Oloddumare hid the gourd of life for whoever found it. Every animal refused the ebbó; only man made it, and with Orunmila's two staffs he separated the fighting birds — and the gourd of life fell into his hands. That is why he is the king of creation.
Oloddumare created the world and all the animals, and told them: «whoever finds the gourd of life will be its owner; inside it there are cloths, silver, women — and whoever does good will do it for himself and for others». The animals went to see Orunmila, Otura Meyi came out for all of them, and he marked an ebbó for all of them. The fish turned it down; one after another, not one of them wanted to do it. Only man, who was the last to get a reading, made the ebbó.
When he finished, Orunmila handed him two staffs and told him: «if you see the fish, the animals or the snakes fighting, separate them». On his journey, man saw fish, buffalos and lions fighting on the road, and he did not separate them. Until he passed along a road and saw two birds fighting over a gourd they held tangled between their feet: he took the two staffs and threw them. The birds separated, the gourd fell to the ground, and man picked it up — and saw that it was life.
So man found the strength and everything he needed to reach the igbodun, becoming more powerful than every creature — sometimes more than the orishas themselves, since he got hold of the secrets that calm them. And all the animals had to accept man as king and stay below him. That is why this Odù is called «the father of life» — and why in this sign you cannot stop making sacrifice.