heads challenged were defeated. They were all killed and their belongings were confiscated and consumed. That was when Ogbè declared that Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô would be his next opponent and victim. That was why Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô was counting how many days remained for him to stay alive on earth. He knew that the day when Ogbè arrived to challenge him to a fight would be his very last day on earth. He felt that his own could not be an exception since all those who had earlier been challenged into a duel had been defeated, killed, and their properties confiscated and swallowed by Ogbè. When only three days remained for Ogbè to arrive in Ele;gu¾nMajo¾ô’s palace, he remembered that he needed to try all avenues to protect himself and conserve his life. That was when he made up his mind to go for Ifá consultation. He realized that with Ifá, his own case could be an exception after-all. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. Off he went to the home of the Awo mentioned above. Would he be able to defeat Ogbè? Would he live beyond three days? Would he live until his old age and live to tell his own story? In short, would his own case be an exception? The Awo assured Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô that even though he was highly apprehensive, he had nothing to worry about. He was told that he

597


could defeat Ogbè without breaking a sweat. He was told that all he needed to do was to keep cool and calm, offer ẹbọ, and procure a lot of alcoholic drinks and food. All these Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô did. The Awo offered ẹbọ for him and told him to go back home and get all the items ready. He complied. On the day that Ogbè was expected to arrive at Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô’s palace, Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô instructed his household to prepare pounded yam meal that would be sufficient for 100 people. The household was also instructed to get alcoholic drinks for 200 people. All these items were provided when Ogbè arrived, he shouted at the top of his lungs saying, “Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô SÙu¾ti;i;i;i;!” Instead of responding with “SÙu¾te¾ô” for the fight to commence, Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô told Ogbè to eat and drink first before they engaged in a duel. Ogbè was taken aback. Nobody had ever offered him food and drink before the commencement of any duel before. He decided to eat the food, and drink the alcohol that Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô had provided for him before he would defeat and kill him. He sat down to enjoy the meal. As he was eating, so also was he drinking the alcohol. He ate and drank until he became totally drunk. He went into a stupor. E®sôu¾ instructed Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô to continue to give him alcohol. He did. In the end, Ogbè fell asleep and before long he began to snore. It was at this stage that E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ instructed Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô to go and wake Ogbè up and challenge him to a duel. As soon as Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô woke Ogbè up, he fell down and went back to sleep. He was then woken up again but with force. He started to fight, but soon began to vomit. He vomited all the items which he had swallowed in the homes of all those whom he had earlier defeated and killed into Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô’s palace. From morning until the next day, he continued to vomit. At last, he fell down totally exhausted. Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô went to challenge Ogbè to a duel. Ogbè responded that he was too tired and worn-out to fight. Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô told him

598

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

that if Ogbè could not fight anymore, Ogbè should leave and go away. Ogbè responded that he had nowhere to go anymore. All that remained was for him (Ogbè) to stay with Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô to help protect him and re-organize his life. That was exactly what happened. Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô was happy. He lived to witness his old age and to tell his story. SÙa;ki;ti; Awo Oni;sôaki; Di;a; fu;n Oni;sôaki; OÙmoô O®gu;n o¾ roô 'ke Ja;;nga;n n¾ ja¾nga;n, Ja¾nn¾ga¾nte;e¾le¾ Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; yo;o; maa s'ôo¾wo¾ i¾ja¾kadi¾ ka';ri; aye; O: de;’le; Ala;ra; O: da; Ala;ra; O: pa Ala;ra; O: de;’le; Ajero¾ O: da; Ajero¾ O: pa Ajero¾ O: de;’le; OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n A®ga O: da; OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n A®ga O: pa OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n A®ga O: wa; n;gb’o;gun loô si;le; Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gbe;boô, o; ru;boô N®je;ô E®e¾gu;n n; jo; o Ee¾gu¾¾n n; yo¾ô E®Ùyin o¾ mo¾ô 'pe; owo; mini l’ E®e¾gu¾n n; lo¾ Translation: SÙa;ki;ti;, The Awo of Oni;sôaki;, the OÙba of SÙaki; Town He cast Ifa; for Oni;sôaki; Offspring of O®gu;n devotees who cannot mold ivory Ja;nga;nn¾ja¾nga;n and Ja¾nn¾ga¾nte;e¾le¾ They cast Ifa for Ogbè Who going to engage in the profession of wrestling the world over

599


When he got to the palace of Ala;ra;, the OÙba of I®la;ra; Mo¾ôki;n He threw down Ala;ra; And killed Ala;ra; When he got to the palace of Ajero, the OÙba of I®jero¾-Eki¾ti¾ He threw down Ajero¾ And killed Ajero¾ When he got to the palace of OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n-A®ga, the OÙba of I®la;-O®®Ùra¾ngu;n-A®ga He threw down OÙwara¾ngu;n-A®ga And killed OÙwara¾ngu;n-A®ga He then went to wage war on Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô, the OÙba of A®ja¾sôe;ô Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô was advised to offer eôboô He complied Now, E;®e¾gu¾n is dancing And E;®e¾gu¾n is expressing joy Don’t you know that E;®e¾gu¾n is spending newly acquired money Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have cause to sing and dance and be merry. He/she shall also live long to narrate his story. 9. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall live long on earth. Ifá foresees the Ire of long life for him/her. He/she shall live to become an elder statesman who shall be telling stories to the youth. Ifá recommends that this person adorn his/her neck with ide¾ beads at all times. If this is done, all the delegates of Death will run away from this person and will allow him/her to live until his/her old age. Ifá also advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature hegoat and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with a hen or she-goat.

600

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

On this, Ifá says: O®werere O®we¾re¾re¾ Di;a; fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; yo;o; la'de¾ b’oômoô re¾ô l’o;;ôru¾n Ni;tOrí; Iku; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: O®werere O®we¾re¾re¾ They cast Ifa; for O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Who would adorn the necks of his children with Ide¾ beads For protection against death He was advised to offer eôboô Those who were old enough to die and those who were not were being snatched away by death. Some people would die and several others living around him/her would breathe a sigh of relief, while several others would die and the whole society would be thrown into mourning. The unfortunate part however was that it seemed that the very righteous ones were being cut down in their prime while the wicked good for nothing ones were being left to live until their old age! Oô®ru;nmi¾la¾ observed that his own followers and children were many on earth. They must not be allowed to be part of the victims of untimely death on earth. Consequently, he decided to take decisive steps in order to ensure that his own followers and children were protected against, and spared from all forms of violent or untimely death. That was the reason why he went for Ifá consultation.

601


Oô®ru;nmi¾la¾ was told that there were too many uncertainties and threats on earth. He was assured that his own children would however be spared from all these things. The Awo told him to offer ẹbọ as stated above and at the same time, he needed to put Ifá beads on the necks of all his children. He complied. As soon as these things were done, all evil spirits and negative elementals moved away from all the followers and children of Oô®ru;nmi¾la¾. They began to live to their old age. If any of them failed to wear the Ifá beads and anything untoward began to happen to them, as soon as appropriate ẹbọ was offered and the Ifá beads were put round their necks, the evil elementals responsible for the problem would disappear from their lives and he/she would find his/her life returning to normalcy. O®werere O®we¾re¾re¾ Di;a; fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; yo;o; la'de¾ b’oômoô re¾ô l’o;;ôru¾n Ni;tOrí; Iku; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'e;;ôboô, o; ru;’boô N®je; o¾we¾re¾ la¾ n; ja¾ un Iku; ki¾i; pa’wo to; la'de¾ b’oôru¾n O®we¾re¾ la¾ n; ja¾ un Aru¾n ki¾i; sô’awo to; la’de¾ b’oôru¾n O®we¾re¾ la¾ n; ja¾ un Ibi ki¾i; sô’awo to; la’de¾ b’oôru¾n O®we¾re¾ la¾ n; ja¾ un Translation: O®werere O®we¾re¾re¾ They cast Ifa; for O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Who would adorn the necks of his children with Ide¾ beads For protection against death

602

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

He was advised to offer eôboô He complied We are all struggling, all of us Death will never kill an Awo who has adorned his neck with Ifá beads We are all struggling, all of us Affliction will never affect an Awo who has adorned his neck with Ifá beads We are all struggling, all of us No evil will ever affect an Awo who has adorned his neck with Ide¾ beads We are all struggling, all of us

Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she will live to his/her old age. He/she will not be affected by the vagaries of life. He/she shall also be happy and content in life. He/she will enjoy his/her life to the maximum.

10. Ifá foresees the Ire of Victory over Adversary for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she shall overcome all his/her enemies and evil elementals. Ifá assures him/her that no matter how many these adversaries may be, he/she shall be triumphant. He/she shall have cause to celebrate his/her sweet victory over all obstacles. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. After this, he/she needs to get a bunch of fresh sawerepepe leaves, pound them into fine paste, and mix the paste with soap for bathing every day. If these two steps can be taken, then he/she shall overcome all his/her foes, both physical and spiritual.

603


On these two aspects, Ifá says: Ki;nni¾¾ mo; sôe Ki;nni;¾ mo; ya¾n sôe Ye¾ye; e¾ mi¾ A®sôa¾bi; O ra;n mi ni;’na; Mi¾ o¾ m’a;pe¾ô Mo tu;ntún ya; f’eônu foôn’na; fu;n oô wa';le; EÙnu ni¾ I®ga;nra;n fi; n;foôn’na; l’o;ko Ki;nni¾ mo; sôe Ki;nni; mo; ya¾n sôe Ye¾ye; e¾ mi¾ A®sôa¾bi; O ra;n mi¾ ni;’sôu Mi¾ o¾ m’a;gbo¾ôn Mo tu;ntún ya; f'eônu wa’sôu fu;n oô wa'le; EÙnu n’I®ga;nra;n fi; n; wa’sôu l’o;ko Ki;nni; mo; sôe Ki;nni; mo; ya¾n sôe Ye¾ye; e¾ mi¾ A®sôa¾bi; O ra;n mi¾ l’o;mi Mi¾ o¾ m’a;gbe¾ Mo tu;ntún ya; f’eônu poôn’mi fu;n oô wa;'le; EÙnu n’I®ga;nra;n fi; n; poôn’mi l’o;ko Ifá ; pe¾ôle;ô OÙmoô eruku ta;mu;ta;mu; ile; I®do; Ifá ; pe¾ôle;ô OÙmoô eruku ta¾¾mu¾¾ta¾¾mu¾¾ o¾ôna¾ I®ra;ye¾ Ifá ; pe¾ôle;ô OÙmoô ki;;ka¾n eôdu¾n ti;i; m’a;ra ogidan-a;n le A b’i¾to¾ô mi¾ni¾¾ bi; ej¾i¾ sôa¾n pa'le¾ô Akin ni;’le; I®do; Di;a; fu;n OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ifá ; n;sô'awo loô si';le; Oni¾do¾o; O®Ùpaara Ajogun lo; ka; woôn mo;ô’le; pitipiti EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

604

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

Translation: What have I done? What should I have done? A®sa¾bi;, my mother You sent me to fetch fire But I did not bring a container I used my mouth to carry the embers to the house for you It is with their mouths that I®ga;nra;n people fetch and carry live embers in the farm What have I done? What should I have done? A®sôa¾bi;, my mother You sent me to bring yams But I did not bring a basket I used my mouth to carry the yams to the house for you It is with their mouths that I®ga;nra;n people carry yams in the farm What have I done? What should I have done? A®sa¾bi;, my mother You sent me to fetch water But I did not bring a calabash I used my mouth to carry the water to the house for you It is with their mouths that I®ga;nra;n people fetch water in the farm Gently Ifa; Offspring of the fine dust of I®do; land Easy Ifa; Offspring of the smooth dust of I®ra;ye¾ land Gently Ifa; Offspring of the tightened rope which strengthens the Ogidan musical drum He who urinates like a rain shower The brave man of I®do; land These were Ifa;’s declarations to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When going on a spiritual mission to the

605


palace of Oni;do¾o;-O®®Ùpaara When they were completely overwhelmed by evil principalities He was advised to offer eôboô The inhabitants of I®do; O®®Ùpaara were in serious trouble. Nothing went well for them anymore. It appeared as if everything on earth had turned against them. Their crops failed. They were suffering from many ailments. Crime was the order of the day. Youths turned against their elders, parents abandoned their young ones to their fate and nobody cared to obey the instructions and/or directives of the authorities. Confusion, chaos, anarchy took over. All the blame was heaped on Oni;do¾o;-O®®Ùpaara, the OÙba of the land, for his failure to find a solution to the problems in the land. Every day, Oni;do¾o;-O®®Ùpaara would sit down accompanied by melancholy and regret to numerate over the problems in the land and to find lasting solutions to them. Much as he tried, he could find no way out of the problems. In the end, he invited OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to come and help solve the numerous problems plaguing the land. As soon as OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received the message of Oni;do¾o;-O®®Ùpaara, he went for Ifá consultation in the home of the Awo mentioned above. These Awo were incidentally his former students. He wanted to find out two things: one, what exactly were the problems in I®do;-OÙ®paara, and two, what preparations would he need to make in order to combat the problems and find a lasting solution to them. The Awo informed OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the problems in Ido land were multi-dimensional. They were both spiritual and physical. However, the spiritual problems gave birth to all the physical problems being experience in the land. What actually happened was that all the negative A:jogun: Iku;, Death; Arun, Sickness; EÙjo;, Contention; and O®fo¾, Loss had taken over the land. These A®jogun had brought with them anxiety, confusion, uncertainty, grief, crime, chaos, and anarchy. There was no more reason to live for the future. All that

606

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

concerned everyone was today and how to solve the problems of today. Crime took over completely. Yet no problem was solved. Instead, problems increased and grief took over the lives of the inhabitants. All the neighbouring communities were not ready to accommodate any inhabitant of I®do;-OÙ®paara land for fear of bringing their problems into their land. Everywhere one turned, there was hopelessness on the faces of the inhabitants. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was told that in order to solve these problems, all the A®jogun must be persuaded to vacate the land. As soon as they left, the remaining problems could be solved. There would not be anyone or anything to continue to fire the ember of chaos as confusion in the land anymore. They advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with a matured he-goat in order to persuade these A®jogun to vacate the land. After this, he needed to procure plenty of sawerepepe leaves in order to grind them and mix them with soap for all the inhabitants of I®do;-OÙ®paara to use for bathing. This would accelerate the vacation of all the A®jogun that had found their ways into their lives. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered all the ẹbọ recommended for him. He also began to use the soap mixed with the sawerepepe leaves right from his own home before he set out on his journey. As soon as he got to I®do;-OÙ®paara land he set out to work. He offered ẹbọ as he had been advised by his former students. He also prepared the soap as he had been instructed to do. A few days after these steps were taken, all the A®jogun found no reason why they should continue to stay in I®do;-OÙ®paara land. They resolved to leave the land and move somewhere else far away in order to begin to torment the inhabitants there. When the A®jogun left, I®do;-OÙ®paara land, it became possible to proffer a solution to the problems of the land. The people of the land began to see a reason why they should hope that the future would be better. All the inhabitants resolved to work together in order to find a lasting solution to their problems. Before long, they were able to tackle

607


the problems of the land one after the other. Smiles and hope returned to the land. Ki;nni¾¾ mo; sôe Ki;nni;¾ mo; ya¾n sôe Ye¾ye; e¾ mi¾ A®sôa¾bi; O ra;n mi ni;’na; Mi¾ o¾ m’a;pe¾ô Mo tu;ntún ya; f’eônu foôn’na; fu;n oô wa';le; EÙnu ni¾ I®ga;nra;n fi; n;foôn’na; l’o;ko Ki;nni¾ mo; sôe Ki;nni; mo; ya¾n sôe Ye¾ye; e¾ mi¾ A®sôa¾bi; O ra;n mi¾ ni;’sôu Mi¾ o¾ m’a;gbo¾ôn Mo tu;ntún ya; f'eônu wa’sôu fu;n oô wa'le; EÙnu n’I®ga;nra;n fi; n; wa’sôu l’o;ko Ki;nni; mo; sôe Ki;nni; mo; ya¾n sôe Ye¾ye; e¾ mi¾ A®sôa¾bi; O ra;n mi¾ l’o;mi Mi¾ o¾ m’a;gbe¾ Mo tu;ntún ya; f’eônu poôn’mi fu;n oô wa;'le; EÙnu n’I®ga;nra;n fi; n; poôn’mi l’o;ko Ifá ; pe¾ôle;ô OÙmoô eruku ta;mu;ta;mu; ile; I®do; Ifá ; pe¾ôle;ô OÙmoô eruku ta¾¾mu¾¾ta¾¾mu¾¾ o¾ôna¾ I®ra;ye¾ Ifá ; pe¾ôle;ô OÙmoô ki;;ka¾n eôdu¾n ti;i; m’a;ra ogidan-a;n le A b’i¾to¾ô mi¾ni¾¾ bi; ej¾i¾ sôa¾n pa'le¾ô Akin ni;’le; I®do; Di;a; fu;n OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ifá ; n;sô'awo loô si';le; Oni¾do¾o; O®Ùpaara Ajogun lo; ka; woôn mo;ô’le; pitipiti EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko; ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l'a;to¾le; ire gbogbo

608

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

A®to¾le; ire gbogbo la¾¾a; ba;’ni l’e;ôse¾ô O®ôpe¾ô N®je; Iku; gba’pe¾ô o; loô o SÙawerepe¾pe¾ A®ru¾n gba’pe¾ô o; loô SÙawerepe¾pe¾ EÙjo;ô gba’pe¾ô o; loô SÙawerepe¾pe¾ O®fo¾ gba’pe¾ô o; loô SÙawerepe¾pe¾ Gbogbo Ajogun gba’pe¾ô wo;ôn loô o SÙawerepe¾pe¾ Translation: What have I done? What should I have done? A®sa¾bi;, my mother You sent me to fetch fire But I did not bring a container I used my mouth to carry the embers to the house for you It is with their mouths that I®ga;nra;n people fetch and carry live embers in the farm What have I done? What should I have done? A®sôa¾bi;, my mother You sent me to bring yams But I did not bring a basket I used my mouth to carry the yams to the house for you It is with their mouths that I®ga;nra;n people carry yams in the farm What have I done? What should I have done? A®sa¾bi;, my mother You sent me to fetch water But I did not bring a calabash I used my mouth to carry the water to the house for you It is with their mouths that I®ga;nra;n people

609


fetch water in the farm Gently Ifa; Offspring of the fine dust of I®do; land Easy Ifa; Offspring of the smooth dust of I®ra;ye¾ land Gently Ifa; Offspring of the tightened rope which strengthens the Ogidan musical drum He who urinates like a rain shower The brave man of I®do; land These were Ifa;’s declarations to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When going on a spiritual mission to the palace of Oni;do¾o;-O®®Ùpaara When they were completely overwhelmed by evil principalities He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life In the midst of all the Ire of life does one find all followers of the holy palm Now, Ikú, Death accepted our pleas and left Sawerepepe Arun, Affliction accepted our pleas and left Sawerepepe EÙjo;, Contention accepted our pleas and left Sawerepepe O®fo¾, Loss accepted our pleas and left Sawerepepe All A®jogun accepted our pleas as they left Sawerepepe Ifá says that all A®jogun who had hitherto taken over the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall leave and allow this person to enjoy his/her life to the fullest and also give way for him/her to manifest his/her destiny without hindrance.

610

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

11. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of long life for the person for whom this Ogbe¾-Iyo;ônu; is revealed. Ifá says that this person will live long and will be happy. Ifá however warns that person for whom this Odù is revealed not to assist others at his/her own expense. Ifá warns him/her not to subject himself/herself to avoidable and/or undue risks. Ifá says that doing so will not augur well for him/her or the person he/she intends to assist or the situation he/she intends to correct or remove. Ifá advises this person to procure a live land snail, put it in his/her cap or headgear and wear the cap/headgear together with the snail while his/her ẹbọ is being offered. At the end of the ẹbọ, he/she needs to remove the cap/headgear and place it on top of E®su ô ¾. By so doing, death will depart from him/her. On this, Ogbe¾-Iyo;ônu; says: E®mi o¾ le e¾ s'ôa¾a;nu; erin Ki; n mu; oôwo;ô iwa;ju; k’a;sôa; E®mi¾ o¾ le e¾ sô'a¾a;nu; eôfoô¾n K¾i n t'eôse¾ô e¾y ô i¾n boô po¾o¾lo¾ E®mi¾ o¾ le sôa¾a;nu; oôkoô l’o;bi¾nri;n Ki n m’e;ôse¾ô e¾ôyi¾n p’ejo¾ E®mi¾ o le e¾ du’ri; ol’o;ri; K’a;wo¾di¾ o; gbe; t'e¾mi ra¾ loô Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Ki¾i;ni; Wo;ôn ni¾ ko; wa;a; s'ôeôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô Translation: I cannot have sympathy for the elephant For me to stop a bullet with my hands I cannot pity the buffalo For me to enter a trap with my legs I cannot have compassion for a couple

611


For me to use my legs to kill a poisonous snake I cannot attempt to save the head of others For the Eagle to carry me away These were Ifá’s declarations to the first Olo;gbi¾n-i;n He was advised to offer ẹbọ for longevity Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was a high-ranking title of Egu;ngu;n worshippers. It was normally given to those who had distinguished themselves in many ways during their services to the Egu;ngu;n deity. For anyone to be accorded that title, it went without gainsaying that such a person had really tried and had proved himself a worthy representative of the Egu;ngu;n family. When the first Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was about to be installed, he swore that he would do all things in his capacity to promote the course of the Egu;ngu;n and O®Ùje¾ô deity. He promised that he would not relent in his effort to ensure that everything went well within the O®Ùje¾ô circle and the whole community in general. In order to determine the best way to further help achieve his aim, he went for Ifá consultation. The Awo congratulated him for having the interest of his community at heart. He was however warned not to subject himself to any undue risks in his bid to help his community. He was told that if he did not help with caution and common sense. He would end up not being able to render any more help to anyone at all. He was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. Thinking that the Awo was trying to dissuade him from assisting people, coupled with the fact that he had made a solemn promise to the people that he would always be there for them whenever they needed him, he simply ignored the advice of the Awo. He also failed to offer the prescribed ẹbọ. He began to help many people. Everyone trooped to his home for assistance and they not disappointed. Soon after this, he became over-stressed and overwhelmed with the demands and he could no longer cope. He

612

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

stressed himself beyond his capability. He soon fell ill and before long, he died an unfulfilled man. Those who were looking for assistance from him abandoned his home and family and began to look for someone else who would be of assistance to them. E®mi o¾ le e¾ s'ôa¾a;nu; erin Ki; n mu; oôwo;ô iwa;ju; k’a;sôa; E®mi¾ o¾ le e¾ sô'a¾a;nu; eôfoô¾n K¾i n t'eôse¾ô e¾y ô i¾n boô po¾o¾lo¾ E®mi¾ o¾ le sôa¾a;nu; oôkoô l’o;bi¾nri;n Ki n m’e;ôse¾ô e¾ôyi¾n p’ejo¾ E®mi¾ o le e¾ du’ri; ol’o;ri; K’a;wo¾di¾ o; gbe; t'e¾mi ra¾ loô Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Keji Wo;ôn ni¾ ko; wa;a; s'ôeôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô Translation: I cannot have sympathy for the elephant For me to stop a bullet with my hands I cannot pity the buffalo For me to enter a trap with my legs I cannot have compassion for a couple For me to use my legs to kill a poisonous snake I cannot attempt to save the head of others For the Eagle to carry me away This was Ifá’s declarations to the second Olo;gbi¾n-i;n He was advised to offer ẹbọ for longevity The second Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was installed barely two months after the death of the first Olo;gbi¾n-i;n. The community felt that there was the need to fill the position left vacant as a result of the death of the first Olo;gbi¾n-i;n in order for the occupier of the position to continue the good work where his predecessor had left off. The second Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was convinced that before he could do anything that the people would notice and appreciate, he needed to match and surpass the efforts of his predecessor. He tried. He then went

613


for Ifá consultation. He was advised not to bite more than he could chew. He failed to heed the warning. In the end, he too met with the same fate as the first Olo;gbi¾n-i;n. He died an exhausted man. E®mi o¾ le e¾ s'ôa¾a;nu; erin Ki; n mu; oôwo;ô iwa;ju; k’a;sôa; E®mi¾ o¾ le e¾ sô'a¾a;nu; eôfoô¾n K¾i n t'eôse¾ô e¾y ô i¾n boô po¾o¾lo¾ E®mi¾ o¾ le sôa¾a;nu; oôkoô l’o;bi¾nri;n Ki n m’e;ôse¾ô e¾ôyi¾n p’ejo¾ E®mi¾ o le e¾ du’ri; ol’o;ri; K’a;wo¾di¾ o; gbe; t'e¾mi ra¾ loô Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Keôta Wo;ôn ni¾ ko; wa;a; s'ôeôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô Translation: I cannot have sympathy for the elephant For me to stop a bullet with my hands I cannot pity the buffalo For me to enter a trap with my legs I cannot have compassion for a couple For me to use my legs to kill a poisonous snake I cannot attempt to save the head of others For the Eagle to carry me away This was Ifá’s declaration to the third Olo;gbi¾n-i;n He was advised to offer ẹbọ for longevity The third Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was also installed as soon as the burial ceremony of the second Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was completed. He too went for Ifá consultation. He was advised to help his people but not to outreach himself. He was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He never did. He too died prematurely. E®mi o¾ le e¾ s'ôa¾a;nu; erin Ki; n mu; oôwo;ô iwa;ju; k’a;sôa; E®mi¾ o¾ le e¾ sô'a¾a;nu; eôfoô¾n

614

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

K¾i n t'eôse¾ô e¾y ô i¾n boô po¾o¾lo¾ E®mi¾ o¾ le sôa¾a;nu; oôkoô l’o;bi¾nri;n Ki n m’e;ôse¾ô e¾ôyi¾n p’ejo¾ E®mi¾ o le e¾ du’ri; ol’o;ri; K’a;wo¾di¾ o; gbe; t'e¾mi ra¾ loô Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Keôrin Wo;ôn ni¾ ko; wa;a; s'ôeôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô Translation: I cannot have sympathy for the elephant For me to stop a bullet with my hands I cannot pity the buffalo For me to enter a trap with my legs I cannot have compassion for a couple For me to use my legs to kill a poisonous snake I cannot attempt to save the head of others For the Eagle to carry me away This was Ifá’s declaration to the forth Olo;gbi¾n-i;n He was advised to offer ẹbọ for longevity Again, the forth Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was installed shortly after the final burial of the third Olo;gbi¾n-i;n . He went for Ifá consultation. He was advised to offer ẹbọ and to slow down. He was also told not to overstress himself in his bid to help his people. He could not understand how to stop helping others even at his own expense. He died before he was up to one year on the seat of Olo;gbi¾n-i;n. E®mi o¾ le e¾ s'ôa¾a;nu; erin Ki; n mu; oôwo;ô iwa;ju; k’a;sôa; E®mi¾ o¾ le e¾ sô'a¾a;nu; eôfoô¾n K¾i n t'eôse¾ô e¾y ô i¾n boô po¾o¾lo¾ E®mi¾ o¾ le sôa¾a;nu; oôkoô l’o;bi¾nri;n Ki n m’e;ôse¾ô e¾ôyi¾n p’ejo¾ E®mi¾ o le e¾ du’ri; ol’o;ri; K’a;wo¾di¾ o; gbe; t'e¾mi ra¾ loô Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Karu¾n-u;n Wo;ôn ni¾ ko; wa;a; s'ôeôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô

615


Translation: I cannot have sympathy for the elephant For me to stop a bullet with my hands I cannot pity the buffalo For me to enter a trap with my legs I cannot have compassion for a couple For me to use my legs to kill a poisonous snake I cannot attempt to save the head of others For the Eagle to carry me away This was Ifá’s declaration to the fifth Olo;gbi¾n-i;n He was advised to offer ẹbọ for longevity The fifth Olo;gbi¾n-i;n tried to heed the advice of the Awo but failed. He buried himself in the work of helping others without consideration for his own health, safety, or capability. In the end, the work buried him and another Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was installed. E®mi o¾ le e¾ s'ôa¾a;nu; erin Ki; n mu; oôwo;ô iwa;ju; k’a;sôa; E®mi¾ o¾ le e¾ sô'a¾a;nu; eôfoô¾n K¾i n t'eôse¾ô e¾y ô i¾n boô po¾o¾lo¾ E®mi¾ o¾ le sôa¾a;nu; oôkoô l’o;bi¾nri;n Ki n m’e;ôse¾ô e¾ôyi¾n p’ejo¾ E®mi¾ o le e¾ du’ri; ol’o;ri; K’a;wo¾di¾ o; gbe; t'e¾mi ra¾ loô Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Kefa¾ Wo;ôn ni¾ ko; wa;a; s'ôeôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô Translation: I cannot have sympathy for the elephant For me to stop a bullet with my hands I cannot pity the buffalo For me to enter a trap with my legs I cannot have compassion for a couple

616

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

For me to use my legs to kill a poisonous snake I cannot attempt to save the head of others For the Eagle to carry me away This was Ifá’s declaration to the sixth Olo;gbi¾n-i;n He was advised to offer ẹbọ for longevity The sixth Olo;gbi¾n-i;n felt that those five Olo;gbi¾n-i;n who had died did not have enough strength, resilience, and sufficient health to make them last long. He believed that he had all these qualities and that he would live longer than all of them put together. When he was advised to take it easy, he responded that how could one take doing good and benevolent activities easy? He went into his work head on. He worked tirelessly and without rest. By the time he realized that he truly needed to consider his own health and strength in all what he was doing, it was already too late. He died barely eight lunar months after assuming the office. E®mi o¾ le e¾ s'ôa¾a;nu; erin Ki; n mu; oôwo;ô iwa;ju; k’a;sôa; E®mi¾ o¾ le e¾ sô'a¾a;nu; eôfoô¾n K¾i n t'eôse¾ô e¾y ô i¾n boô po¾o¾lo¾ E®mi¾ o¾ le sôa¾a;nu; oôkoô l’o;bi¾nri;n Ki n m’e;ôse¾ô e¾ôyi¾n p’ejo¾ E®mi¾ o le e¾ du’ri; ol’o;ri; K’a;wo¾di¾ o; gbe; t'e¾mi ra¾ loô Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Keje Wo;ôn ni¾ ko; wa;a; s'ôeôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô Translation: I cannot have sympathy for the elephant For me to stop a bullet with my hands I cannot pity the buffalo For me to enter a trap with my legs I cannot have compassion for a couple For me to use my legs to kill a poisonous snake I cannot attempt to save the head of others

617


For the Eagle to carry me away This was Ifá’s declaration to the seventh Olo;gbi¾n-i;n He was advised to offer ẹbọ for longevity When the seventh Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was installed, everybody was expecting him to end up the same way the last six Olo;gbi¾n-i;n had ended up. They were mistaken. He went for Ifá consultation and offered all the prescribed ẹbọ and heeded the advice and the warnings of the Awo. He never chewed beyond what he could swallow. He took life easy. Before long, everyone in the Egu;ngu;n community and the society in general became used to his system. Some of the assignments which he felt could be delegated to others to perform were promptly delegated. He lived long and had relatively sound health. He was able to tell his story 25 years after he was installed as Olo;gbi¾n-i;n. He lived and died a happy, contented, and highly accomplished Olo;gbi¾n-i;n. E®mi o¾ le e¾ s'ôa¾a;nu; erin Ki; n mu; oôwo;ô iwa;ju; k’a;sôa; E®mi¾ o¾ le e¾ sô'a¾a;nu; eôfoô¾n K¾i n t'eôse¾ô e¾y ô i¾n boô po¾o¾lo¾ E®mi¾ o¾ le sôa¾a;nu; oôkoô l’o;bi¾nri;n Ki n m’e;ôse¾ô e¾ôyi¾n p’ejo¾ E®mi¾ o le e¾ du’ri; ol’o;ri; K’a;wo¾di¾ o; gbe; t'e¾mi ra¾ loô Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Ki¾i;ni; A bu¾ fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n keji Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n keôta A bu¾ fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n keôrin Dia fun Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n karu¾n-u;n A bu¾ fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n keôfa Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n keje Wo;ôn ni¾ ki; wo;ôn wa;a; s'eôboô si; lai¾ku; ara wo;ôn Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n keje ni¾kan ni; n;;beô le;yi¾n ti; n; s'eôboô N®je;ô gbe;’ku; u¾ mi¾ ra¾ loô o A®wo¾di¾-o¾ke¾ gbe;’ku; u¾¾ mi¾ ra¾ loô o Ti;nheôn-ti;nheôn re;re o, A®wo¾di¾!

618

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

Translation: I cannot have sympathy for the elephant For me to stop a bullet with my hands I cannot pity the buffalo For me to enter a trap with my legs I cannot have compassion for a couple For me to use my legs to kill a poisonous snake I cannot attempt to save the head of others For the Eagle to carry me away These were Ifa;’s declarations to the first Olo;gbi¾n-i;n And for the second Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n And for the third Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n And for the fourth Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n And for the fifth Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n And for the sixth Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n And for the seventh Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n They were advised to offer eôboô for longevity Only the seventh Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n complied Please carry the death dangling over my head away The hovering eagle Please carry the death dangling over my head away Far far away A®wo¾di¾, the Eagle! Ifá says that the death that is dangling over the head of the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be carried away and be replaced with long life, prosperity, accomplishment, and sound health. He/she however needs to take proper care of his/her health. He/she needs not do anything that will put him/her into avoidable danger or threaten his/her life.

619


12. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of success, matrimonial bliss, accomplishment, good companionship, lovely children, and boundless joy for the couple planning to get married where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that the marriage and relationship will be a resounding success for both parties. Ifá says that the woman needs to move into her man’s house very early in the morning, even before daybreak. This will enhance the success chances of the marriage. This is because the woman chose as part of her destiny in heaven to move into her matrimonial home at dawn in order for all her Ire to follow her to her new home. This is why it is important to ensure that the woman arrives at her man’s house at dawn. Ifá also says that as soon as she arrives, two big kola nuts with four lobes each should be broken for her and offered to Ifá in the very early morning of her arrival. This cannot be postponed. This is why it is important to have the four lobe kola nuts ready and placed by Ifá before her arrival. She needs to move straight into Ifá’s room for this ceremony to be performed even before any other thing can be done. Ifá also promises the Ire of a beautiful and bouncing baby for the couple. The name of the baby should be Fa;yeômi;: Ifá befits me. Ifá also advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens, and money. He/She also needs to feed Ifá with two rats, two fish, and one hen. On this, Ifá says: Ka; te;ô’ni; we;lô e;ôwe;ôle;ô Ka; su¾n we;ôle;ô K’o;;ômoô eôni¾ o; le¾ baa¾ n’oôwo;ô woôroôwoôroô Ko; fi; gbe;’ni¾ sin Ko; le¾ baa¾ ju¾’ko¾ obi¾ lu’ni po¾ro¾po¾ro¾ Di;a; fu;n I®ya¾wo; oju;-oô¾na¾ô Ti;; n;re’le; oôkoô re¾ô l’a;fe¾ômo;;ôju;

620

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

Ti; n;loô re¾e; gb’a¾sôeô ni;'le; oôkoô Ti; n;loô re¾e; gb’a¾sôeô l'oôwoôô; Ifá ; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Let us spread the mat gently And lay on it meekly For us to be blessed with children who will spread their hands humbly And lay us to our final resting place And break kola nuts for us regularly These were Ifá’s messages for the new bride When going to her matrimonial home at dawn And when going to receive the A®sôeô in her husband’s home And when going to receive the A®sôeô from Ifá She was advised to offer ẹbọ The new bride was about to move into her husband’s new home. All other ceremonies had been completed. The movement into her husband’s home was the final rite to be performed. Before going however, she decided to go for Ifá consultation. What must she do to make her marriage a resounding success? The Awo assured her that her marriage would not only be successful, it would also be blessed with children, progress, and bliss. She was told that part of her destiny was for her to leave for her matrimonial home very early in the morning. She was informed that all the Ire of life was waiting for her by the doorstep of her parent’s home and that they (The Ire) were prepared to accompany her to her new home and reside with her there. If she delayed, all the Ire would disperse and go elsewhere. She was told that as soon as she arrived in her husband’s home, she should go straight into the Ifá room where the elders in the home would shower her with prayers and blessings. That was when Ifá would give her the A®sôeô. She was also told to ensure that two big kola nuts were broken for Ifá on that

621


very morning. She was also told to offer ẹbọ and feed Ifá as stated above. She complied. Not only this, she also informed her man’s family of the directives of Ifá. On the day of the marriage and movement, they left at the first cock’s crow at dawn. Before sunrise, she had already settled in her man’s home and all the directives of Ifá were carried and completed. She enjoyed marital bliss for the rest of her life. Ten lunar months after her marriage, she gave birth to a baby who was promptly named Fa;yeômi; according to the directives of Ifá. Ka; te;ô’ni; we;lô e;ôwe;ôle;ô Ka; su¾n we;ôle;ô K’o;;ômoô eôni¾ o; le¾ baa¾ n’oôwo;ô woôroôwoôroô Ko; fi; gbe;’ni¾ sin Ko; le¾ baa¾ ju¾’ko¾ obi¾ lu’ni po¾ro¾po¾ro¾ Di;a; fu;n I®ya¾wo; oju;-oô¾na¾ô Ti;; n;re’le; oôkoô re¾ô l’a;fe¾ômo;;ôju; Ti; n;loô re¾e; gb’a¾sôeô ni;'le; oôkoô Ti; n;loô re¾e; gb’a¾sôeô l'oôwoôô; Ifá ; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô A o¾ ri;’hun fu;n I®ya¾wo; A®fi oômoô E®ro¾ o¾ôna¾ gb’obi¾ fu;n Fa;yeômi; o Translation: Let us spread the mat gently And lay on it meekly For us to be blessed with children who will spread their hands humbly And lay us to our final resting place And break kola nuts for us regularly These were Ifá’s messages for the new bride When going to her matrimonial home at dawn And when going to receive the A®sôeô in her

622

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

husband’s home And when going to receive the A®sôeô from Ifá She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied We have nothing to give our new bride except babies Travellers, please take these kola nuts and give them to Fa;yeômi; Ifá says that the couple for whom this Odù is revealed shall enjoy their lives to the maximum. They shall lack nothing in life. They shall multiply and blessed with children, elevated success, joy, contentment, honour, and respect. 13. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a bouncing baby for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that the person, especially a woman, shall not live her life as a barren woman. She will surely be blessed with the fruit of the womb. Ifá also advises this woman to marry someone who is initiated into Ifá. If she is already married, then her husband needs to be initiated into Ifá. Doing so will enhance her chances of being blessed with the fruit of the womb. Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens, and money. She also needs to feed Ifá with two rats, two fish, and one hen. On this, Ifá says: A®®be;ô-mo;ôle¾ô ee¾ka¾n ab'oju¾ roga;n-roga;n Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; n; sunku;n oômoô re’le; O®gu;nda; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

623


Translation: A cut down tree stump with its coarse surface This was Ifá’s message for Ogbè When weeping in lamentation for her inability to receive the blessing of a baby in the home of O®gu;nda; She was advised to offer ẹbọ Ogbè was a woman who had a deep affection for kids. She wanted to shower her love on babies and young ones day and night. She however had no baby of her own. True, she was allowed to play with other people’s children but that was only in the mornings. At night, all the mothers would tuck their children in under their watchful eyes. Ogbè would be left to sleep and wake up alone. She would cry from night until the following morning. When would she be blessed with her own babies, she queried the O®ri¾sôa¾. One day, she woke up feeling very lonely. She could see no child to play with. All the parents had taken their children out. She was left alone in the house. She cried and cried. She then made up her mind to go to the home of O®gu;nda; in search of her own blessing from Olo;du¾mare¾. When she got there, all necessary ẹbọ was offered for her. She was well taken care of and before long, she became pregnant and she gave birth to many children in quick succession. She then had enough children of her own with whom to shower her blessings, love, and care. A®®be;ô-mo;ôle¾ô ee¾ka¾n ab'oju¾ roga;n-roga;n Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; n; sunku;n oômoô re’le; O®gu;nda; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô O: wa;a; di¾’le; Ogbe¾ OÙloôô;moô O: di¾’le; Ogbe¾ o¾un O®gu;nda; O: di¾’le; Ogbe¾ OÙlo;;ômoô o

624

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

Translation: A cut down tree stump with its coarse surface This was Ifá’s message for Ogbè When weeping in lamentation for her inability to receive the blessing of a baby in the home of O®gu;nda; She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied Let us go to the house of Ogbè, who has the blessings of children Let us go to the home of Ogbè and O®gu;nda; Let us go to the home of Ogbè who has the blessings of children Ifá assures the woman for whom this Odù is revealed that she will be blessed with the fruit of the womb. She will not live her life as a barren woman. 14. Ifá says that even though the person for whom this Odù is revealed is expected to be patient at all times, Ifá says that he must not allow himself to be trampled upon by anyone. He must have a very strong will and personality together with his gentle and patient nature. Ifá also advises this person never to send his wife to go and get for him anything that is very important to his life. He must not even allow her to go and represent him at any occasion which demands his personal presence. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with three pigeons, three roosters, and money. He also needs to feed SÙa¾ngo; and OÙya as appropriate. The officiating Awo needs to find out from Ifá exactly what SÙa¾ngo; and OÙya demand for and feed them accordingly.

625


On this, Ifá says: Orí; ol'o;ki¾ki; ki¾i; gbe;'le Ariwo a ta ni;'le; Ariwo a ta l'o;ko Di;a; fu;n Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ Ti;i; sô'oômoô Ele;n¾pe A®garawu; EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The reputation and destiny of a popular person Will not allow him to stay at home They will be hailed at home And will be mentioned in the farm This was Ifa;’s message for Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ The offspring of Ele;n¾pe-A®garawu; He was advised to offer ẹbọ Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ was a prince in O®ôyo;ô land. His mother was one of the daughters of Ele;n¾pe-A®garawu;. Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ was the first person to be born inside the palace in old O®Ùyo;ô. All births had taken place inside the rooms of the birthing mothers prior to the time that Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ was born. He was born on Ja¾kuta’s day a.k.a. SÙa¾ngo;’s day, when SÙa¾ngo; was being propitiated. When he grew up, he would do everything he wanted to do to coincide with the day that SÙa¾ngo; was being propitiated. He even began to dress and act like SÙa¾ngo;. Before long, everyone began to see Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ as SÙa¾ngo; reincarnated. When Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ eventually assumed the throne of his ancestors and became the OÙloôô;yo¾ôo;ô of O®Ùyo;ô, many people had forgetten his original name. He was only referred to as SÙa¾ngo; or OÙba Ku;so¾. Ku;so¾ is what the inhabitants of Nupe land call a shrine. So, Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ began to be known as OÙba Ku;so;¾ “The OÙba of the Shrine” because of his preference of using many Nupe icons and deities which he had brought from his mother’s land and added to

626

Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

his numerous O®ri¾sôa¾ for propitiation. The most popular of all these was I®gunnuko; which was the O®ri¾sôa¾ of the Nupe (Ta;pa¾) people. One day, Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ heared of some SÙa¾ngo; devotees in I®ba¾ri¾ba; land, a part of Nupe land, who still knew how to make the occult preparations and charms which would make the user spit fire like SÙa¾ngo;. He promptly contacted the people and told them that he wanted to have the power to spit fire and throw the thunder-stone as he wished. The SÙa¾ngo; devotees consulted Ifa; and sent a message back to Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ that it would be possible for him to spit fire and throw the EÙdu¾n-A®ra;, thunder stone when the preparations were made for him. He was however warned to come and pick up the preparations himself and not to send anyone for it under any circumstance. On the day that he was supposed to go and pick up the preparations, Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ felt that he was just too busy with state affairs for him to leave on the journey. In order not to fail the appointed time, he sent his wife to go and get the preparations for him. When his wife got to I®ba¾ri¾ba;, the SÙa¾ngo; worshippers were surprised that Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ had sent his wife when he was warned to come himself and pick up the preparations personally. In the end, they agreed to hand over the preparations to his wife. They gave her two preparations to hand over to Oye¾e;de¾ji¾. The first was for him to lick regularly while the second one was for him to mix with corn meal and drink. On the way back home, the wife licked part of the first preparation and before she got to O®ôyo;ô, she had gained the ability to spit fire from her mouth. When she reached O®Ùyo;ô, Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ collected what remained from her and did not allow her to use the second preparation. Had she used the second one as she had used the first one, she would not only have been able to spit fire, she also would have had the capability to throw the EÙdu¾n-A®ra; as her husband. Ever since that time, his wife was feared and respected like her husband. Sometimes the wife would be given more respect and honour than her husband. The ability to spit fire and throw the EÙdu¾n A®ra; was what convinced the indigenes of O®Ùyoô; and all of

627


Yoruba land that Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ was indeed SÙa¾ngo; reincarnate. That was how many people began to refer to Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ as SÙa¾ngo;. Before long, his real name was totally forgotten and was replaced with SÙa¾ngo. The original name of Oye¾e;de¾ji¾'s wife was also forgetten and changed to OÙya. Orí; ol'o;ki¾ki; ki¾i; gbe;'le Ariwo a ta ni;'le; Ariwo a ta l'o;ko Di;a; fu;n Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ Ti;i; sô'oômoô Ele;n¾pe A®garawu; EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô SÙu¾gbo;ôn ko¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô mo;ô N®je;ô b’o;bi¾nrin ba; roro¾ A j’oôkoô loô o B’o;bi¾nrin ba; roro¾ A j’oôkoô loô E®Ùyin o¾ r’O:Ùya to; roro¾ T'o; to; SÙa¾ngo; B’o;bi¾nrin ba; roro¾ A j’oôkoô loô o Translation: The reputation and destiny of a popular person Will not allow him to stay at home They will be hailed at home And will be mentioned in the farm This was Ifa;’s message for Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ The offspring of Ele;n¾pe-A®garawu; He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied by offering the ẹbọ But he did not comply with the warning Behold, if a woman is tough She will be regarded as being tougher then her husband If a woman is strong-willed

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Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

She will be feared more than her man Can’t you see OÙya, who is tough and strong-willed Who is equal to SÙa¾ngo; If a woman is tough She will be given more honour than her man Ifá warns the man for whom this Odù is revealed not to send his wife to represent him where his very presence is essential. He must not delegate major authority or responsibility to his wife. This is because the consequence may not augur well for him in the end. 15. Ifá advises the person born by this Odù through Ikoôse¾ôda;ye; or I®te¾ô¾ni;fa; to offer ẹbọ against a situation where all his/her children will be having nasal problems which will not allow them to speak with clarity or for the children to become stammerers when they begin to speak. Ifá also warns the Awo who cast this Odù for the client to offer ẹbọ against a situation where the client will visit his/her frustration on him/her (The Awo) in the future when it was realized that the prediction of Ifá has come to pass. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with two mature he-goats, plenty of yams, palm oil, and money. He/she also needs to feed EÙÙ®lu;ku as prescribed by Ifá. On this aspect, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu says: Aji;be;ôku;n Awo ni o Aji;be;ôku¾n ¾ Awo ni o Moôla;i¾ Awo ni o Di;a; fu;n E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾ To; n;t'o¾ôrun bo¾ô wa;'ye; Wo;ôn ni; ko; ru;’boô Ko; ma; baa¾ bi; i¾bi;ku;bi¾i; l'o;m ô oô 629


Translation: Aji;be;ôku;n is a great Awo Aji;be;ôku¾¾n is a competent Awo Moôla;i¾ is also an accomplished Awo They cast Ifa; for EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka¾ When coming from heaven to earth He was advised to offer eôboô So that he would not give birth to deformed children EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka was a highly respected O®ri¾sôa¾. He was adored and generally propitiated among the I®jeô¾bu; people, especially in I®ko¾ro¾du; and its environment. When this O®ri¾sôa¾ was coming from heaven to earth, he went for Ifá consultation in order to determine how successful his sojourn on earth would be. Would he have many followers and admirers? Would he be able to leave a legacy of love, fulfilment, contentment, accomplishment, and success behind? Would he be able to fulfil his destiny on earth? These and many more were the questions at the back of his mind when he went for Ifá consultation. The Awo assured EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka that he would certainly be successful. He was also told that he would be able to fulfil his destiny on earth. He was informed that he would have several followers and admirers on earth. He was however advised to offer ẹbọ against a situation where all his children would be having speech problems resulting from damage to their noses or for them to be stammering. They advised him to offer the ẹbọ as stated above. EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka could see no reason why his children would be having speech problems. He simply ignored the advice of the Awo. He went his way and promised himself never to return to those Awo again. While on earth, EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka gave birth to several children. To his utter surprise and grief however, all his children had speech problems. They were either having difficulties in speaking with clarity or they were stammering. This infuriated EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka. In his

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Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

frustration, he planned one day to go and inflict pain on the Awo who had casted Ifá for him in a way that they would never quickly forget. Consequently, he gathered all his children together and marched them to the home of these Awo. As they were going, they concealed several types of weapons with which to attack the Awo. These weapons included axes, cutlasses, knives, cudgels, swords, arrows, javelins, batons, clubs, whips, switches, and so on. They were also singing in order to catch the Awo off guard. Their song went like this: A® n; loô ru;’boô oô wa lo;ni¾i; o¾ A® n; loô ru;’boô oô wa o Aji;be;ôku;n Aji;be;ôku¾n Moôla;i¾ A® n; loô ru;’boô oô wa o Translation: We are going to offer our eôboô today We are certainly going to offer our eôboô Aji;be;ôku;n Aji;be;ôku¾¾n Moôla;i¾ We are going to offer our eôboô The intention of EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka¾ and his children was to catch the three Awo off guard and beat them into a pulp. If they lost their lives in the process it was their misfortune. If they put up any resistance however, it would turn into a full-scale war and maximum damage would be inflicted on the Awo together with their entire households. As they approached the homes of the Awo, E®sôu¾ went to inform them of the wicked design of EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka¾ and his children. The Awo were urged to leave their houses together with all their families. They did. When EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka¾ and his children arrived in the homes of the Awo, they met empty houses. They

631


returned home disappointed. EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka¾ lived to regret his refusal to offer the ẹbọ as prescribed. Aji;be;ôku;n Awo ni o Aji;be;ôku¾n ¾ Awo ni o Moôla;i¾ Awo ni o Di;a; fu;n E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾ To; n;t'o¾ôrun bo¾ô wa;'ye; Wo;ôn ni; ko; ru;’boô Ko; ma; baa¾ bi; i¾bi;ku;bi¾i; l'o;m ô oô O: koôti; O®®Ùgboônhin s'e;ôboô E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®ôfa¾ô EÙ o¾ ri¾fa; Awo ki¾ bo; ti; n;sôeô o? N®je;ô a¾ n¾ loô ru;’boô oô wa l'o;ni¾i; o¾ A® n; loô ru;’boô oô wa o Aji;be;ôku;n Aji;be;ôku¾n Moôla;i¾ A® n; loô ru;’boô oô wa o Translation: Aji;be;ôku;n is a great Awo Aji;be;ôku¾¾n is a competent Awo Moôla;i¾ is also an accomplished Awo They cast Ifa; for EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka¾ When coming from heaven to earth He was advised to offer eôboô So that he would not give birth to deformed children He refused to comply Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Can you see the message of Ifá as it has manifested? Behold, we are going to offer our eôboô today We are certainly going to offer our eôboô Aji;be;ôku;n Aji;be;ôku¾¾n Moôla;i¾ We are going to offer our eôboô

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Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

Ifá enjoins the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to take this particular stanza with levity. Offering of eôboô here will prevent this person from nursing the problem of speech difficulties on his/her children and young ones for the rest of his/her life. 16. Ifá says that if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is experiencing difficulties in his/her life, or if inexplicable things are happening to him/her while all efforts to proffer a lasting solution have failed, then human beings are responsible for such problems. Those are the ones who are conspiring to make life miserable for him/her. Ifá says that this person needs to put his/her ears to the ground, investigate the root of his/her problems, and he/she needs not confront or expose them. All that they need to do is continue with their daily life as usual and as if nothing has changed. These conspirators will certainly back down and allow him/her to live his/her life to the fullest. Ifa; advises this person to procure a mature she-goat and at least 16 wraps of e¾ôkoô, corn meal. The she-goat will be sliced from the chest to the stomach, the heart will then be removed and thrown away, and the e¾ôkoô will be placed in the stomach area along with plenty of palm oil and will be given out to the Elders of the Night. There is the need to ask Ifa; about the exact location where the Elders wish the I®pe¾se¾ to be placed. After doing this, the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will gain full control over his/her life. On this aspect, Ogbe¾-E®e¾gu¾n says: Eri¾n lo; ku;, la mu i¾wo o re¾ô gbe;ô’ke EÙfo¾ôn lo; ku;, la mu awoô oô re¾ô to;ô ba¾ta¾ O®Ùgbo¾ôo¾ôgbo¾ô i¾ra; lo; ku; banba Ni;bi; ti; a gbe; n; so¾ôro¾ô banba Di;a; fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾

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Ifá ; n; s'ôawo o; loô Ife¾ô eô Ma¾ka;ye;ja; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The elephant died and we used its tusk to fashion ornaments The buffalo died and we turned its skin into sandals A mature Zebra died unexpectedly Where we were discussing serious matters These were Ifa;’s declarations to O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going on a spiritual mission to Ife When he wanted to understand the intrigues of the world He was advised to offer eôboô Several intriguing things were happening to O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. They were also happening to people around him. Many of these happenings were totally inexplicable. How can one explain keeping one’s valuables in a very safe place at night only for the items to disappear without a trace in the morning, when apparently no other person had entered the room where the items were kept except for oneself? How does one explain sending one’s favourite child to the farm to bring you some yams only for sympathizers to bring back the child’s corpse because a tree fell on him and he died instantly? What explanation would you give to a situation where you slept with your whole family at night and locked all the doors, but when you woke up in the morning, your favourite daughter was missing and the door remained locked and intact. When you arranged for a search party, they fished out her dead body in a wall three compounds away? How would you describe a situation where you sent your wife to go and get water from the stream and she dutifully went. On her way back from the stream however, a bird was flying and hit her left eye with its beak and the eye became blind? How do you explain death snatching away a functional and progressive youth in the society but leaving behind drunkards, imbeciles, lay-abouts, neurotics, and the deformed? What explanation could one give to a situation where fire gutted all farm products in a large farm just three days before harvest time? Does one know how to explain a situation where a healthy wife fails to

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Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

become pregnant 16 years after marriage, and when she was blessed with the fruit of the womb at last, she died during labour together with the baby? Can one explain a situation where a marriage was conducted and on the very day of the wedding, the bride tore her dress to shreds and walked about completely naked raving mad while her man committed suicide five days after? Is it possible to explain the reason why fools excel and wise ones fail? The list is endless. That was why O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ made up his mind to investigate and find out the reasons behind all these intrigues. O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to the home of the group of Awo stated above for Ifá consultation. Would he be able to penetrate the intrigues of the world and understand their working? Would he also understand who and what is behind them? Would it equally be possible for him to be able to proffer solutions to all these intrigues? These and many more were the questions at the back of O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s mind when he went for Ifá consultation. The Awo told O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that several things were happening to him and to others close to him which had been giving him a lot of concerns. He was told that he came for Ifá consultation in order to understand what exactly had been happening. He was assured that he would get to the root of all the intrigues as he wanted. He was however cautioned that knowing the truth would not make him happier than before. Conversely, he might end up becoming more depressed and he might end up becoming disappointed. He was told that the disappointments would come because he was expecting wisdom but he would end up discovering foolishness all around him. The Awo told O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that in order to live comfortably after discovering the intrigues of the world, he must develop a high sense of maturity and understanding. He must forget about his wisdom and make use of his sense of understanding. He advised O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to feed the Elders of the Night as stated above. O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ complied. After this, they told O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ there was the need for him to undergo some ritual exercises in order for O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to understand the intrigues of life. O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was all for it.

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After this had been done, they told O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would need to propitiate the following five divinities: E®gu;ngu;n, Oro¾, Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô, the Ancestors, and the Elders of the Night. O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ got himself ready. They told O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to prepare himself very well for the exercise and for him to observe everything that would happen. On the day that O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was to feed Egu;ngu;n, he procured a mature ram, mo;ôi;nmo;ôi;n/bean fritters, A®ka¾ra¾/bean cakes, E®Ùkoô/cornmeal, kola nuts, bitter kola nuts, liquor and palm oil. They went to the Egu;ngu;n grove to feed the divinity. The masquerade came out and blessed O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. After this, they told O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to leave and return to his home. He did. As soon as he left them, they settled down to consume all the meal and drinks that he brought to them. When O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ turned to a corner, he put on his charm which made him invisible to others. He returned to the Egu;ngu;n grove. Lo and behold, whom did he see eating his food and drinking his liquor? He saw his neighbours. He even saw the Egu;ngu;n as he was removing his costume. The Egu;ngu;n turned out to be his father-in-law! So, this is life! Next, he was told to feed Oro¾. He procured another mature ram, plenty of pounded yam, liquor, kola nuts, bitter kola nuts, and so on. They asked him to join them inside the I®gbo;ro¾, the Oro¾, in the dead of the night. He did. He was ordered to cover his face. He complied. They prayed for him. While the prayers were going on, he continued to hear the “Wu;mumu wu;mumu” sound of Oro¾ all over the forest. In the end, he was asked to go home. He left. Again, as he left, they all sat down to eat his meal and drink his liquor. He returned as an invisible person and saw all of them. They were all human beings! All close to him. One of them was his close friend of over 50 years! He even saw what they used which was responsible for the “Wu;mumu wu;mumu” sound! He was then asked to feed Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô. He agreed. On the day that Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô was to be fed, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was instructed to bring plenty of EÙkoô/corn meal and other items. He brought them. They led him into the Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô grove. One of the “spirits” was crying “Ko¾ôko,ô ko¾ôko,ô ko¾ôkoô;; n o; je¾ôkoô, ko¾ôkoô” repeatedly. They prayed for him. After

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this, he left. He returned as an invisible man, only to find all the Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô people sharing all what he had brought into the grove. The main Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô man turned out to be his own younger brother! So, human beings are also Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô and they were responsible for the “Ko¾ôko,ô ko¾ôko,ô ko¾ôko;ô n o; je¾ôkoô, ko¾ôkoô” sound that people hear whenever Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô was out! Next, he was to feed his ancestors. He agreed. He was advised to procure another mature ram, pounded yam, yam flour meal, a¾ma¾la¾, Casava flour meal, O:Ùka¾, EÙkoÙ, liquor and so on. He procured everything. He was told to come in the dead of the night because there was the need for him to meet this representative of his dead ancestors and receive their blessings. He agreed. In the dead of the night, O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was led into a forest and before long, the ancestor came all dressed in white from head to toe. He told O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that all the steps he had been taking on earth were being blessed by them. He told him to continue to do good as he had been doing. O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was told to greet all the other elders of the family. The Ancestor left. O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was asked to go home. He agreed. As soon as he was out of their sight, he returned to the forest as an invisible man. That was when he realized that the “Ancestor” who came to visit him was actually someone who came for Ifá consultation with him two days back. So, human beings are also responsible for many of the actions and inactions credited to the Ancestors. Again, O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was instructed to feed the Elders of the Night. He procured another mature she-goat and did as instructed above. He placed it at the junction of the three crossroads. In the dead of the night, he returned to the spot where he placed the Ipese as an invisible man. He saw two of his own wives, his younger brother’s wife, one of his sisters, his adopted mother’s younger sister, and many of his neighbours sitting round the goat and sharing it! So, these were the Elders of the Night! So, human beings are also responsible for many activities credited to the Elders of the Night!

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Why do we then deceive each other? Why must we complicate issues for one another? Truly, where one expects to find wisdom, more often than not, we end up finding foolishness. Eri¾n lo; ku;, la mu i¾wo o re¾ô gbe;ô’ke EÙfo¾ôn lo; ku;, la mu awoô oô re¾ô to;ô ba¾ta¾ O®Ùgbo¾ôo¾ôgbo¾ô i¾ra; lo; ku; banba Ni;bi; ti; a gbe; n; so¾ôro¾ô banba Di;a; fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ifá ; n; s'ôawo o; loô Ife¾ô eô Ma¾ka;ye;ja; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Bi; Egu;ngu;n ma; n; ke; Ti; ko; sôi; woô; EÙ®yin oômoô e¾ni¾ya¾n Mo sôe¾ b’e;ôyin na;a¾ ni o Bi; Oro¾ ba; n; gbin Bi; ko¾ da;bo¾ô gbogbo Babala;wo EÙ®yin oômoô e¾ni¾ya¾n Mo sôe¾ b’e;ôyin na;a¾ ni o Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô A®ja¾la; to; f'iya;n si';le¾ô Ti; n; j'e¾ôkoô inu; u koto EÙ®yin oômoô e¾ni¾ya¾n Mo sôe¾ b’e;ôyin na;a¾ ni o EÙ sôa;a¾ ku; i¾tan’raa yi;n jeô A to;o; ba; j'aye;, A wi;'moô l'o;ôgbo;ôn EÙ sôa;a¾ ku; i¾tan’raa yi;n jeô O®ku; to; ku; o¾ wa;’ye; mo;ô o EÙ sôa;a¾ ku; i¾tan’raa yi;n jeô Translation: The elephant died and we used its tusk to fashion ornaments The buffalo died and we turned its skin into sandals A mature Zebra died unexpectedly Where we were discussing serious matters These were Ifa;’s declarations to O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾

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Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

When going on a spiritual mission to Ife When he wanted to understand the intrigues of the world He was advised to offer eôboô He complied If the Egu;ngu;n masquerade is sounding Without stopping at all You human beings It is you human beings who are responsible If Oro¾ is grunting and whistling Without ceasing at all You human beings It is you human beings who are responsible If Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô A®ja¾la; leaves the pounded yam And prefers to eat the corn meal inside the container You human beings It is you human beings who are responsible Just continue to engage in self-deceit He who teaches one wisdom, he who is enough to move with Just continue to engage in self-deceit Dead people are not coming back into the world again Just continue to engage in self-deceit

A®boôru; a¾boôye¾

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B.

SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-O®GU:NDA: FOR THOSE BORN BY THE ODÙ ® DURING I®TE®ÙNI:FA:: OR I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; children, Males and females have come into this world with the Orí; of accomplishment and fortune. This is because these two qualities were loaded into their Orí; during the time of A®ku;nle¾ya¾n. It is therefore certain that they will succeed and they will accomplish all their hearts' desires in life. As an adjunct to this, Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; children stand the chance of being bestowed with honour, respect, adoration, and prestige. No matter the situation in life, they will accomplish all their hearts' desires. This is the reason why they need to have patience and perseverance as part of their working tools in order to achieve success in life. Apart from success and recognition, Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; children also have the ability to overcome all enemies, no matter how many they may be. As they overcome enemies who are human beings, so also will they overcome projects, assignments and endeavours which appear to be insurmountable to others. They will not only overcome, but they will come out successfully in flying colours. The demoralizing part of the lives of Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; children, males and females, is that their human enemies are more from within than from without. The major weaknesses of Ogbe¾ I®yo;n ô u; children, males and females, are that they have the quality of patience in very short supply; and they are over sensitive to their fundamental rights. This is the reason why Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; children are more likely to react angrily over little issues. They find it difficult to absorb insults, abuses, condemnation, humiliation and ridicule. These attitudes usually count heavily against them in their efforts to actualize their destinies and become fulfilled in their lives. For Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; male children, they are usually tested beyond their endurance limit by their spouses and in-laws. The more they endure the tribulations from their spouses and in-laws however, the more they will enjoy marital bliss and success in the end.

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Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

For Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; female children, it is in their best interest to move into their matrimonial home on the day of their marriage right before sunrise. Doing this will give them two advantages, one, childbearing for them will be guaranteed; and two, victory and success in life will also be guaranteed. Moving into their matrimonial home during mid-morning, afternoon or evening time will reduce their childbearing, victory and success chances drastically. On the overall, Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; children, males and females, have the tendency to live long and grow old even; older than most of their contemporaries. They also have the gift and luck of recovering all what they or their progenitors have lost. Egu;ngu;n always ensures that they live long where others die prematurely.


C.

AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ/® O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® I®YOÙ:NU:

1. Ifa; - For success, victory, elevation, sanctuary, protection, support, accomplishment, joy, and general wellbeing 2. Orí; - For realization of destiny, guidance, sanctuary, protection, elevation, direction, support, joy, longevity, and self actualisation 3. E®su ô ¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ - For protection, sanctuary, victory, support, success, elevation, and general wellbeing 4. Egu;ngu;n - For self actualisation, ancestral support, longevity, leadership, protection, success and general wellbeing 5. OÙba¾ta;la; - For success, victory, longevity, leadership, protection, elevation and general wellbeing 6. EÙgbeô; - For success, comradeship, elevation, support, leadership and general wellbeing 7. O®gu;n - For victory over enemies, success, protection, support, and general wellbeing 8. O®ri¾sa ô ¾-Oko - For elevation, success, contentment, victory, leadership, support, and general wellbeing 9. EÙdan - For success, leadership, protection, victory, elevation, and general wellbeing 10. EÙ®lu;ku;-la¾ka¾ - For success, childrearing, victory, and general wellbeing

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11. OÙ®su ô n - For compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing and general wellbeing 12. OÙya - For support, matrimonial harmony, childbearing, childrearing and general wellbeing

D.

TABOOS OF OGBE® I®YOÙN : U:

1. Must never be in a haste to accomplish success in life - To avoid unconsummated fortune, missed opportunities, failure and regrets 2. Must never eat eggs of any type- To avoid failed opportunities, unconsummated fortune, failure, and everlasting regrets 3. Must never be too high handed in his/her relationship with others - To avoid failure, regret and unconsummated fortune 4. Must never ignore the advice of subordinates - To avoid crises, upheavals, failure and disaster 5. Must not consume alcohol (but can use it to feed Ifá) - To avoid lost opportunities, dwindling fortunes and regrets 6. Must never be too conscious with his/her fundamental rights - To avoid failure, disappointment and regrets 7. For a woman, must never move into her matrimonial home during the marriage day in the midmorning, afternoon or evening - To avoid problems of childlessness, failure and defeat 8. Must never skip food or engage in fasting - To avoid ailments, weakness, failure and regret 9. Must never lose hope for any reason whatsoever - To avoid missed opportunities, failure, disappointment and everlasting regret 10. Must never abandon personal and environmental hygiene - To avoid threat to lives of his/her young ones 11. Must never kill mice - To avoid crises, upheavals, threat to life and disaster

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Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

E.

POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® I®YOÙ:NU:

i. MALE 1. Ma;ka;nju;oôla; - Don't be in a haste for honour 2. Ma;ka;nju;oôla¾ - Don't be in a hurry for success 3. Mogba;ri;mu; - I hold unto my Orí 4. Teôleô;da¾al; a¾se ô ô - The prediction of my destiny shall come to pass 5. OÙla;bo¾ôde; - Honour has returned into my home 6. Ma;ko¾ôsôeô; - Do not challenge your tribulation ii. FEMALE 1. Ma;ka;nju;oôla; - Don't be in a haste for honour 2. Ma;ka;nju;oôla¾ - Don't be in a hurry for success 3. Ifá;yeômi; - Ifá ; befits me 4. OÙmoôwu¾mi;-j’asôoô-loô - I prefer a child to dresses 5. Mosôẹbọ;ôla;ta;n - I thought honour has being exhausted 6. Ma;ko¾ôya¾ - Do not challenge your suffering


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Chapter 9

Ogbè Ọsá

II I II II II 644

Ogbe¾-OÙ®sa; Ogbe¾-SÙo¾o;to;ô Ogbe¾-Ri;ku;sa; Ogbe¾-Sa¾a; A. 1.

Ifá says that the person born by this Odù either during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or Ite¾ôlo;du¾ will be receiving the blessings of progress and development, together with that of Victory for him/her. He/she will not lack any of the Ire of life. He/she will be blessed with prosperity, a compatible spouse, lovely children, several properties, sound health, long life, and contentment. He/she will also be able to overcome the problems of untimely death, affliction, contention, paralysis, loss, and unconsummated fortune.

Ifá says that when this person was coming from heaven to earth, he/she had chosen to have all the Ire of life and had rejected all evil. He/she had made Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾ his/her sanctuary. Olo;du¾mare¾ had in turn made him/her His own personal and favourite child. This is why he/she will succeed where others have failed. He/she will easily be able to make a way where the road is blocked. Ifá advises this person of offer ẹbọ with two hens, two roosters, two guinea-fowls, two ducks, two pigeons, four rats, four fish, and money. On this, Ogbe¾-SÙo¾o;to says: Ika;n ni;i; wa’le¾ô ni;i; k’o;ômoô si; I®go¾n¾go¾ ni;i; bo tire¾ô m’a;a¾ta¾n Gbe¾se¾ yoôyoô l’o;rô u¾n adi¾eô

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Di;a; fu;n Gegele Ti;i; s’a¾re¾ômoô Olo;du¾mare¾ O: nto;ôrun bo¾ô wa;le; aye; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ika;n, the Ants dug into the ground and placed their young ones there I®go¾n¾go, the maggots placed their young ones inside the refuse heap The fowls were plagued with all kinds of debt These were Ifá’s declarations to Gegele, The Vantage Position The very first child of Olo;du¾mare¾ When coming from heaven to earth He was advised to offer ẹbọ When Gegele, The Vantage position, was coming from heaven, he chose as part of his destiny the Ire of prosperity, good spouse, beautiful children, property, long life, and good health. He also chose Victory over Untimely death, affliction, loss, paralysis, contention, and unconsummated fortune. He made a solemn promise while he was choosing his destiny that he would speak the truth at all times. It was this declaration that made Olo;du¾mare¾ develop an interest in him. He was therefore made a favourite of Olo;du¾mare¾. He was placed among those qualified to be called the first children of Olo;du¾mare¾. When Gegele arrived on earth, right from the time that he was a baby, he had been receiving the favour and blessing of Olo;du¾mare¾. When he grew up, the divinities ensured that he succeeded where his colleagues were still trying to find their footing. They made sure that all the doors of boundless opportunities were opened for him in order to make it very easy for him to accomplish all his heart’s desire. They also promised

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Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

him that as long as he continued to speak the truth all the time, he would continue to receive the favour and blessing of Olo;du¾mare¾. They also ensured that all evil principalities such as death, affliction, contention, loss, paralysis, unconsummated fortune, and discontent ran away from him. In the end, Gegele lived all the days of his life on earth and died a very happy and accomplished man. Ika;n ni;i; wa’le¾ô ni;i; k’o;ômoô si; I®go¾n¾go¾ ni;i; bo tire¾ô m’a;a¾ta¾n Gbe¾se¾ yoôyoô l’o;rô u¾n adi¾eô Di;a; fu;n Gegele Ti;i; s’a¾re¾ômoô Olo;du¾mare¾ O: nt'o¾ôrun bo¾ô wa';le; aye; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O gb’e¾ôboô, O: ru;’boô N:je; Iku; ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; Ifá; Gegele Ma; sôa¾i¾ gbe; mi¾ le;ke; Gegele A®ru¾n ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; o Gegele Ma; sôa¾i¾ gbe; mi¾ le;ke; Gegele Ejo;ô ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; o Gegele ma; Ma; sôa¾i¾ gbe; mi¾ le;ke; Gegele O®fo¾ ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; o Gegele Ma; sôa¾i¾ gbe; mi¾ le;ke; Gegele Aje; ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; Ifá Gegele Ma; sôa¾i¾ gbe; mi¾ de;’be¾ô Gegele Aya ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; Gegele

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Ma; sôa¾i¾ gbe; mi¾ de;’be¾ô Gegele Oômoô ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; Gegele Ma; sôa¾i¾ gbe; mi¾ de;’be¾ô Gegele Ile; ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; Gegele Ma; sôa¾i¾ gbe; mi¾ de;’be¾ô Gegele Ire gbogbo ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; Gegele Ma; sôa¾i¾ gbe; mi¾ de;’be¾ô Gegele Translation: Ika;n, the Ants dug into the ground and placed their young ones there I®go¾n¾go, the maggots placed their young ones inside the refuse heap The fowls were plagued with all kinds of debt These were Ifá’s declarations to Gegele, The Vantage Position The very first child of Olo;du¾mare¾ When coming from heaven to earth He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied If death is coming to look for me Gegele Please place me on top to overcome him Gegele If affliction is coming to look for me Gegele Please place me on top to overcome him If contention and loss are coming to look for me Gegele

648

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

Please place me on top to overcome them If wealth is coming to look for me Gegele Please carry me there to claim my blessing Gegele If spouse, children, property, and all Ire in life are coming to look for me Gegele Please carry me there to claim my blessings Gegele Ifá says that all evil shall depart from this person for whom this Odù is revealed and all Ire of life shall come handy for him/her to claim. 2. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. He/she shall not lack any of the Ire of life. Ifá says that this person shall also be blessed with honour and prestige. All what he/she need to do on earth is to be viewed by others in wonderful amazement. Many people will see him/her as a role model and they will try to emulate him/her in the way he/she carries himself/herself. Ifá says that he/she must never allow the blood of any rat, fish, bird, or beast to touch his/her ikin. It is a serious taboo for him/her to do so. If blood is put on his/her ikin, it will give him/her the problem of unconsummated fortune. Instead, he needs to put the juice of land snails on his/her ikin on a regular basis. Doing so will increase and enhance his/her success chances. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens, two pigeons, two ducks, two guinea fowls, two roosters, and money. He also needs to feed Ifá with 16 land snails.

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On this aspect, Ifá says: EÙle;ôyeô l’e¾ôyeô n; yeô o A®ra¾ e¾ôyeô ni o¾ y’oômoô o¾to¾sôi¾ A®ra¾ o¾ni¾ yeô mi; Ko¾ yeô olo¾mu; Gbogbo reô lo; ba; mi¾ l’a;ra joô o Di;a; fu;n Ba;nkeô;ge¾ôn Oômoô af’i¾gbi;n boô’fa; EÙboÙ ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Prestige befits the prestigious person Prestige is not for the poor The wonders of today befit me It is not for other people Everything is totally agreeable with me These were Ifá’s declarations to Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn The offspring of those who propitiate Ifá with snails He was advised to offer ẹbọ His major concerns were that his life and situation was not going the way the Awo who initiated him had predicted. To compound his confusion and frustration, nobody among his group of Awo could give him any explanation as to why his life had not improved. They asked him to feed his Ifá with one mature shegoat and he did. There was no improvement in his life. He was advised to feed Ifá with a big pig and he did. Instead of improving, his life retrogressed. They asked him to feed his Ifá with a well-fed mature female sheep and he did. Still, he had no money, no wife, no child, no sound health, and no property of his own. In fact, he had nothing to show for undergoing his initiation rites about five years prior. He was frustrated. His frustration was noticed by all his group of Awo. This was the reason why he was directed to go to the home of the other group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá

650

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

consultation. What did he need to do to improve his life and situation? The Awo told Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn that his life ought to have improved much better than it had been. The reason why Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn’s life had failed to improve was because he had been using inappropriate materials to feed his Ifá. He was told that he must never allow blood to touch his ikin anymore. Instead, he must be using snails to feed his ikin regularly. If he did this, he was assured that Ifá would open the vista of opportunities for him. The Awo also rebuked those who had been instructing him to feed his ikin with animals. The Awo recommended 16 land snails for him to use to feed his ikin after he had offered his ẹbọ with all the materials stated above. He complied. As soon as he did this, his life and condition changed for the better. His business improved. He was able to secure a compatible spouse who loved and adored him. The spouse gave birth to many children for him. He was able to erect his own property and he lived long enough to enjoy the gains of his sweat and labour. EÙle;ôyeô l’e¾ôyeô n; yeô o A®ra¾ e¾ôyeô ni o¾ y’oômoô o¾to¾sôi¾ A®ra¾ o¾ni¾ yeô mi; Ko¾ yeô olo¾mu; Gbogbo reô lo; ba; mi¾ l’a;ra joô o Di;a; fu;n Ba;nkeô;ge¾ôn Oômoô af’i¾gbi;n boô’fa; EÙboÙ ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô I®gbi;n n;’Ifá; gba¾ EÙ sôe pe Ifá; gb’eôran Ire Aje; n; ba; Ba;nke;ôgeô¾n ka; re'le; Geôreôreô A®ya¾ n'i¾gbi;n fi n; fa¾ Geôreôre Ire Aya n; ba; Ba;nke;ôgeô¾n ka; re'le;

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Geôreôreô A®ya¾ n'i¾gbi;n fi n; fa¾ Geôreôreô Ire oômoô n; ba; Ba;nke;ôgeô¾n ka; re'le; Geôreôreô A®ya¾ n'i¾gbi;n fi n; fa¾ Geôreôreô Ire Ile; ki;koôô; n; ba; Ba;nke;ôgeô¾n ka; re'le; Geôreôreô A®ya¾ n'i¾gbi;n fi n; fa¾ Geôreôre Ire Gbogbo n; ba; Ba;nke;ôgeô¾n ka; re'le; Geôreôreô A®ya¾ n'i¾gbi;n fi n; fa¾ Geôreôreô Translation: Prestige befits the prestigious person Prestige is not for the poor The wonders of today befit me It is not for other people Everything is totally agreeable with me These were Ifá’s declarations to Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn The offspring of those who propitiate Ifá with snails He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Ifá had taken land snails Why did you recommend beasts? The Ire of prosperity is following Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn to his home Geôreôreô The snail moves by crawling with its chest Geôreôreô The Ire of spouse is following Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn to his home Geôreôreô The snail moves by crawling with its chest

652

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

Geôreôreô The Ire of children are following Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn to his home Geôreôreô The snail moves by crawling with its chest Geôreôreô The Ire of long life, and all good things of life are following Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn to his home Geôreôreô The snail moves by crawling with its chest Geôreôreô Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. He/she shall not be made to suffer or lack any major thing in life. He/she shall have cause to celebrate his/her success and accomplishment. 3. Ifá says that all of the concerns of this person for whom this Odù is revealed shall turn to joy and accomplishment. He/she shall be happy and shall celebrate his/her success. Ifá advises this person to show off his/her success. He/she needs the whole world to know that Ifá has done great deeds in his/her life. Ifá assures him/her that the more he/she does this, the more great things will be added for him/her. Ifá promises to multiply the life of this person. He/she is here to have great achievement in life. He/she will succeed with his/her brain, brawn, and acts. Let this person be ready to receive great things in his/her life. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with the clothing that he/she has on him/her on the day that he/she came for Ifá consultation. He/she also needs to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two hens, two guinea fowls, two roosters, two ducks, four rats, four fish, and money.

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On this aspect, Ogbe¾-SÙo¾o;to;ô says: O®Ùsôu;nsôu;n we;ôre;ôwe;ôre;ô Awo wo;ôn ni;nu; igbo; O®mu¾ ro¾ôgbo¾ôdo¾ô Awo e¾ôba;'do¾ Di;a; fu;n E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾ Ti; n; re’gbo; E®Ùgba; lo¾ôo;ô d’Iwin EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The slender O®Ùsu ô ;nsôu;n tree, the Awo of the forest land And the robust Omu¾, the Awo of the river side They cast Ifá for E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾ When going to E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾ forest to become a phenomenon He was advised to offer ẹbọ E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾ was going to E®Ùgba; forest in search of greener pastures. His plan was to settle in a place where he would be able to fulfil his destiny. He was very ambitious. He wanted to be a very great and successful person. He wanted to be prosperous. He planned to beget several children and to have a lot of followers. He prayed to live long on earth and that whenever he departed from the world, he wanted to leave his mark on the sand of life. He wanted to know if he would be able to accomplish all his plans in life. This was the reason why he went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. The Awo told E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾ that he would be very successful in life. He was told that he would become a role model for others to emulate. The Awo assured him that he would be specially blessed by Olo;du¾mare; and Ifá. He was urged to show off the blessings which Olo;du¾mare; had given him for others to see. The Awo

654

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

advised E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka to offer ẹbọ as stated above and to add the clothing that he had on to the ẹbọ. He complied. As soon as he arrived at Igbo;-E®Ùgba;, his life changed for the better. All those around him found one thing or the other to emulate in him. He was constantly aware of the instructions of Ifá. Consequently, he ensured that he thought, spoke, and acted truthfully and honestly. He ensured that his attitude was designed to develop the community socially, economically, spiritually, and politically. Before long, those who were close to him began to deify him. Every five days people would roll out A®gba; drums to come and worship in his house. While he was alive, he became Iwin, a great phenomenon. When he died, he became an O®ri¾sôa¾ whom all those close to him worshipped. Throughout his lifetime however, he continuously showed off all the great things of life which Olo;du¾mare; had blessed him with. He never failed for one moment to display the bounty of Ifá in his life. O®Ùsôu;nsôu;n we;ôre;ôwe;ôre;ô Awo wo;ôn ni;nu; igbo; O®mu¾ ro¾ôgbo¾ôdo¾ô Awo e¾ôba;'do¾ Di;a; fu;n E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾ Ti; n; re’gbo; E®Ùgba; lo¾ôo;ô d’Iwin EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô N®je; a; o; jo;jo;o;jo; A: o; yo¾ôyo¾ôo¾ôyo¾ô I®gba¾ o¾ôsôu;nsôu;n t’oôwo;ô b’a¾gba; o A®wa; a¾ re’ra fun’fa o Translation: The slender O®Ùsu ô ;nsôu;n tree, the Awo of the forest land And the robust Omu¾, the Awo of the river side They cast Ifá for E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾ When going to E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾

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forest to become a phenomenon He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Behold, we shall dance and dance We shall be merry and celebrate When the o¾ôsôu;nsôu;n stick is used to beat the a¾gba; drum to play music We shall surely show off the bounty of Ifá Ifá assures this person that he/she shall have cause to celebrate and dance. The more he/she celebrates the blessings of Ifá and Olo;du¾mare; in his/her life, the more blessings he/she will receive in return. 4. Ifá says that spoilers and sadness are the companions of the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that when this person was coming from heaven to earth, he chose to have all the great things of life as his/her destiny. However, as soon as he set out on his/her journey to the world, spoilers also packed their bags and followed him/her into the world. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ in order to chase out these spoilers from his/her life in order to enjoy his/her life to the fullest. He/she also needs to feed Ifá. Ifá advises him/her to offer ẹbọ with two mature he-goats, three roosters, a bundle of white sheet, and money. One of the he-goats will be wrapped with some of the white sheet and buried alive inside the Igbo;ro¾, Oro¾ grove. The second he-goat along with the three roosters and the remaining white cloth will be offered as ẹbọ. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with 16 snails.

656

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

On this, Ifá says: A®ra¾ba¾ ji¾gi¾ji¾gi¾ A®ra¾ba¾ de¾ôgi¾de¾ôgi¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n¾to¾ôrun bo¾ô wa;le; aye; lo¾ôo;ô te¾ôdo; Ti; Ba¾se¾je;ô yo;o; d’eôru¾ Ti; yo;o; gba; ti;i¾ EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: A®ra¾ba¾ ji¾gi¾ji¾gi¾ And A®ra¾ba¾ de¾ôgi¾de¾ôgi¾ They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When coming from heaven to earth in order to come and settle down Ba¾se¾je;ô, the spoiler packed his belongings And followed him to earth O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to offer ẹbọ O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had already made up his mind that he was coming to the planet earth in order to settle there. He went to the home of SÙensôenti;; ; ; ; ; sôo¾ro, his bosom friend to choose his destiny. He chose to have the best things. As soon as he made his move to come into the world, unknown to him, Ba¾se¾je;ô, the spoiler also packed his luggage and followed him. They arrived together into the world. All the beautiful moves of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ were being spoiled by Ba¾se¾je;ô. Initially, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ did not think much of it. As time passed however, it began to give him cause for serious concern. In spite of all his potential, he found it extremely difficult to accomplish anything. Why, he began to wonder. He knew that he had offended no one. He had not cheated anyone. He never lied against anyone. He never deceived anybody. He wondered why unconsummated fortune was his own lot. Anything he touched would be good and promising in the initial stages, but in the end, it would be spoiled. That was why he went to the two Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. What was responsible for

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the problem of the unconsummated fortune he was facing? That was the only question that he asked Ifá. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he had chosen the very best destiny anyone could ever have chosen. The problem however was that as soon as he left heaven, Ba¾se¾je;ô followed him into the world to spoil all his good works. That was precisely what Ba¾se¾je;ô had been doing. That was why O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had not been able to achieve much in his life. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he needed to offer ẹbọ as stated above in order to chase out Ba¾se¾je;ô from his life. He was also told that he needed to make a special preparation with one mature hegoat and bury it alive inside the I®gbo;ro¾ so that his ancestors and all the Oro¾ Divinities would assist him to chase out Ba¾se¾je;ô permanently. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ agreed to do this. On the day that the ẹbọ was offered, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ prayed so that he would never witness the problems of Ba¾se¾je;ô and unconsummated fortune in his life again. When the offering of the ẹbọ was completed, one of the he-goats was wrapped with white cloth and carried into the I®gbo;ro¾. As they were going there, all the Awo present were singing the following: EÙ ba; wa; le;’ba¾je; woô’do¾ o o¾ EÙ ba; wa; le;’ba¾je; woô’do¾ Ba¾se¾je;ô o¾ gb’oôdo¾ô wa;ye; mo;ô o EÙ ba; wa; le;’ba¾je; woô’do¾ Translation: Help us chase misfortune into the stream Help us drive the spoilers into the river Ba¾se¾je;ô must never return to the world Please help us chase misfortune into the sea

658

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

That was how they sang with O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ in front with the wrapped he-goat, until they reached the I®gbo;ro¾ and buried the live he-goat there. As soon as they finished this process, all the ancestors and Oro¾ divinities stood up against Ba¾se¾je;ô. They chased him out of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s life for good. Ba¾se¾je;ô had no chance against all the massively overwhelming forces deployed against him. He left in a hurry and he never returned. When Ba¾se¾je;ô departed from O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s life, all what he was doing began to turn out successful. He was able to consummate his fortunes. His economic situation improved. His family life became successful. His political life became the envy of others. He became a role model whom everyone turned to emulate. He had cause to thank Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾. He was singing and dancing every day of his life. A®ra¾ba¾ ji¾gi¾ji¾gi¾ A®ra¾ba¾ de¾ôgi¾de¾ôgi¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n¾to¾ôrun bo¾ô wa;le; aye; lo¾ôo;ô te¾ôdo; Ti; Ba¾se¾je;ô yo;o; d’eôru¾ Ti; yo;o; gba; ti;i¾ EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni¾ ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®je; eô ba; wa; le;’ba¾je;ô woô’do¾ o o¾ EÙ ba; wa; le;’ba¾je;ô woô’do¾ Ba¾se¾je;ô o¾ gboôdo¾ô wa;ye; mo; o EÙ ba; wa; le;’ba¾je;ô woô’do¾ Translation: A®ra¾ba¾ ji¾gi¾ji¾gi¾ And A®ra¾ba¾ de¾ôgi¾de¾ôgi¾ They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When coming from heaven to earth in order to come and settle down

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Ba¾se¾je;ô, the spoiler packed his belongings And followed him to earth O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and see all Ire of life Please help us chase misfortune into the stream Help us drive the spoilers into the river Ba¾se¾je;ô, must never return into the world Please help us chase misfortune into the sea Ifá promises that Ba¾se¾je;ô (the spoiler) and misfortune shall be chased out of the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed. When it is cased out, it will not have the power or opportunity to return. 5. Ifá says that the Elders of the Night are creating problems for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá advises this person to appease the Elders of the Night in order to leave him/her alone in order to fulfil his/her destiny on earth. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat, 10 yards of white cloth, one Igba;je¾,ô a calabash container, and money. The he-goat is to be slaughtered and all the internal organs like the intestines, kidneys, heart, pancreas, liver, lungs, etc will be put inside the container. A lot of palm oil will be poured into it. The person for whom the ẹbọ is offered will carry the container and cover his head with white cloth and the ẹbọ will be deposited at the foot of the I®ro;ko¾ tree. If there is no I®ro;ko¾ tree around where the ẹbọ can be offered, then there is the need to find out from Ifá if it can be deposited at the E®sôu¾ shrine. On this Ifá says:

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Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

Igu;n lo;un o; s’eôboô to¾un l’o;ôru;n-l’o;ôru;n L’o;ôru;n-l’o;ôru;n n’igu;n n; sô’eôboô A®ka¾la¾ l’o;un o; s’eôboô to¾un l’o;ôsu¾-l’o;ôsu¾ L’o;ôsu¾-l’o;ôsu¾ l’eôboô A®ka¾la¾ Janjanku;u¾ja;n Awo ni¾ Ju¾ju¾ku;u;ju¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ T’a¾woôn eôleôyeô o; ko; wa; a re¾ô loô so;ri; igi EÙboÙ ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Igu;n, the vulture declared that it would offer its ẹbọ every five days Every five days does Igu;n offer its ẹbọ A®ka¾la¾ said that it would offer its ẹbọ every month Every month does A®ka¾la¾ offer its ẹbọ Janjanku;u¾ja;n And Awo Ju¾ju¾ku;u;ju¾ They were the Awo who cast Ifá for O®Ùru;nmila¾ When the witches carried his destiny and deposited it on top of a tree He was advised to offer ẹbọ All the efforts of O®Ùru;nmila¾ failed to bring out the much deserved result of success. He thought that he had the solution to his problems. Everything he tried did not have any effect. His situation went from good to bad and from bad to worse. He began to fear that the situation would deteriorate beyond that level. That was why he went for Ifá consultation in the home of his ex-students mentioned above. When he got there, the following were the questions at the back of his mind. What was responsible for the downward turn in his fortune? What did he need to do to stop from drifting downwards? What else could he do to return to the top?

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The Awo assured O®Ùru;nmila¾ that he would certainly return to the top in his life. They told him that the Elders of the Night were responsible for his rolling downwards in his life. They said that the witches had packed his destiny and had gone to deposit it on top of a tree. That was why he could not progress anymore. He was told that confrontation would not solve his problem, rather he needed to appease them and his life would return to normal. They advised O®Ùru;nmila¾ to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. When he carried all the internal organs of the he-goat, he was told to go and place it by the foot of the I®ro;ko¾ tree. When he was going there, he covered his head with the white cloth that he procured as part of the ẹbọ materials. He was going in front and all the Awo present followed him from behind. They were all singing saying: I®ya; a¾ mi m’ohu¾n mi o I®ya;-ke;re; m’ohu¾n mi o Gbogbo eôle;ôyeô e¾ô mo ma¾ ma¾ ba;; yi;n mu’leô¾ I®ya; a¾ mi m’ohu¾n mi o I®ya; a¾ mi m’ohu¾n mi o Translation: My mother knows my voice I®ya;-ke;re; recognizes my voice All the elders of the night I have come to enter into a covenant with you My mother knows my voice I®ya;-ke;re; recognizes my voice When he got to the foot of the I®ro;ko¾ tree, he said a solemn prayer and they all departed quietly. At home, he simply went into his room and did not step outside until the following morning. In the middle of the night of the day that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ offered the ẹbọ, the Elders of the Night assembled themselves together. They deliberated on O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s matter. In the end, they concluded that since he had brought Ipese for them to beg and appease, there was no longer any justification for them to continue to punish him.

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They removed his destiny from the top of the tree and placed it into his hands. As soon as this was done, the life of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ changed from worse to good and from good to better. It soon changed to be the best! He was able to enjoy his life to the maximum. He fulfilled his destiny and was a contented person since that time. Igu;n lo;un o; s’eôboô to¾un l’o;ôru;n-l’o;ôru;n L’o;ôru;n-l’o;ôru;n n’igu;n n; sô’eôboô A®ka¾la¾ l’o;un o; s’eôboô to¾un l’o;ôsu¾-l’o;ôsu¾ L’o;ôsu¾-l’o;ôsu¾ l’eôboô A®ka¾la¾ Janjanku;u¾ja;n Awo ni¾ Ju¾ju¾ku;u;ju¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ T’a¾woôn eôleôyeô o; ko; wa; a re¾ô loô so;ri; igi EÙboÙ ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôbo, o ru’bo Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji;nna; Ire gbogbo wa;a; ya de; tu¾ntu;ru N®je; I®ya; a¾ mi m’ohu;n mi¾ o I®ya;-ke;re; m’ohu;n mi¾ o Gbogbo eôle;ôyeô e¾ô mo ma¾ ma¾ ba a; yi;n mule¾ô I®ya; a¾ mi; m’ohu;n mi¾ o I®ya;-ke;re; m’ohu;n mi¾ o Translation:

Igu;n, the vulture declared that it would offer its ẹbọ every five days Every five days does Igu;n offer its ẹbọ A®ka¾la¾ said that it would offer its ẹbọ every month Every month does A®ka¾la¾ offer its ẹbọ Janjanku;u¾ja;n And Awo Ju¾ju¾ku;u;ju¾ They were the Awo who cast Ifá for O®Ùru;nmila¾

663


When the witches carried his destiny and deposited it on top of a tree He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far All Ire of life came trooping in Behold, my mother knows my voice I®ya;-ke;re; recognizes my voice All the Elders of the Night I have come to enter into a covenant with you My mother knows my voice I®ya;-ke;re; recognizes my voice Ifá says that the Elders of the Night will stop their attack against the person for whom this Odù is revealed, if he/she can offer ẹbọ and perform I®pe¾se¾ as explained above. His/her matter is not going to improve with confrontation or contention. 6. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is right in the midst of his/her enemies. These elements are those whom he/she cannot run away from. Ifá assures him/her that he/she will identify and overcome them all. Ifá however says that whenever he/she identifies these enemies, he/she must not subject them to ridicule or public shame. He/she needs to let them understand that they have been forgiven. In turn, these enemies will begin to work in his/her favour. They will then do everything in their capacity to protect him/her and ensure that no evil comes his/her way. Ifá advises this person to procure 12 plates, plenty of pounded yams, three bottles of alcohol, plenty of melon soup with beef and money. The plates will then be arranged in fours in three rows. The first row will contain pounded yam on the four plates; the second row will contain soup on three plates and the forth plate will be left empty; the third row will contain liquor on

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Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

the three plates and the forth plate will be left empty. All the 12 plates will then be placed by the E®sôu¾ shrine. On this aspect, Ogbe¾- So¾o;to;ô says: Pa;a; bi; oôsa;n ja; Amo¾o¾ku¾n-mo¾o¾ku¾n I®jo¾ku¾n E®sôu¾ ku; ori; a¾paro¾ E®Ùgba¾ ku; ori; a¾paro¾ Di;a; fu;n Ina; Ti;i; sô’olo;gun l’o;de Ijo;gbo; Di;a; fu;n O®o¾ru¾n Ti;i; sô’olo;gun l’o;de Ijo;gbo; Di;a; fu;n O®sôu¾pa; ki¾ri¾mu¾ Aboju; de¾ôn¾de¾ôre;ô Di;a; fu;n O®jo® gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ Ti;i; sô’olo;gun l’o;de Ijo;gbo; Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; n;beô la;a¾rin o¾ôta; merin EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: Pa;a; bi; oôsa;n ja; Amo¾o¾ku¾n-mo¾o¾ku¾n I®jo¾ku¾n E®sôu¾ ku; ori; a¾paro¾ E®Ùgba¾ ku; ori; a¾paro¾ They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ina¾ (fire) The warrior of the forest And also for O®o¾ru¾n (the sun) The warrior of the savannah And for O®sôu¾pa; ki¾ri¾mu¾ (the full moon) With his dull appearance And for O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ (the heavy rainfall) The warrior of heaven They also cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When he was in the midst of four enemies They were advised to offer eôboô

665


He could not understand why enemies would be giving him trouble. In fact, he found it difficult to see why he would have any enemy in the first place. He was honest and truthful. He was kind, generous, and benevolent. He was always after the progress of all. Why then must he have enemies? Besides this, he had never been the cog in the wheel of anyone’s progress. Why then must anyone try to stop him from progressing? He had never set a trap for anyone to fall into. Why then must anyone ever contemplate setting traps for him? He had never planned death or misfortune for anyone. Then, why should anyone plan evil against him? In spite of all these good deeds in the society, the truth of the matter was that people were planning evil against him and they wanted him totally eliminated. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was correct that people were planning evil against him. What about all the evidence around him? He was sure that those planning against him were very close to him, but he did not know how close they were. How could he ever know or believe that those planning his untimely death were Ina¾, O®o¾ru¾n, O®sÙu¾pa;, Ki¾ri¾mu¾, and O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾, his bosom friends and relatives. It was not possible for him to accept this cold fact. Yet, he would need to find a way to overcome these enemies. He must expose them one way or the other. He must stop them in their tracks. Not only that, he must also overcome them. To do this, he knew that he needed to go for Ifá consultation. That was exactly what he did. He summoned his former students mentioned above for Ifá consultation. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that his enemies were too close to him. They knew everything about him and about all his movements. That was why they had been able to inflict maximum damage on him. He was however assured that he would be able to identify these enemies and overcome them. He was told that confrontation and contention would not help him in any way. He was to be a diplomat in dealing with these enemies. They told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ as prescribed above. He complied. He was also advised

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not to be too far away from where he had placed the ẹbọ. He must however be in hiding. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ placed the ẹbọ at the E®sôu¾ shrine, he hid himself somewhere. To his utter surprise and everlasting shock, the first person to pass by was Ina;;, Awo I®jo;gbo. He boasted that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had at last realized that he, Ina;;, was greater than him in all ways and that it was for that reason that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had placed the food down for him in order to beg him. He picked one plate of pounded yam, one plate of soup, and one plate of liquor and settled down to eat. O®o¾ru¾n, Awo I®joôô;da¾n came next. He met Ina;; where he was eating. He picked one plate of pounded yam, one plate of soup, one plate of liquor, and settled down to enjoy the meal. The third person to appear was O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾. He picked one plate of pounded yam, one plate of soup, and one plate of liquor. The three of them were boasting that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ knew that he would suffer untold hardship in their hands if he had not begged them. They said that they had to think about it and give him a condition under which they would show him mercy. As they were discussing this matter, O®jo¾ girigiri arrived on the spot. He saw that his own plate of pounded yam and his plate of soup were empty and his plate of liquor was also empty. E®sôu¾ told him that his coconspirators had consumed his own meal together with their own. E®sôu¾ did not allow him to listen to any explanation from the other three before a serious fight ensued. They fought and fought. At this stage, E®sôu¾ asked O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to show up and demand for the reason why they were fighting in public. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ did. Their rage and fury did not allow them to weigh or evaluate what they were about to say until they opened their mouths to expose themselves and each other to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. They spoke for several hours and gave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ graphic details of all their evil designs against him.

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O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ stood rigid and heard detail upon detail in utter incredulity. At the end of the day, they all came back to their senses. They realized that they had simply talked too much. They then began to beg O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to please forgive them. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ remembered what the Awo had told him and he forgave them all. From that day, they were the ones protecting O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ in order to ensure that no evil befell him. E®sôu¾ however rolled out the drum and began to sing and make jest of the four conspirators saying: Ina¾ Olo;gu¾n lo;’de Ijoô;gbo A®woôn ara a woôn Woôn Ka¾sôa¾i¾ ba;’raa woôn ja¾ A®woôn ara a woôn O®o¾ru¾n Olo;gu¾n lo;’de Ijo;ôdan A®woôn ara a woôn Woôn ka¾sôa¾i¾ ba;’raa woôn ja¾ A®woôn ara a woôn O®su¾pa¾ Ki¾ri¾mu¾ aboju; de¾n¾de¾re; A®woôn ara a woôn Woôn ka¾sôa¾i¾ ba;’raa woôn ja¾ A®woôn ara a woôn O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ Olo;gu¾n lo;de o¾ôrun A®woôn ara a woôn Woôn ka¾sôa¾i¾ ba;’raa woôn ja¾ A®woôn ara a woôn Translation: Ina;, the warrior of Ijo;gbo; Among themselves They cannot do without fighting against each other Among themselves O®o¾ru¾n, the warrior of I®jo;ôda¾n Among themselves They cannot do without fighting against each other Among themselves

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Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

O®s¾upa; ki¾ri¾mu¾, The full moon with its dull appearance Among themselves They cannot do without fighting against each other Among themselves O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾, the warrior of heaven Among themselves They cannot do without fighting against each other Among themselves That was how O®ru;nmi¾la; was able to identify and overcome all his enemies. Even though it shocked him to realize that those who were very close to him were the ones who were working against him, he nonetheless felt happy that he was able to triumph over them. Pa;a; bi; oôsa;n ja; Amo¾o¾ku¾n-mo¾o¾ku¾n I®jo¾ku¾n E®sôu¾ ku; ori; a¾paro¾ E®Ùgba¾ ku; ori; a¾paro¾ Di;a; fu;n Ina; Ti;i; sô’olo;gun l’o;de Ijo;gbo; Di;a; fu;n O®o¾ru¾n Ti;i; sô’olo;gun l’o;de Ijo;gbo; Di;a; fu;n O®sôu¾pa; ki¾ri¾mu¾ Aboju; de¾ôn¾de¾ôre;ô Di;a; fu;n O®jo® gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ Ti;i; sô’olo;gun l’o;de Ijo;gbo; Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; n;beô la;a¾rin o¾ôta; merin EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe O®ru;nmi¾la; ni¾kan ni; n’beô le;ôye¾n lo; n;seôboô N®je;ô Ina; Olo;gun lo;’de I®jo;gbo; A®woôn ara a woôn Woôn Ka¾sa¾i¾ ba;’ree woôn ja¾ A®woôn ara a woôn O®o¾ru¾n Olo;gun lo;’de I®jo;ôda¾n A®woôn ara a woôn Woôn Ka¾sa¾i¾ ba;’ree woôn ja¾

669


A®woôn ara a woôn O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾ aboju; de¾n¾de¾re; A®woôn ara a woôn Woôn Ka¾sa¾i¾ ba;’ree woôn ja¾ A®woôn ara a woôn O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ Olo;gun lo;de o¾ôrun A®woôn ara a woôn Woôn Ka¾sa¾i¾ ba;’ree woôn ja¾ A®woôn ara a woôn Translation: Pa;a; bi; oôsa;n ja; Amo¾o¾ku¾n-mo¾o¾ku¾n I®jo¾ku¾n E®sôu¾ ku; ori; a¾paro¾ E®Ùgba¾ ku; ori; a¾paro¾ They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ina¾ (fire) The warrior of the forest And also for O®o¾ru¾n (the sun) The warrior of the savannah And for O®sôu¾pa; ki¾ri¾mu¾ (the full moon) With his dull appearance And for O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ (the heavy rainfall) The warrior of heaven They also cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When he was in the midst of four enemies They were advised to offer eôboô Only O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ complied and offered the ẹbọ Now, Ina;, the warrior of Ijo;gbo; Among themselves They cannot do without fighting against each other Among themselves O®o¾ru¾n, the warrior of I®jo;ôda¾n Among themselves They cannot do without fighting against each other Among themselves O®s¾upa; ki¾ri¾mu¾, The full moon with its dull appearance Among themselves

670

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

They cannot do without fighting against each other Among themselves O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾, the warrior of heaven Among themselves They cannot do without fighting against each other Among themselves Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be able to overcome his/her enemies and distracters. He/she shall be triumphant and all his/her enemies and distracters shall be put to shame. 7. Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she shall be blessed with resounding success and accomplishment. He/she shall also be in constant contact with those who are far away from his/her place of residence and these people shall increase his/her success chances. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with all the small caps that he/she has in his/her house or possession and he/she must never use these caps again in his/her life. This will prevent him/her from experiencing the problem of unconsummated fortune whereby he/she will be chased away from enjoying the fruit of his/her labour. Ifá further advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, four hens, four guinea-fowls, four ducks, four roosters, and money. He/she also needs to procure 40 bananas, 40 fresh boiled eggs, 40 parrot tail feathers, and a container. All these items will be packed into the container, taken to the sea, and deposited at the bank of the sea. If this is done, the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be blessed with boundless success. Ifá also advises this person to feed O®Ùsôun as appropriate. The officiating Awo needs to find out from Ifá what O®Ùsôun requires and feed her accordingly.

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On all these aspects Ifá says: Ka; ji; ni; gboôngan Ka; ji; ni; gboôngan Bi; oni;-gboôngan ba; sôe ri¾n Be;ôe¾ô ni¾ gboôngan re¾ô e¾ô sôe n; ro; Di;a; fu;n Baba Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ Ti; n;sawo re'le; Ala;pa¾ O: n; sunku;n ala;i¾ r’e;ru¾ je EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Let us wake up with bracelets around our wrists and ankles Let us wake up with bracelets around our wrists and ankles The way a bracelet user walks That is the way the bracelets will clang together These were Ifá’s messages for Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾, He-whotakes-ẹbọ-materials-with-force When going on an Ifá mission to Ala;pa¾’s palace And was lamenting his inability to find clients who would bring ẹbọ materials to him He was advised to offer ẹbọ By every standard, Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ was a very competent Awo. He was proficient in every department of Ifá. His predictions were always very accurate and to the point, yet he had nothing to show for it. Whenever he consulted Ifá for anyone, his clients would find it difficult and even impossible to offer the recommended ẹbọ. Consequent upon this, Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ remained poor and unaccomplished. One day however, Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ was invited for Ifá consultation by Ala;pa¾, the Ϙba of A®pa¾ town. When Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ received this

672

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

message, he went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation in order to know how his trip to Ala;pa¾’s palace would be. The Awo told Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ that he would record a resounding success where he was going. He was also told that all his predictions would come to pass. He was advised to ensure that all his recommended ẹbọ was complied with by all his clients. By so doing, he was told his name would be known far and wide because all the advice, recommendations, and predictions would be given support by Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾. He was advised to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea-fowls, two roosters, and money. He complied. As soon as the ẹbọ was offered for him, he set out on his journey to Ala;pa¾’s palace. O;ri; i¾ mi¾ yi¾i; Ori; i¾re mi¾ o I®wa¾ a¾ mi¾ yi¾i; I®wa¾ i¾re ni¾ l’e;s ô e¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ Di;a; fu;n Ala;pa¾ Ni; ka¾si¾ka¾si¾ a¾wu;ro¾ô Ti; wo;ôn ni¾ ko; mo;’le; oôla¾ si;le¾ô O®un wa;a; moô’le; oôla; si;le¾ô ta;n Owo; wa;a; ta;n EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: This destiny of mine It is certainly a good destiny This character of mine It is the character that pleases Oba¾ri¾sôa¾ These were Ifá’s messages to Ala;pa¾ Very early in the morning When he was advised to erect a house of prosperity After erecting the house of prosperity There was no more money He was advised to offer ẹbọ

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Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ arrived at Ala;pa¾’s palace very early in the morning. As soon as he was given a mat to sit on, he set out to work. He consulted Ifá for Ala;pa¾. He made it clear to Ala;pa¾ that the very day that he consulted Ifá was his day of success. He said that he must offer all of his ẹbọ on that day. The ẹbọ cannot and must not be postponed. He recommended 200 rats, 200 fish, 200 hens, 200 pigeons, 200 guinea-fowls, 200 roosters, and 200 bags filled with money as ẹbọ for Ala;pa¾. Ala;pa¾ responded that he had no money to offer the ẹbọ. As a matter of fact, he did not know how his household would eat that morning. Before Ala;pa¾ could finish his statements, he was given several slaps and blows by Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾. “What have I done wrong?”, said Ala;pa¾. He then received another set of slaps and blows. Ala;pa¾ took to his heels. Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ followed him in hot pursuit. Ala;pa¾ took refuge in the home of the Baa;le;, the family head. The Baa;le; demanded to know the crime that Ala;pa¾ had committed that warranted the kind of punishment that he was being given. Ala;pa¾ said that his only crime was that he had no money to offer the ẹbọ that Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ had recommended. The Baa;le; was angry over this issue. He asked Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾,”When had failure to offer ẹbọ become an offense?” Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ glanced scornfully at the Baa;le;. He told him that what he needed to do was to give him two he-goats and two she-goats in order to resolve the problem of conspiracy of his family members against him. He told the Baa;le; that he was about to be removed from his position and instead of concentrating on how to solve that problem, he was passing judgment on an issue that was of no concern to him. As soon as the Baa;le; heard of this, he quickly procured the two he-goats and two she-goats which Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ recommended for him as ẹbọ materials. He was totally surprised that Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ could put his finger on the biggest head-ache of his life. The whole family had fixed a meeting for mid morning where they were to

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Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

deliberate on the Baa;le;’s matter and on how best to remove him as Baa;le; and pick another person to occupy the position. After the ẹbọ, Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ assured the Baa;le; that he would no longer be removed. He was told to put his mind at rest. Impressed with the way that Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ had penetrated into his problem, the Baa;le; decided to assist Ala;pa¾ with two rats, two fish, two hens, two guinea-fowls, two pigeons, two roosters, and two bags of money. Ala;pa¾ presented these items to Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ and pleaded with him to accept them as his ẹbọ materials. Instead of offering the ẹbọ for Ala;pa¾, he reined blows and slaps on him, claiming that he had no right to reduce the ẹbọ materials which he Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ had recommended for him. Ala;pa¾ took to his heels once more and ran into the home of the Baa;le; for protection. Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ pursued Ala;pa¾ to the home of the Baa;le;. The commotion woke the Baa;le; up from his sleep. What was responsible for this? He came out of his room only to see Afi¾ja¾gbe¾ru dealing several blows and slaps on Ala;pa¾. “What had Ala;pa¾ done?”, he demanded. Ala;pa¾ narrated his story. The Baale was angry that he was kicked and slapped just because he had no money to offer the ẹbọ. He reproached Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ angrily. In turn, Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ told the Baa;le; to mind his own business and instead to find a solution to his own problems instead of interfering in other people’s issues. He said that the wife of the Baa;le; had failed to become pregnant. The wife believed that the fault was that of the Baa;le’s;. Instead of looking for a solution, she had seduced the first son of the Baa;le; and they had been caught having an illicit love affair with one another. He told the Baa;le; to bring eight she-goats, three he-goats, and 16 bags filled with money for him to solve the problem for him. The Baa;le; stood rigid in one spot and found it impossible to move. He had just caught his wife and first son, the heir apparent, making love the previous night. He was devastated when he saw them. He could not sleep until the early hours of that morning.

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That was why he woke up late that morning. How did this Babaláwo know what was going on in his life? He quickly ordered his household to procure all the ẹbọ materials recommended by Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾. After the ẹbọ had been offered, he assisted Ala;pa¾ with 20 rats, 20 fish, 20 pigeons, 20 guinea-fowls, 20 Roosters, and 20 bags of money. Ala;pa¾ presented these items together with the ones which the Baa;le; had given him earlier and pleaded with Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ to help him to offer the ẹbọ. Instead of offering the ẹbọ for him, he was slapped and kicked again. Ala;pa¾ ran out of the Baa;le;’s home and Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ pursued him. He ran to the palace of the Ala;a¾fin, the Oba of O:Ùyo®Ù. Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ pursued him to the palace. When the two of them got to the Ala;a¾fin’s, palace, the Ala;a¾fin demanded to know the offense that Ala;pa¾ had committed. He explained his ordeal to the Ala;a¾fin. The Ala;a¾fin was so angry that he ordered his palace guards to go and lock up Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾. Before they could do so, Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ told the Ala;a¾fin that he was interfering in what did not concern him in any way. He told the Ala;a¾fin that instead of looking for a solution to his own problems, he was busy interfering in his business. Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ then told the Ala;a¾fin that his first son was seriously ill and he had only three days left to live on earth and instead of offering ẹbọ with 17 rams and 17 bags filled with money for the son to survive, he was planning to lock up someone in whose hands the solution to his problems rested. The Ala;a¾fin was speechless. He waved all the palace guards away. He ordered them to go and procure the ẹbọ materials instead. They brought the materials and as Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ was offering the ẹbọ, the Ala;a¾fin’s son came out of his room a healthy but weak man. All the ailments had disappeared. The son demanded for food and they gave it to him. The Ala;a¾fin was overwhelmed with joy. He

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decided to assist Ala;pa¾ with the remaining ẹbọ materials he needed to do his ẹbọ. Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ then offered the ẹbọ for Ala;pa¾. Afterwards, he gave Ala;pa¾ a flag and told him to go to the seaside and hoist the flag there. He also told him to load bananas and fresh eggs by the foot of the flag. He then told him to stay close to where the flag was and that he would see the surprise that Olo;du¾mare¾ had in stock for him. Ala;pa¾ did exactly as he was told. A®woôn i¾ka;n ni;i; wale¾ô ni;i; k’o;ômoô si; I®go¾n¾go¾ ni;i; bo ti;re¾ô m’a;a¾ta¾n Di;a; fu;n O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô Ti;i; sô’oômoô Olo;kun Se¾ôni;ade; Eku;n oômoô lo; n; sun EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: I®ka;n, the Ants dug into the ground and placed their young ones there I®go¾n¾go¾, the maggots placed their young ones inside the refuse heap These were Ifa;’s declarations to O®yi®nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô The daughter of Olo;kun Se¾ôni;ade; When weeping in lamentation for her inability to have her own baby She was advised to offer eôboô O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô had been involved in several relationships but they usually broke up because of her inability to become pregnant and beget a baby. Olo;kun Se¾ôni;ade; was very angry with her and felt that her daughter did not have enough patience and endurance. Consequently she gave her all the things that seven generations could ever use and asked her to leave. She told her to go and settle elsewhere because she caused her grief whenever she saw her. O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô left together with all the belongings that her mother had given her and domestic help. They boarded a large ship and sailed out. They did not have any particular destination in mind.

