Odi Yeku

The dogs of a city were chasing a jackal. In his flight he took refuge in a dyer's workshop, where he threw himself into a vat full of indigo. When he came out he was blue from head to foot, and the dogs, who did not know what kind of creature he was, gave up and went back the way they had come.

Something similar happened in the jungle. Neither the tiger nor the panthers, neither the bears nor the wolves had ever seen a being of that color, and all of them drew back in terror because they took him for a monster.

Noticing the effect he produced, the jackal decided to take advantage of it. He gathered the beasts and proclaimed that the God of the animals had chosen him to rule, and that they must call him Abiniku. He went on handing out posts among the species, but the jackals, who were of his own blood, he did not even look at: he drove them far away. With the beasts at his service, he lacked nothing.

One afternoon, meeting with the Council, he heard from far away the laments of some jackals. His blue fur stood on end, tears came to his eyes and, unable to stop himself, he let out a sharp howl. “He is a thoroughly vile jackal, he has lied to us!” cried the tiger. All the beasts leaped on the false king, killed him and devoured him.

When the trees arrived in the world, they went to Orunmila to learn how to earn the respect of life. He consulted the oracle, Odi Yeku came out, and he indicated an ebbó for them. None of the trees performed it.

Orunmila also warned Iki Amojo that he needed a second ebbó, with two roosters and plenty of money, to shield him from witchcraft and from enemies; the roosters were for Eshu. But Iki Amojo answered that his goal was only the esteem of others and, having achieved it, he saw no reason to look after his body.

Later the land gradually became dry, children fell ill and died, and women could not give birth. The trees paid no attention to any of this. Olofin sent for Orunmila, who consulted again and saw this odu once more: Olofin had to give Eshu two billy goats and two roosters, and pray over the head with 16 doves.

Olofin wanted to solve it at the lowest cost, so he asked Ogún for his opinion and also summoned Eshu. Ogún went to Iki Amojo, left him without trunk, mouth, nose and ears, and made a great number of masks from that wood. He took them to Olofin and promised him that the answer would come in seven days.

When the day came, the drums of Ifá resounded, and the awó and the most important men of the court were gathered. Olofin handed out Ogún's masks among them and explained that they represented Aguara, the spirit Adamu Orisha; to consecrate them they had to dance to the beat of the drum. The masked men danced from dawn until night fell.

At nightfall, Eshu revealed to Ogún that Iki Amojo had refused to protect his body with ebbó. So they decided to put the masks away and let termites eat the eyes and the nose of the wood, so that other masks would always have to be carved. Iki Amojo was given the role of serving for the masks because he obtained the esteem he sought, and those masks are renewed because he did not protect his body. With them joy came back, since they gave peace to the Egun.

Hebio had as its sovereign King Dijisu Dada. His twin brother, Ajuanguan, practiced witchcraft in a terrible way: he nourished himself on human blood, and with that blood he also fed his sorcerer's pots, or prenda.

When the king learned of his brother's crimes, he dug a large hole, lowered Ajuanguan into it together with food of every kind and closed the opening. In this way he made him a Bodun, in the hope that he would do no more harm.

Later the king thought that Ajuanguan was already reformed. At night he stood before the grave and pronounced, in the sacred tongue, some words saying that no one could catch Ajuanguan and that he himself protected him. At dawn, his brother had been reborn, more of a sorcerer and more violent. He took another name, Akpedji Bodun Kombokumkun Mabo, “he who fears nothing,” and resumed the killings.

The people dug another hole and threw in dry roots of various trees. It was useless: Ajuanguan came back, even more furious. Then the chief of the warriors split a palm trunk down the middle, took the sorcerer's life, laid him in the trunk and buried him very deep. That was not enough either. The sorcerer returned with greater strength and with more desire to destroy than before.

No one could subdue him, so the king had Orunmila called. On arriving, the diviner made his consultation and saw this Odu. Then Ifá declared that Ajuanguan possessed two sorcerer spirits and that, to turn him into a shelter instead of a danger, they had to shut him in a jar. There he would receive rooster, goat, palm oil and other offerings. A lid of Ajaraka would cover everything and the jar would go underground, with a cardón planted on top. Right there they would keep feeding him always, chanting his súyere to him.

For that reason, whoever has this Odu and is an awó receives Azojuano and in his yard consecrates Ajuanguan. He can be invoked, but it is dangerous and handling him requires the utmost care.