Otura Bara

Obatalá courted Oshún and she accepted his love. From that union a son was born, Eshu Laboni.

One day Obatalá went out and, when he returned, the son told him that his mother had put brandy and palm oil in his jug. Obatalá became furious, but he kept silent.

Some time later it was Oshún who went out. When she came back, the son told her that his father had put brandy and millet in her large jar. Oshún began to quarrel. People came, learned what had happened, and decided that the son should be thrown into the river.

Obatalá carried the boy to take him there. Halfway along, the son warned him that he was stepping on a majá snake and that this year his luck would be long. Obatalá ordered him to be quiet, called him a bad boy, and kept walking.

On the riverbank the son spoke again: now his father was stepping on an eel. Obatalá lifted his foot and found that it was true. Then the son added that this year everything of his would be long and standing. These words outraged Obatalá, who threw the boy into the water.

As he fell, the boy became a palm, and its fruits were ikines with four eyes. Olofin was looking for exactly those adelé; he came to the bank, found them, and blessed the boy with these words: “You will be present in all my consecrations.”

That is why everyone goes in search of ikines with four eyes: they were the ashé of Obatalá and of Oshún.

In Gualona, the land of Obatalá, no one had ever been consecrated as a Santo (yokó Osha), although many Santos lived there. Obatalá had a son, Alaboni, raised by Oshún, who was a mischievous boy and pretended to be ill.

When Oshún went to see her mother Oyá, she told her about Alaboni's doings. Oyá decided that they should take him to Bakerioyo, the land of the awó Otura Bara.

Getting there was very hard, because they had to cover a great distance and cross the territories of Oduduwa and Azojuano. Oyá sang all along the way.

Otura Bara saw them coming from the door of his house. He went in, consulted with the ékuele, and his own odu came out. As soon as they arrived, he cleansed Alaboni with smoked hutia and fish and palm oil, and sang to Elegba. Alaboni began to dance. Orunmila fed him palm oil, coconut, and smoked hutia and fish, and told Oshún and Oyá that the boy had to be consecrated in Osha. Then Otura Bara gave Oshún a dove for Obatalá and charged her to ask that all the Oshas be gathered, because in Gualona Osha would be made for the first time.

Oshún did so. The awó kept Oshún and Alaboni in his house for three days and cleansed them with various things. Then he gave Oshún the herbs for Alaboni's consecration and sent her to Gualona. On the way she met Shangó, who was bringing ero, obí, kola nut and osun naború for the same purpose. They continued together, and Oshún repeated the prayer she had received from the awó.

The prayer made Shangó so happy that he joined her, and the two entered the land of Obatalá singing. The Oshas, hearing them, were filled with joy, came out to meet them and led them to the door where Obatalá was waiting, already prepared. While Alaboni knocked at the door, a prayer was raised to Oshún and Obatalá, asking for the favor of Olodumare for the new consecration.

Obatalá took a dove and offered it at Alaboni's feet, there on the threshold, and sang. Then Alaboni went in with Oyá. As they were about to put him into the tub for the bath, she prayed and asked that he enter with the left foot. They lowered him into the tub, and Shangó placed the ashé on his head. Olofin and the Oshas were very happy.

In this way, for the first time on Earth, someone was made a Santo.

Yerekun was a land of slavery, sickness and poverty, ruled by Oluopopo; the awó Mokayere also lived there. The people ate grass, and Oluopopo had made it sick so that no one could leave. They also ate cornmeal and bread.

One of the slaves, the strongest and the most mistreated, was called Oluo Tenire and was a son of Osain. He had been sent to Yerekun as punishment for disrespecting his father.

Oluo Tenire spent his hours at the foot of a ceiba tree and a jobo tree, covered with ivy and abrecamino, singing with a chick to call his father.

One day Osain went out for a walk and, without looking for it, came near Yerekun. He recognized his son's voice, quickened his step, and entered at dawn singing against Oluopopo.

The song irritated Oluopopo, who went toward him and told him that everyone there was his slave and the slave of his son Mosaraye. Angry, Osain released the snake (eyó). It bit Mosaraye, poisoned his blood and left him rotting. Osain left. The snake hid and began to bite the corn that Oluopopo ate, and in this way made him ill. After three days it returned to Osain and told him what it had done; during that time in Yerekun it had pretended to Oluopopo that it knew nothing.

Osain ordered it to look for its brother in Obara Koso, because he could save Oluopopo's slaves.

In Obara Koso lived Shangó, who heard everything that happened around him. He learned what Osain was asking, dressed as a tiger, put the snake's brother in a small bag of tiger skin, and went to meet Osain and the snake. He asked what was happening, they told him, and the three set out for Yerekun, where Oluopopo was.

Shangó sang during the whole journey. Oluopopo heard the song, rose, and greeted Shangó, who arrived with Osain; Osain had hidden the snake in the gourd so that Oluopopo would not see it. Shangó told him he was bringing the secret he lacked to end the slavery and the sickness of Yerekun.

Oluopopo had a ram and gave it to Shangó. He knelt before him and swore to do everything he asked. Shangó gave him the secret that Osain had brought, and together they healed the whole population: they removed the sick grasses and the sick food. In this way calm and health came to Yerekun, and also to Otura Bara.