Otrupon Bekonwao

A farmer was told that Yemayá was keeping a stroke of luck for him, with two conditions: that he not curse or grumble, and that he not harm anyone.

That night, while he was on his land, he heard strangers moving around. Instead of shooting at them, he aimed up and fired into the air. The strangers were pirates: they got scared and ran away, and the great haul of money stayed there.

Ifá says that a kind-hearted hunter went out to the woods at his own family's request, though he never took more than he needed. One day he was on his way and, once deep in the woods, he heard moaning: it came from a hole that a huge stone had covered. He looked in, and inside he found a tiger, who began to beg him: "Good man, help me get out of here, I am a good tiger". The hunter answered: "If I get you out, afterward you will eat me". The tiger kept pleading and swore he would do right by him.

That is how the hunter got him out of that hole. Once outside, the animal stared at him, as a sign of thanks, and the man thought it was going to jump on him; cleverly he says: "Weren't you good? And yet you want to eat me". The tiger answered: "But I am hungry". The hunter then makes a pact with him: they would call three people so the tiger could see that a good deed is paid with a bad one.

They set off walking and along the way they came upon an ox. They asked him: "Ox, is it true that a good deed is paid with a good one?". The ox answered: "A good deed is paid with a bad one, because when I was young I plowed the land, and now that I am old they take me to the slaughterhouse".

The tiger hurried the hunter: "Let's go, I am very hungry". They kept walking and a horse came out to meet them, and they asked him the same question: "Isn't it true that a good deed is paid with a good one?". The horse answered: "A good deed is paid with a bad one, because when I was young I carried my master around, and now that I am old I have to find my own food".

The tiger hurried him again: "It is time for me to eat you". But the hunter reminded him: "Remember the pact: one person is missing".

Then the hunter turns to a fox and asks him: "Is a good deed paid with a good one?". The fox, playing dumb, said: "That a good deed is paid with a good one? Since you ask me that, explain yourself, because otherwise I will not tell you anything". The tiger explained: "Look, fox, what happened is that I went up a hill and slipped and fell into a hole, and the stone fell and covered the hole". The fox thought it was a lie and said so: he did not believe it. The tiger replied: "How can you tell me it is a lie?". And the fox insisted: "Show me how it was". The tiger climbed the hill again and let himself fall into the hole to prove it; from the bottom he asked the hunter: "Put the stone on". The hunter put it on, and then the fox said: "Good, hunter, leave him there, because a good deed is paid with a good one".

On this road, Shangó cared about nothing but parties, and since he had no money he showed up at Olofin's house to ask for his blessing. As soon as Olofin saw him, he asked: "Shangó, what are you doing here?". And he answered: "I came to see how you are, because it has been a long time since I saw you".

Olofin was busy getting a party ready and let him into the room he had set aside, where there were many little bags of money. When Shangó saw them, he said to himself: "When I leave here, I leave with money". He told Olofin he was tired and very sleepy, and as soon as he ate he went to lie down; pretending to sleep, he took two of those bags and hid them under his cape, thinking Olofin would not notice they were missing.

Shangó left the next morning and Olofin went on with the preparations. Once the party was over, Olofin noticed that two bags of money were missing, and no matter how much he searched he could not find them.

So he sent for Orunmila. He came, made osode for him and saw this Ifá; he covered the letter, because he understood that the thief was Shangó and he did not want to give him away. He told him: "Do ebbó, and then throw another party and invite everyone who came to the last one, and everyone who has visited your house these days, so you can catch the thief; and at the party give a ram and play drums".

On the day of the party, Olofin kept watch and managed to see Shangó go into the room and take another bag of money. He told him: "Hey, you rascal, leave those there and bring me the ones you stole the other day". Shangó asked for forgiveness: he had done it, he said, because he was very poor.

Note: you must watch out for a child of Shangó, because he is going to steal from you. And do not repeat that bad deed you already did once: if the first one went well, the second time they catch you.