Iwori Kana

A man disapproved of his youngest daughter's courtship, because her boyfriend was a man of vices with a bad reputation. Many times he asked her to end it and look for a young man without vices, but she paid no attention.

Then the father kept her locked in and under constant watch, to keep the relationship from moving forward. Worn down by so much control, the girl ran away with her boyfriend.

The mother, upset but eager to avoid something worse, asked her husband not to go after their daughter or report her. After much discussion, the father agreed.

The son in law, noticing that nobody demanded anything, imagined that his father in law was planning some harm against them. He lived frightened and tense, and his wife noticed. One day she visited him at the gambling place where he worked and saw him uneasy, watching everywhere, as if he feared an attack. At home she spoke to him about it and he admitted that it was not exactly fear: he believed her father could do them harm, and that was why he was always alert.

In time he gave up gambling and found another job. Every night he came back home and no longer went out, and he spent it beside his wife.

Later she became pregnant and had a beautiful girl. On that occasion the son in law visited his father in law's house with his wife and daughter, and brought gifts. The father in law already knew that the young man had changed; he welcomed him like a son, and a little later the wedding was held.

Osain and Ogún were at odds in this path. Osain hid in the river under the roots of oyuro, and from that hiding place he harassed Ogún with attacks and with his song. Ogún heard the voice without knowing where it came from, and rage took hold of him: he rubbed his body against a bramble until the thorns made him bleed and, with the knife in his hand, he danced and ended up cutting himself.

Yemayá, who was passing by, found him like this and sang him a song. On seeing her, Ogún calmed down. Then she looked for Shangó, told him the situation and asked him to help Ogún. Shangó told her to put on white and black clothes, to go to the riverbank and to stay silent before anyone. Yemayá obeyed. Shangó sang a secret song. Osain heard it, came out of the water and made out Yemayá without knowing who she was; he approached and spoke to her, but she stayed silent.

Then Shangó shook the ground with lightning and thunder. The tortoise eggs cracked and the young ones came out. Osain began to devour them. Shangó appeared and ate them with him; then he left, and Osain went on with the tortoises and their eggs. Yemayá reproached him, saying he must not do it, because on one occasion the tortoises had saved his life.

Some time later, Shangó found Ogún and said aloud that he was going to test whether Ogún respected him. Ogún leaned toward his ear and told him with contempt that he was the owner of the secret of the tortoise, and he became furious, threatening Shangó. Shangó felt some fear, but resolved to teach him a lesson. He called Osain, who reminded him that he had already warned him how ungrateful Ogún was. Shangó threw himself into the river and covered himself with ashibatá leaves placed backwards. He moved them from side to side and emerged throwing gunpowder. Ogún, on seeing him, supposed that he carried a machete and was terrified. On the other bank, Yemayá kept singing. Persuaded of Shangó's strength, Ogún acknowledged it and promised to respect him from then on.

Shangó replied that first they had to go to Ayaguna, bringing a white rooster and a tortoise. Ogún lamented that he would do it if only Yemayá gave him the rooster and he knew where to find the tortoise. Shangó invited him to come along. Before leaving he warned him that he would always have to be his slave; Ogún accepted, although Shangó did not fully trust his attitude. At Yemayá's house they obtained the white rooster. Then they visited Osain, to whom Shangó explained the reason for the visit. Osain agreed and told Ogún that he was giving him the tortoise because Ogún needed it to save himself.

They arrived at the house of Obatalá, also called Ayaguna, and Ogún got on his knees. Obatalá rested the machete on his back and lower back, offered him blood from the white rooster and declared that this was his seat. Ogún paid his respects to Obatalá, to Shangó and to Osain. At that moment Yemayá came in, took off her necklace and gave it to Obatalá, who placed it on Ogún.

Ogún wanted to know who that woman was. Obatalá explained that he had to respect her, kiss her, kneel before her and ask her forgiveness, because she was his mother. Ogún did so, though still with doubts, and asked her who she was. She answered that she was Yemayá Okute, his mother. Then Ogún exclaimed that from that moment he would be a slave to everyone, and that when he served Osain and Shangó he would go dressed in black.

A certain fisherman spent his life fishing, and the more he took, the more he wanted to take. Every day night fell while he was on the water. When he returned to town, the fish had already spoiled and he could not sell it: he threw it away, or gave away what was still good.

Another fisherman had caught varied and pretty specimens and showed them to him, saying that this was nothing compared with what the bottom of the sea hid.

Because his situation was very bad, the fisherman went to Orunmila, who discovered this odu in his reading. He ordered him to make ebbó and to abstain from bathing in the sea. He did not obey. He looked for a mask that would let him see under the water, with air and resistance to the pressure of the deep.

On diving to the bottom he found Olokun, who told him: “You have already seen the secret, but you will not be able to tell it.” Olokun snatched the mask from him, and the man began to swallow water without stopping until he burst. He died that way.

Whoever has this path must receive their Olokun from a babalawo, and next to that Olokun a black doll in blue and white clothes will dwell.