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As they were sailing, they saw the flag which Ala;pa¾ had earlier hoisted from afar. E®sôu¾ then appeared and told O®yi¾nsôe¾ôse ô ¾ô that wherever that flag is located, that place must certainly be inhabited by human beings. He persuaded her to direct her ship toward the place and for her to settle there. She agreed. When they got there, they saw plenty of bananas and fresh eggs. They settled down and began to eat them. They had been very hungry. That was when E®sôu¾ went to Ala;pa¾ and urged him to go and demand for the money for the eggs and the bananas. When Ala;pa¾ apprehended O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô, he asked for his money. The only response that he got from O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô was for him to go and bring more eggs and bananas. He did. She and her entourage ate to their satisfaction. One thing led to another. Before long, Ala;pa¾ and O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô became man and wife. O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô threw all her love and possessions onto his feet and he threw all his care, understanding, and respect onto her feet. The main concern of O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô however still remained on how she was going to have her own baby. They discussed the issue and Ala;pa¾ told her that they would need to invite Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ to come and help solve the problem. He however warned that the ẹbọ of Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ was always heavy. O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô responded that she did not mind. They invited Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ and he casted Ifá for them. He asked them to offer ẹbọ with 20 rats, 20 fish, 20 hens, and 20 she-goats. They did. As soon as they did this, O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô became pregnant and gave birth to 20 children in quick succession. O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô told Ala;pa¾ that she still wanted more children. They invited Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ again. He recommended 30 rats, 30 fish, 30 hens, and 30 she-goats as ẹbọ. They complied. O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe gave birth to 30 more children. Some were twins, some triplets, and some quadruplets. She became the happiest woman and proudest mother on earth.

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O®Ùna; toôô; ta¾a¾ra¾ wa; ya¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙsi¾nsôeôwa¾ Ti;i; sô’eôru; O®yi®nsôe¾s ô ôe¾ô Ti; sô’oômoô Olo;kun Se¾ôni;ade; O®un le¾ ni¾’pa la;ye; lo; n;da;ye; si; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The straight unbending road This was Ifa;’s declaration to OÙsi¾nsôeôwa¾ The servant of O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô The daughter of Olo;kun Se¾ôni;ade; When going to get Ifa; consultation on whether she would have prominence on earth or not She was advised to offer eôboô OÙsi¾nsôeôwa¾ was the favourite domestic servant of O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô. She was devoted to O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô. She advised her and served her diligently. Her ambition in life was for her to establish a vibrant city where everyone would settle, irrespective of their social status or their tribal lineage. The city would be cosmopolitan in nature and would be able to accommodate all the inhabitants of the city. That was why she went for Ifá consultation in order to determine how best to go about it. The Awo assured OÙsi¾nsôeôwa¾ that her dreams would come true and she would be able to do what was at the back of her mind. She was advised to offer ẹbọ with 200 fresh fowl eggs, 200 parrot feathers, and one container. She complied. The eggs and the parrot feathers were placed in the container and she was advised to take it to the beach. She did. When she got to the beach, she saw one Idi; tree and she placed the container at the foot of the tree. She then employed the services of one hunter called O®Ùsu ô ¾nnu;We¾re¾ to watch over the container. As soon as this was done, people from far and near began to settle in this land. Soon after this, they began to erect permanent

679


structures there. They deliberated on the name to give the new town. They came up with I®lu;-E®ko;, that is, the land founded after offering ẹbọ with eko, parrot feathers. Le;kele;ke went to the hinterland and found out that there were many people suffering from eye problems in the hinterland. Le;kele;ke returned to report his findings. When O®Ùsôu¾nnu;-We¾re¾ heard of this, he said that if Idi; leaves were ground, dried, and regrounded into powder, the powder would be very effective for eye problems. The root of the Idi; tree was also effective for washing the eyes when soaked in water. He said that he would like to go to the hinterland. He went for Ifá consultation. He was advised to go but before that, he was asked to offer his small cap as ẹbọ. He refused. He went to the hinterland and began to take care of the people with eye problems. He succeeded. One day, Le;kele;ke was mandated to go to the hinterland to care for the people suffering from eye problems. He went for Ifá consultation and all the recommended ẹbọ was offered. When he got there, he met O®Ùsôu¾nnu;-We¾re¾. He demanded for O®Ùsôu¾nnu;-We¾re¾ mandate. When he didn’t produce the mandate, Le;kele;ke chased him out of the land and O®Ùsôu¾nnu;-We¾re¾ lost everything to Le;kele;ke. O®Ùsôu¾nnu;-We¾re¾ later turned himself to Ade;-Olo;ko. Ka; ji; ni; gboôngan Ka; ri¾n ni; gboôngan B’o;ni; gboôngan ba; sôe ri¾n Be;ôe¾ô ni¾ gboôngan re¾ô ri; ro; Di;a; fu;n Baba Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ Ti; n;sawo re’le; Ala;pa¾ O: n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ re;’ru¾ jeô EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru’boô Ori; i; mi¾ yi¾i; Ori; ire mi¾ o I®wa¾ a¾ mi¾ yi¾i;

680

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

I®wa¾ ire mi¾ l’e;ôse¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ Di;a; fu;n Ala;pa¾ Ni; Ka¾si¾ka¾si¾ a¾wu;ro¾ô Ti; wo;ôn ni; ko; moô’le; oôla¾ sôi;le¾ô O®un wa;a; moô’le; oôla¾ sôi;le¾ô ta;n Owo; wa;a; ta;n EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô A®woôn ika;n ni;i; wa’le¾ô ni;i; k’o;ômoô si; I®go¾n¾go¾ ni;i; bo ti;re¾ô mo;ô a¾a¾ta¾n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùyi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô Ti;i; sôoômoô Olo;kun Se¾ôn;iade; O: n; mo;ju; eôku;n su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Wo;ôn ni; ko; ma;a; loô so;de I®sôa;laye; O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô O®Ùna¾ to;ô ta¾a¾ra¾ ma; ya¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙsôi¾sôeôwa¾ Ti;;i; sô’eôru; O®Ùyi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô Ti;i; sô’oômoô Olo;kun Se¾ni;ade; O®un le¾ ni;pa la;ye; lo; n; da¾fa¾ si; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®fa¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;'ni; ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: Let us wake up with bracelets around our wrists and ankles Let us wake up with bracelets around our wrists and ankles The way a bracelet user walks That is the way the bracelets will clang together These were Ifá’s messages for Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾, He-whotakes-ẹbọ-materials-with-force When going on an Ifá mission to Ala;pa¾’s palace

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And was lamenting his inability to find clients who would bring ẹbọ materials to him He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied This destiny of mine It is certainly a good destiny This character of mine It is the character that pleases Oba¾ri¾sôa¾ These were Ifá’s messages to Ala;pa¾ Very early in the morning When he was advised to erect a house of prosperity After erecting the house of prosperity There was no more money He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied I®ka;n, the Ants dug into the ground and placed their young ones there I®go¾n¾go¾, the maggots placed their young ones inside the refuse heap These were Ifa;’s declarations to O®yi®nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô The daughter of Olo;kun Se¾ôni;ade; When weeping in lamentation for her inability to have her own baby She was advised to offer eôboô They told her to go to the world She complied The straight unbending road This was Ifa;’s declaration to OÙsi¾nsôeôwa¾ The servant of O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô The daughter of Olo;kun Se¾ôni;ade; When going to get Ifa; consultation on whether she would have prominence on earth or not She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Travellers to I®po and O®fa¾

682

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

Join us in the midst of joy Come and see all the Ire of life Ifá says that everything in the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall turn to joy as long as he/she refrains from wearing little caps on his/her head. He/she shall succeed far beyond his imaginations. 8. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of childbearing for a woman who is looking for the blessing of the fruit of the womb. Ifá says that when her womb opens, she will have more children than her contemporaries. She will also be very proud and happy. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two hens, two female bats, four rats, four fish, and money. The Awo needs to burn the two bats together with Are;ôyi¾ngbo;ômoôpo¾ôn leaves and give it to the woman to consume for seven days. She is to start using it as soon as she finishes her menstruation. Ifá however insists that the ẹbọ must be offered for this woman very early in the morning. It must be done before the sun rises. If the sun has risen already before the woman has arrived at the Awo’s home, the ẹbọ must be postponed until the next day. If it is difficult for the woman to arrive early, then arrangements must be made for her to sleep in the home of the Awo or somewhere close by. On this aspect, Ifá says: Ej¾i¾ we;rô e;ôwe;ôre;ô ej¾i¾ aleô I®ri¾ wo¾ôo¾ôwo¾ôo¾ô n’i¾ri¾ o¾wu;ro¾ô A®ga;da;n¾godo o¾jo¾ ni;i; ro¾ô l’o;ôga¾njo;ô Di;a; fu;n Oni;danyi¾n OÙmoô af'a¾da;n sô’eôboô oômoô I®gba¾ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r’o;ômoô bi; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

683


Translation: The gentle rainfall at night And the heavy dew at dawn Heavy downpour drops in the dead of the night These were Ifa;’s declarations to Oni;danyi¾n She who used bats to offer eôboô for childbearing When she was weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget her own baby She was advised to offer eôboô Oni;danyi¾n had everything going for her in her life except one thing. She was successful in her business, she had a compatible spouse who did not give her any trouble, she was the beloved of her community, her health was good, but she had no child of her own. As far as she was concerned, she was prepared to lose all her worldly possessions in exchange for the blessing of a child from Olo;du¾mare;. If she was advised to offer ẹbọ with all her money, she would gladly do so. One day, Oni;danyi¾n went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Would she be blessed with the fruit of the womb? Would she be a proud mother of her own children? Would she be lucky enough to be able to shower her love, affection, care and attention on her own children and not waste them on other people’s children? Would she escape the agony and pain that women suffer who desire children but who are not able to get them? These and many more questions were in the back of the mind of Oni;danyi¾n. The Awo told her that even though she was not happy at the time that she had come for Ifá consultation, she would however become happy because all her pains and wants would become genuine and surplus. She was told that she had come into the world to be happy and fulfilled. The Awo made it clear to her that she came for Ifá consultation because she was having problems in

684

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becoming pregnant. She was told that she would receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb. Not only that, she would have more children than all her colleagues who were proud mothers already. The Awo advised her to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She was told that the ẹbọ must be offered at dawn before sunrise. She was told that offering the ẹbọ at dawn would make her wishes come true. The Awo explained that her destiny supported her offerings at dawn more than at any other period. She was also urged to initiate any move in her life at dawn because that was when all what she would be doing would receive more approval. She arrived at the Awos’ house at the time when the first Cock crow was heard. Everything that was expected to be done for her was finished before sunrise. The Awo also prepared the bats as explained above for her and she went back to her home full of expectations. She used the Ifá preparation as the Awo had instructed her to do. To her utter surprise and joy she became pregnant that very month. She gave birth to many children in quick succession. In the end, she had her own children whom she could shower her blessings, love, care, attention, and devotion on. She lived and died a fulfilled woman. Ej¾i¾ we;rô e;ôwe;ôre;ô ej¾i¾ aleô I®ri¾ wo¾ôo¾ôwo¾ôo¾ô n’i¾ri¾ o¾wu;ro¾ô A®ga;da;n¾godo o¾jo¾ ni;i; ro¾ô l’o;ôga¾njo;ô Di;a; fu;n Oni;danyi¾n OÙmoô af'a¾da;n sô’eôboô oômoô I®gba¾ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r’o;ômoô bi; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o;’ru;boô Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa; a; ba; ni; ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô Je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô la¾a; ba; ni¾ le;s ô e¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ N®je;ô eôni¾kan o¾ ri¾nka¾n

685


Ko; bi;’moô bi; Oni;danyi¾n ri; Oni;danyi¾n de; o OÙmoô afa¾da;n sôeôboô oômoô ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ Translation: The gentle rainfall at night And the heavy dew at dawn Heavy downpour drops in the dead of the night These were Ifa;’s declarations to Oni;danyi¾n She who used bats to offer eôboô for childbearing When she was weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget her own baby She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of great children In the midst of great children does one meet the followers of Oba¾ri¾sôa¾ Behold, nobody can make an effort And give birth to as many children as Oni;danyi¾n could do She who uses bats as ẹbọ for childbearing very early in the morning Ifá assures this person that she will be blessed with several beautiful children in her life. She will have more children than her contemporaries. These children will be easy-going, gentle-headed, God-fearing, and functional members of society. 9. Ifá says that there is someone where this Odù is revealed that is suffering with a problem concerning their internal organs. This ailment may be a stomach, kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas or reproductive organ problem. Whatever the case may be, Ifá assures the person suffering from this problem that he/she will have relief. The problem has come as a result of his/her consuming what is forbidden to him/her. This person must never

686

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

consume antelope or anything that resembles this animal again in his/her life. He/she also needs to feed OÙba¾ta;la; regularly. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with a whole antelope, two bottles of palm-oil, and money. The antelope will be used to rub every part of his/her body, especially his/her stomach and given out to the Elders of the Night whole. On this, Ifá says: K’a;sa; I:gu;n O®Ùgbo¾ôlo¾ô ẹbọ¾lo¾ wo;ôn ki;i; ku; se;re;me¾re¾ Di;a; fu;n O®o¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Ti; n; loô s’o;gun Awo;ro;ko;-dinu; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: K’a;sa; I:gu;n O®Ùgbo¾ôlo¾ô ebo¾lo¾ wo;ôn ki;i; ku; se;re;me¾re¾ This was the declaration of Ifa; to O®o¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ (Oba¾ta;la;) When going to wage war against the internal organ problems He was advised to offer eôboô Many people were suffering from internal organ problems and they were declaring that it must be the work of their enemies. This would not be happening to them if not for their enemies that were at work against them. Why must they be having constant stomach problems? Why must some people be having kidney failure, some pancreas malfunction, some be saddled with liver ailment, some having menstrual pains, some having problems associated with their reproductive organs, some having tempestuous blood problems, and so on. Certainly, their enemies were at work. They all trooped to Oba¾ta;la;’s home to come to their rescue.

687


Oba¾ta;la; took pity on them and decided to wage war on all the internal organ problems they might be having. In order to win the war, he decided to go to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. He wanted to know who or what was responsible for their problems. He also wanted to know what he needed to do in order to gain victory for the victims. The Awo told Oba¾ta;la; that the problems being faced by the victims were self-imposed. No witch or wizard or evil person or enemy was responsible for their problems. They were the ones who were consuming what was forbidden to them. The Awo told Oba¾ta;la; that as long as they continued to consume EÙtu, Antelope, so long would they continue to have internal organ problems. The Awos advised Oba¾ta;la; to ensure that all the victims desist from eating antelope and offer ẹbọ as stated above. They did. As they used the antelope to rub their bodies, the ailments left and entered the body of the antelope. That was how their ailments disappeared and they regained their health and vitality. K’a;sa; I:gu;n O®Ùgbo¾ôlo¾ô ẹbọ¾lo¾ wo;ôn ki;i; ku; se;re;me¾re¾ Di;a; fu;n O®o¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Ti; n; loô s’o;gun Awo;ro;ko;-dinu; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko; pe;ô ko¾ jinna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni¾ ni; wo¾ôwo;ô ire gbogbo Wo¾ôwo;ô ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni¾ leô;se¾ô Oba¾ri¾sa¾ N®je;ô Awo;ro;ko; to; n; beô ni;’ku¾n Ko; bo;ô si;nu; eôtu o Translation: K’a;sa; I:gu;n O®Ùgbo¾ôlo¾ô ebo¾lo¾ wo;ôn ki;i; ku; se;re;me¾re¾ This was the declaration of Ifa; to

688

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

O®o¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ (Oba¾ta;la;) When going to wage war against the internal organ problems He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we will enjoy all Ire in life Long life is what Ifá guarantees for all its adherents Now, all internal ailments Transfer yourselves into the stomach of the antelope Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have relief from any form of internal ailment he/she may be suffering from. 10. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is suffering from an ailment. Ifá says that the ailment will disappear but this person has been miserly in the way that he/she handled the problem. He/she needs to stop his/her tight-fisted attitude and spend money on the ailment so that it will not be something that will move round his/her body. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with a mature he-goat and money. After this, he/she needs to feed the Elders of the Night with another mature he-goat. This particular he-goat will be slaughtered and the skin will be roasted. The charcoal made by the skin of the he-goat will be grinded and mixed with O®ri;, shea butter. This particular stanza will then be recited on Iyerosun and mixed with the shea butter. The preparation will then be given to this person to use in rubbing all parts of his/her body regularly. The goat itself will be sliced open and a lot of palm-oil will be poured into it and be given to the Elders of the Night.

689


On this, Ogbe¾-SÙo¾o;to;ô says: Bi; OÙloô¾gbe¾ôri¾ ba; gbo;ôn l’a;gboô¾n-o;ônju¾ Babala;wo ni;i; r’a;je; e; jeôun Di;a; fu;n Arunduu¾lu¾ Ti; n; sôawo re’le; Olo;ge¾le; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: When the un-initiated person proclaims that he is wiser than others The Babala;wo will be the one to have financial gain These were the declarations of Ifa; to Arunduu¾lu¾ When going on an Ifa; mission to Olo;ge¾le;’s palace He was advised to offer eôboô It began as a minor pain in Olo;ge¾le;’s right forearm. He took no notice of it. A few days after this, the pains and inconveniences became unbearable. Olo;ge¾le;, the OÙba of O®ge¾le¾ land was not used to any form of discomfort in any way whatsoever. He began to howl and snap at everyone. When this failed to bring him relief, he invited Arunduu¾lu¾, a very prominent Awo at that period for Ifá consultation. When Arunduu¾lu¾ got Olo;ge¾le;’s message, he went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. All he wanted to know was how successful his trip to Olo;ge¾le;’s palace would be. The Awo told Arunduu¾lu¾ to go there and that he would succeed in his mission to Olo;ge¾le;’s palace. He was however told that Olo;ge¾le; was someone who had the belief that he was wiser than all other people and he would try to outwit Arunduu¾lu¾. He would even try to teach Arunduu¾lu¾ how to perform his work. The Awos told Arunduu¾lu¾ to be very patient with Olo;ge¾le;. They explained to him that the smartness of Olo;ge¾le; would make him, Olo;ge¾le;, to spend more money than he otherwise would have spent. Arunduu¾lu¾ was

690

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

advised to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two roosters, and money before he went on his journey. He offered the ẹbọ immediately. When Arunduu¾lu¾ got to Olo;ge¾le;’s palace, he cast Ifá for Olo;ge¾le; as requested. He told Olo;ge¾le; that he, Olo;ge¾le; was experiencing discomfort and pain. Olo;ge¾le; was assured that he would get relief. He was advised to offer ẹbọ with a mature he-goat and money. Olo;ge¾le; looked at Arunduu¾lu¾ straight in the face and felt that he detected intention to cheat. He decided that he would offer the ẹbọ alright, but he was totally determined not to offer it the Awo’s way. He reasoned that he was having discomfort in his right arm. Why must he procure a whole he-goat for that? He concluded that the Awo was trying to cheat him and he decided to prove to the Awo that he Olo;ge¾le; was not someone to be cheated that easily. He procured the he-goat, ordered his domestic servant to slaughter the animal and remove the right foreleg. This was done. He asked Arunduu¾lu¾ to offer ẹbọ for him with the forearm of the he-goat. When Arunduu¾lu¾ saw this, he kept quiet and did as Olo;ge¾le; wanted. When the offering was completed, Olo;ge¾le; felt instant relief. He felt he was the smartest person on earth, who knew how to outsmart all other people. The second day however, the pains and discomfort moved from the right arm and settled in the left arm. The pain became more excruciating. He could not withstand the pains. He snapped at everyone in the palace to get hold of Arunduu¾lu¾ for him. When he came, he was ordered to cast Ifá for him, Olo;ge¾le;. When Arunduu¾lu¾ consulted, Ogbe¾-OÙsa; was revealed again. Arunduu¾lu¾ told Olo;ge¾le; that the pains would disappear. He advised Olo;ge¾le; to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. Olo;ge¾le; in turn ordered for the he-goat, slaughtered it and removed the left arm for ẹbọ.

691


Arunduu¾lu¾ offered the ẹbọ for Olo;ge¾le; as he had ordered. He felt instant relief. The next day however, an excruciating pain in his right leg woke him up. He screamed. He called all his domestic servants all sorts of names. He ordered them to go and bring him Arunduu¾lu¾. When Arunduu¾lu¾ arrived, he was ordered to cast Ifá for Olo;ge¾le;. He did. Ogbe¾-OÙsa; was revealed once more. He assured Olo;ge¾le; that his pains would disappear but he needed to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. Olo;ge¾le; ordered for the animal, slaughtered it and presented the right hind leg of the animal to Arunduu¾lu¾ for ẹbọ. Arunduu¾lu¾ offered the ẹbọ for Olo;ge¾le;. Again, he felt instant relief. The next day, all the pains had settled in his left leg. Again, Arunduu¾lu¾ was invited to cast Ifá. Again, Ifá was consulted. Again, Ogbe¾-OÙsa; was revealed. Again, ẹbọ of one he-goat and money was recommended. Again, Olo;ge¾le; procured the he-goat, slaughtered it and removed the left hind leg. Again, he presented it to Arunduu¾lu¾ to use to offer ẹbọ for him. Again, the ẹbọ was offered. Again, he felt instant relief. Again, the pain settled in his chest the next day. That was how Olo;ge¾le; slaughtered eight he-goats for ẹbọ and the pain was moving from one part of his body to another. Again, he invited Arunduu¾lu¾ to cast Ifá for him. Arunduu¾lu¾ came and again, Ogbe¾-OÙsa; was revealed. The Awo told Olo;ge¾le; to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. This infuriated Olo;ge¾le; this time around. How many times will you receive he-goat from me? How many he-goats must I offer as ẹbọ before I get relief from the pain? Olo;ge¾le; asked Arunduu¾lu¾ in anger and frustration. Arunduu¾lu¾ quietly answered Olo;ge¾le;, “Ka;bi;e¾si;, you have not offered ẹbọ with a whole he-goat, all what you have been doing is bringing me parts of animals. What Ifá recommended was one mature he-goat and not part of one. Olo;ge¾le; remained silent for a

692

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

very long time. In the end, he ordered his domestic servants to procure one mature he-goat and hand it over to Arunduu¾lu¾. At last, Arunduu¾lu¾ offered ẹbọ for Olo;ge¾le; with a mature he-goat and money. While the ẹbọ was being offered however, Olo;ge¾le; began to plead to Arunduu¾lu¾ saying: Bo; s’apa; lo; ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾ A®ru¾n Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Bo; sôe eôsôeô¾ lo; ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾ Arun Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Bo; sôe ori; lo; ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾; Arun Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Bo; sôe oôru¾n lo; ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾ Arun Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Bo; sôe e¾ôyi¾n lo; ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾ Arun Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Bo; sôe i¾di; lo; ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾ Arun Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Oun tó bá ku¾ si;

693


Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾ Arun Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Translation: If it is the arms that remain Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾ The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ If it is the legs that remain Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾ The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ If it is the head that remains Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾ The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ If it is the neck that remains Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾ The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ If it is the back that remains Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾ The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ If it is the buttocks that remains Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾ The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Anything that remains Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾

694

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ As Olo;ge¾le; was saying so, Arunduu¾lu¾ was using the ẹbọ materials to touch every part of Olo;ge¾le;’s body. In the end, all parts of Olo;ge¾le;’s body were touched with the corresponding part of the he-goat. In the end, Olo;ge¾le; felt relief in all the parts of his body and he became well once again. Bi; OÙloô¾gbe¾ôri¾ ba; gbo;ôn l’a;gboô¾n-o;ônju¾ Babala;wo ni;i; r’a;je; e; jeôun Di;a; fu;n Arunduu¾lu¾ Ti; n; sôawo re’le; Olo;ge¾le; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Bo; s’apa; lo; ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾ A®ru¾n Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Bo; sôe eôsôeô¾ lo; ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾ Arun Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Bo; sôe ori; lo; ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾; Arun Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Bo; sôe oôru¾n lo; ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾ Arun Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Bo; sôe e¾ôyi¾n lo; ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾ Arun Ogbe¾-sa;

695


Arunduu¾lu¾ Bo; sôe i¾di; lo; ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾ Arun Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Oun tó bá ku¾ si; Ki; o wi; o Arunduu¾lu¾ Arun Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Translation: When the un-initiated person proclaims that he is wiser than others The Babaláwo will be the one to have financial gain These were the declarations of Ifá to Arunduu¾lu¾ When going on an Ifá mission to Olo;ge¾lé’s palace He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied If it is the arms that remain Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾ The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ If it is the legs that remain Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾ The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ If it is the head that remains Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾ The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ If it is the neck that remains Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾

696

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ If it is the back that remains Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾ The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ If it is the buttocks that remains Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾ The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Anything that remains Please speak out and say so Arunduu¾lu¾ The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa; Arunduu¾lu¾ Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that his/her ailments will disappear. He/she needs to abide by and comply with the advice of the Awo and desist from doing it his/her own way. If he/she fails to comply with Ifá’s directives as stated by the Awo, he/she may end up prolonging his/her suffering and spending more than what he/she would normally have spent. 11. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of the blessing of the fruit of the womb for a woman where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that the baby coming is a leader from heaven. Ifá assures the parents of the baby coming that when the baby grows to be an adult, he/she will have the ability to coordinate the affairs of men on earth. He/she will be able to provide leadership and direction for organizations, communities, societies, and even the country as a whole.

697


Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá as appropriate. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ sa;a¾ Ogbe¾ su;u¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾se¾ôgi¾ Ti; yo;o; lo;yu;n ala;pe;si¾n ni;nu; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ sa;a¾ Ogbe¾ su;u¾ These were Ifa;’s declarations to O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾seô¾gi¾, the robust palm tree Who would be blessed with pregnancy and have a leader She was advised to offer eôboô O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾seô¾gi was an unassuming woman. She was also honest, truthful, pious, humble, patient, and dedicated to the cause of Ifá and all the Irunmole and Ori¾sôa. She had never for once been found wanting in her duties. Her life was very straight forward. Her ways were simple but pragmatic. She was the pride of her husband, household, and community. One day, she became pregnant. She was full of joy. The community was also happy for her. By the time that the pregnancy was three months old, she had been feeling funny in every part of her body. For this reason, she went to the home of the Awo stated above for Ifá consultation: Will I have a safe delivery? The Awo assured her that she would certainly have a safe delivery. Not only that, she would also be able to give the baby the best

698

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

training when the baby grew up. She was assured that the whole society would be proud of her and her baby. The Awo made it clear to O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾se¾ôgi¾ that Olo;du¾mare; had deliberately blessed her with pregnancy as compensation for the good deeds she had been doing in the society. She was assured that she would not regret giving birth to the baby. She was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied. By the time this baby was four years old, it was clear that he was a leader from heaven. He knew how to organize other children. He also knew how to ensure that the household chores reserved for kids in the home were performed. When he became 11 years old, he was the undisputed leader of his group. He led and other children followed. Even those who were much older than him also followed his footsteps. By the time he was 25 years old, he was made the leader of the youths in the area. He never disappointed anyone. When he grew up to full adulthood, everyone knew that he would soon become the leader of the whole community. When the leader died, all eyes were on the son of O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾se¾ôgi¾. Ifá was consulted and he was chosen by Ifá to become the new leader of the society. That was the time that O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾se¾ôgi¾ was compensated fully for all her good deeds in the society. She became the proudest, happiest and most fulfilled woman of her time. Ogbe¾ sa;a¾ Ogbe¾ su;u¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾se¾ôgi¾ Ti; yo;o; lo;yu;n ala;pe;si¾n ni;nu; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô oyu;n ti; eô ri; nni¾ OÙba ni¾ o O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾seô¾gi¾ lo; l’o;yu;n ala;pesi¾n ni;nu; Oyu;n oôjoô nni¾ Oba lo; jeô o

699


Translation: Ogbe¾ sa;a¾ Ogbe¾ su;u¾ These were Ifa;’s declarations to O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾seô¾gi¾, the robust palm tree Who would be blessed with pregnancy and have a leader She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Now, the pregnancy of that day Becomes an Ϙba today O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾seô¾gi¾ was the one who was blessed with pregnancy and had a leader The pregnancy of that day Becomes an Ϙba today Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be compensated with a child who will become the leader of the community in the future. 12. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will marry a woman who will turn his life around for the better. This woman will be tall, but she must never be taller than him and must not be too short either. Ifá says that this woman will have a very strong character which the husband may find extremely difficult to cope with it at times. Ifá enjoins the man to be very patient with the woman, because she has come into his life to make him great, honourable, and successful. He needs not lay too much emphasis on her strong and incorrigible character. He needs to consider the fact that the woman has come to improve his life. Ifá advises this man to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two hens, two guinea fowls, one hen, two rats and two fish. Conversely, the woman involved in this Odù needs to play it cool with her man and ensure that she does not make it difficult at all

700

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

for the man to enjoy her and the relationship between the two of them, she must learn composure and to be non-confrontational. Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with four roosters, two guinea fowls, two pigeons, and money. She also needs to feed Ifá with two rats, two fish and one hen. If the woman involved in this relationship where Ogbe¾ O®Ùsôa is revealed, is a very short woman (relative to him), the relationship will not work out well. Simultaneously, if the woman is taller than her man, it will not work out well. A®do; i¾ja;mo¾ô, abeônu Ku;lu;we Di;a; Fu;n O®ru;nmi¾la; Ifá; n¾ loô re¾e; gbe; Ele;ri¾mo¾ô n’i;ya¾wo; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: A®do; i¾ja;mo¾ô, abeônu Ku;lu;we He was the one who cast Ifá for O®ru;nmi¾la; When going to take Ele;n¾mo, the Recalcitrant woman as his wife He was advised to offer ẹbọ O®ru;nmi¾la; wanted a woman who would assist him and at the same time compliment all his efforts. When he met Ele;n¾mo¾ô, the Recalcitrant woman, he went for Ifá consultation in order to determine if that was the woman that he really needed in his life. The Awo consulted Ifá and told O®ru;nmi¾la that if the woman in question was tall but not taller than him and not too short, then that was the woman for him. He was also told that this woman would be troublesome and very heady. The woman however had the aura that increased the success chances of her man. She would also be ready to do anything to ensure that her man

701


succeeded. O®ru;nmi¾la was advised to offer ẹbọ stated above. He complied. As soon as Ele;n¾mo¾ô got to O®ru;nmi¾la’s home, she moved in with her bundle of trouble and success. As she brought O®ru;nmi¾la trouble, so also did she bring him success. O®ru;nmi¾la became wealthy, all the children that she had for O®ru;nmi¾la were great and successful. O®ru;nmi¾la had a magnificent mansion. He had both male and female horses. He also had people trooping in to complain against Ele;n¾mo¾ô from far and near due to her behaviour. A®do; i¾ja;mo¾ô, abeônu Ku;lu;we Di;a; Fu;n O®ru;nmi¾la Ifá; n¾ loô re¾e; gbe; Ele;ri¾mo¾ô n’i;ya¾wo; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o;’ru;boô N® ba; le¾ lo;wo; lo;wo; bi; Ele;n¾mo¾ô Ma yo¾ô A®do; I®ja;mo¾ô, Abeônu ku;lu;we N® ba; le¾ lo;wo; lo;wo; bi; Ele;n¾mo¾ô Ma yo¾ô A®do; I®ja;mo¾ô, Abeônu ku;lu;we N® ba; le¾ lo;wo; lo;wo; bi; Ele;n¾mo¾ô Ma yo¾ô A®do; I®ja;mo¾ô, Abeônu ku;lu;we N® ba; le¾ lo;wo; lo;wo; bi; Ele;n¾mo¾ô Ma yo¾ô A®do; I®ja;mo¾ô, Abeônu ku;lu;we N® ba; le¾ lo;wo; lo;wo; bi; Ele;n¾mo¾ô Ma yo¾ô A®do; I®ja;mo¾ô, Abeônu ku;lu;we Translation: A®do; i¾ja;mo¾ô, abeônu Ku;lu;we He was the one who cast Ifá for O®ru;nmi¾la; When going to take Ele;n¾mo, the Recalcitrant-woman as his wife

702

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied If I could be blessed with wealth like Ele;n¾mo¾ô I would be very happy A®do; I®ja;mo¾ô, Abeônu ku;lu;we If I could be blessed with many great children like Ele;n¾mo¾ô I would be very happy A®do; I®ja;mo¾ô, Abeônu ku;lu;we If I could be blessed with mansions like Ele;n¾mo¾ô I would be very happy A®do; I®ja;mo¾ô, Abeônu ku;lu;we If I had several horses like Ele;nm ¾ o¾ô I would be very happy A®do; I®ja;mo¾ô, Abeônu ku;lu;we If I could be blessed with all Ire of life like Ele;n¾mo¾ô I would be very happy A®do; I®ja;mo¾ô, Abeônu ku;lu;we Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that they will have cause to celebrate. The wife in this man’s life will increase his success chances too.

13. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ so that he/she will not have the problem of giving birth to Abi;ku; children - that is, children who are destined to die young. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. The head of the he-goat will be placed inside a calabash and a handful of Roro¾ leaves will be placed inside the calabash together with the head of the slaughtered he-goat to cover the head completely. The calabash will then be covered with its lid and the covered calabash will be buried in the ground. If this is done, the problem of having an

703


Abi;ku; will disappear from the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed. On this, Ifá says: A®gba¾gbo¾ si; ba¾n¾ba¾ A®gba¾gbo¾ le; ba¾n¾ba¾ Di;a; fu;n la;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo E®yi¾ ti; n; bi;moô Ti;’le¾ô n; gba¾a; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The awkward flight of the Hoopoe bird And the awkward landing of the Hoopoe bird This was the Ifá cast for La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo She who had been giving birth to babies But whom the ground had been snatching her babies away from her She was advised to offer ẹbọ It was not as if La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo was not blessed with the fruit of the womb. As a matter of fact, she had been blessed with many babies. However, she had no baby of her own to show for her being blessed with several births. Why? The babies usually died before they were up to one year old. As soon as they died, people would be digging into the ground and burying them. Her neighbors were making jest of her by saying that her babies were being snatched away from her by the ground. This would make her cry endlessly. One particular day, she discovered to her fear and concern that she had just missed her menstrual period. She had had seven pregnancies and births before. All the children died before they were 10 months old. Would this one be like the others? What must she do to prevent this from happening to her again? Did it mean

704

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

that she did not choose children as part of her destiny? Were her enemies real and/or imaginary responsible for her misfortunes? Would she become a blessed mother like most of her contemporaries? These were the nagging questions at the back of her mind when she went to the home of the two Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. The Awo told La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo that she truly had a problem with Abi;ku;. She was warned not to think that anyone was responsible for her problems. Rather, it was the problem of Abi;ku; that must be put an end to in her life. She was told that the ground must be appealed to in order to stop the swallowing of her babies. La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo was advised to procure one mature he-goat and money. The Awo promised to get the remaining ẹbọ materials for her. She complied. The he-goat was slaughtered as the head was placed in the calabash as stated above. The calabash was then burned in the ground. As this was done, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ went to the mother earth and told her that La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo had come to plead with Ile, the ground, for her not to swallow her babies any longer. He said that she had replaced the head of her coming baby with that of a mature hegoat and that it was forbidden for the divinities to take the head of anything twice for the same purpose. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ explained further that for La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo to be able to give birth to her babies safely and for the babies to survive till their matured and old, she had come to give Ile¾ô Roro¾ leaves and the head of a mature he-goat as a symbol of her solemn appeal to the mother earth to please spare her babies from untimely death. From that day, the mother earth decreed that none of the babies that La;n¾nd ; e; O®ri¾gbo would beget would die young. From that day, all the children that La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo gave birth to lived to their old age. From that day, the agony of Abi;ku; births disappeared from the life of La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo.

705


A®gba¾gbo¾ si; ba¾n¾ba¾ A®gba¾gbo¾ le; ba¾n¾ba¾ Di;a; fu;n la;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo E®yi¾ ti; n; bi;moô Ti;’le¾ô n; gba¾a; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni¾ ni; wo¾ôwo;ô oômoô Wo¾ôwo;ô oômoô la¾a; ba; ni¾ le;s ô e¾ô Oba¾ri¾sôa; N®je; tani¾ yo;o; ba; ni¾ beô’le¾ô Ewe; Olu;ron¾ro Ka¾sôa¾i¾ ba; ni¾ beô’le¾ô Ewe; Olu;ron¾ro Translation: The awkward flight of the Hoopoe bird And the awkward landing of the Hoopoe bird This was the Ifá cast for La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo She who had been giving birth to babies But whom the ground had been snatching her babies away from her She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of several children Being in the midst of several children is what Ifá guarantees for its adherents Now, who will help me appeal to Ile¾ô (the ground)? Ewe; Olu;ron¾ro, the Roro¾ leaves Cannot but assist in appealing to Ile¾ô Ewe; Olu;ron¾ro, the Roro¾ leaves

706

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will stop crying over the death of his/her babies at premature ages. He/she shall be blessed with children who will live with him/her to his/her old age and will continue to be living when he/she has passed on.

14. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to offer ẹbọ to overcome what has been a cause of agitation and concern in his/her life. Ifá says that the problem may be in his/her dreams or even it may be in real life. The important thing is that he/she is bound to overcome if he/she offers ẹbọ as prescribed here. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with three roosters and money. He/she also needs to think, speak, and act boldly at all times. This will make him/her overcome all his/her agitations and concerns. On this, Ifá says: Ibi¾ a pe; gbe;gbe; o; ma; gbe¾e; Ibe¾ ni¾ le; e gbe;gbe; Ibi¾ a pe; te¾ôte¾ô o; ma;ô te¾ô Ibe¾ ni¾ a¾ sa¾i¾ te¾ô Ibi¾ a pe; ki; e¾ku¾ya; o; ma; wa¾ Ni;be¾ô ni¾ yo;o; h’ewu; ori; re¾ô si; gburugburu Di;a; fu;n O®gbo¾ôo¾ôgbo¾ô A®gbo¾ônri;n Ti; yo;o; gbe’gbo; eôku¾n Ti; yo;o; la¾bu; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: If we ever insist that gbe;gbe; should not stay That is where gbe;gbe; will stay and make its home Where we say that te¾ôte¾ô must not step into That is where it will insist on stepping Where we declare that e¾ku¾ya; must not be

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That is where it will stay until it grows grey hair on its head These were the declarations of Ifa; to the robust A®gbo¾ônri;n (the deer) Who would stay in the forest inhabited by the leopard And become successful He was advised to offer eôboô The mighty leopard was the king of the jungle. He could move freely on the ground and could also jump from tree to tree. The mere presence of the leopard was enough to send all the animals in the jungle scrambling for cover. No animal dare confront the leopard without wearing its clothes covered with its own blood. It was however inside the same jungle that O®gbo¾ôo¾ôgbo¾ô A®gbo¾ônri;n (the robust deer) planned to stay, live, and grow up to his old age. The fear of the leopard usually sent shivers down his spine. What must he do in order to live side by side with the leopard without being killed or seriously harmed? He thought about it and found it difficult to see how that could possibly happen. When he could find no answer, he decided to go for Ifá consultation in the home of the group of Awo mentioned above. Would he be able to live successfully in the jungle with the leopard? The Awo told A®gbo¾ônri;n that even though he was fearful of the mighty leopard, he would nonetheless be able to live with him in the jungle. He was told never to allow fear or uncertainty to take away his initiative from him. He must roar if the leopard roared. He must bully whenever the leopard bullied. He must be ready for a confrontation whenever any animal put up a fight. He must be bold and unassuming. He was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. The robust deer complied. Ever since that day, the leopard, as mighty and powerful as he is, will not drive the robust deer away from the jungle. They stayed,

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lived, and grew old in the jungle. They both maintained their separate colonies without interference. Ibi¾ a pe; gbe;gbe; o; ma; gbe¾e; Ibe¾ ni¾ le; e gbe;gbe; Ibi¾ a pe; te¾ôte¾ô o; ma;ô te¾ô Ibe¾ ni¾ a¾ sa¾i¾ te¾ô Ibi¾ a pe; ki; e¾ku¾ya; o; ma; wa¾ Ni;be¾ô ni¾ yo;o; h’ewu; ori; re¾ô si; gburugburu Di;a; fu;n O®gbo¾ôo¾ôgbo¾ô A®gbo¾ônri;n Ti; yo;o; gbe’gbo; eôku¾n Ti; yo;o; la¾bu; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô ko; ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ka; ni¾ la;ru¾u;sôe;ô ogun A®ja¾sôe¾ ogun la¾ a; ba; ni¾ le;s ô e¾ô OÙbarisôa; N®jeô; wo gbe;le; eôku¾n, mo di¾’win Mo gb’e;le; eôku¾n mo di¾’win O®Ùgbo¾ôo¾ôgbo¾ô a¾gbo¾ônri;n lo; gbe;le; eôku¾n lo; la¾bi;n Mo gbe;le; eôku¾n, mo di¾’win Translation: If we ever insist that gbe;gbe; should not stay That is where gbe;gbe; will stay and make its home Where we say that te¾ôte¾ô must not step into That is where it will insist on stepping Where we declare that e¾ku¾ya; must not be That is where it will stay until it grows grey hair on its head These were the declarations of Ifa; to the robust A®gbo¾ônri;n (the deer) Who would stay in the forest inhabited by the leopard And become successful He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory over enemies

709


In the midst of victory does one meet the devotees of the holy OÙbarisôa; Behold, I stay in the jungle of the leopard and I become a phenomenon I stay in the home of the leopard and I turn into a phenomenon The robust deer is he who stays in the forest of the mighty leopard And becomes a phenomenon Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall become a phenomenon right in the midst of all his/her antagonists. He/she shall succeed and accomplish all his/her missions in life while he/she is in the midst of envy and opposition. 15. Ifá cautions the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to challenge any tribulation or confront any suffering, just or unjust, that may be meted to him/her. This will make him/her achieve his/her goals in life. Ifá urges this person to pretend to not see cheating and injustice that is occurring against him/her. He/she needs to hear and act as if he/she does not hear anything. He/she is to know and pretend to be ignorant of everything happening around him/her. If he/she can do this, he/she will be blessed with all the ire of life. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two hens, two pigeons, two guinea-fowls, two roosters, two ducks, four rats, four fish, and money. On this aspect, Ifá says: O®Ùro;ôke;ôsôe;ô owo; ni;i; bale¾ô ni;i; ro; i¾ke;ôsôe;ô-i¾ke;ôsôe;ô E®e¾ru¾n o¾ ni¾ka¾n ya;na¾, Awo e¾ôba; o¾ôna¾ I®mu;n¾mu;na; o¾ be¾ôe¾ôru¾ o¾ku¾nku¾n O: gbe;’raa re¾ô si; gbangba Di;a; fu;n Aye;eke;ô

710

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

Ti;i; sô’oômoô oô wo;n ô l’E:Ùla¾-odo¾ EÙboô a¾sôeyoôri; ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The bag filled with money hit the ground and made a dull sound The ant will not cross the road alone, the Awo of the road-side The willow wisp has no fear of darkness It makes itself visible to all This were Ifá’s messages to Aye;eke;ô Their daughter at the river-side She was advised to offer ẹbọ for accomplishment A new I®ya;lo;de must be installed. I®ya;lo;de is the title reserved for the most enterprising, the most accommodating, and the most charismatic woman of a town. She was the head and leader of all the women in a town. The person who would occupy this position would be very powerful. Like an Ϙba, anything she said or did among other women could never be challenged. The king-makers were considering three women in the town for the position of I®ya;lo;de. Aye;eke;ô was one of them. For one, Aye;eke;ô had a very stable home. Everyone in the town knew that Aye;eke;ô was the pillar behind the success and elevation of her husband and children. She had also pulled many of her siblings as well as her husband’s relatives to success. She also had many enemies. Most of her enemies were those who were envious of her because they could not understand why and how she had moved up so quickly. The other group of people who hated her were those who felt that they ought to be in the position she was, which they could not be. The king-makers had their eyes on Aye;eke;ô more than the other two contestants. They however decided to set ordeals and tests for the three women to undergo. They tried her in many ways. When she began to feel the pressure, she went for Ifá

711


consultation. The reason why she went for Ifá consultation was to know for certain why she was being subjected to attack, insult, ridicule, and humiliation. She was not even aware that she was being investigated for the possible title conferment. The Awo told her that they saw many great things ahead of her. She was advised not to challenge any tribulations or suffering meted out to her. They assured her that all would end up in her favor. She was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied and kept her cool in the presence of pressure. One day, the king-makers met to deliberate for the last time. They considered the three candidates and Aye;eke;ô was unanimously chosen. That was how Aye;eke;ô became the next I®ya;lo;de in the land. That was how all the power, authority, and privileges attached to the position went to Aye;eke;ô. She lived and enjoyed the benefits of her position for the rest of her life. O®Ùro;ôke;ôsôe;ô owo; ni;i; bale¾ô ni;i; ro; i¾ke;ôsôe;ô-i¾ke;ôsôe;ô E®e¾ru¾n o¾ ni¾ka¾n ya;na¾, Awo e¾ôba; o¾ôna¾ I®mu;n¾mu;na; o¾ be¾ôe¾ôru¾ o¾ku¾nku¾n O: gbe;’raa re¾ô si; gbangba Di;a; fu;n Aye;eke;ô Ti;i; sô’oômoô oô wo;n ô l’E:Ùla¾-odo¾ EÙboô a¾sôeyoôri; ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;ini¾ b’a;yoô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®je;ô Aye;eke;ô de; o¾ OÙmoô E®Ùla¾-odo¾ OÙmoô E®Ùla¾-odo¾ Aye;eke;ô de; Ko; ma; ko¾’ba¾je;ô Ko; ma; da’re wo¾ônyi; nu¾ o

712

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

Translation: The bag filled with money hit the ground and made a dull sound The ant will not cross the road alone, the Awo of the road-side The willow wisp has no fear of darkness It makes itself visible to all This were Ifá’s messages to Aye;eke;ô Their daughter at the river-side She was advised to offer ẹbọ for accomplishment She complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and see all Ire in life Now, here comes Aye;eke;ô The daughter of El®Ùa¾-odo¾ The child of E®Ùla¾-odo¾ Here comes Aye;eke;ô Do not challenge your tribulations Do not lose all these incoming Ire of life Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be the recipient of all Ire of life. He/she needs not be too conscious of his/her fundamental human rights. His/her resilience will see him/her to the very top of destiny in life. 16. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed owed a huge amount in heaven before he/she came into the world. He/she has not paid his/her debt. If he/she is experiencing restlessness and lack of peace of mind in life, it is a result of his/her failure to offset this debt that he/she owed from heaven. Ifá says that this person came into the world with the highest Orí that anyone could possibly possess but he/she did not pay fully for it. That is why this person is having problems.

713


Ifá advises this person to procure a handsome amount of money and give it to his/her Awo as his/her money for offsetting his/her debt in heaven. As soon as this is done, his/her problems, anxieties, uncertainties, and lack of peace of mind will give way to comfort, accomplishment, contentment, and joy. On this, Ogbe¾-O®Ùsa; says: Aru;gba; Ifá; je¾je;, Awo Odo¾ Olu;weôri Amo;su¾n, Awo O®de O®n¾ko¾ A®ja¾lu; ere;ke¾ ni;i; yo¾ô’wo lo;ri; ganran-ga¾nra¾n-ganran Di;a; fu;n Aki;nra¾ja¾ Ti;i; sô’oô¾re;ô Aje;bu¾u;re; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Aru;gba; Ifa; je¾je;,the Awo Odo¾ Olu;weôri Amo;su¾n,the Awo O®de O®n¾ko¾ Land A®ja¾lu; ere;ke¾ is it that sprouts horns in its head menacingly They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Aki;nra¾ja; The friend of Aje;gbu¾u;re; He was advised to offer ẹbọ Aki;nra¾ja; and Aje;gbu¾u;re; were bosom friends. On the other hand, Aje;gbu¾u;re; was the son of A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n who was the molder of the Orí in which everyone’s destiny was encased. Whatever the individual paid determined the type of Orí they would be given. One day, Aki;nra¾ja; planned to travel to the world. He told his friend Aje;gbu¾u;re; that he was going to the world to live. He pleaded with his friend Aje;gbu¾u;re; to help him talk to A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n, his father, to give him Aki;nra¾ja; the best Orí anyone could ever have in the world. Both of them, Aki;nra¾ja; and Aje;gbu¾ur; e; went to A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n to plead for Aki;nra¾ja; to be given the highest Orí. A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n told

714

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

them that the highest Orí cost 15 bags of cowries. One bag contained 20,000 cowries. Unfortunately, Aki;nra¾ja; only had six bags in his possession. Aje;gbu¾u;re; insisted that his friend must get the highest Orí. He kept pleading with his father to allow Aki;nra¾ja; to go to the world with the Orí and that he would pay the remaining nine bags of cowries when he arrived on earth and was solvent enough to pay the remaining amount. After much pleading, A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n released the Orí to Aki;nra¾ja;. When Aki;nra¾ja; left heaven and arrived on earth, he held onto the tree known as “Igi;-I®gba¾gbe;” “The tree of forgetfulness”. When he came into the world, he forgot about his debt. He was going about his normal duties and became a very successful man. He was so successful that his reputation was known the world over. He was even known to be a successful man in heaven. A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n also heard that Aki;nra¾ja; had become very successful on earth. He even heard that there was nothing that he touched that would not come out successfully. He was expecting Aki;nra¾ja; to come and pay the 9 remaining bags of cowries he owed but he Aki;nra¾ja; was nowhere to be found. Tired of waiting endlessly, A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n summoned his son to his presence and demanded for the loan that Aki;nra¾ja; owed him. Aje;gbu¾u;re; pleaded with his father to give his friend more time to pay. Five years after, Aki;nra¾ja; still had not paid the loan. A®ja¾la¾mo¾ôpi;n ordered his son to proceed to the world to stay with Aki;nra¾ja;. He must follow him everywhere he went. He must make sure that he stopped him from having any peace of mind until he refunded the money he owed. As soon as Aje;gbu¾u;re; arrived on earth and found Aki;nra¾ja;, the world of collapsed. There was nothing he did that seemed right anymore. He did not feel comfortable any longer. Those who had been his admirers had turned to become his antagonists. His friends turned into his enemies. His business collapsed. His health

715


failed. His hopes and aspirations were dashed right before his eyes. Tired of living this way, he went for Ifá consultation. What can I do to bring my life back to normal? The Awo told Aki;nra¾ja; that he was having problems because he owed a huge amount in heaven which he had failed to pay. To return his life to normal, he needed to set aside a handsome amount of money and give it to the Awo to help him announce to the heavenly beings that he had paid his loan. On that particular day, while Aki;nra¾ja; was in the home of the Awo, Aje;gbu¾u;re; was outside waiting for him. He had all along been following him everywhere he went but Aje;gbu¾u;re; would not follow his friend into the home of the Awo. He stayed outside waiting for Aki;nra¾ja; to come out. As soon as Aki;nra¾ja; made up his mind to pay the money, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ began to sing, saying; He said: Olo;wo; Ori; n; pe¾ o;ô lo;de o he¾ he; e¾ e¾! Aki;nra¾ja;, Olo; wo Ori; n; pe¾ o;ô lo;de o Aki;nra¾ja;, Olo; wo Ori; n; pe¾ o;ô lo;de Bi; a ba; san’wo; Ori; la¾a; ni; i¾sinmi¾ o he¾ he; e¾ e¾! Aki;nra¾ja;, bi; a ba; sanwo; Ori; la¾a; ni; i¾sinmi¾ o Aki;nra¾ja;, bi; a ba; sanwo; Ori; la¾a; ni; i¾sinmi¾ Translation: The owner of the money of your Orí is calling you outside oh he¾ he; e¾ e¾! Aki;nra¾ja;, the owner of the money of your Orí is calling to you outside Aki;nra¾ja;, the owner of the money of your Orí is calling to you outside Not until you pay the money for your Orí will you have peace of mind oh he¾ he; e¾ e¾! Aki;nra¾ja;, there is no peace without paying

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Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

the money for your Orí Aki;nra¾ja;, there is no peace without paying the money for your Orí When Aki;nra¾ja; heard this, he quickly went home to arrange for the payment of the money. As soon as he paid the money, his life returned to normal in a miraculous way. Aru;gba; Ifá; je¾je;, Awo Odo¾ Olu;weôri Amo;su¾n, Awo O®de O®n¾ko¾ A®ja¾lu; ere;ke¾ ni;i; yo¾ô’wo lo;ri; ganran-ga¾nra¾n-ganran Di;a; fu;n Aki;nra¾ja¾ Ti;i; sô’oô¾re;ô Aje;bu¾u;re; EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; sa; ni¾ ni; wo¾ômo;ô ire gbogbo Translation: Aru;gba; Ifa; je¾je;,the Awo Odo¾ Olu;weôri Amo;su¾n,the Awo O®de O®n¾ko¾ Land A®ja¾lu; ere;ke¾ is it that sprouts horns in its head menacingly They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Aki;nra¾ja; The friend of Aje;gbu¾u;re; He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have cause to rejoice in life. His/her life will return to normal and all the chaotic aspects of his/her life shall disappear in a miraculous way. A®boôru; A®boôye¾

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B.

SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-O®ÙSA: FOR THOSE BORN BY THE ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI::FA: Ogbe¾ Ri;ku;sa; children, males and females, are in this world to enjoy the blessings of progress, development, victory, prosperity, compatible spouses, lovely children, several properties, sound health, longevity and contentment. They have also come into the world to overcome the problems of untimely death, afflictions, contentions, paralyses, losses and unconsummated fortune. The reason why these are so is that when coming from heaven they had chosen as part of their destiny in life, the opportunity to have all the Ire of life and reject all evil. These are what they chose during their A®ku;nle¾ôya¾n. Olo;du¾mare¾ had also approved their requests. The approval came because Olo;du¾mare¾ made them His own personal and favourite children. Ogbe¾ SÙo¾o;to;ô children, males and females, are very temperamental and they cherish speaking the truth and sharing their thoughts at all times no matter whose sensibilities are offended. These attitudes make them acquire several enemies both known and unknown and both internal and external. However, this does not stop them from achieving their goals to the amazement of their distracters. All Ogbe¾ SÙo¾o;to;ô children who do not speak the truth at all times reduce their chances of success and victory in direct proportion to the degree of their falsehood. Ogbe¾ SÙo¾o;to;ô children are usually not far away from celebrations. This is because, it is very difficult, if not totally impossible, for them to hide their feelings and conceal their joy as soon as they have accomplished their hearts' desires. This makes them to roll out the drums of celebration on a regular basis. Part of the reasons why they celebrate regularly is to enable everyone in their community to know that they have succeeded and to share in their glory and happy mood. Ogbe¾ SÙo¾o;to;ô children have the problem of accomplishing their mission with ease. The problem with this is that even though they have chosen all the great things of life from heaven, as soon as they set out on their journey to this world, spoilers, backbiters,

718

Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

and maligners also pack their bags and follow them into the world. The maligners try anything and everything to spoil their efforts and to ensure that they do not succeed. Not until they chase out these spoilers from their lives, it is difficult for them to achieve much and to enjoy their lives to the fullest. For Ogbe¾ SÙo¾o;to;ô male children, they stand the chance of marrying recalcitrant and trouble making women. Ironically, these same women come into their homes with good legs and circumstances filled with accomplishments, success, and elevation for their men and their households. It is therefore in the interest of the men to consider the two options before taking their final decision on marrying the woman. The best decision to make however, is to marry the woman and simply stay in the women's favour because of the men's success chances being enhanced with the women's arrival into their home. This notwithstanding, it is not advisable for Ogbe¾ Ri;ku;sa; male children to marry a woman who is considered to be below average in height, but at the same time, it is not advisable for these men to marry a woman who is taller than them in height. This is in order to avoid incessant trouble for the man and their households. For Ogbe¾ Ri;ku;sa; female children, they run the risk of losing their babies either before they are born or shortly after birth. This is because there is the need for them to make a solemn appeal to Ile¾ô, (Mother Earth), so that she will not consume their babies. As soon as this process is undertaken, the problem will disappear. Also, during pregnancy, Ogbe¾ Ri;ku;sa; female children must never go out to public gatherings in order to watch any spectacle. They must avoid going to stadiums, cinemas, casinos, race courses, beaches, or parties. This is to prevent them from experiencing calamity during the outing. If Ogbe¾ SÙo¾o;to children, males and females, are facing any problem or recurring trouble, it may not be unconnected to the fact that there is the need for them to pay money for their Orí which they had failed to pay completely while they were in heaven. There is therefore the need to determine how much to pay and pay it

719


accordingly. Doing so will remove the problem of unconsummated fortune and incessant trouble in their lives. On the overall, Ogbe¾ Ri;ku;sa; children achieve more than their contemporaries; they succeed where others have failed and they make ways where the roads are blocked. A®boôru; A®boôye¾

C.

AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA®/IRU:NMOÙLEÙ® OF OGBE® O®ÙSA 1. Ifá - For success, victory, direction, progress, elevation, sanctuary, guidance, support, and general success 2. Orí - For fulfilment of destiny, progress, sanctuary, victory, support, contentment, elevation, general wellbeing, and self actualisation 3. E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾- For support, sanctuary, guidance, victory, elevation, direction, success, and general wellbeing 4. OÙ®sôun- For realisation of destiny, success, victory, contentment, compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing and general success 5. Olo;kun- For progress, support, enhancement, contentment, elevation, and general wellbeing 6. EÙgbe- For childbearing, support, comradeship, leadership, elevation, and general wellbeing 7. O®gu;n- For comfort, victory, leadership, success, general wellbeing 8. OÙba¾ta;la;- For protection from ailments, success, leadership, progress, elevation and general wellbeing 9. Egu;ngu;n- For ancestral support, victory, success, leadership, contentment, and general wellbeing 10. EÙl® u;ku;-la¾ka¾- For success, achievement, contentment, leadership, and general wellbeing 11. I®beji¾- For childbearing, childrearing, elevation, progress, success, achievement, contentment and general wellbeing

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Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

D. TABOOS OF OGBE®-O®SÙ A: 1. Must never consume antelope meat - To avoid incessant health challenges and unconsummated fortune 2. Must never put blood of any kind on his/her Ikin - To avoid failure, unconsummated fortune and regrets 3. Must never wear small brimless caps - To avoid being chased away from where he/she is expected to enjoy the fruit of his/her labour 4. Must never skip food or engage in fasting - To avoid unconsummated fortune, missed opportunities, failure and regrets 5. Must never consume or maltreat cats - To avoid unconsummated fortune, failure, and regret 6. Must never go outside to answer a call at night no matter how close the person may be - To avoid falling into traps, disaster, and calamity 7. Pregnant women must not attend public gatherings or occasions - To avoid danger, threat to life and calamity 8. Must never keep anything for others - To avoid contention, trouble and regret 9. Must never have a low view of others or oneself - To avoid missed opportunities and regrets 10. Must never be too thrifty in the treatment of his/her ailments - To avoid spending more than required in the end 11. Must not be too sensitive to his/her rights and privileges - To avoid missed opportunities, failure and everlasting regrets 12. Must never use the hoopoe for anything - To avoid the problem of losing his/her babies

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E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBÈ-O®ÙSA i. MALE 1. Gegele - The vintage position 2. Iku;sôe¾gba¾gbe; - Death has forgotten about me 3. A®i¾ku;loôla; - Longevity is honour and progress 4. A®ro¾ye;doôla¾ - My complaints turn to prosperity 5. Araa;de¾ômi; - I feel comfortable 6. Irewoôle;de; - All the Ire of life has entered my home ii. FEMALE 1. Ifa;to;o;rera - Ifa; is enough to showcase 2. Gegele - The vintage position 3. OÙ®yi¾nsôeô¾sôeô¾ - Boun¾dless joy 4. Araa;de¾ômi; - I feel comfortable 5. Irewoôle;de; - All the Ire of life has entered my home 6. OÙ®sôunsôoôla; - OÙ®sôun brings prosperity


722

Chapter 10

Ogbè Ìká

II I I I II I II I 723

OGBE® I®KA: OGBE®-®KA: RE’LE: A. 1. Ifá says it foresees all Ire for the person for whom this Odù is

revealed during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®teô¾ni;fa;. Ifá says that this person will not lack anything important in his/her life. Ifá says that whatever the person for whom this Odù is revealed, either during I®koseô¾da;ye; or I®teô¾lodu is lacking shall be given unto him/her soon. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two hens, two guinea fowls, two cocks and money. On this aspect, Ogbè I®ka; says: Ogbe¾ ka; re'le; oômoô OÙsiô ¾n Ogbe¾ ka; re'le; oômoô OÙra¾ Ogbe¾ ka; re'le; oômoô O®gu;n reô¾re¾ôeô¾re¾ô ale'ô¾de Ke;kere; ina; ni o¾ sôe e; ka; m’a;beô; A®gba¾lagba¾ ejo¾ ni o¾ sôe e; ko¾ l'oô;na¾ A ki¾i; ri; ke;kere; oômoô oôba l'oô;na¾ ka; na¾a; Ni;tori; i bi; yo;o; baa¾ j’oye¾ ile; e baba reô¾ l'oô;la Di;a; fu;n Ade;ju¾mo¾b ô i; OÙmoô'ye¾ Ala;af¾ in To; f'eô¾yi¾nti¾ m'o;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n ire gbogbo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙsôi¾n Ogbe¾, let us go home, the descendant of OÙra¾ Ogbe¾, let us go home, the offspring of the O®gu;n shrine spread across the home frontage A little fire is not to be covered in one’s body And a big snake is not to be met on the road One does not see a little prince and beat him up For fear that he may ascend the seat of his ancestors in the future

724


These were Ifá’s messages for Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi The offspring of the Ala;af¾ in, the Ϙba of OÙ®yoô; When weeping in lamentation for his inability to secure any Ire in life He was advised to offer eôboô Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi, had royal blood on both his maternal and paternal sides of his family but he was very poor and because of this he never contemplated getting married. Because he had no wife, he was not blessed with children. His lack of a family of his own did not allow him to seek permission from his extended family to have land to erect his own house. The only asset that he had was the royal blood running in his veins. That was the only reason why he was given respect and honour anywhere he went. Otherwise, he would have been treated like a nobody whom he considered himself to be. One day, Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi, decided to go for Ifá consultation in the home of the group of Awo mentioned above in order to determine his success chances in life. He wanted to know whether or not he was destined to succeed in life. If yes, he wanted to know what he needed to do in order to attract the success to himself as quickly as possible; and if no, he wanted to know why. The Awo told Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi that he was in this world to succeed. He was assured that any hardship being faced at that particular point in time was only temporary. He was told that such hardship or inconvenience would soon give way to success and accomplishment. The Awo advised him to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied. Prior to this period, Ade;ju¾¾mo¾¾ôbi was an unsuccessful trader. He was selling clothes. He would collect clothes from his father’s weavers on credit. After three to four months, he would return the clothes to the weavers unsold. The weavers would complain behind his back. As soon as he left, the weavers would begin to make jest of him. As soon as he offered this eôboô however, everyone from far and near was looking Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi for the clothes seller. Every week, he would sell more clothes than all the other sellers put together. Any group who wanted clothes for their occasion went looking for Ade;ju¾mo¾b ¾ô i.

725

Ogbè I®ka;

His customers were not disappointed. Before long, all his weavers were put under pressure to meet the deadlines of supplying clothes to Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi. More hands were hired in order to ensure that Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi did not disappoint his customers. As this was going on, money was flowing into the hands of Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi. He could not believe that money had the propensity to multiply itself when the source of making it was regular and uninterrupted. Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi became a household name. He was eventually placed under pressure to get married. There was no respect for any man who was at marrying age and who had the means of doing so, not to be with a wife. Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi eventually got married. A year after he was blessed with his own baby. Money kept flowing in. His wife joined him in his business. The business expanded. Money continued to flow in. Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi began to assist many people in the community. This did not stop money from flowing in. One day, Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi’s father, the OÙba of OÙ®yoô;ô land, joined his ancestors. The race for a suitable successor began in earnest. All eyes were on He was not too excited in becoming the next OÙba. He was persuaded. Ifá was consulted and Ifá picked him as the next OÙba of OÙ®yoô; land. That was how Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi moved from grass to grace in less than seven years. Ogbe¾ ka; re'le; oômoô OÙsiô ¾n Ogbe¾ ka; re'le; oômoô OÙra¾ Ogbe¾ ka; re'le; oômoô O®gu;n reô¾re¾ôeô¾re¾ô ale'ô¾de Ke;kere; ina; ni o¾ sôe e; ka; m’a;beô; A®gba¾lagba¾ ejo¾ ni o¾ sôe e; ko¾ l'oô;na¾ A ki¾i; ri; ke;kere; oômoô oôba l'oô;na¾ ka; na¾a; Ni;tori; i bi; yo;o; baa¾ j’oye¾ ile; e baba reô¾ l'oô;la Di;a; fu;n Ade;ju;;mo¾¾ôbi; OÙmoôye¾ Ala;a¾fin To; feô¾yi¾nti¾ m'o;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n ire gbogbo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; ire gbogbo Woô¾woô; ire gbogbo l'e¾re¾ OÙ®peô¾ n’I:feô¾

726


Ade;ju¾moô¾bi; de; o¾, oômoô'ye¾ L’a;af¾ in E®mi; r’o;wo; j'oôba E®mi n; yoô¾ o Translation: Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙsôi¾n Ogbe¾, let us go home, the descendant of OÙra¾ Ogbe¾, let us go home, the offspring of the O®gu;n shrine spread across the home frontage A little fire is not to be covered in one’s body And a big snake is not to be met on the road One does not see a little prince and beat him up For fear that he may ascend the seat of his ancestors in the future These were Ifá’s messages for Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi The offspring of the Ala;af¾ in, the Ϙba of OÙ®yoô; When weeping in lamentation for his inability to secure any Ire in life He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life The gain of Ifá is ensuring that one is found in the midst of all the Ire of life Here comes Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi the crown prince of the palace I have money to accept the Ϙba title And l am celebrating Ifá says that this person shall succeed and shall have cause to celebrate his/her success in life. 2. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed has the tendency to succeed more rapidly outside of where he/she was born or his/her parents land. Ifá says that if this person is outside his/her parents birth place, he/she will succeed and accomplish a great deal before returning to his/her parents land.

727

Ogbè I®ka;

Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two hens, two guinea-fowls, two cocks, four rats, four fish and money. On this, If;a; says: O®roro a f'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ Di;a; fu;n woôn ni; I®la;gba¾wu EÙboô ire gbogbo ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe Translation: O®roro a f'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ He was the Awo who cast Ifá for the inhabitants of I®la;gba¾wu land They were advised to offer eôboô in order to gain all the Ire of life The inhabitants of I®la;gba¾wu were very enterprising. There were several opportunities to make anyone succeed in I®la;gba¾wu. Not only this, those who came to settle in of I®la;gba¾wu land were not hindered in any way whatsoever. Those who would come to the land would usually smile when going back home. This was not surprising. Those who came to settle in the land probably were unaware that the founders of the land had done all necessary things to make both the indigenes and settlers in I®la;gba¾wu successful. As soon as the land was founded, they had invited the greatest Awo of that time, O®roro a f'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾, to come and consult Ifá for the land and recommend all appropriate eôboô for them in order for the land to be blessed with boundless opportunities. When the Awo arrived and Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾ I®ka; was revealed. The Awo assured the founders of the land that they would not lack anything good in life. They were told that whatsoever they lacked when they came into the land would be given to them. Also, what they brought into the land would not go into ruin - spouses, money, children, properties, sound health etc. They were advised to offer eôboô as stated above. They complied.

728


Whenever anyone packed his/her bags and headed for in I®la;gba¾wu land, they were going there with the hope and assurance that they would succeed. They were never disappointed. Those who had no money would move to I®la;gba¾wu and they would know that they would not leave the land without making good money. Those who lacked a compatible spouse were sure that they would be blessed with one before they left the land. Those who lacked children were sure that they would have their babies before they returned to their home towns. Those who were ill and even the invalids were convinced that they would regain their health if they travelled to the land and that they would return to their home lands with sound health. Before long, I®la;gba¾wu came to be known as the land where impossibilities were made possible. The land where people go with tears on their checks and return to their home lands with smiles on their faces. O®roro a f'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ Di;a; fu;n woôn ni; I®la;gba¾wu EÙboô ire gbogbo ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe Wo;ôn gb’e;ôboô, woô;n ru;’boô N®jeô; n o; l'o;wo;-l'o;wo; Ki; n to;o; loô ni';le; I®la;gba¾wu o O®roro af'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ I®woô l’Awo woôn ni;'le; I®la;gba¾wu N o; l'a;ya-m'a;ya Ki; n to;o; loô ni';le; I®la;gba¾wu o O®roro af'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ I®woô l’Awo woôn ni';le; I®la;gba¾wu N o; bi;'moô-le;'moô Ki; n to;o; loô ni';le; I®la;gba¾wu o O®roro af'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ I®woô l’Awo woôn ni';le; I®la;gba¾wu N o; koô;'le;-mo;ô'le; Ki; n to;o; loô ni'l;e; I®la;gba¾wu o O®roro af'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ I®woô l’Awo woôn ni';le; I®la;gba¾wu N o; ni;'re gbogbo Ki; n to;o; loô ni';le; I®la;gba¾wu o O®roro af'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ I®woô l’Awo woôn ni';le; I®la;gba¾wu

729

Ogbè I®ka;

Translation: O®roro af'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ He was the Awo who cast Ifá for the inhabitants of I®la;gba¾wu land They were advised to offer eôboô in order to gain all the Ire of life They complied Behold! I will receive my blessing of abundant wealth Before I depart from I®la;gba¾wu land O®roro af'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ You are their true Awo in I®la;gba¾wu land I will receive the blessing of spouse upon spouse Before I depart from I®la;gba¾wu land O®roro af'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ You are their true Awo in I®la;gba¾wu land I will receive the blessing of many children Before I depart from I®la;gba¾wu land O®roro af'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ You are their true Awo in I®la;gba¾wu land I will receive the blessing of property upon property Before I depart from I®la;gba¾wu land O®roro af'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ You are their true Awo in I®la;gba¾wu land I will receive the blessing of all the Ire of life Before I depart from I®la;gba¾wu land O®roro af'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾ You are their true Awo in I®la;gba¾wu land Ifá says that just as those who used to travel to I®la;gba¾wu land to receive their blessings of all the Ire of life before returning to their respective home lands, so also will this person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed receive his/her own blessings before he/she departs from the foreign land that he/she resides and return to his/her father’s land. 3. Ifá says that even though the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will succeed if he/she goes out of where he/she is born and settles in another land, there is the need for him/her to ensure that

730


he/she returns home in order for him/her to consummate all his/her fortunes. Ifá says that he/she is not destined to overstay in any land other than his/her father’s land and must not take a foreign land as his/her place of permanent residence. Ifá advises this person to ensure that he/she returns to his/her homeland regularly in order to keep himself/herself abreast of all happenings in his/her homeland. This will make settlement back to his/her homeland very easy for him/her. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with four pigeons, four guinea-fowls, four cocks and money. On this, Ifá says: B’e;rin ba; ji; Erin a yan Ka;nra;nn;gboôn-Ka;nra;nn;gboôn B’eô;foô¾n ba; ji; EÙfoô¾n a yan Ka¾nra¾nn;gboôn-Ka¾nra¾nn;gboôn OÙmoô ni;i; gbe;’le; ba¾ba; a reô¾ Ni;i; yan Ka;nra;nn;gboôn Di;a; fu;n I®lu;gbe¾n;ka; Ti;i; sô’oômoô A®ra¾ba¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: When the elephant wakes up The elephant will march up and down majestically When the buffalo wakes up The buffalo will step here and there majestically A child is he who stays in his father’s house And walks confidently to and fro These were Ifá’s messages for I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; The son of the A®ra¾ba¾ He was advised to offer eôboô I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; was a success story from whatever perspective anyone might look at his life. When he left his father’s land, he had only one asset;

731

Ogbè I®ka;

that was that he was the son of the A®ra¾ba¾ of the land. He had no money and no wife, even though he was mature enough for the marriage market. He had no children. He left his home with only two extra dresses. All the material gain he had in his life was the three dresses and nothing more. He did not even have sandals to wear on his feet. Of course, he did have a name, being the son of the A®ra¾ba¾ of his father’s land. When he got to the new land that he was going to, his name as the son of the A®ra¾ba¾ became totally insignificant. Nobody cared to know whose child he was. People were completely unwilling to accord him honour or respect. From the first day he arrived in the land, he began to struggle; first to survive, and later to make a name. Before long, he survived pretty well and then began to work on making a name for himself. Fortune began to smile on him. He accumulated a lot of money in a short period of time. His fortune was improving by leaps and bounds. He got married. Soon after this, he became a father. He moved up to a very high social stratum. He continued to move up. He also pulled many inhabitants of the land up with him. He soon became a household name in the land. At this juncture, I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; discovered to his chagrin that he would always be called upon to assist the community. He would try his best not to disappoint the community. The community had never been disappointed. When the time to honour him for a job well done arrived, (and he eminently deserved to be so awarded), all of the decision makers in the land would suddenly remember that he was not an indigene of the land. They would then conclude that he could only be given honour meant for the settlers of the land but not those reserved for the indigenes, even though it was clear to everyone that I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; had done more than any indigene had ever done for the land. He realized, to his disappointment, that some of the indigenes who lived in other lands were being invited home to be honoured and be placed over and above him in the land. That was precisely what prompted him to think of making his own contributions to his own father’s land. He realized that no matter how long one stayed outside one’s father’s land, there was nowhere like home. He began to participate in the developmental programmes of his father’s land. He started sending his wife and children home to

732


represent him on many events and occasions. Decision makers of his father’s land began to recognize him and appreciate his contributions to the land. One day, they gave him a large parcel of land out of the community land for him to farm and erect his home. This development was greeted with a unanimous approval of the whole community. He was honoured and respected. One day, his father died. The position of the A®ra¾ba¾ of the land became vacant. There were many candidates for the position. The preference of the whole community was I®lu;gbe¾nk; a;. Many people argued that I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; had done a lot for the community from outside and that if he was installed as the A®ra¾ba¾ he would do even more. Ifá was consulted. The wish of the people became the wish of Olo;du¾mare. Ifá confirmed I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; as the next A®ra¾ba.¾ Two delegates were then sent to inform I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; of his new appointment. He was also asked to pack all his belongings and return home to settle permanently. He went to inform the leaders of his area that he had been made the A®ra¾ba¾ of his father’s land and that he would have to return home to stay permanently. The leaders expressed their regrets that a rare gem was about to leave their community. The day of his departure for his homeland was like a carnival. The whole community bade him farewell and wished him well in his new assignment. Tears of joy and appreciation flowed freely. B’e;rin ba; ji; Erin a yan Ka;nra;nn;gboôn-Ka;nra;nn;gboôn B’eô;foô¾n ba; ji; EÙfoô¾n a yan Ka¾nra¾nn¾gboôn-Ka¾nra¾nn¾¾gboôn OÙmoô ni;i; gbe;’le; ba¾ba; a reô¾ Ni;i; yan Ka;nra;nn;gboôn Di;a; fu;n I®lu;gbe¾n;ka; Ti;i; sô’oômoô A®ra¾ba¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ba;’yoô¾ EÙ wa;a; wo’re o

733

Ogbè I®ka;

I®lu;gbe¾n;ka; ma¾ ma¾ de; o¾ OÙmoô A®ra¾ba¾ OÙmoô o; wa¾a; re’le; e ba¾ba; reô¾ o Translation: When the elephant wakes up The elephant will march up and down majestically When the buffalo wakes up The buffalo will step here and there majestically A child is he who stays in his father’s house And walks confidently to and fro These were Ifá’s messages for I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; The son of the A®ra¾ba¾ He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Come and join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Here comes I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; The son of the A®ra¾ba¾ The child will now return to his father’s land Ifá says that all shall be well for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. He/she shall succeed in his/her sojourn and will also be honoured in his/her homeland. 4. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of success as well as that of victory for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifá says that he/she will succeed and reach the top of his/her chosen career in life. Ifá says that this person shall also be victorious in life. Ifá promises that this person shall not be allowed to suffer the pain of losing his/her belongings to thieves or fraudsters. People will surely make attempts, but Ifá will make them fail. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with three pigeons, three guinea-fowls, three cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed the Orí or Spirit of his/her father and mother as appropriate. He/she

734


needs to ask Ifá on what materials to use to feed the Orí (or the spirit, if, any or both of them are dead) of his/her parents. On this, Ogbe¾-I®ka; says: A®te;lô eôwo;ô la ba;’la¾ A o¾ m’eôni to; koô oô; I®ya; eôni ni;i; maa; koô oô; fu;n’ni Ba¾ba; eôni ni;i; ma a; koô o;;ô fu;n’ni Di;a; fun Ogbe¾ Ti; n; lo¾ôo;ô j’o;bi¾ Oni;ka¾a; ka; Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: We met the lines in our palms when we were born We know not who inscribed the lines there for us One’s mother is responsible for their inscription One's father is responsible for their inscription These were Ifá’s messages for Ogbe¾ When going to pluck the kola nuts of Oni;ka¾a; without permission He was advised to offer eôboô There were serious problems in the land. Because of draught, crops failed, people fell sick and they could not recover as quickly as expected. Pregnant women could not deliver safely. Those who were barren could not have the blessing of the fruit of the womb. Creditors had turned to debtors. The whole community was in a state of confusion. Those who went for Ifá and/or Ifa; and/or O¾ri¾sa¾/Iru;nmoôleô¾ consultation had no kola nuts to break for these Divinities. Surprisingly, only Oni;ka¾a; had many kola nut trees which had survived the drought and had brought forth several pods of kola nuts. He however had bluntly refused to allow anyone even take just one kola nut fruit. For this reason many people were dying. Many more were starving. All members of the community were suffering. Yet Oni;ka¾a; could not be bothered. How would they get kola nuts? Nobody had any answer. Oni;ka¾a; even employed the services of several guards and

735

Ogbè I®ka;

planted several dangerous charms round his farm to protect the farm against intruders and unauthorized persons. Ogbe¾, the Awo of the community decided that he needed to enter the farm of Oni;ka¾a; wit Oni;ka¾a; without permission and help himself to as many kola nuts as required so that he could turn the community around. Before doing so however, he went for Ifá consultation. Would he be able to enter Oni;ka¾a’; s farm, take as many kola nuts as he needed and return home safely without problems? These were the questions which Ogbe¾, asked Ifá when he went for the consultation. The Awo told Ogbe¾, that he was about to embark on a dangerous assignment which might lead to disgrace and even untimely death if it blew up. It might also however lead to the redemption of the whole community if it succeeded. He was assured that with appropriate eôboô he would succeed in this task. He was advised to offer eôboô as prescribed above. He complied. A®te;lô eôwo;ô la ba;’la¾ A o¾ m’eôni to; koô oô; I®ya; eôni nii maa ko o fun’ni Ba¾ba; eni nii ma a; koô oô fun’ni Di;a; fu;n Oni;ka¾a; Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô Ki; ole¾ o; ma; baa¾ ja¾a; Translation: We met the lines in our palms when we were born We know not who inscribed the lines for us One’s mother is responsible for their inscription One's father is responsible for their inscription These were Ifá’s messages for Oni;ka¾a; When he was advised to offer eôboô For him not to suffer the loss of his belongings to thieves Oni;ka¾a; was a very confident person. He was the only one whose farm products thrived well. It was not his fault that all others suffered from

736


failed farm products. He could not be blamed for that either. It was simply the victims’ bad luck. If that was the case, why then should anyone expect him to give out part of his farm products, especially his precious kola nuts for free? He could not, and would not give his kola nuts away. For this reason, he guarded his farm with hunters and potent charms to trap any intruders that would enter his farm. One day, Oni;ka¾a; went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. Will I be able to maximize my profits this year being that only he could confidently declare that he had bountiful farm products? How will I get the maximum profit that I deserve? These and many related ones, were the questions at the back of Oni;ka¾a's mind when he went for Ifá consultation. The Awo told Oni;ka¾a; that he would have a bountiful harvest and would be able to sell his farm products at very reasonable prices. He was assured that he would sell the products at the best prices that were ever possible. Oni;ka¾a; was however told to offer eôboô so as to prevent a situation where his farm products would be stolen by other people who were suffering and who were in desperate need of the products. When the Awo told Oni;ka¾a; all these, he instantly became suspicious of the Awo. These Awo had just told him Ifá foresaw that he would make huge profits off his farm products. How then could he lose his farm products to desperate people? Where then would the profits come from if people were able to steal from his land? Oni;ka¾a; concluded that the Awo were just trying to find ways of making some money off of him. He decided that he would not give the Awo, or anyone else for that matter, the chance to have access into his farm to steal. He was totally convinced that such a thing would never and could never happen; with all the guards and charms which he had already put on the farm against such things. He simply walked away from the Awo and vowed never to offer the eôboô or to return to their home. On the day that Ogbe¾, planned to go to Oni;ka¾a’; s farm, he ensured that all steps which he ought to take were taken. He offered the eôboô, he feed Ifá and all other divinities, he brought with him all his Oômoô-Awo who would help him carry what he needed on the farm to his home. He insisted that nothing on the farm must be taken except the kola nuts and kola nuts that they were going to take should not exceed the

737

Ogbè I®ka;

required amount. After ensuring that all those following him had been adequately instructed, he left for the farm. When he got to the farm, all the guards were asleep. They did not wake while Ogbe¾, and his group were on the farm. Even the potent charms planted on the farm became impotent. The charms also slept. Ogbe¾ and his students removed all the kola nuts that they needed on the farm and nothing more. At the end of the exercise, they all left with many bags of kola nuts. The following day, Oni;ka¾a; heard to his disbelief that a group of armed robbers had come into his farm. His guards told him that they fought bravely to prevent the robbers from entering the farm. He was also told that the armed bandits outnumbered the guards 16 to one. In the end, the bandits managed to overpower the guards and the bandits tied the guards with ropes and they entered the farm to steal. They started with the kola nuts, Oni;ka¾a; was told. They removed a lot of kola nuts, but when they returned to steal other products on the farm, the guards managed to untie the ropes and chase them away. The guards said that they had shot several bandits to death but because they were so many, they managed to carry their dead away with them. The guard told Oni;ka¾a; that it was a huge work of bravery before they could rescue what remained in the farm from the bandits. When Oni;ka¾a; asked them why was it that there was no single sign of struggle on the farm, on their bodies or on their clothes, they all remained quiet. Meanwhile, Ogbe¾ and his students began to use the kola nuts to propitiate all the Divinities on behalf of the community. Gradually, the hardships, pains, drought, and hunger in the community began to disappear. Within two lunar months, the situation in the whole community had returned to normal, no thanks to Oni;ka¾a;. Oni;ka¾a; however did manage to sell all the remaining farm products and he became the richest man in the land but at the same time he became the most hated and most ridiculed man in the land. Instead of praising him, everybody in the land would shower their praises and thanks on Ogbe¾ for pulling the community away from the brink of collapse back to normalcy.

738


A®te;lô eôwo;ô la ba;’la¾ A o¾ m’eôni to; koô oô; I®ya; eôni ni;i; maa; koô oô; fu;n’ni Ba¾ba; eôni ni;i; ma a; koô o;;ô fu;n’ni Di;a; fun Ogbe¾ Ti; n; lo¾ôo;ô j’o;bi¾ Oni;ka¾a; ka; Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe A®te;lô eôwo;ô la ba;’la¾ A o¾ m’eôni to; koô oô; I®ya; eôni nii maa ko o fun’ni Ba¾ba; eni nii ma a; koô oô fun’ni Di;a; fu;n Oni;ka¾a; Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô Ki; ole¾ o; ma; baa¾ ja¾a; Ogbè nikan ni n be l’eyin ti n s’ẹbọ

Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ô ji¾nna¾

Eôôwa;a; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; ire gbo¾gbo Oni;ka¾a; i bá tètè mò Ì bá wáá f’owó ş’àrúfin ębǫ Translation: We met the lines in our palms when we were born We know not who inscribed the lines there for us One’s mother is responsible for their inscription One's father is responsible for their inscription These were Ifá’s messages for Ogbe¾ When going to pluck the kola nuts of Oni;ka¾a; without permission He was advised to offer eôboô We met the lines in our palms when we were born We know not who inscribed the lines for us One’s mother is responsible for their inscription One's father is responsible for their inscription These were Ifá’s messages for Oni;ka¾a; When he was advised to offer eôboô For him not to suffer the loss of his belongings to thieves Only Ogbe¾ complied with the advice of the ẹbọ Before long, not too far

739

Ogbè I®ka;

Join us in the midst of all Ire Had Oni;ka¾a; known He too would have offered his own eôboô Ifá says that the person for whom this eôboô is revealed shall succeed and shall be victorious over obstacles and adversity. 5. Ifá says that it foresees victory over several enemies waging war against this person. It is true that these enemies are many, but this person shall surely overcome them all. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with a mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed Ogu;n with either a cock or dog. If these two steps can be taken, then victory is assured. On these, Ifá says: Ogbe¾¾ ka; Ogbe¾ ko Eg¾be¾ n¾ koko l'e¾gbe¾ oôwo¾ô Di;a; fu;n Eôdu¾n Ti; n; beô l'a;ar¾ in o¾ôta; Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ ka; Ogbe¾ ko And E¾®gbe¾ n¾ koko l'e¾gbe¾ oôwo;ô They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Eôdu¾n (the Axe) When in the midst of enemies He was advised to offer eôbo Eôdu¾n (the Axe) was afraid for his life. Anywhere he went, he was always being confronted by enemies who planned to eliminate him. He found it very difficult to move out of his house for fear of being attacked and killed. What sort of life was this? He queried himself several times. Did he not belong here? Must he just look for a strong rope and hang himself to end all the tribulations he was facing?

740


All the trees in the forest were his enemies. Tired of living a life full of anxiety, he decided to go for Ifá consultation in the home of the group of Awo mentioned above: What must I do to overcome all my numerous enemies? The Awo told Eôdu¾n that he was being faced with several enemies who would stop at nothing to see him dead and buried. He was told that as long as he lived, these enemies would not rest because they felt that they were not safe if he was still alive and well. That was why all these enemies vowed to ensure that he was eliminated. To overcome these enemies, the Awo told Eôdu¾n that he must ensure that he converted at least one of his enemies to his friend. The Awo stated that whenever one was surrounded by enemies, one needed to convert part of the enemies to his friends. Consequent upon this, it became the duty of Eôdu¾n to bring at least one of the enemies to his side. He was also advised to offer eôbo as stated above and feed Ogu;n accordingly, Eôdu¾n complied While he was thinking about how to convert one of his several enemies to be his friend, he saw E®Ùru; (the handle) passing by his area. He invited E®Ùru; to his house and cajoled, persuaded and lured him into becoming his inseparable friend. In the end, he succeeded. Together, E®Ùru; and Eôdu¾n went to the home of the blacksmiths and both of them were fixed together. They became Axe and Handle. Once this was done, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ approached them and told the Axe to carry his war to his enemies' territory. E®sôu¾ told him that he did not need to run away from all his enemies any longer. He went into the forest and E®sôu¾ charged him to begin to attack all his enemies. He confronted the I®ro;ko¾ tree and brought him down, together with all his family. Next, the Axe descended on Oriro and brought him down. He attacked Afa¾ra¾ and felled him. Before evening, the Axe demolished more than 20 trees. The next day, he did the same thing. All the trees in the forest quickly realized that the combination of E®Ùru; and EÙdu¾n was so formidable that none of them could match them. What was most painful to them was that E®Ùru;, the Handle, was part of their group being made of wood. He

741

Ogbè I®ka;

was brought from the forest before he joined with their enemy to wreck havoc on them. All the tress in the forest could do nothing but fear, respect and hate E®Ùru; and EÙdu¾n, the Axe and Handle.

Ogbe¾ ka; Ogbe ko E®gbe¾ n¾ koko l'e¾gbe¾ oôwo¾ô Di;a; fu;n Eôdu¾n Ti; n; beô l'a;ar¾ in o¾ôta; Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ô ji¾nna¾ Eô wa;a; ba; ni l'a;ru¾u;se ô ô; ogun Aj®asôe;ô ogun la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôse¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sa ô ¾ N®jeô; Eô®ru; gb’Eôdu¾n o Oôminu n; koô’gi oko Eô®ru; gb’Eôdu¾n o Ominu n; k’oômoô ojo Translation: Ogbe; ka; Ogbe; ko And Eg¾be¾ n¾ koko le¾gbe¾ owo¾ô They were the Awo who cast Ifá for EÙdu¾n (the Axe) When he was in the midst of enemies He was advised to offer eôbo He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory over adversary Victory over enemies in what lfá guarantees for its devotees Now, the Axe blade has combined with the handle All forest trees are gripped with fear The handle is fixed on the Axe blade Trepidation grips the scared ones

742


Ifá says that with tact and boldness, the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall overcome all his/her enemies, no matter how many they may be. 6. Ifá says that evil spirits have entered the house of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifá says that for this person to enjoy his/her life, these evil spirits must be chased out of his/her house. This must be done as urgently as possible. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed OÙbalu;waye; as appropriate. There is the need to ask Ifá what OÙbalu;waye; wants from this person in order to help chase away all the evil spirits. Feed this divinity accordingly. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Oôsiô n Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙra¾ Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾eô¾reô¾ ale'¾ôde Dia; fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; ti¾ku;-ta¾ru¾n n;kan’le; e re¾ôe;ô re¾¾ Gbogbo ajogun buru;ku; n; kan’le; e re¾¾ô e;;ô loô Eôboô ni woô;n ni ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôin Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙra¾ Ogbe, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n shrine spread across the home frontage These were Ifa;’s messages for OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When Death and Affliction were knocking at the door of his house And all evil spirits were going to his house He was advised to offer eôboô Who among his family members would OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ begin with? All the family members; his wives, children, brothers, sisters, relatives and adopted children were down with one form of ailment or the other. In

743

Ogbè I®ka;

his own case, he was physically alright, but the situation made him emotionally ill. He looked worse than those who were physically ill. He was the one running everywhere to make everyone in his household well. He would go to the stream early in the morning to fetch water which would be used in the house for bathing, cooking and drinking. He would rush into the forest to gather herbs, bark, leaves, roots and vines to boil for those who were ill in order to make them well again. But because they had different ailments, they needed different types of bark, leaves, herbs and creepers for the different categories of ailments. It was clear to see that OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was physically exhausted. Yet, he continued to look for solutions. As soon as one ailment was contained, another one more serious than the previous one would emerge. He immediately would begin to look for a solution. He had no time for himself, no time to make money. He had exhausted all the money he had accumulated. Hunger began to set in little by little. In a desperate move to find a solution to the problems, he approached his friends and but was disappointed. None of them was prepared to assist. He decided to consult Ifá in order to find out what Ifá had to say on the issue and the solution which Ifá had to offer in order to bring all his loved ones back to good health. When Ifá was consulted, the Odu¾ that was revealed was Ogbeô¾-Ika. The Awo told OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he had been contending with serious issues that had been overwhelming him. He was assured that all these problems would disappear if he offered eôboô and fed appropriate Divinities. The Awo told OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer eôboô with one mature hegoat and money. He was also told to feed OÙbalu;waye; with whatever he had at home at that time which was appropriate for OÙbalu;waye;. OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to do these as soon as possible in order to put an end to his physical exhaustion and pain. OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ got one he-goat on credit and offered the eôboô instantly. When he got to his home, he gave OÙbalu;waye; what he had to feed him. Three days after the eôbo was offered, nearly half of the members of the household where up, hale and hearty again. They joined with OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to take care of all the others who were not yet fully recovered. All the evil spirits in OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾'s home were chased away by E¾®sôu-¾ O®®Ùda¾ra and the ailments being suffered by the household did not return again. That was how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ overcame all the problems in his household. He had time

744


for himself and his clients once again. He made money from his work once more. He had people in his household to assist him to gather roots, herbs, leaves, bark, vines and all other things required to make his work effective once again. Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Oôsiô ¾n Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; omo OÙra¾ Ogbe ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾eô¾reô¾ ale¾'ôde Dia; fu;n Oô®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; ti¾ku;-t'a¾ru¾n n;kan’le; e re¾ôe;ô re¾¾ Gbogbo ajogun buru;ku; n; kan’le; e re¾¾ô e;;ô loô Eôboô ni woô;n ni ko; wa;a; sôe O gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ô ji¾nna¾ Eô wa;a; ba;’ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; Ogun Aj¾a¾se ô ô; ogun la¾a; ba;’ni l'e;;ôse¾¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sa ô ¾ Nje¾; ohun ti;; eô ba¾ ri; Eô f’o;lojo¾ ko;; loô o Ki;; gbogbo ajogun o; ma;a ba; tieô¾ loô o Translation: Ogbe¾ let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôin Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙra¾ Ogbe¾/, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n shrine spread across the home frontage These were Ifá’s messages for Oô®ru;nmi¾la When Death and Affliction were knocking at the door of his house And all evil spirits were going to his house He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory over adversary Victory over enemies is what Ifá guarantees for all its devotees Now, whatever you have Please give it to the evil strangers so they may go away Let all Ajogun depart and go on their ways

745

Ogbè I®ka;

Ifá says that all negative Ajogun (evil spirits), will depart from the life of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. In three places, Ifá will bring to him/her all the Ire of life. 7. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to be extremely careful if and when he/she plans to accompany any friend to any event or occasion. He/she needs to investigate properly before deciding to follow any person or group out to any event, no matter how close that person or group may be to him/her. The reason why Ifá says this is that this person may find it very difficult, if not altogether impossible, to return from where he/she follows others to. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. Even after the eôboô, he/she needs to find out thoroughly and be very sure of his/her safety and well-being to and from, the occasion before embarking on such trip. On this aspect, a stanza in Ogbe¾-I®ka; says: Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Oôsiô ¾n Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙra¾ Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Ol¾o;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾eô¾reô¾ ale¾ô'¾ôde Di;a; ôfu;n O®®gu;n Ti;i; sô’oô¾reô; Ogidan Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôin Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙra¾ Ogbe, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n shrine spread across the home frontage These were Ifa;’s messages for O®gu;n Who was the bosom friend of Ogidan He was advised to offer eôboô O®gu;n and Ogidan (the O®gu;n drum), were inseparable. Anywhere one found O®gu;n that was where one would find Ogidan. As a matter of fact, they both complimented each other.

746


One day, O®gu;n planned to celebrate his annual ceremony. All arrangements had been completed, except one. There was no dog to give to his icon. He tried everywhere but he simply could not find a dog. He went for Ifá consultation in order to determine whether any alternative would be accepted. Ifá responded that the icon of O®gu;n would not accept any other alternative. It must be a dog. O®gu;n felt disappointed. He was very sad and desperate. Ifá however promised that all would be well if the appropriate eôboô was offered. O®gu;n offered the eôbo with one mature he-goat and money. Yet there was no dog to be found to feed the icon after performing the eôbo. Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Oôsiô ¾n Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙra¾ Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Ol¾o;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾eô¾reô¾ ale¾ô'¾ôde Di;a; ôfu;n Aja Ti;i; sô’oô¾reô; Ogidan Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾ let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôin Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙra¾ Ogbè, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n shrine spread across the home frontage These were Ifa;’s messages for Ajá (the Dog) Who was the bosom friend of Ogidan He was advised to offer eôboô Ajá(the Dog), considered Ogidan his best friend. He always felt at home anytime he saw Ogidan. There was nothing he would not do for Ogidan, his bosom friend. One day, Ajá went for Ifá consultation in order to determine his chances of success in life. The Awo told him that he would succeed. He was however warned not to follow anyone to any occasion or festivity no matter how close the person might be to him. He was advised to offer eôbo with one mature he-goat and money. He promised to offer the eôbo as soon as possible.

747

Ogbè I®ka;

When he returned home, he told his wife what the Awo had just told him. His wife asked him to be very careful with his friends. Meanwhile, Ogidan was fully prepared to go to the ceremony organized by O®gu;n. That day was the day that all the Divinities were to be propitiated. He did not want to go there alone. He thought of who to take along with him. That was when he remembered that it would not be good if he Ogidan attended the festivity without inviting his bosom friend, Ajá (the Dog). He therefore decided to go to Ajá's house to invite him to follow him to the occasion being organized by O®gu;n. He even planned to introduce the two of them, O®gu;n and Ajá, to one another on that day. When Ogidan got to the house of Ajá, he told Ajá to dress up and follow him to the annual festival of O®gu;n. Ajá got up and entered his room to dress up for the occasion. His wife inquired from him where he intended to go to. Ajá told his wife that he wanted to follow Ogidan to the annual festival that was being organized by O®gu;n. His wife told him that he ought not to follow him out. She said that Ajá himself; was the person who had just informed her that his Awo warned him not to follow anyone, no matter how close that person might be to him. Being reminded of this, Ajá became so angry and furious that he could not say anything for a long time. He composed himself a short while later. He told his wife that even if he was warned not to follow anyone out to any occasion, would that include his best friend, Ogidan? No, it would not include Ogidan! He told his wife that he had been noticing some resentment on the part of his wife towards Ogidan in recent times. He said that the resentment could not be unconnected to the frank talks and objective advice which Ogidan had been giving his wife which did not go down well with her. Ajá accused his wife of trying to cause strife between him and Ogidan. He assured her that her evil designs would fail to cause problems between them. By the way, he concluded, how dare you think that you can put your mouth into the affairs of men? He then stormed out after delivering this bombshell. When they got to the ceremony, O®gu;n did not see the duo at first. He appeared sad and frustrated. Nonetheless, he continued with the ceremony. Ogidan looked at Ajá and pointed to his friend O®gu;n and asked him to let them move closer to O®gu;n so that he Ogidan could introduce both friends to one another.

748


As they were approaching O®gu;n, they were sighted from afar. O®gu;n could not believe his luck. He busted into a long I®ja;la; song. All his children and devotees chorused the song. When Ogidan and Ajá came close to O®gu;n, Ajá was grabbed by the neck. Before he could really understand what was happening, he was stretched and his head rolled on the ground from the blow of the machete which O®gu;n used to cut off his head from his neck. It was a single blow and the head was neatly severed from his neck. All those present burst into a loud shout of “O®gu;n Ye¾e¾!!!” Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Oôsiô ¾n Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙra¾ Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾eô¾reô¾ ale¾'ôde Di;a; fu;n O®¾gu;n ; Ti;i; sô’oô¾reô; Ogidan Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Oôsiô ¾n Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙra¾ Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾eô¾reô¾ ale'¾ôde Di;a; fu;n Aja; Ti;i; sô’oô¾reô; Ogidan Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O;®gu;n ni¾ka¾n ni; n;beô l'e;ôyi¾n ti; n;s'ôeb ô oô Ko¾¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Eôô wa;a; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; ire gbo¾gbo Wo¾ôwo;ô ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'¾¾eô;seô¾ Oôba¾risôa¾ Aja; i¾ ba; te¾te¾ moô;¾ I¾® ba; wa;a; f’owo; sô’aru;fi;n eôboô I¾® ba; te¾te¾ mo¾¾ Translation: Ogbe¾ let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôin Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙra¾ Ogbe, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n shrine spread across the home frontage These were Ifa;’s messages for O®gu;n Who was the bosom friend of Ogidan

749

Ogbè I®ka;

He was advised to offer eôboô Ogbe¾ let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôin Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙra¾ Ogbè, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n shrine spread across the home frontage These were Ifa;’s messages for Ajá (the Dog) Who was the bosom friend of Ogidan He was advised to offer eôboô Only O®®gu;n complied with the advice Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life That is what Ifá guarantees for all devotees Had Ajá known (ahead of time) He too would have offered the prescribed eôbo Had he known (ahead of time) Ifá states that extreme caution needs to be exercised where one person is invited to accompany another to a ceremony, festivity or event. On the other hand, Ifá promises that the organizer of such an activity will enjoy full blessings. 8. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of companionship for the person, man or woman, for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that all shall be well with the couple. Ifá also says that if a woman has left her husband's house due to separation or divorce, all steps must be taken for the marriage to be mended. Conversely, if the man has kicked out his wife or left the home, he must appeal to her or reconcile with her and bring her back into his home and life. Ifá equally says that it is not advisable for this person to marry anyone from his/her home town. The relationship will end up in failure. There will be success and joy however if the couple are from different towns, cities, different ethnic backgrounds, or even different continents. That is what his/her destiny has chosen. Ifá advises the woman to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, four cocks, two guinea fowls, two pigeons and money. The man is

750


advised to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens, two cocks, two guinea-fowls, two pigeons and money. On these aspects, Ifá says: I®fa¾¾ gann¾gan Awo E®ti¾poônla; Di;a; fu;n E®ti¾poônla; Ti;i; sô’aya Ahoro I¾®gba¾leô¾roô¾ Eôboô ni woô;n ni ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Bountiful free gifts, the Awo of E®ti¾poônla; He cast Ifa; for E®ti¾poônla; The wife of Ahoro I®gba¾le¾rô oô¾ (the Deserted House) She was advised to offer eôboô When both E®ti¾poônla; and Ahoro I®gba¾leô¾roô¾ met each other, it was love at first sight. The two families supported the relationship and before long, it consummated into marriage. The marriage was a happy one at the initial stages, and everybody was happy for the couple. Before long however, E®ti¾poônla; began to get new ideas into her head. She could not understand why all her contemporaries should be living in the city while she would be restricted to the rural areas all the time. All appeals to make her see reason fell on deaf ears. Before long, she could not withstand living in the village or farm any longer and she wanted to get out to the relationship as fast as possible. She also became very snappy with her husband. If the husband said anything she would shout him down immediately. The husband exercised extreme patience with her but that seemed only to infuriate her even more. One day, she looked for an excuse to start a big quarrel and a big quarrel commenced when her husband queried why she had refused to greet him and sweep the floor of her room or even that of her husband’s room. They started a big fight. She began to pack all her things. Anyone trying to stop her would receive her insults.

751

Ogbè I®ka;

In the end, she moved out of her matrimonial home and headed for the city. Many people went to beg her to return but she refused to listen. Not up to two months after she had moved to the city, things began to go down for her. She was not eating well at all. She could not move as freely as she used to while she was on the farm. She began to grow leaner and leaner by the day. Not long after this, her life and very existence was in danger. At first, she blamed everything that was happening to her on her husband and his relatives. After all, they were the ones who were not happy that she left. She vowed never to return. She stated that they had a big disappointment ahead of them. They could do anything they liked, but she would not return to them. In the end, nobody told her to seek the advice and help of Ifá before she did. She realized without being told that if nothing was done as quickly as possible, she stood to lose her life altogether. When she got to the home of the Awo mentioned above, she did not want to know who was behind her problems because she already believed with all her heart that her husband and his family were behind all her tribulations. What she was actually interested in was finding out what she needed to do in order to overcome all her problems. When Ifá was consulted, O;gbe¾-I¾ka; was revealed. The Awo informed E®ti¾poônla; that she was having real problems at that point in time. They informed her that she was the cause of her own problems because she had decided to abandon where her destiny enjoyed peace and comfort and had moved to where there was anxiety restlessness and turbulence. She was told that if she wanted peace and normalcy to return to her life, she must ensure that she returned to her matrimonial home and stayed there. She also needed to adjust herself to the happenings going on there and she would enjoy comfort and peace of mind. She was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. E®ti¾poônla; could not believe what she was hearing from the Awo. So, all her pains were self-inflicted? So, her husband and his family knew nothing about her predicaments? So, for her problems to disappear, she needed to return to the house she had vowed never to return to again? So, not all that glitters is gold? So life in the city was really not meant for her?

752


After a long, long counselling session with the Awo, she decided to comply with the advice of the Awo. That same day, she offered her ẹbọ. As soon as she completed the ẹbọ, she began to plan on how to return to her husband’s home. The opportunity came when some of the relatives of her husband came to the city to transact business. She greeted them very well. She even accused them of not ever coming to seek after her welfare or that of her children. They responded that they wanted to come but they did not know if she would welcome them or not. They arranged to take the children to visit their father. A few days after, she planned to go and visit the children where they were in their father’s house. When she arrived, she made it clear to everyone that it was because of her children that she had come. A week later, she demanded for her room and it was given back to her. Later, she settled all her children back into their father’s house. When her relatives came to visit her, it was to discuss how to resolve the differences between her and her husband and his relatives. When they arrived, they realized to their pleasant surprise that there was nothing really left to resolve or settle. I®fa¾¾ gann¾gan Awo E®ti¾poônla; Di;a; fu;n E®ti¾poônla; Ti;i; sô’aya Ahoro I¾®gba¾leô¾roô¾ Eôboô ni woô;n ni ko; wa;a; sôe O;: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’bo¾ô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Eô wa;a; ba; ni ni; wo¾ôwo;ô i¾re; gbogbo Nje;ô E®ti¾poônla; o de; o Aya Ahoro I®gba¾le¾¾ôro¾¾ô E®mi wa; n; re'le; oôkoô o¾¾ô mi o¾wu;roô¾ Translation: Bountiful free gifts, the Awo of E®ti¾poônla; He cast Ifa; for E®ti¾poônla; The wife of Ahoro Ig¾ba¾leroô¾ (the Deserted House) She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Before long, not too far

753

Ogbè I®ka;

Join us where we enjoy all the Ire; of life Here come E®ti¾poônla; The wife of Ahoro I®gba¾le¾ôroô¾ I am now returning to my husband’s home Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have cause to rejoice and celebrate. His/her life shall return to normalcy for him/her and his/her life shall climb up to success and accomplishment. 9. Ifá says that for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to succeed in life, there is the need for him/her to be miserly with his/her ẹbọ materials. He/she must never procure all the ẹbọ materials that he/she was advised to procure for ẹbọ. For example, if he/she is advised to offer ẹbọ with three cocks, he/she should offer only one or two, where he/she is advised to offer ẹbọ with a bottle of palm-oil, a bottle of alcohol or honey, he/she needs not bring any of these items. All he/she needs to do is to look for an empty bottle of palm-oil in the house of the Awo, pour a little water into it and use it as palm-oil, look for an already used bottle of alcohol and drain the remaining alcohol on the ẹbọ the same thing with the honey. That is what will make his/her ẹbọ to be accepted by the Divinities. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙsiô ¾n Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙra¾ Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾e¾ôreô¾ aleô'¾de Di;a; fu;n ‘La;gaye¾ n’I:jeô¾sa ô ¾ E:yi t;i wo;ôn ni; ko sô’ahun eôboô N;itori; ire gbogbo K’eô;boô re¾ô o; le¾ baa¾ fi;n E:yi t;i wo;ôn ni; ko sô’ahun eôboô K’eô;boô reô¾ o; le¾ baa¾ da¾ Translation: Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôin Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙra¾ Ogbè, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n shrine

754


spread across the home frontage These were Ifa;’s messages for‘La;gaye¾ in I®jeô¾sôal¾ and He was advised to be miserly with his eôboô For him to be blessed with all the Ire of life So that his eôboô would be accepted He was advised to be miserly with his eôboô So that his eôboô would meet with approval The life of ‘La;gaye¾ was in total disarray. His business had gone down. His wives had deserted him. His children hated him. His relatives abused and cursed him. His neighbours loathed him. His world had collapsed all around him. He could not understand why all these things were happening to him. He had no idea why everyone had turned round to scorn and hate him with passion. He was no longer invited to the periodic family meetings, not to mention the communal gatherings. As far as everyone was concerned, he simply did not exist in their lives any longer. To add insult to injury he had been offering all the eôboô prescribed for him. It looked like even the ancestors and the Divinities were also angry with him. He was convinced that all the eôboô and e¾tu¾tu¾ together with the I®pe¾se¾ that he had been offering were not even considered, much less accepted. Why must these misfortunes be happening to him? Who had he offended? What had he done wrong? How did he wrong anyone? Why? Why? Why? One day, ‘La;gaye¾ woke up very early in the morning feeling sad and depressed as usual. He began having the feeling that he did not belong to this world any longer. This made him to decide to end it all one way or the other. He left his home, or what remained of it, since the windows, doors and roof had been blown away by storms and rain, and decided to move aimlessly until he collapsed somewhere and laid himself to his final rest. As he was going, he met the group of Awo mentioned above on the outskirts of the town. They were about to go into the forest to look for herbs and roots. They decided to consult Ifá in order to determine the direction to take in order to get the roots and herbs. During the Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾ I®ka; was revealed. As they were analyzing the messages of this Odù, ‘La;gaye¾ passed by. One of them called him over and told him that he had been facing the problem of unconsummated fortune for a long time. He was told that his life would improve if he

755

Ogbè I®ka;

could be a little miserly with all the eôboô materials prescribed for him. They told him that his life had not improved because he had been offering all the eôboô as prescribed. All the principalities in charge of his misfortunes felt that there was more that he could offer them where those materials had come from. They enjoined him to stop offering his eôboô as prescribed henceforth. He was told to reduce the number of the materials, even if he had the means to procure everything that was prescribed for him. By so doing, the principalities would take pity on him and leave him alone and have compassion for him. When‘La;gaye¾ heard this, it appeared very illogical to him. He asked the Awo to tell him all the eôboô materials that he needed to procure. He was asked to procure three hens, three cocks, three guinea-fowls, three pigeons, one bottle of palm-oil, one bottle of liquor and a lot of money. ‘La;gaye¾ returned home, forgetting entirely about his suicide plans and went to look for money to offer the ‘La;gaye¾. He procured one hen, one cock, one pigeon, one guinea-fowl and a little money. He did not purchase either the palm-oil or the liquor. He did not look for kola nuts or bitter kolas. The Awo offered the eôbo for him as he had presented the materials. As soon as this eôbo was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra summoned all the principalities responsible for the problems in La;gaye’s life. He told them that La;gaye had been ruined completely. He could not afford money for eôbo any longer. He ordered them to leave La;gaye alone and allow his opportunities and prosperity to return to him. The principalities dispersed immediately. Little by little, prosperity returned to La;gaye. Little by little, his neighbours began to see La;gaye in another light. They began to understand that he was not as bad as he seemed to be. Little by little, his wives saw him as someone worthy of being close to. They began to move back into his life. Little by little, his children began to see him as a very responsible father. Little by little, his family members began to see him as someone full of wisdom and understanding. Little by little, his community began to see him as someone they could confide in and a very honourable man in the society. Little by little, La;gaye’s life began to return to normal. Within three years, La;gaye had become the toast of the community, the honourable man of his family, the darling of his wives and loved ones, the responsible father of his children and the role model of his society

756


Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙsiô ¾n Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙra¾ Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾e¾ôreô¾ aleô¾de Di;a; fu;n ‘La;gaye¾ n’I:jeô¾sa ô ¾ E:yi t;i wo;ôn ni; ko sô’ahun eôboô N;itori; ire gbogbo K’eô;boô re¾ô o; le¾ baa¾ fi;n E:yi t;i wo;ôn ni; ko sô’ahun eôboô K’eô;boô reô¾ o; le¾ baa¾ da¾ O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yoô¾ EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: Ogbè, let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôin Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙra¾ Ogbè, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n shrine spread across the home frontage These were Ifa;’s messages for‘La;gaye¾ in I®jeô¾sôal¾ and He was advised to be miserly with his eôboô For him to be blessed with all the Ire of life So that his eôboô would be accepted He was advised to be miserly with his eôboô So that his eôboô would meet with approval He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and see all the Ire of life Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. He/she will move from grass to grace, from being a nobody to being a somebody and from having failure to having success.

