Ofun Ogunda

A man lived in poverty and went to Orunla. When he consulted, this Ifá came out; Orunla made ebbó for him and sent him to bathe in the river, warning him to protect an object: his fortune or his ruin depended on it.

In the river, so as not to lose the object, which was a half peso, he put it in his mouth. Without meaning to he let it fall and went after it, downstream, to the point where the river enters the sea. Night fell, and he asked Olokun for lodging, who gave it, telling him to sleep on the reefs.

In the morning Olokun asked him how the night had been. He answered that it was good. Olokun then showed him a group of gourd plants: those on the right side were silent and those on the left spoke. He told him to follow that direction, since his house would be transformed when he arrived.

Within a few hours that man became prosperous. A neighbor began to question him until he got the secret out of him, and boasted that he could do the same. Without first going to Orunla's house, he went down to the river, bathed, let go of the half peso and chased it. On arrival, already at night, he asked Olokun for leave to sleep, and Olokun granted it.

At dawn Olokun asked him how he had rested. The neighbor complained: on the reefs it was impossible to sleep well. Olokun pointed out the gourds: those on the right were silent and those on the left spoke; he should take three of those on the right and throw one at once, another halfway and the last in front of his house.

He did it, although dissatisfied. When he threw the first gourd everything turned dark; when he threw the second, snakes and fierce animals appeared and devoured him. So he paid for his greed.

Two friends were always together, in joy as well as in sorrow, that is, at parties and in the bitter times that any man goes through.

Barakoyí had a practical nature and was somewhat strict in his dealings; he never meddled in other people's affairs. Envy and arrogance bothered him, and humility defined him. Eyiguei was his opposite in everything: grumpy, quarrelsome, selfish, never satisfied, and without a trace of humility.

Once, while they were talking about their bad luck, it turned out that each of them had only ten cents. Barakoyí announced that he would go to see Orunmila so that Orunmila would consult for him and his luck would change. Eyiguei replied that he could go waste his money on that, and that he preferred to use his own to buy food.

Orunmila consulted for him, and an Ifá came out that ordered him to make a cleansing offering and then leave the town with no fixed destination, since happiness awaited him in the place where he arrived. Orunmila made the ebbó and, knowing his poverty, gave back the five cents he had charged, so that he would carry something on the journey. As he sent him off, he blessed him with a prayer.

Barakoyí walked the whole day and part of the night until he found a lovely place, with a river on one side and the sea on the other. He arrived exhausted and thirsty, so he used his hat to scoop up water. As he bent down, he lost the coin Orunmila had given him.

Once his thirst was quenched, he thanked Olofin and the Oshas for leading him to such a sacred corner where he could drink and rest. Right there he fell asleep on the rocks of the reef, and dreamed that someone pulled at his feet, threw him into the sea, and bothered him without rest.

At dawn he woke, glad to have rested, and saw an older woman approaching, ugly, ragged, and with tangled hair. She stopped beside him and asked whether he had slept well and whether no one had bothered him in such a remote place. He said no. Then she offered to help him and pointed to a gourd plant by the road: he should take three of those on the right side and throw them one by one. The biggest when leaving that place; the second when arriving at the first town; the last, the smallest, in the place where he would spend the night.

He did so, and the last gourd hid a great fortune. Astonished and amazed, he picked it up, and in a short time he was counted among the most renowned and wealthy men of that town.

Years later he went back to visit the town where he came from, to see Orunmila and Eyiguei. He brought Orunmila valuable gifts; then he looked for his friend, embraced him, gave him several presents, and they shared a meal. Eyiguei admitted that his situation was the same or worse. Barakoyí told him everything he had lived through, told him that his wealth came from Orunmila's work, and offered him money, which Eyiguei refused out of arrogance and envy.

But he wanted to copy him. He borrowed ten cents and went to Orunmila with the idea that he would make him an ebbó for five. Orunmila explained that no ebbó was possible for that amount: the price was four pesos and twenty cents. Eyiguei answered that, if he had such a sum, he would not have made the trip there. He left without saying goodbye and followed the route his friend had described.

In the place between the river and the sea he found the old woman and the gourd plant, and he understood that his friend had told the truth. As he bent down to drink, he lost his five cent coin and began to curse. He lay down to sleep, saying mockingly that he would wait for the old witch, but the strange happenings of the place did not let him rest.

At dawn he saw her arrive. She greeted him and he answered through his teeth, which the old woman noticed at once, although she made no comment and only asked what brought him there. Eyiguei answered rudely that it was none of her business. She insisted that she wanted to help him, and he replied that she should help him without so much chatter.

The old woman then pointed out the gourd plant: when leaving he should take those on the right side; he should throw the biggest as he departed, without looking back; the middle one in the town he would soon find; and the smallest where he would spend the night.

As he was leaving, Eyiguei went up to the gourds and noticed that those on the left side were bigger. He thought the old woman took him for a fool and took those, because they were larger. Then he did everything the opposite way: he threw the smallest right there, the middle one at the entrance of the town, and the biggest in the place where he would spend the night. A serpent came out of it, coiled around his neck, and choked him.

Orishaoko lived worn out from working, because the harder he tried, the less he harvested. He begged Olofin to help him, but the help never came.

Tired of that life and seeing that everything went the wrong way for him, he gave up farming and decided to move away. One day, while out walking, he passed by the house of his compadre Ogún and told him his troubles. His plow was made of wood, the ground was parched and hard because it did not rain, and so he could not sink the plow deep enough.

Ogún asked Olofin to send rain and promised Orishaoko to make him an iron plow. When he had it, Orishaoko at last worked as he wished and found his joy again.

So it was clear that Orishaoko needed Ogún to achieve what he wanted.