Otura Adakoy

In the land of Eni Ni Lekun lived Iyá Yeyekun, who had great power over her children, who were also Olokun's, and kept them enslaved. Even so, they were intelligent and very strong of character. She had sworn them into a great secret of Orún, and every three months she took her children to the secret and held a mass (mini mini), gave it three black doves and set about calling Orún with this song: BELEKUN ORUN LEA ORUN ALA ALA ORELUN EGUN MINI MINI YANIRA IKU AWA ORUN.

Orún, hearing this, was very pleased; but every time she did it, Olokun was not happy about it. Osanyin, who knew the days when these ceremonies were held, hid in a cave where crabs lived, near Iyá Yeyekun's secret. And when she began to sing, he answered her: SEYE SEYE LOKUN SEYE EGUN ORUNMILA LEO ORUN LA LEKUN ELEKUN TENI EGUN NILE ENI WA OLOKUN.

When Osanyin finished singing, he lit a lamp with different woods and corojo butter. When Iyá Yeyekun saw this, which was so strong, she took fright along with her children and left the secret.

Olokun was already tired of calling Iyá Yeyekun's attention to what she was doing with her children, but she paid no heed. One day, Ikú came out onto the road with her agogó, singing: OSANYIN SESE NILORUN EGUN OBA IKU OSANYIN WA OLORUN OSANYIN GUNLE ORUN LALA KARESA LORUN OSANYIN ORUN LELE.

Osanyin, hearing this, came out and asked Ikú: «Are you calling me or Orún?» Ikú answered: «Yes, you, so you go and see Olokun and tell him to go and see Orunmila.» Osanyin gave Ikú's message to Olokun.

Olokun went quickly to Orunmila's house, and Orunmila made osode for him and saw this Odù, telling him: «You have to make ebbó and take it to the foot of Osanyin, so all the bad ends. You also have to make Ifá for your eldest son, but first he has to be sworn into Osanyin.»

When Olokun came back from Orunmila's house, he told Osanyin everything Orunmila had told him. Osanyin answered: «Then go back to Orunmila's house so he makes the ebbó for you, and afterward bring it to me. You have to take many crabs out of the sea, to put into the cave behind Iyá Yeyekun's secret.»

So Olokun did, and when Iyá Yeyekun and her children were going to do the usual before the secret, Osanyin put gunpowder in at the back of the cave where the crabs were, and they all came out and surrounded the place where Iyá Yeyekun's secret was, and she, seeing that, took fright and left with her children.

Osanyin then took the three black doves and gave them to the secret, beginning to sing: SARAYEYE EGUN BELEKUN LONA, SARAYEYE EGUN BELEKUN LONA.

Iyá Yeyekun fell ill and lost her reason, fleeing from those places. Olokun and Osanyin followed her and, when they caught up with her, she knelt before them, begging their pardon and handing over her children.

Osanyin then swore in Olokun's children and gave them his great power, took away the bad temper they had and sent them to make Ifá.

Note: the Awó who has this Odù has to find a live crab and grate every kind of wood and earth from a grave, give a male and a female turtle to Egun and a lamp with peppers of every kind, salt, goose and duck egg, and chopped guinea hen and buzzard feathers; the turtles' heads and everything else are put into a pot. After three days, three black doves are given to Egun and buried inside a crab hole, wrapped in black cloth. A chicken is taken for Paraldo, with escoba amarga, rompe saragüey, poplar, sargassum and espanta muerto tied to its left leg with black-white-red ribbon; Otura Adakoy is written on the ground, in a circle, a dove is given to that atena, covering the Odù with the feathers, a candle is lit and the Paraldo is done, saying: NIRE NIRE PARALDO LADO PARALDO SOMO, and singing afterward: SARA LEGUN BAGUAO SARA LEGUN LONA EGUN NI LONA OTURA ADAKOY LOLA. Afterward you bathe with all the herbs of the Paraldo.

Oyá had a son who was a much-praised carpenter, and he in turn had a son, who was also a child of Oyá. One day, Olofin went to see the carpenter to have him make a board for an atena and a trunk of the celestial sphere, since this carpenter was also a sculptor.

Olofin offered him a reward if he was pleased with the work. On the first day, the carpenter sent his son to Olofin's house to fetch the payment for his work, and Olofin sent him a gourd of sara-ekó. The carpenter asked his son: «Is this what Olofin sent? A gourd of corn flour and water?» Then he told his son to drink it.