757

Ogbè I®ka;

10. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have the world in his/her grip. He/she shall not live in a world where he/she will not have control over his/her life. Ifá assures this person that he/she shall have authority over his/her subjects. He/she shall not live a disillusioned life. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two hens, two cocks, two guinea-fowls, two pigeons and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with plenty of plantains. On this, Ogbe¾-I®ka says: Ari;ha; Ari¾ha; OÙ®poô¾toô; ki¾ti¾ moôreô o¾je; D;ia; fu;n OÙba Ti; n; sunku;n apa; o¾un o¾ Ka;’ye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ari;ha; Ari¾ha; OÙ®poô¾toô; ki¾ti¾ moôreô o¾je; They cast Ifa; for the OÙba (the Royal Ruler) When weeping in lamentation for his inability to control his domain He was advised to offer eôboô The Ϙba was the ruler merely by name. Nobody gave him any respect. All his orders were simply ignored. Nobody bothered to accord him his due honour. As far as the community was concerned, he was as good as not being on the throne at all. Everything he did to make his subjects respect him failed. Tired of being disregarded, he went for Ifá consultation in the home of the three Awo stated above. He wanted to know what he needed to do to make his subjects accord him his deserved honour and respect. The Awo told him that he had lost control over his subjects and that these subjects gave him no mind at all. He was however assured that

758


he would gain back his control. He was advised to offer eôboô and feed Ifá as stated above. He complied Soon after this, all the subjects began to see the virtues of their Ϙba which they had hitherto not seen. They felt that he deserved everybody’s honour and respect. They began to accord him the honour from that day. Before long, he became second in command to the O®ri¾sôa.¾ The Ϙba lived and died a self-fulfilled and honourable man. Ari;ha; Ari¾ha; OÙ®poô¾toô; ki¾ti¾ moôreô o¾je; D;ia; fu;n OÙba Ti; n; sunku;n apa; o¾un o¾ ka;’ye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô N®jeô; a¾gbaagba¾ oko Apa; OÙba ka¾sa ô i¾ ¾ ka;’ye; gbe¾ôyi¾nwa¾ E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yoô¾ EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: Ari;ha; Ari¾ha; OÙ®poô¾toô; ki¾ti¾ moôreô o¾je; They cast Ifa; for the OÙba (the Royal Ruler) When weeping in lamentation for his inability to control his domain He was advised to offer eôboô He complied The farm plantains The authority of the OÙba shall not but grip the world in the end Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾ Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life

759

Ogbè I®ka;

Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that all the Ire of life shall be given to him/her. Ifá assures him/her that he/she shall have authority and control over all his/her subjects. 11. Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she will succeed if he/she goes into a land/property venture. Ifá says that he/she will prosper far and wide if he/she works in this area of business. Ifá says that if this person is in contention with others over land/ property, he/she will come out victorious. He/she will be adjudged as the rightful owner of the land if appropriate eôboô can be offered. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks, three guineafowls and money. On this aspect, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ ka; re ka;a¾ ka; boô¾ wa; Di;a; fu;n I®gbi;n Ti; yo;o; gba ka;a loô;wo;ô Ahun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾, let us go to the room and come back This was Ifa;’s message for I®gbi;n (the Land Snail) When going to take over the room from Ahun (the Tortoise) She was advised to offer eôboô The Snail was known for her sluggishness. She was considered to be stupid and unintelligent. On the other hand, the Tortoise prided himself to be the wittiest creature on earth. He was full of tricks and games. He specialized in cheating others and in creating confusion. One day, the Tortoise planned to convert the room of the Land Snail to his own property. He moved into the room, first as a visitor, then as a temporary occupier then finally as the owner of the room. He spread himself and his belongings all over the room. Before long, he began to

760


refer to the room as his personal belonging. Many years later, most people considered the room to be the property of Ahun, the Tortoise. When I®gbi;n needed her room for use, she went to Ahun to demand for it. Ahun chased I®gbi;n out of the house. He warned her never to come back to demand for it again. He made it clear to I®gbi;n that the room had been the exclusive property of his forefathers from time immemorial. The Snail could not believe what she was hearing. To add salt to the wound, all those present supported Ahun as the rightful owner of the room. They claimed that since the time they were born, they had known Ahun as the occupier and owner of the room. They said that when I®gbi;n knew that she was the owner of the room, why did she wait so long before making an attempt to register her ownership claim of the room? In any case, nobody believed her and nobody was ready to believe her. This development made I®gbi;n go and lodge a complaint with Olu;-Igbo; the Head of the Forest Land. She reported that the Tortoise had taken over her room from her. She said that when Ahun started to use the room at the initial stage, she had no immediate need for the room. She took pity on Ahun and allowed him to use the room. To her uttermost surprise however, Ahun started to lay claim to the room as his bonafide property. She said that she took no notice of that until she needed the room back and Ahun chased her out of the house. She concluded that what pained her most was the fact that everyone in the vicinity did not believe her. They all supported Ahun as the actual owner of the room. When Olu;-Igbo; heard this story, he summoned Ahun to his presence and fixed a time for the hearing of the matter. On the day of the hearing, Ahun told a long story of how Olo;du¾mare¾ Himself had given the room to this father when he was coming from heaven to earth. That was the room that his great ancestors had been occupying since time immemorial. They left about three generations ago because his great grandfather, his grandfather and father went to try their hands in other businesses in other lands and they also went for a change of environment. He did not like the area where his father was living and that was why he had decided to return to this ancestral room. How then could I®gbi;n claim that the room belonged to her? If I®gbi;n or any of her ancestors had been using the room, it was during the period

761

Ogbè I®ka;

that his own ancestors had been absent in the area. Ahun enjoined Olu;Igbo; to go and investigate the area. He assured Olu;-Igbo; that he would find out that the name of that room was “I®kaara-ahun” meaning “the room of Ahun”. He claimed that everyone knew that the room belonged to his ancestors and therefore, by extension, the room was his. Olu;-Igbo; was almost convinced that the room actually belonged to Ahun and his ancestors. He nonetheless told the two parties to return home, maintain the status quo and return to him in two weeks. I®gbi;n was also smart enough to see that the weight of the case was swaying in Ahun’s favour. She knew that she needed to do something quickly if she did not want to lose the room to Ahun. But what? She had no idea. In the end, she decided to go to the home of the Awo stated above for Ifá consultation: Will I be able to claim back my room from Ahun? If yes, what do I need to do in order to claim back the room? If no, why did this misfortune befall me? The Awo assured her that she would be able to reclaim her room from Ahun. Not only this, no other person would be able to take away the room from her ever again. The Awo advised her to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied. As soon as this ẹbọ was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to Olu;-Igbo and told him that in order to get to the root of the matter, it would be advisable for Olu;-Igbo to send a delegate to heaven in order to determine whom among the two that Olo;du¾mare¾ had actually given the room to. Olu;Igbo claimed that this was no longer necessary since all investigations pointed to the fact that the room actually belonged to Ahun. The name of the room was confirmed to be I®kaara-Ahun, the room of Ahun. So, what else would he need to go to heaven to find out? E®sôu¾ insisted that it would still be proper to ensure that no stone was left unturned in the investigation. Those who distributed the rooms for the animals knew the original owners of the rooms and those whom the rooms were allocated to. For formality’s sake Olu;-Igbo agreed to send a delegate to heaven to investigate this particular case and any other issue pertaining to it. The delegate returned two days to the day of judgement. The report of the delegate was that Ahun had no claim to the room in any way

762


whatsoever. The room was originally allocated to I®gbi;n. In the records in heaven, the room still belonged to I®gbi;n. The delegate concluded that Ahun was just trying to usurp what never belonged to him. This report was what turned the judgement against Ahun and in favour of I®gbi;n. On the day of the judgement, the two of them were invited to come and swear on the ordeal if the room actually belonged to them. I®gbi;n stepped forward and swore. The Tortoise could not do so. Olu;-Igbo; then ordered some able-bodied men to follow Ahun home and throw all his belongings out of the room. They should also supervise and oversee the occupation of the room by I®gbi;n. Since that day, I®gbi;n took over the room from Ahun. The room however continued to be known and called I®kaara-Ahun although it was being occupied by I®gbi;n, the Land Snail. In the end, Justice prevailed. Ogbe¾ ka; re ka;a¾ ka; boô¾ wa; Di;a; fu;n I®gbi;n Ti; yo;o; gba ka;a l'oô;wo;ô Ahun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun A®ja¾se ô ô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙbari¾sa ô ¾ Keô¾re¾ôkeô¾re¾ô Ifa; o; gba’le¾ô l'oô;wo;ô oô woôn Keô¾re¾ôkeô¾re¾ô I®gbi;n o; gba ka;a¾ l'oô;wo;ô Ahun Keô¾re¾ôkeô¾re¾ô Translation: Ogbe¾, let us go to the room and come back This was Ifa;’s message for I®gbi;n (the Land Snail) When going to take over the room from Ahun (the Tortoise) She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory over adversary Victory over adversary is what Ifa; guarantees for all its devotees

763

Ogbè I®ka;

Gradually Ifa; will take over the land from them all Gradually I®gbi;n will take over the room from Ahun Gradually Ifá says that systematically, Ifá will claim what belonged to the person for whom this Odù is revealed and will give it back to him/her. Ifá assures this person that gradually, justice will prevail. For this very reason, the person for whom this Odù is revealed must also never attempt to claim or usurp what does not belong to him/her. If he/she does so, Ifá will snatch it from him/her and return it to the rightful owner. 12. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô for him/her to be blessed with many followers. Ifá says that when he/she was coming from heaven, he/she had the blessing of OÙba¾ta;la;. This Divinity had assured him/her that to be blessed with several followers would not be a problem. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with two guinea-fowls, two cocks, two pigeons and money. He/she also needs to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land snails, shea butter, 16 chalks and food. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙsiô ¾n Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙra¾ Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾e¾ôreô¾ aleô¾'de Di;a; fu;n ‘La;le;mere¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô O®o¾sôa¾ Gbo¾wu;ji¾ E®yi; to; ji; ni; Ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ Ti; n;m'o;mi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ ire gbogbo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôi¾n Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙra¾ Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n shrine spread across the home frontage

764


These were Ifa;’s messages for ‘La;le;mere¾ The child of OÙba¾ta;la; He who woke up at dawn And was weeping in lamentation for his inability to receive the blessing of all the Ire of life He was advised to offer eôboô ‘La;le;mere¾ always dreamt that he would be a successful man. He knew that he would surely succeed. He however had not gotten his hands on success. He was convinced that nobody was against his progress and that he had just not gotten hold of what he needed to do to make him succeed. This made him feel very sad indeed. How could he see himself as an accomplished man in his dreams and a nobody in real life? He had no money. He was poorer than most of his colleagues. He had no wife. He had no child. Nothing worked well for him and he was supposed to be celebrating his success according to what he was seeing in his dreams. He knew that his dreams never failed. What then was happening to him that had been preventing him from becoming a very successful man in life? That was exactly what led him to go for Ifá consultation. He asked Ifá what he needed to do to actualize his dreams. The Awo told him that he came into this world to succeed. No matter the odds, he was assured that he would certainly succeed. He was urged however never to lose hope or have despair. He was told that he would not only be a successful man, he would be very successful in all the things that he had laid his hands upon. He was told that OÙba¾ta;la; was keeping all his Ire in readiness for him to come and claim them. The Awo advised him to offer eôboô as stated above and to feed OÙba¾ta;la;. He complied Soon after this, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ sent ‘La;le;mere¾’s eôboô to heaven for endorsement and approval. He also took what he used to propitiate OÙba¾ta;la; personally to the Divinity. He pleaded with OÙba¾ta;la; to release all of ‘La;le;mere¾ ire to ‘La;le;mere. That was what took place. Within a few months, all opportunities of success came ‘La;le;mere's way. He was able to actualize all his dreams. Within a year or two, he became a very successful man in the community. He got married to a beautiful and loving wife. The wife became pregnant and gave birth to an equally

765

Ogbè I®ka;

beautiful baby. His business continued to thrive and his honour, prestige and respect grew in bounds. Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙsiô ¾n Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙra¾ Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾e¾ôreô¾ aleô¾de Dia fun ‘La;le;mere¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô O®o¾sôa¾ Gbo¾wu;ji¾ E®yi; to; ji; ni; Ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ Ti; n;m'; o;mi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ ire gbogbo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko; pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Ire gbogbo wa; a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yoô¾ EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôi¾n Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙra¾ Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n shrine spread across the home frontage These were Ifa;’s messages for ‘La;le;mere¾ The child of OÙba¾ta;la; He who woke up at dawn And was weeping in lamentation for his inability to receive the blessing of all the Ire of life He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa Come and join us in the midst of joy Come and see all Ire Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will become a success story before long. He/she will be able to actualize all his/her dreams in life. He/she will be given honour, prestige and respect.

766


13. Ifá says that all the great things of life await the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá assures him/her that there is nothing on earth that he/she is looking for that he/she will not get- wealth, spouse, children, property, good health, honour, prestige, success, longevity and all the Ire of life. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two hens, two guinea-fowls, two ducks, two cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed the O®o¾ri¾ tree with whatever Ifá chooses for him/her to feed the tree with. On this, Ifá says: Ka; mu; ire;ô sô’oôpoô;n Ka; f’i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ sôe’yu¾n Ka; mu; ge¾ge; sô’e¾roôô;keôô; Di;a; fu;n A®ko¾o¾ki; EÙru; A®naasi¾n, Ayaba OÙloô;fin EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Let us use the Ire;ô tree to carve an Ifa; divination tray Let us use the cow-tail as a coral bead Let us use the wooden pen as a tapper These were Ifa;’s messages for A®ko¾ok¾ i; The slave of A®noôosô i¾n, the first wife of OÙloô;fin, the OÙba of Ile;-Ifeô¾ She was advised to offer eôboô A®ko¾o¾ki; was a dedicated and loyal slave of A®noôosô i¾n, the first wife of OÙloô;fin. She was ready to lay down her life for A®noôosô i¾n because she was always well treated and properly taken care of. A®noôosô i¾n took care of her like her own younger sister. There was nothing on earth that A®noôoôsi¾n wanted which she did not have – except that she had no baby of her own. This worried her alright, but she would not carry her problem on her head or visit her frustrations on others.

767

Ogbè I®ka;

One fine day, A®ko¾ok¾ i; went for Ifá consultation in the home of the group of Awo mentioned above. She wanted to know what she needed to do in order to improve the quality of her life. The Awo told her that something was about to happen in her life that would change her status forever. She was informed that she would regain her freedom and she would become very wealthy, honoured and respected. She was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied immediately, even though she had no idea of what would happen that would change her status from being a slave to that of a free person. She however believed what the Awo said because she was convinced that Ifá’s words always came to pass. She was prepared to wait and see how this would happen in her life. A few days after this, A®ko¾ok¾ i; was asked to go into the forest to fetch firewood to use as fuel in the palace. She went promptly. When she got to the forest, she began to cut down many trees. She saw an O®o¾ri¾ tree and decided to cut that tree too; since it was not a very big tree that would be too difficult for her to chop down. As she stuck the tree with one axe blow, the tree began to sing, saying: Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Ma¾¾ ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Aje; ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Aya ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ OÙmoô ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Ile; ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge Oriri Ire ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Translation: Do not cut it, it is the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Please do not cut the O®ri¾ri¾ tree There is boundless wealth in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree There are spouses in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree

768


Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree There are many children in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree There are properties in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree All the Ire of life is in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree When A®ko¾ok¾ i; heard this song, she threw down the axe and ran home. When she got home, she tried to explain what had happened but because of her state of agitation and anxiety nobody could make head or tail of what she was saying. All what anyone could make out of her story was that a tree was singing, it seemed so preposterous that all those present felt that she had been attacked by OÙbalu;waye; and her brain had been affected. When she got herself together, she narrated her story and everyone did not believe her. She insisted that someone must follow her to the woods to confirm or dispel what she had said. The seriousness on her face made everyone around, A®noôosô i¾n inclusive, to decide to follow her to the spot. When they got to the spot where the O®ri¾ri¾ tree was, it was a real surprise that the tree was such a small tree. Those who followed A®ko¾ok¾ i; to the spot asked her to make the tree talk. She simply handed over the axe to A®noôosô i¾n and asked her to strike the tree with it as gently as she could. When A®noôosô i¾n struck the tree, it began to sing again, saying: Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Ma¾¾ ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Aje; ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Aya ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ OÙmoô ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Ile; ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge Oriri Ire ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾

769

Ogbè I®ka;

Translation: Do not cut it, it is the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Please do not cut the O®ri¾ri¾ tree There is boundless wealth in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree There are spouses in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree There are many children in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree There are properties in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree All the Ire of life is in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree All of them stood rigid on the ground, totally dumbfounded. They all knelt down and began to pray for whatever they needed. A®noôosô i¾n prayed for a baby. A®ko¾ok¾ i; prayed for her independence while other people prayed for wealth, success, elevation, victory and so on. They all fed the O®ri¾ri¾ tree with what it demanded for. When they all returned home, they were all convinced that their prayers would be answered. Within one year, A®noôosô i¾n became a mother, A®ko¾ok¾ i; gained her freedom, those who prayed for success, wealth, elevation, victory, peace of mind, comfort and so on got them all also. Ka; mu; ire;ô sô’oôpoô;n Ka; f’i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ sôe’yu¾n Ka; mu; ge¾ge; sô’e¾roôô;keôô; Di;a; fu;n A®ko¾o¾ki; EÙru; A®naasi¾n, Ayaba OÙloô;fin EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Aje; ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾

770


Aya ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ OÙmoô ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Ile; ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma ge ma ge Oriri Ire ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾ Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾ Translation: Let us use the Ire;ô tree to carve an Ifa; divination tray Let us use the cow-tail as a coral bead Let us use the wooden pen as a tapper These were Ifa;’s messages for A®ko¾ok¾ i; The slave of A®noôosô i¾n, the first wife of OÙloô;fin, the OÙba of Ile;-Ifeô¾ She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Now, Do not cut it, it is the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Please do not cut the O®ri¾ri¾ tree There is boundless wealth in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree There are spouses in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree There are many children in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree There are properties in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree All the Ire of life is in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. He/she shall be a proud and happy recipient of all his/her heart’s desires. 14. Ifá says that there is a child who always likes to have his/her way where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this is a great child who must be given whatever he/she demands for; although it must not be to the

771

Ogbè I®ka;

extent where it spoils this child. All of the child’s needs must be fulfilled however. Ifá also gives a serious warning to the parents of this child never to leave this child to anyone to take care of on their behalf and must never be given to someone else or a foster parent to train on behalf of the parents. This is in order to prevent a disaster from happening to the child. Ifá advises this person to offer eôbo with one mature he-goat and money for this child. Even if 100 he-goats are offered for this child, he/she must not be allowed to stay in the care of others or foster parents even for one day. On this, Ifá says: OÙ®sa;n lo; po;ôn E®ki;ti¾ a; la¾ peôeô peô¾e¾ô peôeô D;i;a; fu;n Ye¾ye; OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe f'o;ômoô reô¾ o Translation: When the sun is overhead The anthill will crack all over This was Ifa;’s message for the mother of OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan She was advised to offer eôboô for her child OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan was a child that took the parents several years to beget. They offered eôboô several times and fed different divinities before their prayers were answered. When the child eventually arrived, the parents left no stone unturned in their care, love and affection for the child. They were ready to go to any length to satisfy him. One day, OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan went to his mother and told her that he would love to eat ostrich eggs. The mother said that they were difficult to get, she explained to him that he should postpone that till another time when she would be able to look for the eggs for him. The child was only seven years old at this time. The boy looked straight into his mother’s eyes and told her that if he could not get the eggs that day, he would simply die. The mother went into a panic and began to plead with him not to die, saying:

772


OÙmoô ma; i¾i; ku; OÙmoô ma; i¾i; ku; OÙmoô mi ni¾ mo¾¾ôjôa¾ ni; m'O®®gu;n Oni;re¾ Ti;i; je;ô ‘moôja OÙmoô mi ni ke¾ôkeô; eti; o¾kun e¾ri¾ma¾do¾ I®ya; mi o¾ OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan I®ya; mi o¾ OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan Translation: My child, please do not die My baby, please do not die My child is my 'Mo¾¾ôja¾ and my O®gu;n Oni;re¾ The one known as the offspring of the fish called ‘Moôja My child is the wheel at the sea-side Oh my mother OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan Oh my mother OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan As soon as she finished singing, she went to great length to procure the ostrich eggs for him. There will be no peace or rest of mind in the house until the eggs are found for him. The arrival of the child had brought unquantifiable success and satisfaction into the house. That was why the parents, especially the mother, were ready to go the extra length to satisfy him. He was considered the gem of the house. He was the very life that kept the mother going and breathing. Without this child, the mother would simply cease to exist. One day however, OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan’s mother planned to go and transact business in O®je;ej; e market. She went for Ifá consultation in order to determine how her success chances would be. The Awo told her that she would succeed in her transaction in O®je;ej; e market. She was however warned not to leave her child behind even for one day. She was told to take her child along with her in order to prevent any form of calamity from befalling the child. The Awo also advised her to offer

773

Ogbè I®ka;

eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. She complied with the advice of the Awo to offer the eôboô. When she got to the house, she realized that she needed to spend three nights at O®je;ej; e market. She felt that it would be too much strain on her jewel to make him sleep for three days in the market. For this reason, she decided to make arrangements with one of her co-wives in the house to help her take care of her beloved child. The co-wife promised to take very good care of the child. On the day of departure, Ye¾ye; OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan gave her co-wife three ostrich eggs for her to boil and give to OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan, one egg per day. She also gave her other food items that he would eat in her absence. She told her child, her life, farewell and left for O®je;ej; e market. As soon as she left, the co-wife called OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan and handed down a stern warning to him that she would not tolerate all the rubbish which his mother had been coping with. She made it clear that she had no time for any spoiled child and would certainly create no time for such a child. After the warning, she made him go to sleep on an empty stomach. The next day, OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan went to the co-wife to demand for one of his eggs. The woman simply ignored him. She cooked the three ostrich eggs at the same time and handed them over to her own children. OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan told her that the eggs belonged to him and should be given to him to eat. The co-wife gave him a heavy slap, pulled his ears and told him never to argue with an elder again in his life. Hearing this, it was like the whole world had collapsed on him. How could this woman cook his eggs for her own children to eat and at the same time slap him and pull his ears for demanding for what belonged to him? This was cheating of the highest order and it was callousness of unprecedented dimension! He could no longer live with this type of humiliation, cheating and abuse! He must pack up his things and bid this world farewell! While he was thinking about this and contemplating on what to do, the co-wife brought a sick-looking water yam for him to eat. She screamed at him that he might as well leave it untouched if he did not like the yam. That was what made him decide to return to heaven. He told the co-wife that instead of eating the yam, he would rather die. The co-wife

774


asked him to go ahead and die if he so desired. She told him that he could not threaten her with death. Anyone willing to die was free to do so, she said. She added that he did not need to announce that to her. He only needed to just go ahead and die! OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan did not say anything again. He simply went to the centre of the junction of the three cross roads. He stood rigidly at the centre of the crossroads. He called on all his heavenly colleagues to come and take him home. As he said this, the ground began to open to swallow him little by little. When he had been swallowed up to his knees, he began to sing, saying: E®ro¾ to; n; r'O®je;ej; e O®®je;ej; e EÙ ba; mi ki; ye¾ye; e¾ mi o O®je;ej; e EÙyin to; fi si';leô¾, fu;n mi O®je;ej; e Orogu;n se¾, o; f’o;ômoô reô O®je;ej; e Isôu ewu¾ra¾ to; kan bo;bo; O®je;ej; e L’orogu;n se¾ lo; fu;n mi jeô O®je;ej; e EÙ ba; mi ki; ye¾ye; e¾ mi o O®je;ej; e O: d'oju; a¾la; ka; to;o; tu;n ri;’ra o O®je;ej; e Translation: Travellers going to O®je;ej; e market O®je;ej; e Help me greet my mother O®je;ej; e The eggs she left for me O®je;ej; e Her co-wife cooked and gave them to her children O®je;ej; e A water yam that was very sour

775

Ogbè I®ka;

O®je;ej; e That was what her co-wife cooked for me to eat O®je;ej; e Please extend my greetings to my mother O®je;ej; e We shall meet only in our dreams O®je;ej; e As he finished this song, the ground opened and swallowed him up completely. The news of the disappearance of OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan spread like wild fire. When Ye¾ye; OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan, OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan mother heard that her jewel and her life had disappeared, it was too late to regret her failure to heed the advice of the Awo. OÙ®sa;n lo; po;ôn E®ki;ti¾ a; la¾ peôeô peô¾e¾ô peôeô D;i;a; fu;n Ye¾ye; OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe fo;ômoô reô¾ o O: koô’ti; oô¾gboônhin s’e;ôboô E®ro¾ i¾po, e¾ro¾ o¾ôfa¾ EÙni gb'eô;boô ni; be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô o Ye¾ye; OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan i¾ ba; te¾te ¾moô¾ I® ba; wa;a; f’owo; s’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô o I® ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô Translation: When the sun is overhead The anthill will crack all over This was Ifa;’s message for the mother of OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan She was advised to offer eôboô for her child She failed to offer the eôboô Traveller’s to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Let those advised to offer eôboô do so Had OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan's mother known ahead of time She would have offered the eôboô as prescribed Had she known ahead of time

776


Ifá advises this person to heed the warning of the Awo in order to prevent calamity for his/her beloved child and by extension for himself/herself. 15. Ifá says that death is threatening the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá urges this person to offer eôboô as urgently as possible in order to ward off the threat of death on his/her head. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature she goat and money. This she goat must not be slaughtered, only the hair must be pulled and added to the eôboô. The eôboô must also have little or no palm-oil. If palm-oil is used it must be mixed with water before being used for the eôboô. The money for the ẹbọ must also be small in amount and must not be enough to purchase anything. It is only when this is done that the threat of death will depart from the person for whom this Odù revealed. On this, Ifá says: Are;pi;nri;n d’i;fa; awo Ala;ra; Are;pi¾nri¾n d’i;fa; awo Ajero¾ Sa¾ka¾ta¾n¾bamu¾ Di;a; fu;n 'La;gaye¾ n'I::je¾ôsa ô ¾ OÙmoô aru';boô n;la; ti’ku; Translation: He who has epi;nri;n cloth to cast Ifa;, the Awo of Ala;ra; He who has epi¾nri¾n cloth to cast Ifa;, the Awo of Ajero¾ Sa¾ka¾ta¾nb ¾ amu¾ They cast Ifa; for 'La;gaye¾ in I®jeô¾sôal¾ and He who offered a mighty eôboô to chase death away Ala;ra; had a bad dream and he summoned Are;pi;nri;n di;fa; his Awo to come and cast Ifá for him. The Awo came and he informed Ala;ra; that death threatened. He recommended that a mature she goat and money should be offered as ẹbọ. Ala;ra; complied

777

Ogbè I®ka;

The she goat was sliced open and offered as i¾pe¾se¾ for the Elders of the Night. Death came the third day and snatched Ala;ra; away. How could this have happened when he had offered the eôboô as prescribed? Nobody could find any answer to that. Ajero¾ was getting some strange feelings. He summoned Are;pi;nri;n di;fa; his Awo to come quickly to consult Ifá for him. Are;pi;nri;n di;fa; told Ajero¾ that death was hovering over his head. He recommended a mature shegoat and money. The she-goat was slaughtered and the eôboô was offered. Five days after, Ajero¾ joined his ancestors. How could this have happen after he had offered the eôboô as recommended? There was no satisfactory answer from anyone on the matter. OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n, OÙbaleô;yo¾ô, Olo;jon¾bo;, Olu;foô;n, Olu;gbo;ôn, Areô¾sa¾ and a host of other high-ranking and very important monarchs also had met their untimely deaths the same way. Yet there was no satisfactory explanation as to why these great people were meeting their untimely deaths even after they had offered the eôbo as prescribed. One day, La;gaye¾ had a terrifying dream. In his dream, he found himself being tied with a rope, being dragged by the neck and being thrown inside a huge burning fire. He woke up very startled. He summoned Sa¾ka¾ta¾nb ¾ amu¾, his Awo to come and cast Ifá for him on the matter. When the Awo came, he told La;gaye¾ that death threatened. He told him that he needed a mature she-goat, palm-oil and money. He however stressed that the goat must not be slaughtered. He explained that only some of the hair of the goat should be pulled from different parts of its body and added to the eôbo. The palm-oil should also be mixed with water and added to the eôbo in a miserly way. He assured La;gaye¾ that if this was done, he would escape the death that had snatched away other prominent people. La;gaye¾ complied. As soon as the eôbo was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to Ikú (Death) and told him that there was neither fun nor satisfaction in killing La;gaye¾. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ told Ikú that the other prominent people who had earlier been killed ought to have died because their death was celebrated. He said that nobody would celebrate the death of La;gaye¾ because there was nothing to rejoice over such death. He was a nobody and no one would miss such a wretched person. He asked Ikú to follow him to

778


where La;gaye¾'s eôbo was placed for him to witness and confirm La;gaye¾‘s wretchedness and poverty. He could not even afford a shegoat. He could not even afford ordinary palm-oil. When Ikú got to the spot where La;gaye¾ placed his eôbo, Ikú was convinced that there was no satisfaction for him to derive in killing La;gaye¾. Ikú left La;gaye¾ alone to continue to enjoy his wretched life and went to the domains of Awu¾jale¾ô, O®sôema¾we;, Ala;ke;tu, Oni;sa;beô to wreck his havoc and to kill other prominent people. Are;pi;nri;n d’i;fa; awo Ala;ra; Are;pi¾nri¾n d’i;fa; awo Ajero¾ Sa¾ka¾ta¾n¾bamu¾ Di;a; fu;n La;gaye¾ ni;'je¾ôsa ô ¾ OÙmoô aru;boô n;la; ti’ku; Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;ni l'a;i¾ku; kangiri A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n, o; j’oyin loô o Translation: He who has epi;nri;n cloth to cast Ifa;, the Awo of Ala;ra; He who has epi¾nri¾n cloth to cast Ifa;, the Awo of Ajero¾ Sa¾ka¾ta¾nb ¾ amu¾ They cast Ifa; for 'La;gaye¾ in I®jeô¾sôal¾ and He who offered a mighty eôboô to chase death away Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy the blessing of longevity The longevity guaranteed by Ifá is sweeter than honey Ifá says that this person will live to his/her old age. He/she will also enjoy life to the maximum. His/her life will be sweeter than pure honey. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to behave miserly whenever he/she is offering his/her eôboô for long life and prosperity. 16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to commiserate with people who have just lost their loved ones for at least seven days. This person must ensure that the corpse has already been

779

Ogbè I®ka;

buried before he/she ventures to go to the house where the person had died to express his/her condolences. This is in order to avoid a situation where this person will also meet his/her untimely death shortly before or after the burial. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with a mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to steer clear of a venue where someone has recently died until the corpse of the dead person has been interred. On this Ifá says: Ai;le;ô le;ô, ki; n; te;ô’ni; Oju;mo;ô moô; ki; n ka;’ ni; Di;a; fu;n Po;si; Di;a; fu;n E®es ¾ u; Di;a; fu;n Igi A®ra¾ Wo;ôn ni; ki; a¾woôn meô;teô¾eô¾ta ru;';boô Ki; wo;ôn ma; baa¾ woô’le¾ô papoô¾ l'oô;jo;ô kanna;a¾ Translation: Let the night come for me to spread my mat Let the day break for me to fold the mat This was Ifá’s message for Po;si; (the coffin) The same was also declared for E®es¾ u; (the blade grass) The same was also declared for Igi A®ra¾, (the support stick) The three of them were advised to offer eôboô So they would not be buried alive together on the same day The death of the Baa;le, the family Head shook the whole community to its very foundation. Why did he die in that way? What was responsible for his death? What arrangement should they make to ensure a memorable burial? The whole community vowed that the Baa;le must be given the most decent burial anyone had ever been given in that community. Everyone began to plan. All hands were on deck to ensure that the Baa;le’s burial was treated as a carnival. In order to know what to do so as to contribute their own quota to the burial rites of the Baa;le;, Po;si; (the coffin), E®es¾ u; (the Blade grass) and Igi

780


A®ra¾ (the support stick) went for Ifá consultation in the house of the Awo mentioned above. The two told the trio that they must be careful with what they wanted to do in regards to their participation in the burial rites. They were warned not to attend the burial ceremony at all. Not only that, they were also warned not to go to the house where any person had just died until the corpse of the deceased had been interred. They were also advised to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. What?! These Awo must be wicked people! How could they tell them not to attend the burial of the Baa;le;? The whole community would be present. How did these Awo think it would look if the three of them were the only ones who were not there? Their absence would be so conspicuous that the whole community would notice it instantly! No! This warning cannot be from Ifá. These Awo must have made it up in order to embarrass them. They would not allow any wicked Awo to cause them any embarrassment. The three of them quietly left the house of the Awo without uttering a single world and were fully determined to be part of the burial arrangement. The Baa;le; would be buried in the evening. He died very early in the morning of the same day. All those who went to the farm had returned when they heard of the Baa;le;’s demise. The grave was dug inside the Baa;le;’s room. The whole community was in a frenzy. Singing and drumming was going on. The Baa;le; had been given the final bathing rite and had been neatly dressed up, in readiness for interment. That was when Po;si;, E®es¾ u; and Igi-A®ra¾ arrived. They went to the elders to announce their presence. They also told the elders that they were available for them to assign any work that they deemed fit for them to perform. The elders deliberated for a long time but could not come up with any special assignment for the trio. That was when E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra came on the scene. He told the elders that they had said that that particular burial would be the most spectacular of all burials. The trio had special assignments to perform. He told the elders to use E®es¾ u; to measure the Baa;le;’s corpse in order to ensure that the grave dug for him would fit perfectly. He reminded the elders that the departed Baa;le;’s was a tall man when he was alive. He also told them that Po;si;,

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Ogbè I®ka;

the coffin would be the best to accommodate the corpse. It would make the burial unique. Then he said that Igi-A®ra¾ could be placed on the two sides of the corpse to give it support. The elders thanked E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ profusely for recommending such ingenious ideas. The elders summoned the three friends. They grabbed E®es¾ u; and used him to measure the corpse. They made all the necessary adjustments to the dug grave. They placed the corpse inside the Po;si; (the coffin) and used Igi-A®ra to support it. They also placed E®es¾ u; inside the Po;si;, together with the corpse. They nailed the coffin. The elders instructed all able-bodied people in the community to carry the coffin, together with Igi-A®ra¾ and E®e¾su; and dance with these elements all around the town. They did. After this, the coffin that had been carrying the Baa;le;, the E®es¾ u; and IgiA®ra¾ were lowered into the grave and buried together. That was how Po;si; (the Coffin), E®es¾ u; (the Blade grass), and Igi-A®ra¾, (the Support Stick) were interred together with the corpse of the Baa;le;. Ai;le;ô le;ô, ki; n; te;ô’ni; Oju;mo;ô moô; ki; n ka;’ ni; Di;a; fu;n Po;si; Di;a; fu;n E®es ¾ u; Di;a; fu;n Igi A®ra¾ Wo;ôn ni; ki; a¾woôn meô;teô¾eô¾ta ru;'boô Ki; wo;ôn ma; baa¾ woô’le¾ô papoô¾ l'oô;jo;ô kanna;a¾ Woô;n koô’ti; oô¾gboônhin s'eô;boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ o¾ r 'I:fa; n; sôeô bi; a¾la; moôreô E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙni gb’eô;boô ni';be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô'eôboô o Translation: Let the night come for me to spread my mat Let the day break for me to fold the mat This was Ifá’s message for Po;si; (the coffin) The same was also declared for E®es¾ u; (the blade grass) The same was also declared for Igi A®ra¾, (the support stick)

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The three of them were advised to offer eôboô So they would not be buried alive together on the same day They refused to offer the eôboô Before long, not too far Can’t you see how the prediction of the Awo has come to pass? Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾ Let those advised to offer eôboô do so Ifá warns this person not to ignore the advice of the Awo regarding avoiding corpses or funerals. The consequences of ignoring these warnings are very grave indeed.


783

Ogbè I®ka;

B.

SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-I®KA: FOR THOSE BORN BY THE ODÙ DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: OR I®TEÙ®NI:FA:

Ogbe¾ I®ka; children, males and females, are not in this world to lack anything important in their lives. Whatever they lack shall soon be given unto them. In other words, Ogbe¾ I®ka; male and female children are in this world to succeed. Whatever they lack are just temporary setbacks, such hardships and inconveniences shall soon be replaced with success and accomplishment. It should however be noted that Ogbe¾ I®ka; children have the tendency to succeed more rapidly outside of their locality than within. They however will be given more recognition from within than outside their place of birth. It is therefore in the interest of all Ogbe¾ I®ka; children to go outside their locality in search of the greener pasture but return home in order to settle down after they have succeeded outside so that they can have recognition. For Ogbe¾ I®ka; male and female children, victory is assured. There is however the need for them to be careful all the time in order to avoid a situation that may make them suffer pain from the loss of their belongings to thieves or fraudsters. This is the reason why they need to follow Ifá's advice on whatever project they plan to embark upon in order to avoid being swindled by fraudsters. On the other hand, Ogbe¾ I®ka; children have the tendency to be surrounded by several enemies and evil wishers. They will overcome them all. Ifá and O®gu;n will ensure that all enemies are defeated. It is not advisable for Ogbe¾ I®ka; children to accompany friends to any event or occasion. If they must go to a particular occasion, they must investigate properly before they embark on such a move. If Ifá says they must not go, it is in their best interest not to attend the occasion. Heeding the advice of Ifá will prevent them from meeting with a calamity that will be related to the attendance of the occasion. For Ogbe¾ I®ka; children to receive the blessings of resounding success, victory and longevity, it is advisable for them to ensure that they do not provide all the ẹbọ materials that the Babaláwo recommend to them. For example, if the Babaláwo recommends three

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he-goats, they must procure only one; if they recommend four pigeons, they must procure one or two; if the Awo recommends a bottle of palm wine, a bottle of liquor, and/or a bottle of honey, they do not need to provide any of them; all what they need to do is to improvise with whatever is available in the home of the Awo. It is an ironical thing to do, but that is what their destinies require in order for them to succeed and live long on earth. For Ogbe¾ I®ka; male children, they must never marry a women who is from their locality. Doing so is very dangerous to their lives. It is most appropriate for them to marry visitors in their communities or total strangers. That is where success, conjugal bliss, and longevity lies. For Ogbe¾ I®ka; female children, they too must never marry a man who is from the same locality as them. They too must marry visitors or total strangers in their communities. Apart from this, Ogbe¾ I®ka; female children often enter into serious troubles in their bid to protect and defend the interests of their husbands. This is the reason why they must never do anything in excess because such behaviour may backfire in the end. It is a serious taboo for Ogbe¾ I®ka; children, males and females, to contemplate separation or divorce for any reason whatsoever. Doing this will only add more problems to their pains, troubles, sorrow, and regrets. If separation or divorce has already occurred, all acceptable avenues must be found to resolve the issues that led to the separation in order for the couple to resume their conjugal life. On the overall, Ogbe¾ I®ka; children, males and females, have the world in their control. They are here in the world to have everything surrounding them right in their grips. They will never live a powerless, meaningless, visionless, mission less or delusional life.


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Ogbè I®ka;

C.

AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ/ ® O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® I®KA:

1. Ifá- For direction, guidance, protection, sanctuary, victory, support,

leadership, elevation, success, contentment, fulfilment, and general wellbeing 2. Orí- For fulfilment of destiny, direction, protection, sanctuary, victory, protection, guidance, contentment, success, elevation, leadership and self actualisation. 3. E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾- For guidance, protection, harmony, sanctuary, protection, victory, success, elevation, direction, and general wellbeing 4. OÙba¾ta;la; - For leadership, success, victory, contentment, and general wellbeing 5. OÙÙbalu;aye; - For protection against ailments, leadership, victory, success, and general wellbeing 6. EÙdan - For victory, success, longevity, and general wellbeing 7. O®gu;n - For victory, success, leadership, accomplishment, security and general wellbeing 8. SÙa¾ngo; - For victory, success, leadership, accomplishment, security and general wellbeing 9. O®su¾ - For protection against ailments, victory, support and general wellbeing 10. EÙgbeô;- For comradeship, leadership, victory, success, elevation, guidance, and general wellbeing 11. Egu;ngu;n- For ancestral support, elevation, success, victory, leadership, and general wellbeing

D.

TABOOS OF OGBE® I®KA:

1. Must never eat land snails - To avoid losing his/her properties to others 2. Must never marry a spouse from the same locality - To avoid anxiety, problems, unconsummated fortune, threat and calamity 3. Must never see fresh corpses or go to the home of someone who has just died - To avoid threat to life, anxiety, pain and disaster 4. Must never accept and consume any fruit from anyone - To avoid the problem of food poisoning

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5. Must never leave his/her child for anyone to take care of on his/her behalf - To avoid disaster befalling the child, especially if that is an only child of the parent 6. Must never accompany anyone to any event or occasion without proper investigation - To avoid threat to life and calamity 7. Must never contemplate separation or divorce - To avoid pain, agony, frustration, or regret 8. Must never victimise or abuse his/her subordinates - To avoid shame, humiliation, frustration, defeat and regret 9. Must never use the O®ri¾ri¾ tree or any part of it for anything To avoid unconsummated fortune, failure and regret

E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® I®KA: i.

MALE

1. Ifa;ka;yoô¾de; - Ifa; brings me joy 2. OÙjoô;o¾ôoô;da; - My appointed day has not yet come 3. Ade;ju¾mo¾ôbi; - A child born into the home of royalty on both maternal and paternal sides 4. I®lu;gbe¾yi;ka; - I have the support of all parts of the community 5. OÙla;gaye¾ - Honour is higher than any title ii.

FEMALE

1. A®ye¾gba¾mi; - I have enough space to operate in my life 2. OÙjo;ôoô¾o;ôda; - My appointed day has not yet come 3. OÙmoôla¾ja¾ - Our child has resolved our differences 4. I®lu;gbe¾yi;ka; - I have the support of all parts of the community 5. Ifa;sôoôla; - Ifa;; brings honour

A®b ® oôru; A®boôye¾

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Chapter 11

Ogbè Òtúrúpọ̀n

II I II I I I II I 788

OGBE® O®TU:RU:POÙN ® OGBE® TU:NMOÙPOÙ®N A.

1. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is uniquely created by Olo;du¾mare¾. He/she was not designed like any other person. He/she is not expected to emulate anyone on earth. He/she has been created to be emulated by others. Ifá says that anywhere that this person decides to make his/her permanent place of abode shall be agreeable to him/her. He/she shall have and shall be given space to operate. Nobody shall be able to displace him/her wherever he/she may be. Nothing shall remove him/her from there. This person shall be given respect honour and recognition wherever he/she resides. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with three machetes, three cocks, three pigeons, three guinea-fowls and money. A stanza in Ogbe¾-Tu;nmoôpoô¾n on this aspect says: Ogbe¾ tu;nmoô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; ri¾bi¾ribi i¾di; A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ l’e;re¾ Di;a; fu;n La¾beôla¾beô T;i;i; sô’olo;ri; i¾koôla¾ l’o;do¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit These were Ifá’s declarations to La¾beôla¾beô (the Blade grass) Who was the head of the Tribal Mark inscribers by the stream He was advised to offer eôboô

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La¾beôla¾beô (the Blade Grass) was planning to stray and live by the stream and

river side. He was aware that there were many elements that consumed grasses, herbs, roots, and bark close to the waterside. He did not want such a fate to be his lot. Consequent upon this, he went to home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. What can I do to be enabled to live by the water-side and be secured without threat to my life, wellbeing and security? The Awo consulted Ifá for La¾beôla¾beô and Ogbe¾-O®tu;ru;poô¾n and was revealed. The Awo told La¾beôla¾beô that he had no reason to have fear in any way whatsoever. He assured La¾beôla¾beô that his creation was unique. He would live successfully and nobody and nothing would stop him from fulfilling his destiny. He told La¾beôla¾beô that his protection would be assured if and when he offered eôboô as prescribed for him. La¾beôla¾beô was also informed that he was created by Olo;du¾mare¾ to inscribe tribal marks on people’s bodies. He was also assured that he would not fail in any of his assignments. The Awo advised him to offer eôboô as prescribed above. He complied. As soon as the eôboô was offered, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ stuck the three machetes with which he offered the eôboô to his body and the machetes became an integral part of his body. From that day forward, he began to use the machetes to inscribe marks on the bodies of whoever came close to him. He succeeded all the time. There were several grasses, trees, shrubs, roots, creepers and vines by the water-side but there were none that could be compared with La¾beôla¾beô. He was thus installed the head of all the tribal mark inscribers by the water-side. Ogbe¾ tu;nmoô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; ri¾bi¾ribi i¾di; A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ l’e;re¾ Di;a; fu;n La¾beôla¾beô T;i;i; sô’olo;ri; i¾koôla¾ l’o;do¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko; peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni b’a;yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®je;ô gbogbo ewi; pe;’gba ni;gbo; O®kan o¾ ri bi;i La¾beôla¾beô La¾beôla¾beô ni;i; sô’olo;ri i¾koôla¾ l’o;do¾

790

OGBE® O®TU:RU:POÙ®N

Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit These were Ifá’s declarations to La¾beôla¾beô (the Blade grass) Who was the head of the Tribal Mark inscribers by the stream He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life There are 200 different leaves in the forest Not a single one is like La¾beôla¾beô La¾beôla¾beô is the head of the tribal mark inscribers by the water-side 2. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed has come into this world to perform wonders wherever he/she goes or stays. Ifá says that if he/she goes to anywhere, he/she will have great opportunities to succeed there. Not only this, he/she will succeed with style. Some people will find his/her style to be arrogant, but it is not. The person for whom this Odù is revealed only loves to do things with a touch of class. That is all that matters to him/her. He/she will never be comfortable with doing things as other people do them. He/she will ensure that his/her signature is imprinted on anything that he/she lays his/her hands upon. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two hens, two guinea-fowls, two cocks and money. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ le;re¾ B’oô;moô ba; n; ke; I®ya; oômoô la¾a; gbe; e fu;n K’o;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ sinmi K’oô;moô o; le¾ ba a¾ da;ke;ô

791


Ki; oni;ka;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tire¾ leô;nu o Di;a; fu;n Oni;re¾-Ku;nku; Ti; n; loô oko a¾lero¾ l’oô;du;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit When a baby is crying One needs to give the baby to its mother For the baby to keep quiet For the baby to stop crying Let all mothers put their breasts into their babies’ mouths These were Ifá’s messages for Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; When going on an annual farm cultivation She was advised to offer eôboô Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; loved to do her things differently from the ways others do theirs. She always felt good and rewarded whenever she would find what she had done something in a different way with success. When it was time for the annual farm cultivation, Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; went for Ifá consultation in order to determine how successful she would be that year. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n was revealed. The Awo told her that she would be very successful in her activity. She was also told that everything she did would come out like a miracle for her. She was assured that she would have cause to celebrate. She was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. She complied. Shortly after this, she headed for the farm to start the annual cultivation. When she got to the farm, she thought of what to do which would be very different from what all other trees, shrubs, creepers, grasses, and so on, would be doing. She realised that all of the plants mentioned above normally put their roots inside the soil in order to stand firm and survive. Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; chose to stay on rocks, hills and mountains.

792


Every other plant considered this an impossible venture. She was however determined to do it. She began to stamp her root onto the rock. Since she had offered all the recommended eôboô which her Awo told her to offer, E®sôu¾ came to her aid. Before long, she began to blossom on the rock, on the hill and on the mountain. All other plants wondered in amazement. They could not believe what they were seeing. Everyone passing by saw Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; and they would go home to inform others who had not seen her and share that she was performing wonders on the farm. This gave her a unique personality which she had always craved for. Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ l'e;re¾ B’oô;moô ba; n; ke; I®ya; oômoô la¾a; gbe; e fu;n K’o;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ sinmi K’oô;moô o; le¾ ba a¾ da;ke;ô Ki; oni;ka;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tireôô¾ l'eô;nu o Di;a; fu;n Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; Ti; n; loô oko a¾lero¾ l’oô;du;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yoô¾ EÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®jeô Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; n; da; bi;ra¾ l'a;a¾la¾ O: n; da; bi;ra¾ Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit When a baby is crying One needs to give the baby to its mother For the baby to keep quiet For the baby to stop crying Let all mothers put their breasts into their babies’ mouths These were Ifá’s messages for Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku;

793


When going on an annual farm cultivation She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Behold, Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; is performing wonders on the boundary of the farm She is truly performing wonders Ifá promises the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she will perform wonders in his/her life. She will be able to perform feats which people believe are not possible and they will perform them in a unique way. 3. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she will be happy in life. He/she will celebrate his/her accomplishments. He/she shall also be given space to express himself/herself and will accomplish his/her heart desires. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two hens, two guinea-fowls, two cocks, one calabash adorned with cowries and money. This SÙeô¾keô¾re¾ô (“special” calabash) will be returned to him//her to play regularly in his/her house, and on special occasions a party for Ifá while using this SÙeô¾keô¾re¾.ô On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ l'e;re¾ B’oô;moô ba; n; ke; I®ya; oômoô la¾a; gbe; e fu;n K’o;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ sinmi K’oô;moô o; le¾ ba a¾ da;ke;ô Ki; oni;ka;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tireôô¾ leô;nu o Di;a; fu;n SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô Ala;ko¾ôle; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

794


Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit When a baby is crying One needs to give the baby to its mother For the baby to keep quiet For the baby to stop crying Let all mothers put their breasts into their babies’ mouths These were Ifá’s declarations to SÙeô¾keô¾re¾ô (the calabash decorated with cowries) The offspring of Ala;ko¾ôle; He was advised to offer the eôboô of prosperity Originally, SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ was just an ordinary calabash, dirty, unkempt and worthless. He was always on the way to the brook to fetch water or on the farm to carry palm-wine back to the house. People would give him little regard. He was known as Ke¾re¾gbe¾, an ordinary calabash then. Even though he was the son of Ala;koô¾le;, the OÙba of I®koô¾le;-land, and the royal blood running in his veins did little to help him have progress. He was however a very progressive person. He was determined to reach the top by all legitimate means available. He was ready to work hard and make sacrifices to realise his full potentials in life. He was never afraid of challenges and he could not be intimidated by any problem. Part of his quest to succeed made him go to the Awo mentioned above to find out what he needed to do in order to fulfil his destiny in life. The Awo cast Ifá for him and Ogbe¾Tu;nmoôpoô¾n was revealed. The Awo told him that at that particular point in time, he was living in hardship. He was finding it tough to make ends meet. He was however assured that he would be transformed from scarcity to surplus; from nobody to somebody; and from penury to affluence. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He had no money, but he began to work hard to save enough money to offer the eôboô. When he procured all the materials, he headed for the home of the Awo immediately and the eôboô was offered for him.

795


As soon as this eôboô was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to work. He began to string the cowries to the string in a very specific pattern. When he finished doing this, he turned it into a garment and robed Ake¾re¾gbe¾ with it. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ was the person who changed the name of Ake¾re¾gbe¾ to SÙeô¾ke¾ôre¾.ô E®sôu¾ gave SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ a clean bath, polished his body and placed on him the robe of cowries. It was Aje; (money) who ensured that the name SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ stuck to his body and everyone who knew him began to call him SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ and forgot about the fact that he was once known as Ke¾re¾gbe¾. There was no time that he would be seen that he would not be with his garment of prosperity. Not only this, anytime people wanted to go to the stream to fetch water or go to the farm to bring home palm wine or raffia palm wine, they would look for other containers to do that. SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ would play music and he would invite everyone to dance to his music. They would all dance. They would shower SÙekô¾ e¾ôreô¾ with additional money. He would return to his corner of the house and that was all the work that he would do for the day. All the other gourds and calabashes in the house would be sent on errands to fetch water to bring back palm-wine to do other dirty chores in the house without payment. SÙeô¾k eô¾reô¾ was always excluded from all these chores. Instead, he would be pampered and handled with care and respect. Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ l'e;re¾ B’oô;moô ba; n; ke; I®ya; oômoô la¾a; gbe; e fu;n K’o;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ sinmi K’oô;moô o; le¾ ba a¾ da;ke;ô Ki; oni;ka;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tireôô¾ l'eô;nu o Di;a; fu;n SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô Ala;ko¾ôle; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; aje; sôuurusôu N®jeô; SÙekô¾ e¾ôreô¾ ma; diya¾n aje; moô; o Ara a¾ reô l’oku¾n Ara a¾ reô l'aje; ti n; so o

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Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit When a baby is crying One needs to give the baby to its mother For the baby to keep quiet For the baby to stop crying Let all mothers put their breasts into their babies’ mouths These were Ifá’s declarations to SÙeô¾keô¾re¾ô (the calabash beaded with cowries) The offspring of Ala;ko¾ôle; He was advised to offer the eôboô of prosperity He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of prosperity SÙekô¾ e¾ôreô,¾ do not go in search of money again It is your body that produces Oku¾n beads And it is from your body that prosperity comes out 4. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have a very good reputation in life. His/her name shall be given honour and respect. This person shall be among the decision makers in his/her community. Ifá says that even after the death of this person, his/her name will still be inscribed in the list of honourable people. Ifá; advises this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons, four hens, four guineafowls, four ducks, four cocks and money. On this aspect, Ifá says: SÙegô; i sô’a;ru¾u;ko;ô O®ke¾e¾re¾-Kere n¾bete¾ I®ya¾ n;la; l’arugbo¾ôn iku; Di;a; fu;n I®ro;ko¾ EÙlu¾ju¾ Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ l’o;o;koô ire l’a;ye; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

797


Translation: SÙegô; i sô’a;ru¾u;ko;ô O®ke¾e¾re¾-Kere n¾bete¾ Suffering is for death’s basket bearer This was Ifá’s message for the I®ro;ko¾ tree of the Wilderness When weeping in lamentation for his inability to have an honourable name in life He was advised to offer eôboô I®ro;ko¾ EÙ®lu¾ju¾, the I®ro;ko¾ tree of the Wilderness was living a life of obscurity. He was neither known nor recognised. He had no say in the city, countryside or in the wilderness. The plan of I®ro;ko¾ EÙÙ®lu¾ju¾ was to be an influential and honourable being in life. He wanted to be a decision maker. He wanted to be able to assist others and be part of their success stories. None of these he could accomplish because he was an obscure person himself. He thought about what to do for a long time before going to the home of the three Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation in order to determine how best to achieve self-actualisation in his life. What would he do to achieve his heart’s desires. He wanted to be instrumental to the success of others in life. How would he do this successfully? He planned to leave a good and honourable name behind even after his death. How best would he do this successfully? He wanted to be one of the major decision makers in the wilderness, at home and in the country-side. How best would he do this successfully? The Awo told I®ro;ko¾ EÙ®lu¾ju¾ that even though he was living an obscure life at the time, he would nonetheless become a prominent person whom everyone would be looking for from far and near. He would be able to achieve all his heart’s desires in life. He would become a prominent person and would be blessed with a respectable reputation. He would leave a good and honourable name and reputation behind when he died. The Awo advised him to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied. Soon after this, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went into action, mending the life of I®ro;ko¾ EÙÙlu¾ju¾ and improving its quality. I®ro;ko¾ EÙ®lu¾ju¾ stayed quietly in his home. Many eôboô that were offered were to be placed the foot of I®ro;ko¾ EÙ®lu¾ju¾. This prompted the people to clear the bush and make many ways to the foot of I®ro;ko¾. When they

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placed their eôboô, they would face I®ro;ko¾ to please ensure the acceptability of their pleas. Those who sought prosperity, spouse and companionship, fruits of the womb, followership, victory, elevation, good health, long life and soon found their way to go and place their eôboô at the foot of I®ro;ko¾ E®lu¾ju¾. It was from there that E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ would collect all the eôboô and bless them with the appropriate A®sôeô. Before long, I®ro;ko¾ E®Ùlu¾ju¾ began to gain recognition and popularity. Everyone would find their way to the site where he was located. I®ro;ko¾ EÙ®lu¾ju¾ soon became very successful. He was able to assist several people to succeed in life. He gained self-fulfilment and contentment. He lived and died happily. Even after his death, people continued to use his feet as the location where their eôboô would be placed to make their appeals to Olo;du¾mare¾ acceptable. SÙegô; i sô’a;ru¾u;ko;ô O®ke¾e¾re¾-Kere n¾bete¾ I®ya¾ n;la; l’arugbo¾ôn iku; Di;a; fu;n I®ro;ko¾ EÙlu¾ju¾ Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ l’o;o;koô ire l’a;ye; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;'boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ni; wo¾ôwoô ire gbogbo Woô¾woô; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ Translation: SÙegô; i sô’a;ru¾u;ko;ô O®ke¾e¾re¾-Kere n¾bete¾ Suffering is for death’s basket bearer This was Ifá’s message for the I®ro;ko¾ tree of the Wilderness When weeping in lamentation for his inability to have an honourable name in life He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life All the Ire of life is what Ifá guarantees for all its devotees

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Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be the recipient of all the Ire of life. His/her dreams shall be actualised. His/her name shall be written in gold. He/she will never be forgotten even after his/her death. 5. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of victory over adversary for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that there are many oppositions from many angles confronting this person; but nonetheless, he/she will overcome them all. He/she shall have cause to thank Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾ for making him/her victorious over all his/her enemies. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô with two squirrel tails, two ox tails, and money. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ l'e;re¾ B’oô;moô ba; n; ke; I®ya; oômoô la¾a; gbe; e fu;n K’o;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ sinmi K’oô;moô o; le¾ ba a¾ da;ke;ô Ki; oni;ka;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tireôô¾ l'eô;nu o Di;a; fu;n Tan;;di¾ Ti; n; beô l'a;a¾ri;n oô¾ta; Ti; n; f'ojooju;mo;ô koôminu ogun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit When a baby is crying One needs to give the baby to its mother For the baby to keep quiet For the baby to stop crying Let all mothers put their breasts into their babies’ mouths

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This was Ifá’s message for Tan;;di¾ When in the midst of enemies And when spending every day contemplating the problem of uprising He was advised to offer eôboô Tan;;di¾ knew that it was impossible for him to sleep with his two eyes closed. How could he do that when he knew that he was surrounded by enemies? He was sure that his neighbours on his right hand side were casting scornful glances at him. Those on the left were harbouring evil designs against him. Those living directly in front of him would celebrate if they learnt that he had been banished from the land. The houses which were situated behind his own house were praying fervently for him to drop dead in the middle of the road and for him to be denied a decent burial; and for scavenging birds and dogs to feast on his corpse. How could he sleep with his two eyes closed when all these people were busy planning evil against him on a daily basis? Every day, he kept asking himself what he had done against the people to make them hate him so. He had not been able to find anyone who could tell him his offence. All he knew was the fact that his existence made them angry, very angry. Most of his enemies wanted him dead. Those who wished him to live wanted him to turn raving mad, for him to be going about on the road completely naked, eating left-overs in the refuse dump and drinking dirty water from canals, ponds or gutters. How can he sleep with his two eyes closed when he knew that he was someone everyone in his community loved to hate? The two offences that he had committed in the community were that he was fond of speaking the truth when he was expected to tell lies and he was prepared to help and support the oppressed. True, those were his offences. For these, they all wanted him dead. Many of those who worked against him were misled by others to do so. The fact of the matter was that people felt that it was better to have him dead than alive. Unknown to these enemies, however, Tan;;di¾ was passionately in love with himself, his family and his life. He was prepared to do anything to protect himself and his immediate family. Again, unknown to his enemies he was someone who would never panic or run away from his enemies. He would rather prefer to die gallantly then to run. He said that he preferred for people to point to the spot where he had fallen bravely in the defence of his loved ones

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and himself then for people to point to his footprints while running away from his enemies. This was his firm belief. The enemies underestimated the resilience in him. This began to frustrate the enemies. They began to plan to invade his house at night and snuff the life out of him. That was why Tan;;di¾ could not sleep with his two eyes closed. Somehow, Tan;di¾ got wind of the plan to eliminate him in his sleep. Someone told the only friend that his wife had. They told the friend to join them. She asked them to let her think about it. She quickly came to tell Tan;di¾ ’s wife. She also urged her to tell her husband to leave the community and run into hiding. Tan;di¾’s wife pleaded with her husband with tears rolling down her cheeks. Tan;di¾ was not convinced. He insisted on staying in his house. He said that he would not give his enemies the pleasure of seeing him running away from them. When all pleas fell on deaf ears, his wife suggested for him to go for Ifá consultation in order to get guidance from Ifá on what to do exactly. This time, Tan;di¾ agreed. He went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. The Awo cast Ifá for Tan;di¾ and Ogbe¾ Tu;n’moôpoô¾n was revealed. The Awo told Tan;di¾ that he was truly in the midst of enemies and that his life and those of his immediate family were in grave danger. He was however assured that he would overcome them all. The Awo said that the enemies would use their hands to inflict pain, grief and agony on themselves. Tan;di¾ was advised to offer eôboô with two squirrel tails, two ox tails and money. He complied immediately. The Awo told Tan;di¾ to go back to his house and have a nice rest which he really deserved. He was told that all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ in heaven were by his side and they would help him to overcome all his enemies. Two days after the eôboô was offered, the enemies concluded their plans. In the dead of the night, they moved and surrounded Tan;di¾’s house. The Iru;nmoôleô¾ turned the two squirrel tails and two ox tails into lethal weapons and lashes. The enemies were beaten mercilessly. At first they were enduring the pain. Later, it was too much for them to endure. They cried out. The more they cried, the more they were beaten. They all scattered in disarray.

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They all went to gather at their rendezvous point. They began to query one another as to how Tan;di¾ came to know about their plans. They pointed accusing fingers at one another. This led to heated arguments. The arguments degenerated into a free-for-all fight. All the weapons they carried on them to use against Tan;di¾ and his household were freely used against one another. Blood was flowing freely. The dead were more than those who survived with serious injuries. Nobody left the scene of the battle without one form of injury or the other to nurse. Broken weapons and broken bones intermingled. Meanwhile, Tan;di¾ heard of the commotion by his doorstep and backyard. He did not leave his mat which he slept on. When they scattered, he fell asleep, enjoying a much deserved rest. Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ l'e;re¾ B’oô;moô ba; n; ke; I®ya; oômoô la¾a; gbe; e fu;n K’o;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ sinmi K’oô;moô o; le¾ ba a¾ da;ke;ô Ki; oni;ka;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tireôô¾ l'eô;nu o Di;a; fu;n Tan;di¾ Ti; n; beô l'a;a¾ri;n oô¾ta; Ti; n; f'ojooju;mo;ô koôminu ogun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni la;ru¾u;sôe;ô ogun A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙbari¾sôa¾ N®jeô; ki;nni o¾ jeô; ki; Tan;di¾ o; b’o;gun loô o? I®ru¾ o¾ôkeô;reô; o I®ru¾ oô¾keô¾eô¾re¾ô Ni o¾ jeôô;ki; Tan;di¾ o; b’o;gun loô o Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit

803


When a baby is crying One needs to give the baby to its mother For the baby to keep quiet For the baby to stop crying Let all mothers put their breasts into their babies’ mouths This was Ifá’s message for Tan;di¾ When in the midst of enemies And when spending every day contemplating the problem of uprising He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of victory over enemies Victory over adversary is what Ifá guarantees for all his devotees Now, what was it that prevented Tan;di¾ from being a victim of uprising Squirrel tails And ox tails These were what prevented Tan;di¾ from being a victim of uprising Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall survive uprisings, conspiracies, plots and opposition. He/she shall come out triumphant while those conspiring against him/her shall suffer. Conversely, Ifá warns this person not to be part of any conspiracy or plot against anyone. Being a part of any plan against another person will only make his/her life miserable and unrewarding. 6. Ifá says that if foresees the Ire of victory for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she is a unique person from heaven. This is because when his/her Ori; identifies any opposition, it is his/her genitals that will help him/her to overcome the opposition. In other words as he/she identifies the problem areas or oppositions, his/her loved ones will be instrumental to his/her overcoming the problems, no matter how serious the problems may be. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. After this, he/she needs to fed his/her Ori; with one guinea-fowl and cock. At the same time, he/she needs to feed his/her genitalia with one guinea-fowl and one cock.

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On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Tu;nmoôpoô¾n says: Awu;ye wu;ya¾ Awu;ya¾ wu;ye Di;a; fu;n OÙ®keô;re;ô-je¾¾ôgbeô¾ Ti; yo;o; f’Ori; le;’gun Ti; yo;o; f’i¾ru¾ d’ogun nu¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: Awu;ye wu;ya¾ Awu;ya¾ wu;ye They were the Awo who cast Ifá for OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾ (the Squirrel) Whose Ori; would identify uprisings And whose tail would overturn all the uprisings He was advised to offer eôboô OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾ was always in full control of his life and his condition. He had never been in a state of apprehension or panic over any issue in his life. As soon as any uprising or conspiracy reared up its ugly head, several people, especially members of the opposite sex, would rise up in arms in his support to help him overcome the uprising. That was the way OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾ had been living his life. True, he had several foes who did not like his lifestyle but none of them had been able to overcome or subdue him. Many people could not understand why many women would be craving for his attention and be prepared to do anything for him. Some of these women would even be fighting and struggling in their bid to render help to him. Those looking at him from afar had no way of knowing that since the time that he was young, he had gone to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above to determine his success chances in life. The Awo had told him that he would certainly succeed but that he needed to offer eôboô against oppositions, uprisings and conspiracy. He was also informed that he would overcome them all if he could offer the eôboô as stated above. He complied instantly.

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The Awo then informed him that he needed to feed his Ori; and his genitalia regularly. They explained to him that his Ori; would always help him to identify all plots, uprisings and conspiracies; while his genitalia would help him to overturn them all. By extension, he was informed that members of the opposite sex would be instrumental to his success in life. He would also overcome all oppositions with the help of the members of the opposite sex. Noticing that OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾ was always victorious, some of his friends and acquaintances attempted to emulate him. They ended up burning their fingers. In the end, everyone agreed that OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾ had come into the world to achieve his destiny in a unique way. It was in everybody’s interest not to imitate the lifestyle of OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾. Awu;ye wu;ya¾ Awu;ya¾ wu;ye Di;a; fu;n OÙ®keô;re;ô-je¾¾ôgbeô¾ Ti; yo;o; f’Ori; le;’gun Ti; yo;o; f’i¾ru¾ d’ogun nu¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙbari¾sôa¾ Translation: Awu;ye wu;ya¾ Awu;ya¾ wu;ye They were the Awo who cast Ifá for OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾ (the Squirrel) Whose Ori; would identify uprisings And whose tail would overturn all the uprisings He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of victory over adversary Victory over opposition is what Ifá guarantees for all His adherents

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Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall confront and contain all oppositions in a unique way. It is not advisable for anyone to imitate this person, lest they end up blaming themselves for so doing. 7. Ifá says that there are many women who are praying for the blessing of the fruit of the womb where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that it foresees Ire of child-bearing for all of them. Ifá says that if and when they receive these blessings, they must not pay the good gesture of Ifá with ingratitude. Ifá warns that if they do so, they run the risk of losing those children. Ifá advises each of the women concerned to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. Each of them also needs to feed Ifá with one mature shegoat. The heart of the she-goat will be removed and placed on Ifá until it gets rotten inside the Ifá bowl. If this is done, the Ire of child-bearing is guaranteed. On this, Ifá says: E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô; E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ eô mi jeô¾leô; Di;a; fu;n Agbe ti;i; sô’oômoô Olu;sôaro; Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r'oô;moô bi; Woô;n ni; ko; ma;a toô’Fa; loô Translation: I am an adept in the I®ta; cult I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾le¾ô cult This was Ifá’s message for Agbe (the Blue Touraco) The offspring of Olu;sôaro; (the Dye Maker) When weeping in lamentation of her inability to beget a baby She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy

Agbe was the daughter of Olu;sôaro;, the Dye Maker. She was beautiful, easygoing and gentle-headed. She got married at an early. For 13 years, she was still expecting the blessing of the fruit of the womb from Olo;du¾mare¾. She had moved from one healing home to the other, but there was no solution to her childlessness. All the healers assured her that she would be blessed with her

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own baby, yet the assurance had not manifested. When the healers were at their wits end, they advised her to go to Ifá for a solution. The Awo told Agbe that she would certainly beget her own babies. They said that all she needed to do was offer appropriate eôboô. The eôboô materials were as stated above. She complied. She was informed that she needed to show her gratitude to those who had assisted her. She said that she would not only show her gratitude, she would also worship Ifá for the rest of her life. Two months after this, she became pregnant. She eventually gave birth to a bouncing baby with ease. She was so happy that she proudly showed her baby to anyone who cared to see the baby. She however was reluctant to show her gratitude to Ifá who was instrumental to her begetting the baby in the first place. When she was reminded that she needed to show her gratitude to the Awo and Ifá, she simply ignored those who gave her the advice. She did not even go to show the baby to the Awo. E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô; E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ eô mi jeô¾leô; Di;a; fu;n A®lu¾ko¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô Olu¾go;su¾n Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r'oô;moô bi; Woô;n ni; ko; ma;a toô’Fa; loô Translation: I am an adept in the I®ta; cult I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾leô¾ cult This was Ifá’s message for A®lu¾ko¾ (the Maroon Touraco) The offspring of Olu¾go;su¾n (the Camwood Pounder) When weeping in lamentation of her inability to beget a baby She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy During the same period that Agbe was praying for the blessing of the fruit of the womb, A®lu¾ko¾ the daughter of Olu¾go;su¾n was also praying for the same blessing. She too had tried many places unsuccessfully. She even changed husbands on four occasions without any positive result. That was what made her colleagues advise her to seek help from Ifá. She did.

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The Awo informed her that she too would be blessed by Ifá. She was equally assured that she would become a mother of her own baby in no time. She was advised to offer the same eôboô which Agbe was told to offer. She too complied. She was equally advised not to be ungrateful to the Awo who assisted her in ensuring that she received the blessing of the fruit of the womb. She too promised that nothing would make her to forget Ifá or to be ungrateful. Six weeks after the eôboô was offered. A®lu¾ko¾ became pregnant. It seemed too easy to be true. She also delivered with relative ease and comfort. This could not be the result of the eôboô she had offered. It must have been a mere coincidence. Maybe she was already pregnant before she went to the Awo to seek the help of Ifá. But this could not be so because she had had her menstrual period two weeks after the eôboô was offered before she became pregnant. No, it was a mere coincidence. She was sure that she was not created by Olo;du¾mare¾ to lack anything in life. Why then must she show her gratitude to any Awo. There was no need for that. She simply forgot the Awo and her promise to come and show her gratitude to Ifá. E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô; E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ eô mi jeô¾leô; Di;a; fu;n Odi;deôreô; Ti;i; sô’oômoô Oni;wo¾o;-A®teô Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r’o;;ômoô bi; Woô;n ni; ko; ma;a toô’Fa; loô Translation: I am an adept in the I®ta; cult I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾leô¾ cult This was Ifá’s message for Odi;deôreô; (the Parrot) The offspring of Oni;wo¾o;-A®teô When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a baby She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy The same problem which Agbe and A®lu¾ko¾ had was what Odi;deôreô;, the daughter of Oni;wo¾o;-A®teô was facing. She was unable to become pregnant after several years in marriage. She too had moved from one healing home to the other without success. She had also moved from one matrimonial home to the other in an attempt to get pregnant. She was at that time in the home of her fifth husband. Yet there was still no pregnancy. This was happening during the same

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time that Agbe and A®lu¾ko¾ were having their own problems too. She too, like Agbe and A®lu¾ko¾, was directed by one of her friends to go and seek a solution to her problem in the home of Ifá. She did. The Awo told her exactly what they had told Agbe and A®lu¾ko¾. They asked her to offer the same eôboô. They also gave her the same warning not to be ungrateful to Ifá when she got what she was looking for. She offered the eôb oô and promised never to show any form of ingratitude to her Awo and Ifá. Nine weeks after she offered the eôboô, Odi;deôreô; became pregnant. She also eventually gave birth to a bouncing baby without any difficulty. That was when the thought came to her mind that there was no need to show any gratitude to anyone. Afterall, the Awo who did her eôboô for her were adequately compensated for the work they did for her. She owed them nothing. Consequently, she reasoned, it was not mandatory for her to show any gratitude anymore. The baby belonged to her, whether or not she showed the Awo any gratitude. They could not claim that the baby was theirs. She concluded not to bother herself with the Awo who were seeking gratitude from her. E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô; E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ eô mi jeô¾leô; Di:a; fu;n A®paro¾-O®ôyeô¾yeô¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô woôn l'e;ôse¾ô Ibu¾do Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r'o;ômoô bi; Woô;n ni; ko; ma;a; toô Ifá loô o Translation: I am an adept in the I®ta; cult I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾leô¾ cult This was Ifá’s message for A®paro¾-O®ôye¾ôye¾ô (the Partridge) Their offspring by the farm side When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a baby She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy There were many women suffering from childlessness at the same time. A®paro¾OÙ®ye¾ôyeô¾ was one of them. She too had tried many healing homes and three different husbands, but she could not get the much needed baby she wanted.

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One day, one of her latest husband’s relatives advised her to seek remedy from Ifá. That was what led her to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. The Awo assured her too that she would become a proud mother of her own baby in no time. She was advised to offer the same eôboô that was recommended for Agbe, A®lu¾ko¾ and Odi;deôre;.;ô She was also warned not to be ungrateful to her Awo and Ifá after she had received her blessing. She offered the eôboô and promised to be grateful for the rest of her life. It was not up to three lunar months that Olo;du¾mare¾ answered her prayer and she became pregnant. She too also gave birth to her baby with ease. The baby was very beautiful and full of vitality. She remembered the promise she gave the Awo quite alright; but she felt that she was under no compulsion to comply. She considered it as a device by the Awo to tie her down to them. It must be a means of extorting money from her. She was smarter than that. She would not allow anyone to cheat her. Were they the Olo;du¾mare¾ who gave her the baby? If Olo;du¾mare¾ Himself told her to show Him gratitude, then she would do that. She had not even dreamt that she needed to do anything other than to take good care of her baby! Who were the Awo to tell her what to do? E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô; E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ e¾¾ô mi jeô¾leô; Di;a; fu;n O®sôu¾ma¾re¾-E®®Ùgoô¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô woôn l'eô;ba¾a; O®Ùrun Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r'o;ômoô bi; Wo;ôn ni; ko; ma;a toô’Fa; loô Translation: I am an adept in the I®ta; cult I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾leô¾ cult This was Ifá’s message for O®sôu¾ma¾re¾-E®®Ùgo¾ô (the Rainbow) Their offspring close to heaven When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a baby She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy

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O®sôu¾ma¾re¾-Eô®go¾ô was also suffering from childlessness. She too had spent two

decades without any pregnancy. She was also advised to go to Ifá for solution to her problem. She went. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Tu;nmoôpoô¾n was revealed. The Awo assured her that she too would become pregnant and give birth to her own baby. She too was advised to offer the same eôboô. She too was warned not to show ingratitude to Ifá and her Awo. She complied by offering the eôboô as recommended. She also promised not to be ungrateful to her Awo and Ifá. Just like A®paro¾-O®yeô¾ye¾ô and the other women before her, she too became pregnant within three lunar months. She also gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby. She saw this as a great opportunity for her to put all her enemies who had thought that she could never be a mother in life to shame. She announced to whoever cared to listen that she had become a mother. She told them that her baby was the most beautiful, healthiest and most promising baby that the Heavens had ever produced. She too simply forgot about the Awo and Ifá. She said that her good character and charms made Olo;du¾mare¾ to give her the most beautiful bundle of joy that had ever been created. Her baby was more beautiful and more promising than any of the Iru¾nmoôleô or O®ri¾sôa¾. Even if Ifá saw her baby, it would make him green with envy. She concluded that the baby came to her because she knew how to manipulate Olo;du¾mare¾ to do what she wanted for her. The Awo who were waiting for her to come and show her gratitude to them could as well go and jump into the lagoon for all she cared! She promised herself that she would treat them as she would treat any of her enemies if they dared make any trouble for her or ask her to show them any gratitude. E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô; E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ e¾¾ô mi jeô¾leô; Di;a; fu;n Eôle;ôwa¾ Ti;i; sô’aya A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n Ti; n; sunku;n o¾u;n o¾ r'o;ômoô bi; Woô;n ni; ko ma;a; to’fa; loô

812


Translation: I am an adept in the I®ta; cult I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾leô¾ cult This was Ifá’s message for Eôleô;wa¾ (the Beautiful One) The wife of Agbonni¾re¾gu;n When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a baby She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy

Eôleô;wa¾ was also praying for the blessing of the fruit of the womb at the same

time that the other five women Agbe;, Alu¾ko;, Odi:deôreô;, A®paro-O®yeô¾yeô¾, and O®sôuma¾re-Eô¾goô where looking for the same Ire from Olodù¾mare¾. She was the wife of Agbonni¾re¾gu;n. She had been looking for this blessing for up to 20 lunar years without success. Agbonniregun was her third husband. Agbonni¾re¾gu;n advised her that to receive the blessing, she needed to go to Ifá. She agreed. She was therefore directed to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. The Awo told Eôle;ôwa¾ the same messages that they had given the other five women, before her. She was also advised to offer eôboô with the same materials. She did. After this, she was also warned not to pay the good gesture of Ifá and the Awo with ingratitude. She promised not to do so. Four months after this, she became pregnant. She also gave birth to her baby with ease and comfort. On that day, she went to Ifá with two kola nuts, a bottle of liquor and water. She thanked Ifá profusely for blessing her with the baby. She also placed herself and her baby under the sanctuary of Ifá. Whenever anyone came to congratulate her on her new baby, she would ask them to help her thank Ifá for the greatest blessing of her life. After 40 days of the birth of the baby, she was free to go out as the custom demanded. She went to visit the other five women and asked them whether they had gone to the home of the group of Awo who offered the eôboô for them or not. They all responded that they had not gone to the Awo because it was totally unnecessary. She asked them if they had showed their gratitude to Ifá, and they responded that that too was unnecessary. She pleaded with them to go and show their gratitude to Ifá and the Awo because they had promised to do so. They told her that she was free to do whatever she liked, but as for them, they would not allow

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Awo to cheat them in any way whatsoever and that they were not really the ones who gave them their babies. They had been adequately remunerated for the services they rendered to them when the eôboô was offered. Why then should they ask for them to come and show any form of appreciation to them after they’ve received their payment. All appeals to them to change their minds and to show their gratitude to Ifá; and their Awo fell on deaf ears. Only Eôle;ôwa¾ went to the Awo to show her gratitude to them. Meanwhile, there came a period when there was pestilence in the land. Several people were affected. All the six children were affected. They became very weak and lean within three days. Eôleô;wa¾ rushed to Ifá for protection. The other five women did not go to Ifá for protection. Ten days after the babies were infected with measles, the baby of Odideôreô; died. Within four days, the five babies died. Only Eôleô;wa¾’s baby survived. Eôleô;wa¾ was happy that she had made Ifá her sanctuary. Agbe;, A®lu¾ko¾, Odi;deôreô;, Apa¾ro¾O®yeô¾yeô¾ and Osôu¾ma¾re¾-Eô®goôô¾ lived to regret their actions for the rest of their lives. E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô; E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ eô mi jeô¾leô; Di;a; fu;n Agbe ti;i; sô’oômoô Olu;sôaro; Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r'oô;moô bi; Woô;n ni; ko; ma;a toô’Fa; loô E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô; E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ eô mi jeô¾leô; Di;a; fu;n A®lu¾ko¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô Olu¾go;su¾n Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r'oô;moô bi; Woô;n ni; ko; ma;a toô’Fa; loô E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô; E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ eô mi jeô¾leô; Di;a; fu;n Odi;deôreô; Ti;i; sô’oômoô Oni;wo¾o;-A®teô Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r’o;;ômoô bi; Woô;n ni; ko; ma;a toô’Fa; loô E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô; E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ eô mi jeô¾leô; Di:a; fu;n A®paro¾-O®ôyeô¾yeô¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô woôn l'e;ôse¾ô Ibu¾do

814


Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r'o;ômoô bi; Woô;n ni; ko; ma;a; toô Ifá loô o E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô; E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ e¾¾ô mi jeô¾leô; Di;a; fu;n O®sôu¾ma¾re¾-E®®Ùgoô¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô woôn l'eô;ba¾a; O®Ùrun Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r'o;ômoô bi; Wo;ôn ni; ko; ma;a toô’Fa; loô E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô; E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ e¾¾ô mi jeô¾leô; Di;a; fu;n Eôle;ôwa¾ Ti;i; sô’aya A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n Ti; n; sunku;n o¾u;n o¾ r'o;ômoô bi; Woô;n ni; ko ma;a; to’fa; loô EÙle;ôwa¾ ni¾kan ni; n;beô l'eô;yi¾n ti; n;sôeôboô Ifá lo; wa;a; d’e¾ke; eku Mo lo; d’e¾e¾wo¾ô Ifeô¾ E®®e¾wo¾ô O®ri¾sôa¾ Ifá o¾ ni¾i¾ f’oômoô EÙÙle;ôwa¾ aya a reô¾ fu;n’ku; pa O®un iku; me;ji¾ a d’i¾mu¾le¾ô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Eô wa;a; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri Ai¾ku; Ifá du¾n, o; j’oyin loô o Translation: I am an adept in the I®ta; cult I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾le¾ô cult This was Ifá’s message for Agbe (the Blue Touraco) The offspring of Olu;sôaro; (the Dye Maker) When weeping in lamentation of her inability to beget a baby She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy I am an adept in the I®ta; cult I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾leô¾ cult This was Ifá’s message for A®lu¾ko¾ (the Maroon Touraco) The offspring of Olu¾go;su¾n (the Camwood Pounder) When weeping in lamentation of her inability to beget a baby She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy I am an adept in the I®ta; cult

815


I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾leô¾ cult This was Ifá’s message for Odi;deôreô; (the Parrot) The offspring of Oni;wo¾o;-A®teô When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a baby She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy I am an adept in the I®ta; cult I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾leô¾ cult This was Ifá’s message for A®paro¾-O®ôye¾ôye¾ô (the Partridge) Their offspring by the farm side When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a baby She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy I am an adept in the I®ta; cult I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾leô¾ cult This was Ifá’s message for O®sôu¾ma¾re¾-E®®Ùgo¾ô (the Rainbow) Their offspring close to heaven When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a baby She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy I am an adept in the I®ta; cult I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾leô¾ cult This was Ifá’s message for Eôleô;wa¾ (the Beautiful One) The wife of Agbonni¾re¾gu;n When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a baby She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy Only Eôle;ôwa¾ complied with the advice of the Awo Ifá declares that it is all lies I respond that it is an abomination in Ile;-Ife¾ô It is a taboo Ifá will not abandon the baby of Eôle;ôwa¾ for death to snatch it away She and death have entered into a covenant Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy longevity The longevity guaranteed by Ifá is sweeter than honey Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will be guaranteed the protection of Ifá. He/she will live long and enjoy his/her life to the fullest. He/she however needs to show gratitude to those who had done him/her a favour, no matter how insignificant it may appear to be.

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8. Ifá says that there are two women where this Odù is revealed who are praying to Olo;du¾mare¾ for the blessing of the fruit of the womb. One of them is darkskinned while the other is fair in complexion. The one with fair skin is the one who is most likely going to offer the eôboô as prescribed while the dark-skinned one is after more worldly and material things of life and may not offer the prescribed eôboô. Ifá says that both women will be better off if they offer the eôboô. This will prevent them from regretting their actions for the rest of their lives. Ifá advises each of the women to offer eôboô with a mature she-goat and money. They will have to slaughter the she-goat and the heart of the goat will be placed on Ifá and be left to rot inside the Ifá bowl. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô po¾ôn Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni o l'e;re¾ B’oô;moô ba; n; ke; I®ya; oômoô la¾a; gbe; e fu;n K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾¾ sinmi K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾¾ da;ke;;ô Ki; oni¾ka¾luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô ti¾reôô¾ l'e;ônu o Di;a; fu;n Ile¾ô A bu¾ fu;n Oô®run Woô;n n; sunku;n a¾woôn o¾ r’O::Ùmoô bi; Eôboô ni; woô;n ni ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit When a baby is crying One needs to give the baby to its mother For the baby to keep quiet For the baby to stop crying Let all mothers put their breasts into their babies’ mouths This was Ifá’s message for Ile¾ô (Mother Earth) The same was also declared for Oô®run (Heaven)

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When weeping in lamentation for their inability to beget their own babies They were advised to offer eôboô It was not difficult to notice that both Ileô¾ and O®®Ùrun had problems. They were unable to beget any baby that they could call their own. For that reason, both of them decided to go to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will we be blessed with the fruit of the womb? During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n was revealed. The Awo told them that they would be able to have their own babies in their lives. They would be blessed with several children of their own. They advised the two women to be serious with what they were looking for and be totally dedicated to their husbands. The women were also advised to offer eôboô as stated above. They both complied. As soon as the eôboô was offered, Ile¾ô, the fair-skinned among the two women was totally devoted and respectful to her husband and was praying regularly to Olo;du¾mare¾ to answer her request. Conversely, O®®Ùrun, the dark-skinned woman felt that she could behave any way she wished and didn’t need to follow her husband’s advice for any reason. She told herself that she would not listen to anything her husband would tell her. She would not be told about whom to go to, what to do there, and how to do it. She was also free to move with any man she liked and if her husband did not like it, he was free to do anything he liked. Before long, Ileôô¾ gave birth to the trees, grasses, shrubs, fish, ants, rats, birds and beasts. Every part of Ileôô¾ was populated by her children. That was when O®®Ùrun became desperate to beget her own children but alas, it was too late. For too long she had placed her focus on more material things of life. At regular intervals, she would burst into tears and cry uncontrollably. Her cries, which usually came in the form of rainfall, helped to sustain the children of Ile¾ô. The loss of O®®Ùrun became the gain of Ileôô¾. Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô po¾ôn Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni o l'e;re¾ B’oô;moô ba; n; ke; I®ya; oômoô la¾a; gbe; e fu;n K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾¾ sinmi

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K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾¾ da;ke;;ô Ki; oni¾ka¾luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô ti¾reôô¾ l'e;ônu o Di;a; fu;n Ile¾ô A bu¾ fu;n Oô®run Woô;n n; sunku;n a¾woôn o¾ r’O::Ùmoô bi; Eôboô ni; woô;n ni ko; wa;a; sôe Ile; nikan to\ nbeô leôyi;n to; n; seôboô Njeô; oô¾loô¾ru;n n; sunku;n Oômoô ara;ye; sôe bi o¾jo¾ lo;ro¾ Eô®yin o¾ moô¾ pe; eôku;n oômoô l’oô¾loô¾ru;n n; sun o Translation: Ogbe;, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe;, adjust the baby properly Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit When a baby is crying One needs to give the baby to its mother For the baby to keep quiet For the baby to stop crying Let all mothers put their breast into their babies’ mouths This was Ifá’s message for Ile; (Mother Earth) The same was also declared for O®®Ùrun (the Heaven) When weeping in lamentation for their inability to beget their own babies They were advised to offer eôboô Only Ile; complied with the advice to offer eôboô Behold, Oô®loô¾ru;n (Heaven) is weeping Human beings mistake it to mean that rain is falling Don’t you know that the tears of her inability to beget a baby are what heaven is shedding? Ifá says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be blessed with her own babies. She must however be loyal, respectful, and dedicated to her husband. She will be blessed with several children and followers if she follows this advice.

819


9. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of child-bearing for a woman praying for the blessing of a baby. Ifá says that this woman will give birth to many children in her life. Ifá however warns this woman not to be carrying other women’s children on her back. If she continues to do this, she will find it very difficult, if not impossible altogether, to bear her own biological children. Ifá advises this woman to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾¾ su;n’moô si; A®gba¾po¾ôn oômoô ni o¾ l'e;re¾ B’o;;ômoô ba;; n; ke; I®ya; oômoô la¾a; gbe; e fu;n K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ sinmi K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ da;;ke;ô Ki; oni;ka;;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tire¾¾ô l'eô;nu o Di;a; fu;n OÙÙmo;ôgbe¾ Ti; o¾ r'oô;moô poô¾n To; si¾ n; poôn oômoô oôlo;;ômoô Eôboô ni¾ woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit When a baby is crying One needs to give the baby to its mother For the baby to keep quiet For the baby to stop crying Let all mothers put their breasts into their babies’ mouths This was Ifá’s message for OÙmoô;gbe¾ Who had no baby of her own to strap on her back And was strapping other people’s children She was advised to offer eôboô

820


OÙÙmoô;gbe¾ loved children and all young ones with a passion. She appreciated their innocence and lovely faces. There was nothing she was not prepared to do to make children happy. She would prepare a¾ka¾ra¾, bean fritters, moô;i;nmo;ôi;n, bean dumplings, la;pa¾ta;, corn cakes and other snacks for the children to eat at regular intervals. She would tell them stories. She would give them riddles and jokes, just to make the children happy. She would often collect babies from their parent’s homes, strap them on her back, spread out mats for the babies to sleep on, and ensure that they were all comfortable. Many nursing mothers going to the market to transact business, or going to the farm to bring food, wood or leaves, or even those going to the stream to fetch water would leave their babies behind for Oômo;ôgbe¾ to take care of for them. Unfortunately however, OÙÙmoô;gbe¾ had no baby of her own. She had tried many things to have a baby but it was not possible to do so. She had used many herbs but none of them worked. She also joined many fraternities in order to beget her own baby. It was all a failure. She could not become pregnant. This was the only sadness of her life. Whenever she was alone in her room, she would weep uncontrollably. She would not allow anyone to see her weeping. One day however, her sister-in-law found her weeping in her room. It touched her to her bone marrow because she was also a woman who had once faced the same problem as OÙÙmoô;gbe¾. She consoled OÙÙmoô;gbe¾ and told her that she would take her to the home of the Awo who offered eôboô for her and whom opened her womb. The following day, they went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above. The Awo consulted Ifá for OÙÙmoô;gbe¾ and Ogbe¾-Tu;nmoôpoô¾n was revealed. The Awo told OÙÙmo;ôgbe¾ that she would be blessed with the fruit of the womb. She was told that, on many-occasions, many Iru;nmoôôleô¾ in charge of giving babies to women would visit her but they would always find her strapping different babies on her back. These Iru;nmoôleô¾ would then report back in heaven that OÙÙmoô;gbeô¾ had no problem because she had more than enough babies to take care of and there was no reason to give her any baby since she was always found in the midst of them. The Awo explained to her that if she wanted her own babies in life, she must stop carrying or strapping other people’s babies on her back. She was also advised to offer eôboô as stated above. She complied.

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As from that day henceforth, she stopped strapping other women’s babies on her back. She continued to pray for herself to beget her own babies. Within two months, she became pregnant! She gave birth to many babies in quick successions. She lived happily ever after. Ogbe¾¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾¾ su;n’moô si; A®gba¾po¾ôn oômoô ni o¾ l'e;re¾ B’o;;ômoô ba;; n; ke; I®ya; oômoô la¾a; gbe; e fu;n K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ sinmi K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ da;;ke;ô Ki; oni;ka;;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tire¾¾ô l'eô;nu o Di;a; fu;n OÙÙmo;ôgbe¾ Ti; o¾ r'oô;moô poô¾n To; si¾ n; poôn oômoô oôlo;;ômoô Eôboô ni¾ woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Eô wa;a; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; oômoô Woô¾woô; oômoô la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô oô¾pe¾ô N®jeô; a¾gba¾po¾ôn o¾ l’e;re¾ Ka; bi; t’eôni lo; to;ô Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit When a baby is crying One needs to give the baby to its mother For the baby to keep quiet For the baby to stop crying Let all mothers put their breasts into their babies’ mouths This was Ifá’s message for OÙmoô;gbe¾ Who had no baby of her own to strap on her back And was strapping other people’s children She was advised to offer eôboô She complied

822


Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of many children In the midst of many children do we find all devotees of Ifá Behold, strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit What is right is for one to have one’s own children Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that she will be blessed with many children. To make this happen, she needs to stop strapping other women’s babies on her back. 10. Ifá predicts the Ire; of child-bearing for a woman looking for the fruit of the womb where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that the woman will become a mother of several children in her life. She will not return to heaven emptyhanded. Ifá says that the woman in question needs to wash her Ori; with a special preparation in order to open the way for her to become pregnant and give birth to her own baby. She also needs to propitiate her Ori; for this to happen. Ifá advises this woman to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. She also needs to prepare a bath with the following herbs: Eôle;ômeôs¾ oô;-i¾beô;ga;n leaves, rinrin leaves, are;ôyi¾n-gbo;ômoô-poô¾n leaves and teô¾te¾ô leaves. The four leaves will be pounded together and put in water. After the eôboô, one guinea-fowl will be used to feed the Ori; of the woman and the herbal concoction will be used to wash the Ori; of the woman. If these can be done, the woman will become pregnant and beget her own baby. After this, she will be able to give birth to as many babies as she wishes. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ tu;;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;;n’moô si; Ogbe¾ su;;n’moô si; ri¾b¾;i¾ri¾bi¾ idi¾ Agbapoôn oômoô ni; o l’e¾re; Di;a; fu¾n Aye; Ti; n; sunkun o¾un o¾ r’o;ômoô bi; Eôboô ni; woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

823


Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit This was Ifá’s messages for Aye; (the world) When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget her own baby She was advised to offer eôboô There was no time that Aye; would not dream that she was in the midst of her children. Yet, she had no child to actualize for dreams. She could not understand why she would see herself in her dreams with several children and in real life not a single child. Did it mean that her dreams were just deceiving her? Did it mean that all her babies were just in her dreams and would remain in her dreams? Would she be able to beget her own baby in her life? Would she too be called a mother by her own biological children? These were the questions which pushed her to go and seek a solution to her problem in the home of the group of Awo mentioned above. The Awo told Aye; that she chose child-bearing as part of her destiny. Consequent upon this, she would be blessed with many children in her life. She however needed to offer eôboô and propitiate her Ori; for those babies to come to her. She also needed to wash her Ori; with a special herbal preparation. The Awo advised her to offer eôboô, feed her Ori; and wash the Ori; as stated above. She did. Two months after this, her prayers were answered. E®sôu¾ Oôda¾ra¾ began to work in conjunction with her Ori¾ to ensure that her dreams became reality. Twelve years after the eôboô, Aye; sat in her room surrounded by 10 children; four sets of twins and two single children. She showered praises on Ifá, her Ori; and her Awo for turning her dreams into reality. Ogbe¾ tu;;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;;n’moô si; Ogbe¾ su;;n’moô si; ri¾b¾;i¾ri¾bi¾ idi¾ Agbapoôn oômoô ni; o l’e¾re;

824


Di;a; fu¾n Aye; Ti; n; sunkun o¾un o¾ r’o;ômoô bi; Eôboô ni; woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O;: gb’e;;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Oôwoô; o¾ô mi wa;a; b’ewe; e eôle;ômeô¾sôoô;-i¾be;ôga;n Oôwo;ô oôô¾ mi b’ewe; e rinrin Oôwo;ô oôô¾ mi b’ewe; areôy; i¾n-gb'o;ômoô-poô¾n Teô¾teô¾ lo; ni; K’oô;moô o; teô’leô¾ si; mi ni;nu; E¾ro¾ I¾po, e¾ro¾ Oô®fa¾ Eô wa;a; ba; ni ni; wo¾ôwoôô; oômoô rere Wo¾ôwoôô; oômoô la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô¾ OôÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit These were Ifá’s messages for Aye; (the world) When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget her own baby She was advised to offer eôboô She complied I have now procured EÙleô;me¾ôsôoô;-i¾beô;ga;n leaves I have procured Rinrin leaves And have procured are;ôyi¾n-gb'oô;moô-poô¾n leaves Te¾ôteô¾ ô is it that authorizes that babies will establish themselves in my womb Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Join us in the midst of great children In the midst of children do we find Ifá devotees Ifá says that the woman for whom this Odù is revealed will be blessed with many babies in her life. She will not live the life of a barren woman any longer. She will enjoy the feeling of maternity, as will her female offspring. She must have Awo make the preparations as stated in this Ifá.

825


11. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is suffering at the present time. He/she is the least successful among his/her contemporaries at the time of this Ifá consultation. Ifá says that this person will end up becoming the most successful among them all. Ifá equally advises the Awo for whom this Ifá is cast to offer eôboô so as to be able to succeed in turning the life of this client around. The Awo needs to feed his Ifá as appropriate before he/she proceeds to where he/she is going to work for the client. Ifá advises this client to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. He/she also needs to be initiated into Ifá for his/her life to really improve and move to the apex of his/her career. Ifá also advises the officiating Awo to feed his/her Ifá with a mature she-goat. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si ri¾bi¾ribi i¾di A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni; o; l’e;;re¾¾ Eô sôe de;’bi oômoô oôloô;moô oô; gbe; kiri Di;;a; fu;n Eô¾®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n Ni;;joô; ti; n; s'ôawo re’le; O®®Ùki;;n Eôboô a¾sôegba¾ ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit What brought you to the extent of carrying other people’s babies These were Ifá’s messages for Eô®la¾-Ijo¾ku¾n When going on a Ifá mission to Oô®ki;n (the Peacock's house) He was advised to offer eôboô for his work to manifest Eô®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n was a proficient Babala;wo by every standard. He was in high demand from far and near. Anyone who had problems usually went to him for

826


solution. Those who sought his help would never go back to their homes disappointed. When there was no rain in the land, he would ensure that rain fell in the land on that very day. Any disaster in the land would be resolved as soon as he set out to tackle the problem. The success secret of EÙ®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n, unknown to many, was that he would never embark on any major Ifá assignment without first consulting Ifá himself and offering all the recommended eôboô. When O®®Ùki;;n (the Peacock) invited him to come and consult Ifá for him, Eô®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n went for Ifá consultation with another Awo first in order to determine how his success chances in O®®Ùki;n’s place would be. The Awo told Eô®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n that he would succeed where he was going. He was informed that he would gain prominence in O®®Ùki;;n ’s house. He was however informed that he needed to feed his Ifá with a mature she-goat before going. That would give him higher success chances. The Awo also told Eô®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n that the person he was going to meet was in serious hardship. He needed to offer eôboô and be initiated into Ifá in order to solve all his problems in life. They told Eô®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n that the person who invited him would become the highest and most successful person among his contemporaries if he could offer eôboô and undergo initiation. Eô®la¾-Ijo¾ku¾n Awo O®Ùki;\n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùki;;n Ti;i; n;beô la;a¾rin i¾poô;nju; Woô;n ni; oôdu;n ni¾i; l’oôla¾ a re¾ô e;ô pe; Woô;n ni; yo;o; ju gbogbo eôgbeô; eô reô loô o Eôboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Eô®la¾-Ijo¾ku¾n , the Awo of Oôki;n (the Peacock) He cast Ifá for Oôki;n When he was in the midst of hardship He was told that his prosperity would come this year He was assured that he would be higher than all his contemporaries He was advised to offer eôboô

827


When E®Ùla¾ I®jo¾ku¾n was about to set out on his journey to O®Ùki;n's house, he fed his Ifá with a mature she-goat and placed the heart of the goat on his Ifá. The heart was left inside the Ifá bowl and he set out to O®Ùki;n's house. In O®Ùki;n's house, E®Ùla¾-I®jo¾ku¾n cast Ifá and Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n was revealed. He informed OÙ®ki;n what his Awo told him. O®Ùki;n agreed that his life was truly in turmoil. He agreed that he would not only offer the eôboô, but he would also undergo Ifá initiation. The initiation was arranged for Oô®ki;;n. It took place three days after. When the initiation was completed, O®®Ùki;n was given a soap to bathe within the stream. As he was taking his bath, his feathers assumed several colours. A befitting crown grew on his head. All birds in the forest surrounded O®Ùki;n. O®go¾n¾go¾ (the Ostrich) carried O®Ùki;n on his back. That was how O®®Ùki;;n became the king of the birds in the forest. Since that day, O®Ùki;n began to show his respect, honour and appreciation to Eô®la¾ I®jo¾ku¾n his Awo. Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si ri¾bi¾ribi i¾di A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni; o; l’e;;re¾¾ Eô sôe de;’bi oômoô oôloô;moô oô; gbe; kiri Di;;a; fu;n Eô¾®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n Ni;;joô; ti; n; s'ôawo re’le; O®®Ùki;;n Eôboô a¾sôegba¾ ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O:: gb’e;;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Eô®la¾-Ijo¾ku¾n Awo O®Ùki;\n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùki;;n Ti;i; n;beô la;a¾rin i¾poô;nju; Woô;n ni; oôdu;n ni¾i; l’oôla¾ a re¾ô e;ô pe; Woô;n ni; yo;o; ju gbogbo eôgbeô; eô reô loô o Eôboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Oô®Ùki;n o de; o, Oôlo;ôja¾ eôyeô Eô wo’le; ire, eô f’OÙÙ®ki;;n si;; o Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Eô wa;a; ba';ni ba;’yoô¾ Eô; wa;a; wo’re o

828


Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit What brought you to the extent of carrying other people’s babies These were Ifá’s messages for Eô®la¾-Ijo¾ku¾n When going on an Ifá mission to Oô®ki;n (the Peacock's house) He was advised to offer eôboô for his work to manifest He complied Eô®la¾-Ijo¾ku¾n, the Awo of Oôki;n (the Peacock) He cast Ifá for Oôki;n When in the midst of hardship He was told that his prosperity would come this year He was assured that he would be higher than all his contemporaries He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Here comes OÙ®ki;n, the King of all birds Look for a befitting home to place O®Ùki;n Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Ifá says that the person for whom this Ifá is revealed shall move from grass to grace and from obscurity to prominence. Ifá also assures the Awo who casts this Ifá for the client that he/she too will be successful in his/her work. He/she must not place too much consideration on monetary gain. 12. Ifá says that it foresees two Ire for the person for whom this Odù is revealed: Ire of prosperity and that of child-bearing. Both Ire shall come at the same time. Ifá says that for a child born by this Odù during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;, the more the children he/she has, the more his/her success chances in life will be. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons, four hens and money.

829


On this aspect, Ifá says: Oô®joô¾oô¾roô¾-O®jo¾ Di;a; fu;n O;lu;gu¾n-Aweô¾ro;ro; Ti; n; sunku;n oôla; Ti; n; sunku;n oômoô Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Oô®joô¾oô¾roô¾-O®jo¾ He cast Ifá for Olu;gu¾n-Awe¾ôro;ro; When lamenting her inability to become prosperous And when crying because she had no child She was advised to offer eôboô Olu;gu¾n-Aweô¾ro;ro; desperately wanted her own baby. She wanted to have her own baby whom she would shower with her love, care and attention. She was totally convinced that she was going to be a responsible and good mother. She was also sure that the children that Olo;du¾mare¾ would give her would love her in return. Her mother took good care of her when she was young. That was one of the reasons why she must equally take good care of the fruits that Olo;du¾mare; would bless her with. She was also desperately in need of prosperity. She wanted this, not for herself, but for her children. This would make her an even better mother. She would be able to shower these children with all the gifts on earth. She would spare no expense in ensuring that her children received the best a mother could give her children. She was however acutely aware that too much of everything was bad. For this reason, she vowed that all what she would do for her children would be tempered with moderation. She would be very careful not to spoil the children. She would punish the children whenever they misbehaved or got out of line. All these daydreams made her very happy and contented. This contentment and joy did not last for long however. Anytime she returned to the world of reality and remembered that she had no child to show for her 11 years of marriage. She was gripped with sorrow, fear and uncertainty. Even

830


though she knew that her husband loved her, she could see that he was constantly under intense pressure from his relatives to find another woman who would give him children. Only a foolish woman would not see all these signs. What with the scornful glances at her, or the quiet discussions with her husband whenever she was around or even confrontations from the parents of her husband pointedly telling her to find a solution to her childlessness or else they would find an alternative solution for their son? So far, her husband had resisted all these pressures. This, she was very grateful for. That was why she was more determined and desperate to become pregnant and give birth to many children for her loving, kind and considerate husband. Yet, this pregnancy simply failed to come. One day, she was directed to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. She went there to ask two main questions: one, will I be blessed with my own children in my life; and two, will I be blessed with prosperity with which to care for these children whom Olo;du¾mare¾ would give me? The Awo told Olu;gu¾n-Aweô¾ro;ro; that even though she lacked prosperity and children at this point in time, she would nonetheless be blessed with the two. The Awo assured her that she would be the person who would tell Olo;du¾mare¾ that she had enough children in her life. She would also be blessed with enough prosperity to last her three generations. Oô®jo¾ôo¾ôroô¾-O®jo¾ advised Olu;gu¾n-Aweô¾ro;ro; to offer eôboô as stated above. She complied. She was also advised to rely absolutely in Olo;du¾mare¾ and place all her hopes on Ifá. She agreed. That was exactly what she began to do. As soon as she offered the eôboô, everything in her life changed for the better. She began selling toilet soap. She hardly made enough money to make ends meet. She asked herself, what did I offer this eôboô for? Things then changed. It was as if there was no other soap seller on earth beside her. Everyone began to look for her soap. Within three weeks, she could no longer cope with the demands. She employed more hands and yet, she still could not cope with demands. The pressure of people demanding for her soap did not allow her to notice that she had missed her period. She was already three months pregnant before she really took notice. The business boomed. Her stomach bulged. When she delivered her baby, her business had become what the whole community

831


participated in. Money was no longer her problem. Her main concern was what to spend it on. All the relatives of her husband joined her in the business. She became the beloved one of the whole community. By the time she gave birth to her fourth and fifth children, the business was almost out of control. That was when her husband joined her. He left his farming and hunting business and partnered with his wife. Money kept pouring in from all angles. As successful as she was, she was always mindful of her vow to ensure that she gave her children the best training and shower all gifts on them with moderation. That was exactly what she did. Not only this, she carried her Awo very high and made sure that she turned him to a very successful Babala;wo. She gave him a horse to ride, she constructed a 16 room mansion for him and changed his lifestyle. She also changed the economic and social lives of her community. Oô®joô¾oô¾roô¾-O®jo¾ Di;a; fu;n O;lu;gu¾n-Aweô¾ro;ro; Ti; n; sunku;n oôla; Ti; n; sunku;n oômoô Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O:: gb’e;;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;;ô, ko¾ ji¾nnna¾ Ire gbogbo wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru N®je;;ô eô ba; mi ka;ra¾¾-ma;a;si¾ki; Eô ni;’fa; o sôeun-sôeun O®Ùjoô¾oô¾ra¾-O®jo®, Awo ire lo¾ o; sôe o Translation: Oô®joô¾oô¾roô¾-O®jo¾ He cast Ifá; for Olu;gu¾n-Awe¾ôro;ro; When lamenting for her inability to become prosperous And when crying because she had no child She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Before long, not too far All the Ire of life came trooping in Now, help me give praise and thanks

832


Join me in saying “Ifá you have done well” O®joô¾oô¾ra¾-O®jo¾, you are a great Awo Ifá assures this person that he/she will be blessed with both children and prosperity. The more of either Ire he/she has the more the other will follow. Ifá says also that if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is planning to help another person, he/she should not hesitate to do so. The person he/she plans to help will bring him/her into the limelight in the end. He/she will never regret ever assisting the person. 13. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to go for Ifá initiation for him/her to overcome the problem of ill health. This person is being avoided right now because of his/her ill-health. People will soon run back to him/her. Only Ifá initiation will get him/her out of his/her present predicament. Ifá advises the Awo in charge of this issue not to put any monetary consideration first. He/she/they need to assist the person for whom this Odù is revealed first even if it entails spending their own money to ensure that he/she gets back in his/her feet. The Awo will not regret ever assisting this person. The Awo needs to understand that, not all Ifá work bring monetary gain to the Awo. Some may bring a good name and reputation while others may bring contentment and satisfaction without any money. Satisfaction, in many respects is greater than riches. The eôboô materials here are all the things this person needs to perform his/her own Ifá initiation. The person ought to serve SÙa¾ngo; before going to perform his or her initiation. On this, Ifá says: Asu;nmoôsi; ab’i¾di; ja¾n¾ge¾le; Di;a; fu;n Eôseô¾ kan Sôosôo Ogbe¾ Ti; n;sô'awo re’le; SÙa¾ngo; Eôboô ni; woô;n ni ko; wa;a; sôe

833


Translation: Asu;nmoôsi; ab’i¾di; ja¾n¾ge¾le; He cast Ifá for one Leg of Ogbe¾ When going on an Ifá mission to the home of SÙa¾ngo; He was advised to offer eôboô SÙa¾ngo; was seriously ill. None of his relatives gave him any chance of survival. Even further, they even gave him social and physical distance for fear of being infected by his ailment. SÙa¾ngo; could not fathom why his own relatives whom he had tried all he could to assist in several ways would be the ones who were running away from him. None of them would even proffer any solution to his problem. All they would do was come to him on his sick mat to look for more money from him. Now that he had no more money to give, he had been abandoned for fear of being infected. When he was giving them money however, they appeared not to worry that the money would infect them. It was as if when the money had been exhausted that the owner of the money could now infect them with his ailment. Despite his treatment, this was not of immediate importance to him. He needed to find a solution to his problem first before he could think of who did what to him and against him. In his bid to find a solution to his problem, he invited Eôseô¾ kan Sôosôo Ogbe¾, One leg of Ogbe¾ to come and consult Ifá for him. It was based on this that Ogbe¾ approached Asu;nmoôsi; abi¾di; ja¾n¾ge¾le;, his own personal Awo for Ifá consultation in order to determine how best to approach Sa¾ngo; ’s problem in order to succeed. Asu;nmoôsi; abi;di; ja¾n¾ge¾le; told Ogbe¾ that SÙa¾ngo; was seriously ill. He made it clear to Ogbe¾ that only Ifá initiation could make SÙÙa¾ngo; regain his health. He warned Ogbe¾ to do everything he could to assist SÙa¾ngo; without thinking of any financial reward. He said that SÙa¾ngo; had no money to pay at that point in time. Ogbe¾ was urged not to bother about that, but to ensure that SÙa¾ngo; overcame his problem. He told Ogbe¾ to feed his Ifá with whatever Ifá demanded from him before he proceeded on the trip. All these, Ogbe¾ noted and he complied with all the advice given to him by Ifá through his Awo.

834


Eôseô¾ kan sôosôo Ogbe¾, Awo SÙa¾ngo; Di;a; fu;n Olu;ko¾s¾o la¾lu; Ti; n; sôoô¾gboô¾oô¾gboô¾ a¾ru¾n Ti; n; na'ju; ati dide Woô;n ni; ko; ru’boô Ko; si¾ loô re¾e; sô’oro¾ l’o;do¾ Translation: One leg of Ogbe¾ the Awo of SÙa¾ngo; He cast Ifá for SÙa¾ngo; When he was suffering from a serious ailment And was lamenting his inability to rise up and be in good health He was advised to offer eôboô And go to the stream for Ifá initiation Before Ogbe¾ got to SÙa¾ngo;’s house, he already knew what to do in order to solve the problem that SÙa¾ngo; was in. The consultation he did for SÙa¾ngo; only reinforced what Asu;nmoôsi; abi¾di; ja¾n¾ge¾le; had told him. For this reason, he began to gather all materials needed to initiate SÙa¾ngo; into Ifá together; as quickly as possible. When all the materials were ready, he took SÙa¾ngo; to the Stream and the initiation rites were performed. SÙa¾ngo; was given soap to bathe with after a mature he-goat had been slaughtered on his head. As he was taking his bath, he discovered to his surprise that all the ailments, bumps, lumps, scabies and rashes on his body had simply disappeared. He regained his health like magic. This could not be true. But it was! SÙa¾ngo; was overwhelmed with joy. He danced from the stream where he was initiated into Ifá back to his house. He had no money to pay to Ogbe¾ for his marvellous work in his life. He however called Ogbe¾ and made a solemn vow that any house where a Babala;wo lived, he would never strike such a house or show his anger in that house except if such a Babala;;wo was a liar or an oath breaker. Since that day up till today, SÙa¾ngo; has always refrained himself from striking any house where an Awo lives as long as the Awo is honest. Asu;nmoôsi; ab’i¾di; ja¾n¾ge¾le; Di;a; fu;n Eôseô¾ kan Sôosôo Ogbe¾ Ti; n;sô’awo re’le; Sa¾ngo; Eôboô ni; woô;n ni ko; wa;a; sôe

835


O: gb’eô;boô o; ru;’boô Eôseô¾ kan sôosôo Ogbe¾, Awo SÙa¾ngo; Di;a; fu;n Olu;ko¾s¾o la¾lu; Ti; n; sôoô¾gboô¾oô¾gboô¾ a¾ru¾n Ti; n; na'ju; ati dide Woô;n ni; ko; ru’boô Ko; si¾ loô re¾e; sô’oro¾ l’o;do¾ O: gb’eô;boô o; ru;’boô O: si¾ loôoô re;e; sô’oro¾ l’o;do¾ Igba¾ ti; o; sô’oro¾ l’o;do¾ tan L’ara Olu;ba;nbi; ba; le N®jeô; A®ri¾ra; ma;; ma¾ sôe ja¾ ni’beô o Ile; t’Awo ba; wa¾ A®ri¾ra¾ ma; ma¾ sôe ja¾ ni¾'beô E®ro¾¾ I®po, e¾¾ro¾¾ O®®Ùfa¾¾ O®ko¾¾ A®ri¾¾ra¾ o; nii baleô¾ ko; woô’le; Ifá Translation: Asu;;nmoôsi; abi¾di; ja¾n¾ge¾le; He cast Ifá for one Leg of Ogbe¾ When going on an Ifá mission to the home of SÙa¾ngo; He was advised to offer eôboô He complied One leg of Ogbe¾ the Awo of SÙa¾ngo; He cast Ifá for SÙa¾ngo; When he was suffering from a serious ailment And was lamenting for his inability to rise up and be in good health He was advised to offer eôboô And go to the stream for Ifá initiation He complied He went to the stream for Ifá initiation After the initiation rites He regained his strength Please, A®ri¾ra; (the thunder) do not strike there The house inhabited by an Awo A®ri¾ra; do not strike there Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ The thunder stone will never be directed towards the home of Ifá

836


Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall regain his/her strength, health and vitality after undergoing Ifá initiation. The Awo who performs the initiation rites on this person shall also gain respect, honour and recognition. 14. Ifá warns a woman who is about to get married or who has just been married where this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô and have a change of attitude lest she will live the rest of her life as a childless woman. This woman is too beautyconscious. This will not favour her in any way; rather, she will live to regret her actions in the future. Ifá advises this woman to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. She also needs to stick to her husband and stop selling her beauty about. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô po¾¾ôn Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; ri¾bi¾ribi¾ i¾di; A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾¾ l’e;;re¾¾ Di;a; fu;n A®wo¾¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoôbi¾nrin O®de Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit This was Ifá’s message for A®wo¾¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ (the Carved Image) The offspring of the Main Road She was advised to offer eôboô for child-bearing She was always on the road. She just could not allow any occasion to pass her by without attending. It afforded her the opportunity to show off her beauty to all who cared to take notice. She could not attend any party alone. She would

837


always find a man to go with her. She saw herself as the centre of focus and attraction anywhere she went. She enjoyed this very much. One day she claimed that it was her time. It was time for the marriage market and she had many suitors. She however was not ready to go and put herself under any restriction, she retorted. She enjoyed her freedom as it was and she still wanted to continue to enjoy it for some more time. One day, A®wo¾¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ went for Ifá consultation in order to determine her success chances in life. She wanted to know how popular she would be among her contemporaries. To her, success was measured by the number of acquaintances one had and her friends who had partners were very unpopular, and she did not wish this for herself. True, she had more dresses than her contemporaries. She also had more spending money than them. There were many men out there who gave her all that she needed. She therefore saw no reason why she must soil her beautifully shaped fingers and fingernails with any hard work. Those were simply not for her. It was therefore a rude shock for her when the Awo told her that it was in her best interest to stop all the gallivanting around that she had been engaging in. She was advised to look for her own man and stick to this one man and get married and have her own children. She was informed that even though it was true that she was a very beautiful lady, her beauty would not last for long and it was in her own best interest to do what she needed to do before it was too late. The Awo also advised her to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. A®wo¾¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ sat rigidly in front of the Awo for a long time. She was so angry with the Awo to the extent that she lost her voice. She saw the Awo as an envious old fool who was jealous of her striking beauty and who was also jealous because none of his wives or children were as pretty as her. How could she stick to one man when she was at the peak of her popularity? Who would be the man she would stick to anyway? Was there any single man who could satisfy her financially and give her all the money, dresses, jewelleries and cosmetics she wanted? No single man could do that for her. Why should she stick to just one man and deny herself the opportunity of making more money from many men? This was why she thought that Olo;du¾mare¾ had no business retaining old fools like this Awo on earth. These types of Awo ought to have died and been buried a long time ago. When she regained her voice, she gave the Awo a piece of her mind. She also made it clear that he was talking

838


nonsense to her. She was not ready for any man yet. Neither was she ready for any eôboô, especially the one recommended by the stupid Awo. After this, she stood up and stormed out of his house determined never to return there again. When she would see her contemporaries strapping their babies on their backs, she considered them to be inflicting undue pain and burden on themselves. She also felt that they were aging faster and looked older than what they really were. She looked far younger than any of them. It did not take long before she was being invited to many marriage ceremonies of her contemporaries’ children. That was when she finally felt that she needed to settle down and have her own children. She had spent so much money on others when attending their ceremonies - naming of their babies or graduations and weddings of their children. It was time for others to now spend money on her. Unfortunately however, she had endowed herself with such a reputation that every sensible man would run away from her. Any man who showed interest in her would quickly be reminded of several men whom she had ruined through her incessant demands. They would also show these men the other men whom she had led on and then dumped to nurse their grief after she had dumped them. If the man still insisted on developing a relationship with her, his family would ensure that they put an end to it. In the end, A®wo¾¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ found no man to live with when she felt she was ready. Funny enough, she still looked younger than all her colleagues. She was even more beautiful than them. She however had no joy in her life despite this beauty because she had no child of her own to send on errands. The jobs she would not do when she had the strength to do them, she now began to do them in her middle age. Awo¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ lived alone and lonely. She was beautiful but she had husband. She was popular but she had no child. She had many material possessions but she had no real joy in her life. That was when she remembered what the Awo had warned her against many years back. Alas it was just too late to make amends. She was thinking about all these when menopause finally set in.

