Iwori Meyi

As Olofin created the world, a mother gave birth to four children of different species: hyena, ram, goat and chicken. At first the hyena grazed like the others, but once grown she began to refuse grass. When the other three had young, she slipped in among them and devoured them.

Frightened by the disappearance of their young, the brothers suspected the hyena and questioned her: “Could you be the one who eats our children?” She answered that they were slandering her.

The goat and the ram went before Olofin and explained the case. He asked them whether they were sure, and they said they were. Olofin decreed that in three days they would all meet to kill the hyena.

Meanwhile she visited Orunmila, and the odu Iwori Meyi came out. The ebbó marked was three chickens, three yams and 21 pesos. Orunmila told her to go to the wild, form three small mounds of sand, plant a yam in each one and offer a chicken to each mound. Only two yams would sprout. Then she was to appear before Olofin and accuse the goat and the ram of having pulled up a yam of hers.

The hyena obeyed. Olofin sent a servant to investigate, and he reported that a yam had indeed been stolen. Olofin then told the hyena that, as compensation for the harm, he authorized her to eat the young of the ram or the goat that she might find, but that from that day on she would live in the wild.

Victorious, the hyena let out her cry, which means “Iwori Meyi spoke for me.” Since then, that has been the cry of the hyena.

In Orunmila's house there lived a bear that ran errands, took out the ebbós, cleaned and lent a hand. Orunmila looked after him. In spite of that he was his enemy, since out of distraction or laziness he did badly what he was asked. With the aleyos who arrived he played dumb: he swept their feet or stayed listening behind the door. When they asked him for water, he delayed and poured it over the people. When Orunmila sent him to leave an ebbó at the river, he took it to the wilderness. The consultants began to complain that what had been indicated was not working out for them.

Faced with such disorder, Orunmila did osode, where this Ifá came out, which ordered an ebbó and forbade taking anyone in at the house, because it would be a great setback. He thought about the complaints and began to distrust the bear. He had him called and charged him with carrying the ebbó to the riverbank, with the strict order not to throw it into the water nor to go over to the other bank. He did this out of distrust, although the ebbó was meant for the middle of the river. The bridge across the river was in bad shape and would not support the bear, so he must not act against what was ordered.

The bear set out with the ebbó. Only to go against Orunmila, when he reached the bank he went up on the bridge and advanced toward the other side. Halfway across, the bridge gave way under his weight: he fell into the river and drowned. In this way Orunmila was free of his enemy, and the ebbó, besides, reached its destination.

The lesson is that the enemy can be in one's own house, taking advantage of friendship.

Iwori Meyi had a lot of money and squandered it; with it he kept three women. One day they agreed to leave, left the house, and he was alone.

He went to consult Olofin, who asked him to bring four musicians, three female goats and plenty of yams, to see whether the situation could be fixed. Olofin performed the ebbó, placed his ashé in the musicians and sent them back. As soon as the music sounded in that house, the three women looked in again: first Irede, then Aye, joy, and last Oyo, the dance.

Thanks to Olofin's favor, Iwori Meyi had his three good fortunes again. This odu warns that three protections move away from whoever does not look after them; each one has its own function, and only together do they make the complete whole.