1Ariku, long life
The children of Ogbe Tua died at birth, until Long Life (Ariku) asked Olodumare to be born in his home. With the magic belt and talisman, the boy Ariku survived; but the father, given to dancing, neglected his family.
In the home of Ogbe Tua the children died at birth. Long Life (Ariku), moved to pity, asked Olodumare to be born there. Orunmila ordered a sacrifice and prepared a magic belt and a talisman: the belt around the child's waist for seven days, and the talisman around his neck until he grew up. So the boy, named Ariku, survived, and afterward a girl was born, Omotade.
Heaven cleared the road for Ogbe Tua so he would have children and live to be old. But, pleased with himself, he neglected his duties: he became a musician, went about dancing with the diviners and grew apart from his wife. Ariku grew up with no fatherly attention and turned quarrelsome.
Through divination, Ariku was told to attend his father's Ifá and invite him to come home so that he could prosper. The luck of this sign comes from settling down at home, not from roaming the streets. Here is the secret against the death of small children.
2The dancing that brought enmity
When Ogbe Alara left the dancing and the partying behind and prospered, the other priests came to execute him for desertion. He received them with a banquet and, instead of shouting, set his many children dancing; the priests, ashamed of their own wandering lives, went away.
On coming home, Ogbe Alara raised his children, put his Ifá back in order and prospered. The other priests, seeing that he had turned away from dancing and partying, planned to bring him down. Warned in a dream, he made sacrifice with a goat to Eshú — frying all the meat for him alone — and bought plenty of horse tails.
The priests came to his house to execute him for desertion, the penalty for which was death, and they ordered him to dance. He asked for a hearing, invited Eshú, and reminded them that in heaven no one is condemned unheard. They ate the banquet, and he sang the praises of the Awó who had made him prosperous, and called his many children out to dance, each one with a brush.
When they asked him to shout «eeeyoo» as he used to, he refused: his children were dancing for him now. The visitors, amazed at his prosperity and at so many children, lamented their own wandering lives and went away downcast, leaving him in peace. Settle down in your home; do not lead a life of roaming the streets.
3The treasure stolen from the pit
During a job of mutual help, the children of the other deities dug up and shared out the treasure Ariku's father had hidden. Eshú revealed it to him, and with a special incantation at his shrine, Oggún and the rest gave everything back in fright.
Ariku was not to do jobs of mutual help (esusu) with anyone. The priests agreed to help each other in turn; when Ariku's turn came, he asked them to clear the ground around his father's house. While he was preparing the food, they cleaned out the pit behind the house and dug up the hidden treasure — gold, bronze, tusks, money — and shared it out among themselves instead of handing it over.
Eshú revealed the theft to Ariku. Through divination, he made sacrifice with the special incantation that calls Eshú to battle. While he was doing it, Eshú went to Oggún's house to warn him that Ariku was conjuring him to kill him, and that if he did not give back his share, the penalty for theft was death.
Frightened, Oggún gathered his share, added more to it and ran to give it back to Ariku, begging his pardon. Olokun and the other deities did the same. So Ariku got back his father's whole treasure. The child of this Odù is forbidden to do jobs of mutual help with anyone.
4Orunmila divined for Sleep🔒 Babalawo
5The kolá nut and the queen mother🔒 Babalawo
6Jegbe, the first Alaafin of Oyo🔒 Babalawo
7The punishment of Orimaye🔒 Babalawo
8The contest of Orunmila and Osain🔒 Babalawo
9When the father forgave the son🔒 Babalawo
10The inheritance of the little cap🔒 Babalawo
11The Awó must not make Ifá for his own son🔒 Babalawo
12The dethroned kings🔒 Babalawo
13The visit: the opening of the year🔒 Babalawo
14When the son was stealing from his father🔒 Babalawo
15When everything went wrong for Ogbe Tua🔒 Babalawo
16When Ogbe Tua brought the ékuele from Abyssinia🔒 Babalawo
17Iyabafun and her son Ogueday🔒 Babalawo
18The Awó of the cool feet (Awó Ese Tuto)🔒 Babalawo
19The owner of painting🔒 Babalawo
20The secret of the hutia ceremony🔒 Babalawo
21Eni Osha Buken, the one who holds up the earth🔒 Babalawo
22The ants🔒 Babalawo
23The curse and the yagruma tree🔒 Babalawo
24Where meat was smoked for the first time🔒 Babalawo
25The tying of the ékuele🔒 Babalawo
26Eshú Agogoro, the dustman🔒 Babalawo
27Where the shell became unsuitable for Ifá🔒 Babalawo
28The trader and the religion: reciprocity🔒 Babalawo
29Day and night🔒 Babalawo
30The secret of Shangó and Olofin🔒 Babalawo
31When they called Orunmila a glutton🔒 Babalawo
32The slander🔒 Babalawo
33Road of Ikú: the ambition of Bonkonrin🔒 Babalawo
34The one who traded in honor🔒 Babalawo
35The osainista and the epidemic🔒 Babalawo
36The two hands of Ifá and how Yewá was consecrated in the cemetery🔒 Babalawo
37Ogbe Tuanilara, the trust of Olofin🔒 Babalawo
38The jar of heaven and the jar of hell🔒 Babalawo
39The loss of memory🔒 Babalawo
40The deceit of the bulls🔒 Babalawo
41No hen raises a snake🔒 Babalawo