839


Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô po¾¾ôn Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; ri¾bi¾ribi¾ i¾di; A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni o¾¾ l’e;;re¾¾ Di;a; fu;n A®wo¾¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoôbi¾nrin O®de Eôboô ni; woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: koô’ti; oô¾gboônhin se;;ôboô O: ni; woô;n wi;; o O®un l’o¾un o¾ gboô; o Oun l’o¾un o¾ gba¾ O®un l’o¾un o¾ tieô¾ ya¾ si;i N®jeô; i¾woô A®®wo¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga; A ri; eô r’eô;wa¾ na; O: wa;a; k’oômoô o Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit This was Ifá’s message for A®wo¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ (the Carved Image) The offspring of the Main Road She was advised to offer eôboô for child-bearing She refused to heed or comply She regretted her actions saying she was warned She was the one who refused to listen She refused to accept She refused to give the warning consideration Now, A®®wo¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ We recognize your beauty But you lack children of your own Ifá says that it will not allow the woman for whom this Odù is revealed to live a lonely life in her middle age. She however needs to take being a wife seriously at the appropriate time. She must also downplay her beauty and concentrate on forming a good family with her own man and children. She also needs to stick

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to just being with one man and maintain a high moral standard. She needs to not give herself a bad reputation in the view of the community where she lives. 15. Ifá says that there is an important and high-ranking man where this Odù is revealed who is having a serious disagreement with his wife (or one of his wives). This disagreement had reached a stage that he has abandoned the woman’s room. He has refused to even enter her room. He is also ignoring his moral responsibilities to his wife. Ifá warns this man that it will not augur well for him if he continues to ignore his moral duties to his wife. He must go to his woman immediately and resolve the matter. He must give his wife quality time and ensure that all of his domestic duties and responsibilities are performed for his wife. Ifá says that if the man fails to do this, he will have an uprising his life. This uprising will consume him. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four squirrels and money. They need to carry four plates of eôboô. The head of each squirrel will be placed in each of the eôboô dishes and buried in the four corners of the house, community or town, depending on the sphere of influence of the person for whom this Odù is revealed. On this, Ifá says: A®da;si;, Awo Ala;ra; Di;a; fu;n Ala;ra;, oômoô O®gbo;lu;-Aje; A®da;si;, Awo Ajero¾ Di;a; fu;n Ajero¾, oômoô O®gbo;lu; ko¾ôro¾¾ô i¾ja¾ ja;leô¾ Ni¾tori; oôjoô; mii¾i¾-jo¾ôoô¾mi¾ K'eô;ni o; ma; f’obi¾nrin sô’a¾da;si; moô; Ni;tori; ogun o¾wu;roô¾ ni o Di;a; fu;n Oloô;fin Ni; ka¾si¾ka¾si a¾wu;roô¾ Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: A®da;si; (to set aside), the Awo of Ala;ra; He cast Ifá for Ala;ra;, the offspring of O®gbo;lu;-Aje; A®da;si;, the Awo of Ajero¾

841


He cast Ifá for Ajero¾, the offspring of O®gbo;lu; koôô¾roôô¾ i¾ja¾ ja;le¾ô Next time, do not set any woman aside In order to avoid an uprising early in the morning This was Ifá’s message for OÙloôô;fin Very early in the morning He was advised to offer eôboô In order to cement the friendship between Ala;ra;, the Oôba; of I®la;ra; -Moô¾ki;n and Oôloô;fin, the Oôba of Ile;-Ife¾¾ô, Ala;ra; gave his beloved daughter to Oôlo;;ôfin in marriage. This gesture made the friendship grow and wax stronger. The wedding itself was the talk of the town for a very long time. Two years after the wedding, Ala;ra;’s daughter became totally uncontrollable. She would do whatever she liked at any time she liked. Oôloô;fin did not want to spoil the relationship between him and Ala;ra;. For this reason, he refrained from sharing the untoward behaviours of his daughter to him. The attitude of Ala;ra;’s daughter however eventually became an embarrassing topic in the palace and the whole of Ile;-Ifeô¾. Her behaviours cast Oôloô;fin as a love-drunk Oôba who lacked the capability to curb the excesses of his wife. This was a disgraceful reputation for an Oôba who was regarded and acknowledged as next to the O®ri¾¾sôa¾. This was what eventually made him take action in order to curb his wife’s misbehaviour. He thought of what he could do in order to change her behaviour. He concluded that he would give her the silent treatment. He also refused to eat her food, enter her room, and make love to her. At first, his wife was not bothered at all by this treatment. At a stage, she began to bluff Oôlo;;ôfin but he would call out her bluffs. Later, she began to beg for forgiveness but Oôloô;fin ignored her pleas. After much time had passed, she decided to go to her father to report that Oôlo;;ôfin was maltreating her for no reason. Ala;ra; expected Oôlo;;ôfin to come to him and share what was wrong but he would not say anything. His daughter began to complain everyday that she was being maltreated and that Oôlo;;ôfin was ignoring her completely. He also refused to enter her room, he did not eat her food and there was no love making between the two of them anymore.

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The more his daughter complained the more it pained Ala;ra;. He did not know what step to take. He began to hate Oôlo;;ôfin for mistreating his beloved daughter unjustly. He knew he could not attack Oôloô;fin militarily because Oôloô;fin was the mightiest Oôba on earth. All other nations would rise up to defend Oôloô;fin. What then could he do to avenge his daughter’s maltreatment? As he was thinking about it, a thought came to his mind; he would secretly travel to I®da¾ho¾ômi¾ land and seek the services of hired killers to go an assassinate the Oôlo;;ôfin in his sleep. The more he thought about this option, the more he liked it. One day, he set out on his journey to I®da¾ho¾ômi¾ land. He went straight to the den of these assassins. He enlisted the services of nine of them. When they heard what he wanted them to do for him, they charged him 25 bags of cowries. He paid the money upfront and returned home as quickly as he had left. The assassins told him that it would take them nine days to prepare for the assignment. They began their preparations in earnest. On the night of the day that Ala;ra; went to place the contract on Oôlo;;ôfin’s head, the latter had a terrifying dream. He could not make head nor tail of this dream. Consequently, he summoned his group of Awo to come and consult Ifá for him. He told the domestic servants to send for his Awo to come immediately. When the Awo arrived, they cast Ifá for Oôlo;;ôfin and Ogbe¾-Tu;nmoôpo¾¾ôn was revealed. The Awo told Oôlo;;ôfin that serious trouble was brewing against him. They asked him if there was any woman that he was ignoring among his wives. He told the Awo that he had refused to step into the room of Ala;ra; ’s daughter because of her untoward attitude. The Awo told Oôlo;;ôfin to leave everything he was doing and go straight into her room and do all those things which he had earlier refused to do for her. Not only that, he must ensure that she was totally satisfied with what he needed to do for her before he left her room. The Awo advised him to offer eôboô as stated above. Oôloôfin did. The eôboô were buried in the four corners of Ile;-Ifeô¾. As soon as this was completed, Oôlo;;ôfin entered Ala;ra;’s daughter’s room. He began to talk to her, amend their differences, and promised to do all those things he had earlier refused to do. He also, for one week, he did not allow her to leave the room and he too did not leave the room. On the seventh day, when it remained only one day for the assassins to arrive at Ile;-Ife¾ô to perform their assignment, Ala;ra;’s daughter managed to sneak out of

843


her room when Oôloô;fin was fast asleep. She headed to her father’s palace. She told her father how nice Oôlo;;ôfin had been to her. She stated that she never knew that Oôlo;;ôfin loved her to the extent that he had shown her. She added that she never knew that Oôlo;;ôfin was gathering all the love and attention he had for her together in order to deliver everything to her in one swoop. She was so excited when telling her father all that had been occurring that she did not notice all the facial expressions of her father. Her father had become totally confused and his face had contorted into a grimace. Ala;ra; then confessed that there was no remedy for Oôloô;fin. He was going to die in a few hours' time. His daughter burst into tears, pleading with her father to please spare her husband’s life. She cried that her husband loved her more than her father would ever comprehend. She blamed her father for putting a contract on her husband’s head without seeking clearance from her first. She warned her father that she would never forgive him if anything untoward happened to her beloved husband. All explanations from her father for his reason for employing the service of the assassins fell on deaf ears. She then threatened to expose her father if any evil happened to her loving husband. Ala;ra; became more confused when he heard this. It was definitely too late to recall the assassins. They would have been on their way to Ile; -Ifeô¾ already. What was he going to do now? He did not know. He looked at his daughter helplessly. It was in his bid to help his daughter and avenge the maltreatments which Oôlo;;ôfin meted to her that now turned him to his daughter’s enemy. By the time his daughter stormed out of the palace, he had become a totally disorganized man. Meanwhile, in the dead of the night of that day, the nine assassins were already stationed in the boundary of Ile;-Ifeô¾. A few minutes to the appointed time, they moved and surrounded the four corners of the city. At the appointed time, they moved in. A few moments before these assassins reached the palace, the materials Oôlo;;ôfin used for his eôboô were transformed by E®sôu¾-O®®Ùda¾¾ra¾¾ into phenomena and they began to talk. Their voices echoed throughout the land, saying:

844


Ala;ra; n; ra;n’ni i; pe¾ yi;n o O: ni; eô d’e¾ôyi¾n Gbogbo ogun eô deô¾yi¾n Ajero¾ n; ra;n’ni i;; pe¾ yi;n o O: ni; eô de¾yi¾n Gbogbo ogun eô deô¾yi¾n Oôwa;ra¾ngu;;n n; ra;n’ni i; pe¾ yi;n o O: ni¾ eô deô¾yi¾n Gbogbo ogun eô deô¾yi¾n Obaô¾le;;ôyoôô¾ Ajo¾ri; n; ra;n’ni i; pe¾ yi;n o O: ni; eô deôyin Gbogbo ogun e deyin Translation: Ala;ra; had sent for you He asks you now to go back All uprisings, please go back Ajeôro¾ had sent for you He asks you now to go back All uprisings, please go back Owa;ra;ngu¾n had sent for you He asks you now to go back All uprisings, please go back Obaô¾le;;ôyoôô¾ had sent for you He asks you now to go back All uprisings, please go back The assassins became confused. Was it not the same Ala;ra; who gave them the contract and even paid upfront? If he knew that he did not have the nerve to go through with the plan, why did he summon them to come and execute the contract? They had planned and practiced so hard that the plot would have been fun to execute. Not only this, it would have been the highest ranking target they had ever struck. It would indeed be a shame that they would not pull this coup through. To make the matter worse, it was not only Ala;ra; calling to pull out and abandon the contract. Even Ajero¾, OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n and Oôbaleô;yo¾ô were asking them to pull out. What a pity. Well, they had nothing to lose. They had been paid up front. With regrets, they pulled out and returned to where they come from that very night.

845


Meanwhile, Ala;ra; and his daughter could not sleep that night for different reasons. Ala;ra; could not sleep because he knew his daughter would expose him as the brain behind the assassination if the contract was successfully executed. That would put him in serious trouble. And if the contract was bungled, the assassins would mention his name as the mastermind of the contract. That would also put him in trouble. The only solution was for the assassins not to show up. He would gladly forfeit the money he had paid to the assassins. He called on his ancestors to help him out of this dilemma. His daughter could not sleep because since the time she had been married, she never knew that her husband loved her that much. There was no part of her being that Oôloô;fin had not touched. He made her feel like a woman should be made to feel. She was very fulfilled. Oôloô;fin had made her a happy woman. She felt happier in the last seven days than any other time of her life. Why must her father place a contract on the head of her man who loved her that deeply? The assassins would come that night to kill her beloved. Anyway, they would have to kill her first before they could touch her darling husband. She had vowed never to do anything that would make him angry again. Life without Oôloô;fin would not be worth living. She had been shown love and life from a different perspective which she never knew ever existed. She made up her mind to put her father to shame if anything bad should happen to her husband. When she heard the huge noise asking all uprising to pull out, she was sure it was her father who had sent out his delegates to warn the assassins off. On the other hand, Ala;ra; heard the noise warning the assassins to return to base, he was certain that his daughter was behind it. The important thing however was that the life of Oôloô;fin was spared. Oôloô;fin lived for a long, long time to give Ala;ra;’s daughter the nice times she craved for from her husband. A®da;si;, Awo Ala;ra; Di;a; fu;n Ala;ra;, oômoô O®gbo;lu;-Aje; A®da;si;, Awo Ajero¾ Di;a; fu;n Ajero¾, oômoô O®gbo;lu; ko¾ôro¾¾ô i¾ja¾ ja;leô¾ Ni¾tori; oôjoô; mii¾i¾-jo¾ôoô¾mi¾ K'eô;ni o; ma; f’obi¾nrin sô’a¾da;si; moô; Ni;tori; ogun o¾wu;roô¾ ni o Di;a; fu;n Oloô;fin Ni; ka¾si¾ka¾si a¾wu;roô¾

846


Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Eô wa;a; ba; ni¾ la;ru¾u;sôe;ô ogun A:ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba;; ni l'e;ôse¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ N®jeô; Ala;ra; n; ra;n’ni i; pe¾ yi;n o O: ni; eô d’e¾ôyi¾n Gbogbo ogun eô deô¾yi¾n Ajero¾ n; ra;n’ni i;; pe¾ yi;n o O: ni; eô de¾yi¾n Gbogbo ogun eô deô¾yi¾n Oôwa;ra¾ngu;;n n; ra;n’ni i; pe¾ yi;n o O: ni¾ eô deô¾yi¾n Gbogbo ogun eô deô¾yi¾n Obaô¾le;;ôyoôô¾ Ajo¾ri; n; ra;n’ni i; pe¾ yi;n o O: ni; eô de¾¾ôyi¾n Gbogbo ogun eô de¾ôyi¾n Translation: A®da;si; (to set aside), the Awo of Ala;ra; He cast Ifá for Ala;ra;, the offspring of O®gbo;lu;-Aje; A®da;si;, the Awo of Ajero¾ He cast Ifá for Ajero¾, the offspring of O®gbo;lu; koôô¾roôô¾ i¾ja¾ ja;le¾ô Next time, do not set any woman aside In order to avoid an uprising early in the morning This was Ifá’s message for OÙloôô;fin Very early in the morning He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory over adversity Victory over adversary is what Ifá guarantees for His devotees Now, Ala;ra; had sent for you He asks you now to go back All uprisings, please go back Now, Ajeôro¾ had sent for you He asks you now to go back All uprisings, please go back

847


Now, Owa;ra;ngu¾n had sent for you He asks you now to go back All uprisings, please go back Obaô¾le;;ôyoôô¾ had sent for you He asks you now to go back All uprisings, please go back Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that all uprisings will pull back from his/her life and he/she will enjoy his/her life to the fullest. This person, if a man, however needs to ensure that all disagreements between him and his spouse are amicably resolved in the interest of peace and harmony. He must make big efforts to make amends.

16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to allow any stranger or visitor to stay in his/her house. This is in order to avoid putting himself/herself into serious trouble. Ifá says that if he/she allows the visitor to stay in his/her house, he/she will offend the visitor and it will lead to disaster for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. The same she-goat will then be used to feed Ifá and the heart of the she-goat will be placed on Ifá until it rots inside the Ifá bowl. The heart of the she-goat must not be eaten for any reason whatsoever. He/she also needs to feed O®gu;n with one cock. On this aspect Ogbe¾-Tu;nmoôpoô¾n says: Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moôô si; Ogbe¾ su;n’moôô si; ri¾bi¾;ribi i¾di;; A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ l’e;re¾ Di;a; fu;n I®ro;ko¾ Eô®lu¾ju¾ Ti; woô;n ni; ko; ma;; gb’a¾lejo¾ eôleôgeô; si';le;; Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

848


Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit This was Ifá’s message for I®ro;ko¾ of the wilderness Who was warned not to accommodate a delicate visitor into his home He was advised to offer eôboô I®ro;ko¾ Eô®lu¾ju¾ was a very ambitious person. He planned to succeed together with all the members of his family. He was ready to do whatever was required to ensure that success came to him and his family. This was the reason why he went for Ifá consultation in the home of the group of Awo stated above: Will I succeed in life? If yes, What will I need to do to ensure this success? The Awo assured I®ro;ko¾ Eô®lu¾ju¾ that he would succeed together with his family. He was however warned not to allow visitors to stay in his house because doing so might bring grief of monumental proportion to him and his family. The Awo advised I®ro;ko¾ Eô®lu¾ju¾ to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money and to feed O®gu;;n with one cock. He thought that the Awo had already told him that he would succeed together with his family. He therefore felt that there was no reason why he should offer any eôboô. When he returned home, he discussed the matter with his wife and they both concluded that all they needed to do was to ensure that no visitor was allowed to stay in their home. For that reason, they concluded that there was absolutely no reason to procure any eôboô materials for the Awo. That was why they simply ignored the advice of the Awo to offer the eôboô and feed O®gu;;n. Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; ri¾bi¾¾ribi i¾di;; A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni o¾ l’e;re¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n; sô’awo loô oô¾na¾ to; jin¾ gboôoôro bi; oôjoô; Eôboô ni; woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

849


Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit This was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going on an Ifá mission to the land that was as far as the distance between the sun and the earth He was advised to offer eôboô O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ planned to travel to many places to go on spiritual missions. His intention was to move from one place to another in order to make enough money for his upcoming annual Ifá festival ceremony. He therefore went for Ifá consultation in the home of the group of Awo, who were his former students, mentioned above in order to determine his success chances. The Awo informed O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would surely succeed in his travels and he would make a lot of money in his work. He was advised to offer eôboô with a mature she-goat and money. He was also asked to feed O®gu;;n with one cock. He complied. Shortly after this, he set out on his journey. On his way, he met I®ro;ko¾ Eô®lu¾ju¾. After exchanging pleasantries, I®ro;ko¾ demanded to know where O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was heading to. He explained that he was going on an Ifá mission from place to place. I®ro;ko¾ pleaded with O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to stay with his family. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ agreed. When both of them got to I®ro;ko¾’s home, I®ro;ko¾’s wife called him aside and reminded him of the warning of the Awo which they had decided to keep. I®ro;ko¾ got angry. Very angry at his wife. He retorted that although was told not to allow any visitor to stay in his home, would that include O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾? He said that the Awo had promised them that they would succeed. He reckoned that his family’s success would come through O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. Consequent upon this, the visitors that the Awo mentioned could not include OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. He then said to her very rudely, since when does an ordinary woman poke her nose and mouth into my business?

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OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was given a room in their home and I®ro;ko¾ went out to inform everybody that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was staying at his house and if anyone had any problem, they could approach O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ for a solution. Within three weeks, I®ro;ko¾’s house turned into a beehive of activities. People trooped in and out of I®ro;ko¾’s house looking for solutions to their problems. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was recommending mature she-goats as eôboô and was not needing any part of the she-goat except the heart. It was the heart of the animal that he was using to solve any problem that any of the clients would have. The rest of the animal would be given to I®ro;ko¾ and his family to do as they wished. I®ro;ko¾ would dry the meat on fire; give some out, cook some for food and sell the rest. By so doing, I®ro;ko¾ and his family had money to do whatever they wanted to do. He was very happy. Sometimes, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ would instruct I®ro;ko¾ to slaughter up to 10 animals in a day and ask him to keep the hearts for him. Other times, it would be up to 16 goats. There was no day that I®ro;ko¾ would not slaughter at least five goats. All his family members were very happy. One day, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ considered the case of I®ro;ko¾ and felt that he ought to be taught a lesson which he would never forget. To E®sôu¾ Oô®da¾ra¾, I®ro;ko¾ had committed three offences: one, he had refused to heed the warning of Ifá that he should not allow any visitor to stay in his house; two, he had been very chauvinistic to the extent that his woman’s views and opinions did not mean anything; and three, he had refused to offer eôboô as prescribed by the Awo. For these reasons, E®sôu¾ Oô®da¾ra¾ declared, I®ro;ko¾ must be punished. He went to I®ro;ko¾’s house that day. When he got there, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had gone out. OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ had asked I®ro;ko¾ to slaughter eight goats and leave the hearts for him. I®ro;ko¾ had already slaughtered the goats and was busy drying the meat on the fire when E®sôu¾ Oô®da¾ra¾ arrived. He met I®ro;ko¾ still drying the goat meat on the fire. They both exchanged pleasantries. E®sôu¾ then told I®ro;ko¾ that he had come to see O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. He responded that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had gone out. E®sôu¾ demanded to know from I®ro;ko¾> “how his visitor was doing?” Iro;ko¾ responded; “He was doing very well”. E®sôu asked; “In what way?”

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I®ro;ko¾ responded; “Look at all the goat meat we have on the fire for drying. He gave everything to us to do as we wish. The only thing he wanted from the goat was the heart”. E®sôu¾ Oô®da¾ra¾ “Is he paying for the renting of the room he is occupying?” I®ro;ko¾ said, “No he is not. We do not consider it necessary to collect house rent from him at all. Afterall, he has been giving us so much meat that he has brought much money for us”. E®sôu¾ Oô®da¾ra¾ then said, “Fools! Idiots! Bloody fools! Compound fools! Can’t you see that the heart is the real meat? Can’t you see that the heart has no bones? How could you allow O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to cheat you like this? Don’t you know that the person who eats the heart of any animal is the one who enjoys the animal? He has been deceiving you all this time by telling you to eat other parts of the goat and he has been eating the heart! Don’t you realize that all other parts of the goat are useless and worthless?" E®sôu¾ Oô®da¾ra¾ waited for his statements to sink into their heads before he continued saying; “No! I will not allow you to be cheated any longer. I will help you redress the situation. How can someone who is not paying for house rent be eating the goat hearts alone? Start with these hearts and cut them into two right now and ask your wife to go and look for pepper, onion, salt and palm-oil. You must cook the eight hearts in my presence and eat them with a¾ma¾la¾. When he returns to demand for his goat hearts, tell him you have eaten them. After all, he was not paying you any house rent!” E®sôu¾ ensured that the eight goat hearts were consumed in his presence before he left. I®ro;ko¾ however discovered that the heart meat was not necessarily more delicious than the liver or kidney. Nonetheless, they ate up the eight hearts. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ arrived in the evening, he wanted to use the eight goat hearts to do the work for his clients, but they were nowhere to be found. He demanded, “I®ro;ko¾, where have you kept the eight hearts of the goats that I asked you to keep for me? I need to start working on the cases of the clients immediately because some of the cases are very delicate and they require urgent attention."

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I®ro;ko¾ responded, "They have been eaten." O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ thought he was joking at first. “I®ro;ko¾, please I have no time for jokes because I need to start working on the clients' cases instantly." I®ro;ko¾ repeated, "I and my family members have eaten the hearts." O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ could not believe his ears. "Why?" he demanded. I®ro;ko¾ responded, "I ordered my family to eat them because I can no longer stand the cheating that we have been receiving from you, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. You do not pay me any house rent and you have been eating the hearts of the goats all alone!" OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ explained to I®ro;ko¾, "The eight goat hearts represent the lives of eight people who are having one form of problem or the other and whose problems must be removed and their lives returned to the right track. Without the hearts of these goats, this cannot be done. It is an unimaginable cruelty for anyone to just eat the hearts of the goats. As you can see since I have been staying with you in your house, I have never consumed any of the hearts; instead, I have placed them in my Ifá bowls and have left them there with appropriate prayers until Ifá changes the lives of the clients from bad to good and from good to the better. How can you, my hosts, eat the hearts? What kind of insensitivity is that?" The only thing I®ro;ko¾ could say was that the eight goat hearts had been consumed. The damage had been done already! Hearing this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s countenance changed totally. He began to pack his belongings. I®ro;ko¾’s wife prepared food and brought it to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. He rejected the food. Throughout the night, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was pacing up and down in his room. At the first cock crow, he began to move out all his things. Soon after this, he left I®ro;ko¾’s house. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ left feeling very melancholic. He was totally disappointed. He had no particular destination in his mind. All he knew was that he must move away from that house. As he was going on his way, he decided to follow his original plan of taking the journey that was as far as the distance between the sun and

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the earth. While on his way, he met O®gu;n. Being deep in his thoughts did not recognize O®gu;n at first glance. O®gu;n called him and extended his greetings. The response that O®gu;n got from OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made it clear to O®gu;n that something was seriously amiss. He demanded to know what was wrong, but O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ told him that there was nothing wrong. He persuaded O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to share his mind with him; after all, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ gave him a big cock when he was about to commence on the journey. That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told O®gu;n what I®ro;ko¾ had done. O®gu;n was livid with anger. He told his friend and benefactor to go on his journey. He declared that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ would hear what he O®gu;n would do to I®ro;ko¾ and all the members of I®ro;ko¾’s family in the bid to demand for the eight hearts of the goats that they had wickedly consumed. As soon as OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ left, O®gu;n summoned the following; Axes, Machetes, Cutlasses, Saws, Jiggers, Swords, Files, Spades, Hoes and so on together. He ordered them to go into the forests and demand for the eight goat hearts that Iro;ko¾ and his family had eaten. They would cut them down one by one. They must also ensure that all of them were aware that the deaths that they were about to experience came were a result of their consumption of the goat hearts which they were not supposed to eat. All the axes, cutlasses, etc. set out to work. The first I®ro;ko¾ E®ôlu¾ju¾ tree that they met was cut down to pieces within the twinkling of an eye. As they hit him continuously with these blades, he began to cry “Oôka¾n, oôka¾n, oôka¾n, oôka¾n” – "heart, heart, heart” as the blow of the blades hit his body. They moved from one I®ro;ko¾ tree to the next, bringing them down and sparing none. Up till today, O®ôgu;n continues to send his implements to demand from I®ro;ko¾ the eight goat hearts he and his family had consumed. Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moôô si; Ogbe¾ su;n’moôô si; ri¾bi¾;ribi i¾di;; A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ l’e;re¾ Di;a; fu;n I®ro;ko¾ Eô®lu¾ju¾ Ti; woô;n ni; ko; ma;; gb’a¾lejo¾ eôleôgeô; si';le;; Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: koôti; o¾gbonyin sô’eôboô

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Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; ri¾bi¾¾ribi i¾di;; A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni o¾ l’e;re¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n; sô’awo loô oô¾na¾ to; jin¾ gboôoôro bi; oôjoô; Eôboô ni; woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô ô E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾ Oô®fa¾ Eôni; to gb’eôboô ni;be¾ô Eô peô; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô A®sôe; oka¾n ni; n;sôe’ku; pa ba¾ba; awoôn i;gi¾ Translation: Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit This was Ifá’s message for I®ro;ko¾ of the wilderness Who was warned not to accommodate a delicate visitor into his home He was advised to offer eôboô He refused to offer the eôboô Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When going on an Ifá mission to the land that is as far as the distance between the sun and the earth He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Travellers to Ìpo and Oô®fa¾ Whoever is advised to offer eôboô Let them comply So, it is the heart that is causing the death of the father of all forest trees?

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Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to be avaricious and not to allow anyone to push him/her to do what he/she will regret for the rest of his/her life. He/she must never allow any visitor to stay in his/her house in order to avoid a disaster of gargantuan magnitude. A man is specifically warned to listen to his wife’s advice.


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B.

SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® O®TU:RU:PO®ÙN FOR THOSE BORN BY THE ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙD ® A:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA: All Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children, males and females, are uniquely created by Olo;du¾mare¾. That is why it is not advisable for anyone to try to emulate them. Apart from this, there is nowhere that they cannot succeed, either where they are born or outside their locality. Being strangers in any land will deter them from becoming highly successful in their lives. Anywhere they are, nobody can displace them. Nobody can stop their success drive. They shall be given respect, honour and recognition anywhere they make their homes or decide to work. Apart from being given spaces and opportunities to operate, Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children also perform wonders and miracles anywhere they are. They do not only succeed; they do it in grand style. By their nature, Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children are never satisfied or contented with doing things the way others do them. Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children usually love to put a touch of class in everything they do. As soon as they finish, they do not wait for others to blow their trumpets for them: they will blow their own trumpets. The way that they blow their trumpets however, more often than not, hinges on pride and arrogance. This is the reason why many people feel that Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children are proud and arrogant but they really are not. They simply find it difficult to wait before they showcase their success for people to see and marvel at. Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children, males and females, also have unique ways of overcoming all oppositions in their lives. As their Ori; assists them in identifying their oppositions, so also will their genitals assist them in overcoming the oppositions. It is not uncommon to find that the levels of success and invincibility of Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children are greatly enhanced by their sexuality. Again, it is not advisable for anyone to emulate them in these areas. It is not a good habit for Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n male and female children to take care of other people's children, businesses, ventures or undertakings. It is also not a good idea for them to allow stay-in visitors into their homes without proper investigation first. All these can lead to disaster or even calamity for them and their entire household.

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Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n male children must never ignore their wife (wives) let alone deny their wife (wives) love and sex. It is a very serious taboo for them to do so. The consequence may cost them their lives. Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n male children have better relationships with light-skinned spouses than with dark-skinned ones. For Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n female children, they have the tendency not to show gratitude to those who assist them to achieve their hearts' desires. This attitude usually causes them grief and regrets throughout the remaining parts of their lives. On the overall, Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children, males and females, live their lives in relatively above-average levels of comfort, success and achievement. They succeed in wonderful ways and become victorious in miraculous ways. At the end of the day, they have cause to celebrate lives well spent.

C.

AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ®/O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® O®TU:RU:PO®ÙN

1. Ifá - For direction, success, victory, elevation, sanctuary, contentment, achievement, and overall wellbeing 2. Ori; - For fulfilment of destiny, sanctuary, victory, success, support, contentment, elevation, achievement, and self-actualization 3. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ - For sanctuary, guidance, protection, victory, support and overall success 4. O®gu;n - For victory, leadership, success, progress and general wellbeing 5. SÙa¾ngo; - For victory, leadership, success, progress and general wellbeing 6. OÙya - For child-bearing, child-rearing and support 7. OÙ®sôun - For compatible spouse, child-bearing, child-rearing, success, contentment and overall wellbeing 8. EÙgbeô; - For success, comradeship, leadership, victory and general wellbeing 9. Egu;ngu;n - For ancestral support, sanctuary, victory, lineage continuity, leadership, success and general wellbeing 10. OÙbalu;aye; - For victory over ailments, success, leadership and general wellbeing 11. Oro¾ - For ancestral support, sanctuary, victory, leadership, success and general wellbeing

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D.

TABOOS OF OGBE®® O®TU:RU:PO®ÙN

1. Must never eat the heart of any rat, fish, bird or beast - to avoid unconsummated fortune, dwindling progress, failure, regrets and disaster 2. Must never cheat anyone - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure and regrets 3. Must never strap other people's babies on his/her back - to avoid the problem of childlessness, unconsummated fortune, failure and regret 4. Must never take charge of other people's ventures or businesses - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure or regret 5. Must never eat ram - to avoid the wrath of OÙya, failure and regret 6. Must never avoid ones matrimonial responsibilities - to avoid trouble, crises and disaster 7. Must never be too fashion or beauty conscious - to avoid child-bearing challenges, failure and regret 8. Must never allow visitors in his/her home without prior comprehensive investigation - to avoid trouble, calamity and everlasting regret 9. Must never pay goodness with ingratitude - to avoid regret, failure and disaster

E.

POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® O®TU:RU:PO®ÙN

I. MALES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Ifágba¾mi;la¾ - Ifá comes to my rescue Ifágbe¾mi; - Ifá comes to my support Ifágbe;miga - Ifá exalts me Ifásôôe;ôgun - Ifá is victorious Ifásôeun - Ifá I am thankful

II. FEMALES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

EÙleô;wa¾ - The beautiful one Aratu¾mi; - I feel comfortable Ifásôemi;lo;ore - Ifá has done me a great favour Afi¾di;po¾ôteô¾ - She who uses her genitals to overcome conspiracy Ifásôeun - Ifá I am thankful


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Chapter 12

Ogbè Òtúrá

I I II I I I I I 860

Ogbe¾-O®tu;ra; Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; Ogbe¾-Je¾ôgbeô¾ Ogbe¾-OÙla¾ A.1. Ifá says that it foresees Ire for the person for whom this Odù is revealed during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;. Ifá says that at any given time, all the Ire of life will be coming to this person from their own home and outside his/her domain. Ifá assures this person that there is nothing that he/she will look for and not get. Not only this, he /she will get the things he/she looks for from home and outside their home. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 4 rats, 4 fish, 2 pigeons, 2 hens, 2 guinea fowls, 2 cocks, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with either 1 hen or 1 mature she-goat. On this, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; says: Ya¾a¾ya¾a¾ Awo e¾ôba; oô¾na¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti;'fa; yo;o; ri;’re me;ji¾ l’o;o¾jo;ô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ya¾a¾ya¾a, the ant-hill, the Awo of the roadside He was the Awo who cast Ifá for Orunmila Who shall receive the blessings of two Ire in one day He was advised to offer ẹbọ

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was practicing as a Babaláwo. At the same time, he had a large expanse of land, which he used for farming. He also set traps on

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his farmland. As an Awo, he had average success. As a farmer, his success was slightly below average. In order to have improvement in his life, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ summoned one of his ex-students for Ifá consultation. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked Ifá, “Will I succeed in life?” Ya¾a¾ya¾a told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would succeed both as an Awo and a farmer. He assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that his level of success would be beyond his imagination. He advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ as stated above. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied. True to prediction, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ succeeded in his work as an Awo. He had clients from all over the world. He became stupendously rich. His farm equally prospered. All his farm products came out fine and he had bountiful harvests on his farm. Ya¾a¾ya¾a¾ Awo eô¾ba; o¾ôna¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti;'fa; yo;o; ri;’re me;ji¾ l’o;o¾joô; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®jeô; mo ri;’re ni;’le; Mo ri;’re l’o;ko Ya¾a¾ya¾a¾, Awo rere lo jeô; Translation: Ya¾a¾ya¾a, the ant-hill, the Awo of the roadside He was the Awo who cast Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Who shall receive the blessings of two Ire in one day He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and see all Ire of life

862

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

Behold, I am blessed with Ire on the farm Ya¾a¾ya¾a, you are a great Awo Ifá says that this person shall have cause to celebrate his/her success in life, he/she should take to study Ifa and delve in agriculture. He/she should praise his/her Awo for a job well done. 2.Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she shall have positive reproaches to lay claim to in his/her life. He/she shall dance and be glad in life. This person shall be very satisfied with all the developments in his/her life. Ifá says that he/she shall acquire all what he/she desires in life. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 4 rats, 4 fish, 2 pigeons, 2 hens, 2 guinea fowls, 2 cocks, and money. On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; says: E®sôi;nkanri;n, Awo o¾de OÙ®sa;n A®da¾ba¾ sôu¾u¾sôu¾u¾, Awo O®wu;roô¾ Di;a; fu;n Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ti;i; sô’oômoô E®kuru-Gboô;nna EÙboô ko; le¾ ri; i¾re¾gu;n ire soô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation:

E®sôi;nkanri;n, the Awo of the noon-time A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u,¾ the gentle dove, the Awo of the morning They cast Ifá for Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; The offspring of E®kuru-Gboô;nna He was advised to offer ẹbọ for him to have positive reproaches in life Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; was the son of E®kuru-Gbo;ônna. He was a very hard working and ambitious person. From his youth, he had been aspiring to become a great man in life. He was always prepared to pursue all avenues that would make him great in life, as long as these avenues were recognized

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and approved of by his society. He was not prepared to undertake any illegal or illegitimate ventures. At this particular point in time, he was very poor with nothing to show for all his efforts, but he was hopeful that it would be well with him in the end. His poverty and lack of success had never bothered him, not even one day, to the extent of him contemplating seeking gratification through the back door. He was totally convinced that Ifá would provide all his needs in life. Anything that would not come through Ifá was not of any interest to him. One day, Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; went to the home of the two Awo mentioned above in order to determine for sure his success chances in life. He wanted to know when this success would come and through what means. He was never in doubt of his success. He only wanted to know when it would arrive and how great it would be. He also wanted to know the areas of life that he would excel in so as to concentrate in those areas and lay less emphasis on the areas where Ifá said that his destiny did not concentrate on. When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed. The Awo assured Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; that he would surely record success in all departments of life. Not only this, he would have positive reproaches to lay claim to in each of the departments of life. He was urged to place all his hopes and aspirations in Ifá. He was assured that Ifá would give to him all the things he needed at the most appropriate periods in his life. He was told that he did not need to hurry or be apprehensive in any way. He was assured that nothing important and useful to his life would ever pass him by. The Awo also told him to offer ẹbọ as stipulated above and to be consistent in all his undertakings. He was advised to wait quietly for what Ifá would do for him. Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; complied with all the advice given by the Awo. He continued to work hard, he never showed envy or anger when anyone succeeded. He was sure that his own success would arrive at the most appropriate period. He was never interested in any kind of short-cut to have success. He always thought, spoke, and acted in a correct manner. Every aspect of his life was guided by Ifá principles.

864

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

One day, his neighbour invited him on a fishing expedition. He consulted Ifá and he was given the blessing to follow his friend. They went on the fishing trip and they recorded a bountiful harvest. They sold the fish at a very good price. Before long, both of them became fishing partners. They were both making good money. Soon after, lack of financial success became a thing of the past in his life. He was able to afford many of the luxuries of life, which had hitherto eluded him. His partner was also a very honest man and being older than Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; in age, he was able to guide Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; on the right path. Eighteen lunar months after, they started their fishing business. The friend called Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; and insisted that he must begin to make arrangements on how to get married. He told Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; that all things must be done at the most appropriate time. He insisted that this period was the most appropriate time for Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; to get married. Both of them went for Ifá consultation over the matter and Ifá gave its blessing for Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; to get married. The friend plAyéd a major role in ensuring that the right woman was found for Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;. When the woman was eventually found, both the friend and Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;’s family members performed all the necessary arrangements and roles to ensure a successful marriage. The wedding ceremony was a huge success. One year after the marriage, Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; was already a proud father. He continued to pray to Olo;du¾mare¾ and Ifá to make him a responsible husband to his wife and a good father to his child. His prAyérs were answered. Before long, he decided to erect his own personal house. The family gave him a parcel of land to build his own house. The house was a magnificent mansion by every standard. His money continued to flow in from his fishing business. At a stage his partner suggested Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;’s wife should also be selling fish while they continued to hunt for fish. He stressed that they did not need to combine the business of catching and selling fish together. They tried this and it was also a success. Money continued to multiply itself in Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;’s house.

865


To crown his success, Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; purchased a very beautiful horse. His compound was known as the compound of horse-riders. He enjoyed the support of his community because he was always at the forefront of ensuring that the community developed. He was a great philanthropist. Many people were pulled up by Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; either personally or through the benefit of his development projects. One day, Da¾nb ¾ i¾ri¾ki; sat down to take stock of his rise from grass to grace, from nothing to abundance, from obscurity to prominence and from the bottom of the ladder to the apex. He had no option but to give thanks and praise to his friend and partner, his Ifá, and Olo;du¾mare¾ who never let him down for one moment. E®sôi;nkanri;n, Awo o¾de OÙ®sa;n A®da¾ba¾ sôu¾u¾sôu¾u¾, Awo O®wu;roô¾ Di;a; fu;n Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ti;i; sô’oômoô E®kuru-Gboô;nna EÙboô ko; le¾ ri; i¾re¾gu;n ire soô ni woô;n ni; ko; O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Ire gbogbo wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru N®jeô; i¾re¾gu;n aje; ni mo¾ n; wa; Ifá; Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ifá; je;ô ki; n ri; i¾re¾gu;n ire soô o I®re¾gu;n aya ni mo¾ n; wa; Ifá; Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ifá; je;ô ki; n ri; i¾re¾gu;n ire soô o I®re¾gu;n oômoô ni mo¾ n; wa; Ifá; Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ifá; je;ô ki; n ri; i¾re¾gu;n ire soô o I®re¾gu;n eôsôin ni mo¾ n; wa; Ifá; Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ifá; je;ô ki; n ri; i¾re¾gu;n ire soô o I®re¾gu;n ogbo; ni mo¾ n; wa; Ifá; Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ifá; je;ô ki; n ri; i¾re¾gu;n ire soô o I®re¾gu;n ire gbogbo ni mo¾ n; wa; Ifá; Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;

866

wa;a; sôe

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

Ifá; je;ô ki; n ri; i¾re¾gu;n ire soô o Translation:

E®sôi;nkanri;n, the Awo of the noon-time A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u,¾ the gentle dove, the Awo of the morning They cast Ifá for Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; The offspring of E®kuru-Gboô;nna He was advised to offer ẹbọ for him to have positive reproaches in life He complied Before long, not too far All the Ire of life came trooping in It is the positive reproach of wealth I am seeking Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ifá, please let me have good reproaches to lay claim to It is the positive reproach of spouse I am seeking Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ifá, please let me have good reproaches to lay claim to It is the positive reproach of children I am seeking Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ifá, please let me have good reproaches to lay claim to It is the positive reproach of personal property I am seeking Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ifá, please let me have good reproaches to lay claim to It is the positive reproach of a personal horse I am seeking Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ifá, please let me have good reproaches to lay claim to It is the positive reproach of longevity I am seeking Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ifá, please let me have good reproaches to lay claim to It is the positive reproach of all the Ire of life I am seeking Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; Ifá, please let me have good reproaches to lay claim to

867


Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she shall lay claim to all the good and benefiting reproaches of life. All he/she needs to do is be consistent, prayerful, hardworking, and hopeful. He/she shall never go empty-handed. That is the assurance of Ifá for him/her.

3. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be blessed with financial success in life. He/she shall also be blessed with the mercy of Olo;du¾mare¾ and those of the people in his/her community. He/she shall enjoy positive public opinion. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 4 rats, 4 fish, 2 pigeons, 2 hens, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with oo;yo;ô soup. On this, Ifá says: SÙi¾gi¾di¾-n¾gboôroô¾ Di;a; fu;;n O;®ÙrÙun;mi¾la¾ Ifá; yo;o; jeô ewe; Ifá; kan a¾jeô-l’a;je; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: SÙi¾gi¾di¾-n¾gboôroô¾ He was the Awo who cast Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Who would consume an Ifá herb that would make him a wealthy person He was advised to offer ẹbọ O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ planned his success right from the time he landed in Ado;-E®ki¾ti¾. What could he do to succeed and reach the zenith of his career in this world? He asked himself this one day over and over again. He was the Iru;nmoôleô¾ who Olo;du¾mare¾ assigned to bring the wisdom and understanding of Ifá to the world for the benefit of the world. He was the Iru;nmoôleô¾ who trained most of the Iru;nmoôleô¾ in Ifá and installed many of them into their various positions in heaven. He trained A®ja¾gu¾nma¾le

868

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

and installed him as the Olu;wo in heaven. He trained and installed OÙba A®ja¾la;ye; and OÙba A®ja¾loô;run. He had now come into the world to train human kind in order to have them sip from the fountain of knowledge, which Ifá represented. How would he accomplish this and be successful? The style in heaven was quite different from what operated on earth. He planned to succeed but how would he go about it? That was his question. As soon as he arrived at Ado;-E®ki¾ti, he called upon SÙi¾gi¾di¾-n¾gboôroô, one of his former students whom he trained when he was in Ile-Ife to come and consult Ifá for him. Would he succeed? That was his major question. If he was to be successful, then how would he go about it? During consultation, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would not only succeed, he would also reach the apex of his chosen career in life. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that to succeed in his field, he needed the well-wishing of the people in his community. He said that his competence was not enough. Rather, he must be in the good books of the people in order to ensure that he really succeeded. The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ and at the same time to prepare the Ifá special soup stated above for him to really show a high degree of outstanding performance. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ complied. As soon as he did this, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to town announcing to everyone in the community, that the most competent Awo on earth had arrived in Ado;-E®ki¾ti. He made it clear to whoever cared to listen that O¾¾Ù®ru;nmi¾la¾’s presence was a great privilege and honour, which only the unfortunate or foolish person would miss. When the inhabitants heard this, they trooped to O¾¾Ù®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house, some out of curiosity, some out of genuine desire to consult Ifá in order to straighten their lives, while others just went to join others who went, and some just went not be left out. Every time someone set their eyes on O¾¾Ù®ru;nmi¾la¾, it was like love at first site. They developed great admiration for him and they always wished to come back again and again. This was how the clientele of O¾¾Ù®ru;nmi¾la¾ swelled. He made huge sums of money. He was also able to solve all the

869


immediate and future problems of the people. He became a household name. He became so happy with the development in his life that he continuously praised Olo;du¾mare¾, Ifá, and his Awo. SÙi¾gi¾di¾-n¾gboôroô¾ Di;a; fu;;n O;®ÙrÙun;mi¾la¾ Ifá; yo;o; jeô ewe; Ifá; kan a¾jeô-l’a;je; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Ire aje; wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru N®jeô; ewe; e ki;nni mo jeô Ti; mo fi l’a;je;? SÙi¾gi¾di¾-n¾gboôroô¾ Oo;yo;ô ni mo jeô o OÙwoô; o¾ô mi wa;a; teô ewe; e oo;yo;ô oko OÙ®ro¾ô oô¾ mi ka¾sôa¾i¾ yo;ô’kin ni;’nu; ge¾ôeô¾re¾ôgeô¾ Translation: SÙi¾gi¾di¾-n¾gboôroô¾ He was the Awo who cast Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Who would consume an Ifá herb that would make him a wealthy person He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far The blessing of prosperity came trooping in Now, what type of leaves did I eat That made me acquire the blessing of prosperity? SÙi¾gi¾di¾-n¾gboôroô¾ It was Oo;yo;ô leaves that I consumed I have now gotten a hold of Oo;yo;ô leaves All my matters shall only be pleasing to Ifá Ifá says that all the steps taken by this person shall become pleasing and acceptable to Ifá. He/she shall be loved and adored by the people. They shall help him/her succeed in life.

870

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

4. Ifá enjoins the person for whom this Odù is revealed to uphold the truth at all times. He/she must be truthful, honest, righteous, and upright at all times in his/her life. He/she must never be a part of any thought, speech, or act that may bring down any other person, group, or the society at large. Ifá says that this person must always fight for the common good of the society. He/she must also oppose any move that would be inimical to the progress or well-being of the community. He/she must never keep quiet in the midst of injustice, cheating, unethical behaviour, or any illegality. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature pig, 16 land snails, and money. After this, he/she will need to procure a handful of oô¾du;ndu;n leaves, te¾ôteô¾ leaves, rinrin leaves, 200 agbe wing feathers, 200 a¾¾ku¾ko¾ wing feathers, 200 odi;deôreô; tail feathers, 200 rats, 200 fish, 200 se¾se; leaves, one medium size mortar, 16 land snails, shea butter, and two litres of palm-oil. A hole will then need to be dug in the centre of the house of the person for whom this Odù is revealed and all these items will be placed into the hole. I®ye¾ôro¾su¾n will then be used to imprint Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; on the Ifá tray. This particular stanza will then be recited and the I®ye¾ôro¾su¾n will be poured on all the items in the hole. The mortar will then be used to cover everything in the hole. After this, the soil will be spread on everything to cover up the hole. If these steps are correctly taken, this person will stand the chance of overcoming all oppositions. On this aspect, Ifá says: Gi;ro¾ôoô; eôyeô ori; O®gu;n A®k®a¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ eôyeô a¾do;ro¾ô A®woôn me;je¾e¾ji¾ ni wo;ôn pe¾te-pe¾ro¾ Ni woô;n pa Itu;n OÙbamakin jeô o O: ye; mi ye;re;ye;re; Awo ile; A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n; lo¾ôoô; sôeô; woôn l’oô;teô® le¾ôu¾leô¾u

871


EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation:

Gi;ro¾ôo,ô; the bird on top of the O®gu;n shrine A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾, the bird of a¾do;ro¾ô The two of them conspired And killed Itu;n OÙbamakin for consumption I understand what has taken place very well The resident Awo of A®gboônôni¾re¾¾gu;n; He cast Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Who planned to smash up their conspiracy He was advised to offer ẹbọ Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ specialized in one thing and one thing only; removing the joy in the lives of others and replacing it with melancholy. Anywhere that there was happiness would be their target. They did not see any reason why gladness should be in the lives of anybody. As soon as they realized that someone or a group was in a happy mood, they would start to work to ensure that grief replaced their happiness. They had done this so many times and they believed there was no person or group who had the capacity or capability to stop them from tearing people’s lives apart. One day, these people saw Itu;n OÙbamakin and to their anger, they realized that he was not only progressing, but he was also happy with the progress he had made. Itu;n OÙbamakin had assisted several people to progress in life. He had made several people happy. He had wiped away the tears from several people’s eyes. He had restored hope into the lives of the hopeless ones. He had made promises to several people to ensure that their lives changed from bad to good and he had kept his promises. He was prepared to do more. These were the reasons why Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ made up their minds that Itu;n OÙbamakin should not be allowed to stay alive to continue the job that he was doing. The duo concluded that his good and benevolent deeds had condemned him to death. Consequently, they vowed that he must die quickly.

872

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ began their nefarious plans. The first thing they did was to make Itu;n OÙbamakin seriously ill. He was bedridden. He began to grow weaker and weaker by the day. Many people who he had promised to assist were thrown into a state of panic. No medications appeared to work for him. As soon as Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ realized that the people had been contemplating taking him to the house of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, they quickly snuffed the life out of him. The whole community was thrown into a state of mourning. As the community mourned, the duo celebrated. They waited for him to be buried. The night after the burial, they exhumed his corpse and consumed it! They danced and celebrated their well executed plan until daybreak the next day. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ came to know about the incident just by accident. He realized that the whole community was in a state of shock. When he inquired to know what went wrong, he was told that Itu;n OÙbamakin, the benefactor that the whole community placed huge reliance upon, had just passed away. He was not an old man. He was still in his prime. This prompted OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to investigate the cause of his death. That was how he came to know that he was killed by Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾. He also found out that this duo had cut short the lives of many others who dared to help the community. He also discovered that the duo was so powerful that nobody had ever confronted them and got away alive. Would he keep quiet and allow evil and wickedness to continue to thrive unabated? No! He must do something about this. He must take a bold step to put an end to the reign of terror of this duo. This duo must be confronted and their threats must be eliminated. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told himself that it was a big taboo for him to stay in a place and allow evil to thrive over good. He must stop these two, he declared. That was the reason why OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ summoned his Awo O: ye; mi ye;re;ye;re; to come and consult Ifá for him before he took any step. O: ye; mi ye;re;ye;re; was trained by OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. He was a very competent Awo. That was why OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made him his resident Babaláwo. The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he was about to embark on a herculean task. It was a

873


task that he needed to embark upon. It was his duty to do so because it was morally wrong for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to keep quiet when evil and wickedness triumphed over good and benevolence. He however advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he must be fully prepared before he could confront the duo. He advised him to offer ẹbọ as stated above. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied. He was fully prepared to smash the conspiracy against the community. After this, the Ifá work that was stated above would also be prepared and buried in OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house. When these two steps had been taken, Ifá gave OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ the go-ahead to confront the two evil people. The first thing OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ did was expose the two as the brains behind these misfortunes in the land. He told everyone to beware of them and to run for their lives. After this, he challenged the two to a confrontation. He told them that he had evidence to prove that they were the ones who had killed Itu;n OÙbamakin and several other prominent people in the land. He challenged them to dispute what he had said. In the end, the issue came to the notice of the Ϙba of the land. A date was fixed for the hearing. The Ϙba made announcements that all citizens should gather in the market square on the appointed day to hear the accusations of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la against Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ and at the same time listen to how the two would defend themselves. Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ had never been confronted this way before. They became very furious with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la. What was his business in how they ran their affairs in the land? Did they torch or kill any of his relatives? Why couldn’t this man mind his own business? Why must he interfere in other people’s affairs? Who did he really think he was? Why must he confront and accuse them that way in the open? He must be stopped before the appointed day. That was the only way they would be able to sound a note of warning to others. It was the best way to let everyone know who was in control in the land. They concluded that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la must be killed and the Ϙba of

874

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

the land who was foolish enough to entertain what OÙ®ru;nmi¾la and the citizens had told him must also be killed. No they thought, the Ϙba will not be killed, he will be made mad so that his insanity would be a constant reminder to all that nobody tramples upon Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ and get away with it! This is what they concluded that they would do and the conclusion made them very happy indeed. Immediately after this, they set to work in order to cut down OÙ®ru;nmi¾la before the appointed date. All their plans against OÙ®ru;nmi¾la failed. The ones they planned against the Ϙba also failed. When they realized that the time was moving closer, they came to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la’s home in the dead of the night in order to kill him in his sleep. They were caught before they could do anything. They were taken to the Ϙba’s palace. The Ϙba summoned an emergency meeting of the whole community. The duo was made to confess all their evil deeds against the community. The Ϙba ordered that the two should be adequately sanctioned as a deterrent to others. Gi;ro¾ôoô; eôyeô ori; O®gu;n A®k®a¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ eôyeô a¾do;ro¾ô A®woôn me;je¾e¾ji¾ ni wo;ôn pe¾te-pe¾ro¾ Ni woô;n pa Itu;n OÙbamakin jeô o O: ye; mi ye;re;ye;re; Awo ile; A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n; lo¾ôoô; sôeô; woôn l’oô;teô® le¾ôu¾leô¾u EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ifá; ni; to; ba; sôe bi; i¾sôe t’o¾un ba; ni o Bi; obi¾nrin kan sôosôo ba; loô s’oô;ja¾ Yo;o; sôeô; igba eku wa;’le; Le¾ôu¾leô¾u¾ N:se ô ni ma¾ a; sôeô; woôn l’oô;te¾ô eô t’e¾mi o Le¾ôu¾le¾ôu¾ Bi obi;nrin kan sôosôo ba loô s’oôj; a¾ Yo;o; sôeô; igba eôja wa;’le; Leôô¾u¾leôu ¾ ¾ N:se ô ni ma¾ a; sôeô woôn l’oô;te¾ô eô t’e¾mi o

875


Leô¾u¾le¾¾ôu¾ Agbe lo; ni; eô gb’eônu woôn sô’oô¾kan fu;n mi Le¾ôu¾le¾ôuô N:se ô ni ma¾ a; sô;e woôn l’oô;te¾ eô t’e¾mi o Leôô¾u¾le¾ôu¾ A®lu¾ko¾ lo; ni; eô gb’enu woôn sô’oô¾kan fu;n mi Le¾ôu¾le¾u ô ¾ N:se ô ni ma¾ a; sôeô; woôn l’oô;te¾ô eô t’emi o Leô¾u¾le¾ôu¾ I®ko; lo; ni; eô gb’eônu woôn sô’o¾ôkan fu;n mi Le¾ôu¾le¾ôu¾ N:se ô ni ma¾ a; sôeô; woôn l’oô;te¾ô eô t’e¾mi o Le¾ôu¾le¾ôu¾ Igba ewe;; sese nôi n be ninu igbo Leuleu Nse ni ma a se won l’ote e t’emi o Leuleu Ohun odo ba de kan kii r’orun o Leuleu Nse ni ma a se won l’ote e t’emi o Leuleu Eni to ba f’igbhin-f’elede ru’bo Gbede L’ara o maa de won o Gbede Gbedegbede nii ro’gba epo Gbede L’ara o maa de won o Gbede Gbedegbede nii ro’gba ori Leuleu Nse ni ma a se won l’ote e t’emi o Leuleu Alade waa f’igbin-f’elede ru’bo o Leuleu Nse ni ma a se won l’ote e t’emi o Leuleu Ko pe, Ko jinna E waa ba ni laruuse ogun Ajase ogun la aba ni l’ese Obarisa

876

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

Translation: Gi;ro¾ôoô, the bird on top of the O®gu;n shrine A®k®a¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾, the bird of a¾do;ro¾ô The two of them conspired And killed Itu;n OÙbamakin for consumption I understand what has taken place very well The resident Awo of A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n He cast Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Who planned to smash up their conspiracy He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Ifá says that if it were to be his custom If a single woman were to go to the market She would bring home 200 dried rats unaided Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ (decisively) I will certainly overcome their conspiracy Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ If a single woman were to go to the market She would bring home 200 dried fish unaided Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ (decisively) I will certainly overcome their conspiracy Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ It is Agbe which authorizes that their venomous mouths should be permanently closed for me Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ (decisively) I will certainly overcome their conspiracy Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ It is A®lu¾ko¾ which authorizes that their venomous mouths should be rendered ineffective against me Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ (decisively) I will certainly overcome their conspiracy Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ I®ko;di;deô is it that authorizes that their evil mouths should be rendered powerless against me

877


Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ (decisively) I will certainly overcome their conspiracy Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ There are 200 sese leaves in the forest Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ (decisively) I will certainly overcome their conspiracy Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ Whatever the mortar covers will not see the sky any more Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ (decisively) I will certainly overcome their conspiracy Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ Whoever offers ẹbọ with snails and a pig Comfortably They will be blessed with peace of mind Comfortably A calabash of palm-oil is blessed with peace of mind Comfortably We will be blessed with peace and comfort Comfortably A calabash of shea-butter is blessed with peace of mind Comfortably We will be blessed with peace and comfort Comfortably Those who offer ẹbọ with snails and a pig Comfortably They will be blessed with peace and comfort Comfortably Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall not only overcome all oppositions, he/she shall also live peacefully and in relative comfort. Ifá enjoins this person to uphold the truth at all times. He/she must also defend the truth and fight against falsehood, wickedness, and conspiracy.

878

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

5. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed has seen three signs of something coming his/her way recently. The signs are now worrying him/her. Ifá says that three times, his/her guiding spirits had brought the blessings of all Ire of life to him/her. Consequent upon this, Ifá says that the person is already on the path of success. He/she is now face-to-face with three great Ire of life. He/she shall have cause to jubilate and celebrate. Ifá advises him/her to offer ẹbọ with 4 rats, 4 fish, 2 pigeons, 2 hens, 2 guinea fowls, 2 cocks, and money. On this, Ifá says: Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ Origidi Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ti;’re gbogbo o; yi¾i; woô’le; e re¾ô K’o;ju;mo; o; to;o; mo;ô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ origidi This was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Whom all Ire of life would roll into his house Before day break He was advised to offer ẹbọ O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ lacked almost everything that he needed in life, except sound health. He had no money to purchase most things that he needed, he had no spouse to share his thoughts, dreams, and life with, he had no children of his own, and he had no horse to transport himself from place to place. He was living in a house that did not belong to him. Someone did him a favour by harbouring him in his family house. He could not boast of more than two dresses in his life. Sometimes, he went about with an empty stomach for two to three days. In spite of this hardship, he never lost hope that everything would be well for him even for one day.

879


One day however, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ slept and in the middle of the night, he felt that he had a presence in his home. This feeling was so strong that he was almost touching it with his hands. When he woke up, he thought nothing of it. He was sure that he was not dreaming, but he simply thought that it was one of those things, which happened to someone who slept with on empty stomach. Two days after this, he had the same feeling but it was stronger than the first experience. He was almost seeing some things. He stAyéd awake for some time before he went to sleep again. This feeling did not leave him till daybreak. When he woke up, he thought about it for a long time but he eventually dismissed it from his mind. The next day, he slept and had this feeling again. This time, he saw some outlines and it gave him cause for worry. He did not sleep till the next morning. He was sure that it was a real sign but he was not sure of which sign it was. He was determined to investigate which sign it was this time around.

The next day very early in the morning, he summoned the two Awo mentioned above to come and consult Ifá for him. He wanted to know the meaning and the significance of the sign that he was feeling. During the Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that it was true that he felt a presence in his room and that these experiences were very real. They told him that he had received some visitors from heaven. The three times that the visitors came to him were to inform him that they had come to stay with him permanently. These visitors were benevolent visitors and they had come to bring all the Ire of life to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. These Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he had nothing to worry about for his life was bound to take an upward leap for the better. They assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that all his hardships would become things of the past. In their place would be comfort, success, accomplishment, peace of mind, and elevation. They advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ as stated above and to feed Ifá accordingly. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ complied and began to hope for improvement in his life. Less than a week after the ẹbọ was offered, his clientele swelled. More and more people began to troop to his house for Ifá consultation. All what he was doing for them began to work like magic. This made many more people come. His wallet began to swell with money. His life began

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to change for the better. With money came a good spouse. With a good spouse came many good children. With many children came many properties. With many properties came many horses. With these came all the Ire of life. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ became a success story. His profile rose very high. He was counted among the movers and shakers of the society, and even the Ϙba and high chiefs sought his advice before embarking on anything in the land. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was full of praises to Olo;du¾mare¾ and Ifá. He was full of gratitude for his Awo. Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ Origidi Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ti;’re gbogbo o; yi¾i; woô’le; e re¾ô K’o;ju;mo; o; to;o; mo;ô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’e;ôboôô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Ire gbogbo wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru N®je;ô aje; ma; a yi; lu¾ mi; Ifá; Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ Origidi Aya ma;; a yi; lu¾ mi; Ifá; Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ Origidi OÙmoô ma; a yi; lu¾ mi; Ifá; Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ Origidi Ile; ma; a yi; lu¾ mi; Ifá; Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ Origidi EÙsôin ma; a yi; lu¾ mi; Ifá; Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ Origidi Ire gbogbo ma; a yi; lu¾ mi; Ifá; o Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ Origidi

881


Translation: Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ origidi This was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Whom all Ire of life would roll into his house Before day break He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all Ire of life Now, please let prosperity roll towards me Ifá Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ origidi Please let spouse roll toward me Ifá Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ origidi Please let children roll toward me Ifá Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ origidi Please let horses roll toward me Ifá Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ origidi Please let all the Ire of life roll toward me Ifá Origidi pi¾i¾ O: di pi¾i¾ origidi Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that all the Ire of life shall roll into his/her life and his/her life will be transformed for the better. He/she shall move from hardship to comfort and from inadequacy to surplus. 6. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed has been given an assignment to perform. Ifá says that he/she has been truthful and honest with the assignment. Ifá warns those who have given this person the job not to exercise any doubt regarding the integrity of the

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person handling the assignment. Ifá assures them that this person is not an oath breaker. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 1 matured he-goat and money. On this, Ifá says: Eyi;n funfun l’e¾ôsôoô; e¾ôri;n I®wa¾ rere l’e¾ôsôoô; e¾e¾ya¾n Bi; e¾e¾ya¾n ba; da;ra da;ra Bi; o¾ ni;’wa¾ Igi oko ni woô;n n; fi i; we; Di;a; fu;n Gu;nnugu;n A bu¾ f’e;ôyeô oko EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe Translation: Sparkling white teeth are the ornaments of a smile And good character is the ornament of a man If a man is good looking But doesn’t have good character Such a person ought to be compared with a tree in the forest These were Ifá’s declarations to Gu;nnugu;n, the vulture And also to the other birds of the forest They were advised to offer ẹbọ There was a serious crisis in the Bird kingdom. Something urgent had be done to find a solution to the problem. All hands had to be on deck in order to proffer a solution. That was the reason why Ifá was consulted. During consultation, Ogbe¾Ala;ra; was revealed. The Awo instructed the birds that a quick ẹbọ must be offered as stated above. The ẹbọ must be taken to heaven so that Olo;du¾mare¾ might take a compassionate look at them and ensure that their problems were resolved for them. The birds quickly gathered

883


money together and a matured he-goat was procured. The Awo offered the ẹbọ for the birds on that same day. After the ẹbọ, another dilemma reared up its ugly head, who would carry this ẹbọ to heaven? Who among the birds had the strength and resilience to hold onto the calabash of ẹbọ containing a matured he-goat and take it to heaven without dropping the calabash on the way? In the end, all the birds in the forest prevailed on Gu;nnugu;n, the vulture to assist in carrying the ẹbọ to Olo;du¾mare¾ in heaven. After a series of consultations and deliberations, Gu;nnugu;n agreed to carry the ẹbọ . The community of birds asked Gu;nnugu;n to leave on his journey in the evening of that day. He took off that evening and the birds wished him farewell. When Gu;nnugu;n left, the expectation of all the birds was that he would return within three to seven days. However, nobody heard anything from him for three years. As soon as it had reached one month since he left, speculation began: What could he be doing for that long? It certainly couldn’t be the assignment given to him that had delAyéd him. He must have had his own personal agenda that he was pursuing. Surely Gu;nnugu;n had forgotten all about them, but wait a minute, what had he done with the ẹbọ ? Some stated that he must have thrown the ẹbọ away somewhere and decided to go his own way. No, Gu;nnugu;n must have stopped somewhere and eaten up the ẹbọ because he was known to be a great ẹbọ consumer. All the birds concluded that Gu;nnugu;n must have consumed the ẹbọ and the shame of facing the other birds had precluded him from coming back into their midst. Before long, everyone among the birds began to talk about it as something that they were so sure of: Can you imagine; Gu;nnugu;n was sent on an errand by all the birds to carry an ẹbọ to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾, but instead of doing that, he simply ate up all the ẹbọ and put all the birds in perpetual hardship. Three months after Gu;nnugu;n had departed the other birds began to pester the lives of all of Gu;nnugu;n’s family members. They went to

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Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

demand for the money they contributed to buy the ẹbọ materials from his wife and children. They removed them from all associations and ordered that they must not leave the town. They found all and any opportunity to inflict punishment on them. They booed them whenever they attempted to speak. What did they have to say? Were they not the family members of Gu;nnugu;n who ate up the ẹbọ that he was mandated to carry to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾? They were always reminded that their husband and father were the public’s number one enemies, and therefore they had no say in the community. Meanwhile, Gu;nnugu;n continued to persevere. He didn’t know that the journey would be so far. He was totally unaware that it would take that long. The journey took its toll on him. He became weak. He aged very quickly. He was however determined not to disappoint the whole community of birds. He considered the assignment an inestimable privilege bestowed on him. He argued that there were other birds they had examined who were faster, stronger, and bigger than him before they decided to send him on the errand. He had no moral justification to disappoint those who reposed such trust in him. He thought about his wife and children and he felt a sense of comfort. He was sure that they were being given the best of treatment by all the birds. What about him that they sent on the life saving errand? He had the mental picture of being carried shoulder-high by all the birds in the forest. He saw himself as a celebrity. He vowed that as soon as he returned to earth, he would demand for the most sumptuous meal he had ever had in his life; after all he deserved the meal. It took Gu;nnugu;n three lunar years before he arrived in the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾. He got there with sheer will-power. He was barely able to fly or walk. When he knocked at the door of Olo;du¾mare¾, it was barely heard on the other side of the door. When the door was opened for him, just to move became a great task for him. He managed to carry the ẹbọ to Ibu¾da¾.. He was asked why he had come to Iwa¾run with the ẹbọ. He explained everything that had occurred on earth. He told them the hardship being experienced by the birds on earth. He pleaded with all

885


the Iru;nmoôleô in heaven to please consider all the birds’ conditions with compassion and help ease the problems that they were facing. Olo;du¾mare¾ invited Gu;nnugu;n to his presence. Gu;nnugu;n repeated his story. That was when Olo;du¾mare¾ ordered E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ to give approval to the ẹbọ based on the grounds of compassion. The condition of Gu;nnugu;n was a pitiable one however. It was likely that he would not survive the journey back home. Olo;du¾mare¾ ordered that the back door of heaven should be opened for him so that he would arrive on earth that same day. It was a short-cut to the earth. As soon as the door was opened, a rain cloud enveloped the world. Everyone on earth realized that Gu;nnugu;n had actually arrived in heaven. Not only this, they knew that he had carried the ẹbọ to heaven and that the ẹbọ had been accepted by Olo;du¾mare¾. How would they face Gu;nnugu;n when he arrived on earth? What story would they tell him for maltreating his family? How would they look at him in the face when he eventually returned into their midst? None of the birds knew exactly what to do. When Gu;nnugu;n passed through the back door, rain began to fall. The rain brought back Gu;nnugu;n to the world. He landed at the centre of the three cross-roads. He got there in the dead of the night. He was expecting a welcome party to come and welcome him back to their midst. He found no such thing. He reasoned that nobody came because it was raining and it was late. He stAyéd at that very spot until the next day. Rain fell on him throughout the night. By that time, all birds had been notified somehow that Gu;nnugu;n had arrived from his journey. Yet, there was no bird to come and welcome him. In the end, Gu;nnugu;n saw his wife and children. They were the only ones who had come to welcome him. Their condition was so deplorable that Gu;nnugu;n burst into tears when he saw them. They also burst into tears when they saw Gu;nnugu;n. The elders among the birds gathered together to discuss the development. They concluded that Gu;nnugu;n had kept his oath to

886

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

ensure that he took the ẹbọ to heaven on behalf of all the birds in order to find a solution to their problems. They had broken their oath and failed to take proper care of his family in his absence. Instead, they punished and maltreated his family in many unimaginable ways. They said that Gu;nnugu;n must be invited. They must apologize to him because of the way he and his family had been treated and abused. They summoned all the birds to a meeting. Gu;nnugu;n was also invited. They pleaded for forgiveness. They explained to him that it was an unfortunate event, which they would like Gu;nnugu;n to wave away from his mind. In his response, Gu;nnugu;n said that he had left everything in the hands of Olo;du¾mare¾. At this juncture, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ appeared on the scene. He told Gu;nnugu;n that for keeping to his oath it had become a taboo for anyone to kill, consume, or use Gu;nnugu;n and all members of his family for any reason or ritual. Conversely, for breaking their oath, all the other birds would be killed at will, they would become delicacies for consumption and they would be used for ritual purposes. So it was, and it remained so up to this date. Eyi;n funfun l’e¾ôsôoô; e¾ôri;n I®wa¾ rere l’e¾ôsôoô; e¾e¾ya¾n Bi; e¾e¾ya¾n ba; da;ra da;ra Bi; o¾ ni;’wa¾ Igi oko ni woô;n n; fi i; we; Di;a; fu;n Gu;nnugu;n A bu¾ f’e;ôyeô oko EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe Gu;nnugu;n ni¾kan lo; n;beô l’eô;yi¾n to; n; sô’eôboô E®ro¾ I®po, E®ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ EÙ wa;a; wo ri;ru; eôboô bi;i; ti i; gbe’ni A®i¾’ru; ki¾i; gb’e¾ni¾ya¾n N®je;ô Gu;nnugu;n o¾ sô’e¾ke; Igu;n o¾ da’le¾ô A®wa ara a wa, ka; ma; da’le¾ô ara a wa

887


Translation: Sparkling white teeth are the ornaments of a smile And good character is the ornament of a man If a man is good looking But doesn’t have good character Such a person ought to be compared with a tree in the forest These were Ifá’s declarations to Gu;nnugu;n, the vulture And also to the other birds of the forest They were advised to offer ẹbọ Only Gu;nnugu;n complied Travellers to I®po ;and O®fa Come and see how compliance with advice to offer ẹbọ supports one None-compliance is not supportive Now, Gu;nnugu;n never lied Igu;n never broke the oath Do not let us break the oath that we made To ourselves and to one another Ifá warns those involved in this Odù never to break their oaths in order not to face grave consequences. They must never lie or cheat anyone in order to avoid terrible repercussions.

7. Ifá advises four siblings from the same mother to offer ẹbọ so that all of them will succeed together. Ifá also advises them to take good care of one another especially one female among them. This female must be identified among them and be given special treatment. She must never be under-estimated because she holds the key to the success and wellbeing of the other three. If she is well treated, then the other three will succeed. If she is under-estimated or mistreated, success for the remaining three siblings will be very difficult.

888

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

Ifá advises the remaining three siblings to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. They will then need to remove the back part of the he-goat, cook it well, add money to it and give it to the fourth sibling for consumption. If this is done, then success for the whole family is assured. On this aspect, Ifá says: Ako;to; ni bo;ro Ako¾to¾ ni bo¾ro Akoto ile; ab’eônu bo;ro-bo¾ro A®gba¾lagba¾ sô’eônu ka¾nka¾nja¾n wi;’ra¾n Ki; o ma; baa¾ ôsô’eônu kankanjan gb’eô;jo;ô Di;a; fu;n SÙa¾ngo; Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ A bu¾ fu;n O®Ùsôun EÙ®wu¾ji; A®woôn meô;re¾ôeô¾rin n; gb’o;gun loô ilu; A®t'o¾ke¾e¾re¾-d’o;ke¾e¾re¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe o Translation: Ako;to; ni bo;ro Ako¾to¾ ni bo¾ro Akoto ile; ab’eôônu bo;ro-bo¾ro Let the elder speak out against misdeeds now For him not to find himself facing litigation in the future These were Ifá’s messages for SÙa¾ngo; And for O®gu;n And for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ So also for O®Ùsôun EÙ®wu¾ji; When they were going to embark on a military expedition To the land across hill upon hill They were advised to offer ẹbọ They all left their homes full of hope and determination to succeed where they were going. They crossed several hills and mountains. They

889


finally arrived to their destination after several lunar months. When they settled down, they decided that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, SÙa¾ngo;, and O®gu;n would go out to confront all their enemies and would return to report their progress and expeditions to O®Ùsu ô n. The four of them then decided what the next line of action would be. It turned out to be a perfect arrangement. They made tremendous progress and they were all satisfied with the progress they had made so far. One day however, OÙ®ru;;nmi¾¾la¾, SÙa¾ngo;, and O®gu;n felt that it was absolutely unnecessary for them to be reporting all their activities to O®Ùsôun, after all, she did not go with them to the battle field. If she wants to know what is going on, she will need to follow them to the battle field front. Why should they give such an ordinary woman leverage over and above them, they thought to themselves. It must stop, they concluded. They vowed never to tell her anything anymore and that was exactly what they did. They expected O®Ùsôun to fight or at least protest but she simply remained quiet. She never asked them to explain why they had chosen not to report back to her anymore. The next time they went to the battle field, they were roundly beaten. They managed however to escape with their lives. From that moment on, nothing worked for the three of them any longer. The more effort they put into a project, the more they would fail. When their failures became a serious embarrassment for them, they decided to go for Ifá consultation in the home of the group of Awo stated above. When Ifá was cast for them, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed. The Awo told them that they had come for Ifá consultation because they were recording failure upon failure in their undertakings. The Awo said that they would continue to record failures unless they changed their attitude. They were told that they needed to bring the only female among them into the picture of all their plans, undertakings, and actions. This is when fortune would smile at them again. They were advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above.

890

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

The three of them deliberated over this matter and truly realized they had been recording success when the four of them had been working together as a united entity and that they then began to fail when they chose not to put O®Ùsôun into the picture of all what they were doing. Consequently upon this, they complied with the advice of the Awo and offered the ẹbọ as prescribed. The back of the he-goat was then well cooked and presented to O®Ùsôun with a full apology. O®Ùsôun accepted their apology and everything returned to normal. As soon as this was done, all their military expeditions came out successful. They conquered and reduced all their oppositions to nothing. All conspiracies were levelled to the ground and they returned home triumphantly. Ako;to; ni bo;ro Ako¾to¾ ni bo¾ro Akoto ile; ab’eônu bo;ro-bo¾ro A®gba¾lagba¾ sô’eônu ka¾nka¾nja¾n wi;’ra¾n Ki; o ma; baa¾ ôsô’eônu kankanjan gb’eô;jo;ô Di;a; fu;n SÙa¾ngo; Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ A bu¾ fu;n O®Ùsôun EÙ®wu¾ji; A®woôn meô;re¾ôeô¾rin n; gb’o;gun loô ilu; A®t'o¾ke¾e¾re¾-d’o;ke¾e¾re¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe o Woô;n gb’e;ôboô, woô;n ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Ire gbogbo wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru N®jeô; o to;o; ki; Nbi; o o¾ to;o; ki; Moôroô¾ l’EÙ:fo¾ôn Ye¾ye; o to;o; ki; O®mu¾ke¾ômu¾ke¾ô Ajeômoô bi; i¾tale¾ô Epo;rogu;n to;o; ki; o Translation:

891


Ako;to; ni bo;ro Ako¾to¾ ni bo¾ro Akoto ile; ab’eôônu bo;ro-bo¾ro Let the elder speak out against misdeeds now For him not to find himself facing litigation in the future These were Ifá’s messages for SÙa¾ngo; And for O®gu;n And for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ So also for O®Ùsôun EÙ®wu¾ji; When they were going to embark on a military expedition To the land across hill upon hill They were advised to offer ẹbọ They complied Before long, not too far All Ire of life came trooping in Are you worthy of being greeted or are you not? The title holder of Moôroô¾ in E®Ùfoô¾n land Ye¾ye, you are worthy of being greeted

O®mu¾keô¾mu¾ke¾ô She who sucks like the flea Epo;rogu;n is worthy of being greeted Ifá says that with cooperation, all shall be well with the four siblings where this Odù is revealed. They shall all succeed together. 8. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of childbearing for a barren woman where this Odù is revealed. Ifá promises this woman that she will become a proud mother of many children in life. She will have cause to rejoice very soon. Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with 8 rats, 8 fish, 2 hens, 1 big cobra head, and money. The head of the cobra should be burnt into charcoal and grinded into a fine powder. You will then use the powder

892

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

to imprint Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; and this stanza will be recited into it. After this, it will be handed over to the woman to mix with cold corn meal and she will eat it. If this is done, the blessing of the fruit of the womb will be assured. On this, Ifá says: I®de;ri; apo; sunwo¾ôn O: ju apo;; O®Ùgboô¾o¾ôgboô¾ a¾gbo¾ônri;n sunwo¾ôn O: j’eôku¾n O: sunwo¾ôn j’eôku¾n ta;n O: fi gbogbo ara fi;n kolo Di;a; fu;n Olo;ru¾bu;, oômoô O®le;jo¾ OÙmoô aj’ori; oôka; woôroôwoôroô bi;’moô EÙku;n oômoô lo; n; sun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The lid of a bottle is useful Even more useful than the bottle itself The deer is very useful Even more useful than the leopard Besides being more useful than a leopard It has stripes in every part of its body These were Ifá’s messages for Olo;ru¾bu, the offspring of the snake hunters Offspring of those who consume cobra heads so that they can receive the blessing of a baby When weeping in lamentation of her inability to beget a child She was advised to offer ẹbọ Olo;ru¾bu had tried everything she knew to have a baby. Everything failed. She even changed husbands three times but she had not been

893


blessed with the fruit of the womb. Grief and melancholy became her daily companions. This only added to her problems. One day however, she was advised by a friend to seek advice from the Awo mentioned above. She went to the house of the Awo to find out whether or not she was destined to have any baby at all in life. If she was not destined to be a mother, she would then stop spending her money in search of what she could not get. When she got to the house of the Awo, Ifá was consulted. Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed during consultation. The Awo told Olo;ru¾bu; that she was desperately in need of the blessing of the fruit of the womb. She was assured that she would be blessed with several children in her life. She was even told that she would become pregnant very soon. The Awo advised Olo;ru¾bu; to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied. After the ẹbọ , the head of the cobra was used for her as Ifá stipulated above. The following month, Olo;ru¾bu; discovered to her shock and pleasant surprise that she had missed her monthly period. She refused to believe at first, but four months after this, she was totally convinced that she was carrying a baby. When the baby started to kick in her womb, it was the most wonderful experience of her life. Her mother and husband were the only people she shared this experience with her. Twelve years after this, Olo;ru¾bu; was the proud mother of four beautiful children. She became the happiest woman on earth. I®de;ri; apo; sunwo¾ôn O: ju apo;; O®Ùgboô¾o¾ôgboô¾ a¾gbo¾ônri;n sunwo¾ôn O: j’eôku¾n O: sunwo¾ôn j’eôku¾n ta;n O: fi gbogbo ara fi;n kolo Di;a; fu;n Olo;ru¾bu;, oômoô O®le;jo¾ OÙmoô aj’ori; oôka; woôroôwoôroô bi;’moô EÙku;n oômoô lo; n; sun

894

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni b’o;ôroô¾ EÙ wa;a; wo’re oômoô o Translation:

The lid of a bottle is useful Even more useful than the bottle itself The deer is very useful Even more useful than the leopard Besides being more useful than a leopard It has stripes in every part of its body These were Ifá’s messages for Olo;ru¾bu, the offspring of the snake hunters Offspring of those who consume cobra heads so that they can receive the blessing of a baby When weeping in lamentation of her inability to beget a child She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied Before long, not too far Come and join us in the midst of prosperity Come and behold the blessing of children Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that she will be blessed with the Ire of the fruit of the womb. She will also celebrate her success. 9. Ifá foresees the Ire of child-bearing for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person will not return to heaven emptyhanded. He/she will be blessed with many children in life. Ifá says also that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is very closely associated with OÙbÙa¾ta;la;. This Iru;nmoôleô will assist him/her in his/her bid to receive

895


the blessing of the womb. That is why he/she needs to feed OÙbÙa¾ta;la; and observe all the taboos of this Iru;nmoôleô¾. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 4 rats, 4 fish, 2 hens, and money. He/she also needs to feed OÙbÙa¾ta;la; with 2 bundles of white cloth or 20 meters of white cloth, 16 snails, shea butter, and money. On this Ifá says: O®re;re; o¾ye O®ye O®re;re; Di;a; fu;n 'Mo;ôsôee;wo¾ EÙku;n oômoô lo; n; sun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: O®re;re; O®ye O®ye O®re;re; They cast Ifa; for 'Mo;ôsôee;wo¾, a baby is worth looking at When weeping in lamentation of her inability to beg a baby to come She was advised to offer ẹbọ 'Mo;ôsôee;wo believed that since a woman gave birth to her, it was her duty to ensure that she too gave birth to at least one child. She however tried but she was not yet successful. One day, 'Mo;ôsôee;wo went to the home of the two Awo stated above for Ifá consultation. She wanted to know what she needed to do in order to become pregnant and beget her own baby. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Ala;;ra;; was revealed. The Awo told 'Mo;ôsôee;wo that she would beget her own baby. She was advised not to panic or be downcast. She was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied. After this, OÙba¾ta;la; was propitiated with the materials stated above.

896

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

Two months after this, 'Mo;ôsôee;wo became pregnant. She observed all the taboos of Ifá and OÙba¾ta;la;. She gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. She then gave birth to many more children after this- all in quick succession. She ensured that she used only white clothing for all her children all the time. O®re;re; o¾ye O®ye O®re;re; Di;a; fu;n 'Mo;ôsôee;wo¾ EÙku;n oômoô lo; n; sun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô N®je;ô O®re;re; o¾ye o, Ifá; O®re;re; o¾ye o 'Moô;sôee;wo¾ a; f’a¾la¾ gb’oô;moô poô¾n o O®re;re; o¾ye o Translation: O®re;re; O®ye O®ye O®re;re; They cast Ifa; for 'Mo;ôsôee;wo¾, a baby is worth looking at When weeping in lamentation of her inability to beg a baby to come She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of children Now, O®re;re; O®ye O®ye O®re;re; 'Mo;ôsôee;wo will use white cloth to strap her baby on her back O®re;re; O®ye Ifá says that this person will be happy and will be blessed with her own baby.

897


10.Ifá foresees the Ire of victory and accomplishment for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that there is the need for this person to tame something disastrous that has been happening where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she will face serious confrontation and contention before he/she will be able to contain and tame this disaster. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 1 mature he-goat, 1 partridge, and money. Even if this client cannot afford the he-goat, the partridge must be procured for the ẹbọ. This is very important. On this, Ifá says: Erin lo; jeô’ko ta;n Erin n; pa’yi;n kekeeke EÙÙfoô¾n lo; jeô’ko ta;n N lo; su¾n l’a;ba¾ta¾ A®gba¾ i¾nak¾i; lo; jeô’ko ta;n N lo; mi¾ wara mi¾ woro Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ifá; n; lo¾ôoô; gba O®mi¾mi¾ Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin Ayé; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: After the elephant ate to its satisfaction It exposed its ivory invitingly And when the buffalo ate to its satisfaction It slept inside the muddy water The elderly ape ate to its satisfaction And shook its body sideways These were Ifá’s messages for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to take over O®mi¾mi¾, pandemonium The wife of Ayé He was advised to offer ẹbọ

898

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

O®mi¾mi¾, pandemonium was the wife of Ayé, the world. Anytime the world started something worthwhile, the moment that O®mi¾mi¾, pandemonium, his wife got to the place, everything would just scatter. It was obvious that the world did not need pandemonium but nobody could separate the two. Several noble projects were destroyed by O®mi¾mi¾ and the world looked on helplessly. All great men and women who tried to contain O®mi¾mi¾, the wife of Ayé, were all washed away by pandemonium. Those who attempted to make Ayé see reason that he must do away with O®mi¾mi¾ were all overwhelmed and destroyed by the same woman they tried to contain. Nobody seemed to have any solution on how to handle O®mi¾mi¾,. One day however, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ made it his responsibility to contain O®mi¾mi¾ by any means. The destruction going on in the world must stop he vowed. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ summoned some of his former students mentioned above for Ifá consultation. He wanted to know how best to handle the problem posed by O®mi¾mi¾. The Awo casted Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and Ogbe¾Ala;ra; was revealed. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that the best way to tame O®mi¾mi¾ and stop her from creating any further havoc was to take her over from Ayé. By so doing, the Awo told O®mi¾mi¾, she would be easy to monitor every time of the day and night. The Awo explained to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that if he took over O®mi¾mi¾, Ayé would give him the fight of his life but in the end, he (O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾), would triumph and save several people from witnessing O®mi¾mi¾, pandemonium in their lives. They advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ as stated above. After a lengthy deliberation, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ complied with the advice of his Awo. Soon after, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ met O®mi¾mi¾, and began to seduce her. At first, O®mi¾mi¾, refused to listen to him because she knew for sure that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would try to stop her from creating further havoc on the lives of people. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was persistent and she finally gave in. Both of them went into hiding. Ayé began to look for his wife. Unknown to many, Ayé had been

899


using O®mi¾mi¾ to destabilize people’s lives. He enjoyed seeing people suffer and die. Anyone who died would be consumed by Ayé. As soon as O®mi¾mi¾ moved into O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s house, Ayé became very angry. Before long, he became frustrated. Soon after, he became depressed and desperate. He decided to teach O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ a lesson that he (O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾) would not forget for awhile. He planned his strategy for war. It took him about 12 lunar months to perfect all his strategies. The day that Ayé decided to strike, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was totally unprepared. The confrontation was extremely fierce. The whole world and heaven shook to their foundation. Before long, Ayé had the upper hand. He was pushing O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ further and further. It was clear that Ayé would overwhelm O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ in no time. That was when E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to hide from Ayé in order to regain his strength and re-plan his war strategy. Hearing this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la realized that it was the most sensible thing to do under the current condition. O®Ùru;nmi¾la took to his heels. He ran and hid himself in the midst of 60 I®ye¾re; seeds. When the I®ye¾re; saw him, they asked him what the matter was. They demanded to know why he was running the way he was doing. O®Ùru;nmi¾la explained to the 60 I®ye¾re; what the matter was. They told O®Ùru;nmi¾la that they did not want any trouble from Ayé. They chased him out of his hiding place immediately. Ayé then saw O®Ùru;nmi¾la and began to pursue him again. O®Ùru;nmi¾la began to run again. He ran and this time he hid inside a group of 60 kola nuts. As soon as he got to his new hiding place, the 60 kola nuts demanded to know why he was running about. He explained the situation to them. When the kola nuts heard O®Ùru;nmi¾la’s explanation, they told him to go away. They said that they did not want any trouble from any place at all. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la began to hesitate, they drove him out straight into the waiting hands of Ayé. Another round of fighting occurred. They fought for seven days without stopping. O®Ùru;nmi¾la became weaker and weaker.

900

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

Again, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ advised him to go into hiding. This time, O®Ùru;nmi¾la went and hid himself inside 60 Ataare. Again, the Ataare asked him what the problem was. Again O®Ùru;nmi¾la explained why he had been fighting and hiding. The Ataare told O®Ùru;nmi¾la to leave their abode immediately. All pleadings made by O®Ùru;nmi¾la fell on deaf ears. The 60 Ataare pushed O®Ùru;nmi¾la out of his hiding place in the hands of Ayé once again. The fight was fiercer than before. O®Ùru;nmi¾la fought bravely but he was no match for the power of Ayé. For 17 days, the fighting continued. It was just a matter of time before Ayé would defeat O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ totally. Again, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to go into hiding. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ran again. This time, he met A®paro¾, the partridge on the way. He begged A®paro¾ to allow him to hide under its feathers. A®paro¾ demanded to know why O®Ùru;nmi¾la chose to hide. He then explained everything to A®paro¾. A®paro¾ told O®Ùru;nmi¾la to go under its beak. Both A®paro¾ and O®Ùru;nmi¾la disappeared. When Ayé got to the spot, he could not find O®Ùru;nmi¾la and A®paro¾ anymore. In frustration, he returned to his home and forgot about O®®mi¾mi¾. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la got to his home, he told O®®mi¾mi¾ that from that day forward, O®®mi¾mi¾ must never go out to cause havoc on anyone. O®®mi¾mi¾ complied. From that day on, only those looking for pandemonium and disaster would bring O®®mi¾mi¾ into their lives. That was how O®Ùru;nmi¾la managed to frustrate Ayé and defeat Ayé while at the same time, tame O®®mi¾mi¾. Erin lo; jeô’ko ta;n Erin n; pa’yi;n kekeeke EÙÙfoô¾n lo; jeô’ko ta;n N lo; su¾n l’a;ba¾ta¾ A®gba¾ i¾nak¾i; lo; jeô’ko ta;n N lo; mi¾ wara mi¾ woro Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ifá; n; lo¾ôoô; gba O®mi¾mi¾ Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin Ayé;

901


EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô O®mi¾mi¾ wa; n; mi’le¾ô eô; bo¾ô wa; Ifá; eruku Ayé; n; ta O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ sa; si;’nu; oôgoô;ta I®ye¾re; OÙgoô;ta I®ye¾re; ni; ki;nl’o; de;? OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ k’eô;jo;ô o; ro¾ OÙgoô;ta I®ye¾re; l’o;un o¾ le e¾ gba¾ a; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ja;de ni;’nu; oôgoô;ta I®ye¾re; O®mi¾mi¾ wa; n; mi’le¾ô eô; bo¾ô wa; Ifá; eruku Ayé; n; ta o O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ sa; si;’nu; OÙgoô;ta Obi¾ OÙgoô;ta Obi¾ ni; ki;n lo; de;? O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ k’eô;jo;ô o; ro¾ OÙgoô;ta Obi¾ l’o;un o¾ le e¾ gba¾ a; OÙ®ru;nmi¾¾la¾ ja;de ni;nu; OÙgoô;ta Obi¾ O®mi¾mi¾ wa; n; mi’le¾ô eô; bo¾ô wa; Ifá; eruku Ayé; n; ta o OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ sa; si;’nu; OÙgoô;ta Ataare OÙgoô;ta Ataare ni; ki;n lo; de;? OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ k’e;ôjoô; o; ro¾ OÙgoôt; a Ataare l’o;un o¾ le e¾ gba¾ a; O®ru;nmi¾la¾ ja;de ni;’nu; OÙgoô;ta Ataare O®mi¾mi¾ wa; n; mi’le¾ô eô; bo¾ô wa; Ifá; eruku Ayé; n; ta o O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ wa; sa;; loô ba; A®paro¾-O®Ùyeô¾ye¾¾ô To; fo¾ kuuru la;ti inu; i¾gbeô; wa; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ki; A®paro¾-OÙ®ye¾ôyeô¾ o; gba o¾un A®paro¾ bi O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ l’eô;jo;ô OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ k’e;ôjoô; o; ro¾ A®paro¾ wa;a; da i¾ye;ô eô reô¾ bo’le¾ô OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ko; si;’nu; i¾yeô; A®paro¾ A®paro¾ wa;a; f’eônu soô’leô¾ Woôn o¾ ri; A®paro¾ Woôn o¾ ri; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ayé; wa;a; bi;’nu; loô N®jeô; mo mu; ra; Mo mu; jeô Mo mu; ra; l’A®paro¾ n; ke; o

902

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

Translation: After the elephant ate to its satisfaction It exposed its ivory invitingly And when the buffalo ate to its satisfaction It slept inside the muddy water The elderly ape ate to its satisfaction And shook its body sideways These were Ifá’s messages for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to take over O¾®mi¾mi¾, pandemonium The wife of Ayé He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Chaos and pandemonium are approaching Ifá, dust is enveloping the world O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ran and hid himself among 60 I®ye¾re; The 60 I®ye¾re; asked, What is the matter? O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ explained it to them The 60 I®ye¾re; said they could not accommodate him He left Chaos and pandemonium are approaching Ifá, dust is enveloping the world O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ran and hid himself among 60 Kola nuts The 60 Kola nuts asked, What is the matter? O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ explained it to them The 60 Kola nuts said they could not accommodate him He left Chaos and pandemonium are approaching Ifá, dust is enveloping the world O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ran and hid himself among 60 Ataare The 60 Ataare asked, What is the matter? O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ explained it to them The 60 Ataare said they could not accommodate him He left Chaos and pandemonium are approaching

903


Ifá, dust is enveloping the world O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ran to A®paro¾-O®Ùyeô¾ye¾ô, the partridge Who flew majestically from the forest to the roadside O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ pleaded with A®paro¾ to accommodate him A®paro¾ demanded to know what the problem was O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ explained it to him A®paro¾ then spread out his feathers And O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ hid himself under the feathers A®paro¾ then struck his beak against the ground And A®paro¾ became invisible And O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ became invisible Ayé then left out of anger and frustration Now, I have done it without any repercussion I have done it without any negative consequence I have done it without any repercussion is the song of A®paro¾ Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will triumph over a more formidable opposition. He/she will smile at the end of the day. Ifá also warns this person not to use his/her own hands or perform any action that will attract chaos and pandemonium into his/her life. 11. Ifá says that a contentious issue is about to rear up its ugly head in the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá warns this person not to attract contention to himself/herself through his/her thoughts, utterances, and/or actions. He/she needs to say, and do things with moderation. Ifá says that if this can be done, he/she is bound to be vindicated. He/she shall be absolved of all blames. His/her representations shall be upheld by those who really matter. If a matter leads to litigation, he/she shall be declared not guilty. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 1 mature he-goat, 8 yams, black eyed peas, corn grains, guinea-corn, and money. The head of the he-goat should then be placed in the ẹbọ and then placed by E®sôu.

904

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

When placed down, a long nail or iron rod should be used to thrust into the ẹbọ to nail it down firmly by E®sôu. If this is done, victory is guaranteed. On this, Ifá says: EÙ®e¾ôkan L’olo;gu;n apo; O®o¾ku¾n L’oôloô;gbo¾ôn oôfa¾ O®Ùpeô-EÙ®lu¾ju¾ ni;i; sô’oôloô;fa¾ a ma¾n¾sôiri-ma¾n¾sôiri Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; yo;o; ta’fa¾ kan sôosôo Ti; yo;o; do’ju; o¾ôta; de; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation:

The blade grass is the owner of 20 sheaths The date palm is the owner of 30 arrows The palm tree of the wilderness is the owner of the magical arrow These were Ifá’s declarations to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Who would shoot only one arrow And level his enemies He was advised to offer ẹbọ He was surrounded by enemies known and unknown. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ could not understand why this was his lot. He had been assisting many people who would later turn around to foment trouble for him. There was no accusation they had not levelled against him. They stated that he was more successful than they were because he had been using their stars and destinies to make himself great. For this reason, all these enemies who were once dependent on him ganged up to ensure that he was eliminated. They concluded that nothing would satisfy them more than seeing O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and all the members of his household dead. They began to gather their arsenal together. The procured bows and arrows

905


and got spears, axes, bars, javelins, catapults, and boomerangs. They were ready for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. They concluded that no member of his family should survive the onslaught. They all agreed that they would launch their attack against him in 7 days time. The plan was to make the attack fierce, spontaneous, and decisive. They were all convinced that it would all be over within a few hours. Two days before the time that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s enemies would strike, he had a terrifying dream. In his dream, he saw a black smoke like cloud enveloping his home. All efforts to save the house and those living within it failed. He saw neighbours and other sympathizers carrying lifeless bodies out of his home. As if this was not bad enough, he saw some tough looking people chopping corpses into bits and then lighting them on fire. In the end, he saw himself being dragged out of the house by these rough-looking people and he saw one of them holding his neck against a tree trunk and chopping off his head from his neck with a heavy blow from a cutlass. He then woke up startled. He then broke into a cold sweat. It took him a long time to finally fall asleep again. He couldn’t stop thinking about the meaning of the dream. It was almost dawn before he finally fell asleep again. This time around, he started where he had left off in the dream. He saw one of the rough faces sticking a long pole into his head from the neck and soon after, the person began dancing around with his head. He also saw the rough faces setting fire to his house together with all the items in it. He then jumped up again and refused to go back to sleep. He was counting the time before day break so that he could summon all his Awo for Ifá consultation. It seemed like an eternity for the Awo to arrive. When they eventually did, they casted Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he needed to offer ẹbọ as soon as possible in order to overcome the enemies who were just about to strike him and all the members of his household to death. Even though he had done nothing to offend these enemies, they had perfected a plan to strike him

906

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

within two days time. Consequent upon this, he had no time to waste at all. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was however assured that he would certainly overcome these enemies because goodness would surely overcome evil. He was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. Knowing that there was not much time left, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ offered the ẹbọ instantly. After the ẹbọ , the Awo explained to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that it was through the grace of the farmer that the food crops on the farm such as corn, millet, yam, cocoyam, and so on had space and a conducive atmosphere grow and germinate. If the same crops were to plan evil against the farmer who attended to them to germinate, Olo;du¾mare¾ would not allow them to have any power to overrun the farmer. Instead, these enemies of the farmer would end up becoming his food items. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to return home and place his hope in Olo;du¾mare¾. He also needed to know that Ifá was his sanctuary and therefore, nobody could run him down. Olo;du¾mare¾ would not allow this to happen. With this assurance, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ left and returned to his house feeling more confident in himself. As soon as this ẹbọ was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ swung into action. He summoned all the Iru;moôleô¾ in heaven and on earth to come to the aid of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. He invited all the O®ri¾sôa¾ to join hands. All the Iru;moôleô¾ and O®ri¾sôa¾ then had a quick meeting and they assured E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ that nothing would happen to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ or any member of his household. On the day that these conspirators planned to strike O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, they gathered themselves together at the first cockcrow at dawn. They were 1,460 in number. They moved in the direction of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s house. They were very convinced that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would be caught unaware. When they were about to reach his house, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to wake up O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and told him that his enemies were approaching. He gave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ a bow and arrow. He also told him to shoot the arrow into the sky. He did as he was instructed. After this, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to go back to sleep and leave the rest to him, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾.

907


The arrow which O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ shot into the sky was caught by O®gu;n. The arrow was then aimed in the direction of the leader of the conspirators and it hit him in the throat and he somersaulted. He died before he hit the ground. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ removed the arrow from his throat before any of them could see what hit him and handed it over to O®gu;n. The arrow was then aimed at the second in command of the conspirators. It entered through his chest and tore up his heart and came out through his back breaking his back bone. He too died instantly and before they could realize what had happened over 20 of them had died. They all scattered in confusion, and took to their heels. They all dropped their weapons and began to look for hiding places! As they were running, SÙa¾ngo; began to strike them with his axe; OÙbalu;aye; struck them with his spear; Oyá sent her tempest wind after them; O®ri¾sôa¾-Okò struck them with his arrow and all the other Iru;nmoôleô¾ and O®ri¾sôa¾ descended on them. They were all levelled within a few minutes. The war ended before ever reaching the home of their intended victim. EÙ®e¾ôkan L’olo;gu;n apo; O®o¾ku¾n L’oôloô;gbo¾ôn oôfa¾ O®Ùpeô-EÙ®lu¾ju¾ ni;i; sô’oôloô;fa¾ a ma¾n¾sôiri-ma¾n¾sôiri Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; yo;o; ta’fa¾ kan sôosôo Ti; yo;o; do’ju; o¾ôta; de; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ N®je;ô isôu ta ta;n E: le e¾ m’o;lo;ko Ifá; sô’eônu u woôn goô;o;ôgoô OÙ®pe¾ô sô’eônu u woôn goô¾o¾ôgoô OÙka¾ y’oômoô ta;n E: le e¾ m’o;lo;ko Ifá; sô’eônu u woôn goô;o;ôgoô OÙ®pe¾ô sô’eônu u woôn goô¾o¾ôgoô I®gba¾do y’oôômoô ta;n

908

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

E: le e¾ m’o;lo;ko Ifá; sô’eônu u woôn goô;o;ôgoô OÙ®pe¾ô sô’eônu u woôn goô¾o¾ôgoô Ere¾e; y’oômoô ta;n E: le e¾ m’o;lo;ko Ifá; sô’eônu u woôn goô;o;ôgoô OÙ®pe¾ô sô’eônu u woôn goô¾o¾ôgoô Ko;ko¾ o; ta ta;n E: le e¾ m’o;lo;ko Ifá; sô’eônu u woôn goô;o;ôgoô OÙ®pe¾ô sô’eônu u woôn goô¾o¾ôgoô Translation:

The blade grass is the owner of 20 sheaths The date palm is the owner of 30 arrows The palm tree of the wilderness is the owner of the magical arrow These were Ifá’s declarations to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Who would shoot only one arrow And level his enemies He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory over adversary Victory over adversary is what Ifá guarantees for its devotees The yams germinate They have no power over the farmer Ifá, please render them powerless O®Ùpeô, please make them ineffective The millet germinate They have no authority over the farmer Ifá, please render them powerless O®Ùpeô, please make them ineffective

909


The maize germinate They cannot conspire against the farmer Ifá, please render them powerless O®Ùpeô, please make them ineffective The beans germinate They have no strength over the farmer Ifá, please render them powerless O®Ùpeô, please make them ineffective The cocoyams germinate They have no might over the farmer Ifá, please render them powerless O®Ùpeô, please make them ineffective Ifá says that all the enemies of the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be rendered powerless and be made ineffective so that they will not be able to harm this person, no matter how many they may be. He/she shall be made to triumph over all his/her enemies because he/she has the backing of all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ and O®ri¾sôa in heaven and on earth.

12. Ifá says that several people have conspired against the person for whom this Odù is revealed in order to ridicule and embarrass him/her. They plan to put this person to shame publicly. Ifá says that he/she shall come out of it triumphantly. Instead, those who plan evil against this person are the ones who will experience shame, ridicule, and embarrassment. Ifá says that if something is lost where this Odù is revealed, that thing will be recovered. It will be found beside or inside water. It may be found beside or inside a well, brook, gutter, stream, pond, river, lagoon, or the sea. Those are the areas that they need to concentrate their search on.

910

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

If what is lost is a living thing such as a human being or pet, it will be found in one of these areas as well. However, they will not be found alive. The important thing however is that whatever or whoever is lost will be recovered close to or inside water. Ifá warns the spouse of this person for whom this Odù is revealed not to be among the conspirators planning evil against her husband. If she is among these conspirators, they will all be put to shame together. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ for victory and at the same time feed Ifá with a big live catfish. Doing so will bring victory and accomplishment for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. On this, Ifá says: A®ko¾o; ni;i; gbe;’bu¾u;le¾ô jeô’ko Di;a; fu;n O®Ùkoô¾o¾ôka¾nle;nu; Iru;nmoôleô¾ Woô;n n; lo¾ôoô; b’O:lo;kun p’e¾ôsa;n oôdu;n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n; lo¾ôoô; b’O:lo;kun p’e¾ôsa;n oôdu;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: A®ko¾o; ni;i; gbe;’bu¾u;le¾ô jeô’ko He was the one who cast Ifa;; for the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ When going to celebrate the annual festival with Olo;kun He also cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to participate in Olo;kun’s annual festival They were all advised to offer eôboô Every year, Olo;kun used to invite all the 401 Iru;nmoôleô and all human beings and the O®ri¾sôa¾ on earth to her anniversary. At every ceremony, hundreds of thousands of human beings, Iru;nmoôleô, and O®ri¾sôa¾ used to attend. Every year, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would be the last to arrive at the ceremony. When he arrived, he would descend from the rooftop of Olo;kun ’s palace. Olo;kun had a giant brass tray that she used to place at

911


the centre of her palace. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ arrived, he would throw his ikin into the tray from the roof top. All the guests would burst into celebration. That was when the Odù of the year would be cast for Olo;kun and all the Iru;nmoôleô, O®ri¾sôa¾, and Babaláwo present would recite the Odù for her. She would offer the ẹbọ that same day. That was how Olo;kun’s festival would be celebrated every year. Before long, people began to grumble, that why was O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ allowed to steal that day from all others present every year. They vowed that this must be put to an end. That decided that in the next annual celebration of Olo;kun, they would bring disgrace and ridicule to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. They then decided to begin their plans immediately. They began to recruit people to be fellow conspirators. They worked tirelessly day and night. They were after one thing and one thing only; to disgrace O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ at the next Olo;kun festival and subject him to ridicule. The plan was to find one way or another to steal the special ikin which O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ used to cast during the festival. They reassured that he would not have any ikin to throw from the top of the roof. They would also ensure that no substitute would be acceptable. If he could not produce his special ikin, they would insinuate that he had refused to bring his ikin as a slight against Olo;kun. They would whisper into the ears of Olo;kun that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had been planning to spoil her ceremony for quite some time now and that he had just concluded his evil plan against her. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would then be placed on the spot and driven out of the festival venue with ignominy. Three months before the festival period, all the plans were in place except for how to get their hands on the ikin. Much as they tried, they could not get the ikin. They didn’t even know where the ikin were being kept in the first place. That was when they concluded that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife must be recruited and be made part of their team of conspirators. It took the conspirators two months to secure the consent of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife. She agreed to be part of them as long as they offered her an amount of money that she could not refuse. With O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife on the

912

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

side of the enemies, the plot became solid and faultless against O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. Two days before the ceremony, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife sneaked into his Ifá room and stole the special ikin, which O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ normally used for Olo;kun and handed them over to his enemies. She was handsomely rewarded. The conspirators celebrated the downfall of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that day. In order to make it impossible for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to find his ikin, they commissioned someone to row a boat to the middle of the sea and throw the ikin in the ocean. This was done instantly. The next day, all the conspirators met to put all the final touches on their grand plot. They concluded that the plot had gone as planned. They deliberated over O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife and concluded that she was expendable. They did not need her services anymore and dropped her. They even warned each other, never to have anything to do with her again because a woman, who betrays her husband because of money, would also betray anyone without blinking an eyelid. She was considered to be a very dangerous, callous, and heartless woman who must not be trusted for any reason whatsoever. Very early in the morning, on the day of Olo;kun’s festival, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ gathered everything he’d need to take along with him like his: I®ye¾ôro¾su¾n, I®roô;ke;ô, Iru¾ke¾ôreô¾, O®su¾, and so on. He then went into his Ifá room to get his special ikin, which he usually used for Olo;kun but as he searched, he could not find them. He searched everywhere but the ikin were nowhere to be found. In a state of confusion, he called on his wife to help him search throughout the house. The wife, who knew the exact whereabouts of the ikin, began to search everywhere. She pretended to be concerned. She even turned the whole house upside down and reported that she could not find the ikin. She suddenly burst into tears. She then asked her husband several times,”What are you going to do now?” O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was touched by her concern. He told her that he needed to consult Ifá in order for him to know what to do. He instructed her to summon his group of Awo so they could cast Ifá for him immediately. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife was very convinced that Ifá would not be able to salvage the situation. She then rushed to summon the Awo.

913


When the Awo arrived, they casted Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and the Odù that was revealed was Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he was in the midst of conspirators who thought that their plot was going to catch him napping. He was told that there were several people involved, both from inside and outside of his home. He was assured that he had nothing to worry about because Ifá would expose the conspirators and also manifest miracles in his life. He was told not to worry about his special ikin because Ifá would take care of that. He was then advised to offer ẹbọ and feed Ifá with the biggest fish caught in the sea that day. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ offered the ẹbọ immediately. He asked his wife to go to the market and buy the biggest fish in the market caught that day for him. The wife left immediately and was very happy. She thought to herself that she would cook the fish in the most delicious way that she could and eat it to her satisfaction before her husband went to the festival to meet his disgrace. Meanwhile, everybody was waiting for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to arrive at the venue of the ceremony. The conspirators had already started making jest of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and all the other Irunmole present at the venue. They were insinuating that all of them would be humiliated that day. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was running late. The conspirators then stated that he was not going to come to the festival. They claimed that he had told them that he was going to disappoint and embarrass Olo;kun this year. This information finally reached the ears of Olo;kun and she became very livid with anger. She vowed to give O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ the lesson of his life if he failed to show up that day. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife arrived from the market, she brought with her the biggest fish caught in the sea that day. She handed it over to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. He took it to his Ifá room and prayed. His wife then sat beside him and also began to pray. He then cut up the fish to feed his Ifá and alas, the special ikin fell out of the gut of the fish. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ asked himself,”How did this happen?” O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was confused but at the same time

914

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

overwhelmed with joy to recover the special ikin. He then burst into singing and dancing. His wife could neither chorus his songs nor dance with him. She began shivering with fear. She knew that Ifá would eventually expose all the conspirators. She then knelt down and confessed her role in the plot and conspiracy. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ could not even listen to all her tales before he dashed out and headed for Olo;kun’s house. At Olo;kun’s house, the conspirators suggested to Olo;kun to find another Awo who could cast Ifá for her as O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had refused to show up. One of the conspirators was recommended to do the consultation for Olo;kun and she agreed. The conspirator then sat on the mat and began to demand for all sorts of items. As he brought out his own ikin in order to give them to Olo;kun to begin her prayers, they suddenly heard the sound of the special ikin, which O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ normally dropped from the rooftop into the brass tray, which Olo;kun used to provide every year. The whole place went dead silent. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ then jumped down from the rooftop of Olo;kun’s palace. The crowd then began to jubilate and praise O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. The conspirators began to retreat one after the other. They began looking for the nearest escape routes. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ consulted Ifá for Olo;kun. Part of the ẹbọ materials was 200 mats. Olo;kun then provided all the materials and the ẹbọ was offered. As soon as the ẹbọ was completed, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ summoned all the remaining 400 Iru;nmoôleô. They then used the 200 mats to bind themselves together with all the ẹbọ materials. They all formed one giant ball. He then summoned all the A®sôeô on earth and in heaven and declared that nobody would be able to see the Iru;nmoôleô again from that day on. People would only be able to hear their voices and instructions. The giant ball then disappeared in the presence of all those present. From that day until today, nobody has been able to see the Iru;nmoôleô anymore. The closest they could get was hearing what they had to say during consultation, manifestation, or meditation.

915


A®ko¾o; ni;i; gbe;’bu¾u;le¾ô jeô’ko Di;a; fu;n O®Ùkoô¾o¾ôka¾nle;nu; Iru;nmoôleô¾ Woô;n n; lo¾ôoô; b’O:lo;kun p’e¾ôsa;n oôdu;n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n; lo¾ôoô; b’O:lo;kun p’e¾ôsa;n oôdu;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni l’a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba;’ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ Translation: A®ko¾o; ni;i; gbe;’bu¾u;le¾ô jeô’ko He was the one who cast Ifa;; for the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ When going to celebrate the annual festival with Olo;kun He also cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to participate in Olo;kun’s annual festival They were all advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we overcome enemies Victory over adversary is what Ifá guarantees for all its devotees Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she will overcome all his/her enemies no matter how many they may be or how strong they are.

13. Ifá says that three people are busy planning against the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá states further that two of the conspirators will execute the plan while the third person will back out at the execution stage. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to identify the third person who refused to join the conspirators and reward him/her handsomely.

