Otura Shé

Otura Shé's home was on top of a mountain, and all his strength came together there. From up there he could see the villages around. He went up and down without effort and walked wherever he wanted among the people, with a talisman around his neck that told him when his enemies were threatening him.

It happened that some cannibals fell on a village and stole the children for their own ends; the soldiers of the King of that land were already beaten.

Otura Shé stepped in and faced that band, which by then had the royal troops under control. With the strength the talisman passed to him he destroyed the criminals and saved the King's soldiers. Then he went down to the center of the city, where the King, grateful, wanted to honor him with a party and called the whole population.

When they saw him appear, the people showed him huge affection and put all their trust in him. That woke the King's jealousy, and he had him locked up. But part of his own soldiers were on Otura Shé's side, and with them almost the whole town: they all came together, overthrew the King and crowned Otura Shé with the name "the savior King."

Note: this is where the saying comes from that a good deed is paid with a bad one; and when the osogbo turns over and becomes iré, then the opposite is stated: no bad thing comes without some good in it.

Otura Shé had a very beautiful woman for a wife, and he knew inside out the ashé that Olofin had kept in a gourd for Awó Ishekute. He kept that secret well hidden, since anyone who wanted to start something needed it. Awoses and Orishas, all of them, were working out the way to take it from him, because it had its owner full of ambition.

One day, Otura Shé Awó Ishekute told his wife, whose name was Awa Lade, that he was going to Obatalá's house, since he had not seen him in a long time. Before leaving he hid the secret and charged her to guard it well while he was away: she should die first rather than let go of it.

The Awoses who were hanging around the house saw him leave and went inside to talk with the woman and demand the secret from her. Awa Lade answered that, instead of handing it over, she would rather go and live with one of them. And that is what she did. The one chosen was Ogbe Di, who kept her but did not get the secret and ended up leaving empty-handed.

On the road Ogbe Di went along annoyed and sore, because some time back Shangó had sent for him to tell him about a trap he had ready: as soon as Awó Ishekute came back to his house, he would transfigure into Elegbá and try to take the secret from Otura Shé Awó Ishekute. With that in his head, Ogbe Di raised this song: ELEGBA YOBO NI LORUN ELEGBA BABA NI LADEO ELEGBA BA YONI AWO.

Elegbá appeared at once, and Ogbe Di spoke to him like this: "Take this rooster, so you can eat it, because I need you to help me when I need you. You will have to lend me your clothes and transfigure me like you." The answer was short: "All right."

Once the rooster was eaten, the two set off toward Shangó's house. Already close by, they made out Awó Ishekute's figure in the distance; since Elegbá was not sure of it, they came nearer to settle the doubt. Shangó signaled to them: Ishekute wanted to leave and he was keeping him distracted, so he would not reach Obatalá's house.

As soon as Shangó noticed that this Elegbá was Ogbe Di transfigured, he kept up the distraction and made Ishekute see that the hour was no longer good for visiting Obatalá. The Awó turned back toward his house, and there his wife told him what had happened while he was away. Ishekute took the secret out of the gourd and set it against his chest. Right then Ogbe Di came in wearing Elegbá's clothes and demanded a little ashé from Otura Shé. A huge argument broke out and, at the highest point of it, Ogbe Di burst into this call: A FEFE TENI YEBE OWA ADE AFEFE TENUYEKE AWO AWE.

Straight away a very hard wind rose that favored him: it turned over Awó Ishekute's gourd, the ashé fell to the ground and was left scattered all over the world.

In a land where Ikú, death, reigned as Obá, she was known as Ikú Doro.

Osanyin lived in the forest, and his powers had made him so great that the fame of his deeds reached the ears of that Obá, who ruled: "Osanyin wants to take my reign from me, but first I am going to destroy him, along with his son."

For the fight, death formed up with all the Egun of Ibuson Orú. It was a hard war; even so, Ikú Doro was gaining ground little by little and got to surround Osanyin and his son Awó Yire.

Just then Osanyin came upon Awó Otura Shé and told him about his quarrel with Ikú Doro, who also had accounts to settle with the Awó. The answer was this: "Come with me, I am going to make you ebbó and with our powers we will beat Ikú Doro, because when good ebboses are made, Ikú (death) cannot arrive."

He took him to the bank of a river, made the ebbó for him there and sang: IKU DENDE DENDE DEKU BI KU BATELEKUN EBO MISI OTURA SHE TELEKUN OSANYIN OWO AWO YIRE.

When Ikú Doro arrived she found nothing but a gallinuela, because Osanyin had already blown the powder at her. The bird took flight, tricked death and disappeared into the water. With the smell of that powder, sent by Osanyin with the power of Otura Shé, Ikú was left with no defense.

She felt bad and chose to leave Osanyin's land.

From that day on, Otura Shé and Osanyin beat Ikú.