Iroso Sa

In one house lived Shangó, Oshún, Ogún and Orunmila. Oshún was Shangó's wife, but she was also living with Ogún, and outside the house she had three other lovers. Orunmila's legs were crippled and it was hard for him to walk. One day, as the day opened, this Ifá came out and he had to make ebbó: Oshún was the only one who troubled herself and got him everything he needed. In the reading, Ifá said there would be fire in the house.

Shangó, having learned of Oshún's betrayal, took his chance while everyone was off guard and set fire to the house on all four sides in revenge. They all ran out; but Oshún, remembering that Orunmila could not walk, went back inside to save him. She did not find him — the fright had got him out through the back door — and as she came out that way they met. «I went in to save you, but I could not find you», she told him. And Orunmila answered: «I will always be grateful to you for this. You, who are the sinner, were the only one who remembered me: from this moment your sins are forgiven, and from today you are the only one with the right to eat beside me». That is why Oshún eats she-goat, hen and everything Orunmila eats, beside him.

Orunmila once went to visit a house; as the day opened this Ifá came out, and it told him there would be fire in the house. He asked what was owed, and Ifá answered: the only thing owed was a ram to Shangó — and that this was the cause of the fire, because Shangó wanted to collect the debt, being tired of waiting.

Shangó set fire to the house and stood at the way out with his bow and arrow, waiting for them to come out so he could shoot them. Orunmila saw him and at once put on Obatalá's mask; he came out and invited Shangó to lower the bow and arrow, and Shangó obeyed, believing it was Obatalá. On realizing the trick, he told him: «I did it because in this house they owe me a ram and will not pay it». Orunmila answered that he was only visiting, but that he would insist they paid so everything could go back to normal. Shangó agreed, and the people of that house paid him his ram — though not before they had lost their house, and nearly their lives as well. Obatalá is the only saint who calms the others when they are angry over what is owed to them.

Obatalá was ill and his house was falling down. Orunmila saw this Ifá for him — Iroso Sa, the one of the hummingbird — and marked him an ebbó with three roosters, a hummingbird, four stakes, four small figures and a little house, and told him to go into the bush for the things, paying the bush its tributes. Obatalá paid no attention: he went into the bush, met Elegba, then Ogún, then Shangó among the thunderclaps, and asked them all for help; when Osain asked them «who gave you leave to come into my house?», nobody answered, and they went on treading on plants and felling trees.

Obatalá came back with everything for the ebbó and with his companions — and did not make the ebbó. He fell asleep; a strange noise woke him, and he saw one corner of his house fall, and then the roof, and then the other corner. Frightened, he took a shock and fell ill. He ran to Orunmila's house, and Orunmila told him: «This has happened to you for not listening and not making the ebbó, and for not paying the bush its tributes. Those figures you have in the house are hungry: give a rooster to each one at a corner of the house, pay them three coins, and give a hummingbird to Osain out in the bush». Obatalá did as he was told, felt well again, his house fell no further, and in gratitude he gave a she-goat to Orunmila, knelt down and said: «Orunmila, no one can beat you».