916

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with 1 mature he-goat and money, feed O®gu;n with 1 mature dog, and feed E®sôu¾ with 1 mature cock. On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; has this to say: OÙ®pa; te;ôeô;re;ô Oni;-wo¾ja¾wo;ja¾ Ala;ja¾n¾we;we; A®woôn meô;te¾ôeô¾ta ni;i; sô’oômoô i¾ko;ôfa; ile; A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; n; loô re¾e; b’O:lo;kun p’e¾ôsa;n oôdu;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: OÙ®pa; te;ôeô;re;ô Oni;-wo¾ja¾wo;ja¾ Ala;ja¾n¾we;we; The three of them were resident students of A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n They cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to the annual festival ceremony of Olo;kun He was advised to offer eôboô The original name of OÙ®pa; te;ôeô;re;ô was A®ku¾koô, the rooster; that of Oni;wo¾ja¾wo;ja¾ was Ajá, the dog; and Ala;ja¾n¾we;we; was originally known as EÙyeôle;, the pigeon. The three of them were former students of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾. When they graduated from their studies, they were put on a linear year internship and told to go and find their individual names with which they would be known and addressed. After their internship period, Ajá, the dog, came to be known as Oni;-wo¾ja¾wo;ja¾, A®ku¾koô, the rooster, came to be known as OÙ®pa; te;ôeô;re;,ô and Ala;ja¾n¾we;we; received the professional name of EÙyeôle;, the pigeon. The three of them chose to stay with O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ and they became his resident Awo. One day, Olo;kun invited O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ to her annual festival. She asked O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ to be the officiating priest in the celebration. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ accepted the invitation and began to make preparations for the day. On the day of the celebration, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ asked his three resident Awo to

917


proceed ahead of him in order to ensure that everything was in place before his arrival. The three of them left very early in the day. On their way however, they all began to complain against how O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ had been maltreating them. They said that he had not been giving them their fair share of the proceeds from their work. Ala;ja¾n¾we;we; told the other two to call O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾’s attention to it and to urge him to make all necessary adjustments. OÙ®pa;-te;ôeô;re;ô and Oni;-wo¾ja¾wo;ja¾ claimed that they had better ideas. They said that instead of complaining, it would be better to send O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ back to heaven unceremoniously. By so doing, all the proceeds that they made would become theirs. They said that they would begin with the proceeds they would make in Olo;kun’s house that day. They planned to mark the wrong route for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾, instead of going to Olo;kun’s house, the route would lead him to heaven and it would be impossible for him to return to earth if he crossed the boundary of heaven and earth. As they were finalizing this plot, Ala;ja¾n¾we;we made it clear to the other two that he would have no hand in it. He said that the only thing that he would agree with was for them to bring what they thought to be O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾’s short-comings to his attention. The other two said that they would carry out their plan with or without his participation. When they got to the three crossroads, where the road on the left led to Olo;kun’s house, the one in the middle led to heaven and the one on the right led to a dead-end, the two conspirators marked the one in the middle for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ to pass through. Ala;ja¾n¾we;we tried all he could to dissuade the other two but they refused to listen. At a certain stage, they threatened to kill him if he continued to plead with them to spare O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾’s life. With that, Ala;ja¾n¾we;we kept quiet. The three of them got to Olo;kun’s palace ahead of many other invitees. They set up everything that was necessary before the arrival of all others. They eventually told Olo;kun that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ was indisposed and he had told them to come early in order to ensure that all arrangements went smoothly. They added that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ said that if in the end, he

918

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

could not make it, then the three of them should go ahead and do the annual Ifá consultation for Olo;kun. By midday, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ left his home and headed for Olo;kun’s palace. When he got to the junction of the three cross-roads, he took the route in the middle that was marked by his three resident Awo. When it remained a little distance for him to cross the boundary of heaven and earth, he met O®Ùya¾ , the grass-cutter, on the way. They exchanged pleasantries and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ began to continue, but O®Ùya¾ pleaded with him to follow him to his house in order to help him feed his Ifá with food. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ told O®Ùya¾ that he had no time to do that at that period because he had sent three people ahead of him to Olo;kun’s house to make all the necessary arrangements before his arrival. O®Ùya¾ insisted that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ must help him to feed his Ifá claiming that it was O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ himself who had taught them that no Awo had the right to refuse any Ifá assignment. Hearing this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ reluctantly agreed to feed the Ifá for O®Ùya¾. As soon as he finished, he prepared to go and continue his journey. O®Ùya¾ would have none of that. He insisted that the food must be cooked and that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ must do the I®ya;n’le¾ô for him before he left for wherever he was going. He said that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ could not leave the feeding of Ifá uncompleted before he went for his journey. By this time, he had become very impatient but he waited for the food to be cooked nonetheless. When he finished feeding Ifá to the satisfaction of O®Ùya¾, he finally left.

O®Ùya¾ then saw O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ off to the junction of the three crossroads. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ began to take the road in the middle, O®Ùya¾ told him that that road was not the one that led to Olo;kun’s house. He told him that the route he was about to take led to heaven. O®Ùya¾ informed O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that the route on the left was the one that led to Olo;kun’s palace. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that those who marked the road in the middle for him were being callous and mischievous. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ thanked O®Ùya¾ profusely and passed through the road on the left to Olo;kun’s palace. He was late. All the other invited guests had arrived. As O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was going on the

919


road, he continued to see the foot-prints of the three Awo until he got to Olo;kun’s palace. That convinced him that his Awo had deliberately marked the wrong route for him in order to send him to heaven unceremoniously. When the three Awo saw O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, they began to shiver. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ asked them to explain why they wanted him in heaven in a wicked and unceremonious manner. Ala;ja¾n¾we;;we; explained to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ everything that transpired among the three Awo on their way from O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s house to Olokun’s palace. The other two had nothing to say. They could not even look at O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s face. After this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ordered that OÙ®pa;-te;ôeô;re, the cock, should be slaughtered immediately to feed his Ifá. He ordered that Oni;-wo¾ja¾wo;ja, the dog, should be slaughtered to feed O®gu;n. He also ordered that Ala;ja¾n¾we;re; must never be slaughtered for any ẹbọ and his life must be spared. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ also ordered that Eyelé must be allowed to live and stay with human beings without being threatened with death as the other two. After this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ said that in compensation for the good deed of O®Ùya¾, the grass-cutter, which prevented him from going to heaven unceremoniously, any child of Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; either during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa; must never kill or consume him. O®Ùya¾ thus became a serious taboo for all Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; children as a sign of gratitude. From that day till today, all children of Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; killing or eating O®Ùya¾, the grass-cutter will find it difficult to do well in life. OÙ®pa; te;ôeô;re;ô Oni;-wo¾ja¾wo;ja¾ Ala;ja¾n¾we;we; A®woôn meô;te¾ôeô¾ta ni;i; sô’oômoô i¾ko;ôfa; ile; A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; n; loô re¾e; b’O:lo;kun p’e¾ôsa;n oôdu;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;sôeô; Ogun A®ja¾sôeô; Ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾

920

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

Translation: OÙ®pa; te;ôeô;re;ô Oni;-wo¾ja¾wo;ja¾ Ala;ja¾n¾we;we; The three of them were resident students of A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n They cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to the annual festival ceremony of Olo;kun He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory over enemies Victory over adversary is what Ifá guarantees for all its devotees Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be victorious over all his/her enemies. He/she also needs to compensate all those who have in one way or another assisted him/her to overcome his/her enemies. 14. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá assures this person that he/she shall become a leader and a decision maker in their life. Ifá says that to be blessed with fortune is not the problem of this person; rather, he/she is facing the challenges of unconsummated fortune. Consequent upon this, he/she needs to offer appropriate ẹbọ which will remove this impediment from his/her life and set him/her on the path to glory. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat, a bottle shaped calabash filled with water, some rags, the clothing which the person for whom this Odù is cast wears on the day of the Ifá consultation, pieces of wood which will be used as fuel. These items will be taken to the forest. The person for

921


whom this Odù is revealed will set the rags and the clothing, which he/she wore on the day of the consultation on fire. He/she will then strip himself/herself naked and would be dancing around the fire. After this, he/she will use the water in bottled shaped calabash to bathe and put off the fire. He/she will then stand astride of the fire and bathe. By so doing, the water will put out the fire. If this is done, the problem of unconsummated fortune which he/she had hitherto been suffering from will become a thing of the past. A mature he-goat or cock will then be sliced open and the heart will be removed. Plenty of palm oil will then be poured inside it and this will be placed by E®sôu. This client will then procure one pouch. Inside this pouch, the Awo will place a little rag cloth, a¾peô; leaves, e¾gbe; leaves, a¾su¾¾nwo¾ôn leaves, and a little sand. The person for whom this Odù is revealed will then keep this in his/her home permanently, more so if he/she is born by this Odù. Doing this will drive away misfortune and bring success to him/her. On this, a stanza in Ogbe¾-Je¾ôgbeô says: OÙmoô p’erin s’i;gbo; Be;ôeô¾ la o¾¾ r’e;rin OÙmoÙ p’eôfoô¾n s’o;ôda¾¾n Beô;e¾ la o¾ r’e;fô oô¾n Ori; oômoô da;ra Ba¾ba; a re¾ô ni o¾ mo¾ô Di;a; fu;;n Je¾ôgbeô¾ Ti;i; sôe a¾re¾m ô oô Oni;di¾ko; OÙmoô-OÙba Keô;se;ô ori; eôôsin I®gba¾ ti; n; loô re¾’gbe;ô oôdeô EÙboô ni woôô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: A child killed an elephant in the forest But the elephant could not be found A child slaughtered a buffalo in the savannah But the buffalo was nowhere to be found The Orí of this child was a fortunate one

922

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

But his father was not aware of this fact These were Ifá’s declarations to Je¾ôgbeô¾ The first child of Oni;d;i¾ko The prince who rides on horses When he was going on a hunting expedition in the forest He was advised to offer ẹbọ Jeô¾gbe¾ô was the first child of Oni;d;i¾ko, the Oba of I®di¾ko; land. He was full of strength, health, and vitality. Those who were close to him vowed that he would become a great Ϙba in the future. One day, his father summoned him to his presence and demanded from him to tell him the type of profession that he, Jeô¾gbe¾ô, would like to pursue. He did not hesitate before he told his father that he would love to be a hunter. He boasted that he would be killing elephants, buffalos, hippopotamuses, zebras, antelopes, deer, etc. He stated that the only animal he would not be able to kill was the one that he did not set his eyes on. His father did not consider hunting as a befitting profession for a prince and heir apparent to the throne. All effort to dissuade him from pursuing this life profession fell on deaf ears. When all efforts to make Jeô¾gbe¾ô change his mind failed, he was advised to go for Ifá consultation. He went. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed. The Awo assured Jeô¾gbe¾ô that he would succeed in his chosen career. He was told that this career would bring him fame, prestige, and elevation. He was advised to offer ẹbọ a mature he-goat and to slice another hegoat open and place it by E®sôu¾ in order for him to be able to consummate his fortunes. Jeô¾gbe¾ô could see no reason why he should waste two matured he-goats on ẹbọ when the Awo had just pronounced that he would succeed in his chosen career. He was also sure that as an expert shot, nothing could stop him from consummating his success. He therefore refused to offer any ẹbọ. The first time he went on a hunting expedition, he killed an elephant. He was so proud of himself. He then began to make jest of the Awo who

923


advised him to offer ẹbọ. He returned home to report to his father that he had just killed an adult elephant. He begged for some able-bodied men to follow him to the forest in order to carry the meat of the elephant home. His request was granted. When they got to the spot where the dead elephant was, what they found was a hill. He searched and searched but there was no elephant. All those who followed him to the forest returned home disappointed. All of them concluded that Jeô¾gbe¾ô was telling lies- All efforts to make people believe him failed. The second time that he went to the savannah region, he killed a buffalo. He returned home to invite people to help him cut up the meat and carry it home. When they got to the spot, what they found was anthill. The third time he went on a hunting expedition, he killed an antelope. He cut the tail of the antelope to use as evidence that he actually killed the animal. He was followed from home to the forest. When they got to the spot where he claimed that the antelope had been killed, all they saw was a stream flowing past the spot. For this reason, all the people knew Jeô¾gbe¾ô as a liar who must not be trusted for anything. That was the time that Jeô¾gbe¾ô remembered the advice of his Awo. He returned to them and declared he was ready to offer the ẹbọ. He then procured the two he-goats and money. The Awo then told him to add his clothing which he wore on that day of the consultation and go to the forest to burn the clothing of tribulation and unconsummated fortune away from his life. He did. While he was doing this, a group of hunters/warriors who had engaged in several battles and who had become battle weary were passing through the area where Jeô¾gbe¾ô was burning his clothes and taking a bath. These warriors were looking for a village or town where they could settle down and resume living their normal lives. When they spotted the smoke, they declared that wherever the smoke came from must have

924

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

the presence of human beings. They traced the smoke and found Jeô¾gbe¾ô taking his bath. They explained their situation to him and appealed to him to take them to the town where he lived. Jeô¾gbe¾ô responded that his father was the Ϙba of the town and that it would not be a difficult thing for him to explain to his father. He asked these warriors to follow him. When they got to the boundary of the town, he asked them to wait for him because the way they were dressed, if they entered the town, it might be taken as if they were coming to wage war on the town. They agreed to wait for Jeô¾gbe¾ô. When Jeô¾gbe¾ô got to his father’s palace, he explained what he had experienced in the forest. He told his father that the men were already on the outskirts of the town. The father summoned all the high chiefs to listen to the story of Jeô¾gbe¾ô. All of them concluded that they would not allow Jeô¾gbe¾ô to take the town for a ride any longer. They concluded that if it was true that he had some people waiting at the boundary of the town, he could lead them to another land and become their Ϙba in the new land. He was even given a mock crown in order to make jest of him. Three times Jeô¾gbe¾ô demanded from the high chiefs if they truly wanted him to go and settle the men elsewhere and become their Ϙba. Three times they responded affirmatively. That was how Jeô¾gbe¾ô led the group of warriors to I®ko¾yi; land and became the Ϙba of the land. When his father later realized that Jeô¾gbe¾ô had truly become Ϙba, he sent one of his horses to him as a personal gift. When Jeô¾gbe¾ô got the horse, he rode on the horse to I®di¾ko land to come and thank his father for the good gesture toward him. When the inhabitants of I®di¾ko land saw Jeô¾gbe, they became envious. How could they serve the father and at the same time sever the son? They concluded that it would not be possible. That was when they message to the OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; of OÙ®yo;ô. They then gave him a pouch and filled the pouch with money and asked him to go and deliver it to the OÙloô;yo¾ôoô.

925


Jeô¾gbe was however conscious of the fact that many people had been sent on this type of errand before to OÙ®yo; but they never returned. It was generally known that these people were beheaded as soon as they delivered the pouch. It was a sign that they had become a problem to the land and based on that, the OÙloô;yo¾ôoô would simply order his executioners to behead them. But what had he done wrong for the people to want to send him on this type of errand. This was an errand that he could not refuse to go on. What would he do? That was what made him go to his group of Awo for a third time. He asked,”Will I survive this errand? What did he need to do to survive, if at all he stood a chance of coming back alive.” The Awo told Jeô¾gbe that he had been sent on an errand to where he would not return from. He was however told not to entertain any fear whatsoever. He was assured that he would go and return safely. The Awo advised him to slice one mature he-goat open, remove the heart, and place it by E®sôu¾. He did. After this, the Awo asked him to bring the pouch that he was given. He handed it over to the Awo. The removed the money and replaced it with rags, sand, a¾peô; leaves, a¾su¾nwo¾ôn leaves, and e¾gbe; leaves. The pouch was then returned to him and he was told to go on the journey. The Awo assured Jeô¾gbe that E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ could come to his aid. Very early the following day, Jeô¾gbe set out on his journey. When he arrived in OÙ®yo;ô, he went straight to the palace of the OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô . He announced that he had come to deliver a pouch to the OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô. When the OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô heard of this, he quickly summoned his executioners. When the executioners arrived, the OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô ordered them to behead Jeô¾gbe. That was when E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra came into action. He said that it would be advisable to examine the contents of the pouch before Jeô¾gbe would be beheaded. This looked like a sensible thing to do. The OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô then ordered one of his domestic servants to bring out the contents of the pouch.

926

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

The first thing that was brought out was the small bundle of egbe¾ leaves. All those present became confused. This one did not come with the pouch filled with money. What was the meaning of this? That was when E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra burst into a song telling the OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; that egbe¾ leaves were a sign of prayer. He said:

Woô;n o; maa si¾n oô; pe;ô ni o, Ikú; Wo;ôn o; maa si¾n oô; pe;ô ni Li;la¾ ni o la Je¾ôgbeô¾ OÙmoô Oni;di¾ko; o¾ Wo;ôn o; maa si¾n o;ô peô; ni o

Translation: Ikú, you shall be served for a long long time You shall be worshipped for a long long time to come Please turn Jeô¾gbe into a prosperous person The offspring of Oni;di¾ko; You shall be obeyed for a long long time to come All those present looked at one another. This one was not sent to be executed. The servant then pulled out another small bundle. This time, it was a¾peô; leaves. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ then changed the song and meaning. He said: Woô;n ni; ki; o pe;ô l’a;ye; ni o¾, Ikú; Wo;ôn ni; ki; o pe;ô l’a;ye; ni o Li;la¾ ni o la Je¾ôgbeô¾ OÙmoô Oni;di¾ko; o¾ Woô;n ni; ki; o pe;ô l’a;ye; ni o Translation: Ikú, they prayed for you to live long on earth They pleaded for you to stay long on earth Please shower prosperity on Je¾ôgbeô¾ The offspring of Oni;di¾ko; They prayed for you to live long on earth

927


Surely, this person was not sent her to die. He has been sent with good tidings and prayers. The domestic servant then pulled out the bundle of a¾su¾nwo¾ôn leaves. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ then began to sing again. Saying: Yo;o; maa sunwo¾ôn fu;n oô, Ikú; Yo;o; maa sunwo¾ôn fu;n oô o Li;la¾ ni o la Je¾ôgbeô¾ OÙmoô Oni;di¾ko; o¾ Yo;o; maa sunwo¾ôn fu;n oô o Translation: Ikú, things shall be well with you Things shall be agreeable with you Please shower Je¾ôgbeô¾ with prosperity The son of Oni;di¾ko; Things shall be well with you This is not a sign of someone who has been sent to die. It would be a shame to kill this person like the others. The domestic person then brought out the rag. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ sang again. Saying: Woô;n ni; koo lo¾’lu; gbo; ni, Ikú; Wo;ôn ni; ko lo¾’lu; gbo; ni o Li;la¾ ni o la Je¾ôgbeô¾ OÙmoô Oni;di¾ko; o¾ Wo;ôn ni; ko; o lo¾’lu; gbo; ni o Translation: Ikú, they prayed for you to stay long on the throne They prayed for you to stay long on the throne Please shower prosperity on Je¾ôgbeô¾ The offspring of Oni;di¾ko; They prayed for you to live long on the throne

928

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

All those present were convinced that if all those who had been coming before this man had been sent to come and die, this one was sent to come and live. The domestic servant also pulled out the sand from the pouch. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ then began to sing again. Singing: Woô;n ni; koo te¾ô’lu; pe;ô ni o, Ikú; Wo;ôn ni; ko te¾ô’lu; pe;ô ni Lila¾ ni o la Je¾ôgbeô¾ OÙmoô Oni;di¾ko; o¾ Woô;n ni; ko te¾ô’lu; pe;;ô ni o Translation: Ikú, the prayed for you to march majestically on the soil of your father’s land for a long time They prayed for you to walk long on the land Please bless Je¾ôgbeô¾ with abundant prosperity The offspring of Oni;di¾ko; The whole place became dead silent, waiting to hear what the OÙloô;yo¾ôoô would say. After what seemed like an eternity to Je¾ôgbeô¾, the OÙloô;yo¾ôoô finally ordered his Te¾ôeô;tu;, executioner to leave the palace. He then summoned 10 male servants, 10 female servants, and ordered them to go and load clothing, utensils, bags of money, and a beautiful horse for Je¾ôgbeô¾. The servants were also ordered to follow Je¾ôgbeô¾ back home to become his personal servants. The OÙloô;yo¾ôoô then gave Je¾ôgbeô¾ another crown to wear. Before he left, he was taken to the bathroom to take a proper bath. His hair was showered clean and he was given a majestic set of clothes to wear. Je¾ôgbeô¾ became an instant success story. When he got to the boundary of his father’s land, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ began to sing. Saying: EÙ o¾ maa w’ori; ire o o¾ EÙ o¾ maa w’ori; ire EÙ o¾ ri; Je¾ôgbeô¾ OÙmoô Oni;di¾ko; o¾ EÙ o¾ maa w’ori; ire o

929


Translation: Can’t you see good luck? Can’t you see fortune? Have you seen Je¾ôgbeô¾? The offspring of Oni;di¾ko; Can’t you see fortune? This was the song which all the citizens, friends, and foes alike of I®di¾ko land chorused in palace of Oni;di¾ko;’s. OÙmoô p’erin s’i;gbo; Be;ôeô¾ la o¾¾ r’e;rin OÙmoÙ p’eôfoô¾n s’o;ôda¾¾n Beô;e¾ la o¾ r’e;fô oô¾n Ori; oômoô da;ra Ba¾ba; a re¾ô ni o¾ mo¾ô Di;a; fu;;n Je¾ôgbeô¾ Ti;i; sôe a¾re¾m ô oô Oni;di¾ko; OÙmoô-OÙba Keô;se;ô ori; eôôsin I®gba¾ ti; n; loô re¾’gbe;ô oôdeô EÙboô ni woôô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®je;ô iroô; d’oôla¾ l’a;ra a¾ mi o Iro;ô d’oôla¾ l’a;ra a¾ mi EÙ o¾ ri; Je¾ôgbeô¾, puro;ô-puroô; Iro;ô d’oôla¾ l’a;ra a¾ mi o Translation: A child killed an elephant in the forest But the elephant could not be found A child slaughtered a buffalo in the savannah But the buffalo was nowhere to be found

930

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

The Orí of this child was a fortunate one But his father was not aware of this fact These were Ifá’s declarations to Je¾ôgbeô The first child of Oni;di¾ko The prince who rides on horses When he was going on a hunting expedition in the forest He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Come and join us in the midst of joy Come and see all ire of life Now, lies have turned into prosperity for me Untruths have turned into success for me Here comes Je¾ôgbeô, the liar Lies have become prosperity for me Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall succeed. He/she shall cross all the hurdles of his/her enemies with success. 15. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will overcome all his/her enemies. Ifá promises that he/she shall live long together with all members of his/her family. Ifá says that evil principalities and wicked people will try to foment crisis for him/her but they will fail. Ifá assures this person that all evil designs will not be able to enter his/her home. This person will also accomplish all his/her heart’s desire. He/she will be blessed with success, victory, elevation, and contentment. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 4 rats, 4 fish, 2 pigeons, 2 guinea fowls, 2 hens, 2 roosters, and money. After this, the Awo needs to procure one land snail, a¾lu;pa¾i;da¾ leaves, e¾ôla¾ leaves, and i¾yeye¾ leaves for this person. The leaves will be grinded into fine powder and be put into cotton wool. The cotton wool will then be tied to the body of a snail. One cock will

931


then be slaughtered and its blood drained on the snail. After this, the snail will be burned in the front entrance/door of the person for whom this Odù is revealed. On this, Ifá says: Duduku;u¾du¾ Awo Ele;ru¾u;ku; Di;a; fu;n Oju;o¾ri;bi Ti;i; sô’a¾re¾ômoô OÙ®sa;nyi¾¾n I®gba¾ ti; n; beô l’a;gbate¾ômoô; ogun ar’a;ye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation:

Duduku;u¾du¾, the Awo of Ele;ru¾u;ku;

He cast Ifa; for Oju;o¾ri;bi, My eyes will never witness evil The first child of O®Ùsa;nyi¾n When she was in the midst of conspiracy and tribulation She was advised to offer eôboô Oju;o¾ri;bi, My-eyes-will-never-witness-evil was the first daughter of O®Ùsa;nyi¾n. She was also his beloved and favourite baby. He showered his love and attention on her and all those close to him were aware of this fact. If anyone demanded anything from O®Ùsa;nyi¾n and they felt that he might not give it to them, if they went through Oju;o¾ri;bi, it would certainly be given to them. Anyone who hurt Oju;o¾ri;bi would actually hurt O®Ùsa;nyi¾n because he would do anything to ensure that she was not made unhappy even for one moment. Why should anyone be allowed to catch the attention of O®Ùsa;nyi¾n the way Oju;o¾ri;bi, does? She must be controlling O®Ùsa;nyi¾n through the affection he has for her. They decided that nobody must be allowed to control O®Ùsa;nyi¾n. They decided that that would be the crime she committed against the world. They suspected that since she was so loved by O®Ùsa;nyi¾n, she must be controlling him. These conspirators concluded that they must put an end to this. They concluded that they would not experience any loss if Oju;o¾ri;bi, continued to control her father

932

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

and although this love wouldn’t cause the society any harm, they still insisted that it was wrong and should not be allowed. The conspirators went to work. They began to spoil all her efforts systematically. Before she realized what was actually happening, her things had been ruined badly. Her destiny was being adversely affected. All the charms, which her father gave her to use, could not redress the situation. O®Ùsa;nyi¾n became a very unhappy man. Oju;o¾ri;bi became unhappy also. Something serious had to be done to return her life back to normal. But what could she do? She was not going to continue witnessing her life get worse. She would have to take a decisive step to put an end to the downward slide. But what step could she take? She could not stop thinking about this. Eventually she decided to go for Ifá consultation in the home of Duduku;u¾du. This Awo was the personal Awo of Ele;ru¾u;ku;. Ele;ru¾u;ku; was a bosom friend and confident of O®Ùsa;nyi¾n. He, Ele;ru¾u;ku;, was the one who took Oju;o¾ri;bi, to the house of Duduku;u¾du for Ifá consultation. When Ifá was cast for her, Ogbe¾-OÙla¾ was revealed. The Awo told her that she was living, eating, drinking, and walking right in the midst of conspirators. She was informed that these enemies had perfected their plot to ensure that she amounted to nothing in life. The Awo however assured her that she would overcome all of them. Oju;o¾ri;bi was told that the conspirators were sending evil means into her house in order to bring down negative forces into that house to live permanently with her. She was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above in order to chase out all the evil forces in her home. She complied. After this, the land snail and the four leaves were procured as stated above and a cock was slaughtered for it. This Ifá work was then buried in the front entrance of her house. This effectively stopped all evil forces from re-entering her home. As soon as this was done, Oju;o¾ri;bi’s life gradually returned to normal. The conspirators could not penetrate her to wreck havoc any longer. Instead, whatever evil plans they had, simply returned to them. Before long, all of them realized that to leave Oju;o¾ri;bi alone with her life was

933


the only option they had if they too wished to have peace of mind in their lives. Happiness returned to her life and by extension, it returned to the life of O®Ùsa;nyi¾n, her father. Duduku;u¾du¾ Awo Ele;ru¾u;ku; Di;a; fu;n Oju;o¾ri;bi Ti;i; sô’a¾re¾ômoô OÙ®sa;nyi¾¾n I®gba¾ ti; n; beô l’a;gbate¾ômoô; ogun ar’a;ye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾ a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ N®je;ô a¾ro¾ô o; maa ro;ô’bi woôn le; woôn l’o;ri; A®pada¾ o; maa pa’ri; ibi i woôn da¾ si; woôn I®yeye¾ lo; ni; k’A:wo o; ye¾ t’aya-t’oômoô EÙ®la¾ lo; ni; k’A:wo o; la¾ t’aya-t’oômoô I®gbi;n o¾ ni; ibu¾so a¾we; Apa; ibo l’o¾rô a¾n buru;ku; o; ti sôeô¾? Translation:

Duduku;u¾du¾, the Awo of Ele;ru¾u;ku;

He cast Ifa; for Oju;o¾ri;bi, My eyes will never witness evil The first child of O®Ùsa;nyi¾n When she was in the midst of conspiracy and tribulation She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory over enemies Victory over adversity is what Ifá guarantees for all its devotees Now, a¾ro¾ô leaves will be directing all their evils back to them A®pada¾ leaves will be returning their evils to them I®yeye¾ leaves declare that I should succeed together with my spouse and children EÙ®la¾ leaves authorize all Awo to succeed together

934

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

with their spouses and children My kinsmen, there is no part of a snails body that can be used to tie it down From where will evil come then? Ifá says that this person will put an end to all the problems caused by enemies, which have been taking place in his/her life. He/she should serve O®Ùsa;nyi¾n and hold close to Ifá 16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ for him/her not to be exasperated in life. He/she needs to offer ẹbọ for him/her not to face a multitude of problems, which could persist until he/she becomes totally exhausted with life and all that it represents. Ifá advises him/her to offer ẹbọ for him/her not to live with regrets throughout his/her life. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ for accomplishment, success, fulfilment, and elevation. He/she also needs to offer ẹbọ for victory over unconsummated fortune, exasperation, perpetual crisis, and frustration. The person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to offer ẹbọ with 3 pigeons, 3 guinea fowls, 3 ducks, 3 cocks, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with a mature she-goat and feed E®sôu¾ with a mature he-goat. On this, Ifá says: Ifá; ni; n o; sôe t’e¾mi yoô’ri; E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo ni; n o; sôe t’e¾mi yoô’ri; O: ni; oôkoô; ki¾i; ke;re; ko; mu; eôseô oko Ko; ma; le e¾ k’e;s ô eô oko ja;’ri; Ifá; ni; n o; sôe t’e¾mi yoô’ri; E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo ni; n o; se t’e¾mi yoô’ri; O;: ni; obi¾nrin ki¾i; mu;’gba; loô odo¾ Ko; ma; lee¾ k’e;s ô eô ja;’ri; N o; sôe t'e¾mi yoô’ri; Di;a; fu;n Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;

935


Ti; yo;o; loô j’oye¾ Ajeôbeôteô Al’A:ro¾o; n; j’A®ro; EÙl’EÙ:jeômu n; j’EÙjeômu OÙl’OÙ:tu¾n-u;n n; j’O®Ùtu;n Ajeôbeôteô l’Ala;bahun l’o;un o; jeô o EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Ifá declares that I shall accomplish my mission in life I chorus that I shall accomplish my mission in life He declared that a hoe is not so small as to take on the farm heap row Without accomplishing its mission Ifá declares that I shall accomplish my mission in life I chorus that I shall accomplish my mission in life He declared that a woman cannot take a calabash to a brook Without accomplishing the mission of fetching water I will accomplish my mission These were Ifá’s declarations to Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;, the tortoise Who would be given the title of the exasperation expert Others took A®ro; titles Others took E®Ùjeômu titles And other people took OÙ®tu;n titles Ala;bahun insisted that he wanted to be Ajeôbeôôteô, the exasperation expert He was advised to offer ẹbọ The elders planned to wage war on the neighbouring communities. This was a period of inter-tribal war and uprising. Many people relied on the spoils of war for their daily living. Many people had taken war mongering as their profession. The elders began to seriously train all able-bodied men in the community. All the military campaigns must be successful. One of the training programs was the installation of soldiers to different positions. The general of the warriors was installed to the

936

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

position of Balo;gun. Other high-ranking warriors were installed into such positions as Basôoô¾run, Olo;ro;gun, Asôi;pa, A®ro;, O®Ùdoô¾fin, and so on. Surprisingly, none of these titles interested or impressed Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;, the tortoise. All he wanted was to be installed to the position of Ajeôbeôteôthe exasperation expert. For this reason, he went to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed if I am made the master of exasperation? Will I be able to drag people to the position where they will be exasperated? Will I be able to defeat the world and make them bow and succumb to me? These were the questions he asked Ifá. During the consultation, Ogbe¾-Je¾ôgbeô¾ was revealed. The Awo then told I®ja¾pa; that he had an ambition in life. They assured him that his aim in life would be filled. They advised him to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. Soon after, all the warriors set out on their military expedition. Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; was one of them. As soon as they got to the battle field. Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; told all the others that they needed to know that he would neither run nor jump up or down. Consequently, he would not be useful to them in the main battle front. He advised them to erect a war camp and leave him there to take care of the supplies, arms, ammunition, and the prisoners of war. They all agreed and a war camp was constructed. Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; took care of the supplies, food rations, arms, and ammunition to the satisfaction of all. At a later date, many prisoners of war were brought to the war camp and I®ja¾pa; took care of them. He ensured that none of the prisoners of war together with other spoils of war such as goats, chickens, sheep, pigs, and other livestock had a chance of escape. When the war ended, all the warriors returned to the war camp. They had not rested at all before I®ja¾pa; told them that they needed to share all what they got from the battle front. The other warriors advocated patience but I®ja¾pa; would have none of it. The Balo;gun, the Basôoô¾run, the Asôi;pa, and A®ro; were particularly angry with I®ja¾pa;. They told him that he did not participate in the main warfare and yet, he was the one who was in a hurry to collect his own share of the loot. Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; shouted

937


all of them down, claiming that all the spoils of war belonged to him including the war prisoners. He claimed that he would only give them a small portion of the loot as a means of compensation for assisting him in the war front. The others said that Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; was not even at the front where the man hostilities took place. He responded that he was the person who waged all the wars and came back triumphantly. This angered all the other warriors and a big argument ensued. They later brought the matter back to town and lodged the complaint to the Ϙba of the land. The Ϙba summoned all the other non-combatant high chiefs and ordered them to listen to the matter and make a decision over the case. When they began to account for what happened at the battle field and the roles that each of them played, the Balo;gun explained to all present how they fought fierce battles, how the Basôoô¾run, the Asôi;pa, and A®ro; the EÙjeômu, O®Ùdoô¾fin and all others proved their mettle by fighting gallantly and how Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; was the only one among them who did not encounter the fierceness of the battle not to mention him not engaging in any of the confrontation. He explained that only Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; stayed behind inside the war camp, eating, resting, playing about, and sleeping. He expressed his surprise that it was the same Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; who now claimed that all the spoils of war belonged to him when he did not participate in any of the hostilities. When it was the turn of all the other warriors and combatants to narrate what happened in the war front, they were similar to what the Balo;gun had explained. Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; spoke last. He said that he did not have much to say. He would however want the panel of judges to allow all the prisoners of war to tell them how they were captured in order to have a vivid understanding of the roles each of the warriors played. It was agreed that such steps should be best taken. The prisoners of war were called in to narrate their encounters which led to their being captured and made prisoners.

938

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

One after the other, all male and female children and adult prisoners of war explained how they had fought gallantly, how they had run for their lives and for liberty, and how they had gone into hiding to escape being killed or captured. In the end, they said that they were all overwhelmed by exasperation. As soon as each of them mentioned this, Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; asked them to repeat what had led to their being captured. Each of them repeated that it was not the people who captured them, but that rather, they were overwhelmed by exasperation. When all the war prisoners had explained their encounters, Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; asked the panel of judges,” What other evidence do you need to appreciate the role that he played in the war front?” He made it clear to the judges that he was the person who singlehandedly fought the battles and captured all the war prisoners. He said that if the livestock, utensils, apparels, and clothing materials brought back from the war front could speak, they too would have explained that it was he, the master of exasperation, who had overwhelmed them. If this was the case, why then did all the other warriors need to return home to tell tall tales against him and exaggerate their roles in the war front? As he finished speaking, Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; left the presence of the panel of judges with a huge bow and calculated steps. It did not take the panel of judges much time to come to a conclusion. They hailed Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; for being such a gallant fighter and a highly gifted warrior. They blamed the Balo;gun and his group for coming to feed the judges lies. They claimed that based on all the evidence given to the judges, all the war prisoners and the spoils of war legitimately belonged to Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;. They therefore ordered that they should apologize to him and send all what was brought back from the battle front to his home. The Balo;gun agreed with the decision and pleaded on behalf of the others, for forgiveness. He said that the experiences of all the war prisoners were nothing compared to their own. He agreed that the prisoners were overwhelmed by exasperation on the battle field and that all the other victorious warriors met their own exasperation right at

939


home after the war. He also hailed Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; as the master of exasperation. He agreed that they had all lost out, both prisoners and warriors to exasperation. Ifá; ni; n o; sôe t’e¾mi yoô’ri; E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo ni; n o; sôe t’e¾mi yoô’ri; O: ni; oôkoô; ki¾i; ke;re; ko; mu; eôseô oko Ko; ma; le e¾ k’e;s ô eô oko ja;’ri; Ifá; ni; n o; sôe t’e¾mi yoô’ri; E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo ni; n o; se t’e¾mi yoô’ri; O;: ni; obi¾nrin ki¾i; mu;’gba; loô odo¾ Ko; ma; lee¾ k’e;s ô eô ja;’ri; N o; sôe t'e¾mi yoô’ri; Di;a; fu;n Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; Ti; yo;o; loô j’oye¾ Ajeôbeôteô Al’A:ro¾o; n; j’A®ro; EÙl’EÙ:jeômu n; j’EÙjeômu OÙl’OÙ:tu¾n-u;n n; j’O®Ùtu;n Ajeôbeôteô l’Ala;bahun l’o;un o; jeô o EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; ni¾kan ni; n;beô l'eô;yi¾n ti; n;sô'eôboô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; wo Ifá; Awo ki¾ Ifá; n; sôeô o E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙni to; gb’e;ôboô ni;'be¾ô ko; sô'eôboô o Translation: Ifá declares that I shall accomplish my mission in life I chorus that I shall accomplish my mission in life He declared that a hoe is not so small as to take on the farm heap row Without accomplishing its mission Ifá declares that I shall accomplish my mission in life I chorus that I shall accomplish my mission in life He declared that a woman cannot take a calabash to a brook Without accomplishing the mission of fetching water

940

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

I will accomplish my mission These were Ifá’s declarations to Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;, the tortoise Who would be given the title of the exasperation expert Others took A®ro; titles Others took E®Ùjeômu titles And other people took OÙ®tu;n titles Ala;bahun insisted that he wanted to be Ajeôbeôôteô, the exasperation expert He was advised to offer ẹbọ Only Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; complied Before long, not too far Come and see the Ifá warnings as narrated by the Awo Come and see how it has manifested Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Let those advised to offer ẹbọ heed the advice Ifá says that it shall not allow the person for whom this Odù is revealed to lose out to exasperation. A®boôru; A®boôye¾

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B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBÈ ÒTÚRÁ FOR THOSE BORN BY THE ODÙ DURING ÌKOSÈDÁYÉ OR ÌTÈNÍFÁ All Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children, both males and females, have the blessings of Olo;;du¾mare¾ from heaven to be able to acquire all the ire of life, both at home and outside their homes. They also have the ability to succeed where they are born and outside. There is nowhere on earth where Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children cannot succeed. Many people pray for them to receive the blessing of Olo;du¾mare¾ in order for them to be able to accomplish as much as Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children. This is because the success of Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children is perceived to have more value and significance than those of others. Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children are also satisfied with the levels of their achievement and progress in their lives. This also contributes in no small measure to the reason why other people envy them and pray to achieve as much as Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children. Unknown to many, the success of Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children comes from the compassion of Olo;du¾mare¾ and those of the members of their various communities. All Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children who are truthful, honest, righteous and upright at all times; who fight for the common good and wellbeing of their communities; who harbour no evil thoughts that are capable of bringing down individuals and communities; who oppose all thoughts, speeches or actions that are inimical to the progress and development of their communities; and who refuse to remain reticent in the midst of injustice, illegality or unethical actions are going to excel and become great and honourable in their lives. No enemy can overcome them. No evil can befall them. They will stand tall and see all their enemies and evil wishers lick the dust by their feet. All Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children strive to speak the truth at all times. Unfortunately however, most of the time, the truth is being construed as lies. The reason is that whatever their evidences may be are usually not found, or are not available, when verified. This however should not deter them from continuing to speak and uphold the truth at all times. The major weakness of all Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children, males and females, is that they love people to see and appreciate their good and benevolent deeds all the time. They do not want any form of accusation against them in any way whatsoever. This is the reason why they are easily affected by the negative comments of slanderers. This is however what

942

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

they need to learn to live with for the rest of their lives. As a matter of fact, it is an integral part of their lives. All Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; male children have the potential to make good homes, be loving husbands to their wives and responsible fathers to their children. They are also idealistic and they easily get disappointed over little things. They are great leaders and excellent diplomats. They believe in merriment and see no reason why other people cannot be like them. On the other hand, Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; female children gain more fame, honour and respect during their middle ages. The older they become, the more fame, honour and respect they gain. They are ideal as role models, community leaders and loving wives to their husbands. They however become withdrawn and vengeful if they feel that anyone has betrayed them in any way, no matter how insignificant it may appear to be to others. However, if this Odù is revealed for a woman about getting married, whether the woman is an Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; child or not, she must move to her husband's house on the very day that this Odù¾ is revealed. This is to prevent the woman from having pregnancy and child-bearing challenges. The couple must also move into a farm and make love on the bare floor in the farm before returning home the next day. In all, Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children, males and females, leave the world better than they met it. They try all they can to improve the lot of others and they succeed in being contented with all what Olo;du¾mare¾ has blessed them with.

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C. AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ®/O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® ALA:RA: 1. Ifá; - For direction, success, elevation, progress, support, sanctuary, victory, leadership, contentment and general wellbeing 2. Ori; - For fulfilment of destiny, progress, success, elevation, support, sanctuary, victory, leadership, direction, contentment, and self actualization 3. E®su ô ¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ - For direction, sanctuary, victory, success, elevation, leadership and overall wellbeing 4. OÙba¾ta;la; - For child bearing, child rearing, leadership, success, progress, victory, accomplishment and overall wellbeing 5. EÙgbeô; - For comradeship, leadership, support, victory, success, elevation and general progress 6. Egu;ngu;n - For ancestral support, success, progress, elevation, lineage continuity, victory, contentment and overall wellbeing 7. O®Ùsu ô n - For compatible spouse, child bearing, child rearing, support, elevation and overall success 8. O®gu;n - For victory, success, sanctuary and overall wellbeing 9. SÙan ¾ go; - For victory, success, sanctuary, leadership and overall wellbeing 10. Odù ¾ - For support, success, progress and overall accomplishment D. TABOOS OF OGBE¾® O®TU:RA: 1. Must never eat or kill eômo,ô; brown rat or use it for anything - to avoid unconsummated fortune, betrayal, failure and regret 2. Must never eat or kill oôy ¾ a¾, grass-cutter or use it for anything - to avoid unconsummated fortune, betrayal, failure and regret 3. Must never make himself/herself unavailable to people - to avoid unconsummated fortune, desertion, failure, loneliness, regret and disaster 4. Must never underestimate anyone - to avoid dwindling progress, crises, misfortune, failure and regret 5. Must never be keeping sleepless nights - to avoid being overwhelmed by enemies and opposition 6. Must never be using a¾wu;re money attraction medicinal preparations - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure and regret 7. Must never carry load on his/her head - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure and regret 8. Must never engage in monetary contribution with others - to avoid unconsummated fortune, being swindled, failure and regret

944

Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

9. Must never wear black or red dresses - to avoid the wrath of OÙba¾ta;la;, failure, childlessness and crises 10. Must never consume alcohol in excess - to avoid the wrath of OÙba¾ta;la;, failure and regrets 11. Must never speak evil of others - to avoid humiliation, unconsummated fortune, failure and regret 12. Must never pay kindness with wickedness - to avoid regret, humiliation, disaster and failure

E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® O®TU:RA: i.

MALES

1. Agbooôla; - The gathering of honour 2. MOdù ;pe;ôoôla; - I am thankful for my honour 3. E®Ùga¾n-o¾-pe;-k'o;yin-ma;-du¾n - Slanderous utterances will never remove the sweetness of honey 4. Ori;mida;ra - I have come with good destiny 5. Ifá;ko;rede; - Ifá; brings all ire of life

ii.

FEMALES

1. Ifá;perewa; - Ifá; summons all ire to me 2. I®wa¾leôwa¾ - Good character is the real beauty of anyone 3. Mori;re - I am blessed with all ire of life 4. E®Ùga¾n-o¾-pe;-k'o;yin-ma;-du¾n - Slanderous utterances will never remove the sweetness of honey 5. Ori;mida;ra - I have come with a good destiny


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Chapter 13

Ogbè Ìrẹtẹ̀

II II II I II 946

Ogbe¾-I®reôteô¾ Ogbe¾-Te¾ôteô¾ Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô A.1. Ifa; says that if this Odu¾ is revealed during I®koôseôda;ye; or I®teôni;fa;, that this person, before coming from heaven to earth, was promised that his/her home would never spoil on earth. He/she was assured that he/she would be happy and contented, together with all the members of his/her household. For this to happen, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ himself has promised to take proper care of his/her life and household for him/her. He/she also needs to be initiated into Ifa; together with all members of his/her household. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens, two pigeons, two guinea fowls, two roosters, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifa; with a male pig. On these aspects, Ogbe¾-Ateô¾ says: EÙyeô ni;i; we;’ri; Awo A®a;nu; A®da¾ba¾ ni o¾ j’e¾ôga¾, Awo O®ke¾ I®jero¾ A®ra; f’i¾di; sôu¾ku; Awo OÙloô;ye;ô-moyin OÙku¾nrin dindi bi; osôe iri¾n OÙku¾¾nrin gba¾n¾lo¾ôgi¾ bi; oôleô¾ eôfoô¾n A®ja¾n¾gbo;do;ri¾gi¾ eôku¾n ni;i; p’aja; oôdeô l’o;ju; oôdeô Di;a; fu;n woôn ni; I®jeô¾bu;-Mu¾re O®gbo¾n¾ka¾n- ni’da¾ E®yi;; oômoô ako;’rin yeôbeôyeôbeô ya’ri Oro;gu¾n-un Ifa; lo; wi;, o; ni; ewe; kan n; beô l’o;ko O®gbo¾ôn¾gbo¾ôn¾tileô¾, olongo a wu;wo A®woôn oô¾gbe¾ôri¾ a teô¾

947


Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti;; ko¾ ni;i; jeô; ki; ile; Aka;po¾ o; ba¾jeô; la;i;la;i; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe Translation: EÙyeô ni;i; weô‟ri;, the Awo of A®a;nu; The dove does not resemble the palm-frond, the Awo of I®jero¾ hill A®ra; f'i¾di; sôu¾ku;, the Awo of OÙloô;ye;ô-moyin The man as sturdy as the metal axe-blade And as massive as the foetus of a buffalo The brave leopard is the one which kills a hunter‟s dog Right in the presence of the hunter This was Ifa;‟s message for the indigenes of I®je¾ôbu;-;Mu¾re O®gbo¾n¾ka¾n ni;da¾, owners of the broad sword Those who place iron on their O®gu;n shrine Ifa; declares that there is one herb on the farm O®Ùgboô¾n¾gbo¾ôn¾tile¾ôyoô herbs, Olongo birds will be heavy in weight And the uninitiated ones will undergo initiation rites This was Ifa;‟s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Who would never allow the home of his Aka;po¾ to ever turn to ruin He was advised to offer eôboô When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was coming from heaven to earth, he chose as part of his destiny, the capability to defend, protect, and promote all Ifa; devotees. This choice was approved. Consequent upon this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was able to protect the home of the Awo against all the problems of life, which normally led to the break-up of their homes, families and lives. When the Aka;po¾ was coming to the world, he chose to be an Ifa; devotee for the rest of his life. Consequent upon this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ made

948

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

it a point-of-duty to protect the Aka;po¾, together with all the members of his family throughout their lives. The Aka;po¾ was confronted with several problems, both physical and spiritual, but OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ stood solidly behind him and ensured that the Aka;po¾ overcame all the problems. The lives of the Aka;po¾ and his entire household also improved tremendously, they all were worshipping Ifa; together. The Aka;po¾ did not have to worry about any problem in his life or household. EÙyeô ni;i; we;’ri; Awo A®a;nu; A®da¾ba¾ ni o¾ j’e¾ôga¾, Awo O®ke¾ I®jero¾ A®ra; f’i¾di; sôu¾ku; Awo OÙloô;ye;ô-moyin OÙku¾nrin dindi bi; osôe iri¾n OÙku¾¾nrin gba¾n¾lo¾ôgi¾ bi; oôleô¾ eôfoô¾n A®ja¾n¾gbo;do;ri¾gi¾ eôku¾n ni;i; p’aja; oôdeô l’o;ju; oôdeô Di;a; fu;n woôn ni; I®jeô¾bu;-Mu¾re O®gbo¾n¾ka¾n- ni’da¾ E®yi;; oômoô ako;’rin yeôbeôyeôbeô ya’ri Oro;gu¾n-un Ifa; lo; wi;, o; ni; ewe; kan n; beô l’o;ko O®gbo¾ôn¾gbo¾ôn¾tileô¾, olongo a wu;wo A®woôn oô¾gbe¾ôri¾ a teô¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti;; ko¾ ni;i; jeô; ki; ile; Aka;po¾ o; ba¾jeô; la;i;la;i; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: EÙyeô ni;i; weô‟ri;, the Awo of A®a;nu; The dove does not resemble the palm-frond, the Awo of I®jero¾ hill A®ra; f'i¾di; sôu¾ku;, the Awo of OÙloô;ye;ô-moyin The man as sturdy as the metal axe-blade

949


And as massive as the foetus of a buffalo The brave leopard is the one which kills a hunter‟s dog Right in the presence of the hunter This was Ifa;‟s message for the indigenes of I®je¾ôbu;-;Mu¾re O®gbo¾n¾ka¾n ni;da¾, owners of the broad sword Those who place iron on their O®gu;n shrine Ifa; declares that there is one herb on the farm O®Ùgboô¾n¾gbo¾ôn¾tile¾ôyoô herbs, Olongo birds will be heavy in weight And the uninitiated ones will undergo initiation rites This was Ifa;‟s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Who would never allow the home of his Aka;po¾ to ever turn to ruin He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the ire of life Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. He/she shall also have the protection and guidance of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in all aspects of his/her life together with those of all the members of his/her household.

2. Ifa; says that it foresees all the Ire of life for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. He/she shall become a respectful and respectable leader in society. He/she shall be accorded his/her due honour and glory by their peers. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with plenty of dwarf-bananas, honey and money. He/she is also expected to feed his/her Ifa; together with Aje; (Wealth divinity) with plenty of dwarf-bananas, honey, kolanut and bitter kolanut regularly.

950

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

On this aspect, Ifa; says: Sa¾pa;ta; sa¾le; Sa¾le Sa¾pa;ta; sa¾i¾roô¾ Sa¾i¾ro¾ô lo; bi; O®Ùga¾nle;-ga¾nku O®Ùga¾nle;-ga¾nku lo; bi; O®Ùga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾yeô; O®Ùga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾yeô; lo; bi; OÙloômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô OÙloômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô lo; bi; OÙloômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô OÙloômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô lo; bi;; OÙloômoôô sôi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki; OÙloômoô sôi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki; lo; bi; Aje;le;ti; Aje; wa;a; l’e;ti; Aje; o¾ gboôdoô¾ j’eôran to; l’e;egun A®ka¾n¾ka¾ta;n l’oômoôde; n; ka’wo; e¾kika¾ Aje; EÙ woô’le; EÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ EÙran o¾ôgeô¾de¾ô l’a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’o;tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile; Aya EÙ woô’le; EÙÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ EÙran o¾ôgeô¾de¾ô l'a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile; OÙmoô EÙ woô’le; EÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ EÙran o¾ôgeô¾de¾ô l'a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile Ile; EÙ woô’le; EÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ EÙran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ l'a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile; Ire gbogbo EÙ woô’le; EÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ EÙran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ l'a¾wa n; jeôeô su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile; B’o;ju;mo;ô ba; mo;ô O®o¾ru¾n a la¾ googo¾o¾go

951


Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô sôe mi; rabata ka;’de ile¾ô yi¾i; B’a;le;ô ba; le;ô I®ra¾wo¾ô a ta¾n sôan-sô¾an-sôan Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô sôe mi; rabata ka;’de ile¾ô yi¾i; Di;a; fu;n Aka;po¾ Ti; yo;o; d’eôni a¾pe;si¾n ka;'ri; aye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: SÙa¾pa;ta; sôa¾le And SÙa¾le SÙa¾pa;ta; SÙa¾i¾ro¾ô Sa¾i¾ro¾ô was the one who begot O®Ùga¾nle;-ga¾nku OÙ®ga¾nle;-ga¾nku gave birth to O®Ùga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾ye;ô OÙ®ga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾yeô; begot OÙloômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô OÙloôômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô gave birth to OlÙoômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô OÙloômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô begot OÙloômoô SÙi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki; OÙloômoô SÙi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki; begot Aje;le;ti; Truly, Aje; (the Wealth diety) has ears to hear Aje; must never eat any flesh with bones Aje;, Please enter my house Come and consume banana flesh It is banana flesh that we eat as supper At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin The money that a child counts with e¾kika¾ leaves Is uncountable for the child It is banana flesh that we eat as supper At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin Spouse Come to my home Come and consume banana flesh It is banana flesh that we eat as supper At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin Child/Children Come to my home Come and consume banana flesh

952

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

It is banana flesh that we eat as supper At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin ô Properties/land Come to my home Come and consume banana flesh It is banana flesh that we eat as supper At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin All the Ire of life Come to my home Come and consume banana flesh It is banana flesh that we eat as supper At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin When the day breaks The sun will shine brightly Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô, please make me great throughout this land During the night time The stars twinkle gloriously Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô, please make me great throughout this land These were Ifa;‟s messages for the Aka;po¾ Who would become a respected leader throughout the world He was advised to offer eôboô The Aka;po¾ was very hard-working and at the same time, very ambitious. He had great ideas about how he wanted his life to be. He planned to be among the highest and most honourable people in his community, his region, his area and even all over the earth. He worked toward actualizing his dreams. He prayed to Ifa; daily and at the same time, worked diligently towards actualization. One day, the Aka;po¾ went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above to find out exactly how to go about actualizing his ambitions in life. During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô was revealed. The Awo told the Aka;po¾ that even though he was overly ambitious, he would nonetheless be able to actualize his dreams of becoming one of the greatest people of his time in life.

953


He was told to continue to work hard and pray to Olo;du¾mare¾ and all the divinities to answer his prayers. He was also advised to offer eôboô with plenty of ripe bananas and money. He was also advised to feed Ifa; and Aje; (the Wealth divinity) with plenty of bananas, honey, kolanuts and bitter kolanuts. He complied. After this, the Awo prepared a special soup for him with bananas, imi;-oôjoô; (sulphur), and i¾ra¾wo¾ô o¾ke¾ (beetles) with special Ifa incantation. The three materials were then pounded together and mixed with soup. The soup was given to him to bath with.

A short while after this was done, the profile of the Aka;po¾ began to shoot up. He became known and respected from far and near. Before long, he became a decision maker in his community. His reputation as a great Ifa adept and decision maker spread like wild fire. Several people began to seek his opinion and advice on any and many issues. People would travel across several lands and languages to seek his counselling. The world knew and recognized the Aka;po¾ as one of the best and one of the most honourable people that ever lived.

Sa¾pa;ta; sa¾le; Sa¾le Sa¾pa;ta; sa¾i¾roô¾ Sa¾i¾ro¾ô lo; bi; O®Ùga¾nle;-ga¾nku O®Ùga¾nle;-ga¾nku lo; bi; O®Ùga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾yeô; O®Ùga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾yeô; lo; bi; OÙloômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô OÙloômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô lo; bi; OÙloômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô OÙloômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô lo; bi;; OÙloômoôô sôi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki; OÙloômoô sôi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki; lo; bi; Aje;le;ti; Aje; wa;a; l’e;ti; Aje; o¾ gboôdoô¾ j’eôran to; l’e;egun A®ka¾n¾ka¾ta;n l’oômoôde; n; ka’wo; e¾kika¾ Aje; EÙ woô’le; EÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ EÙran o¾ôgeô¾de¾ô l’a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’o;tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile;

954

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

Aya EÙ woô’le; EÙÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ EÙran o¾ôgeô¾de¾ô l'a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile; OÙmoô EÙ woô’le; EÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ EÙran o¾ôgeô¾de¾ô l'a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile Ile; EÙ woô’le; EÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ EÙran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ l'a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile; Ire gbogbo EÙ woô’le; EÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ EÙran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ l'a¾wa n; jeôeô su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile; B’o;ju;mo;ô ba; mo;ô O®o¾ru¾n a la¾ googo¾o¾go Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô sôe mi; rabata ka;’de ile¾ô yi¾i; B’a;le;ô ba; le;ô I®ra¾wo¾ô a ta¾n sôan-sô¾an-sôan Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô sôe mi; rabata ka;’de ile¾ô yi¾i; Di;a; fu;n Aka;po¾ Ti; yo;o; d’eôni a¾pe;si¾n ka;'ri; aye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; ire gbogbo Je¾ôbu;tu; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ Translation: Sa¾pa;ta; sa¾le And Sa¾le Sa¾pa;ta; Sa¾i¾ro¾ô Sa¾i¾ro¾ô was the one who begot O®Ùga¾nle;-ga¾nku OÙ®ga¾nle;-ga¾nku gave birth to O®Ùga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾ye;ô OÙ®ga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾yeô; begot OÙloômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô

955


OÙloôômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô gave birth to OlÙoômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô OÙloômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô begot OÙloômoô SÙi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki; OÙloômoô SÙi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki; begot Aje;le;ti; Truly, Aje; (the Wealth divinity) has ears to hear Aje; must never eat any flesh with bones Aje; Please enter my house Come and consume the flesh of bananas It is banana flesh that we eat as supper At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin The money that a child counts with e¾kika¾ leaves Is uncountable for the child It is banana flesh that we eat as supper At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin Spouse Come to my home Come and consume banana flesh It is banana flesh that we eat as supper At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin Children Come to my home Come and consume banana flesh It is banana flesh that we eat as supper At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our originô Property Come to my home Come and consume banana flesh It is banana flesh that we eat as supper At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin All the Ire of life Come to my home Come and consume banana flesh It is banana flesh that we eat as supper At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin When the day breaks The sun will shine brightly Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô, please make me great throughout this land

956

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

During the night time The stars twinkle gloriously Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô, please make me great throughout this land These were Ifa;‟s messages for the Aka;po¾ Who would become a respected leader throughout the world He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all ire of life In the midst of all Ire of life do we find Ifa; devotees at the feet of OÙba¾ri¾sôa (Ifa; )

Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she will be blessed with honour, respect, elevation, and all other ire of life. He/she shall be counted among the greatest people who had ever lived in his/her time. The person for whom the Ifa; is cast must feed Ifa; with Aje;, also ensure their Awo make the stated preparation, all will come out fine, and they will rejoice in life.

3. Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she will be so wealthy that several people will be praying to Olo;du¾mare¾ and all the divinities to make them as successful as this person. Ifa; promises that the door of prosperity shall be opened wide for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. He/she shall not lack any of the great things of life, he/she should remember to help others. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons and money. After this, he/she needs to procure plenty of Ipi;n leaves, Isa¾ grains, E®su;ru; pupa, and eômileô¾ and pound the four items together. The mixture will then be mixed with black-soap. This Odu¾ will be imprinted and stanza will be recited into the black-soap. One pigeon will be slaughtered and its blood will be mixed with black-soap. After

957


this, the soap will be handed over to the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed for bathing. On this, Ifa; says: OÙla; ta¾ ka; OÙla; ra¾ ka; OÙla; ta¾ka¾ra¾ n¾gbada¾ OÙla; ni;i; moô’le; Olu; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ lo; moô’le; OÙloô;ja¾ a Ta¾ka¾ngu¾n OÙla; lo; moô’le; Alaa¾fin OÙ®yo;ô Ni woô;n gbo;ô’yi¾n i re¾ô ka;’le; aye; peregede O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ o; to; ge;ôgeô; Ki; woôn o; gbo;ô’yi¾n t’e¾mi ni;’nu; u Babala;wo B’o;sôu¾ ba; le; Apa; a re¾ô n; ka;’run ni Ipi;n lo; ni; ki; woôn o; pi;n’re t’e¾mi fu;n mi Isa¾ lo; ni; ki; woôn o; sôa’re t’e¾mi fu;n mi A®ka¾le;-a¾ka¾le; ni O®o¾sôa¾ ma;a n; ka’wo; e¾su;ru; T’owo;-t’owo; l’eômileô¾ n; so Di;a; fu;n Aka;po¾ Ti;’fa; o; sôi;’le¾ô’ku¾n oôla¾ a re¾ô fu;n ka;'ri; aye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Honour spreads about Honour expands itself around Honour sells a¾ka¾ra¾ fritters to claim a sword Honour is it that constructs the home of leaders O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ is he who constructed the home of merchandise leaders Honour is it that built the home of the Ala;a¾fin of O®Ùyoô; And his reputation spread across the world Ifa;, it is high time For people to hear my reputation among Babala;wo When the moon appears

958

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

Its influence is felt in heaven Ipi;n is it that authorizes my Ire should be given to me And Isa authorizes my Ire be given to me accordingly It is with interest that O®o¾sôa¾ counts the proceeds of E®su;ru; With money does eômileô¾ germinate Scarcity of wealth cannot affect eômileô¾ Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô, please open the door of prosperity for me With money does eômileô¾ germinate These were Ifa;‟s declarations to the Aka;po¾ Who Ifa; would open the door of prosperity for all over the world He was advised to offer eôboô The Aka;po¾‟s ambition was not limited to his locality alone. He planned to dominate everywhere he went. He was after two things in his life: Honour and Prosperity. He was prepared to use all legitimate means to get both. For this reason, he worked hard, prayed, and was hopeful. He was convinced that he would have both. He travelled far to acquire knowledge. It was through his acquisition of knowledge that he was able to speak several languages and dialects. Anywhere he went, he left behind a lasting impression and a reputation of being an adept and competent Babala;wo in the minds of the people. Yet, he was not fully satisfied that he had done enough. This drove him to look for more and more knowledge. It caused him to travel everywhere. One day, he went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above to determine how his level of success would be in life. During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô was revealed. The Awo told him that no matter how versatile a person he might be in any field of life, the most important aspect was the support of the divinities. They told the Aka;po¾ that it was only those whose efforts were crowned with success that could boast that they had accomplished anything in their lives. They therefore advised the Aka;po¾ to offer eôboô as stated above in order for the divinities to crown all his efforts with success. Hearing this, the Aka;po¾ complied with the

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eôboô immediately. After this, a special soap was prepared for him to use. After these had been done, that was when those who considered the Aka;po¾ as a great Awo began to consult him for Ifa; assignments. They began to patronize him to work for them. They also took along their friends, family, acquaintances, and loved ones along with them to the home of the Aka;po¾. Before long, the door of honour and prosperity was opened for the Aka;po¾. That was when he was able to count his success and give thanks and praises to the Ifa;, the Awo, Olo;du¾mare¾ and all the divinities. OÙla; ta¾ ka; OÙla; ra¾ ka; OÙla; ta¾ka¾ra¾ n¾gbada¾ OÙla; ni;i; moô’le; Olu; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ lo; moô’le; OÙloô;ja¾ a Ta¾ka¾ngu¾n OÙla; lo; moô’le; Alaa¾fin OÙ®yo;ô Ni woô;n gbo;ô’yi¾n i re¾ô ka;’le; aye; peregede O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ o; to; ge;ôgeô; Ki; woôn o; gbo;ô’yi¾n t’e¾mi ni;’nu; u Babala;wo B’o;sôu¾ ba; le; Apa; a re¾ô n; ka;’run ni Ipi;n lo; ni; ki; woôn o; pi;n’re t’e¾mi fu;n mi Isa¾ lo; ni; ki; woôn o; sôa’re t’e¾mi fu;n mi A®ka¾le;-a¾ka¾le; ni O®o¾sôa¾ ma;a n; ka’wo; e¾su;ru; T’owo;-t’owo; l’eômileô¾ n; so Di;a; fu;n Aka;po¾ Ti;’fa; o; sôi;’le¾ô’ku¾n oôla¾ a re¾ô fu;n ka;'ri; aye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boôô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: Honour spreads about

960

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

Honour expands itself around Honour sells a¾ka¾ra¾ fritters to claim a sword Honour is it that constructs the home of leaders O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ is he who constructed the home of merchandise leaders Honour is it that built the home of the Ala;a¾fin of O®Ùyoô; And his reputation spread across the world Ifa;, it is high time For people to hear my reputation among Babala;wo When the moon appears Its influence is felt in heaven Ipi;n is it that authorizes that my Ire should be given to me And Isa authorizes that my Ire should be given to me accordingly It is with interest that O®o¾sôa¾ counts the proceeds of E®su;ru; With money does eômileô¾ germinate Scarcity of wealth cannot affect eômileô¾ Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô, please open the door of prosperity for me With money does eômileô¾ germinate These were Ifa;‟s declarations to the Aka;po¾ Who Ifa; would open the door of prosperity for all over the world He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Come and join us in the midst of joy Come and see all ire of life Ifa; says that this person shall move from obscurity to prominence, and from destitute to accomplishment, they should always remember to give thanks to Olo;du¾mare¾, Ifa; and all the divinities. So says Ifa; in Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô.

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4. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be rewarded with two great blessings. These are the Ire of prosperity and compatible spouse. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens, two guinea fowls, two cocks, and money. After this, there is the need to procure an O®Ùsôu;nsôu;n stick together with a broom made with palm-fronds. The two will be tied together to sweep the floor of the house of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. On this, Ifa; says: Aki;ngbade;, Awo wa ni;’Le;win Aki;ngbosôu¾, Awo wa ni;’Le;sôa¾ OÙ®ku¾nrin rodorodo bi; osôe; irin O®Ùku¾nrin gba¾n¾lo¾de¾-gbanlode bi; oôleô¾ eôfoô¾n A®ja¾n¾gbo;do;ri¾gi¾ eôku¾n ni;i; p’aja; oôdeô l’o;ju; oôdeô Al’a;ja; o¾ gboôdoô¾ wi; Di;;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba o; la’nu si;’le¾ô Ti;’fa¾ yo;o; woô’le; wa; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Aki;ngbade;, our Awo in Ile;win town Aki;ngboôsi¾n, our Awo in Ile;sôa¾ land The man as sturdy as the metal axe-blade And as massive as the foetus of a buffalo The brave leopard is the one who kills the hunter‟s dog Right in the presence of the hunter And the hunter dares not utter any word These were Ifa;‟s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Who would make his mouth wide open And free gifts would be entering his home He was advised to offer eôboô

962

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was in all senses lonely and alone; and he had no money, no wife, no children, no students, and no hope of having them in the nearest future. He found it difficult to afford two meals in a day. Whenever his clothing became dirty, he had to find time to wash them by himself. He would also sweep the floor of his modest room by himself. Tired of living alone and being lonely, he decided to go for Ifa; consultation: will my life improve? Will I be able to progress in my life? Will I be blessed with wealth and a compatible companion? Will I be happy? Will I be able to stop sweeping the floor, washing my plates and clothing, by myself? Will I be blessed with a woman who will spend the rest of her life with me? Will I be able to build my own family, together with this woman? These and many more were the questions, which O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ asked from Ifa; during the consultation. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was told that even though he was experiencing some measure of hardship at that material point in time, such an experience would nonetheless give way to comfort and contentment. He was told that Ifa; would reward him with two great blessings before long. He was urged to continue to think good, speak the truth, and act properly. He was also advised to offer eôboô as stated above. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ could not afford the money. He nonetheless struggled to secure the money and ensured that the eôboô was offered accordingly. Two months after the eôboô had been offered, the OÙba of the land was visited by a stranger. How would the OÙba know that this visitor was E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ himself? Of course, he had no way of knowing. This visitor told him that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had been performing wonderfully in the land. He said that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ did not lay any emphasis on monetary reward. All that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was after was the improvement of the quality of life in the land. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ told the OÙba that there was an urgent need to compensate such a person who was ensuring success, joy, elevation, and progress in the land. He told the OÙba that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was poor and he had no wife of his own. E®sôu¾ said that it would be good if OÙ®ru;nmil¾a¾ was rewarded with a good spouse and adequate money to take proper care of the woman.

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After much deliberation, the OÙba conceded to E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾‟s request. The OÙba gave the hand of one of his daughters to OÙ®ru;nmi¾¾la¾ as wife. Not only this, he gave him a galloping horse and a lot of money. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ became comforted, fulfilled, rich and successful in just one day! Back at home, before he woke up in the morning, his water for bathing was already in the bathroom. His food was already on the table. His clothes were always neat and immaculate. The room was regularly swept and tidy. His environment was always neat. Thanks to the wife that he was blessed with, he had no problem of how to feed his wife because he was already a wealthy person. Life changed and improved greatly for him.

Aki;ngbade;, Awo wa ni;’Le;win Aki;ngbosôu¾, Awo wa ni;’Le;sôa¾ OÙ®ku¾nrin rodorodo bi; osôe; irin O®Ùku¾nrin gba¾n¾lo¾de¾-gbanlode bi; oôleô¾ eôfoô¾n A®ja¾n¾gbo;do;ri¾gi¾ eôku¾n ni;i; p’aja; oôdeô l’o;ju; oôdeô Al’a;ja; o¾ gboôdoô¾ wi; Di;;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba o; la’nu si;’le¾ô Ti;’fa¾ yo;o; woô’le; wa; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ifa; wi; o; ni; mo d’o¾ôsôu;nru;n igbo; Mo wi;, mo ni; mo d’o¾ôsôu;nru;n igbo; Ifa; wi;, o; ni; mo d’o¾sôi¾i¾ri¾ oôwoô¾ Mo wi;, mo ni; mo d’o¾sôi¾i¾ri¾ oôwoô¾ E®mi n’i¾kan ti; mo ti n;gba;’le¾ô fu;nra¾mi Aya weôeôreô EÙ t’o¾ke¾e¾re¾ wa; eô wa;a; gb’oôwoô¾ Aya weôeôreô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o

964

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

Translation: Aki;ngbade;, our Awo in Ile;win town Aki;ngboôsi¾n, our Awo in Ile;sôa¾ land The man as sturdy as the metal axe-blade And as massive as the foetus of a buffalo The brave leopard is the one who kills the hunter‟s dog Right in the presence of the hunter And the hunter dares not utter any word These were Ifa;‟s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Who would make his mouth wide open And free gifts would be entering his home He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Ifa; declares that I have become an oô¾sôu;nsôu;n tree I chorus that I have become an o¾ôsôu;nsôu;n tree Ifa; declares that I have become a broom I chorus that I have become a broom I who had been sweeping the floor by myself Many damsels Come from afar and take over the broom Many damsels Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and see all ire of life Ifa; says that the blessings of money and spouse shall come together to stay with the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; advises him/her to continue to work hard, do good, pray well, and be hopeful.

5. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to do good all the time of his/her life. He/she must think, speak, and do good all the time and under all circumstances. He/she must never

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contemplate evil at any time. Ifa; warns this person to be kind and benevolent and never do evil because of negative repercussions. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four hens, four pigeons, four guinea-fowls, four cocks, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifa; with a male pig. On this, Ifa; says: OÙwo;ô o¾ôtu;n-u¾n mi ni mo fi n;gba’re ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ Ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ la¾a; gbe; n;ba; woôn l’o;ri; eôni; o¾o¾re; tuntun A®ti ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾ rere Di;a; fu;n SÙeôbi;-sôeôbi; O: n; re’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; w;a;a; sôe Translation: With my right hand do I receive all Ire in the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ In the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ does one find them on a new O®o¾re; mat And benevolent pillows These were Ifa;‟s declarations for SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; He-who-caters-for-the-welfare-of-his-family When going to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ He was advised to offer eôboô SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;, he-who-looks-after-the-welfare and well-being-of-hisfamily-members, was coming from O®Ùrun (Heaven) to Aye (Earth);. He went to choose his destiny (A®ku;nle¾ôya¾n) at the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾. His major concern was the elevation of every member of his family. That was the principal assignment he chose for himself as his A®ku;nle¾ôya¾n. The assignment was endorsed for him by SÙensôenti¾sôo¾ro¾ and it was inculcated into his destiny and handed over to A®ja¾la;-mo¾ôpi;n to include in his Ori;.

966

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

He was however warned that the fact that he planned to do good at all times in his life must not prevent him from ensuring that he defended himself against internal aggression or external attacks. He was also advised that there was the need for him to prevent any such attacks. They told him that doing so would guarantee his living long and comfortably on earth. After this, SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; moved from A®ja¾la;mo¾ôpi;n‟s domain and proceeded to complete other assignments in the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ before moving to Ile;-Aye;;. OÙwoô; o¾si¾ i¾ mi ni mo fi n; gba¾’fa¾ ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ Ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ la¾a; gbe; n;ba; woôn l’o;ri; eôni; o¾o¾re; tuntun A®ti ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾ rere Di;a; fu;n SÙara;sôara; O: n; re’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: With my left hand do I receive all free gifts in the domain of Olo;;du¾mare¾ In the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ does one find them on new O®o¾re; mats And benevolent pillows These were Ifa;‟s declarations for SÙara;;sôara;, he-who-looksafter-the-well-being-of-his-fellows When going to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ He was advised to offer eôboô SÙara;sôara;, he-who-looks-after-the-well-fare and well-being-of-hisfellows, was also coming from O®Ùrun to Aye;. He too went to the home of SÙensôenti¾sôo¾ro¾ to choose his destiny. When he got there, his principal A®ku;nle¾ôya¾n was for him to have the capability to cater for the welfare and overall interest of all his fellows, friends, families, neighbours, acquaintances, and loved ones. This was granted also.

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He also moved into the domain of A®ja¾la;-mo¾ôpi;n and his choice was inculcated into his Ori;. As in the case of SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;, he was advised to ensure that he defended himself against evil people of the world who would be envious of his activities. He was urged to continuously protect himself and prevent any form of internal or external aggression that might be directed against him. After this, he went to other departments to complete his preparations in readiness for his journey to Ile;-Aye;.

P’e¾ôgboô;n p’a¾bu;ro¾ K’eô;ku;n o; le to; gbogbo ara; ile; e; sun Di;a; fu;n SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ O;: n; re’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Eliminate the elder along with the younger siblings For the whole household to have something to cry over These were Ifa;‟s declarations for SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾, the-evil-doer When going to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ He was advised to offer eôboô When SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ went to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ to choose his destiny, he was directed to the home SÙensôenti¾sôo¾ro¾. On getting there, he chose as his major assignment on Earth, the capability to inflict maximum pain on people. He said that he could not stand to see people being happy for too long. He wanted to have the capability to turn people‟s joy to grief. He wanted to see people wailing, screaming in pain, and gnashing their teeth in agony. This was endorsed for him. He was directed to the domain of A®ja¾la;-mo¾ôpi;n and it was inculcated into his Ori;. After this, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ went to other domains to complete the process of moving into the world.

968

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

When SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;, SÙara;sôara;, and SÙi¾ka¾¾sôi¾ka¾ arrived in Ile;-Aye;, they were born into the same family. SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; ensured the success and elevation of every member of his family. Everyone was very happy, all the members of the household were progressing, and truly ambitious. SÙara;sôara; on the other hand ensured the progress of his neighbourhood, friends, extended family members, associations, acquaintances, loved ones, and the community as a whole. It did not take too long before everyone recognized the two of them as progressive elements in the society. They were highly respected, adored, loved, admired and hailed. These were the offenses they committed against SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾: how could they be making people happy? The world was not designed for people to be too happy, he reasoned. That was why SÙi¾ka¾siô ¾ka¾, decided to put a stop to the joy of the people. He reasoned that the fastest and most effective way to do this was to eliminate the two of them together. By so doing, the pillars of support of the family and the society would be broken at the same time. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ loved this idea, and he set out to work on it. SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; slept and had a bad dream. He went to the home of the Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation. He was told that disaster loomed. He was then advised to offer eôboô and defend himself against the incoming calamity. SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; thought over what the Awo told him. He agreed that disaster loomed. He however did not understand the reason why he should offer eôboô since he was doing good for every member of his family. He believed that he was doing what pleased Olo;du¾mare¾. Consequent upon this, he saw no reason why he should offer eôboô. He therefore refused to heed the advice of the Awo.

Two days after this, SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; slept peacefully in his room. In the dead of the night, he heard a soft knock. He opened the door and he found SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ standing in front of his door. He asked SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ to enter the room. He did. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ told his brother how life had been difficult for him because people did not love him. He accused

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SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; of being the cause of his misfortunes and pointed out that if not for SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;, nobody would hate him. SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; explained himself but SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ did not accept any of his explanation. When SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ realized that his brother‟s wife was not at home, he asked about her whereabouts in order to be very sure that the woman was indeed not in the house. SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; told him that she had gone on a business trip. That was the answer that ;SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ was waiting for. Suddenly, he hit his brother with a big club he had hidden under his agba;da; dress. SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; turned back and looked at him in utter surprise and agony. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ hit him in the face and the temple. SÙeôbi;;sôeôbi; dropped dead immediately. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ felt very elated. He congratulated himself for a job well done. Nobody in the whole compound had heard any noise. He closed the door of his brother‟s room behind him and quietly returned to his own quarters. In the morning of the next day, everyone woke up, except SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;. When they did not see him outside, they thought nothing of it. They believed he must have gone to the forest to check his traps to see if any of them had caught any animals. When they did not see him by mid-morning, they decided to check up on him in his room. They found him in his room stone dead. This discovery made everyone cry in agony. They screamed in pain. The news spread like wild fire. Everyone in the whole community was thrown into grief and melancholy. People cried. They declared a seven-day mourning for him in his honour. While all this was going on, SÙi¾ka¾s¾ôi¾ka¾¾ assumed the role of the chief mourner. He even threatened to kill himself. He claimed that the loss was too much for him to bear. Everyone felt pity for him; after all, he had lost his own blood brother. He said that he would have preferred to be the person who had died, instead of his brother. He cried and cried. Nobody ever suspected that he was the one responsible for the death of his brother. Two days after this, ÙSÙara;sôara; dreamt that he saw somebody holding his throat in order to choke him to death. He rushed to the home of

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the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation. The Awo also told him that he needed to offer ẹbọ in order to ward off the impending death. He was told to protect himself against painful and untimely calamity. SÙara;sôara; too could not see any reason why he should offer any eôboô. He too felt that since he was doing everything that pleased Olo;du¾mare¾ at all times, he did not need any eôboô for protection anymore. He therefore refused to offer any eôboô. Three days after this, when two days still remained for the mourning period in honour of SÙeÙbi;sôeôbi; to end, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ went to meet SÙara;sôara; in his room. He told him what he wanted the community to do in order to give their departed brother a lasting but deserved final burial. They discussed this for a long time. SÙara;sôara; then brought out a keg of palm wine from his inner room and both of them settled down to drink. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ was the one who demanded for it and he insisted that the two of them must use the same cup to drink. As they were drinking, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ put his thumb into the palm wine. His thumb was laden with a very lethal poison. He had however used the antidote of the poison before coming into his brother‟s room. Within a few moments, SÙara;sôara; began to sweat profusely. He started clutching his stomach. The poison was eating away his stomach wall. It destroyed his kidneys, liver, intestines, and pancreas. Soon after, he died. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ made sure that his brother did not breathe anymore. To make it double sure, he used his two hands to seal up his nose and mouth for a long moment. After this, he quietly left his brother‟s room and went into his own quarter. The death of SÙara;sôara; was discovered in the evening. The whole family, neighbourhood, community, and society had something to grieve over. The whole environment was thrown into a deep sorrow. Only the culprit, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ was secretly happy. He felt himself on top of the world. He however pretended that the two deaths equally affected him badly too. What made him really happy was not the ingenious ways he had killed his siblings, but the ways he had been able to shift the blame and suspicion away from himself.

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The whole community grieved. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ was the only one who grinned. In the end, both SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; and SÙara;sôara; were given decent final burials. After this, SÙi¾ka¾siô ¾ka¾ went totally berserk. He began to inflict maximum pain on people. His wife and children were not spared. Before long, his immediate family abandoned him. They ran away to a place they could not be traced. The fear of SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ became the beginning of wisdom. Everyone feared and loathed him. In his punishment styles, those who died were better off than those who were left bed-ridden. Some lost their sight, some lost their hearing, some lost their limbs, and many more lost their manhood and womanhood. Despite all this, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ lived to his old age. He abhorred hearing that someone was planning a wedding, a naming ceremony, or home-warming party. The families planning such things would surely have something to grieve over. There was no family in the whole community who did not have one tale of woe or the other to tell. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ continued to live on earth but he had no wife, no children, no family members, or relatives. This did not seem to bother him at all. Eventually, old age set in. He had no more energy to do most of the things he had been doing before. He could no longer fetch water for himself. He would go without bathing for weeks. His dresses would remain unwashed for months. At a stage, he would urinate and pass faeces right inside his room. The whole quarter was filthy and stinking. Anyone who dared to go in to assist him to clean up the place would return home with something disastrous to nurse for a long, long time. One day, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ died. He died the way he had lived; wickedly. Nobody noticed until they began to perceive unbearable odour from his room. When they got there, they realized that dogs had begun to feast on his corpse. Some able-bodied men were called to dig a hole and throw his remains into it. That was how he was buried. As soon as SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ got to heaven, he was not allowed to move beyond the boundary between heaven and earth. He saw his two brothers SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; and SÙara;sa ô ra; inside OÙgba¾-I®te;ôroô¾ (The garden of

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perpetual peace and comfort). He wanted to go into the garden but he was stopped. He was told that he was not qualified to be there. He saw his two brothers in unbelievable enjoyment. He called on them to help him cross over but they could not hear what he was saying at all. As a matter of fact, they had been absolved from thinking, hearing, or seeing pain, evil, or calamity. At the boundary, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ grieved. All those inside OÙgba¾-I®te;ôroô¾ grinned. The table had turned against him. The sentries at the boundary placed a large live ember on SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾‟s toes and told him to begin to give account of all the evil he had committed in his life. He screamed in pain and agony and began to recount all what he had done. Another live ember was then placed on his other toe. He screamed again. He spent several years experiencing this pain and narrating all his misdeeds while in Ile;-Aye;. All these pains and agony were not as excruciating as the pain he felt from witnessing most of his departed family members and other colleges experiencing boundless and unlimited comfort, which he was not qualified to enjoy at all. One day, SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; planned to return to Ile;-Aye;. While he was going to get ready for his journey, he was summoned by the Iru;nmoôlôeô¾ in heaven. He was blessed and was told that since he had done well in his previous life, it would be very well with him. Soon after, SÙara;sôara; also planned to return to Ile;-Aye; because he and his brother SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; had not completed their assignments in Aye; in their previous lives. The Iru;nmoôleô¾ also summoned him and blessed him. They also told him that since he had done well in his previous life on Aye;, it would also be very well with him.

Soon after this, SÙi¾ka¾s¾ôi¾ka¾ called on the sentries in heaven and begged them to let him go back to Ile;-Aye;. He promised them that he would go and do good on earth because he had learnt his lesson the bitter way. The sentries would have none of that. They told him to finish with the narration of his stories of wickedness, callousness,

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heartlessness, and meanness first. The pain he had been suffering became even more excruciating. He then screamed aloud saying: EÙ wi; fu;n SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; Ko; ma;a t’e;ôbi; re¾ô sôe o EÙ wi; fu;n SÙara;sôara; o o¾ Ko; ma;a t’a;ra; re¾ô sôe o I®ka¾ n; beô ni; ‘bode¾ To; n; ro’jo;ô Translation: Please tell SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; Let him continue to take good care of his family Please inform SÙara;sôara; Let him continue to take good care of his family The wicked one is at the boundary Still narrating his stories of wickedness As he was saying this, nobody in OÙgba¾-I®te;ôroô¾ could hear him. It was not that they did not want to hear him. It was just that hearing sounds of agony and pain were no longer their portion. The only things they could hear in OÙgba¾-I®te;ôroô¾ were good music, good news, and discussions that would bring joy and comfort. Those were the things they deserved because they had all paid their dues. OÙwo;ô o¾ôtu;n-u¾n mi ni mo fi n;gba’re ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ Ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ la¾a; gbe; n;ba; woôn l’o;ri; eôni; o¾o¾re; tuntun A®ti ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾ rere Di;a; fu;n SÙeôbi;-sôeôbi; O: n; re’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; w;a;a; sôe OÙwoô; o¾si¾ i¾ mi ni mo fi n; gba¾’fa¾ ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ Ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ la¾a; gbe; n;ba; woôn l’o;ri; eôni; o¾o¾re; tuntun

974

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A®ti ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾ rere Di;a; fu;n SÙara;sôara; O: n; re’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe P’e¾ôgboô;n p’a¾bu;ro¾ K’eô;ku;n o; le to; gbogbo ara; ile; e; sun Di;a; fu;n SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ O;: n; re’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe EÙ wi; fu;n SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; Ko; ma;a t’e;ôbi; re¾ô sôe o EÙ wi; fu;n SÙara;sôara; o o¾ Ko; ma;a t’a;ra; re¾ô sôe o I®ka¾ n; beô ni; ‘bode¾ To; n; ro’jo;ô Translation: With my right hand do I receive all Ire in the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ In the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ does one find them on a new O®o¾re; mat And benevolent pillows These were Ifa;‟s declarations for SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; He-who-caters-for-the-welfare-of-his-family When going to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ He was advised to offer eôboô With my left hand do I receive all free gifts in the domain of Olo;;du¾mare¾ In the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ does one find them on new O®o¾re; mats And benevolent pillows These were Ifa;‟s declarations for SÙara;;sôara;, he-who-looks-after-the-well-being-of-his-fellows When going to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ He was advised to offer eôboô Eliminate the elder along with the younger siblings For the whole household to have something to cry over

975


These were Ifa;‟s declarations for SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾, the-evil-doer When going to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ He was advised to offer eôboô Please tell SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; Let him continue to take good care of his family Please inform SÙara;sôara; Let him continue to take good care of his family The wicked one is at the boundary Still narrating his stories of wickedness Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾¾ is revealed never to think, speak, or do evil lest it recoils on him/her at the end of his/her days on earth. Conversely, Ifa; says this person was sent to do good things on Earth, and must continue to do good at all time. Doing good always, even directly in the face of resistance and adversity. Members of their family and society at large are depending upon them.

6. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to allow the Egu;ngu;n in his/her family lineage to go into ruins. He/she must ensure that the Egu;ngu;n festival is celebrated regularly and that all rites are performed at each ceremony. Ifa; says that it foresees the ire of prosperity, spouse, child-bearing, and all ire of life for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that this person shall lack nothing in his/her life. Instead of lacking things, his/her things shall be multiplied by the divinities. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three pigeons, three rats, three fish, three guinea-fowls, three hens, three roosters, and money. He/she also needs to feed Egu;ngu;n with plenty of mo;ôi;nmoô;i;n, e¾ôkoô, alcohol, palm-oil, and one ram.

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On this, Ifa; says: Ti; a ba; ji; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ Ti; a ba; ji; ni; fe¾lô ifeô¾li Ka; toôoôroô ohun l’oô;wo;ô ol’o;hun K’o;l’o;hun o; baa¾ le¾ bun’ni K’o;l’o;hun o; baa¾ le¾ bu¾n’ni¾ya¾n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ifa; n; lo¾ôoô; t’o¾ôrun sôeô; Ee;gu;n wa;’le; Aye; Ni;tori; Awo;ro;nke;ô aya a reô o EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: When we wake up early in the morning When we wake up at dawn Let us beg for what we need from the Owner So as to enable the owner to give it to us And allow the Owner to release it to us This was Ifa;‟s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to prepare the Egu;ngu;n masquerade And icon from O®Ùrun to Aye; Because of Awo;ro;nke;ô his wife He was advised to offer eôboô Awo;ro;nke;ô was the beloved wife of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. She had been married to him for more than 12 years. O®ru;nmi¾la¾ never regretted for even one day that she was married to him. She understood OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and knew all his likes and dislikes. She knew how to take good and proper care of him. She respected and admired him. She made him feel proud at all times. His only regret however was that Awo;ro;nke;ô did not beget for him any child. As much as they tried, it was not yet possible for Awo;ro;nke;ô to become pregnant. It was for this same reason that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went for Ifa; consultation in the home of his former students stated above. Will Awo;ro;nke;ô become a mother of her own children? Will I be able to overcome the problem of

977


childlessness for her? Will she be able to have that feeling which only women have when they become pregnant? This woman had been very nice to me. Will I be able to compensate her by providing a solution to her problem of bareness? These were the questions OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked during Ifa; consultation. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he had come because of the problem that his wife was facing. He was told that his wife would soon be blessed with the „fruit of the womb‟ if he could perform the eôboô that Ifa; had prescribed for him. The Awo listed all the eôboô materials as stated above. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied with the advice that same day. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was also told that he needed to go and fashion an Egu;ngu;n costume and sacred icon. He was also told to feed the Egu;ngu;n as soon as the materials were procured. After this, he was to ensure that the ceremony of the Egu;ngu;n was performed and the Egu;ngu;n needed to dance round the town. It was not possible to understand how the Egu;ngu;n costume and icon would be, since nobody had ever seen one before. This was what prompted OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to go to OÙ®run in order to bring back the costume and icon. When he got to O®Ùrun, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to the Egu;ngu;n of O®Ùrun so that he could show him how the costume and icon were to be fashioned. He was not only shown how to do this, but the inhabitants of OÙ®run assisted him in fashioning the costume and icon. He brought the materials back to Ile;-Aye;. The necessary rites were performed and the masquerade danced around the town. The Egu;ngu;n also blessed Awo;ro;nke;ô and prayed for her that by that time the following year, she would be carrying her own baby. That same month, Awo;ro;nke;ô became pregnant and about ten lunar months later, she gave birth to a bouncing baby girl. The baby was named Awo;doôla;. Awo;ro;nke;ô‟s joy knew no bound. Awo;doôla; was developing very rapidly to the joy and admiration of Awo;ro;nke;ô her mother. By the time Awo;doôla; became 17 years old, she was married to OÙloô;ba¾-Abe¾ôdu;. As soon as she got to her

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husband‟s house, she became pregnant and gave birth to a bouncing baby girl. The baby was named Ee;gu;ngboôla;. Just like her mother, Ee;gu;ngboôla; was also developing rapidly. She was smart and intelligent. She was equally articulate and outspoken. She however refused to worship her lineage‟s ancestral Egu;ngu;n. She declared that she would rather worship other people‟s ancestral Egu;ngu;n traditions. Before long, all her things collapsed. She lost all what she had ever acquired in her life. Her health deteriorated and her finances disappeared. Tired of this type of living, she was advised to go for Ifa; consultation in order to find a solution to her problems. For this reason, she went to the house of the following Awo: Agbe pa sa¾ Agbe a r’o¾kun A®lu¾ko¾ pa sa¾ Woôn a r’oô¾sa¾ Aa;se¾ôeô; ba¾ge¾ôba¾ge¾ô ki¾i; fi’hun oôroô¾ sô’a¾ri;gbo¾ôn loô Di;a; fu;n Ee;gu;ngboôla; Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloôb ; a¾-Abe¾ôdu; OÙmoô a ja; ti;nn;ti;n b’oômoô l'eô;nu I®gba¾ ti; o; n; sôe oun gbogbo Ti; o¾ôkan o¾ yoô’ri; EÙboôô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Agbe took off And went to the high seas A®lu¾ko¾¾ took off And went to the lagoons The awkward A:a;se¾ôeô; bird does not ignore what will bring success These were Ifa;‟s messages for Ee;gu;ngboôla; The daughter of OÙloô;ba¾-Abe¾ôdu;

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The offspring of those who put tiny food into the mouths of their children When she was doing all things Without succeeding in anything She was advised to offer eôboô The Awo told Ee;gu;ngboôla; that all her ancestral Egu;ngu;n were angry with her for abandoning them. They could not understand why she wanted to leave her ancestors and embrace other people‟s ancestors. They said that the only solution left for her was to return to embrace her ancestral Egu;ngu;n and to ensure that the Egu;ngu;n did not go into ruins. They told her that she must ensure that the costume of the Egu;ngu;n was repaired or mended. She must also ensure that all the; Egu;ngu;n rites were performed and that the Egu;ngu;n was made to dance around the town. She was equally advised to offer eôboô as stated above. All these, Ee;gu;ngboôla; did. As soon as she did these things, her health improved, her fortune picked up, and she got back on the track of success and accomplishment. She became a great advocate to others, insisting that their ancestral Egu;ngu;n must not be allowed to go into ruins or be abandoned for any reason whatsoever. Ti; a ba; ji; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ Ti; a ba; ji; ni; fe¾lô ifeô¾li Ka; toôoôroô ohun l’oô;wo;ô ol’o;hun K’o;l’o;hun o; baa¾ le¾ bun’ni K’o;l’o;hun o; baa¾ le¾ bu¾n’ni¾ya¾n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ifa; n; lo¾ôoô; t’o¾ôrun sôeô; Ee;gu;n wa;’le; Aye; Ni;tori; Awo;ro;nke;ô aya a reô o EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ni;gba¾ti;; yo;o; bi¾i; O: bi; Awo;doôla; Awo;doôla; wa;a; d’a¾gba¾ ta;n

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O: loô feô; OÙloô;ba¾-Abe¾ôdu; OÙmoô a ja; ti;nn;ti;n b’oômoô leô;’nu I®gba¾ti; yo;o; bi¾i; O: bi; Ee;gu;ngboôla; Ee;gu;ngboôla; lo; wa;a; d’aôgbaô ta;n O: fi Ee;gu;n ile; e Baba re¾ô si;’le¾ô ni o¾ boô Ni; n; lo¾ôoô; boô Ee;gu;n ile; e Baba oni;baba Ni aye; e re¾ô eô; ba; d’oju; ru; O: wa;a; toô a¾woôn Agbe pa sa¾ Agbe a r’o¾kun A®lu¾ko¾ pa sa¾ Woôn a r’oô¾sa¾ Aa;se¾ôeô; ba¾ge¾ôba¾ge¾ô ki¾i; fi’hun oôroô¾ sô’a¾ri;gbo¾ôn loô Di;a; fu;n Ee;gu;ngboôla; Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloôb ; a¾-Abe¾ôdu; OÙmoô a ja; ti;nn;ti;n b’oômoô l'eô;nu I®gba¾ ti; o; n; sôe oun gbogbo Ti; o¾ôkan o¾ yoô’ri; EÙboôô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô eô ma; ma¾ jeô; ko; run o EÙ ma; ma¾ jeô; ko; run Egu;ngu;n OÙloô;ba¾ EÙ ma; ma¾ jeô; ko; run o Translation: When we wake up early in the morning When we wake up at dawn Let us beg for what we need from the owner So as to enable the owner to give it us And allow the owner to release it to us This was Ifa;‟s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to prepare the Egu;ngu;n masquerade And icon from O®Ùrun to Aye; Because of Awo;ro;nke;ô his wife

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He was advised to offer eôboô He complied When she delivered She gave birth to Awo;doôla; When Awo;doôla; grew up She got married to OÙloô;ba¾-Abe¾ôdu; The offspring of those who put tiny food into the mouths of their children When she delivered She gave birth to Ee;gu;ngboôla; When Ee;gu;ngboôla; grew up She abandoned her; ancestral Egu;ngu;n without propitiating them anymore She went to embrace other people‟s ancestors And all her fortunes collapsed She then went to: Agbe took off And went to the high seas A®lu¾ko¾¾ took off And went to the lagoons The awkward A:a;se¾ôeô; bird does not ignore what will bring success These were Ifa;‟s messages for Ee;gu;ngboôla; The daughter of OÙloô;ba¾-Abe¾ôdu; The offspring of those who put tiny food into the mouths of their children When she was doing all things Without succeeding in anything She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Please do not allow it to go into ruin The Egu;ngu;n of OÙloô;ba¾ Please do not allow it to go into ruin The Egu;ngu;n of OÙlo;ôba¾ Ifa; advises this person to keep all the ancestral rites of his/her lineage alive. By so doing, he/she will never lack anything of

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importance and will have success stories to narrate at the end of the day. They must also research as best as possible to restore such information, so it remains intact for future generations. NOTE: Egu;ngu;n is a male society, as such certain aspects are only handled by men, who themselves are knowledgeable in the tradition. 7. Ifa; says that it foresees the ire of longevity for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that if this person is confronted with illness, he/she is assured that he/she will not die. Ifa; assures him/her that the illness will disappear. The eôboô offered will be for the ailment to disappear. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifa; as appropriate by asking Ifa; what Ifa; wants. After this, he/she is advised to keep an Olo;gbo¾¾ (cat) as pet. On this, Ifa; says: Baa;le; me;ôta, i¾sôu¾ o¾ôoô¾le¾ô meô;fa¾ Ka; pi;n-in ni; me;ji¾-me;ji¾ Ki; mari;wo o; jeôun ko; yo; Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n; sô’oô¾gbo¾ôgboô¾ a¾ru¾n Ifa; n; n’ara ka;ka; a¾ti di¾de O: n; yi; gbiri-gbi;;ri l’o;ju; ina; EÙboôô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Three family heads, six wraps of moô;i;n-mo;ôi;n Share the moô;i;n-moô;i;n two per person For the committee of ;Awo to eat to their satisfaction These were Ifa;‟s messages for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ When he was suffering from a serious ailment And was hoping for the time he would rise and walk ¾He was rolling close to the fire He was advised to offer eôboô

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OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was very ill. He was getting weaker and weaker by the day. All medications he administered on himself and those which his former students administered on him were ineffective. His friends were seriously worried. His foes were jubilating. His friends and family were praying for him to recover as quickly as possible. His foes were working hard to ensure that he did not survive the ailment. They were the cause of the ailment in the first place. They were the ones who sent him spiritual “arrows”, which ended up poisoning and disorganizing his spiritual make-up. That was why all the medications that had been given to him, until that time, had failed to work. Why did they attack him? What was his offence? Simple, they were envious of all his achievements. They found it difficult to understand why he should be the only one whom everybody would be hailing and adoring. They felt that it would be better for him to have something serious and undesirable to nurse for the rest of his life on earth. They were convinced that the ailment would divert his attention away from giving assistance to others, and by so doing, all those who were hailing him would stop doing so. They combined all their efforts together in order to ensure that he was brought down unfailingly. Their efforts were working and they were getting results. When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ realized that his efforts along with those of his well wishers were not yielding results, he went for Ifa; consultation in the house of his former students mentioned above. He was particularly interested in what to do to ensure that he regained his health, strength and vitality. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would surely regain his health. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied. He was also instructed to keep a cat as a domestic pet. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ did so. As soon as he did what he was instructed to do by the Awo, all the medications he used began to work as he expected. The cat that he kept in his home also helped in chasing away all the negative forces that had hitherto taken permanent residence in his home. As he began to regain his strength and health, his numerous enemies

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began to panic. When he became healthy, his enemies were in total disarray. They had no joy. They became frustrated and disillusioned. Their negative wishes for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ were not accepted by the divinities.

Baa;le; me;ôta, i¾sôu¾ o¾ôoô¾le¾ô meô;fa¾ Ka; pi;n-in ni; me;ji¾-me;ji¾ Ki; mari;wo o; jeôun ko; yo; Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Baba n; sô’oô¾gbo¾ôgboô¾ a¾ru¾n Ifa; n; n’ara ka;ka; a¾ti di¾de O: n; yi; gbiri-gbi;;ri l’o;ju; ina; EÙboôô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni l’a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba;’ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ N®je;ô gbogbo ibi ti; eô ni; o; sôe mi; Ko¾ lee¾ sôe mi; mo;ô o EÙku;n eôl’eôk ; u;n l’olo;gbo¾ o; maa sun A®a¾we¾ô al’a;a¾we¾ô l’olo;gbo¾ o; maa gba¾ Translation: Three family heads, six wraps of moô;i;n-mo;ôi;n Share the moô;i;n-moô;i;n two per person For the committee of ;Awo to eat to their satisfaction These were Ifa;‟s messages for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ When he was suffering from a serious ailment And was hoping for the time he would rise and walk ¾He was rolling close to the fire He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we offer eôboô to gain victory over foes Overcoming adversity is what Ifa; guarantees its devotees

985


Now, all the evil you planned to happen to me Had failed to have effect on me again The cat is known for shedding other people‟s tears And lamenting over other people‟s agony Ifa; says that all the evil plans against the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall have no effect on him/her. All those planning the evil shall become frustrated and disillusioned. It is necessary to perform all the rites mentioned, take the traditional medicines and ensure to keep a cat in place of abode, and never maltreat cats in general.

8. Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she shall not die in his/her youth. Ifa; says that even if death is snatching away his/her contemporaries, he/she shall be spared from untimely death. Ifa;; says that this person is facing attacks from many quarters because of his/her truthfulness. Ifa;; says that their evil plans against him shall not succeed. He/she shall live to tell his/her story. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to bring one of his/her clothes, one old rag, and some dried leaves from the banana tree. When the eôboô is to be offered, this person will wear the banana leaves and rags. He/she will then go to place the eôboô by the E®sôu¾ shrine and remove the rag and the dried banana leaves and place them on top of the E®sôu¾ shrine as well. The complete set of clothing he/she offers as part of the eôboô materials will also be placed by E®sôu¾ before he/she returns to the Awo in order to complete the eôboô ri;ru (ritual process);. On this, Ifa; says: E®yi; wi;nni;wi;nni; l’awo e¾yi; wi;nni;wi;nni; E®yi; wi¾nni¾wi¾¾nni¾ l’awo e¾yi; wi¾nni¾wi¾nni¾ Ahoô;n ni;i; pa eôl’eôp ; a¾ Aho;ôn ni;i; pa iku;n A®ba;jo;ko¾o; o¾ j’oômoô eôni

986

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A®di¾n obi¾nrin o¾ ju’mo¾ô Di;a; fu;n O®o;to;ô-aye;-o¾-to; To; d’eôru¾ ka’le¾¾ô Ti; wo;ôn ni; ko; ma;a ba;’ku; loô o EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The striped one is the Awo of the striped one The spotted one is the Awo of the spotted one Greed leads to the death of the peanut dealer And greed leads to the death of the squirrel One‟s companion is not the same as one‟s child And a woman‟s trick is not easily understandable These were Ifa;‟s messages for O®o;to;ô-Aye;-o¾-to;, there-is-insufficient-truth-on-earth Who packed his belongings And was asked to follow death He was advised to offer eôboô O®o;to;ô-aye;-o¾-to;, there-is-insufficient-truth-on-earth, was in serious trouble. Everywhere he went, people wished he was dead. Series of plots were hatched against him, but they all failed. At a stage his colleagues were being killed in their prime, but O®o;to;ô-aye;-o¾-to; managed to escape the plots to eliminate him. One day, these conspirators recruited his wife to assist them in their bid to kill him. Surprisingly, the wife agreed to cooperate with the conspirators, when she was offered an amount she could not resist. They gave her all the things they wanted her to use to poison her husband. They also gave her half of the money they had promised her to do the job. Two days after, she got the money and the poison. She put it in her husband‟s food. The husband fell seriously ill the next day. They took him from place to place, but there was no improvement. This is what prompted him to seek solution from Ifa;. He went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation.

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Will I regain my health? Will I escape death, which my friends Ee;sa¾, A®ro;, OÙjoômu and others did not escape? The Awo assured O®o;to;ô-Aye;-o¾-to; that even though many of his contemporaries had died violent and untimely deaths, he would be spared. He was told that his truthfulness would help him overcome all these envious people who thought nothing good of truthful people. The Awo told him that he would also regain his strength. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied. When he was carrying the eôboô to the E®sôu¾ shrine wearing the articles his Awo instructed, E®sôu¾ saw the way he dressed and took pity on him. E®sôu¾ decreed that no evil should befall him again henceforth. He also ordered that all those who had perpetrated any form of wickedness against him must be exposed and duly punished. It all happened as E®sôu¾ had decreed. The most shocking part to O®o;to;ôAye;-o¾-to; was that of his wife. The wife met with serious calamity. She confessed before she died; a slow but painful death. He regained his health and was grateful to his Awo and Olo;du¾mare¾ for the rest of his life. They said: E®yi; wi;nni;wi;nni; l’awo e¾yi; wi;nni;wi;nni; E®yi; wi¾nni¾wi¾¾nni¾ l’awo e¾yi; wi¾nni¾wi¾nni¾ Ahoô;n ni;i; pa eôl’eôp ; a¾ Aho;ôn ni;i; pa iku;n A®ba;jo;ko¾o; o¾ j’oômoô eôni A®di¾n obi¾nrin o¾ ju’mo¾ô Di;a; fu;n O®o;to;ô-aye;-o¾-to; To; d’eôru¾ ka’le¾¾ô Ti; wo;ôn ni; ko; ma;a ba;’ku; loô o EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o

988

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

Iku; wa;a; pa Oo;saô O: pa A®ro; Iku; pa EÙjeômu teô;e;ôreô; ile; e woôn O®o;to;ô-Aye;-o¾-to; ni¾kan ni’ku; o¾ lee¾ pa o Translation: The striped one is the Awo of the striped one Tôhe spotted one is the Awo of the spotted one Greed leads to the death of the peanut dealer And greed leads to the death of the squirrel One‟s companion is not the same as one‟s child And a woman‟s trick is not easily understandable These were Ifa;‟s messages for O®o;to;ô-Aye;-o¾-to;, there-is-insufficient-truth-on-earth Who packed his belongings And was asked to follow death He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all ire of life Death killed Oo;sa¾ He snatched away A®ro; Death eliminated the slender ÙEÙjeômu in their house Only O®o;to;ô-Aye;-o¾-to;; was not killed Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be spared from untimely death, ailment, and all problems of adversity. They must pay close attention to those around, and never take for granted who is ones friend in times of need and despair.

9. Ifa; advises a female where this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô against premature death. Ifa; says that this death is not from enemies; but rather, it is coming from her EÙgbeô; in heaven. As this person is important and needed on earth, so also is she required

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among her EÙgbeô; in heaven. Ifa; also says that this person is an EÙleô;gbe;ô and an A®bi;ku; who had chosen as part of her A®ku;nle¾ôya¾n the propensity to die young. Ifa;; warns this person not to wear blue clothing, also for her children not to wear them, not to use blue coverlets to wrap her body or the body of any of her children. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, blue clothing, a blue scarf, blue head wear, and money. She also needs to feed EÙgbeô; with all edible fruits, honey, food, cakes and so on available at the particular point in time when the Ifa; was cast. On this, Ifa; says: I®pe;ôpeô; idi; ni;i; f’ara joô akika Di;a; fu;n E®re; Aye; A bu¾ fu;n t’O®Ùrun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The bark of the Idi; tree resembles a pangolin This was the Ifa; cast for the E®re;-of-the-World And also for the E®re;-of-Heaven They were advised to offer eôboô E®re; Aye; had become a leader of all her EÙgbeô; on earth. She was doing very well among her EÙgbeô;. She was highly respected and beloved. She was also instrumental to the joy and success of many of her EÙÙgbeô; members. All the EÙgbeô; on earth wanted her to stay with them to continue as their leader. Her leadership qualities were agreeable to all her members. Before she moved to the world, she was the leader of her EÙgbeô; in heaven. Her leadership was excellent. She had left a vacuum which no other member of her EÙgbeô; in heaven could fill. They longed to have her back. At a stage, her EÙgbeô; in heaven could not wait any

990

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

longer. They wanted her as quickly as possible. For this reason, they sent a delegate to go to the world to bring her back. The delegate was informed that she was fond of wearing blue scarf and blue head wear. As soon as they saw her with these items, they were mandated, they must not wait for a moment before bringing her back to heaven. That very day, her parents had a dream which gave them cause for anxiety. They rushed to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation. The Awo told them that death was hovering over the head of their daughter. They were instructed to offer eôboô with all her blue dresses, a blue scarf, blue coloured head-wear, one mature hegoat and money. Here parents did all this immediately. They were also advised to feed EÙgbeô; as stated above. They also complied. As soon as this was done, she no longer had the capability to answer her EÙgbeô; in heaven, except in her dreams. She was performing her roles on earth. The moment all the blue clothing were removed from her, she had no way of going back to her EÙgbeô; in heaven (they could not positively identify her). One day, the EÙgbeô; in heaven came as a group in her dream, to appeal to her to follow them back to heaven. She however explained to them that she had vowed while choosing her destiny, that she would take her blue scarf and head-wear along with her to heaven whenever she returned, but unfortunately she could not get these items anymore. She began to sing in a sorrowful manner, saying: N o¾ ri; ge¾le¾ e¾ôpa moô; o o¾ N o¾ ri; ge¾le¾ E®re; Aye;, ko; soô f’E:re¾e; O®Ùrun N o¾ ri; ge¾le¾ e¾ôpa moô; o N o¾ ri;’bo¾ru¾n e¾ôpa moô; o o¾ N o¾ ri;‘bo¾ru¾n E®re; Aye;, ko; soô f’E:re¾e; O®Ùrun N o¾ ri;’bo¾ru¾n e¾ôpa moô; o

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Translation: I cannot find my blue head-wear anymore I cannot find my head-wear Let the E®re; of Earth, tell those in heaven I cannot find my blue head-wear anymore I cannot find my blue scarf anymore I cannot find my scarf Let the E®re;; on earth tell those in heaven I cannot find my blue scarf anymore Hearing this song, the E®re;-in-Heaven returned to heaven, highly disappointed. The E®re;-on-Earth retained their leader, highly jubilant.

I®pe;ôpeô; idi; ni;i; f’ara joô akika Di;a; fu;n E®re; Aye; A bu¾ fu;n t’O®Ùrun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l’a;i¾ku; kangiri A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n o; j’oyin loô N®j®e;ô n o¾ ri; ge¾le¾ e¾p ô a moô; o N o¾ ri; ge¾le¾ E®re; Aye;, ko; soô f’E:re¾e; O®Ùrun N o¾ ri; ge¾le¾ e¾ôpa moô; o N o¾ ri;’bo¾ru¾n e¾ôpa moô; o o¾ N o¾ ri;‘bo¾ru¾n E®re; Aye;, ko; soô f’E:re¾e; O®Ùrun N o¾ ri;’bo¾ru¾n e¾ôpa moô; o Translation:

992

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

The bark of the Idi; tree resembles a pangolin This was the Ifa; cast for the E®re;-of-the-World And also for the E®re;-of-Heaven They were advised to offer eôboô They complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy longevity The longevity guaranteed by Ifa; is sweater than honey Now, I cannot find my blue head-wear anymore I cannot find my head-wear Let the E®re;-of-Earth, tell those in heaven I cannot find my blue head-wear anymore I cannot find my blue scarf anymore I cannot find my scarf Let the E®re;; on earth tell those in heaven I cannot find my blue scarf anymore Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall not be allowed to die young. She will be spared from tasting untimely and premature death, as long as these rites can be performed and advice adhered to she will enjoy the blessings of life. NOTE: the female client here may show reluctants to perform the necessary rituals, it is because of the destiny she choose. Her family and loved ones may be the ones acting as impetus to perform all necessary rites. 10. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will not be made to experience any negative repercussions on all his/her undertakings. Ifa; says that people will want him/her to experience negative consequences on his/her thoughts, utterances, and actions but it will never happen. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three rats, three fish, three pigeons, three hens, three guinea fowls, three cocks, three snails, three land snails, three tortoises, and money. The head of the tortoises will be burnt together with ahu¾n leaves, the Awo will then grind into a fine powder and given to this person to

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consume with cold corn meal (porridge). If this is done, no evil repercussions will ever be experienced by the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. On this, Ifa; says: Oni;wo¾o;lo ji¾nwo;lo; I®gbo¾ônn¾gbo¾ôn t’ohu¾n-d’o;ro;hu¾n O®gu;n ju¾u;ru;ju¾ Ifa; ni; Ele;n¾pe gb’o¾de O®te;re;re; l’omi I®bana¾-Ka;ko¾ Ifa; ni; mo mo¾ô-oô;n Mo ni; mo mo¾ô-oô;n O: ni; omi abe;ô ibo ni? Mo ni; wo;ôn n; sôu moô;i;n-mo;ôi;n fu;n m’oôde; ke;kere; oôwoô; Wo;ôn n; sôu a¾ka¾ra¾ le¾ôbeôl¾ e¾b ô eô¾ fu;n m’oôde; ke;kere; O®ke¾ I®jero¾ Woô;n n; pa igba eôni s’o;ke¾ i¾hi;n Wo;ôn n; pa igba eôni s’o;ke¾ o¾ôhu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ni; o¾hun d’a;ye; O: di oôdu;;n Keôri¾ndi;nlo;gu;n O®un l’o;un la’le¾ô ile; moô O®un fi o¾ôgba¾ra¾n¾di¾ oye¾ la’le¾ô Lo;ri; i¾pi¾le¾ô oô¾ro¾ô meô;ta l’o¾un jo;ko¾o; si; O®un wa; n; gbo;ô yooroya;a¾ l’o;ju; o¾de Ifa; ni; ki;nlo; sôe woô;n Ti; wo;ôn fi n; p’ariwo l’o;de Wo;ôn ni; oômoô woônô ni woô;n n; mu; re’le; oôkoô O®rÙ u;nmi¾la¾ ni; i¾ya; o¾un n’¾i¾yeôn o O: ni; i¾ya;-i¾ya; o O ku;n mo¾si; o¾¾re O®Ùjeô¾gi¾-jeôgi n¾ t’e¾e ô ô¾ri¾ M’o;ri; re’le; oôkoô Ma; ma¾ m’eô;wa¾ loô o O®o¾jo;ô l’eôwa n; bo¾ô Ori; ni;;i; ba;’ni gbe;’le; oôkoô

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Ile; oôkoô to; ba; gbe’ni la¾a; sôe a¾a¾ro¾ a¾soôoô¾sôi; si; O o; bi; oôsa¾n O o; bi; o¾ro E®yi; ti; o o; bi;¾i; o¾ ni;i; ni oô; l’a;ra L’a;gba;ra i¾pi¾le¾ô oô¾ro¾ô meô;ta a¾soôoô¾se; Translation: Oni;wo¾o;lo ji¾nwo;lo; I®gbo¾ônn¾gbo¾ôn t‟ohu¾n-d‟o;ro;hu¾n O®gu;n ju¾u;ru;ju¾ Ifa; ni; Ele;n¾pe gb‟o¾de O®te;re;re; l‟omi I®bana¾-Ka;ko¾ Ifa declares that I know it I chorus that I know it He asked, the stream is under what substance? I responded that they were wrapping mo;ôi;n-mo;ôi;n meal for the infants They were wrapping a¾ka¾ra¾ for the young ones of O®ke¾ I®jero¾¾ land They were killing 200 people on this hillside They were also killing 200 people on that hillside OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declared that when he got to the world And 16 years after He constructed his property He was also honoured with a title He sat on three moulded heap foundations He heard different sounds outside the frontage of his house Ifa; demanded to know what was happening That was making them to make such noise They responded that they were performing a wedding ceremony for their daughter O®Ùru;nÙmi¾la¾ responded that that was his mother He declared,” Mother, mother.” “Gently, whose pet-name is Mo¾si; O®re” “Whose praise name is also O®Ùjeô¾gi¾-jegi n¾¾ te¾ôeô¾re¾ô" ”

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“Go to your matrimonial home with your destiny” “Do not rely on your beauty” “It takes only one day for beauty to return” “But destiny accompanies one to one‟s matrimonial home “The matrimonial home which is agreeable to one is where one makes a permanent hearten stone” “You will give birth to children as sweet as the star mango” “And those as plump as the cherry mango” “None of your births will ever bring you discomfort” “By the grace of the origin of those three esoteric words which never fail to manifest” OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was narrating his activities and achievements on earth. He explained that there was a time when some people were trying to make life comfortable for infants and the young ones, some other people were busy engaging in senseless wars. He explained that people were killed in the hundreds in the war. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ moved on from there to explain that as soon as he spent 16 years on earth, he erected his own personal building and at the same time, he was conferred with a chieftaincy title. Shortly after this, he explained that he was hearing sounds and jubilation close to his house. He enquired from the people to know what the activities were all about. He was informed that some people were giving the hand of their daughter in marriage. Hearing this, he responded that the damsel being married out was his mother. He praised her. After this, he gave her his blessings and said that she would find peace and comfort in her husband‟s house. He also advised her that she should not be beauty conscious where she was going. He explained that beauty would not attract the husband and his family members for more than one day. Only destiny and good character would make her succeed where she was going. He blessed her that she would give birth to both male and female children, sweet and plump children, and honourable and responsible children.