The son searched the gourd and found three very polished stones, and put them away. On the second and third days the same thing happened and, once he had nine stones, the carpenter's son went to Orunmila's house. Orunmila made osode for him, saw this Odù and told him: «Those you have are nine cuyují, which are the presence of the astral spirit of your family, which is Iyanzán.»

Orunmila took the boy to the foot of Olofin and there, on the atena the young man's father had made, they consecrated those nine polished stones. And so they paid homage to their ancestral spirit. The young man was then able to make Ifá and drew the Odù Otura Adakoy, the same as his protecting Awó Orunmila. And he became Obá of that land of the ancestors, that is, Obá Egun.

The carpenter complained to Olofin, who answered: «For not valuing what I sent, another person, in this case your son, is enjoying your wealth.»

The carpenter died of rage and his son Otura Adakoy remained as King of that land, through the virtue of those mysterious stones.

That is why it is said: «Whoever trusts in a man is like one who has grasped the mist.»

Note: the work of Otura Adakoy for obtaining power is the consecration that is done for Oyá. For a child of this Odù to be able to make Ifá, nine stones of Oyá are taken and set in three gourds of sara-ekó for three days. Olofin's atena is made: first line, the sixteen Meyi of Ifá; second line, Oshe Tura, Otura Adakoy, Okana Sa, Okana Yeku, Iroso Sa, Ofún Bilé, Osa Kana, Osa Kuleya and Otura She. On top of each Odù of the lower line a stone of Oyá is set and a dove is given to it, leaving it there for nine days before the person's Ifá; afterward they are cleaned and set in the tureen. Oyá's secret name in Otura Adakoy is Lamu Tatá.

In the land of Adakoy Epo lived Ogún, who was such a good friend of Ikú that they went about everywhere together. In that land lived a sister of Yewá, who was queen of the cult of sorcery, a witch woman. She lived at the back of Yewá's house and was, in turn, a great friend of Ogún and of Ikú.

She was called Iyami Oshoronga and it was her task to take the food to Yewá's house. Orunmila had warned Ogún that in that land disaster reigned and that he could not drink alcohol, since through it he could be lost.

Iyami Oshoronga had her secret buried on the beach, beside the house of Olokun, who was her brother, and every night, in Yewá's house, she turned into a bird of the night (eiye orú) and set out for Olokun's house, singing: OSHOORONGA EIYE ABAKUE OLUGBAGO OLOKUN OYI KUTU ASHO AGO ABONU. Then the women who were pregnant lost their children and took them to Yewá's house, and with that Yewá's family fed itself.

In that land there was a young man called Shawere Guegue, who was upset about the state of the pregnant women and was always reproaching Ogún for his friendship with Ikú.

He and another young man agreed to set Ogún up and took him to the palm-wine tavern, and gave Ogún so much that he got drunk and left the tavern singing: ELE TITI MORO APA OTUN NI MOTINIYE AKUA OSI NI MOSIYE.

Just then Ikú came along and ran into Ogún. And he, being drunk, did not recognize her and cut off her hand. Ikú ran off, scattering blood, and everyone who stepped in it fell ill. Then Ogún was like a madman, swinging his machete right and left, and everyone in the land of Adakoy was ill and terrified of Ogún and Ikú.

So the young man Shawere Guegue went to Orunmila's house to be read, and Orunmila saw this Odù for him and told him that, so nobody would fall ill, he should take corojo butter and he and everyone else should eat it and drink water, and that way they gradually got free of it. Besides that, Iyami Oshoronga had to be fetched, and they went along singing: OGUN KONIYE KI IYAMI OSHOORONGA ILERE LOBIKAN IBA OGUN.

Iyami Oshoronga, when she heard the song, appeared and they told her everything. Then she went to find Ogún and, when she reached the land of Adakoy, Ogún was like a madman, swinging his machete, and she came up to him and sang to him: BABA YEWE OGUN KUELE KUELE OGUN KUELE KUELE YEWE KUELE KUELE.

At which Ogún began to calm down, and Iyami Oshoronga took him to Orunmila's house, where Olofin was. Ogún knelt before them and Olofin said: «From today, in the land of Adakoy drink will be known no more, and everyone who steps in Ikú's blood will go on scattering illness. And this land will always be guided by Iyami Oshoronga, together with Orunmila, Olokun and Yewá.»

And so that land got better, though it always stayed ill.