Oyekun Di

When Olofin conceived the earth, he gave the Orishas powers and ashé. In time, human beings possessed by the astral force of one Orisha began to think themselves better than one another, and the wars began — with weapons and with knowledge — and they came close to wiping out mankind, since each one believed in a different god.

Olofin sent Elegba to look into it. He asked a man who called himself wise what the cause of so much war was, and the man — who called himself the favorite son of Ozain — answered proudly that he was king and would not let anyone unseat him. Elegba heard the same from everyone and came back annoyed. Olofin then sent the Orishas, one by one, starting with Obatalá, to speak to their children, but they all failed.

Last of all he sent Orunmila, explaining that he wanted peace. Orunmila promised him: «I will set all human beings right, but I will not come down into anyone's head». Olofin said: «To Iban Eshu». And that is the reason why Orunmila does not come down into the lerí of any Omofá or Awó.

The world had gone bad and Orunmila said he would set it right. He came down to the land of Atikun, where women never gave birth, presenting himself as Oloyu Ekun, «the one who speaks well». He threw the Ekuele, Oyekun Di came out, and he told them: «you live for the sake of living, you eat for the sake of eating, you sleep for the sake of sleeping; you have to make ebbó». When they did it, the barren women began to give birth, and so did the plants, and everything was set right. Orunmila went away and was many years coming back.

When he returned, the ones who had been born had children of their own; the old people knew him as Oloyu Ekun, the one who had saved them. Each of them began asking him for different things, and Orunmila told them that was in Olofin's hands; so they all decided to make war on Olofin. Orunmila went with them, but driving a she-goat on a rope ahead of him; the euré kept tangling in the bush and he fell behind untangling her, while the people went on ahead and arrived first. Olofin had them all killed and hung up one by one. Orunmila came last, unhurried, saying he had been forced to come. Olofin would not let him in: he showed him the dead and told him he would not come in until he had set the world right and put it back together. Orunmila went down, left it as it was, and so he was the only one saved. Ifá says: leave each person as they are.

Orunmila fought hard for the town he lived in, but it did not know how to be grateful for his sacrifice. Worn out, he grew tired of life, wished himself dead and went to live in a cave. From then on things went badly for the town, and the people had themselves read by another Awó, who marked them an ebbó.

One of them, while making the ebbó, came to the cave where Orunmila was; he took fright and ran, but Orunmila called him back, told him what had happened and gave him some pieces of coconut: «when you come to see me, come alone and throwing the coconut; from here I will be able to help that town through you, because I will not go back in». Maferefún Orunmila. This Ifá says that what goes does not come back.