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He drew the authority of his utterances from the foundation of the three great esoteric words which never failed to come to pass. Saying all these made OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to incur the wrath of those who were around at the time. They could not understand how someone could be telling the story of his own mother, especially when considering the fact that the mother was just a damsel who had never had any child before. They concluded that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ would face grave consequences for his utterances. They said that nobody needed to bother with him anymore because he would be damned; and that the negative repercussion would enter into his head, which he used in thinking out those blasphemous words. By the time these people saw OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ again, they realized to their utter surprise, that it was a crown filled with money and cowries that covered his head. They were still convinced that he would face the repercussion of his utterances. They said that nobody should bother with him anymore and that all what he was doing would weigh heavily on his neck. By the time they saw O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ again, they were all surprised to see that he was wearing the most expensive beads round his neck. They were still sure that he would face its repercussion. They declared that there was no need for anyone to bother about him anymore, since all his misbehaviour would bring problems round his waist. By the time they saw OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ again, they realized that he was wearing expensive OÙmoÙku¾n beads round his waist. Yet, they were convinced that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ would face negative consequences. In fact, they were praying for him to have problems. They declared that he would soon be gripped by serious problems. By the time they saw him again, they realized that he had already been gripped; but by two damsels, glorious in their appearance. They declared that there was no need for anyone to worry about OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ any longer, because the consequences would drag on his legs.

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By the time they saw him again, they realized that he had his legs adorned with a pair of magnificent sandals decorated with ostrich feathers that were dragging along on OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s legs. The enemies refused to give up. They were looking for everything and anything to ensure that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ entered into trouble. They all ganged up together to make sure this happened. They went to a lengthy extent to put OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in trouble. When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ realized that his enemies were bent on making him face the repercussion of his utterances, he went to the following Awo for Ifa; consultation: EÙni; te;e; ori; i pe¾pe; O®ru¾le; ba te;e; l’o;ri; eôni; Ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾ te;e; l’o;ri; eôni; o¾re;ba OÙba te;e; l’o;ri i ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾ I®ye;ô oô¾ki;n ni¾ni¾i¾ni¾ te;e; l’o;ri; ade; ori; oÙba E®ni¾ya¾n wi¾sôiwi¾sôi l’eô;yi¾n esôinsôin Di;;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ Woô;n ni; gbogbo oun ti;’fa; ba; n; sôe OÙ®kan o¾ ni; le e¾ hun-u;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The mat is spread on the plank bed The sheet is spread on the mat The pillow is placed on the decorated mat The OÙba rested peacefully on the pillow The peacock feather on the OÙba‟s crown Only fools chase after the houseflies These were the declarations of Ifa; to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When they said that we would face no repercussion Over all what he was doing He was advised to offer eôboôô

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Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied. He was also advised to prepare the Ifa; soup with the tortoise as stated above. He also did. Ever since that time, there was nothing that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ did that gave him any negative repercussion. He manifested his potentials to the regret and sorrow of his antagonists. In the end, he began to sing and dance, saying: Mo m’o;ri; ahun Mo fi sôe¾’ri¾woôn o OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ lo; ni; gbogbo ohun ti; mo ba; n; sôe Ko¾ yo;o; le e¾ hun mi; mo;ô o Mo m’o;ri; ahun Mo fi sôe¾’ri¾woôn o Translation: I have taken the head of a tortoise And have used it to prepare medicine against repercussions OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declared that all my activities Will not bring me any repercussion They will not bring me any repercussion anymore I have taken the head of a tortoise And used it to prepare medicine against repercussions That was how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ succeeded in putting all his antagonists to shame. In the end, they left him alone to enjoy his life in peace and comfort. Oni;wo¾o;lo ji¾nwo;lo; I®gbo¾ônn¾gbo¾ôn t’ohu¾n-d’o;ro;hu¾n O®gu;n ju¾u;ru;ju¾ Ifa; ni; Ele;n¾pe gb’o¾de O®te;re;re; l’omi I®bana¾-Ka;ko¾

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Ifa; ni; mo mo¾ô-oô;n Mo ni; mo mo¾ô-oô;n O: ni; omi abe;ô ibo ni? Mo ni; wo;ôn n; sôu moô;i;n-mo;ôi;n fu;n m’oôde; ke;kere; oôwoô; Wo;ôn n; sôu a¾ka¾ra¾ le¾ôbeôl¾ e¾b ô eô¾ fu;n m’oôde; ke;kere; O®ke¾ I®jero¾ Woô;n n; pa igba eôni s’o;ke¾ i¾hi;n Wo;ôn n; pa igba eôni s’o;ke¾ o¾ôhu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ni; o¾hun d’a;ye; O: di oôdu;;n Keôri¾ndi;nlo;gu;n O®un l’o;un la’le¾ô ile; moô O®un fi o¾ôgba¾ra¾n¾di¾ oye¾ la’le¾ô Lo;ri; i¾pi¾le¾ô oô¾ro¾ô meô;ta l’o¾un jo;ko¾o; si; O®un wa; n; gbo;ô yooroya;a¾ l’o;ju; o¾de Ifa; ni; ki;nlo; sôe woô;n Ti; wo;ôn fi n; p’ariwo l’o;de Wo;ôn ni; oômoô woônô ni woô;n n; mu; re’le; oôkoô O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ni; i¾ya; o¾un n’¾i¾yeôn o O: ni; i¾ya;-i¾ya; o O ku;n mo¾si; o¾¾re O®Ùjeô¾gi¾-jeôgi n¾ t’e¾e ô ô¾re¾ô M’o;ri; re’le; oôkoô Ma; ma¾ m’eô;wa¾ loô o O®o¾jo;ô l’eôwa n; bo¾ô Ori; ni;;i; ba;’ni gbe;’le; oôkoô Ile; oôkoô to; ba; gbe’ni la¾a; sôe a¾a¾ro¾ a¾soôoô¾sôi; si; O o; bi; oôsa¾n O o; bi; o¾ro E®yi; ti; o o; bi;¾i; o¾ ni;i; ni oô; l’a;ra L’a;gba;ra i¾pi¾le¾ô oô¾ro¾ô meô;ta a¾soôoô¾se; Wo;ôn ni; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ I®ta¾n i¾ya; a¾ reô lo¾ n; pa yi¾i; O: ni; t’o;un ba; pa a; n; ko;ô? Woô;n ni; eô ju’fa; si;’le¾ô Woô;n ni; gbogbo ele;yi¾i; to; n; sôe nni¾ Woô;n ni; ni;’si¾nyi; ni yo;o; de; e l’o;ri; yi¾i;

1000

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

I®gba¾ti; yo;o; de;’fa; l’o;ri; Ade; owo; lo; de; e l’o;ri; Woô;n ni; eô ju’fa; si;’le¾ô Woôô;n ni; e¾yi; ti; n; sôe nni¾ Woô;n ni; ni;si¾nyi;; ni yo;o; wo¾ôoô; l’o;rô u¾n yi¾i; I®gba¾ti; yo;o; woô’fa; l’o;ôru¾n E®ji¾gba¾ra¾ i¾le¾ôkeô¾ o¾un oômoô’ku¾n lo; wo¾ôoô; l’o;ôru¾n Woô;n ni; eô ju’fa; si;'le¾ô Woô;n ni;; gbogbo e¾yi; ti; n; sôe nni¾ Woô;n ni; ni;si¾nyi; ni yo;o; da¾ si;i ni;’di¾i; yi¾i; I®gba¾ti; yo;o; da¾ si;’fa; ni;'di¾i; OÙmoô’ku¾n me;ji¾ poônroôn-poô¾nro¾ôn-poônroôn lo; da¾ si;i ni;'di¾i; Wo;ôn ni; eô ju’fa; si;'le¾ô Woô;n ni; e¾yi; ti; n; sôe nni¾ Woô;n ni; ni;si¾nyi; ni yo;o; ki¾i; mo;ô’leô¾ yi¾i; I®gba¾ti; yo;o; ki’fa; mo;ô’leô¾ Omidan me;ji¾ ab’i¾ho¾o¾ho¾ pori¾pori¾ lo; ki’fa; mo;ô’leô¾ Woô;n ni; eô joô¾o;ô reô¾ Woô;n ni; gbogbo e¾yi; ti; n; sôe nni¾ Woô;n ni; ni;si¾nyi; ni yo;o; su;n-un l’e;ôseô¾ yi¾i; I®gba¾ti; yo;o; su;n'Fa; l'e;se Sa;lu;ba¾ta¾ me;ji¾ keôreô-keô¾re¾ô-keôreô Woô;n f’i¾yeô; o¾go¾mu¾n¾gomu¾ bo¾o; O®un na;a¾ lo; su;n’Fa; l’e;ôseô¾ EÙni; te;e; ori; i pe¾pe; O®ru¾le; ba te;e; l’o;ri; eôni; Ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾ te;e; l’o;ri; eôni; o¾re;ba OÙba te;e; l’o;ri i ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾ I®ye;ô oô¾ki;n ni¾ni¾i¾ni¾ te;e; l’o;ri; ade; ori; oÙba E®ni¾ya¾n wi¾sôiwi¾sôi l’eô;yi¾n esôinsôin Di;;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ Woô;n ni; gbogbo oun ti;’fa; ba; n; sôe OÙ®kan o¾ ni; le e¾ hun-u;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô

1001


N®jeô; mo m’o;ri; ahun Mo fi sô’e¾ri¾woôn Mo m’o;ri; ahun Mo fi sôe¾’ri¾woôn o OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ lo; ni; gbogbo ohun ti; mo ba; n; sôe Ko¾ yo;o; le e¾ hun mi; mo;ô o Mo m’o;ri; ahun Mo fi sôe¾’ri¾woôn o Ko pe, ko jinna E waa ba’ni l’aruuse ogun Ajase ogun laa ba’ni l’ese Obarisa Translation: Oni;wo¾o;lo ji¾nwo;lo; I®gbo¾ônn¾gbo¾ôn t‟ohu¾n-d‟o;ro;hu¾n O®gu;n ju¾u;ru;ju¾ Ifa; ni; Ele;n¾pe gb‟o¾de O®te;re;re; l‟omi I®bana¾-Ka;ko¾ Ifá declares that I know it I chorus that I know it He asked, the stream is under what substance? I responded that they were wrapping moô;i;n-mo;ôi;n for the infants They were wrapping a¾ka¾ra¾ for the young ones of O®ke¾ I®jero¾ land They were killing 200 people on this hillside They were also killing 200 people on that hillside O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ declared that when he got to the world And 16 years after He constructed his property He was also honoured with a title He sat on three moulded heap foundations He was then hearing different sounds outside the frontage of his house Ifá demanded to know what was happening That was making them to make such noise

1002

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

They responded that they were performing a wedding ceremony for their daughter O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ responded that that was his mother He declared, “Mother, mother.” “Gently, whose pet-name is Mo¾si; O®re “Whose praise name is also O®Ùjeô¾gi¾-jegi n¾¾ te¾ôeô¾re¾ô “Go to your matrimonial home with your destiny “Do not rely on your beauty “It takes only one day for beauty to return “But destiny accompanies one to one‟s matrimonial home “The matrimonial home which is agreeable to one is where one makes a permanent hearten stone “You will give birth to children as sweet as the star mango” “And those as plump as the cherry mango “None of your births will ever bring you discomfort “By the grace of the origin of those three esoteric words which never fail to manifest” They said, “O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ” “You are telling the story of your own mother” He responded that he had told the story They said, Leave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ alone They declared that all what he was doing The repercussions would soon cover his head And when it covered his head It was a crown knotted with money that covered his head They said, leave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ alone All what he was doing It would soon weigh down on his neck And when it weighed down on his neck It was expensive beads that adorned his neck They said leave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ alone All what he was doing It would soon coil round his waist And when it coiled round his waist It was expensive oômoô‟ku¾n that coiled round his waist They said, leave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ alone All what he was doing

1003


It would soon grip and pin him down And when it gripped and pinned O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ down It was two damsels, glorious in their appearance who gripped O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ They said leave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ alone All what he was doing They would soon drag him in the legs And when it dragged O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ in the legs It was beautiful sandals Decorated with peacock feathers That dragged in the legs of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ The mat is spread on the plank bed The sheet is spread on the mat The pillow placed on the decorated mat The Ϙba rested peacefully on the pillow The peacock feather on the Ϙba‟s crown Only fools chase after the houseflies These were the declarations of Ifá to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When they said that we would face no repercussion Over all what he was doing He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied I have taken the head of the tortoise And have used it to prepare medicine against repercussions O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ declared that all my activities Will not bring me any repercussion They will not bring me any repercussion anymore I have taken the head of a tortoise And have used it to prepare medicine against repercussions Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory over enemies Victory over adversary is what Ifá guarantees all its devotees

1004

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she shall enjoy victory over all his/her antagonists. He/she shall not be bugged down with the problem of repercussion over any of his/her thoughts, utterances, and actions.

11. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Ifa; is revealed must never use a she-goat to feed his/her Ikin for any reason whatsoever.

He/she must not use any female beast to feed Ifa;. He/she must never eat she-goat. This is a very serious taboo for anyone born by this Odu¾ during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;. Eating a she-goat or using it to feed Ifa; will give this person the problem of unconsummated fortune. It will also lead to lack of sound health and vitality. They instead should be feeding their Ifa; with a male pig (Boar) On this, Ifa; says: OÙ®ka¾ra; ab’e¾ôyiôn ga¾nra¾nhu;n Di;a; fu;n woôn ni;’lu¾u; O®sôi¾ A bu¾ fu;n woôn ni;’lu¾u; A®a¾re EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe Translation: OÙ®ka¾ra; ab‟e¾ôyi¾n ga¾nra¾nhu;n These were Ifa;‟s messages for the inhabitants of the land of O®sôi¾, Poverty-and-Want And also for the inhabitants of the land of A®a¾re, Absolvement-and-Success They were advised to offer eôboô The inhabitants of I®lu;-O®sôi¾, the land of Poverty-and-Want and those of I®lu;-A®a¾re, the land of Absolvement-and-Success were suffering from the same problems: those of want, illness, and poverty. They were very hardworking, diligent, dedicated, determined, and ambitious. Yet, they had very little to show for all their efforts.

1005


To crown it all, they were both consulting Ifa; and offering all the necessary eôboô as prescribed, but their problems remained the same and unresolved. One day, the inhabitants of I®lu;;-O®sôi¾ went for Ifa; consultation in the home of O®Ùka¾ra;, Abe¾ôyi¾¾n Ga¾nra¾nhu;n in order to determine what exactly their problems were and proffer a solution for them. During consultation, Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô was revealed. The Awo told them that they were suffering from poverty, ailments, and want. He explained further that as much as they tried to solve their problems, they remained the same. He told them that their problems would be resolved the moment they stopped offering any female animal, especially she-goat, which was a taboo for them. He instead recommended that they feed their Ifa; with a male pig (Boar). He assured them that if this could be done, their problems would become issues of the past. When the representatives of the inhabitants of I®lu;-O®sôi¾ who went for the Ifa; consultation returned home and explained what the Awo had told them to the elders, they pondered on the issue for a very long time. In the end, they concluded that they had never seen anywhere that people used male animals to feed their Ifa;. They felt that the Awo was only trying to complicate their problems for them. They therefore decided to continue to feed their Ifa; with she-goats as they had been doing before. That was exactly what they continued to do. Their problems continued to stay with them without any solution. The inhabitants of I®lu;-A®a¾re also went for Ifa; consultation in the home of the same Babala;wo. The same Odu¾ was revealed during consultation. The Awo gave them the same recommendations as those of the inhabitants of I®lu;-O®sôi¾. When their representatives returned home and narrated what the Awo had told them to the elders, there was a lengthy discussion. In the end, the elders concluded that even though it was strange for them to feed Ifa; with male animals, they had not much to lose if they gave it a try. They said that their situation had been very pathetic already; consequently, doing as the Awo had recommended could not make things worse than what they were already.

1006

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

They therefore decided to feed Ifa; with a male pig, as instructed, on the very next day and that was exactly what they did. After two lunar months, luck began to smile on the inhabitants of I®lu; A®a¾re. Their various businesses began to pick up. Those suffering from ailments started to regain their health and vitality. The more they fed Ifa; with male animals, the more success they had. The more they abstained from consuming she-goat, the better their health conditions. Anyone of them who went for a business transaction usually smiled on the way back home. The farmers recorded bountiful harvests. The fishermen among them were rewarded with big catches. Their lives in I®lu;-A®a¾re changed from bad to marvellous, from being hopeless to being promising, and from failure to resounding success. One day, the inhabitants of I®lu;-O®sôi¾ and those of I®lu;-A®a¾re met. The difference was very clear when they began to compare notes. Those from I®lu;-O®sôi¾ had nothing to tell but tales of woe and disappointment. Those from I®lu;-A®a¾re had nothing to tell but tales of success and achievement.

OÙ®ka¾ra; ab’e¾ôyiôn ga¾nra¾nhu;n Di;a; fu;n woôn ni;’lu¾u; O®sôi¾ A bu¾ fu;n woôn ni;’lu¾u; A®a¾re EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe Ara; I®lu; A®a¾re ni¾kan ni; n;beô l’eôy ; i¾n ti; n;sô’eôboô N®je;ô eô¾yin ti; e¾ô n; fi ewu;re;ô boô’fa; EÙ ma¾ ku; i¾ya¾ Akoô eôran ma¾ l’eôran Translation: OÙ®ka¾ra; ab‟e¾ôyi¾n ga¾nra¾nhu;n These were Ifa;‟s messages for the inhabitants of the land of O®sôi¾, Poverty-and-Want And also for the inhabitants of the land of A®a¾re, Absolvement-and-Success

1007


They were advised to offer eôboô Only the inhabitants of I®lu;-A®a¾re complied Those feeding Ifa; with she-goats Keep on suffering Only male animals are real animals Ifa; says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to continue to suffer. He/she however needs to stop feeding Ifa; with she-goat or any female animals. He/she also needs to stop eating she-goat.

12. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed must never feed Ifa; with a she-goat in order to stop nursing a series of ailments in his/her life. Ifa; says that as long as he/she continues to eat she-goat or use it to feed his/her Ifa;, so long will he/she continue to leave his/her body open to a series of ailments. Ifa; advises this person to ensure that only male animals are used to feed his/her Ifa; on a regular basis. He/she must also avoid eating she-goat under any circumstance whatsoever. If the animal is cooked together with any other animal, he/she must never taste the food. It is better for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to remain hungry than to eat any food that a she-goat is used as part of the food item. On this, Ifa; says: Mo ki; aku;wa;ra;pa; Aku;wa;ra;pa; n; sôu’nu; E®Ùteô¾ ni o¾ sôe e; di¾ l’o;ku¾n Oni;gbo¾do¾gi; lo; lu imu; u re¾ô l’o;gi¾ri¾dodo-o¾gi¾ri¾dodo Di;a; fu;n woôn n’I:fe¾ô Abu¾reô; Ni;’bi wo;ôn gbe; n; p’ewu;re;ô boô’fa; a woôn EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe

1008

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

Translation: When I greeted the epileptic He was suffering from chronic running stomach Leprosy cannot be tied with a rope An Elephantiasis sufferer perforates his nose in form of a deep hole These were Ifa;‟s messages for the inhabitants of Ife¾ô Abu¾reô; Where they were slaughtering she-goats to feed their Ifa; They were advised to offer eôboô When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ arrived at Ife¾ô-Abu¾reô;, he saw many of them suffering from series of ailments ranging from tuberculosis, epilepsy, yaws, palsy, neurosis, psychosis, to elephantiasis. He was determined to assist them to solve their problems because of three reasons: one, the conditions under which he met them was very pathetic; two, they were too weak to work or farm, and therefore, they were always looking hungry and looking unkempt; and three, their conditions moved O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to pity them and to come to their aide. When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ set out to work on their various diseases, he realized that he was not making any progress. He consulted Ifa; and Ifa; told him that the people were consuming the food that was aggravating their problems. They were also feeding Ifa; with what actually increased their ailments. For these two reasons, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ summoned all the elders in the land. He explained to them what Ifa; had said. He told them never to use she-goat to feed Ifa; or consume the animal anymore. The elders told him that they would continue to eat the animal and use it to feed their Ifa;. They told him that it was the way their forefathers had been doing and that they would not allow him to change what they had been doing since time immemorial.

1009


For six lunar months, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ continued to persuade them to change but they refused to heed the advice. Their ailments spread and got worse. They began to record pre-mature deaths and many youths in the land became physically, mentally, and socially incapacitated. This was what prompted OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to leave the land. He vowed that he would never return to the land until they stopped using she-goats to feed Ifa;. For two years after O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had left Ife¾ô-abu¾reô;, they still continued to use she-goats to feed Ifa;. They also continued to consume the animal. Their problems persisted and more ailments were recorded. One day, the elders decided to give the advice of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ a try. Instead of using a she-goat to feed Ifa;, they decided to feed Ifa; with a male pig. As soon as this was done, all physiological attacks and problems stopped. The medications they were using to address their various illnesses began to work. They soon started to regain their strength. Within six lunar months, the economy was back on stream. Joy and contentment returned to the land. They all began to praise OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ for showing them the way to solve their problems. Mo ki; aku;wa;ra;pa; Aku;wa;ra;pa; n; sôu’nu; E®Ùteô¾ ni o¾ sôe e; di¾ l’o;ku¾n Oni;gbo¾do¾gi; lo; lu imu; u re¾ô l’o;gi¾ri¾dodo-o¾gi¾ri¾dodo Di;a; fu;n woôn n’I:fe¾ô Abu¾reô; Ni;’bi wo;ôn gbe; n; p’ewu;re;ô boô’fa; a woôn EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Woô;n koô’ti; oôg ¾ boônhin s’eô;boô OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ l'o;un o¾ mo¾¾ô wi;pe; o¾wo¾ a¾ru¾n l’e¾ôyin n; sôe ni;’le¾ô yi¾i; Mo loô o E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ EÙni gb’eô;boôô ni;’be¾ô ko; sô’eôboô o

1010

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

Translation: When I greeted the epileptic He was suffering from chronic running stomach Leprosy cannot be tied with a rope An Elephantiasis sufferer perforates his nose in form of a deep hole These were Ifa;‟s messages for the inhabitants of Ife¾ Abu¾re;ô Where they were slaughtering she-goats to feed their Ifa; They were advised to offer eôboô They refused to comply with the advice OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declared that he never knew that they enjoyed wallowing in ailments in the land And he left the land Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾ Let those warned heed the warning Ifa; says that this person will not be allowed to suffer ailments and incapacitation where this Odu¾ is revealed. That is why he/she needs to heed the warning of Ifa;.

13. Ifa; says that there is the urgent need to offer eôboô for someone, where this Odu¾ is revealed, against pre-mature death. Ifa; says that a person is seriously ill where this Odu¾ is revealed; but that person is not the one who Ifa; refers to. Ifa; says that the invalid will regain his/her health but the person who is healthy and strong is the one who needs to offer that eôboô in order to ensure that he/she does not experience the misfortune of sudden but untimely death. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with a mature ram, one sharp knife, and the clothing which he/she had on his/her body at the time of this Ifa; consultation and money.

1011


On this, Ifa; says: Ogbe¾ ka;ngeô-ka¾ngeô Babala;wo Igba; to; gbo; Lo; ki¾ fu;n a¾i¾gbo; Woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sô’eôboô si; l’ai¾ku; ara a woôn Translation: Ogbe¾ ka;ngeô-ka¾ngeô The Awo of the strong calabash He also cast Ifa; for the immature one They were all advised to offer eôboô against premature death

Igba;-to;-gbo;, the ripe, mature and strong calabash was the one taking care of A®i¾gbo;, the unripe, immature and weak calabash. He

was taking his unripe sibling from place to place in order to find a solution to his illness. That was when Igba;-to;-gbo; took his sibling to Ogbe¾-Ka;ngeô-ka¾ngeô. When they got there, Ifa; was consulted and Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô was revealed.

The Awo told them that A®i¾gbo; would surely regain his health if he could offer eôboô as stated above. The Awo stated that the person on whose head death hung, was actually Igba;-to;-gbo; who enjoyed sound health, who was ripe, mature, and strong. He told Igba;-to;-gbo; to offer the same eôboô stated above as quickly as possible in order to avert the impending death. A®i¾gbo; who was ill, weak, and immature, quietly offered the eôboô.

Igba;-to;-gbo; was totally convinced that nothing that he could foresee gave him any cause for alarm. For this reason, he refused to offer to eôboô. Soon after this, human beings began to look for containers with which to draw water, serve food, and prepare soup. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾

1012

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

directed them to go for a calabash. When they got to where the calabashes were residing, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ showed them the ones wearing light brown clothing. He told them that whose ones were the ripe, mature, and strong calabashes that they could use for the purposes that they had in their minds. He told them that the unripe, immature, and weak ones were useless for their purposes. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ also told them to use sharp knives to dissect the strong calabashes into two. That was precisely what the human beings did. That was how all Igba;-to;-gbo;, the ripe, mature, and strong calabashes met their untimely deaths while A®i¾gbo;, the unripe, immature, and weak ones were spared and left untouched. Ogbe¾ ka;ngeô-ka¾ngeô Babala;wo Igba; to; gbo; Lo; ki¾ fu;n a¾i¾gbo; Woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sô’eôboô si; l’ai¾ku; ara a woôn A®i¾gbo; ni¾kan ni; n;beô l’eô;yi¾n ti; n; sô’eôboô N®je;ô Igba; to; gbo; n’iku; pa o A®wa ta; o¾ gbo;, a¾wa la ku¾ Igba; to; gbo; n’iku; pa o Translation: Ogbe¾ ka;ngeô-ka¾ngeô The Awo of the strong calabash He also cast Ifa; for the immature one They were all advised to offer eôboô against premature death Only A®i¾gbo; complied Behold, it was the ripe, mature, and strong calabashes that met their untimely deaths Those of us who were unripe, immature, and weak were the ones spared It was Igba;-to;-gbo; that met their untimely deaths

1013


Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she shall not be allowed to meet his/her untimely death as long as he/she offers the prescribed eôboô.

14. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed has many friends and acquaintances who move close to him/her. Out of all these people however, only one person genuinely loves him/her with all sincerity. Ifa; says that all the other so called friends are envious of his/her achievements. As soon as they leave his/her place, they all usually gang up to speak evil of him/her and try to shame him/her. Ifa; assures this person that all the plans of these so called friends will amount to naught. They will end up being the ones who will be put to ridicule and public odium. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three pigeons, three hens, three cocks, three guinea fowls, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifa; as appropriate, and feed E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ with one cock. On this, Ifa; says: E®e¾ya¾n woô;n E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Di;a; fu;n O®Ùkoô¾o¾ôka¾nle;nu; Iru;nmoôleô¾ Woô;n n; lo¾ôoô; ba; Baba mu’le¾ô ni; Mo¾ôreô¾re¾ô Odo¾ Woô;n n; pe;’joô loô¾o;ô sô’a¾joô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: Genuine human beings are very scarce Human beings are very difficult This was the declaration of Ifa; to the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ When going to enter into a solid covenant with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ by the river side They were planning to start contribution They were all advised to offer eôboô

1014

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

All the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ started a periodic contribution in the home of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. The idea was for anyone whose turn it was to collect the contribution to prepare food and drink for all the Iru;nmoôleô¾. They reasoned that this would cement the bond of love that existed among all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ and would also give them the opportunity to be seeing each other periodically; and at the same time, seek after each others‟ welfare. This sounded good to all the Iru;nmoôleô¾. They decided that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ should prepare food and drinks for all the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ in nine days‟ time. He agreed. As soon as all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ departed from his home, he began to search for the food and drink that each and every one of them would consume, and at the same time, he was being mindful of each Iru;nmoôleô¾‟s taboo. Unknown to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ had planned that he must be put to shame. They all agreed that they would cause him to prepare food for 400 people and nobody would turn up to consume the food. They were sure that this would pain him more than anything else.

What was his offense? He had been too popular for their liking. He must be put to shame for that. His profile had gone up too much for his size. Consequent upon this, he must be reduced to his actual size. He must be made to realize that he alone could not be higher at the expense of all others. On the appointed day however, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ employed the services of several men and women to prepare food and drink for his would be guests. There was no food that anyone could think of that was not prepared. He also provided palm-wine, raffia-palm-wine, maize beer, plantain beer, guinea-corn beer, and so on for the Iru;nmoôleô¾ to consume whichever one they preferred. He insisted that all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ must be satisfied. There must be no complaint from any angle whatsoever. By the time that the sun was directly overhead, all the food and drinks were ready. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ sat down quietly, with satisfaction written all over his face, waiting for all his guests.

1015


By mid-afternoon, none of the guests had arrived. By evening time, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had begun to get seriously worried. He couldn‟t imagine what could have happened which might have precluded all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ from arriving at his home at that time. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ sent all his children and students out to go and call all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ and to tell them that everything was ready. The children returned to inform him that none of the Iru;nmoôleô¾ was found in their houses. That was when O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ became deeply agitated. He was still in this state of agitation and confusion when E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ arrived. He greeted O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ but his host was too preoccupied to return his pleasantry. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ simply took him to the backyard to show him all the food and drinks that he had prepared in readiness for the Iru;nmoôleô¾, only for none of them to arrive. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ then informed O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ had only acted according to their plan. He explained to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that they had all conspired to ensure that all the meals and drinks prepared by OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ were wasted. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ however assured him that their conspiracy would fail. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ simply entered into OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s personal room, took one of his host‟s coverlets, and turned it into a masquerade costume. He rushed out and began to gather people to follow him. Before long, all the children and devotees of all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ had followed E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾. He took them to a far distance. When he realized that they were all tired and exhausted, he returned them to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s house and began to serve them the food and drinks which their parents had boycotted. They all began to eat with relish. Meanwhile, all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ were looking for their children and devotees but they could not find them. It was getting late. Where could they have gone to? That was when they were informed that they needed to go and find them in OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s house where they were all eating and drinking to their satisfaction. All the Iru;nmoôleô¾ were disappointed. What they had planned had failed to work. Their children had foiled their coup. With shame and regret, they too went

1016

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

and joined their children and devotees in eating and drinking, one after the other. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ demanded from each and every one of them to tell him the reason why they had failed to turn up at the time that they were supposed to come. They all began to give series of flimsy excuses. That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾¾la¾ began to sing saying: E®e¾ya¾n woô;n o E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô; Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o Mo ba; SÙa¾ngo; mu’le¾ô o; da¾ mi; La;ba;mbi;, eôran eôl’eô;ran lo; n; paa; kiri E®e¾ya¾n woô;n o E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô; Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o Mo b’O:gu¾n mu’le¾ô O: da¾ mi; La;ka;aye; aja; al’a;ja; lo; n;; paa; kiri E®e¾ya¾n woô;n o E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô; Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o Mo b’O:o¾sôa¾n;la; mu’le¾ô O; da¾ mi; Al’a;ba¾a; l’a;sôeô I®gbi;n oni; I®gbi;n lo; n;jeô eô; kiri E®e¾ya¾n woô;n o E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô; Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o Mo b’OÙ:sôun mu’leô¾ O: da¾ mi; Iyewa O®to¾o¾ro¾-E®Ùfoô¾n igba; on’i;gba; ni; n; fo;ôoô; kiri E®e¾ya¾n woô;n o E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro

1017


Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô; Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o Mo ba; gbogbo Iru;nmoôleô¾ mu’le¾ô Woô;n da¾ mi; Gbogbo woôn taraa woôn ni woô;n n; sôee; kiri E®e¾ya¾n woô;n o E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô; Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o Translation: Genuine human beings are very scarce to find Real human beings are difficult There are no human beings anymore I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ I entered into covenant with SÙa¾ngo; But he betrayed me La;;ba;mbi; was busy slaughtering other people‟s animals Genuine human beings are very scarce to find Real human beings are difficult There are no human beings anymore I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ I entered into covenant with O®gu;n But he betrayed me La;ka;aye; was busy slaughtering other people‟s dogs Genuine human beings are very scarce to find Real human beings are difficult There are no human beings anymore I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ I had earlier entered into covenant with O®o¾sôa¾n;la; But he betrayed me Al‟a;ba¾a;-l‟a;sôeô was busy consuming other people‟s snails Genuine human beings are very scarce to find Real human beings are difficult There are no human beings anymore I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾

1018

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

I had earlier entered into covenant with O®Ùsôun But she betrayed me Iyewa O®to¾o¾ro¾-E®Ùfoô¾n was busy breaking other people‟s calabashes Genuine human beings are very scarce to find Real human beings are difficult There are no human beings anymore I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ I had earlier entered into covenant with all the 400 Iru;nmoôleô¾ But they betrayed me They were all busy doing their own different businesses Genuine human beings are really scarce Real human beings are impossible When there were no human beings anymore I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ As they heard the song of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, guilt, shame, and discomfort enveloped all the Iru;nmoôleô¾, except E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾. One by one, they left OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s house without having the courage or courtesy to say good bye. E®e¾ya¾n woô;n E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Di;a; fu;n O®Ùkoô¾o¾ôka¾nle;nu; Iru;nmoôleô¾ Woô;n n; lo¾ôoô; ba; Baba mu’le¾ô ni; Mo¾ôreô¾re¾ô Odo¾ Woô;n n; pe;’joô loô¾o;ô sô’a¾joô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ o¾un E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ ni¾kan ni; n;beô l’eô;yi¾n ti; n;sô’eôboô N®jeô; e®e¾ya¾n woô;n o E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô; Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o Mo ba; SÙa¾ngo; mu’le¾ô o; da¾ mi; La;ba;mbi;, eôran eôl’eô;ran lo; n; paa; kiri E®e¾ya¾n woô;n o

1019


E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô; Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o Mo b’O:gu¾n mu’le¾ô O: da¾ mi; La;ka;aye; aja; al’a;ja; lo; n;; paa; kiri E®e¾ya¾n woô;n o E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô; Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o Mo b’O:o¾sôa¾n;la; mu’le¾ô O; da¾ mi; Al’a;ba¾a; l’a;sôeô I®gbi;n oni; I®gbi;n lo; n;jeô eô; kiri E®e¾ya¾n woô;n o E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô; Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o Mo b’OÙ:sôun mu’leô¾ O: da¾ mi; Iyewa O®to¾o¾ro¾-E®Ùfoô¾n igba; on’i;gba; ni; n; fo;ôoô; kiri E®e¾ya¾n woô;n o E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô; Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o Mo ba; gbogbo Iru;nmoôleô¾ mu’le¾ô Woô;n da¾ mi; Gbogbo woôn taraa woôn ni woô;n n; sôee; kiri E®e¾ya¾n woô;n o E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô; Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o Translation: Genuine human beings are very scarce Human beings are very difficult This was the declaration of Ifa; to the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾

1020

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

When going to enter into a solid covenant with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ by the river side They were planning to start contribution They were all advised to offer eôboô Only OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and E®sôu¾ complied Genuine human beings are very scarce to find Real human beings are difficult There are no human beings anymore I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ I entered into covenant with SÙa¾ngo; But he betrayed me La;;ba;mbi; was busy slaughtering other people‟s animals Genuine human beings are very scarce to find Real human beings are difficult There are no human beings anymore I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ I had earlier entered into covenant with O®gu;n But he betrayed me La;ka;aye; was busy slaughtering other people‟s dogs Genuine human beings are very scarce to find Real human beings are difficult There are no human beings anymore I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ I had earlier entered into covenant with O®o¾sôa¾n;la; But he betrayed me Al‟a;ba¾a;-l‟a;sôeô was busy consuming other people‟s snails Genuine human beings are very scarce to find Real human beings are difficult There are no human beings anymore I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ I had earlier entered into covenant with O®Ùsôun But she betrayed me Iyewa O®to¾o¾ro¾-E®Ùfoô¾n was busy breaking other people‟s calabashes Genuine human beings are very scarce to find Real human beings are difficult There are no human beings anymore

1021


I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ I had earlier entered into covenant with all the 400 Iru;nmoôleô¾ But they betrayed me They were all busy doing their own different businesses Genuine human beings are really scarce Real human beings are impossible When there were no human beings anymore I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ Ifa; assures this person that they should not lament for lack of true friends and confidants. They should search deep within to identify their only true friend and take solitude in knowing this friend is a real true friend, in all senses of the word. 15. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô against being exasperated over what he/she has gone for Ifa; consultation. Ifa; says that the issue for which this person has come for Ifa; consultation has been recurring for quite some time now. It is in his/her best interest to offer eôboô for him/her not to be defeated by this issue in the end. Ifa; advises this person to never plant or nurse isôin, ackee tree or eat its fruit. Ifa; also advises this person to offer eôboô with a mature hegoat and money. If he/she has an isôin tree in his/her home or compound, it must be cut down immediately. On this, Ifa; says: A®ku¾koô lo; fi i¾yeô; i¾di; sô’a¾gba¾ O: fi sôi;sôu si;’le; i¾yo;ku¾ sô’oômoôde; Di;a; fu;n ‘La;lu¾ OÙmoô ami¾ja¾ o¾ôfa¾ bi; oômoô Fu;la¾ni; EÙboô a¾sôeti¾ ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation:

1022

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

The tail plume of a rooster made it an elder But its habit of defecating inside the house made it an infant This was Ifa;‟s message for „La;lu¾ The offspring of the arrow fighter, like a Fulani man He was advised to offer eôboô against unconsummated fortune „La;lu¾ was a very strong, enterprising, and unassuming man. With sheer determination, he had been able to achieve great feats where several other people had failed woefully. He had moved from grass to grace and from nothing to abundance. His was a typical example of someone who had moved from the dreg of the gutter to prominence. He was ready to face any challenge at any time. He was not afraid of failure because he knew that he would still overcome and become triumphant. One day, „La;lu¾ went for Ifa; consultation. His ackee tree had produced splendid fruits that were becoming ripe. Not many people could resist the consumption of a ripe ackee fruit. „La;lu¾ wanted to know what his success chances would be with the sale of the akee fruits. The Awo informed „La;lu¾ that even though the fruits had come out well, his destiny did not support the planting, nurturing, eating, or selling the ackee trees and their fruits. He was therefore advised to cut down all the trees, which he had planted in his back yard. He was also advised to offer eôboô as stated above. „La;lu¾ could not believe his ears: Is the Awo talking to me or someone else? Is he really telling me to cut down the trees that could fetch me a handsome amount of money? These were the trees which he had spent his time, money, and energy planting, tending, and nurturing until they grew to maturity. Why must this Awo come with this retro regressive advice when the plants had germinated and the fruits were ready for sale and consumption? Surely, this advice was not for me. By the way, who was this Awo to tell me what to retain and

1023


what to cut down? Anyway, the last thing I will ever do is to cut down those trees. With this determination, „La;lu¾ left the home of the Awo and promised himself not to return to his home again. As soon as „La;lu¾ returned home, he began to sell the fruits. As he was selling them and making good money, he also noticed that some people were plucking the fruits for their consumption without paying for them. For this reason, „La;lu¾ stationed his first son to watch over the plantation and report any unauthorized trespasser to him immediately. Two days after this, Iku; came to „La;lu¾‟s backyard to pluck some fruits. „La;lu¾‟s son was overwhelmed with fright when he saw Iku;. He had never seen such a spectacle before in his whole life. He didn‟t know what to do. Challenge him? Chase him out? Run away from him? Scream for help? Call on his father? He decided to follow the last option that came to his mind. Why not? After all, his father had instructed him to call on him as soon as he noticed any trespasser. He called in a very loud voice, saying: Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ Iku; ma¾ ma¾ n; k’a;sôin L’eô;yi¾nku¾nle; e¾ reô o! Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ o! Translation: My father the Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ (arrow fighter) My father the Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ (arrow fighter) Death is plucking the ackee fruits In your backyard My father the Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ (arrow fighter) When „La;lu¾ heard this, he rushed back from where he was. When he saw Iku;, he greeted him with a powerful slap. Serious fight ensued.

1024

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

The fight lasted for several hours. In the end, „La;lu¾ lifted Iku; up above his head and threw him to the ground with all his might. Iku; stood up with pain and ran away. „La;lu¾ remained unbeaten. He had never lost any fight in his whole life. The next day A®ru¾n (Ailment), came to pluck fruits. His son called on him. He came and gave A®ru¾n the fight of his life. He defeated A®ru¾n. After this, EÙjoô; (Contention), O®fo¾ (Loss), EÙ®gba¾ (Paralysis), E®sôe (Injury), etc. came to the farm to pluck the ackee fruits. „La;lu¾‟s son summoned his father and they were all defeated one after the other. One day, Agara (Exasperation) came to the farm to pluck the fruits. In the case of Agara, he looked both friendly and hostile, both simple and complicated, both powerful and fragile, and both inviting and dispelling. „La;lu¾‟s son did not know what to make of this latest trespasser. He however called on his father to inform him of the intruder, saying:

Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ Agara ma¾ ma¾ n; ka;’sôin L’eô;yi¾nku¾nle; e¾ reô o! Ba¾ba; mi Abi¾ja¾-oô¾fa¾¾ o! Translation: My father the Abi¾ja¾-oô¾fa¾ My father the arrow fighter Agara, Exasperation is plucking the ackee fruits In your backyard! My father the arrow fighter! When „La;lu¾ arrived, whom he saw was truly confusing. Agara looked so fragile that „La;lu¾ felt that there was a mistake somewhere. „La;lu¾ felt that Agara could not be a trespasser to be afraid of or be concerned about. Maybe, just maybe, he wanted some fruits to eat in

1025


order to nourish his frail looking body.„La;lu¾ even went all out of his way to look for ripe fruits. He plucked about six and was about to hand them over to Agara when he got the surprise of his life. As he stretched his hands to hand over the fruits to Agara, he was greeted and thanked with a striking blow on his face! The blow was so powerful that it dazed him. The most confusing part was that Agara was just smiling particularly friendly and invitingly at „La;lu¾. „La;lu¾ moved closer only to receive a painful kick on the legs. His legs went numb. Yet, Agara kept smiling! A serious fight ensured. It was the fiercest fight „La;lu¾ had ever engaged in. It lasted for one full day and half of the night. „La;lu¾ was totally exhausted but Agara looked fresh and was even smiling, as if the fight had not even started! In the end, Agara raised „La;lu¾ up, well above his head and threw him mightily on the ground; just the way „La;lu¾ had thrown Iku;, A®ru¾n, O®fo¾, E®Ùgba¾, E®sôe, and all the other opponents. „La;lu¾ lost everything. He also lost interest in everything. A®ku¾koô lo; fi i¾yeô; i¾di; sô’a¾gba¾ O: fi sôi;sôu si;’le; i¾yo;ku¾ sô’oômoôde; Di;a; fu;n ‘La;lu¾ OÙmoô ami¾ja¾ o¾ôfa¾ bi; oômoô Fu;la¾ni; EÙboô a¾sôeti¾ ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: koô’ti; o¾g ô boônyin s’eô;boô Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ Iku; ma¾ ma¾ n; k’a;sôin L’eô;yi¾nku¾nle; e¾ reô o! Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ o! Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ Agara ma¾ ma¾ n; ka;’sôin L’eô;yi¾nku¾nle; e¾ reô o! Ba¾ba; mi Abi¾ja¾-oô¾fa¾¾ o! E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾ EÙni gb’eô;boô ni;’beô¾ ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô o

1026

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

Translation: The tail plume of a rooster made it an elder But its habit of defecating inside the house made it an infant This was Ifa;‟s message for „La;lu¾ The offspring of the arrow fighter, like a Fulani man He was advised to offer eôboô against unconsummated fortune He refused to comply My father the Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ My father the arrow fighter Death is plucking the ackee fruits In your backyard My father the arrow fighter My father the Abi¾ja¾-oô¾fa¾ My father the arrow fighter Agara, Exasperation is plucking the akee fruits In your backyard! My father the arrow fighter! He refused to comply Travellers to I®po and O®®Ùfa¾ Let those advised to offer eôboô do so Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to use diplomacy and rationale reasoning and offering of eôboô to resolve issues instead of confrontation. 16. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to undertake any business with any of his/her siblings. He/she must not enter into partnership with any of his blood relations. If he/she does, the outcome will never be favourable. This is not because his/her siblings do not wish him/her well; on the contrary, the venture will fail and collapse because the siblings deeply love him/her.

1027


Ifa; also advises this person to offer eôboô in order to prevent a situation where he/she will experience the loss of one of his/her siblings. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with a mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ with another he-goat. On this, Ifa; says: Poki;poki; oju; o¾b ô oô o¾ sôe e; da; n’I;:fa; Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru¾nlo;ôjoô I®wo¾ro¾ O®ri¾sôa¾ Woô;n n; loô oju;-o¾ôboô N® ba; l’a;ya¾ n d’e¾¾e¾ya¾n EÙni abi;nibi; o¾ jeô; Di;a; fu;n Iro¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; o¾ôboô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The eyeballs of a monkey cannot be cast as Ikin to consult Ifa; This was Ifa;‟s message for the 165 O®ri¾sôa¾ devotees When going to Oju;-O®Ùboô, OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ grove I would have become someone important in life But my sibling prevented it from happening This was Ifa;‟s message for Iro¾, the Ape The sibling of O®Ùboô, the Monkey He was advised to offer eôboô The parents of Iro¾ gave birth to two male children. Iro¾ and OÙ®boô. Both of them were very energetic and resourceful. All their efforts did not amount to much. They both realized that OÙmoô E®ni¾ya¾n human beings were totally in control of everything on earth. All their efforts to be on the same level with human beings failed, and failed woefully.

1028

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

One day, Iro¾ came up with an imaginative idea; he would ensure that he was turned into OÙmoô E®ni¾ya¾n, human being. He realized that the moment he became a human being, he would have equal opportunities like other human beings. In order to ascertain the workability of his plan, Iro¾¾ went to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: what do I need to do to become a human being? After doing all what I need to do, will it be possible in the end? Will I be able to assist other members of my family to become human beings as well? Will I be able to raise the status of my loved ones and make them great? The Awo informed Iro¾ that what he wanted was to improve the quality of his life. He was assured that what he wanted would be possible to achieve. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He was also told that he needed to keep all what he wanted to do away from everyone, especially his sibling and that he needed to ensure that he succeeded first before informing or attempting to help anyone. He complied with the advice of the Awo and offered the eôboô as stated. When the eôboô was offered, Iro¾ was advised to carry the eôboô to the home of Olo;du¾mare¾ because that was where his prayers would be answered. As soon as he deposited his eôboô in heaven, he was summoned to appear in the presence of Olo;du¾mare¾. When he got there, he was asked to explain what his mission in heaven was. He responded that he wanted to change from being an Ape to a human being. He stated further that he had offered all the eôboô that was recommended for him; and he had also carried the eôboô personally as he was instructed to do. He pleaded with all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ in the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ to please grant his request. Olo;du¾mare¾ was consulted over his request and approval was given to make it possible for him to become a human being, provided he was prepared to comply with the conditions that would make things possible for him to have such a transformation.

1029


For this reason, Iro¾ was told that in order to move from being an Ape to a human being, he had five conditions to fulfil. These were:

i.

All the hair in his body would be removed

ii.

His brain would have to be reorganized, remodelled and remodified

iii.

His attitude had to change from that of Ape to that of man

iv.

His habitat had to change from the jungle to villages, towns, and cities

v.

He must ensure that he completed his own transformation before he told anyone or planned to render any assistance to anyone else

The Iru;nmoôleô¾ promised to assist Iro¾ with the first four conditions while they warned him that he was the only one who could fulfil the fifth condition. Iro¾ agreed with them entirely. The Iru;nmoôleô¾ then gave Iro¾ a giant pot to carry to earth. In the pot were many herbs and roots. He was instructed to fill the pot with clean water as soon as he got to earth. They told him to pray every day for seven days. On the seventh day, he was to drink a calabash full of the herb-tea and use the rest to take his bath. He was assured that all the hair on his body would be removed, his brain would be reorganized and modified, his attitude would change to that of a man, and he would find living in villages, towns, and cities agreeable to him.

Iro¾ returned to earth, full of joy and great expectation. As soon as he got home, he filled the pot with fresh water. As he was doing this, his younger sibling, OÙ®boô saw him and approached him to give him a helping hand. Initially, he refused. Upon the insistence of O®Ùboô to assist, he gave in. The pot was filled with fresh water by both Iro¾ and his younger sibling, O®Ùboô.

1030

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

As they were filling the pot with water, OÙ®boô continued to ask his elder sibling what the a¾gbo, herbal-tea was for. At first, Iro¾ refused to tell him. In the end, he told his brother that it was given to him by Olo;du¾mare¾ and that it would transform him from an Ape to a human being in seven days.

OÙ®boô could not believe his ears. He was overwhelmed with joy. He

was certain that if his brother could transform from ape to man, he would surely raise his own status to that of a man also! Just as if Iro¾ knew what was on the mind of his younger sibling, he assured him that as soon as he became a man, he would ensure that he (O®Ùboô), also became a man.

OÙ®boô‟s joy knew no bound when he heard this. He felt that the news called for celebration even before it happened.

O®Ùboô began an elaborate celebration. Not only for the impending

transformation of his brother, but also for himself. He suddenly became proud and arrogant. He was quick to inform everyone close to him that they no longer belonged to the same class because in seven days, his brother would become a full grown man and he would raise his hands up to become a man like him. He was counting the days of his brother‟s transformation for him.

Two days after this, OÙ®boô could not control himself any longer. He announced to those who cared to listen, and even those who did not care, that in five days, his brother would become the first being to change from an ape to a human being and he would be the second being. He explained further that all those who had insulted him or those who cheated him one way or the other should consider themselves doomed. He promised them suffering that they would not forget in a hurry. For those who had been sympathetic to him however, he assured them that he would talk to his brother to consider making them go through the transformation to become a man. On the third day, OÙ®boô began to sing and dance. On the fourth and fifth days, OÙ®boô was not only singing and dancing, he was also somersaulting.

1031


On the sixth day, O®Ùboô woke up with a start. It remained only one day for his sibling to become a man. Only one day! All his sufferings, wants, inadequacies, and tribulations remained only one day to disappear! Just one day! He must go and congratulate his brother in advance. He must go there in style! That was why O®Ùboô decided to summersault to his brother‟s place. That was exactly what he did. He promised himself that he would not stop or slow down until he reached his brother‟s place. He never did, until he felt his legs hitting something. He opened his eyes only to discover, to his chagrin, that he had just hit and broken the pot of a¾gbo!!! The sound of the broken pot attracted the attention of Iro¾ to the scene. What!?! The pot is broken! The chance of becoming a man in only one day‟s time has disappeared! This is not true! This cannot be true! This must not be true! This must be a dream! No, a nightmare! He scratched himself to assure himself that he was merely dreaming. Alas! He realized to his regret, that he was face-to-face with reality. Grief wracked his whole body. He lost control of his limbs and fell heavily on his buttocks. He slapped the ground repeatedly with his palms. Hot tears rushed down from his eyes. So this was what they meant when they warned him not to let anyone know about this until he had completed his transformation. With only one day to go! His trusted sibling ended up becoming his regret. If not for this sibling, he would have accomplished his mission the next day. This reality brought only more frustration and anger. He rushed angrily towards his sibling, who had been watching the spectacle like a dazed drunkard, and dealt him terribly damaging blows. As he was hitting his sibling, he screamed repeatedly, saying:

N® ba; l’a;ya¾ n d’e¾¾e¾ya¾n EÙni abi;nibi; o¾ jeô; N® ba; l’a;ya¾ n d’e¾¾e¾ya¾n EÙni abi;nibi; o¾ jeô;

1032

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

Translation: I would have become a human being But my sibling prevented it from happening I would have become a human being But my sibling prevented it from happening As he was hitting his sibling with all his energy, the sibling was being driven into the ground. He went inside the ground completely and only his eyeballs were showing. That was how people came to know of Oju;-O®Ùboô, the eyes of the monkey. This was later shortened to Oju;‟boô, the grove. Poki;poki; oju; o¾b ô oô o¾ sôe e; da; n’I;:fa; Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru¾nlo;ôjoô I®wo¾ro¾ O®ri¾sôa¾ Woô;n n; loô oju;-o¾ôboô N® ba; l’a;ya¾ n d’e¾¾e¾ya¾n EÙni abi;nibi; o¾ jeô; Di;a; fu;n Iro¾ Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; o¾ôboô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: f’eti; o¾ôtu;n gb’e;ôboô O: fi t’o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾ N®je;ô ko¾ si; O®o¾sôa¾ l’a;ye; mo;ô Oju;-o¾ôboô la¾ n; boô I®wo¾ro¾-O®o¾sôa¾ eô ka; r’oju;’boô Translation: The eyeballs of a monkey cannot be cast as Ikin to consult Ifa; This was Ifa;‟s message for the 165 O®ri¾sôa¾ devotees When going to Oju;-O®Ùboô, OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ grove I would have become someone important in life But my sibling prevented it from happening

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This was Ifa;‟s message for Iro¾, the Ape The sibling of O®Ùboô, the Monkey He was advised to offer eôboô He heard of the advice with his right ear And threw out the advice with his left ear Behold, there is no more O®ri¾sôa¾ on earth We are only propitiating Oju;-O®Ùboô, the monkey‟s eyes Let all I®wo¾ro¾-O®o¾sôa¾, O®ri¾sôa¾ priest/devotees come to Oju;‟boô, the shrine Ifa; says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to cause the death of his/her sibling as a result of frustration, anger, or exasperation.


1034

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

B.

SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® I®REÙTEÙ® FOR THOSE BORN BY THIS ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA:

All Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children, males and females are usually at their best element when they are in the midst of their families, relatives and loved ones. They pride themselves in their ability to rally their families, relatives and loved ones together and ensure that they are always in touch with one another. Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children do this better than most people. Their success in this area is not because of any outstanding organisational skill; but rather, it is because when they were coming from heaven, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ himself promised them that their lives and those of all the members of their household would be properly taken care of. It is therefore not a surprise to find Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô male and female children feeling comfortable and contented when they are in the midst of their family members, relatives and loved ones. Due to the fact that Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children take good care of their loved ones, they are usually bestowed with fame, honour, adoration, prestige, title and accolades. These attributes usually put them in vintage positions in their various communities. An average Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô child, male or female, is usually blessed with prosperity and compatible spouse. These blessings assist him/her to further promote family union and progress. For Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô male and female children who are doing all what is expected of them by the divinities, it is totally unthinkable that their homes will ever go into ruin or disarray. In spite of the love and care that Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children shower on their loved ones, they still have many enemies and detractors who hate and condemn them because of this. The good deeds of Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children are more often than not the reasons why they gather so many enemies around them. These enemies work tirelessly to ensure the downfall of Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children. The fortunate thing however is that all their enemies fail woefully and fall by the way side, while Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children march on majestically. Also, while the enemies wish them evil, their evil wishes are usually converted to wellbeing and success for Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children.

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The major weaknesses of Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children are that they are full of excesses and they fret over very little things. When Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children embark on something good or bad, they find it difficult to know when to stop. This sometimes leads to ridicule and humiliation for them. They also become sorrowful when they hear or think that someone is thinking or speaking evil of them. For Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô male children, they are great lovers and fantastic family organizers. They love their families and they love to be loved too. As successful as Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô male children may be, they sometimes find it difficult to spend their money on worthwhile projects. They also feel reluctant to give out their money to those who need it at the appropriate time.

In the case of Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô female children, they are known to be very impulsive, erratic and highly temperamental. On many occasions they act before they think of the possible consequences. They can also be very rude to their husbands. It is not a surprise to find Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô female children separating from their husbands because they have become unruly. On the Overall, Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children, males and females, are in the world to organise and sustain their families and loved ones. They gain fame and success through this and the families become progressive and well rooted through the exemplary efforts of Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children.


1036

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

C.

AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA®/IRU:NMOÙLE OF OGBE® I®REÙTEÙ®

1. Ifa; - For direction, elevation, contentment, progress, support, success, direction, and overall socio-economic and spiritual enhancement 2. Ori; - For fulfilment of destiny, success, advancement, progress, elevation, contentment, support, sanctuary, victory, and self actualisation 3. E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ - For progress, sanctuary, victory, direction, guidance, emotional stability, elevation, contentment, and overall success 4. Egu;ngu;n - For ancestral support, success, victory, elevation, leadership, direction, and general wellbeing 5. OÙba¾ta;la; - For progress, success, childbearing, and general wellbeing

leadership,

elevation,

6. OÙ®sôun - For compatible spouse, child bearing, child rearing, success, victory, elevation, and general wellbeing 7. SÙa¾ngo; - For victory, sanctuary, protection, success, leadership and general wellbeing 8. O®gu;n - For victory, sanctuary, protection, success, leadership and general wellbeing 9. I®beji¾ - For childbearing, success, elevation, comradeship, leadership, and general wellbeing 10. EÙgbeô; - For general success, comradeship, leadership, victory, and overall wellbeing

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D.

TABOOS OF OGBE® I®REÙTEÙ®

1. Must never eat cock - to avoid unconsummated fortune, dwindling success, ailments, crises and regret 2. Must never eat she goat or use it to feed Ifa; - to avoid unconsummated fortune, dwindling success chances, crises, failure and regret 3. Must never eat isôin, akee fruit or any part of it. Must never plant it or allow it inside his/her home - to avoid incessant crises, confrontations, exasperation, failure and regret 4. Must never make love to a person they barely know - to avoid threat to life, disaster and calamity 5. Must never enter into any joint project with his/her siblings - to avoid failure, everlasting family feud, regret and disaster 6. Must never use blue dresses or allow his/her children to use it - to avoid premature death and constant threat to life 7. Must never use medicine that is prepared with alcohol when ill - to avoid the contention of the Elders of the Night and untimely death 8. Must never be rude to ones husband (woman) - to avoid matrimonial feud, separation and divorce 9. Must never drink alcohol on empty stomach - to avoid failure and ailment 10. Must never think, speak or do evil - to avoid painful end in life 11. Must never eat any of the monkey family - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure and disaster

1038

Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® I®REÙTEÙ® i. MALES 1. Ifa;gba¾mi;la¾ - Ifa; comes to my rescue 2. Ala;wo¾ôoô;ki; - He who is hailed by all 3. OÙla;n;rewa;ju; - Honour is progressing 4. Ifa;ba;misôee; - Ifa; has done it for me 5. Irewoôle; - All ire have entered into my home

ii. FEMALES 1. Mori;re - I have seen all ire of life 2. Ade;sôeta;n - The crown has done all things 3. Ifa;ba;misôee; - Ifa; has done it for me 4. Te¾minire - All ire belongs to me 5. Ooreki¾i;gbe; - Benevolence can never go unrewarded


1039

Chapter 14

Ogbè Ṣẹ́

I I II I I I II I 1040

OGBE® O®ÙSÙEÙ: OGBE® SÙEÙREÙ NI®SÙEÙ®KE®Ù OGBE® SÙEÙ:’WO: SI:’LE: OGBE® ONI:WO®O: A.1. Ifá says that, for the person born by this Odù during I®koôseôd ¾ a;ye;

or I®te¾ôni;fa;, he/she has come into this world to be a very successful person. Ifa; says that there is no aspect of life where he/she will not make his/her impact. Ifa; assures this person that when he/she was coming into the world, success and elevation were specially and specifically loaded into his/her Ori;. That is why it is difficult for anyone to emulate him/her in anything he/she does or achieves.

In order to continuously achieve all these miraculous things, Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens, two pigeons, two ducks, two guinea fowls, two cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed his/her Ori; with one white pigeon, one guinea fowl, one duck, one hen and honey. On this, Ifa; says: Aroô lo; k'eôfun Aroô lo; n; da;'fa; A®ja¾n¾tete¾ Awo e¾ôba; o¾ôna¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ori; i re¾ô yo;o; da; a si;’le¾ô Yo;o; si¾ ma;a ni; gbogbo ire EÙboô ni woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The cripple painted himself with chalk The cripple was casting Ifa; A®ja¾n¾tete¾, the Awo of the road-side They cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Whose Ori; would complete all his assignments And when going to be blessed with all the Ire of life He was advised to offer eôboô

1041


The major assignment which Olo;du¾mare¾ gave to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was for him to improve the quality of life on earth. In order for him to accomplish this assignment, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made several trips to the earth and heaven. In each of his trips, he was to choose the destiny that would make him succeed in his mission on earth. It was for this reason that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went to the domain of SÙensôenti¾so ô ¾ro¾ to choose his Ori; and to ensure that all the Ire of life would load thereon. When he got to A®ja¾la;-mo¾ôpi;n’s domain, he chose the Ire of wealth, good spouse, lovely children, many properties, sound health, joy and contentment together with long life. He also chose as part of his destiny, the ability to overcome all his enemies. All these were given unto him. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ came into the world, he began his assignment in earnest. He was a Babala;wo who came to make a difference. He made his home a sanctuary for everyone and everyone seeking asylum. He was able to improve the lot of many people. He also would use all his assets such as wealth, spouse, children, charisma, popularity, properties etc., to ensure that there was progress and contentment in the community. He would behave in this way from one community the other. In the end, he was able to release many people from bondage, put smiles onto crying faces, replaced grief with joy, and make the invalid healthy. He brought hope into the lives of the hopeless. During his sojourn on earth, the world had cause to be happy that there was improvement. Aroô lo; k'eôfun Aroô lo;; n; da;'fa;; A®ja¾n¾tete¾ Awo e¾ôba; oô¾na¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙru;nmi¾la¾ Ori; i re¾ô yo;o; da; a si;’le¾ô Yo;o; si¾ ma;a ni; gbogbo ire EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboôô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô Ifa; wa;a; da;; mi ni;’de¾ aje; SÙeôweôleôô Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾ Ifa; wa;a; da;; mi ni;’de¾ aya SÙeôweôleô

1042

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾ Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾ oômoô SÙeôweôôleôô Ifa;; wa;a; da;; mi ni;’de¾ Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾ ile; SÙeôweôleô Ifa; wa;;a; da;; mi ni;;’de¾ Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾ ogbo; SÙeôweôleô Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾ Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾ ire gbogbo SÙeôweôleô Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾ Translation: The cripple painted himself with chalk The cripple was casting Ifa; A®ja¾n¾tete¾, the Awo of the road-side They cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;;nmi¾la¾ Whose Ori; would complete all his assignments And would be blessed with all the Ire of life He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Ifa, please release me from bondage for me to be blessed with wealth SÙeôweôôleôô Ifa, please release me from bondage Ifa; please release me from bondage for me to be blessed with a spouse SÙeôweôleôô Ifa, please release me from bondage Ifa, please release me from bondage for me to be blessed with children SÙeôweôleôô Ifa, please release me from bondage Ifa, please release me from bondage for me to be blessed with properties SÙeôweôleô Ifa, please release me from bondage

1043


Ifa, please release me from bondage for me to be blessed with longevity SÙeôweôleô Ifa, please release me from bondage Ifa, please release me from bondage for me to be blessed with all the Ire of life SÙeôweôleôô Ifa, please release me from bondage Ifa; says that this person shall be released from bondage and he/she shall be blessed with wealth, good spouse, lovely children, many properties, sound health, victory over adversity, long life and joy. 2. Ifa; says that the person for whom the Odu¾ is revealed shall be blessed with several followers who will love, adore, respect and elevate him/her. Ifa; says that he/she shall also be blessed with long life and sound health. Ifa; assures him/her that all what he/she is looking for shall be given onto him/her. Ifa; advises him/her to be very close to Obatala. This is because Obatala will make his/her progress and accomplishments be achieved in no time. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with 16 rats, 16 fish, 16 fowls, one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed Obatala with 16 land snails, shea butter, chalk and one bundle of white cloth. On these Ifa; says: Ogu;n sôeô; OÙgboô¾n sôeô; OÙ®wa¾a¾ra¾ n¾ da ge¾ge; nu¾ Di;a; fu;n O®o¾sôa¾ Ti; n; loô¾oô; m’o;ko ni; Mo¾ôrun A®i¾ku; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o

1044

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

Translation: Twenty of the counting sticks broke Thirty of the counting sticks broke All the broken counting sticks scattered everywhere This was Ifa;’s message for O®o¾sôa¾ (OÙba¾ta;la;) When going to cultivate a farm in the land where longevity is assured He was advised to offer eôboô O®o¾sôa¾, OÙba¾ta;la; was a favourite of Olo;du¾mare¾¾. His patience, perseverance, humility, truthfulness and pragmatism endeared him to Olo;du¾mare¾. He was a very understanding Iru;nmoôleô¾; and for that reason, Olo;du¾mare¾ would assign him delicate duties; and at the same time, repose confidence in him that such assignments would be carried out successfully. One day, OÙba¾ta;la; planned to ensure that all his devotees would be endowed with long life, sound health, prosperity, compatible spouses, lovely children and comfort in their lives. For this reason, he went to Olo;du¾mare¾ for approval. Olo;du¾mare¾ gave him the approval. After this, he went to the group of Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation: will I succeed in the assignment that has been assigned for me which Olo;du¾mare¾¾ has given me the approval to perform? Will I be able to provide for the world prosperity, success, elevation, compatible spouse, good children, beautiful accommodations, comfort, and above all, long life and sound health? During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾eô; was revealed The Awo told O®o¾sôa¾ that he was about to embark on an assignment which would change the face of the world. He was told that he would not only succeed, but he would also gain a long list of followers who would continue to carry out the assignment when and where he had left off. The Awo advised him to offer eôboô and to feed OÙba¾ta;;la;;, his O®ke¾ I®poô¾ri;, as stated above. He complied. Soon after this, he proceeded into the world to carry out his assignment. When OÙba¾ta;la; arrived into the world, he gathered some followers together. He showed them how to succeed in business without cheating;

1045


how to live hygienic lives and avoid physical, physiological and spiritual contaminations; how to secure a compatible spouse who would make life comfortable and peaceful for them; how to give birth to, and raise beautiful children, who would make them proud and fulfilled in life; and how to combine all these to gain long life and sound health, physically, socially, psychologically, economically, spiritually and religiously. All of OÙba¾ta;la's; devotees became very successful in their various fields of endeavours. They lived happily. They had peace of mind and they were contented with what Olo;du¾mare¾ had given them. They were also adored and envied by everyone in their community and wherever they went to. They all became role models in the communities around the world. One day, the whole world gathered together to praise OÙba¾ta;la;; for a job well done. They agreed that the way to measure the success of OÙba¾ta;la; was to study the achievements of all his devotees. They realized that there was nothing in life that all of OÙba¾ta;la;’s devotees had not achieved. For this reason they began to sing and dance in his praise, saying: SÙeôweôleô o¾. sôeôweôleô Aje; ma¾¾ n; sôeô t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o SÙeôweôleô o¾, sôeôweôleô Aya ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o SÙeôweôleô o¾ sôeôweôleô OÙmoô ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o SÙeôweôleô o¾ sôeôweôleô Ile; ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o SÙÙeôweôleô o¾ sôeôweôleô EÙsôin ma¾ n;; sôeô t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾¾ô o SÙeôweôleô o¾ sôeôweôleô Ogbo; ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o SÙeôweôleô o¾ sôeôweôleôô Ire gbogbo ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o SÙeôweôleô o¾, sôeôweôleô Translation: SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôôleô Wealth is spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾

1046

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôleô Spouse is spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾ SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôleô Children are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾ SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôôleô Properties are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾ SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôleô Horses are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾ SÙeôweôôleô, oh sôeôweôleô Longevity is spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾ SÙeôweôleôô, oh sôeôweôleô All the Ire of life are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sa ô ¾ SÙeôweôôleô, oh sôeôweôleô This was how people began to sing and dance in the praise of OÙba¾ta;la;. The impression they gave others was that as long as they remained true devotees of OÙba¾ta;la;;, all the great things of life listed above were guaranteed for them and yes, it was true. But they never bothered to really emphasize the complete discipline involved in becoming O®ri¾sôa¾ devotees; honesty, truthfulness, benevolence, patience, humility, hopefulness, perseverance, total devotion, etc.. Ogu;n sôeô; OÙgboô¾n sôeô; OÙ®wa¾a¾ra¾ n¾ da ge¾ge; nu¾ Di;a; fu;n O®o¾sôa¾ Ti; n; lo¾ôoô; m’o;;ko ni; 'Mo¾ôrun A®i¾ku; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’e;ôboô o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô; ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®je;ô SÙeôweôlô eô o¾¾. sôeôweôôleô Aje; ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o SÙeôweôleô o¾, sôeôweôleô Aya ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o SÙeôweôleôô o¾ sôeôweôleô OÙmoô ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o SÙeôweôleô o¾ sôeôweôleô Ile; ma¾ n; sôe;ô t’oko O®ri¾sô¾a¾ a; bo¾ô o

1047


SÙeôweôleô o¾ sôeôweôleô EÙsôin ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o SÙeôweôleô o¾ sôôeôweôôleô Ogbo; ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o SÙeôweôleô o¾ sôeôweôleô Ire gbogbo ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o SÙeôweôleô o¾, sôeôweôleô Translation: Twenty of the counting sticks broke Thirty of the counting sticks broke All the broken counting sticks scattered everywhere This was Ifa;’s message for O®o¾sôa¾ (OÙba¾ta;la;;) When going to cultivate a farm in the land where longevity is assured He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and see all the Ire of life Now, SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôôleô Wealth is spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾ SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôleô Spouse is spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾ SÙeôweôôleôô, oh sôôeôweôleôô Children are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾ SÙeôweôleô, oh sôôeôweôleô Properties are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾ SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôleô Horses are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾ SÙeôweôleôô, oh sôôeôweôleô Longevity is spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾ SÙeôweôlôeô, oh sôeôweôleô All the Ire of life are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sa ô ¾ SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôleô Ifa; says that this person shall be blessed with joy and all the Ire of life which will make him/her excel over and above all his/her counterparts

1048

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

but they must be exhibiting discipline and patience, honesty, hopefulness, benevolence, humility, perseverance, etc. 3. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. Ifa; assures this person that he/she shall be assisted by Ifa; to achieve all his/her ambitions in life. Ifa; says that all the Ire in life is waiting for this person, either on the outskirts of the city, in a rural setting or in a farm or village. Surely, this person will succeed more in rural settings or villages more than in the big city. His/her success is in the country-side more than in urban settings. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons and money. On this aspect, Ifa; says: SÙeô; bo¾ mi; Ki; n sôeô; bo¾ e;ô Asôoô ni;i; ;sôeô; b’ori; Ee;gu;n A®ta¾ ni;i; sôeô; b’ori; o¾ru¾le; Di;a; fu;n I®ranje; E®Ùlu¾ju¾ Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾¾ ni; ire gbogbo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: Use your flap to cover me And I will cover you with my flap The costume flaps over and covers the face of the masquerade The roof flaps over and covers the head of a house These were Ifa;’s messages for I®ranje; of the wilderness When weeping in lamentation for his inability to secure all the Ire of life She was advised to offer eôboô I®ranje; was living in the wilderness. She was always complaining that she would be better off in the city. She felt that she would be able to secure all the good things of life faster and easier in the city. For this reason, she was never happy. Her stay in the wilderness was considered to be a

1049


form of bondage because she felt constrained and unfulfilled. All efforts by her counterparts to counsel her fell on deaf ear. To her, staying in the big city was the ultimate. Nothing that anyone could say or do would ever satisfy her. One day, I®ranje; decided to go to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: will I be able to find my way to the city and stay? Will I find fulfilment and satisfaction in the city? Will I be able to spread as much as I want? These and many more were the questions which I®ranje; asked Ifa; during the Ifa; Consultation. The Awo told I®ranje; that she was about to move from a rural setting to the big city. She was advised not to do so. They told her that all the Ire of life that she was looking for was in the wilderness and not in the city. She was told that in the city, only grief, persecution, suffering, misfortune and untimely death awaited her. She was equally told that in the wilderness, she would find co-operation and good neighbours as her companions. She would also be able to serve as a shield and a cover for others, while others would cover her too. In the end, the Awo advised her to forget about going to the city to stay. Instead of doing this, she was encouraged to move to the deeper parts of the wilderness. She was also advised to offer eôboô with four pigeons and money. When I®ranje; returned home, she could not make any sense of what she was told. She felt disappointed that Ifa; did not support her intention to move into the city to stay. She was however determined to go to the city. She decided that she would offer the eôôboô but that she would go and try her luck in the city anyway. That was exactly what she did. The very first day she arrived in the city, she realized that she made a grave mistake. The human traffic was unbelievable. People kept going and returning. She knew she was not secure with the people. She decided to look for a little corner and hide herself there. As soon as she began to creep out, small children would see her as a play thing. They cut off her branches for them to play with. There was no shelter for her in the city. There was nothing to cover her where she was. It was not like this is the wilderness, I®ranje; lamented.

1050

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

At a stage, the situation became totally unbearable. She was smart enough to realize that if she failed to move immediately, she would surely end up losing her life. She must leave, she agreed. But to where? It suddenly dawned on her that she had no other place to go than to the wilderness. It also dawned on her that her movement to the city was nothing but a sheer waste of time, effort and energy. It was even a reckless risk to her life. With shame and regret, I®ranje; returned to the wilderness, instead of staying in her former place of abode. She moved to the deepest part of the wilderness. As soon as she got there, she was able to settle down comfortably without anxiety. She was also able to express herself and do whatever she wanted without any threat to her life or limb. She regretted ever moving to the city in the first place, but she was grateful that she was able to trace back her steps before it was too late. SÙeô; bo¾ mi; Ki; n sôeô; bo¾ e;ô Asôoô ni;i; sôeô; b’ori; Ee;gu;n A®ta¾ ni;i; sôeô; b’ori; o¾ru¾le; Di;a; fu;n I®ranje; E®ôlu¾ju¾ Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni; ire gbogbo EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®je;ô l’eô;lu¾ju¾ n’ire wa¾ I®ranje; EÙ®lu¾ju¾ Translation: Use your flap to cover me And I will cover you with my flap The costume flaps over and covers the face of the masquerade The roof flaps over and covers the head of a house These were Ifa;’s messages for I®ranje; of the wilderness When weeping in lamentation for her inability to secure all the Ire of life

1051


She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life All Ire resides in the wilderness I®ranje; Ifa; says that this person shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. He/she however needs to understand and appreciate the fact that he/she stands a better chance to succeed in a rural setting than in an urban setting. 4. Ifa; enjoins the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to do good at all times. He/she must never stop doing good for any reason whatsoever. Ifa; says that it is with his/her good deeds that all the Ire of life which he/she is clamouring for will become his/hers. He/she will be able to consummate his /her fortune in life because he/she is showing goodness to others. For this reason, he/she must never stop doing good. It is not in his/her best interest to stop. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens, two pigeons, two cocks, two ducks, two guinea fowls and money. On this Ifa; says: Aga;ba ni;yeô¾eô; Aga¾ba ni¾ye¾ôeô; E®semo¾ôwe; o¾ t’ori; O®®Ùpeô¾ re 'Mo¾gu;n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùsôoô¾nnu; O®ke¾-A®pa¾ To; l’o;un o¾ ni;i; sô’oore moô; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation:

Aga;ba ni;ye¾ôeô; Aga¾ba ni¾ye¾ôeô;

E®semo¾ôwe;; did not go to 'Mogun-land because of the palm tree

1052

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

These were Ifa;’s declarations to O®Ùsôoô¾nnu; (the foolish man) of O®ke¾-A®pa¾ Who declared that he would never do good again He was advised to offer eôboô OÙ®sôoô¾nnu; O®ke¾–A®pa¾, the Fool of O®ke¾–A®pa¾ was not his original name. That was however the name he was called in O®ke¾–A®pa¾ land. They gave him this name because of his selfless ways of doing good and showing kindness to others. They considered him to be a fool, who did not know what to do with his hard earned resources. If not a fool, how could he labour so hard and make so much gain only to squander most of it on others who might not appreciate all his efforts and sacrifices? They queried. At first, they called him this name behind his back. The irony of it all was that it was the same people who he had helped or whose relatives he had raised up that gave him this name. He had helped the debtors to pay off their debts; he assisted the invalids to regain their strength by footing their medical bills; and he had filled the stomachs of the starving people with food. He was doing all these things without expecting anything in return. Sometimes, he would do this at the expense of his own family, but it never bothered him. He gained boundless joy and satisfaction in helping others. The day he heard that he was the one everyone knew as, and called O®Ùsôoô¾nnu; O®ke¾-A®pa¾–the Fool of O®ke¾-A®pa¾ Land, he was devastated. He could not believe that the people he had loved and laboured for could be the same ones who perceived him as a fool. There and then, he decided never to do good or show kindness to anyone anymore. The very day he took this decision was the day that everything began to go down for him. Most of the things he had hitherto successfully carried out and accomplished failed woefully. He could not comprehend why this should be his own lot. It was in this state of confusion that he went for Ifa; consultations in order to determine what went wrong with him and find a way out of the problem. When Ifa; was cast, Ogbe¾ 'SÙe¾ôeô; was revealed.

1053


The Awo told O®Ùsôoô¾nnu; O®ke¾-A®pa¾ that his main purpose of consulting Ifa; was that he was experiencing a downturn in his fortune. They made it very clear to him that he was the architect of his misfortune. His decision not to help others anymore was the cause of his dwindling fortune. He had been progressing in his life because he had been showing kindness and benevolence to others. The moment he stopped doing this, the guiding spirits who had been ensuring that all his benevolence were repaid to him in several folds stopped ensuring progress for him. The period that he declared that he would not be of help to anyone anymore signified the time that all the guiding spirits departed from him and he was on his own. He was told that he needed to resume showing love, kindness and benevolence to everyone as he had been doing before. He need not bother himself with the name that people called him. What is important in his life was for him to be fulfilled, to succeed and have progress in all the departments of life. He was also advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied As soon as he did this, he returned to his old ways of doing good to others. The guiding spirits returned to continue their work of guiding and helping him. Whatever he gave out to others was returned to him in 16 folds. Before long, he had more money than ever before. He enjoyed the benefits of being blessed with spouse and children than ever before. He had more horses than ever before. He had more properties and farm land than ever before. He lived long and in good health. He was fulfilled. He lived the rest of his life a very happy and contented man. Aga;ba ni;ye¾ôeô; Aga¾ba ni¾ye¾ôeô; E®semo¾ôwe; o¾ t ori; O®Ùpeô¾ re 'Mo¾gu;n Di;a; fu;n O®Ùsôoô¾nnu; O®ke¾-A®pa¾ To; l’o;un o¾ ni;i; sô’oore moô; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô yo;o; l’a;je; a;;a; te;ô’ru¾n Asôe-rere, ka¾sôa¾i¾ l’a;je; a;a; te;’ô ru¾n Asôe- rere o Yo;o; l’a;ya a;a; te;ô’ru¾n

1054

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

Asôe-rere, ka¾sôa¾i¾ l’a;ya a;a; te;ô’ru¾n Asôe-rere o Yo;o; bi;’moô a;a; te;ô’ru¾n Asôe-rere, ka¾sôaôiô bi;’moô a;a; te;ô’ru¾n Asôe-rere o Yo;o; l’e;ôsôin a;a; te;ô’ru¾n Asôe-rere, ka¾sôa¾i¾ l’e;ôsôin a;a; te;’ô run Asôe-rere o Yo;o; ko;’ô le; a;a; te;ô’ru¾n Asôe-rere, ka¾sôa¾i¾ ko;ô’le; a;a; te;ô’ru¾n Asôe-rere o Yo;o; ni;’re a;a; te;ô’ru¾n Asôe-rere o Ka¾sôa¾i¾ ni;’; re a;a; te;ô’ru¾n Asôe-rere Translation: Aga;ba ni;ye¾ôeô; Aga¾ba ni¾ye¾ôeô; E®semoô¾we; did not go to 'Mo¾gun-land because of the palm tree These were Ifa;’s declarations to O®Ùsôoô¾nnu; (the Fool) of O®ke¾-A®pa¾ Who declared that he would never do good again He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Now, he will be blessed with wealth to his satisfaction The benevolent will be blessed with wealth to his satisfaction Asôe-rere (the benevolent) He will be blessed with spouse to his satisfaction Asôe-rere will be blessed with spouse to his satisfaction Asôe-rere He will be blessed with children to his satisfaction Asôe-rere will be blessed with children to his satisfaction Asôe-rere He will be blessed with properties to his satisfaction Asôe-rere will be blessed with properties to his satisfaction Asôe-rere He will be blessed with horses to his satisfaction

1055


Asôe-rere will be blessed with horses to his satisfaction Asôe-rere He will be blessed with all the Ire of life to his satisfaction Asôe-rere will be blessed with all the Ire of life to his satisfaction Asôe-rere Ifa; says that as long as this person continues to do good at all times, so long will he/she continue to be blessed with all ire of life. He/she needs not bother himself/herself with what people do or say about him/her while doing what Olo;du¾mare¾ had sent him to do. 5. Ifa; says that it foresees the Ire of victory for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that he/she has several enemies who have become his/her foes out of envy and jealousy. They will go to any length to run him/her down, but they will all fail in their evil designs. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. The he-goat is to be slaughtered. The officiating Awo will erect two poles by either side of E®su ô ¾ and a third pole will be placed on it perpendicularly. It will look like the poles of the high jump sport. The left forelimb of the slaughtered he-goat will be removed and will be tied to the perpendicular pole and be allowed to dangle there for many days. The maggots coming out of the forelimb will be dropping on E®®sôu¾. That is when the victory of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will be guaranteed. On this aspect, Ifa; says: O®ti¾i¾pa¾ Di;a; fu;n Olo;jom¾bo; OÙmoô ar'a;pa; eôran sôeô;gun I®gba¾ti; n;beô l’a;a¾rin a¾gba¾gba¾riri o¾ôta; EÙboô ni wo;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

1056

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

Translation: O®ti¾i¾pa¾ He cast Ifa; Olo;jom¾bo; He who sees a beast’s forelimb to overcome all adversities When he was in the midst of enemies He was advised to offer eôboô Olo;jom¾bo; was the OÙba of O®jom¾bo; land. He was the occupier of one of the most ancient Royal stools in Yoru¾ba;land. His position was expected to give him honour and respect. Unfortunately however he was not accorded any respect. Many of his subjects did not recognize his authority. Why? His opponents were just too many and they did everything and anything to undermine his authority. At a stage he became the laughing stock of the whole citizenry. He was pushed against the wall all the time to the extent that he was always fighting for his life, instead of giving consideration for his eroded position. One day, his wife called him and advised him to do one of three things: one, to flee the land and abandon the throne; two, commit suicide and end the shame he was being subjected to; or three, to fight back and fight gallantly to reclaim his authority. The wife told him that he could not continue to live in shame and ignominy. After much deliberation and consideration, he decided to go for the third option. He declared that he was ready to die fighting and go to join his ancestors with honour than to continue to turn himself into a subject of ridicule and odium. Both wife and husband recognized the fact that the enemies where just too many. They were realistic enough to appreciate the fact that engaging their enemies in physical confrontation would be suicidal. In order to win this war, another means of engaging the enemies in battle must be found and used. That was why they decided to run to Ifa; for a solution. This was the very reason that brought them to the house of O®ti¾i¾pa¾ for Ifa; consultation. Would there be victory for Olo;jom¾bo;? The Awo told Olo;jom¾bo; that even though he was totally overwhelmed by oppositions, there would never be a time that Olo;du¾mare¾ would not be on his side. Olo;jom¾bo; was told that his problems remained unsolved

1057


because he had never made any attempts to find any solutions to them. He was assured that even if the whole world was against him and Olo;du¾mare¾ alone was by his side, he would still come out triumphantly. The Awo told Olo;jom¾bo; that he was already on his way to victory. He advised him to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied. As soon the eôboô was completed, the Awo urged Olo;jom¾bo; to go home and claim his authority from his enemies. He was told that he would succeed in doing so. When he got home, he decided to give the advice of the Awo a trial. He summoned all the town representatives who were in charge of collecting royalties from all the neighbouring villages to come and account for all what they had collected. As usual, they ignored him. Olo;jom¾bo; sent the Palace guards after them. They were all dragged into the Palace. When they could not give accounts for what they had collected on behalf of the land, they were all severely disciplined. This came as a rude shock to all the other detractors. They all grouped together to fight Olo;jom¾bo;. They met at a secret place in the dead of the night. They deliberated on the newly found courage of Olo;jom¾bo; and they came to the conclusion that some people must be giving him support. They decided to end all of that on that same day. They concluded that Olo;jom¾bo; must be assassinated that very day. They moved straight to his Palace. As they were going, E®sôu¾ took the forelimb of the he-goat which Olo;jom¾bo; had used to offer his eôboô, and turned it into a lethal weapon against these enemies. He used it to beat them mercilessly. Some of them sustained broken neck injuries, some broken legs, broken arms, and others damaged internal organs. Many of them died on the spot. Those who did not die ran away for their dear lives. One after the other, the remaining conspirators came to apologise to Olo;jom¾bo; and at the same time swore their allegiance to him. That was how Olo;jom¾bo; was able to overcome all his enemies. O®ti¾i¾pa¾ Di;a; fu;n Olo;jom¾bo; OÙmoô ar'a;pa;; eôran sôeô;gun I®gba¾ti; n;beô l’a;a¾rin a¾gba¾gba¾¾riri o¾ôta;

1058

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l’a;ru¾¾u;sôeô; ogun O®ti¾i¾pa¾ o¾ yi¾ ka;’se¾ô ni;’le¾ô ôIfa; sôeô o Translation: O®ti¾i¾pa¾ He cast Ifa; Olo;jom¾bo; He who sees a beast’s forelimb to overcome all adversities When he was in the midst of enemies He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory Victory over enemies is what Ifa; guarantees for his devotees Behold O®ti¾i¾pa¾¾ had not left Before Ifa;’s prediction had come to pass Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall certainly gain victory over all his/her enemies. He/she shall be able to claim his/her mandate and operate freely without any form of intimidation from his/her antagonists. 6. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall never face disgrace or humiliation. He/she shall excel in his/her chosen career. He/she is empowered by Ifa; to speak authoritatively on any issue pertaining to his/her career as long as he/she is sure that he/she is speaking the truth. Ifa; says that the door of success and accomplishment has been locked against the client where this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that certain people have intentionally done this against them; but SÙa¾ngo; will help them to break the lock. Ifa; says that all the problems associated with unconsummated fortune and failure shall be removed from the lives of these people in seven days’ time.

1059


Ifa; also enjoins the Awo who cast this Ifa; for others to speak authoritatively. He/she must never entertain any fear whatsoever. It shall be well with the Awo. Ifa; advises those for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with Four rats, four fish, two ducks, two pigeons, two guinea-fowls, two cocks and money. They also need to feed SÙa¾ngo; with plenty of A®ma¾la¾ and gbe¾ôgi¾ri¾, bean soup. After this, they need to feed Egu;ngu;n Babala;go¾ô, Egu;ngu;n Ala;ra¾n-a;n and Egu;ngu;n Ala;sôoô with plenty of moô;i;n-mo;ôi;n, e¾ôkoô, one cock and palm oil. Doing these will ensure success for them and make their issues turn to joy. On these aspects, Ifa; says: I®reô¾-o¾-da¾gba¾ o, Awo ile; Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n Di;a; fu;n Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n T’igbo; OÙpa T'I®la¾we¾ô OÙj® e¾ô E®yi; ti L’a;;gbaago¾ô jo; T’agba;sôoô l'a;rugeôgeô bi; ala;geômoô E®yi; to; ni; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ oôjoô; me;je o¾ni; N leô o; r’A:wo kan ni;’le¾ô yi; Ifa; lo; ni; n ma;a sô'oô;pa o Translation: I®re¾ô-o¾-da¾gba¾ the resident Awo of Oni;ta¾¾bo-A®ra;n He cast Ifa; for Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n The one living in the OÙpa forest Close to the I®la¾we¾ô-OÙ®je¾ô of the Masqueraders The one who dances with a masquerade costume He who changes costumes like a chameleon He who declares that in seven days’ time You shall all recognize a great Awo in this land The Awo boasted that it was Ifa; ;which had authorized him to say so There was serious crises in I®ta¾bo land. The OÙba of I®ta¾bo-land, known as Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n, had no solution to any of the problems. Crops failed, many wealthy citizens of I®ta¾¾bo-land had become chronic debtors; and

1060

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

they had no hope of paying back the debts. Women could not become pregnant anymore. Those who were already pregnant before the crises did not have safe deliveries. The sick could not regain their health. Chaos and anarchy were the order of the day. Many people lost interest in life and living in I®ta¾bo-land. This was the major reason why Oni;ta¾boA®ra;n summoned I®re¾ô-o¾-da¾gba¾, his resident Awo, to come and consult Ifa; for him. The Awo assured Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n that even though there were a series of crises and problems in the land, all of the problems would disappear in seven days’ time. He said that SÙa¾ngo; and Egu;;ngu;n would smash all the problems into pieces for all those in the land. Not only this, he assured Oni;ta¾bo-A®ran that all those responsible for the crises in the land would be exposed on the appointed day. He advised the OÙba to offer eôboô and feed SÙa¾ngo; and Egu;ngu;n as stated above. Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n was really concerned. Not with the fact that the crises and problems in the land were overwhelming; not with the fact that Ifa; had promised that there was going to be an end to the problems; but rather the temerity of his Awo, I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾, for declaring that all the problems in the land would disappear in seven days’ time. Who was he to give such a date? Who did he think he was? The OÙba concluded that I®re¾ô-o¾Da¾gba¾ had really out reached himself. “Are you sure of what you are saying?” Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n asked I®re¾ô-o¾Da¾gba¾. He replied that he was very sure because it was Ifa; which instructed him to give them the definite time when everything would change for good. The OÙba said that if what he said happened in seven days as he had predicted, he would give I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾ a horse as a gift. On the other hand, if what he said did not happen as he had predicted, he would be left with no option but to execute him publicly. I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾ told the OÙba that it was acceptable to him. As soon as I®reô¾-o¾-Da¾gba¾ left Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n’s presence, all the palace residents began to sing, saying: Ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ ni;’jo;ô me;je o¾ni; La o; pa Ala;wo kan ni;’le¾ô yi¾i; Babala;wo sôe e; sôi; oôpa?

1061


Translation: Very early in seven days’ time We shall execute an Awo in this land Why must an Awo be predicting events with dates? When this song gained currency in the town, I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾’s wife heard the song and she became very sad and worried. She called her husband and questioned him as to why he must be predicting events with dates. I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾ responded that that was how he was trained. A good student needs to do things the way his tutor and Ba¾ba; Ifa; have trained him/her. He reiterated further that all the Ire of the land had been encapsulated by the Elders of the Night and had been buried in the ground. A big stone had been placed on the Ire where they were buried. He assured his wife that SÙa¾ngo; would help the land to break the stone into pieces while the Ancestors (Egu;ngu;;n) would exhume all the Ire and return them to the land. He assured his wife that all of these would happen in seven days’ time. He repeated to her that it was the way that one received one’s training that one ought to recite the Odu¾. At dawn on the seventh day, rain clouds enveloped the land. A heavy rain began to fall. When the land had been drenched thoroughly, SÙa¾ngo; threw his thunderstone and the heavy stone which was placed on the Ire of the land was broken into pieces. Egu;ngu;n stepped in and exhumed all the Ire and returned them to the land. As soon as this was done, peace and comfort returned to the land. The inhabitants found good and clean water to drink. Those in labour had safe deliveries. The invalids began to regain their strength. Dry crops began to show signs of life. With good harvest, the inhabitants who were in huge debts were sure that they would be able to offset their debts. There were smiles on the faces of the citizens on the land. In the afternoon, the rain subsided. Oni;;ta¾bo-A®ra;n asked the Palace Aides to go and call I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾ for him. The Aides came to his home, but he told them that he could not trek to the Palace any longer. He said

1062

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

that his horse should be sent to him for him to ride to the Palace. With joy and appreciation, Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n sent the horse to him. When I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾ arrived at the Palace, he was told by Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n to continue to give him as much accurate predictions with specific dates as he liked. The OÙba honoured him and made him a very important member of his household and the community. I®re¾ô-o¾-da¾gba¾ o, Awo ile; Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n Di;a; fu;;n Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n T’igbo; OÙpa T'I®®la¾we¾ô OÙ®je¾ô E®yi; ti L’a;gbaago¾ô jo; T’agba;sôoô l'a;rugeôgeô bi; ala;geômoô E®yi; to; ni; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ oôjôoô; me;je o¾ni; N leô o; r’A:wo kan ni;’le¾ô yi; Ifa; lo; ni; n ma;a sô'oô;pa o O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô N®je;ô ni; ku¾tu¾¾ku¾tu¾ oôjoô; me;je o¾ni; La¾ o; pa Ala;wo kan ni;’le¾ô yi; Babala;wo sôe e; sô’oô;pa? N®je;ô ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ oôjoô; me;je o¾ni; La o; la Ala;wo kan ni;’le¾ô yi; Ifa; lo; ni; n ma;a sôô’oô;pa Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: I®re¾ô-o¾-da¾gba¾ the resident Awo of Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n He cast Ifa; for Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n The one living in the OÙpa forest Close to the I®la¾we¾ô-OÙ®je¾ô of the Masqueraders The one who dances with a masquerade costume He who changes costumes like a chameleon He who declares that in seven days’ time You shall all recognize a great Awo in this land The Awo boasted that it was Ifa; which had authorized him to say so

1063


He offered the prescribed eôboô Now, very early in seven days’ time We shall execute an Awo in the land Why must an Awo be predicting events with dates And very early in seven days’ time You will honour an Awo in this land It is Ifa; which has authorized me to make the prediction Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Ifa; says that this person will never be humiliated. All the problems and challenges of his/her life will give way to joy and progress in seven days’ time if all the ôeôboô are offered as stated above. 7. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer ebo for one of his/her children not to be incarcerated or be put into a serious problem. The child in question is a male. Ifa; also says that the child will be sympathetic to his parents and/or guardians; and in the process, he may do things that may put him in the spot. It is therefore important for the parents or guardians to offer eôboô for him in order to move him out of trouble. Ifa; also warns everybody where this Odu¾ is revealed to be careful not to go and testify as a witness over any issue. As a matter of fact, it is a serious taboo for anyone whose Odu¾ is Ogbe¾ OÙ®sôeô; during I®te¾ôni;fa; or I®koôseô¾da;ye; to testify as a witness over any issue whatsoever. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with e¾kuru (bean pudding that is prepared without salt, oil and pepper), and two big smoked cat fish and money. The bones of the cat fish will be removed and mixed with the e¾kuru. The mixture will be placed at the centre of the three cross-roads. If this is done, even if there is litigation, the person will come out triumphant.

1064

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

On this aspect, Ogbe¾-SÙeô;wo;-Aje; says: B’o;ômoôde; ke;kere; ba; p’eku A mu; u jeô B’oô;moôde; ke;kere; ba; p’eôja A mu; u jeô Bo; ba; p’oô¾ra¾n A mu; u fu;n ba¾ba; reô¾ wa;’le;; Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾eô; Baba n; sô’awo loô ileô¾ eô Li¾ki¾ Yo;o; mu; Gbinrin oômoô reôô¾ l’o;ôwoô; loô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: If a small child kills a rat He will eat it alone If the small child kills a fish He will eat it alone But if he gets into big trouble He will take it to his father in the house These were Ifa;’s messages for Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô When going on an Ifa; mission to Li¾ki¾ land And when taking along Gbinrin his son He was advised to offer eôboô Gbinrin was the favourite son of Ogbe¾-'ÙSÙeô¾e;ô. He loved his son dearly and his son loved him deeply. Gbinrin would do anything to please his father and make him comfortable. Ogbe¾-'¾SÙeô¾eô; was vividly aware of his son’s feelings towards him. In return, Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô was always prepared to take him anywhere he went because he knew for sure that his child was worth more than 16 other people’s children. One day, Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô planned to go on an Ifa; mission to Li¾ki¾ land. It went without saying that he would take his son Gbinrin along; and he did. When they got to Li¾ki¾ Land, Gbinrin advised his father to let them erect a simple hut on the outskirts of the town. As expected, his father agreed. They stayed in the town for many weeks. But they did not have

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enough clientele to ensure that they had three meals per day. Gbinrin did not mind going hungry for three days at a stretch. He did not mind suffering at all. What he could not accept in any way was for his dearly beloved father to experience any form of hardship or want. Now that his father was also going hungry, he resolved to do anything in his capacity to change that. He believed that his father did not deserve to go hungry, not even for a moment. He must always be surrounded with extra food and drink. For this, he began to think of what to do to change his father’s condition. From the time that Gbinrin was conceived, it was clear that he was a specially gifted child. However, none of his parents or anyone for that matter knew the extent to which he could make use of his endowment. He decided to use his special endowment to bring food and drink for his father. There was a very successful man in Li¾ki¾ Land who owned a cattle ranch, filled with well-fed cattle. Gbinrin thought that it would not be a bad idea if his father was presented with the gift of a well fed cow at least once a week. This thought made him smile with satisfaction. Very early on the next day, there was nothing at home to eat. Gbinrin decided to put his thought into action. He left the house and went to the cattle ranch. He saw the biggest and fattest cow and he decided to put his special endowment into use. He reduced himself into a ball and entered the stomach of the cow through the animal's anus. While inside, he cut apart the intestines, the lungs, the kidneys and the liver of the cow. The cow fell down dead. When the owner of the cow saw the biggest cow fall down, he moved closer. What could have gone wrong with this cow? He wondered. As soon as Gbinrin heard people’s voices, he shouted, from the stomach of the cow saying: EÙ gbe; mi f’E:gbe;re Oni;le¾ô ni;i; j’o¾ôroô¾ EÙ gbe;; mi f’E:gbe;re o Oni;leô¾ ni;i; j’o¾ôroô¾!!!

1066

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

Translation: Go and give me to Egbe;re (the Dwarf Phenomenon) Only a Phenomenon can eat it without problems Go and give me to Egbe;re Only Oni;le¾ô can consume this OÙ®ro¾ô! Who was Egbe;re? Who was the Oni;le¾ô who must be presented with this cow? The voice from inside the stomach of the cow told them that it was Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô! Without much argument, the dead cow was taken to Ogbe¾'SÙe¾ôeô;’s house. As soon as the cow arrived, surplus meat also arrived. Gbinrin discreetly came out of the cow's stomach. There was more than enough food to eat. The remaining meat was distributed among the needy neighbours. Everybody was happy, except the owner of the cattle ranch. Every five days, a cow would arrive at Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô’s house dead. Each cow was a gift to Egbe;re, because only Oni;;le¾ô had the capability to consume OÙ®ro¾ô without repercussion. For two years the cattle kept coming every five days. In the end, the head of the cattle on the cattle ranch only had one cow left! Every other cow had been presented to Egbe;re as a gift. For two years, Gbinrin had never missed one day. He had kept to the routine. It had gotten to a stage that even the owner of the cattle ranch knew the day and time that one of his cattle would be given to Egbe;re. This is how all the cattle were reduced to just one. On this fateful day, the last cow fell! The owner of the cattle ranch was totally devastated. He was prepared to die. He was ready to expose the “thing” speaking inside the stomach of his cattle. He ordered his staff to cut open the stomach of the last cow in order to know what was speaking inside the stomach. Nobody however wanted to do it so the owner of the cattle ranch got a sharp knife and cut open the stomach himself. Alas, what did he find? It was Gbinrin that came out of the stomach of the cow! It took all his will-power to be raised to the highest-level before he could restrain himself from pouncing on Gbinrin and tearing him into parts. “You are the one who has been murdering my well bred cattle and has been sending them to your father for food? So, you are the

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one who has consumed my close to 200 cattle of which now there are none to consume? So you are the one who responsible for inflicting this pain and agony on me without any justifiable cause? So, you are a thief and criminal and your father is your accomplish? Certainly you will be brought to justice!” The owner of the cattle thundered. As they were arguing over what to do with Gbinrin and his father, the first child of the OÙba of Li¾ki¾ land passed by. They called him and told him that they intended to take Gbinrin to face justice before the OÙba. They wanted the first son of the OÙba to be their witness. He gladly agreed to do so. He was happy that he would be instrumental to ensuring that the full weight of justice was invoked against a wicked criminal and his accomplice. With this settled, they released Gbinrin to go home and to meet them later with his father at the OÙba’s palace the next day to defend themselves over the charge of stealing that would be levelled against them. As soon as Gbinrin got home, his father realized that something was amiss. Gbinrin explained everything that had been happening for the past two long years to his father. For the first time ever, Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô got the full picture of how the cattle had been landing at his door-step every five days. Now that he and his son had been taken to court and charged with stealing, what was he going to do? Yes, what Gbinrin had done was bad and illegal; but could he just leave him to his fate at this stage? The ideal thing to do was to leave him to his fate, Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; reasoned, but it was not a realistic thing for him to do. Then what was he to do? If he left his beloved son to go down, he would certainly go down with him. What was he going to do? O: wa;a; ku¾ de¾ôdeô¾ ti; eôleô;ri¾i; yo;o; je¾ôeô; Ogun pa eôleô;ri¾i; Di;a; fu;n da;wo;du¾ OÙba ileôô¾ eô Li¾ki¾ Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboôô Ko; ma; ba a¾ j’e;ôri¾i; oô¾ra¾n Translation: When only a short time remained for the witness to be called to testify Uprising consumed the witness

1068

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

This was Ifa;’s message for the first son of the OÙba of Li¾ki¾ land He was advised to offer eôboô So as not to enter into trouble over a matter which he intended to be a witness for The excitement of ensuring that a culprit was about to be brought to well-deserved justice took the first son of the OÙba of Li¾ki¾ land to go for Ifa; consultation. What do I need to do to ensure maximum punishment for this culprit? The Awo told him that there was the need for him to offer eôboô with a mature he-goat and money in order to ensure that he did not land himself into trouble while trying to serve as a witness against the culprits. When the first son of the OÙba of Li¾ki¾ town heard the message, he was livid with anger with the message and he simply left the home of the Awo. He assured himself that nothing would happen and he would bear witness against the thieves. Meanwhile, Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; and Gbinrin were still looking for the best way to solve their problems. That was what took them to the house of: B‘o;ômoôde; ke;;kere; ba; p’eku A mu; u jeô B‘oô;moôde; ke;kere; ba; p’eôja A mu; u jeô Bo; ba; p’o¾ôra¾n A mu; u fu;n Ba¾ba; re¾ wa;’le; Translation: If a small child kills a rat He will eat it alone If the small child kills a fish He will eat it alone But if he gets into big trouble He will take it to his father in the house…..

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….for Ifa; consultation. All they wanted to know was whether or not there was a way out of their predicament. The Awo advised them to go and offer eôboô with the e¾kuru and smoked cat fish bones and place the ebo in the centre of the three cross roads. They did so instantly. The same time that Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; and his son placed the eôboô in the centre of the three cross roads was the exact time that the first son of the OÙba of Li¾ki¾ town had stormed out the Awo’s house. As Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; and his son left the three cross roads, the son of the OÙba got to the scene. It was E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ who directed his attention to the e¾kuru. E®sôu¾ told him not to return home with anger. He asked the would-be witness to settle down and help himself to the e¾kuru meal before going home. The would-be witness considered this to be a wise thing to do. There was no point in working himself up unnecessarily. He settled down to eat the e¾kuru. As he began to enjoy this meal, he felt a sharp and excruciating pain right inside his throat. The bones of the cat fish had cut into his throat and had gotten stuck there! The more he tried to remove the bones, the more the bones would root themselves inside his throat! At a stage he could no longer speak. His neck had swollen as if he had developed goiter! Very early the next day, the palace was jammed full of spectators. Public opinion was divided. Those who had also eaten from the cattle that Gbinrin used to give out every five days were sympathetic; while those who had not partaken in the consumption of the cattle were angry. The palace officials were fully determined to make the duo pay for their crime. They could not wait to inflict the maximum punishment on them. After all, even the first son of the OÙba was interested in ensuring that they were duly punished. As soon as the case came up, they did not give the son or his father any opportunity to express themselves. All that they were interested in was that they were caught stealing and the chief witness was the first son of the OÙba. He was then called to the witness box to explain what he had witnessed. Alas, he could not speak! All he could do was nod his head, up and down. When asked if he truly saw Gbinrin killing the cow, he nodded his head affirmatively. When he was asked if he was not there

1070

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

when the stealing took place, he nodded his head again in affirmation. When he was asked if he was sure that stealing had taken place, he nodded in affirmation. When he was asked if he was sure that no stealing had taken place, he also nodded in affirmation! At this stage, all those in the palace did not know what to believe any longer. That was what prompted one of the palace elders to ask him if he was at the court to speak the truth. He answered in affirmation by nodding his head. Another member asked him if he was in court to tell lies against the accused and he also answered in the affirmative by nodding his head! This was what convinced the palace elders to conclude that the first son of OÙba of Li¾ki¾ town was indeed an unreliable witness. (The first son of the OÙba of Li¾ki¾ Land is known as a Male Lizard which nods all the time)

The owner of the cattle was advised to produce other witnesses but they had no more witnesses. The palace elders deliberated on this matter for only a few moments before they came back with a verdict of not guilty in favour of Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; and his son. The two of them returned home free men without uttering a single word in the palace. B’o;;ômoôde; ke;kere;; ba;; p’eku A mu; u jeô B’oô;moôde; ke;kere; ba; p’eôja A mu; u jeô Bo;; ba; p’oô¾ra¾n A mu; u fu;n ba¾ba; re¾ô wa;’le;; Di;a; fu;;n Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; Baba n; sô’awo loô ileô¾ eô Li¾ki¾¾ Yo;o; mu; Gbinrin oômoô reô¾ l’o;ôwoô; loô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb'e;ôboô o; ru;'boô O: wa;a; ku¾ de¾ôdeô¾ ti; eôleô;ri¾i; yo;o; je¾ôeô; Ogun pa eôleô;ri¾i; Di;a; fu;;n da;wo;d;u¾ OÙba ile¾ô eô Li¾ki¾ Woô;n ni; ko;; wa;a; sô’eôôboô Ko; ma; ba a¾ j’e;ôri¾i; oô¾ra¾n O: koô’ti; o¾g ô boônhin s’eô;boô

1071


Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;; ni l’a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ Translation: If a small child kills a rat He will eat it alone If a small child kills a fish He will eat it alone But if he gets into big trouble He will take it to his father in the house These were Ifa;’s messages for Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô When going on an Ifa; mission to Li¾ki¾ land And when taking along Gbinrin his son He was advised to offer eôboô He complied When only a short time remained for the witness to be called to testify Uprising consumed the witness This was Ifa;’s message for the first son of the OÙba of Li¾ki¾ land He was advised to offer eôboô So as not to enter into trouble over a matter which he intended to be a witness for He ignored the advise Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory Victory over adversity is what Ifa; guarantees for all Ifa; devotees Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be absolved of all wrong doing. Ifa; also advises elders where this Odu¾ is revealed to always ensure that they monitor the movements of their children and they investigate all their activities in order to prevent the children from putting them in very difficult and embarrassing situations.

1072

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

8. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be blessed with accomplishment. He/she shall be blessed with profit, accomplishment and contentment. Ifa; also says that there is the need for this person to offer eôboô against being overwhelmed with crises. The person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed needs to follow Ifa;’s advice in order not to put himself/herself in the line of attack from those who are more powerful or more influential than him/her. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four big bags of yam flour, four big bags of maize, four big bags of melon seeds, egusi, four big bags of guinea corn seeds, four big bags of beans, four big bags of yams and money. All these items are to be divided into two equal parts, one part is to be given to the OÙba or leader of the community and the remaining half, is to be retained by the officiating Awo. On this, Ifa; says: O®pi¾ti¾ aba¾ ab’i¾di;, sôi¾i¾ri¾ki; Di;a; fu;n Oni;wo¾o;, ‘M’Odu¾ OÙba¾ OÙmoô OÙba to;lu; mere EÙboô ogun ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: A big hut with a roundish base This was Ifa;’s message for Oni;wo¾¾o;, offspring of Odu¾ OÙba¾ Offspring of OÙba to;lu; mere He was advised to offer eôboô against uprisings Oni;wo¾o;, the OÙba of I®wo; town planted many crops on his farm. The crops came out very well. He planted more than 20,000 tubers of yam, acres of maize, guinea-corn, beans, and melons and so on. The yields made him the most successful farmer of his area in that year. Thinking about his crop farm gave him satisfaction and a sense of self fulfilment. One day, Oni;;wo¾o; slept and had a dream that left him in a state of confusion and agitation. As a result of his agitation, he went for Ifa;

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consultation in the house of O®pi¾ti¾ aba¾ ab’i¾di; sôi¾i¾ri¾ki¾. He wanted to know what the dream meant for him. During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-OÙ®se ô ô; was revealed. The Awo told him that there was the need for him to offer eôboô against an uprising. He was advised to offer eôboô with four big bags of different types of farm products. Oni;wo¾o; could not understand why an Awo would decide to lie so blatantly at this particular point in time. One, Oni;wo¾o; reasoned, I®wo; town was one of the most peaceful lands if not the most peaceful in Yoru¾ba; land, where then would the uprising come from?; and two, there was no animosity between Oni;wo¾o; or the land against any other land in any way whatsoever. Certainly, the Awo was looking for a way to have a share of his farm products. Oni;wo¾o; told him so, and left the Awo’s house and vowed never to return there. About three days after this, some mischief makers put together some drums, agogo (gongs) and sôeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ (calabash beaded with cowries) and headed for the palace of OÙÙloô;yo¾ôoô;, the OÙba of OÙ®yo;ô town. OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; was the most powerful OÙba in Yoru¾ba; land at that time. They began to play their musical instruments and sing, saying: Ifa; Oni;wo¾¾o; sôeô Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô o Oni;wo¾o; n; pa’le¾ô ogun moô;! Ifa; Oni;wo¾o; sôeô Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô o Oni;wo¾o; n; pa’le¾ô ogun moô;! Translation: The prediction of Ifa; for Oni;wo¾o; has come to pass Or has it not come to pass Oni;wo¾o; is making preparations for war! The prediction of Ifa; for Oni;wo¾o; has come to pass Or has it not come to pass Oni;wo¾o; is making arrangements for war!

1074

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

When OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô heard this, he was livid with anger. Who was Oni;wo¾o; to plan war against, the O®Ùyoô; Empire? Who would have been misleading Oni;wo¾o; to think of such a preposterous project? Was Oni;wo¾o; not afraid of the military and political might of the O®Ùyoô; Empire? OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; resolved to teach Oni;wo¾o;, and by extension, the whole of I®wo; town a lesson that they would not forget in a hurry. OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; summoned all his war generals and gave them specific instructions to go and level I®wo; town and bring Oni;wo¾o; to him alive so he could come and eat the dust under his feet. Three days later, the soldiers were on their way to I®wo; town, to carry out the directive of OÙloô;yo¾ôoô¾. The next day, in the dead of the night, the soldiers from O®Ùyo;ô surrounded the whole of I®wo; town. At dawn, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to wake Oni;wo¾o; up. He told him to take a peep at the farm close to his palace. To Oni;wo¾o;'s chagrin, he saw O;Ù®yo;ô soldiers, all battle ready. He began to shake from head to toe. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ asked him if he was now ready to offer the eôboô as instructed by the Awo or not. He quickly agreed. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ told him that it must be offered immediately. He summoned his Awo to come quickly and offer the eôboô for him. The eôboô was offered before sunrise. While the offering of the eôboô was going on, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ organized his own musical instruments and chorus musicians. He headed straight for OÙlo;ôyo¾ôoô;’s Palace in O®Ùyoô;. When he got there, he began to play the instruments and was singing and saying: Ifa; Oni;wo¾o; sôeô Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô Oni;wo¾o; n; pa’le¾ô oko moô;! Ifa; Oni;wo¾o; sôeô Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô Oni;wo¾o; n; pa’le¾ô oko moô;! Translation: The prediction of Ifa; for Oni;wo¾o; has come to pass Or has it not come to pass Oni;wo¾o; is preparing to harvest his farm crops! The prediction of Ifa; for Oni;wo¾o; has come to pass Or has it not manifested Oni;wo¾o; is preparing to harvest his farm crops!

