Obatalá's children had no roof over their heads, and Obatalá went out to find where Orunmila was so he could get them housing. He ran into Elegba and asked him, but Elegba said he did not know, and the same on later occasions. Obatalá figured hunger would make him talk and kept him without food; on the seventh day, with a chicken in his hand, he asked again. Elegba agreed, on the condition that he go up to the woods first, and that way Obatalá would save himself the trip to Orunmila's house. Once in the woods, Elegba sang songs for Olofin and for Afefe Orun, who unleashed a storm whose wind knocked down the palm fronds and the branches; Obatalá's children gathered them and built their houses. On his return, Elegba announced to Obatalá that his children already had houses, though they were very poor ones. One day Elegba saw Ogún go by with an axe with no handle, ran to tell Orunmila, who saw himself Otrupon Ka and sent word to the trees not to give Ogún a single branch. But the majagua, thinking herself more powerful, gave him the branch; Ogún put on the handle and told her: "you, majagua, will be the first tree I try my axe on", and singing "Otrupon Ka" he knocked her down, and went on with the rest. To the ceiba he announced: "I will not cut you down, because you are obedient; as long as the world exists you will be respected". Meanwhile, when Ogún left Obatalá's house, Obatalá had already cursed Elegba: "as long as you live, you will have no house". That is why Elegba, even with a house of his own, lives outside it.
On this road, Obatalá's children had no roof over their heads, and Obatalá set out to find where Orunmila was, looking with him for the best way to get them housing. While he was at it he ran into Elegba and asked him where Orunmila's house was; Elegba told him he did not know, and the other times he asked him again he always gave the same answer.
Obatalá then figured that, by keeping him from food for a while, he would end up telling him, and that is how he kept him. When seven days had passed, he came up to him with a chicken in his hand and asked again. Elegba agreed to tell him, though he set one condition: that he first be allowed to go up to the woods; that way Obatalá would save himself the trip to Orunmila's house.
They left it at that, and Elegba went off to the woods. Once up there, he broke into songs for Olofin and for Afefe Orun, who heard him and unleashed a terrible storm, and the wind went knocking down the palm fronds and the branches of the trees. Obatalá's children, seeing all that scattered on the ground, gathered it up and with it built their houses.
Seven days later Elegba came down from the woods and appeared before Obatalá: "Look, I went to Orunmila's house, and your children already have houses". Obatalá went out to check and saw it was true; even so, he was not satisfied, because those houses were of very poor quality.
One day, while Elegba was beside the road that led to Obatalá's house, he saw Ogún go by with an axe with no handle in his hands. Without wasting time he ran to tell Orunmila. Orunmila was surprised, made osode and Otrupon Ka came out; then he ordered Elegba: "Run and tell the trees not to give Ogún a single branch, because if they give it to him, it will be their own destruction". Elegba shot off and did the errand.
As soon as Ogún set foot in Obatalá's house, Afefe Lerun let loose another storm. Ogún, frightened, explained what he had come for, while he listened to the wind knocking down all the houses of Babá's children. Obatalá fed him two guineas to give him strength and told him: "Ogún, you will get a handle for your axe".
Once the storm died down, Ogún headed for the woods. Elegba, who saw him go by, stood on the corner and said: "Let us see what this one can do".
Ogún went up to the first tree he found and asked it for a branch; it was the ceiba (aragba), and she answered that she could not oblige him. He then tried the jiquí, the yaya, the guayacán and the jocuma, and from all of them he got the same no, until he came upon the majagua, who, feeling stronger and with more power, gave him the branch he was asking for.
With the handle now on the axe, Ogún turned to her and said: "You, majagua, will be the first tree I am going to try my axe on". And singing "Otrupon Ka, Otrupon Ka, Otrupon Ka", he struck her with the axe until he brought her down. He then went on with the other trees, one after another, until he reached the ceiba, and to her he announced: "I will not cut you down, because you are obedient. As long as the world exists, you will be respected by all religions".
While Ogún was at that, Elegba was already carrying Obatalá's curse: when Ogún left that house, Elegba went into it, and Obatalá told him: "As long as you live, Elegba, you will have no house".
That is where it comes from that Elegba, even having a house, lives outside it.
Note: in the works done with Ogún under this Odù, the axe is always washed with ewe.