Ojuani Dawán

In a village near the coast a giant tiger began to prowl about, destroying the crops and attacking the people. Panic spread among the villagers, who made their living producing palm oil from the pulp of the ikines on some nearby islets, and they decided to go and live on those islets until the danger passed. One family had an old woman who was ill, her body covered in sores, and they decided to leave her in the village for a few days while they built her a hut out on the keys; they left her food and water, and reinforced the walls so the tiger could not get in.

Left alone, the old woman was seized with fear: she lit the stove and set a great vat of palm oil boiling. At nightfall the tiger came into the village and, sniffing about, found the hut; when she heard it roar, the old woman took up her post beside the stove. When the tiger managed to push its head through the palm thatch of the wall, she filled a pot with boiling oil and threw it into its eyes, blinding it and burning its head; she ran out while the tiger, writhing in pain, fled blindly into the forest. The next day the men, hearing what had happened, armed themselves with arrows and machetes, followed its trail, surrounded it and killed it. Do not think yourself so strong, and do not rely on your physical strength: some poor wretch can give you a terrible fright.

A man had a little son, very beautiful, who used to lean out of the balcony window to look at the moon. One night his father asked him why, and the boy answered: «The moon talks with me, and she has told me many times that my father will want to pour water over my hands, and that I am going to refuse». The father told his wife, who said: «That means we are going to end up as his servants; the best thing would be to throw him into the sea». And from the balcony they threw him into the sea — but a seabird was passing, and it picked him up and traveled three days with him to a distant land. There the bird was hunted, and when they opened it in front of the Obá they found a beautiful boy in the pouch of its beak. The Obá, who was an Awó, adopted him, made Ifá for him at seven years old — Ojuani Ogunda came out — and at twenty-one gave him money: «Go and travel through other lands, so you learn more Ifá».

Meanwhile his real parents had fallen into poverty and opened an inn in another land, living with the remorse of what they had done. Ojuani Ogunda arrived with his retinue and lodged there, of all places, without being recognized. He had barely arrived when the father came to pour water over his hands so he could wash them: the Awó refused, and the father shuddered. «Why did you shudder?», he asked. «Because I remember that I had a son who would be about your age, and I threw him into the sea because he talked with the moon and told me that I would want to pour water over his hands and he would refuse». Back home, the Obá reminded him how he had come to that land, and that Ifá had told him his power was in his hands: he understood that he was the innkeeper's son. The father wanted him to come and live with them, but the Obá ruled: «Ifá orders that they come and live in Orunmila's house and receive Ifá, so the offense can be forgiven them — since their son is a Babalawo».

In a land where there was no lack of joy or good fortune, Oshún ruled from a castle built between the sea and the river. Her sister Obá went there to take shelter, disappointed with men and running away from the world; her people were migrating with her. Oshún gave her a roof, brought her up to date on the government and demanded that her own people recognize her as the older sister and give her worship. Later, when other lands asked for her presence, she left Obá in charge. And Obá — sad by nature, gloomy and cold — set out to change the lives of those people: she took away the music and the dances, and ordered that brides serve nine moons in the castle before marrying, and married women, the nine moons of pregnancy. With omieros and powders that she put on their bellies and their heads, those women began to reject men and to grow sad like her. That is how Oshún's people were left in gloom.

The men went to the Awó of Orunmila from the neighboring town, who saw Ojuani Ogunda for them and marked ebbó — the rooster for Eshu, two white hens, two yellow ones, two dolls, iwereyeye, imo of Oshún, sea water and river water and two masks. At the riverbank, the Awó handed the rooster to Eshu Laboni and gave him the errand of bringing Oshún. Eshu Laboni swam to the land Ibediaña, where Oshún was at a party with her children, and told her what was happening. She threw herself into the water with him to go back; she found her people in tears and went into the castle acting as if she knew nothing. She announced a party for her return: Obá was against it, but she had no choice but to accept, and she did not attend. The party had no spirit when the Awó arrived with the hens, the herbs and the waters; then Oshún and he called Obá to the riverbank, and there Obá ate the white hens and Oshún the yellow ones. It was there that Oshún ruled: "You are my older sister and I respect you, but you have made your daughters and mine unhappy. From today on, you will lead them to good habits and to running from vices; you will live in my house and everyone will make offerings to you — but I will govern the heads and the hearts of our children." Joy came back to the castle, and Obá began to receive offerings of virgin animals, eggs, fish and fruit whenever there was a wedding or a birth. That is where it comes from that Oshún is seated for the child of Obá with oró for Obá, and that no child of Oshún should be left without Obá, who gives them health, control and order in life.