A woman of great beauty had many children. Her favorite, Afokoyeri, was the most beautiful and gave no admittance to any suitor. Ashikuelu, a being who dwelt in the darkness, deep inside the earth, was madly in love with her. He saw only by the glow of the minerals. From time to time he looked out at the world through the entrance of his cave, when his children brought him a goat to feed him, while their songs darkened the sky.
On seeing Afokoyeri he fell in love, but he understood that his frightening appearance would keep him from approaching her. So he turned to magic to win her.
Walking through the countryside, Afokoyeri found a beautiful pumpkin plant. It was what she liked most, since she and her mother lived only on seeds and fruits. She went to cut it and noticed that the vine stretched to the entrance of a cave. Then Ashikuelu rose from the depths, darkened the sky and, without giving her a chance to react, held her by the hand and pulled her down with him into the depths.
When her mother, Inle Oguere, learned what had happened, she was shaken and went from sorcerer to sorcerer looking for one who could help her. She had heard of Orunmila's fame and went to see him. He did the osode, this odu came out, and he explained that the girl had been born to live in the dark, because human beings could not grasp how great life is. He told her to make an ebbó, to feed Ashikuelu in a cave, to call him and to negotiate with him when he came out. She obeyed. When Ashikuelu appeared, she served him food next to a pumpkin, and he greeted her with moforibale. Then he granted that Afokoyeri would spend half the year with her and the other half with him. He explained that she was the surface of the earth, where light makes everything bloom, while he was the shadow of the earth, where seeds sprout in the midst of darkness.
Olofin, who had heard everything, named Inle Oguere Mother Earth, in charge of always giving human beings the fruit that keeps them alive. He ordained that everyone should offer her their food and that whoever wanted to see her should recognize her, together with her daughter, in plowed fields as well as in natural sinkholes, in every fruit and every mineral, on the surface and deep inside the earth. She would be an affectionate mother who gives encouragement and, in the end, the resting place of her children. She would share food and work with Ashikuelu and Afokoyeri, her dear children, and also with Yewá, Osain, Azojuano, Oduduwa, Orun and Olofin himself. She would also keep the memory of all who lived on earth, and the food of Egun would always have to pass through her, because that was her mission as Mother Earth, honored by all her children.
For leaving the pleasures of the world to accompany Afokoyeri in the darkness, Inle Oguere received that title from Olofin as a reward for her devotion.
This story shows how much a mother sacrifices, and that she keeps protecting her children even after death. It also shows the friction of the mother who does not look kindly on her child's wedding: deep down she resists, because she believes nobody will love the child as she does. Even if she dislikes the son in law or daughter in law, she ends up accepting them so as not to cause her child unhappiness.
A hen, a rooster and doves. An obini doll and an apoti. White cloth and black cloth. A pumpkin. Earth from a hole and earth from a planted field. Food of every kind. A good amount of money.
This path includes an inshé of Mother Earth, Inle Oguere, and of the spirit of her daughter Afokoyeri, used to feed them and gain their favor. The full preparation is in the complete treatise.
ADIFAFUN ETITE IYA INLE OGUERE AFOKOYERI ASHUKUELU LAWA IYA LELE EGUN OYOMBELE AKUKO OUMBO WA NI OMO OBIRIN OKE IYA OSHA NI ELUYERE OROIÑA BIWO OSHE BURUKU ASHIKUELU ORUN BAWAO IKU EÑELE NI EGUN IMALE BURUKU LODE IYA INLE OGUERE KAFEREFUN EGUN.
To Iban Eshu