Inle Oguere was a beautiful woman with many children, and the most beautiful was Afokoyeri. Ashikuelu, a being who lived in the darkness of the earth's depths, fell in love with her, and knowing his horrible appearance kept him away, he used his arts of enchantment: he stretched the runner of a fine gourd plant — Afokoyeri's favorite food — all the way to his cave, and when she came near, he took her by the hand and carried her down into the depths. Inle Oguere, desperate, went to Orunmila: her daughter had been born to live in the darkness — ebbó, feed Ashikuelu at the cave, and make a pact. Ashikuelu gave her moforibale: «you will have the right to your daughter living six months with you and six with me: you are the crust of the earth, where everything blooms; I am the shadow, where things germinate». Olofin consecrated her: «you, Inle Oguere, will be Mother Earth: all men will have to give you your food, you will serve as a loving mother and as the final dwelling of your children, and every time Egun is fed it will be through you». Her sacrifice in giving up the pleasures of the earth to go with her daughter earned her the title of Mother Earth.
She was a very beautiful woman who had many children, but the one she favored most was the most beautiful, called Afokoyeri. She accepted no advances from anyone. There was a being madly in love with her called Ashikuelu, who lived within the darkness, in the depths of the earth; he could only see thanks to the phosphorescence and the light of the minerals. He only looked out into this world now and then through the mouth of the cave, exactly when his children brought him his goat to eat, and that to the sound of songs that darkened the sky.
One day he saw that beautiful young woman and fell in love, but knew that because of his horrible appearance he could not come near her, and he used his arts of enchantment to become the owner of her love. Afokoyeri, out walking in the countryside, saw a very fine gourd plant, and since that was her favorite food — as she and her mother ate only seeds and fruit — she went to pick it; but she saw that it stretched its runner all the way to a cave. When she came near, Ashikuelu rose from the depths, darkening the sky, and giving her no time for anything he took her by the hand and carried her with him into the depths of the earth.
Inle Oguere, on hearing of it, in her distress began searching desperately among the sorcerers, looking for one who could settle her trouble. She knew the standing Orunmila had and decided to go and see him. When he made the osode for her, he saw this Odù and told her that her daughter had been born to live in the darkness, since human beings did not understand the greatness of life; that she had to make ebbó and feed Ashikuelu at a cave, and call him, and when he came out, make a pact with him. So she did, and when Ashikuelu came out, she fed him along with the gourd, and after giving her moforibale he told her: «Mother, you will have the right to your daughter Afokoyeri living six months with you and six months with me. You are the crust of the earth: where you are light, everything blooms; I am the shadow of the earth: where everything is shadow, things germinate».
Olofin, who was listening, told her: «You, Inle Oguere, will be Mother Earth, the one who will always give men the fruit to sustain their lives; all men will have to give you your food, and whoever wants to see you will have to recognize you and your daughter, both in plowed fields and in natural chasms, and they will see you in every fruit, in every mineral, in the earth's crust and in the depths of the earth. You will always serve as the loving mother who gives strength, and finally you will serve as the last dwelling of your children. You will eat and work with Ashikuelu and Afokoyeri, who are your beloved children, and also with Yewá, Osain, Azojuano, Oduduwa, Orun and even with me; and you will keep the memory of every one of those who were on the earth, and every time Egun is fed it will have to be through you, because for that you are Mother Earth, who must be honored by every one of her children. To Iban Eshu».
The great sacrifice she made in giving up the pleasures of the earth to live going with her daughter Afokoyeri into the darkness of the depths of the earth earned Inle Oguere the title of Mother Earth, granted her by Olofin as a reward for that sacrifice and that giving up.
Note: this marks the great sacrifice of motherhood, since a woman always gives her children her blessing, even after death. It also marks the conflict of mothers being unhappy about their children marrying, where deep in their souls they are always against it, since they think nobody can love them more than they do — although, even while detesting their sons- or daughters-in-law, they come round so as not to cause their children unhappiness.