Oyekun Rete

In this path there was a married couple. The husband had great faith, but the wife did not believe and spent her days protesting against the saints. They lived in great poverty and distress, and she drove her husband almost to madness. If they were not lacking one thing, they were lacking another, and she complained: there was no way to make progress, and every day was the same. He asked her for patience and faith, because everything would be settled, but time passed and nothing changed.

One day Babalú Ayé saw that she kept cursing the saints and wanted to favor the husband with an alms, without her enjoying it. He appeared to the man and announced that he had an alms set aside only for him, and that he would teach his wife a lesson. He asked him to keep quiet, though he warned him that the blow would reach him too and that he would suffer as well.

A baby girl was born to them. At 41 days old she fell gravely ill and was covered with sores. The girl had come to complete the time she lacked from another incarnation and was about to leave again; she only got to see the light of this world.

Saint Lazarus appeared in a dream to the mother and confessed that he had covered the girl with sores. The woman begged him that whatever the girl was to suffer, she herself would suffer it, because she wanted to save her and admitted that the fault was hers. Saint Lazarus told her she must wear a sign of his for five years. She kept her promise, the girl was saved, good luck arrived, and the family was happy.

Kaferefun Oluo Popó.

Molala Awó was an awó proud of his son Boribokun, who besides being strong had great intelligence. Every day he talked with him and gave him advice, which the young man followed to the letter. Molala carried a secret quarrel with another awó, Tinsore Ifá.

Tinsore Ifá lived in Mayebe Niyabe and rarely visited his father, Oluo Popó. He spent his time cursing and complaining, and even had a song for it. Obatalá lived in that same land, always dissatisfied with Tinsore and upset that he did not even believe in his father. One day he went out walking and came upon Shangó, who was arriving from Lalebe Ayu Leye. He had just seen Orunmila, consulted Ifá, and carried a message from Ifá for Obatalá.

Obatalá received the message with joy. Shangó assured him that he would put an end to Tinsore Ifá's pride. Obatalá wanted to know how, and Shangó began to pray.

Oluo Popó was heading to visit Obatalá, together with Arun, the sickness. He heard Shangó and asked Arun whether she had heard. She answered that she had and went to find Shangó, who told her what Tinsore Ifá was doing. He said Tinsore deserved a lesson, but that first he had to approach and take away the secret that hung from his neck. Arun and Shangó carried it out. Obatalá asked Shangó not to kill him, and Shangó answered that he knew well what to do.

Shangó appeared before Tinsore and snatched the iñale that held his secret; he took it to Molala Awó so that he would put it on Boribokun. Obatalá and Arun went after him and stripped Tinsore of the ikokó of Oluo Popó, which Shangó handed to Obatalá.

At once Arun took possession of Tinsore Ifá: “You will always have luck, but I will never part from you.” Tinsore began to sicken. Arun explained to him: “I do this to you because you did not respect your father Oluo Popó. Shangó took your great secret from your neck and you will never have it again, because Molala's son, Boribokun, now holds it.” With that secret, Boribokun felt well prepared and offered food to Shangó, to Obatalá and to Ifá.

Whoever receives this path must take the ikokó of Oluo Popó.

A king had in his army a very upright general, skilled in war and in the use of the sword. Seeing that things in the palace worked badly, he withdrew and went to live far away, in an isolated place.

The day came when the king faced a war with no one who could win it. Then he remembered the general, who lived not far away, and sent a messenger to find him. The general came to the palace at once. After hearing the reason for the summons, he asked with what authority he could give orders and act. The king granted him all command and power, along with the weapons and troops he wanted. The general took his precautions and marched to war, from which he came out the winner. He sent a messenger ahead to inform the king.

The king, who wanted to talk alone with the victor, had a field house built near the palace, with only four soldiers to watch anyone’s access. The next day the general approached, sounding trumpets from afar. The king came out to receive him and led him to that house so that he could tell what had happened. It must be noted that the general accompanied his words with many gestures. While telling the story, he drew his sword and acted out the movements of the battle. In one of them, the blade struck the king on the head and cut it off. When the others learned of it, they killed the general too.