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When OÙlo;ôyo¾ôoô; heard this song, he became confused; had they not earlier said that Oni;wo¾o; was preparing for war against the OÙ®yo;ô Empire? OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô asked E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾¾ and his musicians what they meant by Oni;wo¾o; preparing to harvest his crops on his farm land and not making preparations for war? E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ responded that, at that particular point in time, Oni;wo¾o; had no time for war against anyone and certainly not against the O®Ùyoô; Empire. He said that Oni;wo¾o; had cultivated the biggest farm anyone had ever seen. He had planted a variety of crops on the farm. There was no time for him to engage in war or confrontation. He said that yams, beans, maize, guinea-corns, millets, melons and so on were planted and they were all ready for harvesting. To be sure he was telling the truth, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ asked OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; to instruct his soldiers on the field to tell Oni;wo¾o; to send part of the crops that Oni;wo¾o; had harvested to O;®Ùyoô;. The response of E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ convinced OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; that Oni;wo¾o; had no time for war. He ordered all the soldiers to return to O®Ùyoô; Immediately. He also ordered Oni;wo¾o; to divide all his farm products into two and send one part to O®Ùyoô; immediately. That was exactly what Oni;wo¾o; did. All the soldiers who had come from O®Ùyoô; were withdrawn. Peace and harmony continued to reign in I®wo;; town. O®pi¾ti¾ aba¾ ab’i¾di;, sôi¾i¾ri¾ki¾ Di;a; fu;n Oni;;wo¾o;, ‘M’Odu¾ OÙba¾ OÙmoô OÙba to;lu; mere EÙboô ogun ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô N®je;ô Ifa; Oni;wo¾o; sôeô Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô Oni;wo¾o; n; pa’le¾ô ogun moô;! Ifa; Oni;wo¾o; sôeô Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô Oni;wo¾o; n; pa’le¾ô ogun moô;! Ifa; Oni;wo¾o; sôeô Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô Oni;wo¾o; n; pa’le¾ô oko moô;! Ifa; Oni;wo¾o; sôeô Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô

1076

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

Oni;wo¾o; n; pa’le¾ô oko moô;! Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: A big hut with a roundish base This was Ifa;’s message for Oni;wo¾¾o;, offspring of Odu¾ OÙba¾ Offspring of OÙba to;lu; mere He was advised to offer eôboô against uprisings He complied The prediction of Ifa; for Oni;wo¾o; has come to pass Or has it not come to pass Oni;wo¾o; is making preparations for war! The prediction of Ifa; for Oni;wo¾o; has come to pass Or has it not come to pass Oni;wo¾o; is making arrangements for war! The prediction of Ifa; for Oni;wo¾o; has come to pass Or has it not come to pass Oni;wo¾o; is preparing to harvest his farm crops! The prediction of Ifa; for Oni;wo¾o; has come to pass Or has it not manifested Oni;wo¾o; is preparing to harvest his farm crops Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all Ire of life 9. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall receive the blessing of success and fortune outside of his/her regular place of abode. All what he/she has gone there to do will be achieved. There may be opposition and conspiracy against him/her, but it will not stop him/her from achieving success. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one giant rat (O®ke;te;) and plenty of money.

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On this, Ifa; says: A®ka¾so¾ô f’ara ti’leô¾ f’ara ti’le; Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; n; sô’awo r’o¾de A®ja¾sôeô; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The ladder leaned on the floor and the wall This was Ifa;’s message for Ogbe¾ When going to A®ja¾sôeô; land He was advised to offer eôboô Ogbe¾ was an accomplished Babala;wo by every standard. He had used Ifa;’s teachings to perform wonders. He was also very honest with his calling. Not only this, he was humble, hopeful, generous, determined and benevolent. He never thought, spoke or did any evil to anyone. At heart, he was the richest among all his counterparts. Financially, he was just trying to make ends meet. Nobody however ever noticed this because he was always happy and contented with whatever Olo;du¾mare¾ had passed his way. He had passed down to his wife and children the importance of emulating his good character and he was successful in doing so. One day, Ogbe¾ planned to go on an Ifa; mission to A®ja¾sôeô; land. For this reason, he went to the home of his colleague, A®ka¾so¾ô f’ara t’ileô¾, f’ara t’ile; for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed where I am going? Will I be able to help the people? Will I be able to make an impact on their lives for good? Will fortune smile on them and on me too in A®ja¾sôeô; land? Will I return home a better man than I was before I had left? Will my family be comfortable in my absence? These and many more were the questions at the back of his mind when he consulted Ifa;. The Awo told Ogbe¾ that he was about to embark on a journey. He was assured that he would succeed where he was going. He was told that he would face some pockets of opposition but that Ifa; would take care of them for him. The Awo told Ogbe¾ that nothing that his opponents did would stop him from achieving his goals on this mission in A®ja¾sôeô; land.

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The Awo advised his fellow Awo to offer eôboô with one (O®ke;te;) giant rat and plenty of money. Ogbe¾ complied. Shortly after this he set out on his journey. As soon as Ogbe¾ arrived at A®ja¾sôeô; land, he became an instant success. He was able to change the lives of other people for good. Everybody trooped to his house. They were not disappointed. These good deeds eventually became his offence against some of those who were responsible for the problems being faced by the inhabitants of A®ja¾sôeô; land. They could not see any reason why somebody should come from nowhere and begin to untie all those who had been tied. They formed a clique against Ogbe¾. They were also not the only ones who were not happy with Ogbe¾. Other Awo who had attempted to untie all those who had been tied by evil people and had failed were also complaining. These people could see no reason why any stranger in their land should come and steal the show away from them. That was how the two groups ganged up against Ogbe¾¾ and decided that they would kill him and take over everything he had made in A®ja¾sôe;ô land. This was their plan for Ogbe¾. This however was not the plan of Olo;du¾mare¾ for Ogbe¾. When they concluded that they would come in the dead of the night to over-power Ogbe¾, kill him, take over his belongings and set the house where he lived ablaze, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ came to Ogbe¾¾ in the evening, and ordered him to leave the town immediately, together with all his belongings. How will I move and where will I go?, he asked. Ogbe¾ was informed that he needed to return to his home town immediately. But how will I do that? That was when E¾®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ showed him a hole which had been dug by the O®ke;te; (giant rat), that Ogbe¾ had earlier offered as eôboô. The rat had burrowed the hole from A®ja¾sôeô; land to the outskirts of the land. That was the path which Ogbe¾ took to safety. In the dead of the night, the evil perpetrators arrived. They were so convinced that Ogbe¾ was still at home sleeping. Their spies told them that he had not went out throughout that day. They broke down his door and rushed in. Ogbe¾ was nowhere to be found! They searched and searched but they could not find him. They returned very early the next day to look for him. That was when they saw the hole, the escape route, where Ogbe¾ took to safety. They passed through the hole and it

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led them to the outskirts of the town. They all returned home frustrated and disappointed. Meanwhile, Ogbe¾ returned to his home happier and more fulfilled than he had left home. He was full of praises to Olo;du¾mare¾, his Ori; and his Ifa;. A®ka¾so¾ô f’ara ti’leô¾ f’ara ti’le; Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; n;; sô’awo r’o¾de A®ja¾sôeô; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;;'boô Ogbe¾ wa;a; d’o;;de A®ja¾sôeô; O: K’e;ôru; O: K’e;ôru¾ Wo;ôn wa;a; ni; a¾woôn yo;o; mu; un O®ke;te; to; fi ru;'boô wa;a; gbe;ô’leô¾ ja;de s’o;di i¾lu; Ogbe¾ wa;a; ko; si;’nu; iho¾ T’o¾un t’eôru¾ u re¾ô Woô;n ni; o; ti sôeô; loô o Ibi ti; Ogbe¾ ti sôe;ô loô Ka; ma;a pe¾e; ni; A®ja¾sôe;ô Translation: The ladder leaned on the floor and the wall This was Ifa;’s message for Ogbe¾ When going to the land of A®ja¾sôeô; He was advised to offer eôboôô He complied When he got to A®ja¾se ô ô; land He gained followers And he had material gain The enemies vowed to overwhelm him The giant rat which he had hitherto been offered as eôboô had burrowed into the ground all the way to the outskirts of the town Ogbe¾ followed the hole out Together with all his belongings They came to ask for Ogbe¾

1080

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

They told them that he had sneaked away The place where Ogbe¾¾ has sneaked away Let it be called A®ja¾sôeô;¾ Ifa;; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall escape the evil designs of all his/her enemies. They will plan against him/her and they will fail. Conversely, Ifa;; advises this person never to take part in any conspiracy against anyone. If he/she does, he/she will only gain grief and frustration at the end of the exercise.

10. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will not be allowed to die young. Ifa; says that in his/her dreams, he/she has been receiving many invitations for him/her to return to heaven. Ifa; says that it is not in his/her best interest to return to heaven at this time. This is because his/her mission in life is yet to be accomplished. Ifa; says also that there were some occasions when this person will be hearing people calling his/her name but when he/she turns to the direction where his/her name is being called, he/she is not able to see anyone. Ifa; says that your name is being called by people in heaven who want you to return to their midst as quickly as possible. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with two rats, two fish, two hens, two she-goats and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifa; with two rats, two fish, two hens and two she-goats. Doing these will make those calling and wishing him/her to come to heaven to desist from doing so. On this aspect, Ifa; says: Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô i¾hi;n Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; o¾ôhu;n Wo;ôn teô;’po;ôn Ifa; ka’le¾ô l’a;a¾rin re¾ô sôi¾ngi¾ndi¾n sôingindin Di;a; fu;n SÙeketepe;e¾re; Ti; wo;ôn n; ra;nn;sôeô; iku; pe¾ e; l’o;ôrun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

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Translation: Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô here And Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô there They spread the Ifa; tray right in the middle This was Ifa;’s message for SÙeketepe;e¾re; Who was receiving death messages from OÙ®run He was advised to offer eôboô SÙeketepe;e¾re; was enjoying his life. Every moment he had one thing or the other to celebrate in his life. He was not the most successful in his area, but he conditioned his mind to function as if he was. He firmly believed that if one celebrated little achievements, then bigger ones would surely be on the way. Before long, he was the happiest man in his area. This showed on his face, his utterances and his behaviour. Those who had achieved greater things in life were not as happy as SÙeketepe;e¾re;. One day however, SÙeketepe;e¾re; was going along the road and he began to hear voices calling his name to come. When he turned round to see who was calling him, there was nobody. At first, this would happen about four to five times a day. Before the 17th day, the calls had increased to over 25 times in just one day! As if that was not bad enough, SÙeketepe;e¾re; began to have a series of dreams which began to make him feel uneasy. In one of the dreams, he saw himself wrapped up in a white cloth and placed in a wooden coffin. He saw members of his family and close friends looking sad and crying. He saw himself being buried right inside his room. As soon as the burial was completed, he saw some groups coming from the sky. They equipped themselves with gongs, sôeô¾ke¾ôreô,¾ and drums. They were all singing and dancing and leading him back to heaven. To his surprise, he realized that he was really enjoying himself in the dream. He even woke up with regret because he did not want the dream to end. He sat down to ruminate over what had been happening to him recently; he was hearing strange voices for over 17 days before he began to have the dreams. The dreams kept occurring for another 17

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days. The dreams totally convinced him that if he should die at that point in time, he was going to OÙ®run to enjoy himself. He toyed with the idea of doing just that, but he quickly cast it out of his mind. Even though he was a very happy man, he had not achieved much on earth. He had not accomplished his mission in the world. He was still young. His wife and children were young and they would really suffer in his absence. He knew that he had no right to die and leave all of them behind to suffer at that point in time. If he must not die at that time, then what must he do to stop what was happening to him? It was in his bid to find a lasting solution to this that made him approach the group of Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation: What must I do to spare my life? The Awo informed SÙeketepe;e¾re; that he was being called by certain spirits in heaven in order to come and join them. If he decided to yield to their calls, he would die prematurely. He however would eventually need to return to the earth because he had not completed his assignment yet. To make the matter worse for him, his death would be considered a suicide because it would be seen as a refusal to save his life when death threatened, since it was possible for him to do so. The Awo advised him to offer eôboô and feed Ifa; as stated above in order to put an end to all the calls and dreams. He did as the Awo had recommended. The very day that the eôboô was performed, these elements called him again. Instead of him answering, his guiding spirits told them never to call him again because their calls would lead him to untimely death and failure of him accomplishing his destiny. Hearing this, the elements stopped their invitation forthwith. Ogbe¾-'SÙeÙ¾e;ô i¾hi;n Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô oô¾hu;n Wo;ôn teô;’po;ôn Ifa; ka’le¾ô l’a;a¾rin re¾ô sôi¾ngi¾ndi¾n- sôingindin Di;a; fu;n SÙeketepe;e¾re; Ti; wo;ôn n; ra;nn;sôe;ô iku; pe¾ e; l’o;ôrun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko;; wa;a; sôe O; gb’e;ôboô o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;'ni la;i¾ku; kangiri

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A®i¾ku; kangiri la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ N®je;ô mo ti m’e;ku me;ji¾ boô'Fa; EÙ ma; pe¾ mi; mo;ô o A®pe¾pa leô¾e;ô pe¾’e¾ya¾n Mo ti m'e;ôja me;ji¾ boô’Fa; EÙ ma; pe¾ mi; mo;ô o A®®pe¾pa le¾ôeô; pe¾’e¾ya¾n Mo ti m’e;ôyôeô me;ji¾ boô'Fa; EÙ ma; pe¾ mi; mo;ô o A®pe¾pa le¾ôeô; pe¾’e¾ya¾n Mo ti m’e;ôran me;ji¾ boô’Fa; EÙ ma; pe¾ mi; mo;;ô o A®®pe¾pa le¾ôeô; pe¾’e¾¾ya¾n Translation: Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; here And Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; there They spread the Ifa; tray right in the middle This was Ifa;’s message for SÙeketepe;e¾re; Who was receiving death messages from O®run He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy longevity Longevity is what Ifa; assures for all its devotees I have fed Ifa; with two rats Do not call me again Your calls only lead to untimely death I have fed Ifa; with two fish Do not call me again Your calls can only lead to untimely death I have fed Ifa; with two birds Do not call me again Your calls only lead to untimely death I have fed Ifa; with two she goats Do not call me again Your calls can only lead to untimely death

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OGBE® SÙEÙ:

Ifa; says that it will not allow this person to experience untimely death. Even though he/she is being called in heaven, this time is not his/her appointed time of death. Dying at this time will only make matters worse for him and his loved ones.

11. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô against being saddled with a problem in the lower limbs, especially the ankles and legs. Ifa; warns that if this problem happens, it may incapacitate this person and make it very difficult, if not totally impossible for him/her to walk or move about. This is the reason why this eôboô should automatically be performed for all those whose Odu¾ is Ogbe¾–OÙ®sôeô; during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa; and those to whom this Odu¾ is revealed during Ifa; consultation. Ifa; advises this person to procure nine eô¾e¾ôru¾ alamoô, tie them with black rope and make a chain out of them. After this, he/she needs to tie the chain round each of his/her ankles and leave them there until the offering of the eôboô is completed. When the eôboô is taken to the E®sôu¾ shrine, the 'chains' on the two ankles will be untied and placed on E®sôu¾. Doing this, will ensure that this person is spared problems with their lower limbs. If the problem has already begun however, this person needs to offer eôboô with a mature he-goat and money in addition to the eô¾e¾ôru¾ alamoô which he/she needs to tie round his/her two ankles and placed on E®sôu¾ after the eôboô has been offered. On this Ifa; says: A®a¾ba¾ SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ Di;a; fu;n SÙeôkeôsôeôkeô¾ Ti; yo;o; maa sô’o¾wo¾ a¾gbe;de¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: To nail down and to incapacitate That was Ifa;’s message for SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ (the Leg-chain) When planning to engage in the business of incapacitating people He was advised to offer eôboô

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SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾, the Leg-chain, was in search of relevance and respect in life. He realized that many people feared and respected him because of how many had used him on earth. He did not want such relevance. What he wanted was for people to just fear and respect him because of what he was capable of doing. He had seen how people panic whenever they encounter any form of inconvenience, no matter how little it might be. The panic would show on their faces. It was this panic that he most enjoyed seeing on the faces of the people. That was why he wanted to be relevant and respected more so in the area of putting the fear of incapacitation in the minds of the people rather than the actual act of incapacitating people. That was exactly the reason why SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ went for Ifa; consultation: Will I be able to put maximum fear into the minds of the people? Will the people panic and rush into taking action whenever I approach? Will I be able to inflict maximum trepidation, inconvenience and incapacitation on those who refuse to act with urgency or those who vacillate in taking action? The Awo told him that his wishes would be granted as he wanted. He was however told that anyone who performed the eôboô stated above would be spared of any fear, pain, agony and/or incapacitation. He agreed. From that day onwards, those who did not want the problem of SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ would be advised to offer the eôboô stated above; and as soon as it was offered, they would not experience any form of incapacitation. This arrangement satisfied SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ because it made him have relevance and also made people fear and respect him. Those who delayed or refused to offer the eôboô were faced with the maximum wrath of SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾. A®a¾ba¾ SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ Di;;a; fu;n SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ Ti; yo;o; maa sô’o¾wo¾ a¾gbe;de¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba;’ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾

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OGBE® SÙEÙ:

Translation: To nail down and incapacitate This was Ifa;’s message for SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ (the Leg-chain) When planning to engage in the business of incapacitating people He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy victory Victory over adversity is what Ifa; guarantees for all its devotees Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she will be spared the agony of having problems with ones lower limbs. He/she will not live his/her life with incapacitation. This person however needs to offer eôboô whether or not there are signs of this problem.

12. Ifa; says that there is going to be success and accomplishment for some friends who are very close to each other. Ifa; assures them that they will all succeed together and their success will come at the same time. Ifa; however warns them not to cheat or deceive one another. If they do, they will still succeed together but the guilt will live with the cheater or deceiver and continue to haunt him/her for the rest of his/her life Ifa; says that the friends are having difficult times during this period of consulting with Ifa;, but the difficulty shall soon give way to progress and comfort.

Ifa; advises them to pull their resources together and procure one mature ram and money for eôboô. If this is done, the road to comfort is open.

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On this Ifa; says: Mo bo;ô s’oô;wo;’ô ko oô¾tu;n Eji¾ri¾¾n n; we; mi l’e;ôseô¾ ibi;ri;-; ibi;ri; Mo bo;ô s’oô;wo;’ô ko o¾si¾ Eji¾ri¾n n; we; mi l’e;ôseô¾ ibi¾ri¾-ibi¾ri¾ Di;a; fu;n Afo;;ôju; A bu¾ f’A:roô Sa¾ge¾de¾ fu;n Abuke; Ni;’jo;ô ti; wo;ôn n; beô l’a;a¾rin i¾po;ônju; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki;; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe o Translation: I stepped into the farm on the right side Eji¾nri¾n creepers entangled my legs I stepped into the farmland on the left side Eji¾nri¾n creepers entangled my legs This was Ifa;’s message for Afo;ôju; (the Blind) The same was also declared for Aroô (the Cripple) The same was also declared for Abuke; (the Hunchback) The third among them When they were in the midst of want and suffering They were advised to offer eôboô Afoô;ju; (the Blind), Aroô (the Cripple), and Abuke; (the Hunchback) were bosom friends. They were suffering. They had nothing to themselves in terms of money. They were going about in rags. They took to begging in order to live. Whenever they planned to go out to beg, the Blind would carry the Cripple on his shoulders and place his hand on the shoulder of the Hunchback. Whatever they were given would be spent to buy food for consumption.

One day, the three friends sat down and they began to deliberate; was this the way they would all continue to live their lives? Would there be no improvement in their lives until they died? Were they all created by Olo;du¾mare¾ to come into this world to suffer? What were their offenses

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OGBE® SÙEÙ:

in their previous lives that could have warranted their perpetual suffering? Was there a time that fortune would smile on them at all? The more they continued this discussion, the sadder and more desperate they became. They soon realized that they could not continue to invite melancholy into their lives without looking for a solution to their problems. They decided to analyze their problems, both individual and collective. They realized that their collective problem was that they were poor. They also realized that their individual problems contributed in no small measure to their poverty. The problem of Afo;ôju; was that he had no eyes to see; that of Aroô was that he had no strong limbs to walk about; while that of Abuke; was that the hunch on his back and chest had reduced his energy and vitality to the barest minimum. They realized that their physical disabilities made their family members distance themselves from them. They were therefore not expecting any assistance from their families, both nuclear and extended. All those whom they had were Olo;du¾mare¾, the Iru;nmoôleô¾, the O®ri¾sôa¾; and they also had each other. They were convinced that, to any problem, there was a solution. They felt that if they could not find a solution to their physical disabilities, they would at least look for a solution to their social problems. This resolution was what led them go to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation. Their only question was; would there be a solution to their problems? The Awo told them that there would certainly be solutions to their problems. He assured them that all their sufferings would become things of the past and they would begin to live in relative comfort. He however warned them never to cheat or deceive one another for any reason whatsoever. He also advised the three to offer eôboô with one mature ram and money. The three friends believed in what Ifa; had told them. They were determined to offer the eôboô. The only problem was that they had no money to do so. They decided to skip one meal a day, save the money for the meal and use the money to procure the ram when the money was adequate enough for it. It took them two months to do this. In the end, they bought the ram and the eôboô was offered. The Awo congratulated the three friends for their perseverance and assured them that luck would soon smile on them. He also warned them never to

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cheat or deceive one another for any reason. They responded that there was absolutely no reason for them to do so. The following day after the eôboô was offered, some hunters went to the forest to hunt. They saw a mighty elephant and they shot it with their arrows. The elephant took to its heels in pain and agony. The hunters pursued it. The elephant continued to run. It continued to move from one forest to the other. In the end, the hunters became tired and they returned to their village. Still, the elephant continued to run. When it got close to the village where the three friends were living, it fell down and died close to a river bank. A few moments later, the three friends went to go and fetch water for drinking and other domestic chores. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ directed them to the spot where the dead elephant was. When they saw the animal, they did not know what to do. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ instructed them to start dissecting the animal. They were told that fortune had decided to smile on them. The three friends could not believe their luck. They went to work instantly. It soon dawned on them that they could not achieve much because they had nothing with them to use as an implement to cut up the animal. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ advised them to divide the work. Abuke; was told to begin to gather dry wood so that they could use it as fuel. Afo;ôju; was asked to carry Aroô on his back and return home to collect knives, pots, salt and pepper. That was what they did. Aroô guided Afoô;ju; to and from the house back to the forest. They began to cut up the flesh of the elephant. They salted it and boiled it on the fire. As soon as it was well boiled, they began to transfer it into another fire for roasting. Afo;ôju; was working like someone possessed. They worked from morning till evening time. When Aroô and Abuke; decided to take a rest, Afo;ôju; was still working. While the two were resting, they began to eat part of the roasted meat without giving Afo;ôju; anything to eat. Afo;ôju; worked from night till daybreak. While he was working, his friends pretended that they were sleeping but they were actually helping themselves to the roasted meat. At first, Afo;ôju; did not notice. He quite understood that his two friends were not as powerful as he was. He did not expect them to be able to work as much as he could. He was convinced that when the exercise was completed, they would be able to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. He was sure that his friends would be able to look after his

1090

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

interests for him. He toyed with the idea that when the ivories were sold, they might even be able to afford the bride prices on the women they would meet and get married to! When it was daybreak, the two friends woke up and joined Afo;ôju;. They continued to eat the meat without giving any to their friend. It soon dawned on Afo;ôju; that his friends had been eating the roasted meat because whenever he asked them questions it took them sometime before they could respond, and when they did, their speech would be muffled by the food they were eating. Realizing that his friends had been eating part of the roasted meat did not annoy Afo;ôju; at all. He felt that they deserved to do so since nobody had eaten anything the whole day and night. He asked them to give him part of the roasted meat to eat too. At first, the two friends complained that the meat was not well cooked and it was too tough for consumption. Later, they went to the river to wash out the blood of some of the meat that they were about to boil before it was roasted and they saw a giant toad. They quickly killed the toad and threw it inside the boiling water. A few moments after, they gave it to Afoô;ju; to eat. Afo;ôju; began to eat the boiled toad meat and found it to be very tough indeed. By the time Afo;ôju; pressed his teeth on the stomach of the toad, the gut of the toad burst open and went straight into his eyes. He felt serious pain in his eyes. He cried out for help but the two friends were just laughing and rolling on the floor, pretending to be helping him to find something that would soothe his pain. He rushed inside the river to wash his eyes. As he did this, alas! He saw the meat in his hand and realized that his friends had handed a toad to him to eat! He also saw his friends laughing at him. It had not occurred to him at first that his eyes had been opened and that he was able to see everything clearly! Anger did not let him realize this. The pain and frustration of being cheated and betrayed by the people who he loved and trusted was more excruciating than all the pains he had ever felt in his entire life. He charged at his two friends. He gave Aroô a mighty slap on his face and used his lifeless limbs as a cane to beat Abuke;. He hit Abuke; on the back with Aroô’s legs several times. As he was doing this, life returned to Aroô’s legs and the back of Abuke; straightened up! A big fight continued in the forest. People walking by eventually saw them and came to settle

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the matter. When they narrated their story, they were told to be grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾ because their problems had been solved. Their disabilities had disappeared and they had the potential to become wealthy when and if they sold the meat and the ivories of the elephant. The three friends embraced each other and the dispute was settled. However, both Aroô and Abuke; did not forget for the rest of their lives that they cheated and betrayed a friend who was loyal and dedicated to their course. Mo bo;ô s’oô;wo;’ô ko oô¾tu;n Eji¾ri¾n n; we; mi l’e;ôseô¾ ibi;ri;-ibi;;ri; Mo bo;ô s’oô;wo;’ô ko o¾si¾ Ejiri¾n n; we;; mi l’e;ôseô¾ ibi¾ri¾-ibi¾ri¾ Di;a; fu;n Afo;ôju; A bu¾ f’A:roô Sa¾ge¾de¾ fu;n Abuke; Ni;’jo;ô ti; wo;ôn n; beô l’a;a¾rin i¾poô;nju; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe o Woô;n gb’e;ôboô, woô;n ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾ Ire gbogbo wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru Translation: I stepped into the farm on the right side Eji¾nri¾n creepers entangled my legs I stepped into the farmland on the left side Eji¾nri¾n creepers entangled my legs This was Ifa;;’s message for Afo;ôju; (the Blind) The same was also declared for Aroô (the Cripple) The same was also declared for Abuke; (the Hunchback) The third among them When they were in the midst of want and suffering They were advised to offer eôboô They complied Before long, not too far All the Ire of life came trooping in

1092

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

Ifa; says that all the Ire of life shall be directed towards a group of friends who are presently experiencing hardships and want. They are warned never to cheat or betray one another because all will be well in the end; but if they do, the shame of betraying each other will continue to haunt the betrayer for the rest of his/her life.

13. Ifa; says that the prayers of this person shall be answered more than those of all other people who are in his/her community or environment. Ifa; assures this person that if everyone fails to achieve something, he/she will not. Ifa; says that he/she will be protected against all evil and he/she will also be wished well at all times. Public opinion will be in his/her favour more than all the other people and he/she will receive public sympathy more than anyone else. Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money, or with three cocks and money. On this Ifa; says: A wi; te;ôleô¾ ko; to;o; da;’ni A®gba¾lagba¾ amu¾’ja¾ Di;a; fu;n Igba eôni ile; aye; A bu¾ fu;n eôni¾kan EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Translation: To give warning and prediction before throwing one in a fight The expert wrestler This was Ifa;’s message for the 200 people on earth And also for One Person They were advised to offer eôboôô The 200 people on earth were living in the same environment. So also was “One Person”. In all, they made a total of 201 people living in that community at that point in time. They were all looking for the bounty of Olo;du¾mare¾. They also wanted the protection of Olo;du¾mare¾ against all the vagaries of life. They yearned for love, peace, comfort, joy,

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progress, elevation, fortune, mercy and compassion from Olo;du¾¾mare¾. It was for these reasons that they all went for Ifa; consultation in the home of the Awo mentioned above. The Awo told them that they were all looking for the bounty of mercy from Olo;du¾mare¾. He assured them that they would receive the bounty. He told the 200 people to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He also advised “One Person” to offer his own eôboô with three cocks and money. The next day, EÙni¾kan “One Person”, brought his own eôboô materials to the home of the Awo and his eôboô was offered for him. The 200 people however failed to offer their own eôboô. At first, they could not reach an agreement on how much each of them needed to contribute in order to purchase the he-goat. Later, lack of interest and commitment stepped in. One by one, they began to forget about the eôboô. After about 17 days when the Ifa; had been consulted, nobody among them was even talking about the eôboô any longer. One day, a group of people were going on a journey from the community to a distant place. On their way, a large A®ra¾ba¾ tree fell down. The news of the fallen tree spread like wildfire. Everybody who heard about it felt concerned. They all wanted to hear that “One Person” was not injured. As soon as they all heard that “One Person” was not adversely affected, everybody breathed with a sigh of relief. Another group of people however were involved in a terrible accident and many people died. Many more were injured. This made everybody sad and panicky. When they heard however that only “One Person” was not affected at all, they all said that it was not totally bad since at least “One Person” was spared. A very rich man was again blessed with a bountiful harvest. He appealed to several people to assist in harvesting his crops. They did. At the end of the exercise, he refused to share his harvest with everyone. Many people were angry with him. They complained that even if he refused to give everybody a share of the harvest, he ought to give “One Person” something. The man was considered to be a wicked, inconsiderate, and miserly person to even refuse to give “One Person” something out of his bountiful harvest.

1094

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

Every morning people would gather in Shrines, Groves and Temples to pray. Their appeals were for Olo;du¾mare¾, the Iru;nmoôleô¾, the Egu;ngu;n, the O®ri¾sôa¾ and Oro¾ to ensure that not “One Person” would face with any form of calamity, hardship or disability from morning till night of that day. The community leader was angry with all the inhabitants of the community. He summoned them all to a meeting. He cursed and abused them until he was tired. Only “One Person” was spared of the leader’s anger. Why was it that only “One Person” was receiving the love, consideration, compassion, mercy, progress, joy, elevation, peace, comfort and fortune of Olo;du¾mare¾, the Iru;nmoôleô¾, the O®ri¾sôa¾, Oro¾, and the Ancestors at the expense of the remaining 200 people on Earth? The answer was simple; only “One Person” offered the eôboô and the remaining 200 people failed to do so.

A wi; te;ôleô¾ ko; to;o; da;’ni A®gba¾lagba¾ amu¾’ja¾ Di;a; fu;n Igba eôni ile; aye; A bu¾ fu;n EÙni¾kan EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe o EÙni¾kan ni¾ka¾n ni; n;’beô leô;’yi¾n ti; n; sô'eôboô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ni; wo¾ôwoô; ire gbogbo Wo¾ôwoô; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾’ri¾sôa¾ Translation: To give warning and prediction before throwing one in a fight The expert wrestler This was Ifa;’s message for the 200 people on earth And also to Enikan (One Person) They were advised to offer eôboô Only EÙni¾kan (One Person) complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life Being in the midst of all the Ire of life is the profit of all Ifa; devotees

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Ifa; says that this person will receive the bounty of Olo;du¾mare¾ at all times. He/she shall succeed where all others have failed. He/she shall be spared the agony and grief where others are gnashing their teeth in pain. He/she shall smile and express gratitude where others are wailing, cursing and regretting. That is the assurance of Ifa; for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed, and more especially for those born by this Odu during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;.

14. Ifa; advises this person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to take part of his/her personal possessions to offer eôboô for him/her to be able to live long on earth. Part of what he/she needs to use includes his/her complete dresses, shoes, bags, jewelleries, caps, wrist watches, beads, walking sticks and so on. After this, he/she needs to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, one mature she-goat and money. Ifa; says that this person’s life is more precious than all possessions in this world. It is only those who live long that can boast of having any enduring possession in life. This is the reason why this person needs to protect his/her life and offer this eôboô in order to ensure that he/she lives long enough to enjoy all what he/she has gathered together in terms of personal possessions in life. On this aspect, Ifa; says: I®®ba¾jeô; owo; ko¾ ya;a; sôa¾’nu¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙru;nmi¾la¾ Yo;o; p’owo;, p’oku¾n Yo;o; loô re¾e; ra E®Ùmi;, L'e;;ôru; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: An over-used money in not easy to discard This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When gathering both money and expensive jewellery And when going to purchase E®Ùmi; (Life) as a slave He was advised to offer eôboô

1096

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was in this world to accomplish a very important mission. He started it and he was getting good results. It would take some more years before he could complete the assignment. In heaven, his position had become vacant. There was nobody to fill the vacuum created by his absence in heaven. His colleagues in heaven wanted him back urgently. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was in a dilemma: he had not yet completed his assignment on earth and his colleagues in heaven were calling him to come and continue to play the roles he was playing with them in heaven. Which one would he do? If he decided to return to heaven at that time, all his gains would be ruined. He would lose everything that he had laboured for. If he stayed on earth, his vacuum would continue to be felt in heaven. What should he do? That was when he decided to go for Ifa; consultation. He called on one of his former Ifa; students called “I®ba¾je;ô owo; ko¾ ya;a; sô¾a’nu¾” to come and consult Ifa; for him. His reason was simply to know the steps he must take. The Awo told him that he was in a dilemma over two options. The Awo told him to stay where he was and ensure that he completed his mission before he ventured into the other. He was told to do all he could to ensure that he stayed long enough on earth to complete his assignment and accomplish his mission. The Awo assured him that doing so was the only way that all his gains on earth would not go into ruin. The Awo advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to use part of all his personal belongings to offer eôboô and to procure one he-goat, one she-goat and money as part of his eôboô materials. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied. He even used part of his expensive beads as eôboô materials. The Awo offered the eôboô for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ on the same day. The moment this eôboô was offered, E®sôu¾ Odara went into action. He summoned all the Ajogun and informed them that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had chosen to offer part of his personal belongings as eôboô against untimely death. He added that since he had parted with part of his belongings, he deserved the right to stay on earth, live long and enjoy the fruit of his labour. None of the Ajogun had anything to say to the contrary. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s life on earth was spared and he was able to acquire more belongings. He was also able to enjoy what he toiled for. He had more children who grew up to love him and who he equally loved. He erected more properties in every corner of the world. He had enough resources

1097


for him to purchase as many horses as he liked. He lived comfortably and in relative peace and harmony. When most of his friends asked him how he was able to achieve all what he had achieved, he responded that it was only the person whose life was spared who had the ability to hope for, and to achieve all the Ire of life. He also advised all Awo to offer eôboô in order to prolong their lives on earth so as to be able to achieve all the Ire of life. I®ba¾je;ô owo; ko¾ ya;a; sôa¾’nu¾ Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Yo;o; p’owo;, p’oku¾n Yo;o; loô re¾e; ra E®Ùmi;, l'e;ôru; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb'e;ôboô o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ni; wo¾ôwoô; ire gbogbo Wo¾ôwoô; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba;’ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾’ri¾sôa¾ N®je;ô eô r’EÙ®mi; a d’e;ôseô¾ Gbogbo Awo o EÙ r’EÙ®mi; eô d’eô;se¾ô Gbogbo Awo E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾¾ A®se ô ; b’E:Ùmi¾i; o¾ ba; bo;ô Ire gbogbo ni;i; ro; ti’ni Translation: An over-used money in not easy to discard This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to gather both money and expensive jewellery And when going to purchase EÙ®mi; (Life) as a slave He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Come and join us in the midst of all the Ire of life Being in the midst of all Ire is what Ifa; guarantees for all Ifa; devotees Now, come and acquire longevity All Awo

1098

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

Come and acquire long life All Awo Travellers to I®po and O®ôfa¾ Can’t you see that it is when one’s life is spared That all the Ire of life will stay with one? Ifa; says that all the Ire of life will stay with the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; advises him/her to constantly offer eôôboô against untimely death and to ensure that he/she does not take undue risks that may cut short his/her life for him/her to enjoy the fruit of his labour. 15. Ifa; says that if people are experiencing or witnessing what does not please them where this Odu¾ is revealed, it is a departed soul that is responsible for all their woes. Ifa; says that the cause of the grievance of the departed soul is that he/she was not given a proper burial when he/she passed on. Ifa; warns that the departed soul will continue to fight until he/she is given the befitting burial which he/she undoubtedly deserves. Ifa; advises the people for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to identify this departed soul and procure one mature she-goat. The she-goat will be slaughtered and the blood of the goat will be spilled on the tomb of the departed soul. If access to the burial place of the departed soul is impossible, then the she goat will be slaughtered for Ifa; inside the Igbo;du¾ and the goat’s head and rope will be buried inside the Igbo;du¾. If there is no Igbo;du¾ available, it will be done at a designated place which will then be converted into a sacred grove henceforth. It must however be borne in mind that no Awo in that community must officiate at this ceremony; either during the time that the she goat is to be slaughtered at the burial site of the departed or when the final burial ceremony is to be performed. Other Babala;wo from outside the community must be invited to perform the rites. That is the only time that the rites will be accepted. Ifa; says also that a great Awo is about to go on an Ifa; mission to another community that is very far away from his place of birth. This

1099


Awo needs to offer two eôboô: one, for him to be given honour and prestige at the end of his assignment where he is going; and two, for him to succeed enough to enjoy the fruit of his labour. On these, Ifa; says: Ako;gi-l'a;pa; Awo Pa;san Asa¾ge¾de¾ Awo I®sa;wo¾ye¾ Abe;ôgi-l'eô;lo¾ô Awo OÙ®woô A®woôn ni woô;n ki’fa; fu;n Eri;wo-Ya¾ Ti; n; lo¾ôoô; gb’awo fu;n woôn ni; I®je¾ô’bu;-Mu¾re T’o¾gbo¾n¾ka¾n ni;’da¾ OÙmoô Ako;rin yeôbeôyeôbeô ya;’ri; Oro;gu¾n-u;n EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôôe o Translation: Ako;ji-l';a;pa;, the Awo of Pa;san land Asa¾ge¾de¾ the Awo of I®sa;wo¾ye¾ town Abe;ôgi-l'eô;lo¾ô,ô the Awo of OÙ®woô land They were the Awo who recited Ifa; for Eri;wo-Ya¾ When he was going on an Ifa; mission to I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re land The owner of the sword with the broad blade Offspring of those who decorate their O®gu;n shrines with many iron metals He was advised to offer eôboôô By all standards, Eri;wo-Ya¾ was an accomplished Awo. He was the most competent Awo of his time. He had turned many barren women into proud and grateful mothers. He had made it possible for women carrying complicated pregnancies to have safe deliveries. He had turned chronic debtors to successful and economically buoyant people. He had pulled people from the verge of death, either through illness or attacks, to healthy people endowed with long life and vitality. He had summoned rainfall when there was drought and famine in the land. In short, he had recorded several miraculous achievements to his credit.

1100

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

One day, Eri;wo-ya¾ decided to have a change of environment. He planned to go to I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re land to live and practice. Consequent upon this decision, he went to his Awo for Ifa; consultation: What will I need to do to be accepted in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re? Will I succeed in my intended place of abode? The Awo told Eri;wo-Ya¾ that he planned to have a change of domicile. He was told that his decision would bring him more success and fame. He was told to offer two eôboô: one, for him to record success where he was going; and two; for him to offer eôboô of prestige and honour at the end of his sojourn in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re. He was advised to offer eôboô with four pigeons and four guinea-fowls for him to succeed and for him to offer eôboô with three cocks for him to have prestige and honour at the end of his assignments in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re. Eri;wo-Ya¾ was totally convinced that it was not possible for him not to have prestige and honour at the end of his assignment in the land. For this reason, he chose to offer the eôboô for him to succeed and he ignored the second part of the eôboô. Soon after offering his preferred eôboô, Eri;wo-Ya¾ moved to I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re to live. Eri;wo-Ya¾’s stay in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re was an instant success. He was accepted by all, he continued to perform all the miraculous feats he was known for. He became a force to be reckoned with among the Awo and the Elders in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re. No decision would be taken in the Council of Awo outside his knowledge and approval. Eri;wo-Ya¾ stayed in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re for a very long time. He even outlived all his colleagues and contemporaries in the land. He grew very old. Most of the children of his age-mates had since passed on. In the end, Eri;wo-Ya¾ joined his ancestors. It was a life well spent. The death of Eri;wo-Ya¾, instead of bringing him prestige and honour, only brought confusion and dilemmas to those who would have honoured him. As the practice among Awo, Eri;wo-Ya¾ ought to be buried inside the room of his house. An Awo of his calibre could not be buried outside the house, in front or back of a house or just anywhere else. The dilemma was this; in whose house was he be buried? If he was buried inside the room of where he lived, and his children were to come around one day to demand for his whereabouts, how would they explain the children that he was buried inside the home of someone who was not his family and not even his relative? What would they do?

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Prestige and honour were set aside. Nobody bothered about those any longer. Time was fast running out on them. The corpse must be buried. If it stayed longer than was necessary or acceptable, it would soon begin to decompose and stink. What must they do? In the end, the corpse of Eri;wo-Ya¾ was taken into the forest and buried there. In order to recognize where the corpse was buried, a garden egg tree was planted on top of the tomb. Before long, everybody forgot all about Eri;wo-Ya¾ and his numerous feats. The road to the forest was even abandoned. Three years after this, the garden egg tree grew to maturity and produced many fruits. Eri;wo-Ya¾’s spirit came out of the tree. He would sit down under the tree and sometimes on top of the branch of the tree. Since the place had been totally abandoned, nobody noticed this. Every day, the spirit of Eri;wo-Ya¾ roamed about with melancholy and regrets. Why did the people he had tried his utmost best to help and raise treat him and abandon him so? Why would they show him such ingratitude? Why? Before long, many bad things began to happen to the people of I®je¾ôbu;Mu¾re. They began to experience failed crops; their pregnant women died along with the pregnancy; the barren ones could not become pregnant anymore; the invalid could not regain their health and strength; many rich and successful people became chronic debtors; crime, chaos and crisis were the order of the day in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re. Untimely deaths became common occurrences. The Elders in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re put their heads together for serious deliberation in order to find a lasting solution to the problems in the land. They summoned their Awo for Ifa; consultation. When Ifa; was cast, Ogbe¾ OÙ®sôeô; was revealed. The Awo told them that the problem in the land could only be solved by Awo who did not reside in the land. They therefore needed to search for Awo who were strangers in the land. This was the reason why they went to call on Ako;gi-l'a;pa; Awo Pa;san, Asa¾ge¾de¾ Awo I®sa;wo¾ye¾ and Abe;ôgi-l'eô;lo¾ô Awo OÙ®woô to come and help them analyze the Ifa; that they had cast and for them to recite relevant stanzas for them in order to solve the problems in the land. When the three Awo were contacted they knew instantly that something was amiss. There were many competent Awo in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re who could handle any issue successfully so for the inhabitants of I®jeô¾bu;-Mu¾re to call

1102

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

upon them for help meant that a different approach to the issue was required. In order to ensure that they succeeded in their mission to I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re land, they too went to their own Awo for Ifa; consultation. The Awo told them that there were uncertainties, chaos and crisis in I®je¾ôbu;;-Mu¾re. They told them that they would be able to solve the problem for them. They were told to offer eôboô in order for them to succeed where they were going. They complied. They were also told that they must not enter the land through the road that everyone used to take. They must take the abandoned road to the land. They were told that they would know the reason why there was such crisis and chaos in the land when they entered through the neglected route to the land. That was exactly what they did. As soon as they got to the abandoned road, there sat Eri;wo-Ya¾ under the garden egg tree. The Awo did not see him but he saw them. When they were about to pass him by, he called on them and they came to pay him their respect and complement. He asked them to tell him where they were going and for what purpose. They told him how there were problems in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re and how they had been contacted to come and help find a lasting solution to the problems. When they were about to continue on their journey Eri;wo-Ya¾ told them to wait. He explained to them that it was because of the way that he was treated that they all had problems in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re. He told them that he was shabbily treated when he died. He explained to them how he had worked tirelessly to ensure that there was progress, peace and prosperity in the land, and how the people had carried his corpse into the forest for burial as soon as he died. He also said that while alive he was told to offer eôboô for prestige and honour at the end of his assignment in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re but he failed to do so. He told the Awo that he was the one who visited his anger and frustration on the land and that was why they were encountering all the problems. He concluded that he would stop his anger because he would not want the Awo who had given him respect, honour and complements to fail in their mission. He told them however that the inhabitants of I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re must procure a mature she-goat and slaughter it at the spot where he was buried. He stated further that the head and rope of the she-goat must be buried in the spot as well. He also stated that they must never consume garden egg fruits anymore; although the fruit could be used to feed

1103


their ancestors. After these had been done, he stated that they needed to fix a date when they would give him a befitting and deserved final burial rite.

All these were relayed to the inhabitants of I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re land. That was exactly what they did. The three Awo were the officiating priests. On the day of the final burial ceremony, they went with gongs, sôeô¾ke¾ôreô,¾ and drums. They were singing and dancing, saying:

Eri;wo-Ya¾, Awo rere o Ifa; Eri;wo-Ya¾ Awo rere A®wa o¾ ri; Eri;wo-Ya¾ n’I:je¾ôbu; mo;ô Eri;wo-Ya¾, Awo rere A®wa o¾ ri; Eri;wo-Ya¾ ni;’le¾ô yi¾i; mo;ô Eri;wo-Ya¾ Awo rere Translation: Eri;wo-Ya¾ is truly a great Awo Ifa; Eri;wo-Ya¾ is a benevolent Awo We will no longer see Eri;wo-Ya¾ in I®je¾ôbu;-land Eri;wo-Ya¾ is truly a great Awo We will no longer find Eri;wo-Ya¾ in this land Eri;wo-Ya¾ is a benevolent Awo That was how they began to sing, dance, and eat and drink all day long. As soon as they did this, normalcy returned to I®je¾ôbu; land. Peace, progress and prosperity returned. People went about their business with comfort and without fear. Ako;gi-l'a;pa; Awo Pa;san Asa¾ge¾de¾ Awo I®sa;wo¾ye¾ Abe;ôgi-l'eô;lo¾ô Awo OÙ®woô A®woôn ni woô;n ki’fa; fu;n Eri;wo-Ya¾ Ti; n; lo¾ôoô; gb’awo fu;n woôn ni; I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re T’o¾gbo¾n¾ka¾n ni;’da¾ OÙmoô Ako;rin yeôbeôyeôbeô ya;’ri; Oro;gu¾n-u;n

1104

OGBE® SÙEÙ:

EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®je;ô Eri;wo-Ya¾¾, Awo rere o Ifa; Eri;;wo-Ya¾ Awo rere A®wa o¾ ri; Eri;wo-Ya¾ n’I:je¾ôbu; mo;ô Eri;wo-Ya¾, Awo rere A®wa o¾ ri; Eri;wo-Ya¾ ni;’le¾ô yi¾i; mo;ô Eri;wo-Ya¾¾ Awo rere Translation: Ako;ji-l';a;pa;, the Awo of Pa;san land Asa¾ge¾de¾ the Awo of I®sa;wo¾ye¾ town Abe;ôgi-l'eô;lo¾ô,ô the Awo of OÙ®woô land They were the Awo who recited Ifa; for Eri;wo-Ya¾ When he was going on an Ifa; mission to I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re land The owner of the sword with the broad blade Offspring of those who decorate their O®gu;n shrines with many iron metals He was advised to offer eôboôô He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and behold all the Ire of life Eri;wo-Ya¾ is truly a great Awo Ifa; Eri;wo-Ya¾ is a benevolent Awo We will no longer see Eri;wo-Ya¾ in I®je¾ôbu;-land Eri;wo-Ya¾ is truly a great Awo We will no longer find Eri;wo-Ya¾ in this land Eri;wo-Ya¾ is a benevolent Awo Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that all the problems in his/her life shall disappear and in their place will be prospects and opportunities. That is the message of Ifa.

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16. Ifa; urges the man for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô for his wife against sudden and untimely death. Ifa; also advises the woman for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô of long life for herself in order to avoid a painful and premature death. It may not be a physical death for the woman. It may be irreconcilable separation which may make a couple sad for the rest of their lives. Ifa; advises the woman to offer eôboô with the dress she wore on the day that this Ifa; was cast, one mature he-goat and money. She also needs to feed E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ with one cock. If the woman cannot afford the money for the eôboô materials, the husband needs to assist her and ensure that the eôboô is offered for her. On this aspect Ogbe¾-OÙ®sôeô; says: Isôu jinna; ta;n, oômoô’ri;-odo; n; weô’ri; OÙbe¾ô eô; jinna; ta;n, ni o¾ d'eô;kun Ko¾ôtoô¾ko¾ôtoô¾ Di;a; fu;n Tieô Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin O®Ùfa¾fa¾ Wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô si; lai¾ku; ara a reô o Translation: When yam is well prepared, the pestle will be washed in readiness for pounding When soup is well prepared, it will continue to produce bubbles while on the fire These were Ifa;’s messages for Tieô The wife of O®Ùfa¾fa¾ (the Tree hyrax) She was advised to offer the eôboô of longevity OÙ®fa¾fa¾ was a very happy man. His wife, Tieô always made him proud. He considered himself the luckiest being on earth for being the husband of Tieô. She showered him with love and affection. There was nothing she was not ready to do for him just to make him comfortable. Sometimes, he would think that he was being spoiled by his wife. She would never allow him to touch anything in the house. She knew when he needed to sleep, wake up, eat, drink, bathe or work. She ensured that everything

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OGBE® SÙEÙ:

was made allowance for. His dresses were never dirty or wrinkled. Surely, such a wife is very rare, OÙ®fa¾fa¾ thought with satisfaction. One day, Tieô went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I continue to make my husband and children happy? Will they appreciate all the efforts she made for them? Will she be honoured and respected? These and many more, were the questions she asked Ifa; when she went for the consultation. The Awo told her that everyone in her household, community and the whole society at large knew her worth and would continue to appreciate her value. She however needed to offer eôboô against painful but sudden death. She was advised to add the dress that she wore on the day of consultation as part of the eôboô materials. She was also advised to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. She was to feed E®sôu¾ with one giant cock. When she got home, she told her husband. She also removed the dress she had on in readiness for the eôboôô. It suddenly dawned on her that in her bid to make her family comfortable, she had nothing, absolutely nothing, to herself. This made her think about asking her husband for help in order to procure the eôboô materials but since she did not wish to put too much pressure on her husband and in order not to upset him, she decided to go to her own parents and ask them for money. She suddenly discovered that there was no other presentable dress she could wear to her parents’ house except the one that she needed to use as part of the eôboô materials. She decided to wear the dress there, get the materials from her parents and return home to remove the dress. As she was going, a hunter saw the dress and discovered that it was Tieô the wife of OÙ®fa¾fa¾ going. The hunter was overwhelmed with joy. He knew that O®Ùfa¾fa¾ and his wife were delicacies. He shot his arrow. It caught Tieô in the throat and came out at the back of her skull. Tieô died before she landed on the ground. The death of Tieô totally devastated OÙ®fa¾fa¾. He continued to lament that he could no longer find his beloved wife. Up till today, O®Ùfa¾fa¾ continues to lament the demise of Tieô, his beloved.

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Isôu jinna; ta;n, oômoôri;-odo; n; weô’ri; OÙbeô¾ e;ô jinna; ta;n, ni o¾ d'e;ôkun Koô¾to¾ôkoô¾to¾ô Di;a; fu;n Tieô Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin OÙ®fa¾fa¾ Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô si; lai¾ku; ara a reô o O: f’eti;, o¾ôtu;n gb’e;ôboô O: fi t’o¾si¾¾ da¾a; nu¾ E®sôu¾ a¾i¾ru; o, E®sôu¾ a¾i¾tu¾ EÙ o¾ ri;’fa; n; sôôeô bi; a¾la; ni; moôreô OÙ®fa¾fa¾¾ a; l'o;un o¾ ri; Tieô Ha¾ha¾ha¾ha¾ha¾ha¾!!! Translation: When yam is well prepared, the pestle will be washed in readiness for pounding When soup is well prepared, it will continue to produce bubbles while on the fire These were Ifa;’s messages for Tieô The wife of O®Ùfa¾fa¾ (the Tree hyrax) She was advised to offer the eôboô of longevity She heard the warning with her right ear And threw out the warning with her left ear Refusal to offer eôboô and heed warning Can’t you see how Ifa;’s prediction has manifested like dream? O®Ùfa¾fa¾ continues to lament not being able to not find Tieô Ha¾ha¾ha¾ha¾ha¾!!!!


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OGBE® SÙEÙ:

B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® OÙ®SÙE:Ù FOR THOSE BORN BY THIS ODU® DURING I®KOôSEôDA:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA: It is an established fact that all Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children, males and females, have come into the world to succeed. This is the reason why there is no aspect of life that Ogbe¾ OÙs ® ôe;ô children cannot excel in. The reason is that all the Ire of life has been loaded into their Ori; when coming from heaven. By nature, all Ogbe¾ OÙs ® ôe;ô children succeed more in the country side than in the city. This is why it is advisable for them to reside in the country side and work from there in order to actualize their potentials in life. There is nothing that they look for that they will not get if they stay in rural areas. The importance of this is that Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children are more village or small town people than city dwellers. They find more comfort and accomplishment in the rural sector than in the city. Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children are kind hearted, considerate, good natured and highly temperamental. They believe in doing good to everyone at all times and they expect others to reciprocate in like manner. This is where their problems lie. They find it difficult to accept that it is part of their human experience to find people paying kindness with wickedness. This attitude normally devastates them and sometimes pushes them to think that doing good is not worth the trouble. It is however in their best interest to continue doing good at all times because their destiny is such that their success multiplies in direct proportion to their level of benevolence. As an adjunct to this, Ifa; says that many wicked people and those who are not considerate will be planning evil and organizing the downfall of Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children. Those who do this will have themselves to blame because they will not only fail woefully, but they will also be humiliated and sanctioned appropriately. All Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children, males and females have an uncanny ability to predict the future and what will happen under certain circumstances to the amazement and confusion of others who are close to them. This instinct that they have normally protects them if they follow it to the letter. This ability is a natural gift for all Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children that can never be taken away from them. Because all Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children love to help others, they sometimes land themselves in avoidable trouble. It is a taboo for Ogbe¾ O®Ùsôe;ô children to stand sure or as guarantors for anyone. It is also a taboo for them to stand as witnesses on any issue whatsoever. Ironically, standing as witness can land them into more trouble than standing sure or as a

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guarantor for someone. Consequent upon this, the wise thing for all Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children to do is to never stand sure or be a guarantor or witness on any issue. Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children stand the risk of being overwhelmed with crises at the slightest opportunity. Listening to the advice and warnings of Ifa; are the things what can save them from unprovoked attacks. This is why it is imperative for them to consult Ifa; and heed the advice contained therein on any step they are about to take before taking it. There is the need for all Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children, males and females, to live well and take care of their personal hygiene and health very well in order for them to be able to live long enough to accomplish all their hearts’ desires and to fulfil their destinies. They however have the tendency of having lower limb problems especially in the ankles and legs. With appropriate eôboô and medication however, these problems will disappear or be prevented. It is the duty and responsibility of all Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children to take proper care of the dead who are close to them, whether they are related by blood or not. This is because not taking care of the dead can have adverse effects on their success chances in life. Conversely, doing so can enhance the possibilities of success for them. It is not advisable for Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children to separate from or divorce their spouses. If there has already been any separation or divorce, it is advisable to find a way of resolving the issue amicably. This is because separation or divorce will never bring any positive result to them. One of two things will happen: one, they will not find another spouse that will satisfy their needs in life ever again; or two, the spouse may experience an untimely death that the other partner may live to regret for the rest of his/her life. In all, Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children succeed where others fail; they are victorious where others experience defeat; they are embraced where others are shunned; and they are accepted where others are rejected. In other words, Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children, males and females, accomplish their destinies where they are expected to fail.

A®boôru;; A®boôye¾.

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C. ASSOCIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ® AND O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® O®ÙSÙEÙ: 1. Ifa; – for guidance, protection, support, sanctuary, victory, elevation, progress, success, and overall success 2. Ori; – for fulfilment of destiny, sanctuary, support, victory, success, elevation, progress, contentment, and self actualization 3. E®®sôu¾-O®Ùdaôraô –for victory, guidance, sanctuary, protection, success, support, and overall wellbeing 4. EÙgbeô; – for comradeship, support, victory, success, leadership, and overall wellbeing 5. OÙba¾ta;la; – for success, progress, self actualization, support, leadership, victory, and general wellbeing 6. Egu;ngu;n – for ancestral support, success, elevation, victory, and general wellbeing 7. O®gu;n – for financial success, elevation, progress, direction, leadership, victory, conquest and general wellbeing 8. Aje; – for financial success, leadership, progress, elevation and general wellbeing 9. O®sôun – for compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing and overall wellbeing.

D.

TABOOS OF OGBE® O®ÙSÙEÙ: 1. Must never eat garden eggs (but can use them to feed the ancestors) – to avoid the wrath of the ancestors, unconsummated fortune, failure and regrets 2. Must never stand sure for anyone or act as a guarantor or witness on any issue – to avoid failure, trouble, regrets, disappointments and disaster 3. Must never use the cricket for anything – to avoid losing his/her natural endowments

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4. Must never eat she-goat (but can use it to feed Ifa) – to avoid losing the natural support of the divinities 5. Must never eat eô¾koô, corn meal – to avoid been overwhelmed by opposition 6. Must never repay good with evil – to avoid disappointment, disgrace and disaster 7. Must never skip the periodic O®Ùseô¾ Ifa; days – to avoid losing the support of Ifa and Obatala 8. Must never engage in extra-marital activities – to avoid public disgrace and regret in the marriage. 9. Must never show greed over the acquisition of wealth – to avoid disaster and everlasting regret 10. Must never act without seeking prior ancestral support – to avoid losing the backing of the ancestors 11.Must never underestimate anyone – unconsummated fortune, disappointment and failure

to

avoid

12. Must never change their chosen profession in life – to avoid suffering, hardship and pain

E.

POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® O®ÙSÙEÙ: CHILDREN

MALE 1. Aki;nla¾woô;n – the brave has come into their midst 2. Ifa;gbe¾mi; – Ifa; is in my support 3. Ifa;gba¾mi;la¾ – Ifa; comes to my rescue 4. Ifa;sôeô;gun – Ifa; is victorious 5. Tifa;sôeô – the prediction of Ifa; has come to pass 6. Ifa;ko;rede; – Ifa; has brought all Ire of life

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OGBE® SÙEÙ:

FEMALE 1. Aji;bo;ôseôô¾ – she who was born on OÙ®se¾ô Ifa; day 2. Ade;joôkeô; – the crown is for all to take care of 3. I®ba¾jeô;deôwa¾ – what was spoiled has turned to beauty 4. Ifa;sôe¾gbe¾ – Ifa; brings me support 5. Ifa;du¾n-u;nke;ô – Ifa; is exciting to take care of 6. Ifa;lolu; – Ifa; is the greatest


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Chapter 15

Ogbè Òfún

II I I I II I I I 1114

OGBE® O®FU:N OGBE® F'OHUN F’O:LO:HUN OGBE® FUNFUN OGBE® FU:N-UN A. 1. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of unlimited success and

accomplishment for the person born by this Odù during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa. Ifá says that when this person was coming from heaven, he/she had chosen as part of his/her destiny, the opportunity to have the blessing of financial success and elevation. He/she had also been assured that he/she would receive the blessing while on earth. Consequent upon this, there is nothing or nobody that can stop him/her from succeeding on earth, except if the person erects barriers for him or herself. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea-fowls, two hens, two cocks and money. On this, Ifá says:

A® gbe; re’le; A® gbe; r’o¾de A® gbe; ge¾ôeô¾ge¾ôeô¾ge¾ô r’oôja¾ E®ji¾gbo¾meôku¾n Di;a; fu;n Owo;leôleô;wa¾ Ti; n; t'oô¾run bo¾ô w'a;ye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe

Translation: To carry to one‟s home To carry outside of the home To carry gingerly to E®ji¾gbo¾meôku¾n market These were the declarations of Ifá for Owo;leôleô;wa (Money brings out beauty) When coming from heaven to earth He was advised to offer ẹbọ

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When he was choosing his destiny in the home of SÙensôenti¾sôo¾ro¾ in OÙ®run, Owo;leôleô;wa chose as a major part of his destiny the ability to acquire unlimited financial success and prosperity while on earth and it was approved for him. As soon as the mother of Owo;leôleô;wa became pregnant, she noticed something very different about the unborn baby. She (the mother) never lacked anything that she needed throughout the period of gestation. Not only this, when the baby Owo;leôleô;wa was born, financial success came into the household in a way that the family never dreamt of. The social status of the whole household changed for the better and they were able to procure most of the essential things that they hitherto could not afford. They were also able to assist other people and were able to give their little child Owo;leôleô;wa the comfort that money could bring. Consequently, Owo;leôleô;wa was raised in relative opulence and comfort. He never lacked most of the essential things of life. When Owo;leôleô;wa grew up into an adult, he was a financially successful person. He made a lot of money in his faming and trading businesses. Before long, he got married to a very beautiful lady. Both of them complemented one another. There was wealth and joy for the couple to share with one another. Many people prayed to Olo;du¾mare¾ to bless them and/or their young ones with such marital bliss. One year after marriage, Owo;leôleô;wa became a father. He had money, a compatible spouse and a bouncing baby to share his love and joy with. Many other children came after this. There was joy in Owo;leôleô;wa„s household. They soon became the toast and envy of their community. One day, Owo;leôleô;wa decided to move out of his own personal compound. He had the children to actualize his ambition. This was community was present on the day that commissioned. Food and drinks were surplus

the family compound to erect money, the spouse and the done in no time. The whole the compound was officially for guests to consume.

Not up to three years after moving into his own compound, Owo;leôleô;wa bought a horse to crown his success and achievement. He was celebrated everywhere. Why not? He had chosen financial success and other achievements as major parts of his destiny right from heaven.

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OGBE® O®FU:N

A® gbe; re’le; A® gbe; r’o¾de A® gbe; ge¾ôeô¾ge¾ôeô¾ge¾ô r’oôja¾ E®ji¾gbo¾meôku¾n Di;a; fu;n Owo;leôleô;wa¾ Ti; n; t'oô¾run bo¾ô w'a;ye; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ Owo; l’eôwa¾ o¾un aya EÙni¾kan ki¾i; sôe fu;ja¾ la;i¾ l'o;wo; Owo; l’eôwa¾ o¾un aya Ile; l’eôwa¾ o¾un oômoô EÙni¾kan ki¾i; sôe fu;ja¾ la;i¾ ni;’le; Ile; l'eôwa¾ o¾un oômoô o

Translation: To carry to one‟s home To carry outside of the home To carry gingerly to E®ji¾gbo¾meôku¾n market These were the declarations of Ifá for Owo;leôleô;wa (Money brings out beauty) When coming from heaven to earth He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾ Money is beauty, together with spouse Nobody can show off without money Money is beauty, together with spouse Property is beauty, together with children Nobody can show off without his personal house Property is beauty, together with children Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will receive the blessing of financial success, compatible spouse, fine children, comfortable properties and a home, a beautiful means of transportation and all other Ire of life with which to show off. He/she shall become a symbol of success and accomplishment in life.

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2. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall never fall in the midst of his/her enemies and those who wish him/her failure. Ifá assures this person that his/her ancestors shall ensure that he/she does not fail. If this person is going on a journey or going to transact a business, he/she will succeed despite the fact that his/her detractors wish him/her to fail. His/her dead ancestors are solidly behind him/her. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with all the materials normally used to feed the dead ones and money. There is also the need for the officiating Awo to prepare a special a¾ko;sôe for him/her. There is the need to procure ewe; roro¾, the sand taken from the centre of an ancient market place, the cuttings from the four corners of the tip of a woman’s wrapper, the cuttings from the rafter of a building and soap. All these will be pounded together and mixed with the soap. The Awo will then chant this stanza into it and hand it over to the person for whom this Odù is revealed for bathing regularly. If the two steps can be done, he/she will never fail in his/her endeavours. Instead of failure, his/her efforts will be crowned with resounding success. Those who love and hate him/her will come to celebrate his/her success and accomplishment with him/her. On this, Ifá says: A tu; yagba A mi; yagba I®ru¾ eôsôin ni o¾ gbe; ‘bi¾kan Di;a; fu;n Atiro-‘seô¾ Ti; n; sô'awo loô O®de O®®ro; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: He who sprouts gloriously And moves sideways The tail of a horse does not stay in one place This was the message of Ifá to Atiro-„se¾ô (He-whoLimps-While-Walking) When going on an Ifá mission to O®ro; town He was advised to offer ẹbọ

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OGBE® O®FU:N

Atiro-„seô¾ limped badly on one leg. But he was not born a cripple. When he was in his adolescent age, he went out to climb a tall tree one day that was close to his house. When he was on top of the tree, he saw a mighty cobra that was ready to strike him. He became scared. In the process, he lost his balance and fell down. He broke his leg in three places. To make matters worse, there was nobody around to come to his assistance. Those in the house thought that he was already in the farm. Those in the farm thought that he had not left home. He laid down writhing in pain and agony until evening time. When those who went to the farm began to pack their things to return home, his favourite dog noticed him and called the attention of others to where he was. The people took him home with extreme caution. Unfortunately however, he had to stay in the house until the following morning before he could be taken to the home of the medicine man that would eventually take care of him. This lead to him having a crooked leg and limping when he walked. He could not walk on any long distance because the affected leg was much shorter than the unaffected leg. To make matters worse, soon after his broken limb was mended, albeit crookedly, he fell into a ditch and broke the same leg again. He spent three days inside the ditch before he could be rescued. To walk with the leg became almost impossible. He had to sit and rest many times before he could trek a very short distance. In spite of this problem however, Atiro-„seô¾ had never seen himself as a disabled person. He was a strong believer in the fact that disabilities were in ones‟ mind and not in the physical body. He always tried to do what all his colleagues were doing. He never allowed anybody to show him sympathy or assist him in anything that he did. He was trained as a Babaláwo and he was very proficient in his work. He never allowed himself to think about what he could not do with his bad legs for one moment. Instead, he was always happy and satisfied with those things that he could still do in spite of having a bad limb. He was always smiling and happy. Joy also came from the mind, he would often say. This was exactly why most of his people saw him as a proud and arrogant person. People eventually planned to see him fail and in the process crawl to them for support. They felt that the day would be the happiest moment of their lives. In their mischief, they dug many ditches, literally and figuratively for Atiro-„seô¾ to fall into but for some

1119


reason, he would manage to escape falling into them. The more he escaped these ditches and traps, the sadder the detractors became. They vowed that they would not rest until Atiro-„seô¾ was brought down on his knees. How could a disabled person claim that he is not disabled, and try to compete with ones‟ colleagues who have all their limbs intact and still manage to do better than them? This is what they asked themselves. They found this fact totally unacceptable to them and they felt that they must do everything that it took to reverse that, and very fast too! One day, the reputation of Atiro-„seô¾ got to the inhabitants of O®ro; land. This made them invite him to come and consult Ifá for them in order to improve their lives. When all the detractors of Atiro-„seô¾ heard this, they were livid with rage! They cried and screamed. They began a frantic plan to stop him. What was even more offensive to them was that it was Atiro-„seô¾ himself who came to break the news to them! He even offered to take them along on the trip in order for them to join him in working as a group over there and also for his colleagues to be able to share from what they were sure to make as profit on the journey. That was how they knew that Atiro-„seô¾ was going on an Ifá mission to O®ro; land. He must be stopped! They vowed. They began to plan as never before. They schemed. They conspired. They deliberated. In the end, they concluded that they would accompany Atiro-„seô¾ on the trip. They observed that since he could not trek long distances, they would walk faster than him and leave him on the road. They would then establish their presence and reputation in O®ro; land before he could even arrive there. Also, if for any reason, he decided to walk fast, it would not take long before he would eventually fell down tired and exhausted. That would be preferred. In the process of his falling, he might even break the bad leg again! If he did not break the leg, they would assist him in breaking the leg! By so doing, they would have the whole period in O®ro; to themselves alone. This thought sounded like music to their ears. They began to fine tune their plans. Meanwhile, Atiro-„seô¾ was totally unaware of the mischief being designed against him by his colleagues. In his ignorance and innocence, he was busy including each and every one of them in his calculations. When he rounded up his plan he decided to go to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation in order to determine how successful his

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OGBE® O®FU:N

journey to O®ro; land would be. Will I succeed? Will all my colleagues who had agreed to accompany me on this journey succeed like me? Will they be satisfied? Will we be able to change the lives of the inhabitants of O®ro; land for the better? Will the journey to O®ro; land be free of stress and danger? These and many more were the questions that Atiro-„seô¾ asked Ifá. During the consultation Ogbe¾-O®fu;n was revealed. The Awo told Atiro-„se¾ô that he came for Ifá consultation because he was planning to travel on a long journey. He was told that he was safe at home and that his final destination was also safe. He however needed to offer ẹbọ because the route to the destination was fraught with danger and conspiracy. He was informed that he had surrounded himself with people that were planning his downfall and ultimate death and that his colleagues did not wish him well at all. They actually wished him to fail or die during the trip. The Awo however assured him that all the schemes of all his detractors and enemies would amount to naught. He was told that they would all fail. The Awo also told him that he needed to pretend to be a fool because only intelligent ones had the capability to pretend like fools while real fools have no mental capability to pretend likewise ones. He was advised to pretend that he did not hear, see, or know anything and to behave like he knew nothing. The Awo advised Atiro-„se¾ô to offer ẹbọ with all the materials normally used to feed ancestors and money. Atiro-„se¾ô complied. The Awo also prepared a special a¾ko;sôe for him as stated above. On his way home, Atiro-„se¾ô was totally confused. He could not understand the reason why his colleagues would be planning his downfall or death. He had not done them any evil for one moment. Instead, he had always wished and done them well. He had always extended his love to them. Why would they wish him dead? Why would they wish him to fail? Why would they conspire against him? Why? He could not find any justification for their actions against him. The only thing that he thought that could make them to plan evil against him was envy but he quickly dismissed that thought from his mind. In the end, he left everything in the hands of Olo;du¾mare¾ to decide and judge.

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On the day of the journey, they all gathered in the front of Atiro-„se¾ô house at dawn. They took off before sunrise. As soon as they left the boundary of their town, the scheme began in earnest. The conspirators began to move faster and faster. Since Atiro-„se¾ô already knew their plan, their move did not come to him as a surprise. He was fully prepared for them. He simply started to chant the incantation that went with the soap he had been using to take his regular bath which his Awo had given him. He continued to say these words repeatedly:

OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o A® fi bi; eôke;ô o¾ ba; ro; ile; OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o A® fi bi; e¾e¾ya¾n o¾ ba; ro; l’oô;ja¾ OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o A® fi bi; roro¾ o¾ ba; ro; ni;’gbo; OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o A®ya¾mo¾ô fi bi; obi¾nrin o¾ ba; t’a;so ô ô ro; OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o Translation: Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me Except if the beams do not support a house Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me Except if people do not support the market Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me Except if the roro¾ trees do not support the forest Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me Except if a woman does not adjust her wrapper Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me True to his statements, the heavenly beings gave him support in a way he too never expected. He was able to walk and keep up with the pace of his colleagues! Sometimes, it seemed to him as if some force was actually lifting him up and ensuring that he moved faster. On some other occasions, it would appear to him like his legs, both the affected and the unaffected ones were not touching the ground at all!

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He just had the sensation that he was floating in the air while keeping pace with his colleagues! The conspirators were totally taken aback. How was it possible for Atiro„seô¾ to walk that fast without feeling the stress at all? He looked more refreshed than them! They could not believe what they saw. Half way to their destination, they decided to change their scheme and ensure that they assisted Atiro-„seô¾ in breaking his legs again. While Atiro-„seô¾ was moving like a horse running on an uneven road one of them pushed him from behind. He looked at the person who pushed him and said: OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o A® fi bi; eôkeô o¾ ba; ro; ile; Translation: Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me Except if the beams do not support the house Atiro-„seô¾ did not even stagger not to mention fall down when he was pushed! He felt like something just lifted his body and landed him gently in front. He looked at the person once more and smiled! The person who pushed him could not look at his face any longer. The person then went to hide himself behind the others. A few moments after this, another conspirator went in front of Atiro-„seô¾ and pushed him from the front with the intention of making him fall flat on his back. Atiro-„seô¾ also looked at this person and said: OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o A® fi bi; e¾e¾ya¾n o¾ ba; ro; l'o;ôja¾ Translation: Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me Except if people do not support the market

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Again, that same something lifted him and dropped him gently on the ground. He only shook his head, looked at the person who pushed him and smiled. This detractor also buried his face behind the others. They continued their journey until one of the conspirators moved to the left hand side of Atiro-„seô¾ and pushed him with all his power in order to ensure that Atiro-„seô¾ lost his balance and fell on his right hand side. He looked at this person and said: OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o A® fi bi; roro¾ o¾ ba; ro; ni;gbo; Translation: Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me Except if the roro¾ tree does not support the forest Once again, Atiro-„seô¾ was lifted up and placed down quietly and gently beside the person who had pushed him. He then looked at the person and smiled. The conspirator quickly rushed away from him. They were almost approaching the boundary of O®ro¾ town now. The conspirators were desperate. Atiro-„seô¾ must not be allowed to go with them to the town. They must do something immediately and decisively. They grabbed him from the right hand side and dragged him forcefully. They lifted him up in order to throw him into a nearby gully. Atiro-„seô¾ simply said: OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o A®ya¾nmo¾ô fi bi; obi¾nrin o¾ ba; t’a;sôo ro; OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o Translation: Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me Except if a woman does not adjust her wrapper Surely, the heavenly beings shall support

1124

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As soon as he said this, that same something removed him from the grip of these conspirators. He was floating in mid air right above their heads for a very long second that seemed like an eternity! He was then placed down right in their midst. He looked round their faces and smiled. The smile was too much for the conspirators to bear. They felt fear. They felt ashamed. They felt intimidated. They were scared! They all scampered away and ran back to their various homes, totally subdued. They lived the rest of their lives as humiliated people. Meanwhile, Atiro-„seô¾ went to O®ro town alone. He was given honour, respect and recognition. He accomplished all his missions in O®ro; land. When he was about to return to his home land, he was presented with a horse. He then rode the horse back home. A tu; yagba A mi; yagba I®ru¾ eôsôin ni o¾ gbe; ‘bi¾kan Di;a; fu;n Atiro-‘seô¾ Ti; n; sô'awo loô O®de O®®ro; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o A® fi bi; eôke;ô o¾ ba; ro; ile; OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o A® fi bi; e¾e¾ya¾n o¾ ba; ro; l’oô;ja¾ OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o A® fi bi; roro¾ o¾ ba; ro; ni;’gbo; OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o A®ya¾mo¾ô fi bi; obi¾nrin o¾ ba; t’a;so ô ô ro; OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o Translation: He who sprouts gloriously And moves sideways The tail of a horse does not stay in one place

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This was the message of Ifá for Atiro-„se¾ô (He-who-Limps-While-Walking) When going on an Ifá mission to O®ro; town He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and behold all Ire of life Now, surely the heavenly beings shall support me Except if the beams do not support a house Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me Except if people do not support the market Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me Except if the roro¾ trees do not support the forest Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me Except if a woman does not adjust her wrapper Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall receive the blessings and support of his/her ancestors in order to accomplish his/her mission in life, overcome his/her detractors and gain support, honour, recognition and respect. 3. Ifá says that this person shall be given honour and respect, especially in his/her in-law‟s house. This person shall never face humiliation or disapproval in life, more especially in his/her in-laws home. Ifá says also that someone is ill where this Odù is revealed. This person shall either heal the ill person of the sickness or will be instrumental in finding a solution to the illness. This is why it is good for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to think of going into the healing profession such as Ifá priesthood, herbalism, medicine, pharmacy, nursing and other para-medical fields. These are part of the professions that will bring prestige and honour for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons, four guineafowls and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with one pigeon and one guinea-fowl.

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OGBE® O®FU:N

On this, Ifá says: SÙeô;keô;le;ôweô Wo¾ôwoô¾ l'o;ri; o¾ko;o¾ Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ funfun Ti; n; sô'awo re’le; a¾na reô¾ EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: SÙeô;ke;ôleô;weô And Woô¾wo¾ô lo;ri; o¾ko;o¾ They cast Ifa; for Ogbe¾ funfun (Ogbe¾-O®fu;n) When going on an Ifá mission to his in-laws' house He was advised to offer ẹbọ Ogbe¾ funfun was a well-trained and highly accomplished Babaláwo. His reputation as a Babaláwo spread across the land. He was known to be an Awo who would spare no effort to ensure that the life of any of his clients changed from bad to good, and from good to better. In the pursuit of his work, he never engaged in anything that would spoil his name or spoil his reputation. He never engaged in any wickedness or ungodly acts. He was always far away from all those who engaged in such acts. That was why his colleagues and even the whole community where he lived called him Ogbe¾ funfun, the pious sparkling white Ogbè. One day, the mother of the wife of Ogbè funfun fell ill. It started as minor dizziness but later turned into a very serious and highly complicated health issue. All medications proved ineffective. That was when the family turned to its in-law, Ogbè funfun for help to find a solution to the health problem. As soon as his in-laws solicited for his help, he took up the matter as a personal challenge. In order to succeed where all others had failed, he decided to go to the home of the Awo whose names were stated above for Ifá consultation. He sought Ifá‟s guidance and help on how to proceed in order to gain success. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾ funfun was revealed.

1127


The Awo told Ogbe¾ funfun that he was pre-occupied with what to do in order to succeed in a matter that he had set his mind on. Ifá assured him that he would not only succeed but he would equally gain honour and respect. The Awo assured him that he was in for a pleasant surprise from Ifá. He was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above: four pigeons, four guinea-fowls and money. He was also advised to feed Ifá with one pigeon and one guinea-fowl. He complied. After this, he set out to find a solution to his mother in-law‟s health problem. Surprisingly, it took Ogbe¾ funfun less than 20 days to effect the cure! The whole issue turned out to be a simple and easy to handle problem. The ẹbọ, a¾ku;nle¾ôboô and a¾ko;sôe that he applied on his mother-in-law worked like magic. The whole family burst into big celebration. After this incident, all the members of his in-laws' household had a crucial meeting. His wife was also invited to the meeting. In the course of their deliberations, the family resolved to make Ogbe¾ funfun the personal Babaláwo of the whole family. It was an honour that had never been conferred on anyone else before this period. The family also thanked the wife of Ogbe¾ funfun for bringing luck to her family. SÙeô;keô;le;ôweô Wo¾ôwoô¾ lo;ri; o¾ko;o¾ Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ funfun Ti; n; sôawo re’le; a¾na reô¾ EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yoô¾ EÙ wa;a wo’re o N®je;ô mo ja;’we; Mo sô’awo Ogbe¾ Funfun d’awo ara reô

1128

OGBE® O®FU:N

Translation: SÙeô;ke;ôleô;weô And Woô¾wo¾ô lo;ri; o¾ko;o¾ They cast Ifa; for Ogbe¾ funfun (Ogbe¾-O®fu;n) When going on an Ifá mission to his in-laws house He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and see all the Ire of life I used herbal remedies And I offered ẹbọ Ogbe¾ funfun has now become the personal Awo of his in-laws Ifá says that this person will be honoured in the work that he/she is doing. He/she will also fair well and succeed where all others have failed. This person shall also be recognized and be accorded all the respect and honour that he/she deserves among his/her in-laws. 4. Ifá says that this person shall receive the blessing of comfort, peace and tranquillity in his/her life and day-to-day activities. Ifá advises this person to go and remove all the blood that has been put on his/her Ikin Ifá and replace it with palm-oil immediately. Ifá says that Ogbe¾ funfun children attain their highest potentials when their Ikin-Ifá are left without blood and are soaked with palm-oil. Ifá assures this person that he/she will be blessed with comfort and accomplishment. He/she will also attain the zenith of his/her ambition in life. Ifá says that this person will be spared any agony or turbulence in his/her life and in the attainment of his/her set goals. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four hens, four pigeons, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with plenty of palm-oil.

1129


On this, Ifá says: Pi¾sa¾ Pi¾doro Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba ma;a ta Ka¾nyi¾nka¾nyi¾n O: ma;a ta ko;ro; si;nu; epo EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a sôe Translation: Pi¾sa¾ And Pi¾doro They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When going to move with alacrity And jump inside palm-oil He was advised to offer ẹbọ OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was living a life of hardship, pain and unconsummated fortune. He tried many things but they never worked. Instead, the situation was getting worse every time. That was why he decided to offer ẹbọ in order to resolve his many problems. He offered the ẹbọ and then feed Ifá with a matured she-goat. The problems escalated. He decided to feed Ifá with a mature pig but the problems increased in many folds. Something was very wrong, he thought to himself. As a matter of fact, he was sure that several things were really wrong. How would he solve these problems? He was not sure. In order to find a solution to his numerous problems, he decided to summon two of his former students to come and consult Ifá for him. These two students were Pi¾sa¾ and Pi¾doro. They were competent and accomplished in their own rights. When Ifá was consulted on that occasion, Ogbe¾ O®fu;n was revealed. The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he had multiple problems. They said that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ himself had also compounded his problems by himself. How so? OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ queried the Awo. They explained to him that he ought not to have fed blood to his Ikin at all. They told him that feeding his Ikin

1130

OGBE® O®FU:N

with blood would only make the situation worse for him. They therefore advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ as stated above and to remove and clean out all the blood on his Ikin immediately. In its place, they recommended for him to soak the Ikin in palm-oil. They explained that palm-oil would cool down all the spiritual negativities in the life of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and would convert them to success, peace, comfort, elevation, progress, contentment and self actualization. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ did as he was told. A few days after, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ began to see positive changes in his life. His numerous problems began to disappear one after the other. Progress and comfort started to show up in his life. He was able to consummate his fortune. For one whole year, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ refused to add blood to his Ikin. Instead, he continued to feed the Ikin with palm-oil. If anyone asked him why he had not added blood to his Ikin, he would respond by saying that that day was not for adding blood; but rather, it was for palm-oil which would ensure calmness, peace, comfort and tranquillity. That was how all the problems which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was experiencing disappeared completely in his life and were replaced with success and achievement which brought him joy and comfort. Pi¾sa¾ Pi¾doro Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Baba ma;a ta Ka¾nyi¾nka¾nyi¾n O: ma;a ta ko;ro; si;nu; epo EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o N®je;ô t’e¾ôjeô¾ koô loôjoô; o¾ni; o T’epo ma¾ l’e¾ôroô¾ Translation Pi¾sa¾ And Pi¾doro They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When going to move with alacrity And jump inside palm-oil

1131


He was advised to offer ẹbọ He complied Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and see all the Ire of life Today does not call for blood But for palm-oil which is for calmness and peace Ifá says that the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall change from agony to comfort, from failure to success and from despair to hope. He/she needs to remove all the blood on his Ikin and replace it with palm-oil. By so doing, success is assured.

5. Ifá says that this person shall be blessed with many children of his/her own. The children will also make him/her happy and fulfilled in life. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall not leave this world empty handed. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two rats, two fish, two hens and money. On this, Ifá says: Ogbe¾-Fu;n rindin-ri;ndi¾n Di;a; fu;n SÙe¾ôeô¾re¾ô Ti; n;f'omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The sparkling white Ogbe¾ He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for SÙeô¾e¾ôreô¾ When she was weeping in lamentaion of her inability to beget a baby She was advised to offer eôboô SÙeô¾e¾ôreô¾ was in love with her husband and his family members. All of the husband‟s family treated her as an egg which should be handled with care and love. She was given honour and respect. She was very much

1132

OGBE® O®FU:N

cared for in her matrimonial home and nobody just saw her as a wife in the family; she was regarded as a daughter and a member of the household. They pampered her and indulged her in so many aspects. As a matter of fact, many people were usually prepared to assist her in carrying out the household and domestic chores, especially her motherin-law who saw her as the daughter whom she never had. As a result of the way she was being treated, SÙeô¾e¾ôreô¾ was fully determined to prove to all the members of her husband‟s family that she was a good woman who also imbibed all the training she was given from her own home. She never wished to do anything, say any word or think in anything that might disappoint or offend any of her in-laws. She was always jovial with them and she treated all of them with respect and humility. Something however was causing her grief. The problem was that she had no child of her own. She had been married to her husband for six years now and there was no baby to show for it. She knew without being told that it would not take much longer before people would begin to whisper into her husband‟s ear that he needed to get another wife who would be able to bear him children. She was certain that the positive attitude received by her husband‟s family members would soon change towards her. She cried daily whenever she remembered this fact. What joy would it bring me to be able to beget at least one child into this wonderful family, she lamented. It was this thought that made her to go to the home of Ogbe¾-Fu;n Rindin-ri;ndi¾n for Ifá consultation. All that preoccupied her mind was to know if she would be able to beget a baby of her own in her life; whether or not she would have the baby for her husband and in that household; and if yes, what she needed to do to have the baby as quickly as possible. During the Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-O®fu;n was revealed. The Awo told SÙeô¾e¾ôreô that she was pre-occupied with whether or not she would be blessed with the fruit of the womb. The Awo assured her that she would not be blessed with not only one, but several children. She was told that a time would come that she would have no other assignment than to take good care of her children. She was also told that when that time arrived, she would not be wanting to go out to attend any social events because all her interest would be lost for such matters. She would consider all social events as trivial issues.

1133


She was advised to offer ẹbọ with two rats, two fish, two hens and money. She complied that same day. When she left the home of the Awo, she brought back with her hope and assurance. Two months after, it happened! She became pregnant! SÙeô¾e¾ôreô could not believe what she was experiencing. Was this true or false? Was this actually happening to her or she was just in a dream? She informed her husband. He told her to keep it between the two of them for the time being but she was unable to do that. She felt that it would be a betrayal to her mother-in-law who considered her as her daughter. She whispered it into her ears. The mother-in-law‟s face broke into a big smile. She hugged her and advised her to keep it a secret for the time being. She confessed to her mother-in-law that she had already informed her husband. So between the three of them, they began to hide a secret which, four months after became known to everybody in the household and the community at large without being told. Everybody was very happy for her. The mother-in-law insisted that she must not do any hard work in the house again. She ordered her to rest until she gave birth to the baby. When she went into labour, she gave birth to a set of triplets! The whole community burst into a big celebration. Three years after this, she gave birth to another set of triplets. And within 10 years, SÙeô¾e¾ôreô had more than 12 children! True to the prediction of the Awo, she had no time for any social event. The children, males and females, took over all her time. She enjoyed seeing them grow into young children. She dreamt of the time that they would grow into adolescent and from there into adults. She saw herself preparing for the wedding ceremony of her lovely girls and handsome boys. The thought usually made her happy and fulfilled. Most of her friends who expressed their disappointment of not seeing her anymore were explained to that they hardly saw her anymore because she was busy taking care of her blessings and her children did not allow her to visit or socialize with anyone. Ogbe¾-Fu;n rindin-ri;ndi¾n Di;a; fu;n SÙe¾ôeô¾re¾ô Ti; n;fomi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾

1134

OGBE® O®FU:N

Ire oômoô wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru N®je;ô ki;nni o¾ je;ô n ja;de o? SÙe¾ôeôr¾ e¾ô OÙmoô ni o¾ jeô; n ja;’de SÙe¾ôeôr¾ eô¾ SÙe¾ôeôr¾ eô¾ o o¾! oômoô o¾ jeô n ja;’de o SÙe¾ôeôr¾ e Omo ni o je n ja’de SÙeô¾e¾rô eô¾ Translation: The sparkling white Ogbe¾ He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for SÙeô¾e¾ôreô¾ When she was weeping in lamentaion of her inability to beget a baby She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Before long, not too far The Ire of child-bearing came trooping in Now, what does not allow me to attend social events? SÙeô¾e¾ôreô My children are the ones who do not allow me to attend social events SÙeô¾e¾ôreô Children do not allow me to go out SÙeô¾e¾ôreô My children are the ones who do not allow me to attend social events Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be blessed with many children who will make him/her proud and self-fulfilled. Ifá assures him/her that he/she will never live his/her life without being surrounded by children. 6. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of child-bearing for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she shall give birth to four great children in life. Ifá also assures this person that he/she will

1135


never face humiliation or disgrace in his/her life. Ifá says that he/she will engage in something that is very delicate which under normal circumstances would end up in failure and disgrace but Ifá will assure this person that Ifá, OÙba¾ta;la; and Olo;du¾mare¾ will perform miracles in his/her life and instead of disgrace, he/she shall receive commendation and honour. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four mature she-goats, and money. If he/she cannot afford this, he/she may offer the eôboô with four laying hens and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá and OÙba¾ta;la; as appropriate and as prescribed by Ifá. On this, Ifá says: Igi n;la; ni;i; ta’gbo¾ o fa¾bi¾fa¾bi¾ ja;’na¾ Bi; a ba; ge; e ni;hi¾n-i;n I®yo;ku¾ a wo¾ô’gbeô; Bi; a ba; ge; e lo;ôhu¾n-u;n I®yo;ku¾ a wo¾ô’gbeô; L'a;a¾ri;n gu¾ngu¾ngu¾n l’oôpa n;pajeô Di;a; fu;n O®o¾sôa¾ Ti; n;f'omi oju; su¾ngbe;re; oômoô EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: A big tree has its roots running across the road If one cuts it on this side The remaining part will run into the forest If one cuts it on the other side The remaining part will run into the forest The piece in between will be used for herbal preparations These were the declarations of Ifá to O®o¾sôa¾ When weeping in lamentation for her inability to receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb She was advised to offer ẹbọ

1136

OGBE® O®FU:N

O®o¾sôa¾ had served Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities diligently. She had been given a very high spiritual reward and position. She was the favourite of the Iru;nmoôleô¾ and Olo;du¾mare¾. Through her, many prayers had been answered. Many problems had been solved. Many tears had been wiped off and replaced with smiles. Many pains and anguish had been replaced with relief and comfort. Sadness had turned to joy. Hopelessness had been converted to hopefulness. Wants had become surplus. Scarcity had turned to abundance. Depression became elevation. People would troop to her home with the expectation of receiving miracles in their lives and they had every reason to expect so. They had witnessed and seen several miracles that had happened around them to make them feel very sure that it would happen to them also. They were not disappointed. They were never disappointed. Ironically, O®o¾sôa¾ was waiting and waiting for a miracle to happen in her life but it never happened! O®o¾sa ô ¾ was praying fervently to Olo;du¾mare¾ to give her the blessing of the fruit of the womb and it never happened. Time kept passing by and she was no longer a young woman. The miracle which she craved for more than anything else in her life had simply failed to come. One day she woke up in the middle of the night and prayed. She pleaded with all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ and Olo;du¾mare¾ to grant her request. She stated that several people had approached her for the blessing of the fruit of the womb and through her, they had become mothers. Why should her own become impossible? She cried. As she prayed, she wept bitterly. The heavens took pity on her plight. They directed her to the home of the group of Awo stated above for a solution. Very early in the morning, she was the first person the Awo saw. She told them that she had come for Ifá consultation. During this crucial consultation, Ogbe¾-Fu;n was revealed. The Awo told O®o¾sôa¾ that she was in dire need of a miracle in order for her womb to open and bear the fruit of a baby. They assured her that all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ and Olo;du¾mare¾ had hearkened to her plea; she was told that she would become pregnant and give birth to a baby. They told her that at her age, she would only be able to have one child. They then advised her to offer ẹbọ with four mature she-goats and money. She complied immediately. She was so grateful and happy that at last, her own miracle and bundle of joy would be on the way to come into her life.

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True to prediction, O®o¾sôa¾ became pregnant that same month. Ten months after, she gave birth to a lovely girl. The baby was named E®e¾ya¾n. From that very day, she had been dreaming of several different assignments for her. She lost interest in many other things except for how to take the best care of her baby. When the baby was growing up, both of them were seen everywhere together. She would never go anywhere without taking her joy along with her. The little girl began to develop rapidly and looked so much like her mother in several areas. Anytime that O®o¾sôa looked at the face of her girl, she would simply smile in appreciation of what Olo;du¾mare¾ had done for her. When the girl reached her adolescent age, many suitors were already talking to O®o¾sôa to give them the hand of her daughter in marriage. She told all of them to wait! When the girl was matured enough and ready for the marriage market O®o¾sôa became very worried and confused on what to do. The problem was that she had agreed to give her daughter in marriage to four different men! To make the matter worse, she had even accepting gifts and presents from the families of these four men! The four men were: one, a Trader; two, a Hunter; three, a Farmer; and four, a Sculptor. Before long, each of them got the hint that other men were also in the race to have O®o¾sôa‟s daughter as a wife. Consequent upon this, the competition became very keen. They brought more gifts and presents and O®o¾sôa accepted them all! None of the four men wanted to lose her. Somehow, the four men and their families had developed a deep and passionate love for E®e¾ya¾n, O®o¾sôa‟s daughter. They could not think of life without E®e¾ya¾n. The love was so deep that they were prepared to sacrifice anything and endure any hardship in order to ensure that they had E®e¾ya¾n as a wife. One day, the four suitors‟ families came to the home of O®o¾sôa, one after the other. What they wanted to find out from O®o¾sôa was the day of the wedding. O®o¾sôa gave the four families the same date. She told them that all arrangements would be concluded by that time. As soon as the suitors‟ families departed, O®o¾sôa realized that she had organized and concluded a serious problem for herself. How was she going to do it? Where on earth was it ever heard of that a damsel was handed over to four men in marriage in one day? What was she going to

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do to save face from inevitable trouble and humiliation? She toyed with the idea of running away from the community together with her daughter. She quickly discarded the idea. She basically had nowhere she could go where she would not be traced to and fished out. She even considered killing herself but discarded the idea. She knew that killing herself would mean leaving her daughter to face the wrath and humiliation of the offence that she never committed. She thought of calling the four suitors' families together to apologize to them that she had misbehaved and ask for their forgiveness. The thought was also abandoned because she knew that the four men would die of anger, frustration and sorrow. What then should she do? Meanwhile, the whole neighbourhood was awash with gossip. They were all counting the date when O®o¾sôa would face the disgrace of her life. They said that anyone who planned to do what no one had ever done before, such a person should be prepared to experience what no one has ever experienced before. The tension in the community was almost touchable. They noticed that O®o¾sôa had become disorganized and disoriented. They concluded that she must be planning to run away from the community. No! They would not allow her to run away. They organized vigilante groups to take turns in watching every step she took. The groups were mandated to stop her and report to the community leaders if they suspected her of taking any unusual steps. When only nine days remained for the wedding day, O®o¾sôa summoned up all her courage and took a bold step: she went and handed herself over to Olo;du¾mare¾. In the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾, O®o¾sôa¾ cried and pleaded; “Olo;du¾mare¾, I have erred. I have put myself and my daughter in a precarious situation. I have come to hand over myself to you in order to decree any punishment you wish for me. I have concluded arrangements to give my only daughter to four suitors and only nine days remain for the wedding ceremony to take place. Olo;du¾mare¾, I feel disgrace and humiliation! I have served you with all my heart. I have never for one day transgressed against any of your directives. I have never refused to carry out any of your assignments. This is the first major offense I know that I have ever committed. Olo;du¾mare¾, please save me! Do not let me be humiliated. I am prepared to face any punishment you may deem fit for me. If I hand over my daughter to any one of the four suitors, the remaining three would surely die! I have erred because of my indecision! I am here to beg you to have mercy on me, my daughter and the families

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of the four suitors. The whole community will also be adversely affected. Olo;du¾mare¾, please do not leave me to myself inflicted problems!” As she was pleading, so was she crying and rolling herself on the ground. All the Iru;nmoôleô¾, Egu;ngu;n, Oro¾ and O®ri¾sôa¾ in heaven were all sympathetic. They knew that she had worked tirelessly and selflessly before this incident. At last, Olo;du¾mare¾, directed O®o¾sôa¾ to OÙba¾ta;la;. She was told to go and explain herself there. When O®o¾sôa¾ got to the domain of OÙba¾ta;la;, she narrated her story again. OÙba¾ta;la; told her that; "you have committed a serious offense against Olo;du¾mare¾, the Iru;nmoôleô¾, Egu;ngu;n, Oro¾, other O®ri¾sôa¾ and even against yourself. You have also erred against your daughter, your family, your community and humanity at large. You are going to receive your punishment at the appropriate time. Meanwhile, there is the need to find a solution to the problem that you have created. You have to return to your home now. When you get there, ask the farmer to bring a big and robust water yam for you unfailingly on the eve of the wedding. Ask the Hunter to bring a mature deer to you on the same day and ask the sculptor to carve an image in the likeness of your daughter and bring it to you on the same day. You do not need to ask the trader for anything. You must then put everything that they have brought to you in a special room and await my further instruction and action. Olo;du¾mare¾ who created the world will never reveal ITS innermost secrets to anyone”. With this assurance, O®o¾sôa¾ left the domain of OÙba¾ta;la;. She knew that a solution would be found to her problem. How it would be resolved, she did not know. She just did as she was told. She started to make arrangements for the wedding. All the four suitors knew about each other by then. There was tension among them, O®o¾sôa¾ told the Hunter to come at I®da;ji; (dawn) to take his wife. She told the Farmer to come at I®ya;le¾ôta, midday for his wife, she told the Sculptor to come at OÙ®sa;n, afternoon to take his wife. Lastly, she instructed the Trader to come at I®roô¾le;ô evening for his own wife. Everyone in the community heard of the different periods that O®o¾sôa¾ had given the four suitors. They believed that she was planning for the daughter to return to her home as soon as she was handed over in marriage. This, the whole community determined, would never happen.

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They went round the homes of the four suitors to instigate them against O®o¾sôa¾ and her daughter. They told them that once the daughter had been handed over to any of them, they must not allow her to return to her mother‟s home again on that day. They said that the diabolic plan of O®o¾sôa¾ must be frustrated. There were schemes, plans and counter-plans. Everybody took an active part in ensuring that O®o¾sôa¾ was thoroughly humiliated. To everybody‟s surprise they realized that the confidence and selfassurance of O®o¾sôa¾ had returned. She was happy and she behaved as a self-fulfilled woman. Everybody in the whole community waited. Everybody put his/her ears to the ground. Preparations were going on for the wedding. Food and drinks were ordered in excess. Different types of dresses were bought for the ceremony from different lands. On the eve of the ceremony, the whole community was filled with visitors, guests and onlookers from far and near. They wanted to see the shame and disgrace of O®o¾sôa¾ the next day. Nobody wanted to be told the story. They all wanted to be eye witnesses! The three suitors brought what they were asked to bring on that day. The Hunter brought a big deer, the Farmer brought a giant water-yam and the Sculptor brought an image in the height and likeness of E®e¾ya¾n. Nobody slept till the next day. Nobody could sleep. Nobody wished to sleep. It would have been a big shame for anyone to fall asleep and miss any of the action and drama that was about to unfold. At dawn, the Hunter and his family members arrived at O®o¾sôa¾‟s home! There was dead silence everywhere! O®o¾sôa¾ welcomed them and asked them to take their seats. They were all impatient. She insisted. They all sat on the edges of their seats. The guests were served with food and drinks. They were not interested in the food, but as a sign of courtesy for their host, they took the meals and drinks. When it was time to take their wife, O®o¾sôa¾ went into the special room where she had kept the items that OÙba¾ta;la; asked her to instruct the three suitors to bring. She was surprised to find OÙba¾ta;la; in the room, waiting for her. OÙba¾ta;la; commanded the deer which the Hunter had brought the previous day to transform into a human being, charging that Olo;du¾mare¾ who created the world would never reveal its innermost secrets to anyone. Right in the presence of O®o¾sôa¾, the deer turned into a human

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being in the same likeness of her daughter! O®o¾sôa¾ was overwhelmed with joy. They dressed the deer-turned-to-human up and O®o¾sôa¾ went out with her. She handed over the “bride” to her Hunter husband. The whole gathering of the Hunter's guests erupted into a big celebration. They considered themselves lucky for being the chosen one to have O®o¾sôa¾‟s daughter as wife. They all dispersed and went home to continue the celebration. The whole community witnessed the event. They said that the time for O®o¾sôa¾, to face her well-deserved humiliation had arrived. At I®ya;le¾ôta, the family of the Farmer arrived. They had been told that O®o¾sôa¾ had given her daughter to the Hunter. They demanded for their wife while standing. O®o¾sôa¾ told them to take their seats. They sat reluctantly. They were served with food and drinks. They refused to touch them. O®o¾sôa¾ insisted that they must eat and drink first. They took the food reluctantly. When the time to hand over the wife came, O®o¾sôa¾ went into her special room and met OÙba¾ta;la; there again. OÙba¾ta;la; also ordered the yam to become a human being. Again, right in the presence of O®o¾sôa¾, the yam was transformed into the exact likeness of her daughter! OÙba¾ta;la; said that Olo;du¾mare¾ who created the world would never reveal its innermost secrets to anyone. When O®o¾sôa¾ went out with her “daughter” the second time, the whole place turned dead silent. Nobody breathed again. Nobody could breath! The shock was overwhelming. Everybody was flabbergasted! What went wrong? No, what went right for O®o¾sôa¾? What wonder was it that they were witnessing here today, they wondered. As they were wondering over this wonderful wonder, they noticed to their extended wonder that it was the same dress, the same hair style, the same sandals, the same bracelets and the same everything that the first daughter had on. The two even had the same smile on their faces! But O®o¾sôa¾ had only one daughter! Even if she had more than one, the two could not be of the same height, stature, complexion and age! No, something was amiss here! Maybe something went right for O®o¾sa ô ¾ which nobody was aware of. Did the daughter that had just been wedded out to the Hunter quietly and secretly return without anyone noticing her? That must be the reason! That ought to be the reason! In fact, that was the reason! They quickly sent two people to run as fast as they could to

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the Hunter‟s home to verify whether or not the newly wedded lady was there. There were two E®e¾ya¾n now!!! The wonder became more wonderful for anyone to comprehend. The Farmer and his family returned to their home together with their wife. They too wondered about the wonderful development! They had their wife with them. They also heard that the Hunter and his family had his own wife with him. How could they both have the same lady at the same time? Wonder of gargantuan proportion had really taken place! In the afternoon, the family of the Sculptor arrived. They all stood rigid with anxiety. They had been informed that the Hunter and the Farmer had earlier come and they had both gone away with the same lady. How such wonder could happen, they too were wondering. They were all seated and were offered food and drinks. They ate and drank. They were too confused to be in haste over anything. When it was time to hand over the daughter to the groom‟s family and for all the marriage rites to begin, O®o¾sôa¾ went inside and headed straight into the special room. Again she met OÙba¾ta;la; waiting. OÙba¾ta;la; again drew out the A®sôeô and commanded the carved image brought by the Sculptor to transform into a human being, saying that Olo;du¾mare¾ who created the world would never reveal its innermost secrets to anyone. And again, right in the presence of O®o¾sôa¾ the image turned to her daughter, in her exact likeness. She went out with the “bride”, all dressed up like the other two brides before her. Everywhere stood still and rigid. Nobody moved. Nobody coughed. Nobody sneezed! Everywhere was charged. Everywhere was tense with anxiety. Everywhere looked brighter and darker, all at the same time. What was this? Wondering about this wonder was totally confounding. Explaining it in any logical sense was beyond anyone‟s capability. One lady in three places at the same time! This had never happened before! That was happening right here and now! History in magnificent proportions was being created right before their own eyes! To confirm how wonderful the wonder they were witnessing was, they sent two able-bodied men to the home of the Hunter again, and sent another two to the home of the Farmer to ascertain that the two newlywedded “brides” were physically present there. Those who were sent on the errands returned and stated that they saw the two "brides" with their own eyes!

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Those who had condemned O®o¾sôa¾ before had begun to have a change of opinion. Instead of condemnation, it turned to admiration. Instead of hatred, it changed to love. Instead of disgrace, it turned to respect. But how would she handle the fourth suitor? They began to wonder again. Well, some felt that the wonder which took place three times might as well happen the fourth time. Others felt that O®o¾sôa¾ had pushed her luck too far. A series of speculations took place. They argued and guessed. They even disagreed with one another. How were they to know that OÙba¾ta;la; had completed this work of wonders? Who would have told them that the actual daughter of O®o¾sa ô ¾ was the one about to be wedded out to the Trader? Finally, the family of the Trader came in the evening. They were seated and entertained. They ate and drank to their satisfaction. They too had come to witness wonder. They were all aware that three marriage ceremonies had taken place earlier. They were also informed that the same lady that they had come to marry had been given out three times earlier. The only wonder was that this lady was present in the three places at the same time! Maybe, just maybe, she would be living in four places at the same time! Just maybe! What wonder could be more than that, they too wondered. When it was time to perform the marriage rites, O®o¾sôa¾ went inside the special room and got her daughter dressed up for the occasion. She came out with her. This time, the whole world stood still! Those who sat down stood up very slowly to behold the wonder. Suddenly, the whole world burst into a spontaneous celebration. They cried, laughed, screamed, jumped, danced and clapped, all at the same time. They hailed O®o¾sôa¾ for giving them the luck and opportunity to witness a wonder of equal proportion with their own eyes. A few moments after this, they asked O®o¾sôa¾ "how did you manage to pull off this wonderful spectacle?” She replied to them saying: ”Don‟t you know that Olo;du¾mare¾ who created the world would never reveal its innermost secrets to anyone?”. Everybody dispersed to their various homes wondering over the wonder that they witnessed in the home of O®o¾sôa.

