Oggunda Lenin

Obá lived in the land Obayokoye, and there she lived poor and sad: her land did not rise, because the people who lived in it ran from work and got by on what she brought in. That came from a curse of Shangó, whom Obá, full of pride in her own power, had put to shame; from then on she moved to that place, which she named herself, a scrawny spot that nobody knew. When she got there she sang: "Obayokoye lodeo mamawo iba soreo". The people of the place came out, thin and sick, though in their own way they lived content. Obá offered them: "I am going to help you so you live better." The answer was: "We are happy like this." With those people Obá struggled without getting Obayokoye to prosper. One day she stopped by a river and started begging Olofin to help her; then she kept walking to the land of Obaaye, home of Shangó and of Elegba. Shangó knew her from far away and, hiding himself, called Elegba and told him: "Look, there is Obá: go with her and help her, because I am going to get there before you two and I am going to talk to those people of the land Obayokoye — and whoever does not listen to me, I will hand over to Ogún." He did what he said, and by the time Obá and Elegba set foot on that ground, everyone was working and producing.

When the two of them came in and she saw the change, joy ran over her and she said to her companion: "It seems Olofin heard me." Elegba answered with a song: "Obanile onire Shangó, obanile baba guaye Shangó". Obá broke into tears out of pure emotion for what Shangó had done. Then Elegba called her: "Look at what Shangó has left." She turned around and found six otás. Right away came the instruction: "You have to take care of this and feed it guinea." After that, Elegba courted Obá and a son was born to them, whom they named after the land: Obayokoye. The boy grew up, and work did not move him either; Obá took complaint after complaint to Elegba, until he lost his patience, took Obayokoye and left him standing on a road. Some time later Shangó passed by there and came across the omó Obayokoye, who spoke to him: "Look how I am, Shangó." The answer was: "This has happened to you for your disobedience: so you will live off fate." Note: here Eshu Obayokoye is Obá's slave.

At the beginning of the world, Ogún had another name and his strength had no rival: they called him Sokoti Ladé. His throne was of stone and it had no head, since it was no more than an even piece of iron. He was always found in the forge that served as his house, forging weapons and setting up bad witchcraft. That great power was handed to him by Olofin when he shared out the posts as the world was created; but Ogún ended up using it only for harm. Endless wars and the evil weight of witchcraft punished that land, whose people, with nothing left but despair, begged Olofin with this suyere: "Olofin bofun, Olofin mitiyoro omo sokun, omo belekun Olofin oguaobe". The day came when Olofin decided to send two messengers there: Orunmila and Obá. Newly arrived, they went to see a very famous Awó, Arolotaye, who mastered the secrets of every herb and every wood there was in that land and in the ones around it. They talked about the conduct of Sokoti Ladé and about how to save him and, with him, all the children of that land. Arolotaye and Obá then set out for the land of Sokoti Ladé, and as soon as they set foot on it they found Ikú making havoc with Ogún among the omó of the place. Rage took hold of Obá, who took machete and dagger and set to killing all the children of Sokoti Ladé; Arolotaye threw white cloth over her and that way made her obedient. At that moment Ogún showed up, wanting to know who the intruders were who had killed his warriors.

Ogún had an old dealing with Arolotaye Awó; seeing him there, next to Obá, carrying the jewels of wisdom, he threw himself at him and begged forgiveness, because he recognized in him a messenger of Olofin. The Awó offered him: "Let us look at you, to see what we can do for you and your land." Out of the osode came the Odù Oggunda Lenin, and with it the sign that his good passed through being consecrated in Osain. Awó Arolotaye then consecrated him in Osain, and fed him what he liked most on earth: the jutía (awasa). With that animal his secret was consecrated, and so he warned him: "With this jutía skin, both you and your children will be able to bathe to avoid the trouble of witchcraft and of the law." From then on Sokoti Ladé lost that name and became Ogún Arere, all through the work of Awó Arolotaye, who consecrated him with the secrets of the bush; that is why Ogún walks since then in the company of Osain, who strengthens his power. Ogún wanted to pay back the good received by him and by his land, and he announced to Oggunda Lenin — the Odù of Arolotaye Awó — and to Obá that he was handing them the power to do all things: eyi erí iwele, the anvil, with which they would never lack the power to solve every situation in life. One anvil went to Oggunda Lenin and another to Obá, and in that, from that day on, lies the secret of Orunmila and of Obá in this Ifá. Note: whoever has Oggunda Lenin, if he wants the power of solving, has to keep a metal anvil inside the big hand of Ifá; he also has to have Arolotaye — the Osain that goes with Ogún — and the piece of Sokoti Ladé, and to receive Obá.

Olokun came down to earth by Olofin's order, and he did it with Yewá; the two of them settled deep in the sea. One day he got tired of that place that was always the same and he started spinning on himself at the bottom, right where Yewá was too. The stirring lifted the sea bed and monsters of all kinds came up to the surface; with them came out a very strange and very beautiful creature, with beautiful hair, who always carried a gold shield and went traveling on the waves. Ogún saw her one day and fell in love; she, though, did not want a man, and he, to make her his, used the magic of Osain. It happened that Osain also fell for her, and since he could not have her either he threw a spell on her so she would be neither his nor Ogún's. As soon as that spell touched her, the beautiful creature was turned into a snake with two bodies. Terrified, she called her father Olokun, and he, when he saw that, threw himself on the land with boiling whirlpools of rage and thirst for revenge.

Terror pushed Osain and Ogún all the way to Orunmila's house. He made osode for them, saw this Ifá, Oggunda Lenin, and warned them: "You have to fix the bad thing you have done: let us go to Olokun's house." When they got there they found him roaring with rage over what had happened to his daughter Orona. Orunmila talked with him and assured him that his daughter would be a being the world could accept: he sent for Orona and, without being scared, ordered her to kneel; he applied his powers on her with the bath of ram's blood and covered her with the skin, and that way Orona was turned into sea foam. Ogún and Osain begged for forgiveness; Olokun calmed down and the land was not wiped out. Note: the man or the woman who gets this Ifá must receive Olokun from a Babalawo without delay, and must receive Orona as well. This explains why Olokun carries around it a chain with 21 pieces of Ogún and a snake, plus a gourd of Osain dressed with beads of Olokun and Ogún.