Ikú, ashamed of her son — who was nothing but bone — stole Odudúwa's black sheet to cover him; Odudúwa gave him the power of Egun and Osain gave him the flesh, the hair and the eyes in the joro joro, and with the nine black doves he received the iwín ni odara, the spirit of life — and Ikú's son walked out into the world.
Ikú, who is death, was then nothing but bone. She lived in the land of Abanikú and there a son was born to her, identical to her; shame led her to keep him hidden. So that his bones would hold together and the boy would learn to swallow and to sweat, she gave him ewé platanillo de Cuba, malva blanca, mazorquilla, mastuerzo and corn silk to drink, and she covered him with the same thing.
Desperation put her on the road one day, and she announced: "I am going to the land where Odudúwa is." Ñañarikú was the name of that land, and Osain and Egun had houses there too. She took with her a black rooster and 2 quail, and along the way she went singing and crying: ÑAÑARIKU IKU LOÑARE ODUDUWA AGUA LOYARE OMO ABANIBIKUN OMO IKU ÑAÑARIKU LORO OMO LOYARE.
Once in Odudúwa's land, she went around and around without him noticing her. Annoyed, she snatched the black cloth he covered himself with, went back to her own place and covered the boy with it.
Odudúwa came back with Osain, and it was Egun who told him about the theft of the black cloth. Ikú, for her part, had left the rooster and the quail there. Osain flew into a rage. Odudúwa noticed the quail and the rooster, and said: "Look, she forgot this and we are hungry: let us eat it." And so it was: Osain and Egun ate rooster and quail, together with Odudúwa.
Afterwards Odudúwa called Egun and Osain, and they set out on the road together. Already close to the land of Abanibikú they raised this song: EGUN NIYORE NIYORE GUAN GUA EGUN IKU MAGUAO LODE NI OLONA UMBO AGUA LLORE IKU.
Egun ran out and turned into Afefé (the wind). Odudúwa played the cowbell; Osain carried the quail in his hand. Ikú, seeing him arrive and knowing what it was about, took fright and burst into tears. She was running from Afefé —Egun, who had her wrapped up— when Odudúwa and Osain received her.
In tears, Ikú told Odudúwa everything that was going on. Odudúwa answered: "What you took from me is the sheet I cover myself with." She explained that she wanted it to cover her son so nobody would see him. Then Odudúwa offered her: "All right, I am going to give you the power of Egun, and Osain will give your son the power of the flesh (erán), for when your son becomes Egun."
Ikú was very pleased, but Odudúwa added: "That sheet you stole from me will only be good for painting the signs of Egun when anyone dies and they feed him so he has power."
Odudúwa, Ikú and Osain went out, playing agogó and singing: AFEFE LOKUN EGUN KUILODO AFEFE LEKUN EGUN OMO YARE EGUN KUILODO.
When they got to Ikú's land, Osain opened a hole; they had brought a turtle with them. Odudúwa painted the Odù Irete Trupon; the Egun laid Ikú's son down there and covered him with the sheet. Then Osain and Odudúwa broke into song: ERAN NILE IKU ERAN GBOGBO ERAN NILE IKU EGUN OBANI LOKUN GBOGBO ERAN EGUN IKU.
The work lasted seven days. Odudúwa announced to Ikú that her son's flesh was already joined to the bone, and Osain added: "He also has hair, eyes and his nature, and he has to be fed so he can walk."
Ikú wanted to know what she had to get, and Odudúwa sent her on: "Ask Osain." Osain then asked her for 9 black doves, which would be given to Egun together with him, so as to hand the boy IWIN NI ODARA, the spirit of life (the incarnated self); and separately, for Osain himself, a grifo young rooster, quail and turtle.
Happy, Ikú set off to look for what was asked. With her still on the road, Odudúwa and Osain took off the layer of dirt on top and saw that the boy already had flesh, eyes and hair; they covered him again with the black cloth and wrote Irete Trupon. Before she came back they sent for Egun, so he would enter the body of Ikú's son.
Ikú, on her return, saw the thing move, took fright and burst into tears. Odudúwa calmed her. Osain, meanwhile, was eating what she had brought. Then Odudúwa told her that she had to get into a hole to raise the ceremony. Osain took the dove, and with Odudúwa they began the rite and the song: EGUN DIDE EGUN ONI GUALODE LONA YEYE IKU LORUN AGUA IKU BAGUA LODE LONA EGUN IKU LORUN NARE ONI LOKUN.
And right then Ikú's son set off walking through the world.
Note: this is where it comes from that humanity is born already being spirit, and that Ikú takes it away when it needs it. Whoever has this sign must, every so often, give 3 doves to Orún together with Egun. Seeing her son like that, death first lived with Orún, and gave him 3 black doves.