Otura Mo

There was a town where all the people worked the land, and among them there was a man who did wrong in other people's houses, always wanting to be with everyone's wife. In that town the Devil (Olose) also lived.

One day, that man did wrong in the Devil's own house, and the Devil, when he heard of it, said: «I am going to bring this one down.» And with great care he went after him, but did him no harm at all, because that man was protected by Olofin.

The Devil then, finding himself powerless, went looking for Arun (illness) and told her: «I need you to do me a favor, and that is to make so-and-so ill.» Arun answered: «Have no doubt, consider it done.» And she went after the man, but could do nothing to him.

Arun, seeing that she was going to look bad to the Devil, went to see Olofin and said: «How is it that I cannot make so-and-so ill, when he is doing harm?» To which Olofin answered: «Because he is protected by me, and it is already done: my word is law.»

Arun then went to where the Devil was and said: «I can do nothing, because he is protected by Olofin.» To which the Devil answered: «There is a reason neither you nor I can touch him; but I am going to bring him down with the very thing he does.»

There was a town where, at the entrance, a rooster lived on a post of moruro wood. This rooster was the town's watchman. When he died, the town's Awó made osode to see what was going on and to do the necessary works, and to be able to set up another rooster as watchman.

In that same town lived a man who made his living gathering damaged produce at the market to resell it afterward. He was doing very badly and his business was not prospering. So he decided to go and see the town's Awó. He made osode for him and saw this Ifá, Otura Roso, and told him that all his setbacks and troubles came from the witchcraft his enemies were working on him, and marked him ebbó with whatever witchcraft he found near his house.

The first thing he found was a live rooster that had been thrown into his yard, and he took it to the Awó. He made the ebbó for him, and when he had finished he told him to bury a moruro post his own height in the yard, and to set the rooster to live there on top of the post.

After the ebbó was made, people came looking for the seller of damaged goods, and the market sellers sent them to where the man with the rooster was. So many people went to buy from him that the man began to prosper and stopped gathering damaged produce at the market. Then, every day at four in the morning, the rooster — who was the messenger of Shangó and Oduduwa — woke him, and he went to the market to buy the produce wholesale and sold it retail to the public, which they did not do at the market. His business prospered so much that he came to deal with the greatest traders of all those lands, earning a great deal of money.

So he went to see the Awó again, and the Awó told him he had to perform a ceremony for him with the moruro post and the rooster. He told him to bring waste from the market and set it together with the moruro post, and there he gave the rooster, praying: «Osun duro kola Otura Bairosun dubule ni timbeduro ni adeni gagameta balomi ile loya.»

Afterward the Awó made Ifá for him and Otura Roso came out as his Odù, where the Awó told him: «What I have done for you, you have to do again and again, so your luck in the world holds, and you give rooster's blood to every corner of your house.» That is how Otura Roso finally settled his luck in the world.

Orunmila and Olofin sent Oriwa Awó to the land of Oniroso, so he would govern that land, which was the beginning of the world. But he had nothing at all to hold it up. Seeing that he could not keep his commitment to Olofin and Orunmila, he despaired and began to sing and call on Olofin: «Baba ara orilokun Olofin omo Oniroso omo Orun Oliya.» He did this every day, until Olofin heard him and called Osun and told him: «I am sending you to the land of Oniroso, under the name of Ika Roso, so that you are the one who is set to hold up all the children of that land.»

Osun, not entirely happy, said: «Father, when do I go?» Olofin answered: «In sixteen days.» Osun said: «Very well, my father, if I need anything, you will send it to me.» Olofin was quiet a while and then answered: «Take these four positions, which are the four points of the world, so you can set them at each corner of the land and live inside. But when you get there, you have to see Oriwa Awó, so you receive his ashé.»

Osun set out on the road singing: «Akuelerun Baba lode omi Oriwa Osun guede.» Oriwa Awó was very pleased when Osun arrived, and the two of them knelt. Oriwa Awó handed the world over to Osun and said: «I am going to where Olofin is.» He left at once, and Osun began governing the land of Oniroso with great difficulty. But things had improved somewhat, and he prayed: «Otura obani Otura onani moro Ifá gualoba onire oba Oniroso Ifá odara.»

Then Ejiogbe appeared and brought him a white rooster and said: «This is your great fulfillment, which you will keep in your head for the world.» Then he prayed to him: «Iroso onire Ifá odara», and knelt and asked for Olofin's blessing. Then Ejiogbe told him: «Something is still missing for you, but it will come when you need it, and that is driving off death: you will be transformed.»

The time came when death (Ikú) would not leave the land of Oniroso, and Osun was in despair at home. He set out on the road, and meeting Ika Roso, he told him everything that was happening, and went on his way singing: «Iyalode abebe yokun sogua iyami molala.» Just then Oshún appeared and set sixteen bells (shaguro) on Osun. Oshún gave him moforibale, ran off and went along saying: «Shaguro Ikú gureo, shaguro ni gureo.» Death, hearing that song, ran off and left.

But Osun was still missing something else: he had nowhere to eat, he was hungry and he began to weep. Olofin, who was watching him and seeing that it was true that something was missing — the great command — then had Otura Roso come and bring him a plate, to give Osun his final confirmation and security, since it was the board of Ifá.

After this, Iroso Meyi, Ejiogbe, Ika Roso, Iroso Ka and Otura Roso gathered, and they consecrated it. And Osun began to sing: «Ifá mayunimo Ifá ma dubule duro ganga labosi, awo akoñu muro okanadeo duro ganga labosi awo.» And he knelt and gave thanks to Ifá and to Olofin.

Note: on this road the plate of Osun was born, which stands for Orunmila's board, with its four cardinal points. Osun was born in Iroso Meyi, out of the world's need and Olofin's order; he came to Ika Roso on a matter of Oshún, to find his power; then Iroso Ka lent him the rooster to alert him and be his watchman; he passed to Iroso Bara, who gave him the power of the four columns of the world; and he ended in Otura Roso, where Orunmila handed him the board. Afterward, Osun went to dance with Irete Lazo.