Otrupon Bekonwao

A farmer was told that Yemayá was going to send him a piece of luck, but that he was not to complain and not to harm anyone.

At night, on his land, he noticed the presence of strangers; and instead of firing at them, he fired into the air. The strangers, who were pirates, took fright and fled, leaving behind a great haul of money.

Ifá says there was a good-hearted hunter, whom his own family sent out to hunt, but he only killed what was needed. This man set out on the road, and going into the heart of the bush he heard groaning, and saw that it came from a hole covered with a huge stone. Going to look, he saw that inside the hole there was a tiger; the tiger begged the hunter, saying: «Good man, help me get out of here, for I am a good tiger.» The hunter said: «If I pull you out, you will eat me afterward.» The tiger pleaded with him and swore an oath that it would treat the hunter well.

The hunter pulled the tiger out of the hole; and the tiger, in gratitude, stared at him fixedly, and the man thought the tiger meant to jump on him. The hunter cleverly said: «Weren't you good? And yet you want to eat me.» The tiger said: «But I am hungry.» So the hunter made a pact with the tiger, which was to call three others so the tiger could see that a good deed gets paid back with a bad one.

They set out on the road and saw an ox, and asked him: «Ox, is it true that a good deed gets paid back with a good one?» The ox said: «A good deed gets paid back with a bad one, since when I was young I plowed the land, and now that I am old they take me to the slaughterhouse.»

The tiger said to the hunter: «Come on, I am very hungry.» And they went on along the road and saw a horse, and asked him: «Is it true that a good deed gets paid back with a good one?» The horse said: «A good deed gets paid back with a bad one, since when I was young I carried my master about, and now that I am old I have to find my own food.»

The tiger said to the hunter: «It is time I ate you.» And the hunter said: «Remember the pact: one more is missing.»

The hunter called a fox and asked him: «Does a good deed get paid back with a good one?» And the fox said, playing dumb: «That a good deed gets paid back with a good one? Since you are asking me that, explain it to me, because otherwise I will tell you nothing.» The tiger said: «Look, fox, what happened was that I went up a hill and slipped and fell into a hole, and the stone fell and covered the hole.» The fox said that was a lie, that he could not believe it. The tiger answered: «How can you tell me it is a lie?» And the fox said: «Show me how it was.» At which the tiger climbed the hill again and let itself fall into the hole once more, and said to the hunter: «Put the stone on.» And the hunter put the stone on, and the fox said: «Right, hunter, leave him there, because a good deed gets paid back with a good one.»

On this road, Shangó took care of nothing but parties; and having no money, he went to where Olofin was to ask his blessing. Olofin, seeing him, asked: «Shangó, what are you doing here?» And he answered: «I came to see how you are, since it has been a long time since I saw you.»

Olofin, who was getting a party ready, sent him into the room he was preparing, where there were many small bags of money; and Shangó, seeing them, said to himself: «When I leave here, I leave with money.» Shangó told Olofin he was tired and very sleepy, and after eating he lay down and, pretending to sleep, stole two of those bags and hid them under his cape, thinking Olofin would not miss them.

The next morning, Shangó left, and Olofin went on getting the party ready. After the party was held, Olofin realized that two small bags of money were missing, and however hard he looked, he did not find them.

Olofin sent for Orunmila; he came and made osode for him, seeing this Ifá, and he covered the sign, because he understood that Shangó was the thief, and so as not to give him away he said: «Make ebbó, and afterward hold 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 the drum.»

On the day of the party, Olofin was keeping watch and saw how Shangó went into the room and stole another small bag of money, and he said: «Listen, you rascal, leave those there and bring me the ones you stole the other day.» Shangó begged his pardon and told him he had done it because he was very poor.

Note: be careful with a child of Shangó who is going to steal from you. The bad thing you did once, do not do again, because if the first time it went well, the second time they will catch you.