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Three years after the incident, the Hunter came to O®o¾sôa. He said that his wife was a powerful worker. She could do anything and she pleased him a lot. Her major weakness however was that she was very stubborn and recalcitrant. She had no regard for anyone when she was angry. She also would engage with anyone, man or woman in a physical fight and wrestle down the person. He shared that he would not want her to be engaging in fighting or disrespectful behaviour again. He also said that she needed to learn how to stop when asked to do so. O®o¾sôa told the Hunter that love alone was not enough to have a good relationship with his wife. It must be coupled with understanding. She told him to go back home and understand his wife more than ever before. He was informed that his wife having animalistic traits needed to be better understood and taught better behaviour. He must also learn to avoid anything that would activate the animalistic instinct in her. With this, the Hunter left, full of determination to ensure that he made a success of his marriage to his wife. He knew that both of them needed to understand each other in order to ensure a successful relationship. As he was determined to understand his wife, he would also encourage her to understand him also. Next came the Farmer. He told O®o¾sôa that his wife was very jovial, neat and respectful. He however complained that anytime there was work to be done, she would be on her bed complaining that she was either feeling a cold coming on or that she had a fever. The other women in the house would be working while she would be sleeping. O®o¾sôa told him that loving his wife was not enough and he needed to understand her better. He was told that he needed to understand that his wife had the make-up of a water-yam and was not of strong or tough physiological make-up. Consequent upon that, she was not able to work as much as others. There was the need to give her small assignments that would make her useful in the family. She could really not do more than that because she was not created with enough strength or resilience to perform more. The Farmer returned home with the full determination to understand his wife more than ever before. At the same time, he vowed that he would encourage his wife to understand him too. By so doing, he reasoned, that they would be able to make a success of the relationship. He would

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also make his own family members understand the nature of his wife and that would bring an end to the complaints and grumblings against her. When the Sculptor arrived, he told O®o¾sôa that his wife was very beautiful and adorable and that she loved him and he loved her too. He however complained that she was too insensitive to many things happening around her. When anything good would happen to someone, she did not know how to rejoice with the person and if something bad happened to someone, she did not appear to know how to sympathize with the affected person. People would even complain about her but she appeared not to be bothered by people‟s comments. O®o¾sôa told him that his observations were correct. She however told him that even though he loved his wife, love was not sufficient enough to make a relationship work. He needed to include understanding into the relationship. He was told that his wife was like a wooden image which is insensitive to all the happenings around it. He was told that if he truly loved his wife as he had claimed, he must learn to also love her inadequacies. She could not behave better than that because she was like a carved image. He was told that she really meant no harm when she would fail to rejoice or commiserate with people. It was simply her nature. The Sculptor left with the determination to explain the situation to his family in order for them to also understand his wife and respect her inadequacies. He also vowed to understand her more than ever before and to urge her to understand him too. He was fully prepared to make a success of the marriage. The Trader arrived last. He brought a lot of presents for O®o¾sôa. He said that he had come to show his appreciation and gratitude to O®o¾sôa for giving him such a considerate, accommodating, and well-mannered lady as a wife. He said that he had no complaints whatsoever against her. He told O®o¾sôa that E®e¾ya¾n was exceptional in all areas of life. She was loving, lovable, kind, considerate, humble, truthful, trust worthy and totally reliable. O®o¾sôa told him that it was not surprising because he had married a true child of O®o¾sôa. She however told him that she would do even more for him if he was able to understand her better. There was therefore the need for him to strive to understand his wife more than ever before. He

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also needed to encourage his wife to understand him too. Anytime that she made a mistake, he needed to understand that as a human being she was bound to make mistakes once in a while. The Trader left with the determination to understand his wife more than ever before. He also vowed to make his wife understand him too. It was his fervent desire to ensure that their wedding continued to work effectively for the rest of their lives. As for O®o¾sôa, she was eventually punished for her misconducts by the Divinities. How? When? and Where? Nobody knows. It is not the nature of the Divinities to make a public announcement of their administrative styles, especially when it concerns one of their own. Igi n;la; ni;i; ta’gbo¾ o fa¾bi¾fa¾bi¾ ja;’na¾ Bi; a ba; ge; e ni;hi¾n-i;n I®yo;ku¾ a wo¾ô’gbeô; Bi; a ba; ge; e lo;ôhu¾n-u;n I®yo;ku¾ a wo¾ô’gbeô; La;a¾ri;n gu¾ngu¾ngu¾n l’oôpa n;pajeô Di;a; fu;n O®o¾sôa¾ Ti; n;f'omi oju; su¾ngbe;re; oômoô EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô I®gba¾ti; yo;o; bi;i O: bi; E®e¾ya¾n Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: A big tree has its roots running across the road If one cuts it on this side The remaining part will run into the forest If one cuts it on the other side The remaining part will run into the forest The piece in between will be used for herbal preparations These were the declarations of Ifá to O®o¾sôa¾

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When weeping in lamentation of her inability to receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb She was advised to offer ẹbọ She complied When she delivered She gave birth to E®e¾ya¾n Before long, not too far Join us in the midst of joy Come and perceive all the Ire of life Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall not be disgraced or humiliated. He/she will succeed where he/she is expected to fail. Ifá also says that there is the need for some couples to add understanding to their love in order to make a success of their relationship. By so doing, they will enjoy each other for the rest of their lives. 7. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of victory over adversity for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. This person will be victorious over a more powerful and more fearsome opponent. Ifá says that there is a woman where this Odù is revealed who needs to marry someone who is initiated into Ifá in order for her to live long on earth. Ifá says that death threatens her regularly but if she is married to someone who is initiated into Ifá, she will be protected against premature death. Ifá also says that it foresees the Ire of elevation and accomplishment for three people where this Odù is revealed. They will all become prominent and respected people. They will also become leaders among their contemporaries. Ifá says that the situation of this person shall turn to joy. He/she will have cause to celebrate his/her success, accomplishment and contentment. He/she will have peace of mind and elevation. For victory, Ifá advises the affected person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land snails. Afterward, the empty shells of the snails are to be tied round a pole of about two meters long and will be used to strike

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the ground from the space where the Awo did the eôboô to the front of E®sôu¾ where the pole will then be stuck into the ground. For the woman who needs to marry an Ifá initiate, her ẹbọ materials are one mature she-goat and money. She should also be advised that the only thing to fear in this world is Fear itself. Her chosen spouse also does not need to fear death in any way whatsoever. For the Ire of elevation for three people, Ifá recommends as ẹbọ one mature she-goat, two pigeons and money from each of them. Each of them also needs to feed O®gu;n. Ask Ifá what O®gu;n needs to be fed. 7 days after performing ẹbọ and feeding O®gu;n, the Awo needs to perform the seventh day rite for O®gu;n. When the 7th day arrives, the Awo will ask Ifá what materials to use to feed O®gu;n on this day. Now, in order to turn a person‟s situation in life to joy, Ifá recommends offering ẹbọ with two pigeons, two cocks, two guineafowls and money. On all these, Ifá says: I®sôeô;bi¾ weôr; e;ôweô;re;ô ni;i; t’oô;wo;ô To; ba; d’o;ôwoô;, a d’awe;ô To; ba; de;’le¾ô, a d’oô¾to¾ôoô¾to¾ô To; ba; de;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾-Agoô¾tu;n A d’i¾ko;ko;ro; kandi-kandi Di;a; fu;n Olu;-O®po¾po; Ari;’yu¾n bo;ô’le¾ô Ar’a;gbada n;la; mu’po Aye; o¾un le¾ da;ra lo; n;da';fa; si; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: Tiny pieces of kola nuts are what one gets After one procures them they will become the lobes of the kola nut When these (tiny pieces) are planted in the ground They will become whole kola nuts again When they get to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾-Agoô¾tu;n They will be covered with pods and will germinate

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into big kola nuts These were the declarations of Ifá to Olu;-O®po¾po; He who propitiates the ground with coral beads And has a big basin to consume palm-oil When he went for Ifá consultation in order to improve his life He was advised to offer ẹbọ Olu;-O®po¾po; was by every standard a very successful man. He was however of a very humble background. He suffered a lot when he was very young. He used to be without food for days. He was lucky to become a very rich man when he grew up. He was assisted by friends and the family of his wife. Once up there, he dreaded anything that would bring him down again. He did not want to face the pain, agony, frustration and deprivation caused by poverty ever again. For this reason, he cultivated the habit of consulting Ifá on a regular basis. It was during one of his regular Ifá consultation that Ogbè-Funfun was revealed. The Awo assured him that he would continue to move up the socioeconomic ladder. He was told that he would never experience poverty and want in his life. He was advised to offer ẹbọ with one mature she-goat, two pigeons and money. He complied accordingly. Instead of his success going down, it continued to move up. He became a very influential personality in his community. He was one of the decision makers in the whole society. He lived his life in comfort and contentment. Abe;ôreô; ni;i; f’ori; ara a reô¾ sô’isôeô; Di;a; fu;n Igu;n Ti; n;sô'awo loô s'o;de I®lo;de¾ EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The needle is it that works with the tip of its head This was the message of Ifá for Igu;n, the Vulture When going on an Ifá mission to I®lo;de¾ land He was advised to offer ẹbọ

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Igu;n, the Vulture was an accomplished Babaláwo. He had performed many astonishing feats to the fascination of his clients. His reputation had spread far and wide as a competent Babaláwo. It was for this reason that he was invited by the inhabitants of I®lo;de¾ land to come and consult Ifá for them. That was the reason why he too went to his own personal Awo for Ifá consultation: He asked his Awo, Will I succeed in I®lo;de¾ town? During Ifá consultation, Ogbè-O®fu;n was revealed. The Awo told Igu;n that he was about to go on a journey and that was why he had come for Ifá consultation. He was assured that he would be very successful where he was going. He was also advised to offer ẹbọ with one mature she-goat and money. He was also advised to feed Ifá as appropriate and as directed by Ifá. He complied. When Igu;n got to I®lo;de¾ town, he became an instant success. He was able to solve all the major problems that had hitherto confounded the inhabitants of I®lo;de¾ town. He was given respect and honour in the land. He was later known as “Igu;n, ara; I®lo;de¾”” meaning, Igu;n, the Vulture, the inhabitant of I®lo;de¾ land. They gave him this appellation when he was conferred as an honorary citizen of I®lo;de¾ town in appreciation of the excellent job that he performed for them. O®ye¾e;re;-Eri;moô¾ Di;a; fu;n Isôin ahoro O®un le¾ di eôni n;la; lo; n; da;'fa; si; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: O®ye¾e;re;-Eri;mo¾ô He cast Ifa; for Isôin (the Ackee tree) living in the abandoned house When she went for Ifá consultation in order to determine her success chances in life She was advised to offer ẹbọ The building of the house did not collapse after Isôin started living there. It had collapsed before Isôin moved into the place. She found the place abandoned because it had collapsed. That suited her very well. She began to grow tall in the abandoned building. She however began to

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wonder, if I continue to live in this abandoned house, will I be able to bear fruits? Will I be noticed at all? Will I succeed in life? These were the concerns which took her to the home of O®ye¾e;re;-Eri;mo¾ô for Ifá consultation. When she consulted Ifá, Ogbè-funfun was revealed. The Awo told her that she had no cause to entertain any fear whatsoever. She was assured that she would bear fruits, she would be noticed and she would succeed in life. She was advised to offer ẹbọ with one mature she-goat, two pigeons and money. She complied Before long, she bore an uncountable number of fruits. Because of her fruits, she became noticed. People traced her to the abandoned house. She was frequented daily by many people. They also preserved the abandoned building because Isôin was there. She was very happy that she was able to fulfil her heart‟s desires in her life. I®gbe¾ôyi¾nwa¾ ni o¾ ju;’mo¾ô O®be;re;re; Omi;fo¾ô fu;n l’a¾gba; O®gi¾di¾n¾gbo; ri¾n ho¾o¾ho¾ w’oôja¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙba meô;ta Ti; n;beô ni;'nu; igbo; Di;a; fu;n Ala;ke; Ti; yo;o; j’oye¾-j’oye¾ Ti; yo;o; bo’ri; E®Ùgba; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The outcome of any event is not easy to predict with accuracy O®be;re;re; Omi;foô¾ fu;n l‟a¾gba; O®gi¾di¾n¾gbo; drum enters the market nakedly They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for three OÙba When they were living inside the forest They cast Ifá for Ala;ke; When going to be conferred with several titles And would eventually become the head of EÙ®gba; land He was advised to offer eôboô

1152

OGBE® O®FU:N

Ala;ke; was living in the forest. He was living there together with Ala;koôpa and E®ro¾-A®gu¾a;. They did not find their stay in the forest comfortable in any way whatsoever. That was why they went to the four Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: would they succeed in life? During Ifá consultation, Ogbè-funfun was revealed. The Awo told the three of them that they had no business staying in the forest. They were informed that by right, they were all Ϙba from heaven. They needed to move into cities and stay. That was when their potentials would be exhibited and they would all become crowned Ϙba that they had come into the world to be. They were also advised to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat, two pigeons, and money each. They all complied. Ala;ke; went to EÙ®gba; land. As soon as he got there, he was made the OÙba of Ake;, a small settlement in EÙ®gba; land. He remembered what the Awo had told him earlier. For this reason, he returned to them for another round of Ifá consultation. He was assured that he would eventually become the head of EÙ®gba; land. He was advised to offer eôboô again with one mature she-goat, two pigeons and money. He complied once more. When he returned to EÙ®gba; land, it did not take too long before he was made the overall head of all the Ϙba in EÙ®gba; kingdom. He was happy that he fulfilled the prediction of his destiny. I®gbe¾ôyi¾nwa¾ ni o¾ ju;’mo¾ô O®be;re;re; Omi;fo¾ô fu;n l’a¾gba; O®gi¾di¾n¾gbo; ri¾n ho¾o¾ho¾ w’oôja¾ Di;a; fu;n Ala;koôpa Eni¾ aboô¾gu;n-boô¾ri¾sôa¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The outcome of any event is not easy to predict with accuracy O®be;re;re;

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Omi;foô¾ fu;n l‟a¾gba; O®gi¾di¾n¾gbo; drum enters the market nakedly They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ala;koôpa He who propitiated O®gu;n and OÙba¾ta;la; regularly He was advised to offer eôboô When the three people left the forest, Ala;koôpa went to I®koôpa town. Not long after he got there, he was made the custodian of the town's O®gu;n and OÙba¾ta;la; shrines. He too remembered what the Awo had told him. He returned to them for another round of Ifa; consultation. And again, Ogbe¾-funfun was revealed. He was told that he would soon become the Ϙba of the land. He was advised to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat, two pigeons and money. As he had done earlier, he also complied. It did not take long before he too became the OÙÙba of I®koôpa land. He was given the title of Ala;koôpa of I®koôpa town. He too was able to fulfill the dictates of his destiny. I®gbe¾ôyi¾nwa¾ ni o¾ ju;’mo¾ô O®be;re;re; Omi;fo¾ô fu;n l’a¾gba; O®gi¾di¾n¾gbo; ri¾n ho¾o¾ho¾ w’oôja¾ Di;a; fu;n E®ro¾-Agu¾a; EÙni a sô’oro¾ a ki¾je EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The outcome of any event is not easy to predict with accuracy O®be;re;re; Omi;foô¾ fu;n l‟a¾gba; O®gi¾di¾n¾gbo; drum enters the market nakedly They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for E®ro¾- Agu¾a; He who propitiated Oro¾ and performed the seventh day rite He was advised to offer eôboô

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OGBE® O®FU:N

When E®ro¾-A®®gu¾o;ô left the forest, he went to A®gu¾o;ô town. Soon after this, he was made the head of the Oro¾ cult of the town. He too remembered the predictions of the four Awo who consulted Ifa; for the three of them. He returned to the Awo for another consultation. Just as it had happened in the cases of the two others before him, Ogbe¾-funfun was revealed. The Awo told him that he was going to become OÙba of A®gu¾oô; land. He was advised to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat, two pigeons and money. He was also advised to feed Orò comprehensively and perform the seventh day rites. He complied. Not too long after the performance of the eôboô, E®ro¾-A®gu¾o;ô was made the OÙba of A®gu¾o;ô land. He was also happy that he too had been able to accomplish what his destiny had predicted for him just like his other two friends before him. The three friends became OÙba as Ifa; had predicted for them. EÙyeô n;la; ni;i; f’apa; a; sô’oôga;n OÙ®ro¾ô ti’bi hu¾n-hu¾n teô’leô¾ OÙ®ro¾ô-hu¾nhu¾n Di;a; fu;n Ori;-Meôs ¾ ôeô E®ri¾gi¾ Magba OÙ®roô o¾un le¾ da’yoô¾ lo; n; da';fa; si; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: A big bird uses its arms as an anchor Most matters begin from points of confusion OÙ®roô¾ hu¾n-hu¾n They cast Ifa; for Ori;-Meô¾seô E®ri¾gi¾ Magba When he went to consult Ifá on whether or not his matter would turn to joy in his life He was advised to offer eôboô Nobody can blame Ori;-Meô¾seô for feeling very concerned about the turn of events in his life. He had once been a very successful man, but now he had gone down completely. What remained for him was to die and be buried. That was why he was agitated. Is this the way my life will

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continue to be? He asked himself several times. What must I do to improve my life? He queried himself. This was the reason why he went to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. During the process of consultation, Ogbe¾-O®fu;n was revealed. The Awo told him that his matter would soon turn to joy. He was assured that he would regain all what he had lost and more. He was advised to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two cocks, two guinea-fowls and money. He complied. Not too long after this, his life improved for the better. He was, as Ifá had predicted, able to regain all what he had lost. He even became more successful than ever before. He lived the rest of his life, a very contented man. A®woôn oômoô Awo Ke;re;-ke¾re¾-ke;re; WoÙ;n f’a¾po¾ po¾ôn'yi¾n Awo I®lu;-Gbogbo EÙ®je¾ o¾ jeô; ka; m’Awo ori; n; be;ô Di;a; fu;n E®ôeô¾ru¾-o¾bi;ri; OÙmoô Ikin o¾ da;'ko¾ i¾ja¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: The young Ifá students All strapped their Ifá bags to their backs The Awo of I®lu;-Gbogbo land EÙ®je¾ o¾ jeô; ka; m‟Awo ori; n; beô; They cast Ifa; for EÙ®e¾ôru¾-O®bi;ri;, the Fear Offspring of the Ikin that never allows any intimidation to scare him He was advised to offer eôboô EÙ®e¾ôru¾-O®bi;ri;, (the Fear) was an appellation given to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ himself because of the way his predictions would come to pass. It was observed that no matter how insurmountable any problem might appear, he would find a very simple but miraculous way to find a solution to the problem. Those who had benefited from his limitless capability to resolve the problems of their lives would comment that through OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, Ifá caused

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OGBE® O®FU:N

them more fear than a Leopard‟s attack. That is why he was being called EÙ®e¾ôru¾-O®bi;ri;, (The Fear). OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went to the home of the group of Awo stated above for Ifá consultation and asked: Will I continue to find easy solutions to any and all problems that are brought to me? Will I be able to find easy solutions to my own problems too? During the Ifá consultation process, Ogbèfunfun was revealed. The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would never fail in any of his assignments in life. He was told that he would be able to find very easy solutions to all problems. The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the only thing to fear more than any other thing in this world was Fear itself. They said that it was the fear of the problem that usually made the problem impossible to solve. If OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ could summon the courage to not have fear, he would continue to solve all problems facing all his devotees and those which faced him. The Awo advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, 16 land snails and money. He was also advised to feed Ifá with a mature she-goat. He complied. Ever since this time, he never gave in to fear. No matter how serious or daunting the problem would be, he would tackle it head-on. Doing so always made him succeed where he was expected to fail. Ifa; wi;, o; lo; d’oô¾pa¾ra¾pa¾ra¾ l’a;ja¾ E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; d’oô¾pa¾ra¾pa¾ra¾ l’a;ja¾ O®giri n; la’nu o¾ô foô'hu¾n A®woôn lo; ki’Fa; fu;n Iku; A bu¾ fu;n EÙ®e¾ôru¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: Ifá declares that something is making fearful sounds on the roof of the house I chorus that something is making fearful sounds on the roof of the house The wall cracks and opens like a mouth without uttering any sound They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Ikú (Death)

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The same was also declared for EÙe¾ôru¾, (Fear) They were advised to offer eôboô Ikú (Death) believed that there was nothing or anyone on earth that he could not reduce to nothing. He was so confident in himself that nobody dared to face him. Truly, everyone on earth feared Ikú. They felt that his ability to kill anyone at anytime that he wished was more than enough to dread him. He too was aware that everything and everyone on earth dreaded him. One day, he was going along the road and he saw E®re¾e;tu;nde;, a beautiful damsel and he wished to marry her. He approached the lady and told her to go and inform her parents that he, Ikú himself wanted to marry her. The young lady was gripped with so much fear that she could not utter any word! When she got back home, she reported her encounter to her parents. They went into a panic. What should they think about this? What should they say? What should they do? How should they react to this? Who should they approach for advice or support? The father of E®re¾e;tu;nde;, was OÙloô;fin. He panicked. His wife panicked. The whole household panicked. Should they turn down the advance of Ikú? Should they dare to turn down his advance? Would he not simply wipe out the whole household within the twinkle of an eye if they did so? Olo;du¾mare¾, what should we do? If they agreed to give Ikú their beloved E®re¾e;tu;nde;, what would happen to her? Would she be able to persuade Ikú to spare their lives and make them live as old as they wanted? The whole household felt that if E®re¾e;tu;nde;, was able to make Ikú happy, he would spare their lives. Many of them felt that, in order to save their lives, it was better to accept Ikú‟s proposal and hand over E®re¾e;tu;nde;, to him in marriage. While they were thinking about what to do, and how best to handle their delicate situation, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ sent his household members to OÙloô;fin to tell him that he (OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾) was interested in having the hand of his daughter, E®re¾e;tu;nde; in marriage. This threw the whole household into another round of confusion. Ikú (Death) and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ who everyone knew as EÙ®eô¾ru¾ (Fear) were contesting over the hand of his only daughter in marriage! Whose proposal should they accept? Whose proposal should they turn down? How should they handle this situation? What approach should they apply? The more they thought about the situation, the more

1158

OGBE® O®FU:N

confused they became. In the end, OÙloô;fin and his household decided that it would be better to accept the proposal of Ikú and turn down the one made by OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, EÙ®eô¾ru¾. It seemed like this would be the only way out of their predicament. But how would they tell EÙ®eô¾ru¾ that they would not give him E®re¾e;tu;nde; to marry? The family concluded that it would be better to exercise patience and wait for the most appropriate time to give their opinion to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. Meanwhile, it did not take long before Ikú and EÙ®eô¾ru¾ knew that they were both interested in the same damsel in marriage. They both knew that the young lady was OÙloô;fin‟s daughter. This was the reason why they went to the home of the group of Awo stated above, during different time periods, for Ifá consultation. During the process of consulting Ifá both of them got Ogbe¾-fu¾n-u;n as their Odù. The Awo had told each of them that they both were looking for something that someone else was also interested in. They advised each of them to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. Each of them also needed to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land snails. Ikú considered this the height of insult. How could the Awo think that he would consent to such an advice for him to offer ẹbọ in order to have the hand of a mere mortal in marriage? It looked to him as a preposterous suggestion. He promised himself that after he had succeeded in intimidating OÙloô;fin into handing over his daughter to him, he would descend on OÙ®ru;nmi¾la and the Awo who cast the Ifá for him. He thought that they would say that nobody would have the temerity to challenge him in any way whatsoever! He then told himself, he would soon return to deal with the Awo who knew no other thing than to ask people to bring money and animals. EÙ®eô¾ru¾, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ knew that there was the need for him to offer ẹbọ because the situation on ground was not an easy one to overcome. He went back to the group of Awo and offered his ẹbọ as prescribed. Ki;’ku; o; pa’ni K’eô;eô¾ru¾ o; gba;’gu;n EÙ®e¾ôru¾ oômoô oô¾jeô¾jeô¾ Bi;ba¾ ni; n; ba’ni Ko¾ lee¾ pa’ni

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Di;a; fu;n E®re¾e;tu;nde; Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloôf; in Iku; n; fe;ô eô EÙ®e¾ôru¾ n; feô;eô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Translation: Let Ikú (Death) kill Let EÙ®eô¾ru¾ (Fear) inherit the belongings EÙ®eô¾ru¾ the incapacitator EÙ®eô¾ru¾ can only cause panic and trepidation He cannot kill These were Ifá‟s declarations to E®re¾e;tu;nde; The daughter of OÙloô;fin Ikú (Death) wanted her hand in marriage And EÙ®eô¾ru¾ (Fear) wanted her hand in marriage She was advised to offer eôboô It suddenly dawned on E®re¾e;tu;nde; that in all the deliberations of her parents and the entire household, none of them had asked her what she thought about the situation. They were only thinking about how her marriage to either Ikú or EÙ®e¾ôru¾ would affect or benefit them. Consequent upon this, E®re¾e;tu;nde; decided to go to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for her own independent Ifá consultation and investigation in order to determine who among these two powerful suitors would benefit her. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Fu¾n-u;n was revealed. The Awo told E®re¾e;tu;nde; that she was faced with a daunting dilemma of choosing between two difficult situations. They told her to choose E®Ùeô¾ru¾ instead of Ikú. They explained that she need not fear death because the only thing to fear in this life was Fear Himself. She was also advised to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. She complied. As soon as she offered the eôboô, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went into action. He went straight to OÙlo;ôfin and told him that there was no way that he would approach the issue at hand that he would not offend one of the contestants for the hand of his daughter in marriage. He suggested to OÙlo;ôfin that the best thing for him to do was to give them an assignment for them to perform. Whoever completed the assignment first would be

1160

OGBE® O®FU:N

given E®re¾e;tu;nde; to marry. By so doing, the loser would not have cause to complain because he would know that he had been given a fair chance to prove his competence and worth. OÙlo;ôfin considered this advice and felt that it was a better way of handling the situation. The next day, OÙlo;ôfin summoned both Ikú and EÙ®e¾ôru¾. He told them that he had a task for them and whoever completed the assignment first would take his daughter away in marriage. He told the two of them to go and bring 200 human skulls to him as soon as possible and that whoever returned with the skulls first would be the husband of his daughter. Ikú demanded to know whether OÙlo;ôfin needed fresh or old skulls. OÙlo;ôfin responded that he would prefer fresh skulls. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, E®Ùeôru¾ had nothing to say at this crucial meeting. The two suitors dispersed and went to their respective abodes. As soon as he got home, Ikú set out on his mission to kill and cut off the heads of his victims. It did not take long for him to have the required 200 skulls in his bag. While he was returning home in order to prepare himself to go to OÙlo;ôfin‟s house, he saw an O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko devotee whose head was painted with chalk. He thought mischievously that it would be fun to have the devotee‟s head as an extra present to OÙlo;ôfin. He moved close to the devotee and cut off his head. So, instead of 200 skulls, Ikú had 201 skulls to present to OÙlo;ôfin !!! Olu;wowo ji¾ Di;a; fu;n E®Ùeô¾ru¾-O®bi;ri; Ni;'jo;ô ti; n; loô re¾e; feô; E®re¾e;tu;nde; Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloôf; in EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation Olu;wowo ji; He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Fear, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When going to marry E®re¾e;tu;nde; Who was the daughter of OÙloô;fin He was advised to offer eôboô Instead of going to hunt for 200 skulls, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went to the home of the Awo stated above for Ifá consultation. He felt that it was not for him to go about killing people who he had taken up the assignment to protect.

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He wanted to know what he needed to do in order to have the hand of E®re¾e;tu;nde; in marriage without killing and cutting off anybody‟s head. Again, Ogbe¾-O®fu;n was revealed during Ifá consultation. The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he was going to be the husband of E®re¾e;tu;nde;. He was advised to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, 16 land snails and money. He was also advised to tie the snail shells to a pole and for him to use the pole to strike the ground while going to deposit his eôboô in front of E®sôu¾ shrine. He wasted no time in offering the eôboô. When he was taking the eôboô to the E®sôu¾ shrine, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ himself instructed OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to be singing while moving and hitting the staff on the ground. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ began to sing: Bi; mo ba;'ku; Ma ba;; ja¾ Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo Bi; mo b’A:ru¾n Ma ba; ja¾ Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di ji¾ Olu;wowo Bi; mo b’EÙ:joô; Ma ba; ja¾ Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo Bi; mo b’O:fo¾ Ma ba; ja¾ Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di ji; Olu;wowo Translation: If I meet Ikú (Death) I will give him a good fight Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo If I meet A®ru¾n (Affliction) I will give him a good fight

1162

OGBE® O®FU:N

Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo If I meet EÙjoô; (Contention) I will give him a good fight Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo If I meet O®fo¾ (Loss) I will give him a good fight Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo As OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was singing and hitting the staff against the ground, everywhere began to shake and tremble. The whole ground became totally unstable. Confusion enveloped everywhere. This was happening during the exact time that Ikú was setting out on his journey to OÙloô;fin‟s house in order to present the 201 skulls to him and have the hand of his daughter as his wife. The ground began to shift sideways. He began to miss his step. He fell and rose up again. At the initial stage, Ikú was confused. Later, the confusion turned to panic. That was when E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ approached Ikú and told him that the force making the ground shake and shift had vowed to fight and destroy Ikú if he should ever meet him that day. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ advised Ikú to abandon the skulls and run for cover because the force was several times stronger than him, Ikú. Since Ikú was already in a state of panic, he had no time to think. He threw down the sack containing the 201 skulls and took to his heels. As soon as this was done, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ invited OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to come and carry the sack containing the 201 skulls in order to go and present it to OÙlo;ôfin. That was exactly what OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ did. In OÙlo;ôfin‟s palace, everybody was surprised that it was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ who got the skulls first instead of Ikú whose duty was to kill. They asked OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ how he managed to perform the task. He responded that it was an easy assignment for him to carry out. OÙlo;ôfin had no option but to hand over his daughter E®re¾e;tu;nde; to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. That was how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ became the husband of E®re¾e;tu;nde; OÙlo;ôfin‟s lovely daughter.

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Meanwhile, as the shaking and shifting of the ground stopped, Iku; set out to procure another set of 200 skulls. It did not take him long to accomplish this. He headed straight for OÙloô;fin‟s palace, only to learn that EÙ®eô¾ru¾, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had brought the required skulls! He was also told that instead of 200 skulls, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ actually brought 201 and the excess skull was the head of an O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko devotee!!! That was how Iku; knew that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had used Fear to create panic into his (Iku‟s;) mind and made him drop the bag of 201 skulls which he OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ picked up and presented to OÙloô;fin in order to become the husband of E®re¾e;tu;nde;! He left OÙlo;ôfin‟s palace very furious. For seven days, Iku; was looking for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and E®re¾e;tu;nde; everywhere. He could not find them. The couple was moving from one place to the other. On the eighth day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ decided to confront Iku;. He chased Iku; to Gbo;ga¾n-a;n. This is the name of the wilderness that Iku; must drop any assignment that he is doing. This is a place where Iku; is always incapacitated. That was how OÙloô;fin‟s household started to celebrate the conquest of Iku; by EÙ®e¾ôru¾, Fear. They began to sing thus: Ba; wa le;’ku; woô Gbo;ga¾n-a;n o Ba;’ni le; 'ku; woô Gbo;ga¾n-a;n o EÙ®e¾ôru¾ oômoô Ala;pa¾a; o Ba; wa le;’ku; woô Gbo;ga¾n-a;n o Translation Help us chase Iku; into the Gbo;ga¾n-a;n wilderness Please help me chase Iku; into the Gbo;ga¾n-a;n wilderness EÙ®e¾ôru¾, the offspring of Ala;pa¾a; Help us chase Iku; into the Gbo;ga¾n-a;n wilderness Ifá says that the only thing to fear in this world is Fear itself. As long as one is prepared to face one‟s problems without fear and one is ready to accept wise counsel, one is bound to succeed where one is expected to fail. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to not stay in the same room where he/she is sleeping for seven consecutive days. This would be repeated for seven days. In other words, the person must sleep in a different room for 7 straight days.

1164

OGBE® O®FU:N

I®sôeô;bi¾ weôr; e;ôweô;re;ô ni;i; t’oô;wo;ô To; ba; d’o;ôwoô;, a d’awe;ô To; ba; de;’le¾ô, a d’oô¾to¾ôoô¾to¾ô To; ba; de;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾-Agoô¾tu;n A d’i¾ko;ko;ro; kandi-kandi Di;a; fu;n Olu;-O®po¾po; Ari;’yu¾n bo;ô’le¾ô Ar’a;gbada n;la; mu’po Aye; o¾un le¾ da;ra lo; n;da;'fa; si; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô Abe;ôreô; ni;i; f’ori; ara a reô¾ sô’isôeô; Di;a; fu;n Igu;n Ti; n;sô'awo loô s'o;de I®lo;de¾ EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô O®ye¾e;re;-Eri;moô¾ Di;a; fu;n Isôin ahoro O®un le¾ di eôni n;la; lo; n; da;'fa; si; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô I®gbe¾ôyi¾nwa¾ ni o¾ ju;’mo¾ô O®be;re;re; Omi;fo¾ô fu;n l’a¾gba; O®gi¾di¾n¾gbo; ri¾n ho¾o¾ho¾ w’oôja¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙba meô;ta Ti; n;beô ni;nu; igbo; Di;a; fu;n Ala;ke; Ti; yo;o; j’oye¾-j’oye¾ Ti; yo;o; bo’ri; E®Ùgba; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Di;a; fu;n Ala;koôpa EÙni aboô¾'gun-bo'ô¾ri¾sôa¾ Di;;a; fu;n E®ro¾-A®gu¾a; EÙni a sô’oro¾ a k'i¾je EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Woô;n gb’eô;boô, woô;n ru;’boô EÙyeô n;la; ni;i; f’apa; a; sô’oôga;n OÙ®ro¾ô ti’bi hu¾n-hu¾n teô’leô¾

1165


OÙ®ro¾ô-hu¾nhu¾n Di;a; fu;n Ori;-Meôs ¾ ôeô E®ri¾gi¾ Magba OÙ®roô o¾un le¾ da’yoô¾ lo; n; da;fa; si; EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;’boô A®woôn oômoô Awo Ke;re;-ke¾re¾-ke;re; WoÙ;n f’a¾po¾ po¾ônyi¾n Awo I®lu;-Gbogbo EÙ®je¾ o¾ jeô; ka; m’Awo ori; n; be;ô Di;a; fu;n E®ôeô¾ru¾-o¾bi;ri; OÙmoô Ikin o¾ da;'ko¾ i¾ja¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ifa; wi;, o; lo; d’oô¾pa¾ra¾pa¾ra¾ l’a;ja¾ E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; d’oô¾pa¾ra¾pa¾ra¾ l’a;ja¾ O®giri n; la’nu o¾ô foô'hu¾n A®woôn lo; ki’Fa; fu;n Iku; A bu¾ fu;n EÙ®e¾ôru¾ EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o EÙ®eô¾ru¾ ni¾kan ni; n;beô l'eô;yi¾n ti; n; sô'eôboô Ki;’ku; o; pa’ni K’eô;eô¾ru¾ o; gba;’gu;n EÙ®e¾ôru¾ oômoô oô¾jeô¾jeô¾ Bi;ba¾ ni; n; ba’ni Ko¾ lee¾ pa’ni Di;a; fu;n E®re¾e;tu;nde; Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloôf; in Iku; n; fe;ô eô EÙ®e¾ôru¾ n; feô;eô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;;’boô Olu;wowo ji¾ Di;a; fu;n E®Ùeô¾ru¾-O®bi;ri; Ni;'jo;ô ti; n; loô re¾e; feô; E®re¾e;tu;nde; Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloôf; in EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Bi; mo ba;'ku;

1166

OGBE® O®FU:N

Ma ba;; ja¾ Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo Bi; mo b’A:ru¾n Ma ba; ja¾ Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di ji¾ Olu;wowo Bi; mo b’EÙ:joô; Ma ba; ja¾ Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo Bi; mo b’O:fo¾ Ma ba; ja¾ Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di ji; Olu;wowo!!! Ba; wa le;’ku; woô Gbo;ga¾n-a;n o Ba;’ni le; 'ku; woô Gbo;ga¾n-a;n o EÙ®e¾ôru¾ oômoô Ala;pa¾a; o Ba; wa le;’ku; woô Gbo;ga¾n-a;n o E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re gbogbo o Translation: Tiny pieces of kola nuts are what one gets After one procures them they will become the lobes of the kola nut When they were planted in the ground They will become whole kola nuts again When they get to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾-Agoô¾tu;n They will be covered with pods and will germinate into big kola nuts These were the declarations of Ifa; to Olu;-O®po¾po; He who propitiates the ground with coral beads And has a big basin to consume palm-oil When he went for Ifá consultation in order to improve his life He was advised to offer eôboô He complied

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The needle is it that works with the tip of its head This was the message of Ifa; for Igu;n, (the Vulture) When going on an Ifa;‟s mission to Ilo;de¾ land He was advised to offer eôboô He complied O®ye¾e;re;-Eri;mo¾ô He cast Ifa for Isôin (the Akee tree) living in the abandoned house When she went for Ifá consultation in order to determine her success chances in life She was advised to offer eôboô She complied The outcome of any event is not easy to predict with accuracy O®be;re;re; Omi;fo¾ô fu;n l‟a¾gba;; O®gi¾di¾n¾gbo; drum enters the market nakedly They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for three OÙba Who were living inside the forest They cast Ifa;; for Ala;ke; Who would be conferred with several titles And would eventually become the head of EÙ®gba; land They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ala;koôpa He who propitiates O®gu;n and OÙba¾ta;la; regularly They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for E®ro¾- A®gu¾a; He who propitiates Oro¾ and performs the seventh day rite They were advised to offer eôboô They complied A big bird uses its arms as an anchor Most matters begin from points of confusion OÙ®ro¾ô hu¾n-hu¾n They cast Ifa; for Ori;-Me¾sôe E®ri¾gi¾ Magba When he went to cast Ifá on whether or not his matter would turn to joy in his life He was advised to offer eôboô He complied The young Ifá students All strap their Ifá bags to their backs

1168

OGBE® O®FU:N

The Awo of I®lu;-Gbogbo land EÙ®jeô¾ o¾ jeô; ka; m‟Awo ori; n; beô; They cast Ifa; for EÙ®eô¾ru¾-O®bi;ri; (Fear) Offspring of the Ikin which never allows any intimidation to scare him He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Ifá declares that something is making fearful sounds on the roof of the house I chorus that something is making fearful sounds on the roof of the house The wall cracks and opens like a mouth without uttering any sound They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Iku;, Death And also for EÙ®eô¾ru¾ (Fear) They were advised to offer eôboô Only E®Ùeô¾ru¾ complied with the advice of the Awo Let Ikú (Death) kill Let E®Ùeô¾ru¾ (Fear) inherit the belongings E®Ùeô¾ru¾ the incapacitator E®Ùeô¾ru¾ can only cause panic and trepidation He cannot kill These were Ifá‟s declarations to E®re¾e;tu;nde; The daughter of OÙlo;ôfin Ikú (Death) wanted her hand in marriage And E®Ùeô¾ru¾ (Fear) wanted her hand in marriage She was advised to offer eôboô She complied Olu;wowo ji¾¾ He was the Awo who cast Ifá for Fear, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ When going to marry E®re¾e;tu;nde; Who was the daughter of OÙlo;ôfin He was advised to offer eôboô He complied If I meet Ikú (Death) I will give him a good fight Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo If I meet A®ru¾n (Affliction) I will give him a good fight

1169


Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo If I meet EÙjoô; (Contention) I will give him a good fight Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo If I meet O®fo¾ (Loss) I will give him a good fight Olu;wowo ji¾ O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo Help us chase Iku; into the Gbo;ga¾n-a;n wilderness Please help me chase Iku; into the Gbo;ga¾n-a;n wilderness EÙ®e¾ôru¾, the offspring of Ala;pa¾a; Help us chase Iku; into the Gbo;ga¾n-a;n wilderness Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾ Join us in the midst of joy Come and behold all the Ire of life 8. Ifá says that if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is working under someone, he/she will soon profit from the work that he/she is doing. This person will eventually become the boss. Ifá however warns this person to avoid avarice in all his/her undertakings in life. He/she must never exhibit greed in any way whatsoever. Greed must never be part of his/her thought, speech, or action, lest he/she die a premature death. Ifá also warns that there is the threat of multiple deaths where this Odù is revealed. There is also the need to take instant action against it. There is the need to procure one mature she-goat and money. The chest of the she-goat will be dragged round the whole house of the person for whom this Odù is revealed before it is used as eôboô materials. On this, Ifá says:

1170

OGBE® O®FU:N

Al'e;po ni; ko¾o;lo; Keô¾ke¾ôeô¾ke¾ô la¾a; gb’o;du¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ Ti;i; sôe aka;po¾ Iku; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: He who has palm-oil in a small container He needs to carry the large pot with caution This was Ifá‟s message for OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ (Avarice) The sack carrier of Ikú (Death) He was advised to offer eôboô OÙ®ka;nju;a¾, Avarice was the subordinate of Ikú (Death). They worked together. Whenever they would go on hunting expeditions, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ would be the one who would carry the sack containing the heads of all their victims back to the house. Sometimes, they would kill up to 200 people; OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ would carry all the heads inside the sack. When they would return to the house, Ikú would hand over two heads to OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ and he would take the rest. On other occasions, they might kill up to 500 victims in one day, Ikú would not because of that increase the share of OÙ®ka;nju;a¾. This had occurred for a long time and OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ never would utter any complaint. It got to a stage, however, where the share of OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ for the work was no longer sufficient for him to maintain his family. He pleaded with Ikú to increase it and his plea fell on deaf ears. Tired of his inability to provide for his family, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ decided to go for Ifá consultation in order to determine how to improve the living standard of his beloved ones. He went to the home of the group of the Awo stated above. During consultation, Ogbè-Funfun was revealed. The Awo told OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ that it was an established fact that his own victims far outnumbered the ones that Ikú his boss could ever get. It therefore went without saying that his own meat and heads were supposed to be far more than those of Ikú. The Awo therefore advised him to separate his business from that of his boss. He was told to carry his own bag and let Ikú carry a separate one. He was to keep the heads of his own victims inside his own bag and let Ikú do the same. He was advised to offer eôboô. He complied.

1171


The next day, he went to Ikú and told him that they needed to carry separate sacks from that day henceforth. Ikú looked at his subordinate with surprise. Ikú told him, “You OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ have been complaining of hunger. This action you are taking now is only going to be a sure ticket for starvation.” He asked OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ to give the name of anyone that he had ever killed by himself before. He told OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ that he would never have pity for him or any member of his household. All the threats of Ikú failed to change the mind of OÙ®ka;nju;a¾. In the end, they set out on their hunting expedition, each of them carrying separate hunting bags. As they were going in search of victims, they came across some people who gathered together in small groups and were deep in conversations. Upon enquiry, they found out that someone had just died. They were discussing burial arrangements since the corpse must be buried on that very day. They decided to make further enquiries in order to determine who was responsible for the demise of the person, Ikú or OÙ®ka;nju;a¾. The person that they asked questions from told them that the dead person was a very old man. “What killed him then?" Ikú asked. The man responded thus, “Before Ikú could take this old man away, he had really accomplished all his heart‟s desires in life. He had a compatible spouse, lovely children and lived a reasonably comfortable life”. The man paused a little, then added; “I pray to all the O®ri¾sôa¾ and Iru;nmoôleô¾ to make it possible for me to live the type of life that this man had lived before Ikú came to take him home". When the man finished his speech, both Ikú and OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ looked at each other knowingly. OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ told Ikú, “this is your own meat. You are the one responsible for this man‟s death. You are therefore free to cut off his head and put it in your bag”. Ikú looked at OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ and said that OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ would return home empty-handed that day. OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ on the other hand was totally confident of the prediction of Ifá. He simply told Ikú that if he returned home empty-handed, so be it. They continued on their search. They arrived at a home where an old woman had just died. The burial arrangement was being discussed with pomp and pageantry. They called someone aside in order to enquire about what was responsible for the woman‟s death. The man that they called aside said with excitement; “This woman had nothing to regret for

1172

OGBE® O®FU:N

being taken home by Ikú. Why should she complain? She had lived to her old age. She was the oldest woman in the whole community. She was properly taken care of by her children and neighbours alike. She was a kind-hearted and humorous woman. She always told us that when Ikú was ready to take her away, she was fully prepared for him. She was never afraid of Ikú at all. When Ikú came to take her away, she died a happy woman. She even died in the hands of all her children and loved ones!” The man paused a little and then concluded; “I am one of the friends of her children. We are going to bury her as our own mother. She had extended her love and care to all of us before Iku; took her away. She was the mother of the whole community”. Once again, Ikú and OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ looked at each other. When the man who gave them the information left to join his colleagues, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ told Ikú to go and cut off the head of the woman since it was certain that the meat belonged to him. Again, Ikú made jest of OÙ®ka;nju;a¾. As they were going, Ikú told OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ “I am in an expansive mood today. Now that it is clear to you that you cannot kill anyone outside of me, I am prepared to take a compassionate look at you and accept you back as my subordinate. If you tender a unreserved apology to me now for having the temerity to force your independence from me, I will take you back. You must however promise that you will never exhibit such silly misbehaviour again in your life”. OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ looked at Ikú and smiled. He told Ikú, "There comes a time in the life of every person when he has to take a solemn appraisal of his life and face the reality of his destiny. It is clear to me that my existence as your subordinate will never give me the self-realization that I crave for in my life. Let me be. If I cannot find any food and I starve, so be it. I will search for other assignments and continue on my way. I am convinced that I need to be independent at this moment“. As soon as they ended this discussion, they continued in their search. They soon got to the frontage of a compound where everybody present was screaming, wailing, crying and rolling themselves on the ground. They were shouting that the demise of a young man should not have come at that time at all. He was the only son of the family. He was the only one taking care of his two parents who were very ill. Why must he die at that moment? His demise, they screamed, would lead to the abandonment of his parents. This would surely lead to the suffering and painful but regrettable demise of his parents. Oh! What a pity!

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Ikú and OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ called someone aside and asked; “friend, please tell us what is really responsible for this man‟s death at this prime age”. The lady they called aside asked them to let her go a little further away from the crowd. They did. She then looked sideways to ensure that nobody was within hearing distance of whatever she was about to say. When she was sure that nobody was within earshot, she whispered, “Do not mind those weeping. All of us know that it was not Ikú who killed him. It was OÙ®ka;nju;a¾”. How? They asked her to explain further. The woman said; “This young man had everything that anyone could pray for in life. He married the most beautiful woman in the land. He had two lovely kids. He had a big farm where many people worked for him. He also had a successful trading business. What else did he want? He was never satisfied with all these things however. He was also the head of a dangerous armed robbery gang. They had been robbing everyone in the neighbourhood. Tired of experiencing these losses, the neighbours organized together and employed the services of three hunters from I®da¾ho¾ômeô¾ land. The robbers were totally unaware of this. One day the robbers sent messages to the neighbourhood that they would come yesterday night to rob everyone. True to their words, they came. This is how daring the robbers were. Unfortunately for them, they met more than their match when they arrived. The dead man you see now was shot with a poisonous arrow. The arrow pierced his throat and came out from the back of his skull. He died instantly. His comrades in robbery brought his corpse home in the dead of the night”. She said this and rested a bit. She then concluded her lengthy speech by saying; "Please do not mind them, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ killed him, I must return and pretend that his death has pained me or I may face reprisal from his relatives”. The woman then left and began to cry and wail and roll herself on the ground as the others were doing. Her own cries were even more piteous than those of the others. As soon as they were alone, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ told Ikú that the meat belonged to him since he OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ was responsible for the man‟s death. He cut off the victim‟s head and deposited it in his bag. They then moved again. They soon got to the frontage of a compound where people had melancholic looks. A young man had just died. They called someone aside in order to determine what was responsible for the man‟s death. They were informed that as soon as the man died, everybody was blaming Ikú for snatching the man away at a premature

1174

OGBE® O®FU:N

age. Their informant however told them that Ikú was not responsible for the man‟s death. Rather, it was OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ who killed the man. How? The man explained that the dead man and his friend started a joint trading business. They contributed an equal amount of money to start the business. However, the moment the business commenced, the man you see dead now never participated in the business again. He abandoned everything in the hands of his friend. The friend complained several times but he did not respond. For seven months, the friend was toiling and suffering alone. The friend encountered and overcame all the teething problems that were usually associated with any new enterprise alone. In the end the business succeeded. There was profit to share. The friend called upon the dead man and accounted everything to him. A problem started however when the man told his absentee friend that he would deduct all the expenses from the profit before he shared anything with him. The friend also told his absentee friend that the profit would not be shared equally since he did not participate in nurturing the business to success at all. The absentee friend accepted none of this. He did not want to know anything about running expenses and he insisted that the gross profit must be shared equally. This led to a serious argument. In the end, the absentee friend left his partner in anger. He did not agree to the sharing formula. As soon as the absentee partner got home, he began to tell everyone who cared to listen that his friend had cheated him. He organized some wild-looking people to go and attack his friend and take all the profits from him. He led them to the friend‟s house. A serious fight ensued. Those who knew about the business situation came to the friend‟s rescue when he was about to be beaten to death. In the melee, the absentee partner was hit on the head with a club. His skull cracked open. He died in the evening of that day. The informant laid emphasis on the fact that it was OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ (Avarice) that had killed him. Hearing this explanation, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ cut off the victims head and deposited it in his bag. They moved on again. They got to the frontage of yet another compound, it was a pitiful spectacle. Everyone was weeping. The air of grief was almost touchable. A young lady had just died. They called a friend of hers aside to ask her what led to the death of her friend. The lady said, “she died of a terrible contagious disease caused by her avarice. It was OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ that killed her. If I must say, it served her right". They asked her, how can you say such a thing like that about

1175


your dead friend? She responded that the dead friend had three men that she was dating at the same time and that they were still not enough for her. She still went and snatched her friend‟s only man away from her. That was why she was still unmarried. The unfortunate part was that she never married any of the four men. She kept jumping from one man to the other. In the end, she contacted a terrible disease that led to her death. It was not Ikú that killed her; it was OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ . They got to another compound. Another youth had just died. This time, it was a male youth in his 40s. What killed him? The person that they asked responded that it was Avarice, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾. How so they asked? The person responded that the dead man had five wives in his house. He was never satisfied with the wives and had planned to snatch the only wife of his neighbour. The neighbour approached him and begged him to leave his wife alone. He told the neighbour that there was nothing he could do. The neighbour then arranged for vigilante groups to keep tab on him and report any time the man was with his wife. It did not take up to three days before he was caught with the neighbour‟s wife right inside the neighbour‟s house! When he was about to be caught, he jumped out through the window. He fell into a well head on and broke his neck. Before any help could be arranged for him, he drowned in the well. It was OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ that killed him. On and on they went in this manner and repeatedly they heard similar stories. Business was a little dull that day for Ikú and OÙ®ka;nju;a¾. They returned home and counted 97 heads. Out of these however, eight belonged to Ikú and the remaining 89 belonged to OÙ®ka;nju;a¾. The next day and all other subsequent days were no different at all. The significance of this was that before Ikú could take two people home, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ would have been responsible for the death of several others. Al'e;po ni; ko¾o;lo; Keô¾ke¾ôeô¾ke¾ô la¾a; gb’o;du¾ Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ Ti;i; sôe aka;po¾ Iku; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ A®sôe; OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ ni;i; n;pa¾a¾’ya¾n Iku; ko;ô!!

1176

OGBE® O®FU:N

Translation: He who has palm-oil in a small container He needs to carry the large pot with caution This was Ifá‟s message for OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ (Avarice) The sack carrier of Ikú (Death) He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Travellers to I®po and OÙ¾®fa¾ Can‟t you see that it is Avarice that kills It is not Death!! Ifá says that it will not allow avarice to cut short the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá advises this person to ensure that avarice is not given any chance in any of his/her considerations in life. 9. Ifá says that there is the need for this person to find out properly before taking another person‟s child or belonging into his/her custody. If he/she has already taken such into custody, there is the need to quickly return it to the owner. This is in order for this person not to invite crisis into his/her life. For a person born by this Odu¾ during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®teô¾ni;fa;, it is not advisable for him/her to take another person‟s child or belonging into his/her custody. It is one of his/her most serious taboos. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. On this, Ifá says: Be;ôe¾ô ni; Li¾ki¾ Beô;e¾ô ni; Gba¾n¾ja Di;a; fu;n Ahun Ti; yo;o; lu imu; u tireô l’oô;ka¾n-a;nka;;n Be;ôe¾ô ni; Li¾ki¾ Beô;e¾ô ni; Gba¾n¾ja Di;a; fu;n Ala;ka¾n

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Ti; yo;o; lu imu; u tireôô ni;’koôk ¾ o¾ô Be;ôe¾ô ni; Li¾ki¾ Beô;e¾ô ni; Gba¾n¾ja Di;a; fu;n Oni;gbo¾do¾gi; Ti; yo;o; lu imu; u tireô la;a¾ri;n gangangan Be;ôe¾ô ni; Li¾ki¾ Beô;e¾ô ni; Gba¾n¾ja Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; yo;o; gb’oômoô O®fu;n bo¾ô Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: As it is in Li¾ki land So is it in Gba¾n¾ja town This was Ifá‟s message for Ahun (the Land Tortoise) Who would pierce its nose in the centre As it is in Li¾ki land So is it in Gba¾n¾ja town This was Ifá‟s message for Ala;ka¾n (the Crab) Who would pierce its nose in a secret place As it is in Li¾ki land So is it in Gba¾n¾ja town This was Ifá‟s message for the one infected with yaws Who would pierce his nose in the middle of his face As it is in Li¾ki land So is it in Gba¾n¾ja town This was Ifá‟s message for Ogbè Who would be the foster parent of O®fu;n‟s child He was advised to offer eôboô Ogbè was a kind-hearted and generous man. He loved to help everyone. He enjoyed doing so. He also wished everyone to be like him. He considered everyone‟s problems as his and he was prepared to do anything within his capacity to help find a solution to all the problems of everyone around him. That was the reason why he chose to take care of O®fu;n‟s child when O®fu;n was having problems with the child. He told O®fu;n to bring the child, a boy, to his house and he would take proper care of the boy. This was done and O®fu;n was very grateful for the gesture of his friend.

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OGBE® O®FU:N

As soon as O®fu;n‟s child entered into Ogbè‟s home to live, things began to change for the worse for Ogbè. His success chances began to dwindle. His business went down. Instead of profit, he accumulated debts. He was working harder than ever before yet his debts kept mounting. O®fu;n‟s child helped him on the farm and he also participated in most of his business endeavours. This only added to the problems. Ogbè could not understand why this was so. He had developed a great love for the child of O®fu;n and he treated him as his own son. When the situation was getting out of hand, Ogbè went to the home of the group of Awo stated above for Ifá consultation: will my problems be resolved? Will I be able to make profit as I used to? Will smiles and success return to my life? Will I have cause to celebrate my success again? These and many more were the questions at the back of his mind when he went to consult Ifá. During the consultation, Ogbe¾-Fu¾¾n-u;n was revealed. The Awo told Ogbè that his business had collapsed. He was told that his life was being threatened by sorrow and failure. They made it clear to Ogbè that two things were responsible for his troubles and business failures: one, his Orí did not support him having any other person‟s belongings or wards in his home; and two, the Orí of the person or ward that he harboured in his home did not support living in his home. He was advised to return the child to the parents and to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. The advice of the Awo threw Ogbè into serious confusion and into a dilemma. One, he had become very fond of O®fu;n ‟s son. How would he tell him to pack his things and go back to his parents? Two, would he not be compounding problems for himself when the parents of the boy saw that he had asked their son to come back to them? Would they not read meanings into his actions? Would they not ask that since he knew that he had no capacity to take care of the boy, why would he ask them to bring the boy to him in the first place? And three, how could he be so certain that all his problems were as a result of the boy‟s presence in his life? There must be other explanations to his predicaments he asked himself. In the end, Ogbè agreed to offer the eôboô but refused to send the boy back to his parents' home. Two days after the Ifá consultation, the eôboô was offered. After the eôboô had been offered more problems surfaced in the life of Ogbè and his family.

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People began to accuse them of committing offences which they knew nothing about. Fire gutted two of the family farms. Many members of his household fell ill. He would go on business trips and return home with huge losses and one time he even came back with a broken leg. His wife fell down on her way to the brook and lost four of her front teeth. His first child fell down from a palm-tree and broke his arms. His little daughter was bitten by a snake right inside his house. His neighbours began to give him social and physical distance in order not to contaminate themselves with his ill-luck! He was totally isolated by his friends and well-wishers. He soon found out that he was living a lonely life, full of misery and agony. This made him return to the home of the Awo for another round of Ifá consultation. The Awo told him that he did not need any other Ifá consultation on his predicament. All what he needed to do was to comply with the advice of Ifá that was given to him the first time. That was when Ogbè began to give the sending of O®fu;n‟s child back to his parents serious consideration. He reasoned that he could not because of one person be incapacitated and become helpless from helping several others who needed his assistance. It dawned on him that sending the boy back to his parents' home would not stop him from taking proper care of the boy. It would only mean that he would need to visit the boy in his parents' home more often than ever before. He also realized that it would not stop the boy from working with him in his farm and business on a daily basis. After all these considerations, Ogbè felt a little sense of relief which he had not felt in a long time. He comforted himself with the fact that the only difference would be that the boy would no longer be sleeping in his house but would still be relating with him as ever before. He called on the boy and his parents and explained the situation to them. Surprisingly, the parents understood his position and the boy went back home without ill-feeling on either side. As soon as the boy returned to his parents' home, the situation of Ogbè picked up. His business began to improve. His neighbours, friends and well-wishers returned to him. He was no longer accused over what he knew nothing about. He received help from people and he too was able to help others. He realized that, truly, that what he had been doing was against his destiny and that this had brought all his problems and predicaments. Since he had returned the child, all his problems disappeared.

1180

OGBE® O®FU:N

Be;ôe¾ô ni; Li¾ki¾ Beô;e¾ô ni; Gba¾n¾ja Di;a; fu;n Ahun Ti; yo;o; lu imu; u tireô l’oô;ka¾n-a;nka;;n Be;ôe¾ô ni; Li¾ki¾ Beô;e¾ô ni; Gba¾n¾ja Di;a; fu;n Ala;ka¾n Ti; yo;o; lu imu; u tireôô ni;’koôk ¾ o¾ô Be;ôe¾ô ni; Li¾ki¾ Beô;e¾ô ni; Gba¾n¾ja Di;a; fu;n Oni;gbo¾do¾gi; Ti; yo;o; lu imu; u tireô la;a¾ri;n gangangan Be;ôe¾ô ni; Li¾ki¾ Beô;e¾ô ni; Gba¾n¾ja Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Ti; yo;o; gb’oômoô O®fu;n bo¾ô Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O®un wa;a; sôeô¾sôeô¾ gb’e;ôboô ni;be¾,ô o; sô’eôboô N®je;ô Ogbe¾ o o¾ f’ohun f’o;lo;un Ba; o¾ ba; f’ohun f’o;lo;un A®wo¾ro¾ o¾ ni; ta;n n;leô¾ Ogbe¾ o o¾ f’ohun f’o;lo;hun Translation: As it is in Li¾ki land So is it in Gba¾n¾ja town This was Ifá‟s message for Ahun (the Land Tortoise) Who would pierce its nose in the centre As it is in Li¾ki land So is it in Gba¾n¾ja town This was Ifá‟s message for Ala;ka¾n (the Crab) Who would pierce its nose in a secret place As it is in Li¾ki land So is it in Gba¾n¾ja town This was Ifá‟s message for the one infected with yaws Who would pierce his nose in the middle of his face As it is in Li¾ki land So is it in Gba¾n¾ja town

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This was Ifá‟s message for Ogbè Who would be the foster parent of O®fu;n‟s child He was advised to offer eôboô He later complied with the advice of the Awo Ogbè, why can‟t you return another person‟s belongings to the owner If we do not return another person‟s belongings to the rightful owner Trouble will never end Ogbè, please return another person‟s belongings to the owner Ifá says that the surest way for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to stop being at the receiving end of all unfortunate occurrences is to return what belongs to another person which he/she harbours in his/her home. This belonging may be property, money, goods, children or a ward. Doing so will bring relief into his/her life. 10. Ifá says that a serious misunderstanding is about to occur between a husband and his wife if it has not yet occurred already. Ifá says that it is the husband‟s fault but he does not believe that it‟s his fault. He believes that all evidence proves that he is right; but if properly investigated, he will realize that he is the culprit after all. Ifá advocates patience in dealing with any matrimonial issue where this Odù is revealed. This is because the situation is really not as it seems. The husband is cautioned not to take any rash steps that he will later come to regret. The wife is also advised to be very understanding in any matrimonial misunderstanding. She needs to know that the husband is merely reacting to facts currently available to him at that particular point in time. With patience and understanding, the innocence of the woman will be established and the husband will realize his fault. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô with three cocks, two guinea-fowls and money. On this, Ifá says: Ohu¾n EÙ®yoô¾ ni o¾ j’ohu¾n E®e¾gu¾¾n Ohu¾n E®e¾gu¾¾n ni o¾ j’ohu¾n EÙ®yoô¾

1182

OGBE® O®FU:N

Peô¾heô;eô!¾ Ba;kanhu¾n ni’koô; n;ri; Di;a; fu;n Majoô¾ Di;a; fu;n Maye EÙboô ni woôn ni; ki; wo;ônô wa;a; sôe Translation The dialect of an OÙ®yoô; indigene is different from that of E®e¾gu¾¾n The dialect of an E®e¾gu¾¾n indigene is also different from that of OÙ®yo;ô The sound made when coughing is however the same This was the declaration of Ifa; to Majoô¾ And also to Maye They were both advised to offer eôboô Majoô¾ was the husband. Maye was his wife of many years. They had been living happily together. The husband was a renowned hunter while the wife engaged in trading. The husband was initiated into Ifá at a tender age and the most important taboo that was given to him, among other ones, was not to consume mushrooms of any type. He adhered strictly to this warning. Nothing on earth could even make him go near to where mushrooms were planted or even where they were cooked. This was because the Awo told him that mushroom consumption had the capacity of cutting short his life and of spoiling all the things he had laboured for throughout his life. One day, Majoô¾ went to the forest to hunt. He saw a big deer and he shot it dead with his arrow. Majoô¾ was known to be an expert shot. He could target and shoot a squirrel from a very long distance. Killing the deer was not a difficult assignment for him in any way whatsoever. He decided to cut up and dress the animal by himself right in the forest. After finishing this assignment, he placed all the cut meat on fire and roasted it in order to preserve it. He also promised himself that he would ensure that only his family and he consumed all the deer meat. He carried the meat home and asked his wife to take care of the meat. Every afternoon afterward, the wife would prepare his favourite pounded yam for him. She also would make a soup with the deer meat with melon for him.

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On the sixth day, the wife prepared his food as usual and placed it on a mat for him to eat. He sat down and washed his hands in order to enjoy his meal. As he opened the lid that was used to cover the soup, what he saw made him scream: “Maye! Maye! Maye! Come here!” he thundered. The anger, pain and frustration in his voice surprised and terrified his wife. She quickly rushed to him, saying; “My God, what is the problem? She asked. “There is a big problem and you are the problem!” he shouted back at her. He then asked her, “What offence have I committed against you that makes you want to kill me? Tell me! Have I not been taking good care of you and your children? Have I not tried my best to prove to you that I love and care for you? What have I done wrong for you to decide to kill me at this time? Tell me my offence. Why must you do this to me? Why? Why? Why?" His anger had turned his face into an ugly spectacle. His whole body was shaking. The wife was totally taken aback. She stood in the same spot, transfixed, unmoving and speechless. After what seemed like eternity, she managed to respond to her husband‟s accusations, saying; “I am totally at a loss. I do not understand anything that you are saying. Can you please explain what I have done, maybe I will understand. Please tell me, what have I done wrong?” She said with sadness. She had never seen Majoô¾ in this type of mood before. She did not know how to handle the situation in any way whatsoever. “What have you not done!?" The husband shouted at her. “Can you imagine this evil person asking me to tell her what she has done wrong? If you must know, you have done everything wrong! You planned to kill me and the spirits of my ancestors have come to my aid! Your diabolic plan has failed! I will personally use my two hands to strangle you to death! Wicked woman! Witch! If you must kill anyone, must that be me? After all that I have done for you and our children! I thank my ancestors for not having slept off in heaven or forgetting me. I would have gone to join them prematurely, all due to your evil design!” He looked at his wife with hatred and pain. His two eyes were as red as embers. He was breathing heavily. “You will suffer for this. I will make you suffer for this wickedness! I swear by O®gu;n that I will make you suffer for this!” Maye looked at her husband of many years in horror. She was totally terrified. She could not comprehend what was going on at all. What was really wrong? She asked herself. What could have happened to make

1184

OGBE® O®FU:N

her loving husband change so drastically like this? She then said, “I still do not know what I have done wrong”. By this time, tears, hot tears started rolling down from her eyes. “You do not know what you have done wrong? Very well, I will show you. When eyes begin to develop and release pus, we will remove the pus to let the eyes see what has been happening in order to know what is wrong. Come and see the soup that you have given me to eat. You loaded the soup with mushrooms in order to kill me! The deities are not in your support on this your murderous mission! Move closer to see it yourself!” He screamed at the top of his voice. Finally Maye discovered the reason why Majoô¾ had gone mad with rage. He was accusing her of adding mushrooms to his soup. Mushrooms? She would never do such a thing! She would never do that to her husband. There was absolutely no reason for her to do such a thing. She always looked at her husband with pride and love. She did not need anyone to tell her that Majoô¾ had performed far better than most men in the performance of his matrimonial obligations. He had also extended his generosity to every member of her extended family. How could she wish him dead, not to talk of taking action to kill him? No, something was wrong. She stepped further to take a look at the soup. To her utter surprise and consternation, the soup was truly filled with mushrooms but how could this be so? Why did she not see them before she served it to her husband? She was sure that she did not add the mushrooms to the soup that she cooked. How did the mushrooms find their way into the soup? She asked herself. “My husband”, she said; “I have seen the mushrooms in the soup. It is true that they are there. However, I swear to the spirit of my ancestors and to O®gu;n that I did not put the mushrooms into your soup. There is no reason for me to do that.” She cried. She knelt in front of her husband and pleaded with him for his understanding on the matter. Rage however had completely taken over Majoô¾‟s sense of reasoning. “You say that you did not add the mushrooms to my food. Alright, who did then? How many of you cooked the soup? Who was there with you? Nobody! There was nobody at home when you cooked this food! You were the only one in the house. You are a liar!” “I do not know how the mushrooms got into your food. I swear!” she said. The husband then gave her a powerful slap in the face. She fell on the ground and passed out. The husband then kicked her until she was

1185


awake again. Her screams and wailing attracted the attention of their neighbours to the scene. When the neighbours arrived, they stopped the beating immediately and asked what was happening. They were told what the bone of the contention was. All of them then asked Maye to simply confess her offense of trying to kill her husband. She insisted that she did not add the mushrooms to the soup she had prepared for her husband. As she continued to deny what seemed so obvious to everyone present, the husband quickly slapped and kicked her again. The neighbours stopped him but her face by now was covered with blood. Despite all what had occurred, she continued to deny that she was the one who put the mushrooms in the food. When the neighbours realized that she might be beaten to death if left with her husband, they went to call the community head, Baa;leô¾, to the scene. When the Baa;leô¾ arrived, he demanded to know exactly what had happened. He was told. The Baa;leô¾ went into silence for some moment. After this, he asked Maye; “what part of the deer meat did you cook for your husband?” She responded that it was the chest and the neck. The Baa;leô¾ asked again; ”Did you cook everything or did the neck part remain uncooked?” The woman responded that the neck part still remained uncooked. The Baa;leô¾ asked her to go and bring the remaining part for him. The woman, who by then could hardly walk any longer, was helped to the kitchen in order to bring the remaining part of the neck of the deer for the Baa;leô¾. Before she returned, the Baa;leô¾ turned to Majoô¾ and asked; “who killed this deer?” He responded that he was the one who had killed it. “Who cut up the deer?” Majoô¾ responded that he was the one who cut it. “Who dried the deer meat on the fire?” Majoô¾ responded that he was the one who dried it. “Who prepared the deer meat to be ready for consumption?” Majoô¾ also replied that he was the one who prepared it. After this, the Baa;leô¾ asked Majoô¾ to go and bring him a sharp knife from his hunting bag. While all these events were going on, everyone present was totally in the dark as to the intention of the Baa;leô¾. They all stood there looking at the Baa;leô¾ and watching the event as it unfolded itself. At last, the woman returned with pain and a lot of difficulty. The Baa;leô¾ got the knife from

1186

OGBE® O®FU:N

Majoô¾ and grabbed the remaining part of the neck of the deer from Maye. He used the knife to slice the larynx of the deer open. Lo! and behold, mushrooms gushed out of the deer‟s neck! The Baa;leô¾ turned to Majoô¾ and said; “You have punished this poor woman for an offence she did not commit! The deer was eating mushrooms before you shot it to death. You had failed to clean out the mushrooms from its throat before you brought it home to be cooked for consumption. So, you are the person who unknowingly added poison to your own food and you have beaten your wife mercilessly for it!!!” Ohu¾n E®Ùyoô¾ ni o¾ j’ohu¾n E®®e¾gu¾¾n Ohu¾n Ee;gu;n ni o¾ j’ohu¾n EÙ®yoô¾ Peô¾heô;eô!¾ Ba;kanhu¾n ni’koô; n;ri;; Di;a; fu;n Majoô¾ Di;a; fu;n Maye EÙboô ni woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe N®je;ô bi; Maye n; wi; tireô¾ Yo;o; ye; ni o Bi; Majoô¾ wi; tireô¾ Bi; a¾ joô’ni l'o;ju; Translation: The dialect of an O®Ùyoô; indigene is different from that of E®e¾gu¾¾n The dialect of an E®e¾gu¾¾n indigene is also different from that of OÙ®yo;ô The sound made when coughing is however the same This was the declaration of Ifa; to Majoô¾ And also to Maye They were both advised to offer eôboô Now, if Maye narrates her own side of the matter One will understand and appreciate the situation But if Majoô¾ narrates his own part of the story One will also be impressed Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to exercise patience before taking any action that he/she may later regret. Ifá also advises a woman here to be very careful in order not to receive

1187


punishment for an offence which she has not committed or which she knows absolutely nothing about. The woman is also advised to have a forgiving mind when she is wronged. 11. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to be very careful with some of his/her neighbours. Some of them are planning evil against him/her out of envy and hatred. They have been nursing this ill-feeling towards him/her for a long time and they are hatching a grand design to cause him/her harm. Ifá says that their plan of mischief will fail. Ifá also says that this person has a friend who appreciates him/her and will go to any length to pull him/her out of trouble. There is the need for this friend to be identified in order to accord him/her the due recognition and respect that he/she deserves. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed his/her Ori; together with this friend. The feeding material is to be determined by Ifá. Ifá also foresees success and accomplishment for the two friends coming from outside their place of domicile. On this, Ifá says; Ile; n; ko;ô? Ile; n; beô o E®Ùyi¾nwa¾ lo; ku¾ ta; o¾ mo¾ô Di;a; fu;n Kannaka;nna; A bu¾ fu;n O®fe; Wo;ôn joô n; loô a¾jo¾ to; ji¾n gbungbun EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe o Translation: How is your home? My Home is well It is future consequences we know nothing about This was Ifá‟s message for Kannaka;nna; The same was also declared for O®fe¾

1188

OGBE® O®FU:N

When they were going on a long distance journey They were advised to offer eôbo OÙ®fe¾ loved to assist anyone who was in need of help. He could not imagine himself ignoring anyone who needed his assistance. One day, Kannaka;nna; his neighbour wanted to go to his in-laws' house but he had no befitting dress to wear to the place. He approached OÙ®fe¾ to borrow from him a dress in order for him not to be looked down upon by his inlaws because of his worn out dresses. He promised OÙ®fe¾ that he would return the dress as soon as he returned from his in-laws' place. OÙ®fe¾ not only gave him a newly made dress, he did not collect the dress back from his friend afterward. This gesture made a lasting impression on Kannaka;nna;. He secretly vowed to himself that anywhere and anytime that OÙ®fe¾ needed his help, he would render it to him, no matter how inconvenient it might be for him. There were several others who had also benefitted from the generosity of OÙ®fe¾. This generosity was the exact reason why OÙ®fe¾ had so many people loathing him. They saw his good nature as an avenue for him to advertise himself. The more he helped his neighbours, the more they hated him secretly. They began to plan to deal with him ruthlessly. They even went to the extent of setting a series of traps for him to fall into. Somehow he had managed to escape all these traps without being aware that his neighbours were designing such diabolical plans against him. One day, there was the need for everyone in the neighbourhood to accompany one of the neighbours to his parents‟ home town for an occasion. The parents of this neighbour were about to be conferred with chieftaincy titles in recognition of all their marvellous deeds in the area where they lived. Several people were invited. The neighbour also invited all the people in the neighbourhood to accompany him to grace the occasion. Everybody agreed to go for the occasion. OÙ®fe¾ also planned to go. Kannaka;nna; was also interested in going. A few days before the departure period, OÙ®fe¾ went for Ifá consultation in order to determine how the trip would be. Coincidentally, he met Kannaka;nna; in the home of the Awo. He too had come to find out about the journey. Both of them entered the home of the Awo together and they sat on the mat in order to consult Ifá together, since they came for the same reason. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Funfun was revealed.

1189


The Awo told them that they were planning to go on a long journey. He said that the trip itself was free of problems. The main problem however was where they were going. They were told that the neighbours with whom they were going on the trip had made terrible plans against OÙ®fe¾ and they intended to kill him during the festivities. Their plan was to make his death look like an accident. The Awo told him that he must not because of that refuse to attend the occasion. He was also assured that he had a friend who would rescue him from the evil plan of his neighbours. He was told that there was the need for him to identify this friend. The Awo used Ifá to find out who the friend was and it was discovered that it was Kannaka;nna;. The Awo advised OÙ®fe¾ to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He was also told that both he and Kannaka;nna; needed to propitiate each other‟s Ori;. They complied accordingly. As soon as they finished offering the eôboô both of them returned to their various homes. They were just wondering who among the neighbours could be planning such evil against O®fe;;. They thought of it for a long time and they could not come up with anyone or any group who could do such thing. Since they had already offered the eôboô as advised, they felt that there could be no evil plan which Ifá; would not dismantle. As soon as the neighbours saw him at the occasion, they began to finalize their evil plans. When they finished the plan, every one of them went to dance. O®fe;; and Kannaka;nna; were also invited to the dancing floor. While the dancing was going on, O®fe;;‟s next door neighbour who O®fe;; had helped in setting up three of his children in business called O®fe;; aside for a talk. He said that the noise of the music would not allow them to enjoy their discussion. He urged O®fe;; to let them move far away from the venue of the ceremony. O®fe;; agreed. He suspected nothing. Even if he was to suspect anyone, it could not be this particular neighbour. When they got to a place where nobody could see them from the party, the neighbour suddenly changed his attitude. He called others who had been hiding in the nearby forest. They gagged O®fe;; and carried him into the forest and beat the daylight out of him. They then tied his hands and feet and set the surrounding forest on fire. Their intention was to ensure that O®fe;; was burnt to death. When O®fe;; saw the people who carried him into the forest and beat him without mercy, he was shocked. These were

1190

OGBE® O®FU:N

the people who had regularly benefitted from his kind-heartedness. When they set the forest on fire, O®fe;; knew for sure that the end had come. He therefore resigned himself to his fate. He was only wishing the death to come quickly so as not to suffer too much before he died. Unknown to these conspirators and evil doers however Kannaka;nna; was watching closely all the moves of his friend and those of the neighbours. He noticed when the other neighbours were going into the forest one after the other before O®fe;; was called aside. He saw O®fe;;‟s next door neighbour leading him into the forest where the others were hiding. He followed them discretely. He saw when the neighbour gagged him. He saw when all the other conspirators rushed out and carried him into the forest. He moved closer and saw them beating him. He then saw when they tied the hands and feet of O®fe;;. He also saw them when they lit the forest on fire. He saw when the conspirators dispersed one after the other. As soon as the conspirators left, Kannaka;nna; sprang into action. He flew into the middle of the fire, untied his friend and strapped him onto his back. He flew out of the forest and brought O®fe;; into safety. He took O®fe;; to a secret location and began treating him. For 17 days, O®fe;; was at the secret location receiving treatment. Meanwhile, when the neighbours returned home, they announced to those who had no opportunity of attending the occasion that had got drunk at the party. He had consumed more alcohol than he could control and inadvertently set himself on fire in the forest. They all cried over the death of O®fe;;. They also congratulated themselves for getting rid of their common enemy. They planned an elaborate burial ceremony for him in order to remove any form of suspicion from their side. On the 18th day however, O®fe;; was strong enough to return home. As they were planning to go home quietly, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ appeared on the scene. He told them that it would not be advisable for the two of them to go home quietly. He said that those planning against them might notice their return and plan more mischief for them. He said that it would be more proper for them to return home with singing and dancing so that everyone would see them and know that the

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conspirators were the ones who planned O®fe;;‟s death which the deities had refused to allow to happen. He told them that he (E®sôu¾) had already brought drummers with him and that he would be the lead singer. He told them that he would render his service to them free of charge. Off they all went: Kannaka;nna;, O®®fe;;, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ the lead singer and 12 other drummers and chorus singers. When they got to the outskirts of the town, they began to sing thus: E®mi o¾ le mo¾ô’ra¾n n mo¾ô yi;; i o E®mi o¾ le mo¾ô’ra¾n n mo¾ô yi;; Kannaka;nna; l’o¾ôre;;ô O®®fe;; o A o; sôe mo¾ô p’a;ba;nigbe; n; da’ni¾ o? Translation: I would never have believed it I would never have understood it Kannaka;nna; is the only true friend of O®fe;; How could one know that one‟s neighbours would become traitors? Before long, the whole town gathered to hear the story. All the conspirators were rounded up. Those who were not caught left the town unceremoniously. Those arrested were disciplined according to the laws of the land. Ile; n; ko;ô? Ile; n; beô o EÙ®yi¾nwa¾ lo; ku¾ ta; o¾ mo¾ô Di;a; fu;n Kannaka;nna; A bu¾ fu;n O®®fe;; Wo;ôn joô n; loô a¾jo¾ to; ji¾n gbungbun EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôôe o Wo;ôn gb’eô;boô, woô;n ru;’boô N®je;ô e¾mi o¾ le mo¾ô’ra¾n n moô¾ yi; o E®mi o¾ le mo¾ô’ra¾n n mo¾ô’yi; Kannaka;nna; l’oô¾re;;ô O¾®fe; o A o; sôe moô¾ p’a;ba;nigbe; n; da'ni?

1192

OGBE® O®FU:N

Translation: How is your home? My Home is well It is future consequences we know nothing about This was Ifá‟s message for Kannaka;nna; The same was also declared for O®fe¾ When they were going on a long distance journey They were advised to offer eôbo They complied I would never have believed it I would never have understood it Kannaka;nna; is the only true friend of O®fe;; How could one know that one‟s neighbours would become traitors? Ifá says that the deities will incapacitate all the traitors planning evil against the person for whom this Odù is revealed and put all of them to shame. On the other hand, Ifá warns this person never to join hands with others in order to conspire against anyone, lest he/she is subjected to ridicule. 12. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô against traitors who have been spoiling his/her things and rendering all his/her efforts ineffective. Ifá says that the traitor(s) will be exposed and will be put to shame. Ifá says that some people are secretly watching this person while he/she is making efforts to succeed. They are also going behind his/her back to spoil all the things that he/she has been struggling to achieve. Ifá says that these evil perpetrators will surely fail. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with One giant rat (Okete) and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with another giant rat (Okete) and drive a long iron rod into the ground at the place

where he/she is working.

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On this, Ifá says; Ile; o¾ sa;n ni;;'nu; O®giri o¾ la¾ l’o;de A sôe s’o¾ôro¾ô ni;’le; Ta lo; r’o¾de loô¾oô; wi; Di;a; fu;n O®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; o¾un a¾ti OÙba¾ta;la;, ati E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ ati O®gu;n joô n;se¾’wa¾ Ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ aye; EÙboô ni¾ woô;n ni; ko;; wa;a; sôe o Translation: There are no cracks in the house Neither are there crannies in the wall How come our secret discussions in the home Have become public knowledge These were Ifa;‟s messages fo\r O®Ùru;;nmi¾¾la¾ Who in conjunction with O¾¾Ùba¾ta;la;, E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ and O®gu;n were creating human beings during the dawn of time They were advised to offer eôboô When Olo;du¾mare¾ decided to populate the planet earth with human beings, he gave the assignment first to OÙba¾ta;la; to perform. OÙba¾ta;la; failed in this assignment, Olo;du¾mare¾ then sent Odu¾duwa¾ to come to the planet to perform the assignment. After some time, Olo;du¾mare¾ personally created the first human being,; a woman called Ninibi;nini (a person in our likeness) and passed her through Odo¾ Aro; and Odo¾ EÙ®jeô¾ so that she could come to the planet earth. The woman was then given to Odu¾duwa¾ as his wife. Ninibi;nini gave birth to sets of twins for Odu¾duwa¾ eight times. Between Odu¾duwa¾ and Ninibi;nini there were 16 human beings on earth who were their direct children. After some time, it was noticed that the children of Odu¾duwa¾ were about to engage in incestuous relationships. This observation was reported to Olo;du¾mare¾ by an Iru;nmoôleô¾ called OÙmoôni;yorobo, who was one of the lieutenants of Olo;du¾mare¾ on earth. This prompted Olo;du¾mare¾ to decide to increase the population of human beings on the earth. This would

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make it possible for the human beings to pick and choose their partners among themselves without having any amorous relationship with their siblings. Odu¾duwa¾ was also known as E®ni¾ya¾n and all his children were called OÙmoô-E®ni¾ya¾n, the children of E®ni¾ya¾n. Olo;du¾mare¾ decided that the human beings to be created would also be known as and be called OÙmoôE®ni¾ya¾n. Consequent upon this decision, Olo;du¾mare¾ summoned OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, OÙba¾ta;la;, O®gu;n and E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ to go to the planet earth and create 2,000 OÙmoô-E®®ni¾ya¾n to increase the human population on earth and avoid incestuous behaviour. He made OÙba¾ta;la; the head of this group. When they got to earth, they constructed a mighty fenced compound which had no door. The fence was also so tall that nobody could scale it. They planned to perform the assignment inside this fenced enclosure. First, E®®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ was asked to go to heaven to bring the basket filled with sand which Olo;du¾mare¾ used in the beginning of time to create the universe. Olo;du¾mare¾, nay A®ka;marà had breathed into a grain of sand during the dawn of life and the sand began to ooze out hot dews/vapours which eventually formed the first basket of sand. This basket of sand continued to ooze out hot dews/vapours which eventually cooled down a bit and turned into all the stars. The stars however continued oozing out hot dews/vapours which eventually cooled down a bit more to form all the planets in the universe. The planets continued oozing out hot dews/vapours which later cooled down even more to form the moons. It was this very first basket of sand that E®®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ was sent to heaven to bring for this assignment and he brought it. As soon as the basket of sand arrived, O®gu;n began to mould the iron elements in the sand to bones. He moulded 2,000 skeletal bones. He divided them into two groups. He oxidized one group and left the other group un-oxidized. The ones that he oxidized were called akoô-irin which was later changed to OÙku¾nrin, (males) and the ones that were not oxidized were called Obi;;-irin which was later changed to Obi¾nrin, (females). When this process was completed, OÙ®ba¾ta;la; used the sand in the basket to put “flesh” into the skeletal bones which O®gu;n had earlier moulded. All

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that remained was for the “creatures” to solidify well enough for OÙ®ba¾ta;la; to use the A®sôeô given to him by Olo;du¾mare¾ to put life into the moulded “creatures” the very next day. They then all went to sleep. When they all woke up the following morning however, they all discovered to their chagrin, that all their handiwork had been destroyed! Who or what was responsible for this? How did this thing or person gain access to the enclosure? They went round to investigate whether any part of the enclosure had any opening or crack but there was no single crack. Why had this happened to them? They all wondered. Again and again, the work which they had all done meticulously would be destroyed. Tired of this ugly development, they decided to go for Ifá consultation. After all, Ifá had earlier predicted that they would accomplish the mission successfully. They sent OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to go and find out what was amiss. He went to the home of the Awo stated above, who were his former students in heaven, for Ifá consultation. During the process, Ogbe¾-O®fu;n was revealed. The Awo told O®Ùru;;nmi¾la that they had been experiencing difficulty in the performance of their assignment. He was told that it was not because they lacked the capability to perform the assignment successfully but rather, a traitor was responsible for the continued failures in their assignment. He was assured that the traitor was not among the four performing the task. He however assured O®Ùru;;nmi¾la that this traitor would be exposed and brought to judgement. He advised O®Ùru;;nmi¾la that they needed to procure a long iron rod to be driven into the ground in several spots inside the enclosure. He said that they needed to hit the sharp edge of the iron rod on the ground several times in several places before they drove it into the ground. By so doing, he assured O®Ùru;;nmi¾la, the traitor would be exposed. O®Ùru;;nmi¾la returned to the planet earth and told the others what Ifá had just said, without wasting any time, O®gu;n moulded the iron rod and they began to strike it on the ground as instructed by the Awo. It did not take long while striking the tip of the rod in the ground before they realized that something was shaking and moving sideways in a violent way. They removed the iron rod: and alas, the rod came up together with O®ke;te;, the giant rat! The iron rod had hit her on the neck

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and had come out of the other side of her neck! She was still writhing in pain. What happened? How did she manage to get in here? They queried. O®ke;te; explained to them that the first inhabitants of the planet earth, known as Eni;ya;n who were dislodged from the earth by Olo;du¾mare¾ with deluge were upset and those who survived among them were totally opposed to the creation of OÙmoô-E®ni;ya¾n in order for the latter to be made to replace them on earth. This was the reason why they commissioned her to spy on the activities of the four Iru;nmoôleô¾ and report back to them. She had been reporting all the progress made by the Iru;nmoôleô¾ to the Eni;ya;n and had been finding ways of ensuring the destruction of the assignment. How did she find her way into the enclosure, they asked? She responded that as the Iru;nmoôleô¾ were all going through the wall of the enclosure to ensure that there was no crack, crevice or opening in the wall, she had dug a hole in the ground from outside and had made the hole come out inside the enclosure. It therefore became easy for her to observe all what they were doing and report back to those who gave her the assignment without being noticed. So, O®ke;te; was the traitor! She was adequately sanctioned. The atlas bone of her neck was then removed and added to the I®bo¾ determinants that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was using in order to commemorate the day that the traitor was exposed and put to judgement. After this incident, they were finally able to mould the 2,000 OÙmoôE®ni¾ya¾¾n which Olo;du¾mare¾ had assigned them to do. These OÙmoô-E®ni;ya;;n were then dispersed all over the earth in order to increase the population of the earth. Ile; o¾ sa;;n ni';nu; O®gi¾ri¾ o¾ la¾ l’;ode A sôe s’oô¾ro¾¾ô ni;’le; Ta lo; r’o¾de lo¾ôo; wi; Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ Ti; o¾un a¾ti OÙba¾ta;la;, a¾ti E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ a¾ti O®gu;n joô nse’wa¾ Ni; ku¾tu¾¾ku¾tu¾ aye;

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EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o Wo;ôn gb’e;ôboôô, woôn ru;’boô Nje¾ oôwoô; wa; ba O®ke¾te¾ o¾ OÙwo; ba oô¾da¾le¾ô I®gba¾ yi¾i; l'eôboô a¾wa a; da¾ OÙwoô; ba o¾ke;te;ô o¾ OÙwo;ô ba o¾ôda¾le¾ô A o; fi; eegun oôru¾n-un re¾ô le;;’bo¾¾ Translation: There are no cracks in the house Neither are there crannies in the wall How come our secret discussions in the home Have become public knowledge These were Ifa;‟s messages fo\r O®Ùru;;nmi¾¾la¾ Who in conjunction with O¾¾Ùba¾ta;la;, E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ and O®gu;n were creating human beings during the dawn of time They were advised to offer eôboô They complied Now, We have got a hold of O®ke;te; We have captured the traitor It is now that our eôboô has manifested We have got a hold of O®ke;te; We have captured the traitor We shall use the bone of her neck as I®bo¾ Ifá says that the person or group for whom this Odù is revealed shall successfully complete his/her/their mission. The traitor responsible for the sabotage of the assignment shall be identified and be put to judgement. Conversely, Ifá warns the person or group for whom this Odù is revealed never to sabotage the efforts of others. If he/she/they does so, he/she/they shall be exposed and be subjected to public odium and appropriate judgement. If there is any disagreement or contention, it is better for this to be discussed and settled, instead of looking for clandestine ways of spoiling the efforts of others.

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OGBE® O®FU:N

13. Ifá says that there is a couple where this Odù is revealed who has not yet received the blessing of the fruit of the womb and who are desperately yearning for this blessing. Ifá says that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the couple physically and physiologically to warrant such delay or failure to beget a child. Nonetheless, the couple has not been able to have any baby. Ifá says that the reason why this is so is that OÙba¾ta;la; has not put his A®sôe for the couple's sexual efforts to translate into pregnancy which will lead to the birth of a baby. Consequent upon this, the eôboô that Ifá recommends for this couple is the one that will make Oôba¾ta;la; give his approval for their sexual activities to turn to pregnancy, and the birth of children. Ifá advises this couple to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. They also need to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land snails and plenty of O®ri;, shea butter.

On this, Ifá; says: A fu;n yeôn-eôn A ke¾ôn yeôn-eôn OÙ®yeônyeôn a keô¾n bi; a¾la¾ Di;a; fu;n Oo¾sôa¾n;la; O®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ Ti; yo;o; maa ba; obi¾nri¾n olo;bi¾nrin su¾n Ti ;yo;o; si¾ d’oyu;n EÙboô ni¾ woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: That which is sparkling white That which expands That which sparkles brightly like snow These were Ifa;‟s messages for Oo¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôeô¾eô¾re¾ôma¾gbo¾ The one who assists people‟s wives to become pregnant And also assists people‟s wives to produce and deliver babies safely He was advised to offer eôboôô When OÙba¾ta;la; and the others were moulding the 2,000 OÙmoô E®ni¾ya¾n, Olo;du¾mare¾ instructed that as soon as this assignment was completed, the “creation process” used to make the 2,000 should be stopped and

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replaced with the original procreation process as was the case with Odu¾duwa¾ and Ni;ni;bi;;ni;;ni;. This was done in order to facilitate the production of human beings without the need of using the “creation process” all the time. It would also make it possible for the new 2,000 ÙOÙmoô E®ni¾yan to procreate with the 16 biological children of Odu¾duwa¾. It was for these two reasons that OÙba¾ta;la; prepared two whitish liquid substances; one for the males and the other for the females. The male substance was in the form of sperm while the female substance was in the form of eggs. The two were meant to be mixed together during sexual intercourse. The resultant coming together of these two substances would then be given Asôeô by OÙba¾ta;la; and it would turn into pregnancy and the pregnancy would lead to the birth of babies. It is important to know however that the coming together of these two liquid substances is not enough to make it turn into pregnancy. It must also receive the Asôeô of OÙba¾ta;la; before it can become a pregnancy. This is where Ifá says that the liquid substances coming from the bodies of males and females who engage in sexual activity, will be “incorporated” by the spirit of OÙba¾ta;la;. During sexual intercourse, the couples body make-up will change and it will last until the liquid substances have been completely released. The release of these substances is called orgasm. After this, that is when OÙba¾ta;la; will decide whether to stamp it with the Asôeô to become pregnancy or not. Those whose wives find it difficult to become pregnant after all examinations are done and nothing is found wrong, usually go to OÙba¾ta;la; to assist them in making their wives pregnant in order for them to receive the blessings of the fruit of the womb. A fu;n yeôn-eôn A ke¾ôn yeôn-eôn OÙ®yeônyeôn a keô¾n bi; a¾la¾ Di;a; fu;n Oo¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôeô¾e¾ôreôe ¾ ¾ôma¾gbo¾ Ti; yo;o; maa ba; obi¾nri¾n olo;bi¾nrin su¾n Ti; yo;o; si¾ d’oyu;n EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Oba;lu;fo;ôn ba; mi¾ ba; t'e¾mi¾¾ su¾n Ko; d’oyu;n Oo¾sôa¾ ba; mi¾ ba; t’e¾mi¾ su¾n

1200

OGBE® O®FU:N

Ko; si¾ d’oômoô Translation: That which is sparkling white That which expands That which sparkles brightly like snow These were Ifa;‟s messages for Oo¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôeô¾eô¾re¾ôma¾gbo¾ The one who assists people‟s wives to become pregnant And also assists people‟s wives to produce and deliver babies safely He was advised to offer eôboôô He complied OÙba;lu;fo;n, please help me make love to my wife For her to become pregnant O®o¾sôa¾ help me make love to my wife For it to turn into babies Ifá says that OÙba¾ta;la; will assist the person for whom this Odù is revealed to receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb. All this person needs to do is to offer the eôboôô as prescribed above and propitiate OÙba¾ta;la; accordingly. 14. Ifá says that there are two friends who are not living in the same locality who need to offer eôboô together in order for both of them to be blessed with success, honour, prestige and elevation. Ifá says that all the Ire of life is coming on its way for the two of them. Ifá advises each of the two friends to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two cocks, two guinea-fowls, two hens and money. On this, Ifá; says: A ki¾i; loô l'o;ju;de oô¾re;ô eôni A ki¾i; be¾ôreô¾ l'o;ju;de oô¾reô¾ eôni A®gba¾ to; loô l’o;ju;de o¾ôreô¾ eô reô¾ Ti; ko¾ ki;;i; A®ya¾mo¾ô pe; o¾n¾da¾le¾ô ni? Di;a; fu;n EÙdan A bu¾ fu;n Ileô¾ EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe

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Translation: It is not proper to move away from the frontage of one‟s friend‟s home It is no proper to crouch and move silently from the frontage of one‟s friend‟s home An elder who moves away from the frontage of his friend‟s house Without stopping to go inside the home Can‟t you see that such a friend is a traitor? These were the declarations of Ifa; to EÙdan The same was also declared to Ileô¾ They were both advised to offer eôboô EÙdan and Ile¾ô were bosom friends from youth. Whenever one of them was found, it was certain that the other would not be too far away from there. They did everything together. They went everywhere together and they even put on the same dresses all the time. When they grew up however, their work demanded that the two friends separate and live apart. This they did with regret. They however maintained in constant contact with one another. One day, EÙdan went for Ifá consultation in order to determine his success chances in life. He went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above. When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾ O®fu;n was revealed. The Awo told him that he would surely succeed in life. The Awo also told him that he had a friend who was not living in the same locality with him who also needed to offer the same eôboô because both of them would succeed together. He was advised to call on his friend in order for them to offer the eôboô together. The Awo advised each of them to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two hens, two guinea-fowls, two cocks and money That same day, EÙdan sent a message to his friend. Together, they went to the home of the group of Awo in order to offer the eôboô. They procured all the eôboô materials on the way to the home of the Awo. When they got to the Awo, they were advised that under no condition must they try to avoid each other. They were told that their Orí worked together with one

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OGBE® O®FU:N

another and for that reason, they would succeed together. The Awo offered the eôboô for the two friends together and they returned to their different locations. EÙdan was a trader and Ileô¾ was a farmer. As soon as they arrived to their destinations, luck began to smile at them better than ever before. The business of EÙdan thrived beyond his expectations. He made more profit than ever before and he was highly recognized in the community. There was no community event that he would not be invited to because the people knew that he had a lot to contribute in terms of advice and money. On the other hand, all the farm products of Ileô¾ came out bountifully. He was able to make good sales from his farm products. He became very prosperous in one year. Many things that he could hitherto not afford would become something that was easily affordable for him. He too was very useful to his community. He was also referred, honoured and elevated in the community. One day, there was a social occasion where both EÙdan and Ileô¾ were invited. Both of them attended the occasion. When it was dancing time, the invited musicians sang in their praise throughout. At a time, the musicians were singing thus: B’a;ye; ba; yeô’le¾ô Aye¾ a y’EÙdan o B’a;ye; ba; yeô’leô¾ Aye¾ a y’EÙdan o B’a;ye; ba; yeô’leô¾ Yo;o; y’oô¾re¾ô o Yo;o; y’oôr¾ eô B’a;ye; ba; yeô’leô¾ Aye; a y’EÙdan o Translation: If life becomes agreeable to Ile¾ô Life will also become agreeable to EÙdan If life becomes comfortable for Ile¾ô Life will also become comfortable for EÙdan If life has good meaning to Ile¾ô It will also have good meaning to his friend

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If life becomes agreeable to Ile¾ô Life will also become agreeable to EÙdan Throughout the day, the musicians repeated this song and all those present at the occasion danced and danced. Undoubtedly, that day was the day of Ile¾ô and EÙdan his friend. A ki¾i; loô lo;jude o¾ôre;ô eôni A ki¾i; be¾ôreôô¾ lo;ju;de oô¾reô; eôni A®gba¾ to; loô l’oju;de o¾ôre;ô eôô reô¾ Ti; ko¾ ya'leô; A®ya¾mo¾ô peô; o¾n¾da¾le¾ô ni? Di;a; fu;n EÙdan A bu¾ fu;n Ile;ô E®ôboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe Woô;n gb’e;ôboô, wo;ôn ru;’boôô Nje;ô B’a;ye; ba; yeô’leô¾ Ayeô; a y’EÙdan o B’a;ye; ba; yeô’le¾ô Aye;ô a y’EÙdan o B’a;ye; ba; yeô’leô¾ Yo;o; y’o¾rô e; o Yo;o y’oô¾re; B’a;ye; ba; yeô’leô¾ Aye; a y’EÙdan o E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾¾ô EÙ wa;a; wo’re o Translation: It is not proper to move away from the frontage of one‟s friend‟s home It is no proper to crouch and move silently from the frontage of one‟s friend‟s home An elder who moves away from the frontage of his friend‟s house Without stopping to go inside the home Can‟t you see that such a friend is a traitor? These were the declarations of Ifa; to EÙdan

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OGBE® O®FU:N

The same was also declared to Ileô¾ They were both advised to offer eôboô They complied Behold, if life becomes agreeable to Ileô¾ Life will also become agreeable to EÙdan If life becomes comfortable for Ileô¾ Life will also become comfortable for EÙdan If life has good meaning to Ileô¾ It will also have good meaning to his friend If life becomes agreeable to Ileô¾ Life will also become agreeable to EÙdan Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾ Join us in the midst of joy Come and behold all the Ire of life Ifá says that the two friends for whom this Odù is revealed shall succeed together. They will both receive the blessings of success, elevation, respect, honour, recognition and contentment.

15. Ifá says that there is the need for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô against untimely death. Ifá says that Death is watching this person very closely and is waiting for the slightest opportunity to strike him/her down. EÙboô will resolve this problem for him/her and will give him/her victory over premature death. Ifá also says that it foresees financial success for this person. Ifá urges this person however not to entertain any fear that may preclude him/her from going about his/her daily business. Ifá says that the only thing that he/she needs to fear is Fear itself. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with two mature he-goats, two pigeons, one small carved human image and money. There is also the need for the Awo to prepare one a¾ko;sôe for him/her with seven a¾lu;pa¾i;da¾ leaves and cotton wool. The cotton wool will be spread and placed on the ground, the seven a¾lu;pa¾i;da¾ leaves will be placed on it and the small carved human image will be placed on it. After this, the Awo will imprint Ogbe¾-O®fu;n with I®yeô¾rosu¾n on the OÙpoô;n-Ifa;. This particular stanza will be recited. The I®yeô¾rosu¾n will be poured on the carved image, the a¾lu;pa¾i;da¾ and the cotton wool. The preparation will then be wrapped

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up with white and black thread. This will be handed over to the person for whom this Odù is revealed to put under his/her pillow and place his/her head on the pillow anytime he/she sleeps. Nothing will stop him/her from going about his/her day-to-day activities. On this, Ifá says: Igbo; du;ro;, igbo; o¾ sôi; O®ke¾ ni o¾ pa’seô¾ da¾ A®ku;si¾to;wa;; o¾sôu¾pa; Di;a; fu;n woôn l’o;tu-Ifeô¾ Woô;n ni; ogun Aru;tu;tu; lo; de; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woôn wa;a; sôe o Translation: The forest stands without moving elsewhere The hill stands rigidly in one place The moon moves across the land from heaven These were the declarations of Ifá to the inhabitants of O®tu-Ife¾ô When they declared that the crisis of premature death had arrived They were advised to offer eôboô The inhabitants of O®tu-Ife¾ô could no longer have sound sleep. They were sleeping and waking up in terrible fear. Terrifying things were happening to them. They were having bad dreams. They were scared. They feared the unknown. Some of them had become nervous wrecks. This development had prevented quite a number of them from going about their daily business. They did not know when death would strike them down. All of them were certain that the experience they were having would very soon lead to their untimely death. Consequent upon that, what sense did it make for them to be working when they would not be alive long enough to reap the fruit of their labour? They queried. Because the inhabitants of O®tu-Ife¾ô refused to work and they refused to attend to their daily businesses any longer, they became poorer, sicker and more miserable. Life in O®tu-Ife¾ô became terrible, uncomfortable and boring. Their little ones died from lack of proper care and attention. Their crops failed because they were not attended to. Nothing worked any

1206

OGBE® O®FU:N

longer in O®tu-Ife¾ô. Why were they facing all these problems? The inhabitants of O®tu-Ife¾ô pondered. Tired of these terrible experiences, they decided to approach the group of Awo mentioned above for a solution. Will we overcome all these problems? Will life return to normal for us? Will our crops stop failing? Will our children stop dying? Will they stop falling ill? These and many more were the questions that they posed to Ifá. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-O®fu;n was revealed. The Awo told the representatives of O®tu-Ife¾ô land who came for the consultation that it was true that Death was approaching the land. The inhabitants however were making matters worse by giving into fear. They were told that what was causing more havoc on them was not the death that was approaching, but rather, their fear. It was Fear that was actually killing them and Death was just finishing up the job of Fear. Their fear made them become lazy, uncaring and careless. They did not work and they were hungry most of the time. They did not take proper care of their young ones and that was why the young ones were dying. It was fear of the unknown that turned them into lazy, careless and uncaring parents. They did everything wrong because they were nursing great fear in their minds. They were told that without controlling their fears, nothing would work for them and their problems would continue to multiply. They were also urged to rise up from their slumber and go back to perform their daily chores and go back to their daily businesses. The Awo then advised them to offer eôboô with two mature he-goats, two pigeons and money. They were also asked to procure one miniature doll each for a special a¾kosôe that would be prepared for them. They all complied. After the eôboô, they brought the dolls to the Awo and they prepared the a¾kosôe for each and every one of them. Less than one month after, and after a lot of hard work that was necessary as a result of many months of neglect, they began to see positive changes in their lives without being told by anyone. Since the time that they had managed to overcome their fears, they developed interest in going about their day-to-day activities once again. They made progress in all aspects of their lives. Their health and well-being improved. Their kids no longer died prematurely. Their lives returned to normal.

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Igbo; du;ro;, igbo; o¾ sôi; O®ke¾ ni o¾ pa’seô¾ da¾ A®ku;si¾to;wa¾ o¾sôu¾pa; Di;a; fu;n woôn l’o;tu-Ifeô¾ Woô;n ni; ogun Aru;tu;tu; lo; de; EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woôn wa;a; sôe o Woô;n gb’eô;boô, woô;n ru;;’boô N®je;ô sôisôeô; o r’o;wo; A®wo¾ra;n o¾ boô sôo¾ko¾to¾ SÙisôeô o r’o;wo; Translation: The forest stands without moving elsewhere The hill stands rigidly in one place The moon moves across the land from heaven These were the declarations of Ifá to the inhabitants of O®tu-Ife¾ô When they declared that the crisis of premature death had arrived They were advised to offer eôboô They complied Now, work so that you all can make profit A doll cannot put on trousers by itself Work and make money Ifá says that as long as the person or group for whom this Odù is revealed does not allow fear to get control of him/her/them and he/she/they go about his/her/their normal duties, there will be victory, longevity and financial success. 16. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô against premature death. Ifá says that both Death and Affliction are threatening to enter this person‟s household. Consequent upon this, he/she needs to offer the eôboô of victory over all evil elements and principalities. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature hegoat and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with two rats, two fish and ewu;;ro, bitter leaf soup.

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OGBE® O®FU:N

On this, Ifá says: OÙloô;yi¾n-i;nyi;n-ma-yi;n, Awo OÙloô;ye;ô Ada¾gba;mi¾go¾ôro¾ô, Awo O®ke¾ I®jero¾ O®ru;ru;ma¾ra¾ ni;i; sô’oômoô i¾keô;nyi¾n woôn Di;a; fu;;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ni;jo;ô ti; t'iku;-t'a¾ru¾n n;kan’le; e reô¾e;ô loô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe Translation: OÙloô;yi¾n-i;nyi;n-ma-yi;n, the Awo of OÙloô;ye; Ada¾gba;mi¾go¾ro¾, the Awo of I®jero¾ Hills And O®ru;ru;ma¾ra¾, the youngest among the three They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When both Death and Affliction were determined to enter his home He was advised to offer eôboô O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ woke up on this particular day feeling very happy. He looked at his surroundings and realized to his satisfaction, that he had every reason in the world to be happy. All the things and people who surrounded him brought joy to him. Why would he not be happy? He asked himself. Four days prior to this particular day, his son got married to a beautiful and well mannered lady. The marriage ceremony was the talk of the whole community. He was sure that it would be the talk of the community for a long time to come. Everything went smoothly as Ifá had predicted. All his other children were doing fine in their various fields of endeavours. They were all following the road that Ifá had charted for them. His wife was loyal, trust-worthy, dedicated, humble, truthful and benevolent. She followed all the instructions given to her by Ifá. In a few days time, one of his daughters would be married to someone from a well respected family in the community. The husband himself was hardworking, loving, God-fearing and progressive. He was following the footsteps of his own father who, through hard work and sheer determination became the most successful hunter in the community. He was also following all the advice given to him by Ifá. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ realised that he was blessed with not only people who made him happy, but also materials which made life easy for him and his entire household.

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He was blessed with many properties, farmlands and reasonable wealth. Why would he not sleep and wake up a happy and self-fulfilled man? He asked himself with a smile. That very morning was Ifá day. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ woke up all the members of his household and they all gathered in his Ifá room. They performed their morning prayers together. After this, they proceeded to brake the OÙ®seô¾-Ifa; kola nuts and perform all the other necessary rites. When the kola nuts were broken and thrown as was normally expected to do, the Obi¾-O®Ùseô¾ did not come out in Ire. Much as he tried, the throwing of the Obi¾ did not come up as Ire. Instead, the Obi¾ continued to say that it foresaw Ikú and A®ru¾n. All suggestions from O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ to turn it to Ire failed to effect any change. At last, he asked if there was the need for him to go for Ifá consultation on the matter and the Obi¾ came up in the affirmative. This was the reason why O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ summoned the three Awo stated above to come to his home to consult Ifá for him. The three Awo were his former students. He was proud of them in the performance of their duties. When the Awo arrived at his home and Ifá was consulted, the Odù that was revealed was Ogbe¾-O®fu;n. The three Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ that it was a very good thing that the Obi¾ had warned him about something by not coming up in Ire. He might not have found it necessary to consult Ifá that very day as he had done if he didn‟t receive the warning. They told him that Ifá said that Death and Affliction were on their way to visit O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ and all the members of his household. There was therefore the need to act fast to stop them from gaining access to his home. The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ to offer eôboô of victory over Death and Affliction with one mature he-goat and money. He was also asked to feed his O®ke¾ I®poô¾ri; with two rats, two fish and ewuro soup. The feeding, the Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ was to enable his Ifá; to give him early notification anytime that Iku;, A®ru¾n, EÙjoô;, O®fo and all other negative forces were approaching him or his household. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ did all what he was advised to do on that same day. Iku; and A®ru¾n, Death and Affliction, were determined to enter the household of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾. They were well prepared for him. They were sure that all the necessary things that would ensure their success in wrecking havoc on O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾‟s household had been put in place. There

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OGBE® O®FU:N

was absolutely nothing to stop them from achieving their set objectives so they thought. Very close to the home of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ they encountered the most formidable and totally unexpected obstacle: E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾! They never put this Iru;nmoôleô¾ into consideration in all their plans! He stopped them from going further. Not only that, he chased them away! As from that day henceforth, anytime any of the negative principalities were about to approach O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾‟s household or those of any of his devotees, Ifá would quickly alert them during Ifá consultation. As soon as all necessary eôboô and I®boôô were offered, the negative principalities would be stopped from further movement and would be chased away from the lives of those who had complied with the advice of Ifá as stated by the Awo. OÙloô;yi¾n-i;nyi;n-ma-yi;n, Awo OÙloô;ye;ô Ada¾gba;mi¾go¾ôro¾ô, Awo O®ke¾ I®jero¾ O®ru;ru;ma¾ra¾ ni;i; sô’oômoô i¾keô;nyi¾n woôn Di;a; fu;;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ Ni;jo;ô ti; t'iku;-t'a¾ru¾n n;kan’le; e reô¾e;ô loô EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾ EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni l'a;i¾ku; kangiri N®je;ô t'i;ku; ba; n; wa; Awo o; boô¾ wa; Ewe; ewu;ro I®woô ni o ro¾o; f’A:wo B’a;ru¾n ba; n; wa; Awo o; boô¾ wa; Ewe; ewu;ro I®woô ni o ro¾o; f’A:wo B’e;ôjoô; ba; n; wa; Awo o; boô¾ wa; Ewe; ewu;ro I®woô ni o ro¾o; f’A:wo B’o;fo¾ ba; n; wa; Awo o; boô¾ wa; Ewe; ewu;ro I®woô ni o ro¾o; f’A:wo Bi; gbogbo irunbi ba; n; wa; Awo o; bo¾¾ô wa; Ewe; ewu;ro I®woô ni o ro¾o; f’A:wo

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Translation: OÙloô;yi¾n-i;nyi;n-ma-yi;n, the Awo of OÙloô;ye; Ada¾gba;mi¾go¾ro¾, the Awo of I®jero¾ Hills And O®ru;ru;ma¾ra¾, the youngest among the three They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ When both Death and Affliction were determined to enter his home He was advised to offer eôboô He complied Before long, not too far Join us where we enjoy longevity Now, If Ikú (Death) is looking for an Awo Ewe; ewu;ro (Bitter leaves) Please tell the Awo about it If A®ru¾n (Affliction) is coming for an Awo Ewe; ewu;ro (Bitter leaves) Please tell the Awo about it If EÙjoô; (Contention) is approaching an Awo Ewe; ewu;ro (Bitter leaves) Please tell the Awo about it If O®fo¾ (Loss) is coming for an Awo Ewe; ewu;ro (Bitter leaves) Please tell the Awo about it If all negative principalities of life are planning an attack against an Awo Ewe; ewu;ro (Bitter leaves) Please tell the Awo about it Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be spared from experiencing any evil in his/her life. His/her household will also be given adequate protection by Ifá. Ifá assures this person that as long as he/she does not allow fear to get hold of him/her, no problem will ever overwhelm him/her. That is the message of Ifá for this person.


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OGBE® O®FU:N

B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-O®®FU:N FOR THOSE BORN BY THIS ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙD ® A:YE: OR I®TEÙ®NI:FA: All Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children, males and females, have come into this world to become achievers. They have the potentials to succeed where their contemporaries may fail woefully. They will also receive the blessing of unlimited success because it is part of the things that they chose in heaven when they were coming to the world. The significance of this is that it is in their destinies to succeed in life. There is nothing or nobody who can stop them from actualizing their potentials, unless if they, on their own, fail to actualize the potentials. All Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children, males and females are also blessed with the gift of victory over oppositions or enemies. No matter how formidable these oppositions may be, they have the capability to overcome the problems and move forward as if nothing had happened. They also have the assurance of the Divinities that all those who plan anything evil against them shall not go unpunished. It is in the interest of everyone to leave Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children alone and allow them to actualize their potentials without inhibition. The best anyone can do is to cooperate with them and they will all succeed together. It is also not advisable for anyone to see Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children as vulnerable in order to take advantage of them. Anyone who plans this will end up being shocked by the outcome. This is because these children have the support Ifa;, Ori;, Egbe; and Egu;ngu;n. These Divinities are always ready to support them against oppositions and ensure their success and elevation. Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children may experience some hardship and discomfort in their lives. The experience however will not last long. As a matter of fact, most Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children move from being subordinates to becoming leaders over their erstwhile leaders. Their discomfort usually ends in pleasure and contentment. It is possible for Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children to have up to four children or even more. However, none of these children will do the same work when they grow up. They will also succeed in whatever profession they choose for themselves. They however need to hold on to Ifá and O®Ùba¾ta;la; in order to succeed in all their endeavours in life. O®Ùba¾ta;la; will give them all the support that they need.

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Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children also achieve victory over more powerful enemies. Ifá says that as long as they know how to curtail fear in their lives, there is nothing that they cannot achieve. The major impediment in the path of progress for Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children is fear. There is nothing for them to fear except Fear itself. With courage, resilience and determination, it should not surprise anyone if Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children, males and females rise up to become community, state or even national leaders. Two things usually stand out as the bane of Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children: avarice and impulsiveness. They, more often than not, love to take more than their own fair share of anything. This action usually leads to their downfall. The ability to control the greed in them and in their activities will be a great asset for them to rise up in the socio-economic ladder. It will also give them honour, respect and recognition in the community. Also, most Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children usually act or react to everything without proper deliberation or investigation. Because of this, they usually end up regretting their actions or reactions after it has brought them a load of public loath and humiliation. If there is anything that gives Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children a sense of self-hatred, it is their impulsive behaviour. It is therefore in their best interest to overcome their impulsiveness as much as they can. Being level-headed at all times is a goal they need to aspire for apart from accumulation of wealth, honour and respect. In all, Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children, males and female are in this world to make the world better than how they met it. They are in this world to coordinate human beings and resources to elevate their lives and those of others. They are on this earth to bring smiles, peace, comfort, success, victory, achievement, contentment, security and elevation into the world. A®boôru; A®boôye¾

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OGBE® O®FU:N

C. AFFILIATED IRU;:NMOÙLEÙ/ ® O®RI®S ® ÙA® OF OGBE®-O®FU:N 1. Ifa;– for success, victory, guidance, elevation, direction, protection, contentment and overall success 2. Ori;– for actualization of destiny, sanctuary, leadership, protection, success, elevation, victory, achievement and self fulfilment 3. E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ – for sanctuary, direction, victory, support, elevation, protection and general well-being 4. Egu;ngu;n – for ancestral support, leadership, victory, and overall success 5. EÙgbeô; – for comradeship, leadership, achievement, success, victory and general well-being 6. Aje; – for financial success, leadership, achievement and overall success 7. OÙba¾ta;la; – for childbearing, childrearing, creativity, success, victory, leadership and overall well-being 8. O®gu;n – for victory, creativity, progress, direction, leadership, accomplishment and over-all well-being 9. O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko– for child-bearing, leadership, victory success and over-all well-being 10. Oro¾– for ancestral support, leadership, victory and over-all wellbeing

D. TABOOS OF OGBE®-O®FU:N 1. Must never snatch another person's spouse – to avoid trouble, disaster, unconsummated fortune, failure and disappointment 2. Must never put blood on their Ikin – to avoid the wrath of elementals, problems, failure and disaster 3. Must never be avaricious – to avoid disaster, unconsummated fortune and failure 4. Must never rely on charms or any other special devices – to avoid unconsummated fortune, disappointment and failure 5. Must never conspire against anyone – to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure, disgrace and disaster 6. Must never take custody of other people’s belongings or children – to avoid failure, disappointment and disaster 7. Must never be in a hurry to acquire wealth in life – to avoid failure, unconsummated fortune and disappointment

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8. Must never entertain fearing death – to avoid creating cog in the will of his/her progress 9. Must never use red or black dresses – to avoid unconsummated fortune, disappointment and failure 10. Must never sneak away or avoid extending greetings to his/her loved ones – to avoid being labelled as a traitor 11. Must never act or react without proper deliberation or investigation – to avoid regrettable misconduct, public odium and shame

E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® O®FU:N 1. MALES i. ii. iii. iv.

Ifa;ro;mi – Ifa; supports and protects me Ifa;le;ku;loô – Ifa; chases death away Ifa;fu;nmini;yi¾ – Ifa; gives me honour and prestige Ifa;pe¾ôro¾ô – Ifa; brings peace and comfort

2. FEMALES i. ii. iii. iv.

Owo;leôleôw ; a¾ – Money brings out the beauty in all things OÙmoôleôwa¾ – One‟s child is one‟s true beauty Aye;yeômi; – Life is agreeable to me O®o¾sôa¾sôe;ya¾nu – O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; performs wonders in my life


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Àṣèfín Media Publication Division(s) All New Releases HERE:

Soon To Be Released:

Ifa Dida: An Invitation to Ifa Consultation Volume 3 Oyeku Ogbe to Oyeku Ofun By Solagbade Popoola Library INC Publisher: Asefin Media LLP 2012 ISBN 978-1-926538-24-2

This is the second volume of the massive reference collection of Ifa stanza for each of the combination Odu of Oyeku Ogbe through Oyeku Ofun. Volume 3 of 17, the remaining volumes 4 thru 17 will be released as available.

Ifa Dida - Companion CD's Orin Olodu - Ifa Dida The Music of Foundation, An Anthology Volume 1 by Solagbade Popoola Foundation & Ijo Ayansowapo Recording by: Asefin Media LLP ISBN 978-1-926538-13-6

This CD companion scores the 16 major Odu Ifa highlighted in the work, Ifa Dida-Volume 1 with each poetic Ifa stanza recited in song form with traditional musical accompaniment. All recordings done in West Africa. Musical arrangement by Ijo Ayansowopo, composition by Kori Ifaloju.

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Iwa Rere: "Morality" In Ifa/Yoruba Traditional Religion Authors by: Lloyd Weaver & Ademola Ifabunmi Foreword by: Awoyinfa Kori Ifaloju Publisher: Asefin Media LLC 2008 ISBN 978-1-926538-11-2

Morality is the cornerstone on which every society is built; but still, many of us will ask “from where in our scripture do those of us who adhere to Yoruba Traditional Religion derive our understanding of what is moral and what is not”? Clearly in Ifa and Merindinlogun there are no special lists such as the Ten Commandments of the Holy Bible or the Revelations of Musa found in the Holy Koran. In fact, if we check, we will find that in most African languages, including the Yoruba language, there isn’t even a specific word for “morality.” Yet, the most casual look at African society reveals a constant emphasis on discipline and on moral principles of behavior. We are, in every way, a moral people. But still, what is morality in African tradition and from where do we derive our common understanding of right and wrong? Ifa Rere examines these ideas and others. (Co-author L.Weaver)

MORE TITLES TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY check back; www.alawoye.com or listen to our Eko Ifa Podcast on iTunes for current news and updates.

New Releases : Ikunle Abiyamo - The ASE of Motherhood By Solagbade Popoola & Fakunle Oyesanya Publisher: Asefin Media LLC 2008 ISBN 978-09810013-0-2 More than a book for woman, about Womanhood or Motherhood, this book is an Ifa comparative analysis about life and the successive stages of life, important for all women and for men, fathers of girls, husbands of wives & sons of Mothers. Also packed with traditional Ifa preparations, antidotes & remedies

Ifa Dida: (individual book collection)

by Solagbade Popoola Library INC Publisher: Asefin Media LLP 2008 In addition to the large collectors volume edition, we are publishing a book series collection of the complete Ifa Dida, with inserts & place holders for notes and additional information the priest / practitioner may add as needed. This can be used as "working copies" for practitioners or followers wanting detailed information about ones Odu in Ifa.

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Ifa Dida: Eji Ogbe - Book 1 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-0-9810013-2-6

Ifa Dida: Oyeku Meji - Book 2 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-0-9810013-3-3

Ifa Dida: Iwori Meji - Book 3 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-0-9810013-4-0

Ifa Dida: Odi Meji - Book 4 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-0-9810013-5-7

Ifa Dida: Irosun Meji - Book 5 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-0-9810013-6-4

Ifa Dida: Owonrin Meji - Book 6 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-0-9810013-7-1

Ifa Dida: Obara Meji - Book 7 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-0-9810013-8-8

Ifa Dida: Okanran Meji - Book 8 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-0-9810013-9-5

Ifa Dida: Ogunda Meji - Book 9 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-1-926538-00-6

Ifa Dida: Osa Meji - Book 10 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-1-926538-01-3

Ifa Dida: Ika Meji - Book 11 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-1-926538-02-0

Ifa Dida: Oturupon Meji - Book 12 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC

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ISBN 978-1-926538-03-7

Ifa Dida: Otura Meji - Book 13 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-1-926538-04-4

Ifa Dida: Irete Meji - Book 14 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-1-926538-05-1

Ifa Dida: Ose Meji - Book 15 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-1-926538-06-8

Ifa Dida: Ofun Meji - Book 16 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-1-926538-07-5

Ifa Dida: Ogbe Oyeku - Book 17 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-1-926538-09-9

Ifa Dida: Ogbe Iwori - Book 18 by Solagbade Popoola Library INC ISBN 978-1-926538-10-5

More To Come (books 19-256 coming soon) NOTE; All of these publications will be NEVER BEFORE published works and each with new Ifa stanzas giving full detailed explanations never before in print. place your order at www.asefin-media.com also visit www.alawoye.com for special book announcements about this collections events and your local retailers carrying these great masterpieces for special order. retailers fill & send order request, or inquiries to: Asefin Media PO Box 1408 Triboro Station NYC, NY 10035 eMail: [email protected]

www.asefin-media.com

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Ifa Didaa Ogbe

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