In the town of Ika Roso, smuggling, theft and crime ruled: the governor was very old, and his helpers Ogún and Elegba were in on it, though nothing could be proved. Obatalá, the Obá, decided to hand over command to whoever could set those people straight. A stranger arrived who spoke to nobody and behaved properly: he was Osun. He asked Obatalá for a white dove, orí, omí Olofin and honey. In the bush he cut a trunk of moruro wood, washed it with omí Olofin, gave it the dove, put orí and efún on it, and gave a rooster to Eshu so he would help him find out who was leading the disorder. At night, guided by Eshu, he found the group: among them were Ogún, Elegba and Oshosi — the ones commanding Obatalá's army were betraying him, and the smuggling was in weapons for making war on him. At a signal from Eshu, Osun rushed in swinging the moruro trunk; the men fled thinking more were coming, and the three, found out, begged him not to report them. «Very well, but you are going to put an end to the smuggling, the theft and the killing.» They took the weapons to Obatalá and made a pact with Osun; the town began to go right. When Obatalá went to offer him a share in the government, Osun had disappeared. In his honor, Obatalá ordered that the moruro tree be worshipped and given offerings every year, and hung arrows, bows and spears on it to remember that thanks to Osun there was no war.
Ika Roso was the name of a town where people smuggled, stole and killed, because the governor was already too old to take care of those duties. His two assistants, Ogún and Elegba, were mixed up in the business, though no one could prove it against them.
Obatalá was the Obá of that land, and fed up with so much corruption he decided to hand the command over to whoever was able to put the morals of those people in order.
Around that time a stranger no one knew showed up there; he mixed with no one and his conduct was spotless. When he learned what was going on, he came before Obatalá with this request: "Let me take charge of the command of this land, and give me a white dove, orí, an omí Olofin and honey, to fix this situation for you." That stranger was Osun.
Obatalá put everything he asked for in his hands, just to see the problem solved, and also because something inside told him that this man was honest.
Leaving Obatalá's house, Osun headed for the bush and went into it to look for a trunk of palo moruro that was big and strong. There he ran into Eshu, gave him the rooster he was carrying and asked him for help to find the ringleaders of all that disorder. Eshu agreed to help him. Osun then cut the palo moruro, washed it with omí Olofin, offered it the dove and, after that, put orí and efún on it before going back to his house.
At night he went out with the moruro trunk on his shoulder, following the direction Eshu was marking for him. That is how he came upon a good-sized group of men, and among them he recognized Ogún. He wanted to face them right away, but Eshu stopped him and said: "Wait a little." It was not long before Elegba came to join the group. Since Obatalá's army was commanded by Elegba and Ogún, Osun understood that the betrayal came from them, and that this was why a criminal was never caught for Obatalá: almost all the smuggling was weapons — bows, arrows and spears — stored up to make war on Obatalá when the time came.
Eshu gave a sign and Osun went at them, dealing blows with the moruro trunk. The men, taken by surprise, ran off, sure that behind the one hitting them came many more. Only Ogún, Elegba and Oshosi — who was also there — were left, and knowing they were found out they begged Osun not to accuse them before Obatalá. "All right; but you have to put an end to the smuggling, the robberies and the killings," Osun answered them.
They agreed, and by his order they handed those weapons over to Obatalá. From then on Elegba, Ogún and Oshosi were left in a pact with Osun, and the town straightened out its path. Obatalá thanked him, and just as he was thinking of offering him a shared government, Osun disappeared.
Grateful, and in his honor, Obatalá ordered his people to worship the moruro tree every year and make it an offering, so the memory of that selfless stranger who fixed the town's situation would not be lost. On that same tree Obatalá hung arrows, bows and spears, a sign that thanks to Osun there was no war in his town.