Yoruba Myths Compiled and Introduced by ULLI BEIER CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRPubli by he Pon Spat othe Univ of Cambriee {2 Ban s7h Sree, New Vrk, tones USA Spb Becmels Para, Ms Park, Mabe oo, Aural {© Cambeige Uslverty Pre Fi pobihed ie Pitedin Maa by ay f Cnr cig pti dt Mai eny woes ite Yoru mvt xgsn shes gto Fy 765 fey 0 gor aos 2 harcore (Sv 0 jee auth 4 paper Contents Lis of larrations Adbewledgensnts Notes othe cntiatrs Introduction The Sun ‘The Moon Choosing fe Orishanla "The creation of land Obatala and Odudusea Oranmiyan How Obatala lost the Calabash of good. character 9 Obata the creator to Obstala and Ojiya 11 Obatala and the witches 12 Oranmiyan and the foundation of Old Oyo tg Oranmiyan establishes dynasties in Benin and Oyo 1g Shango 15, Shango and his broshers pose 4 4 5 8 9 2316 Shango and the origin of tribal marks 27) Shango the usurper 38 Shango and Oya (I) tg. Shango and Oya (TE) 20 Obatala and Shango (1) a1 Obatala and Shango (11) 22 Oya 25 Ogun 124 Ogun and the origin of circumcision 25 Ogun confronts Oduduwa 26 Ogun and the food seller 27 Brinle and Ogun 28 Cluerogbo ag, Sakpata 30 Stonponna ar Yemnanja 32 Odin 33, Orisha Oko 34 Oro 35. How Orunmila became an onto {1) 98 How Orunmila became an aris (1) 37, Orunmita and his wife 38 Ouany 39 Babu (1) 40 Bihu (1) gt Bah (1D) Nous a 25 7 38 29 3 3 3 a 38 38 * 8 8 6 30 5 3 a 35 Illustrations Snake motif irom a Yoruba shine door Mural ftom Obstala shrine in Pobe (i, shrine ofthe ‘head’ or personal fate Bird from a shrine door in Tabu Bird most rom Orisha Oka iron sah Yoruba Oba (king) Bead-work ftom Shango ‘Labs’, ie. Shango priests bag Mounted warrior Bead-work fiom Shango ‘Labs’, Shango priest's bag Shango sat Ceremonial matchet for Ogun Homer Eine ton stall Decail of mural on Oluoregbo shrine in Ife Morif fom Orisha Oko iton stat {ia disination board Esha sa 7 Pa 2 3 ” 2 35 37Acknowledgements Myths nos. 3, 10, #1, $0, 35: asd 96 were collected by ‘Yeni Elebuctboa, and trandated by Yeni Elebu-Tboa. and Ulli Beier. Myths nos. 1,2, & and 34 were collected by Balare Gbadamosi, and translated by Bakare Ghada- most and Uli Beier. Myths 00%. 13, 417, (8, 21, 22, 124,25, 26,27, 28 and 38 were collected by Picrre Verger ‘These English versions were made by Uli Beier fom Pierre Verger's original French translations. The re- ‘maining Myths were colleced and translated by Ulli Beier. [Notes on the Contributors Uli Beier spent twenty years in Nigeria and hie last position there was Director of the Tneitte of Afscan Studies atthe University of He. From 1974-78 he was Direcor of the Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies. His books on Yoruba culture include Torun Poy (Cambridge University Pres, 1970), Ren of the Gods (Cambridge University Pres, 1975), The Stale mages (Cambridge University Press, 1976) and Yona Beaded ‘Crowns (Eshnographics, 1986) ‘Yeni Elebu-Tbon is a practising Arhalnao in Oshogbo He's possibly the only bata who completed a primary- school education before undergoing the rigid five-year training period asa Yoruba oracle priest. He has spoken fon Ifa on the Nigerian broadcasting network and has published a recording of Ha chants. He has on occasions performed with Duro Ladipe's theatre group. Bakare Gbadamos has published several Yoruba books including Ov Pair 4 Ry (Mbasi Mbaye, Oshozbo, 963), And he was co-author with Uli Beier of Nor Bien God ‘Ripe Enagh (Heinemann AWS, 1968) rere Verger has spent a life time studying Yoruba culture in Nigeria, Dahomey, Guba and Brazil. With his tassve work Notes sa le les des Orisa et des Veds {published by IFAN in Dakar, 1997) and its shorter popular version Lar Dieu ¢Ajfigue (Paul Hartman, Pari), he surprised the world with the richness of the culture he bad documented. In innumerable articles land books and collections of poetry he has since com finwed to add¥o our knowledge and understanding ofthe Yoruba world | |Introduction In Seprember 1972 T walked, more of lets at random, Imo a performance by the National Black Theatre in Hiarlen, T had arvived the night before in New York ‘on my frst visit tothe United States andl this was sy first. ‘experience of black American theatre. The play superbly and powertlly performed — wat about the drug and crime scene in Harlem, about the dehumanising effec the drug pushers were having on the community. The theme was not unexpected, and the early scene of the play stemed a realistic preventation of everyday life in Harlem, Bat then, suddenly, thece was a starting sur prise: the play developed into a plea for che rejuvenation ofblac society and the saviour who appeated to rescue ‘he beleaguered community was ~ the goddess Oshun! Here, in the midst of the most sophisticated and ~ in some sense ~ mo westernised black community in the world the new values that could make lif in an urban sum tmeaningful again were sought in Torba religion! ‘To one coming to the United States from Nigeria, and Deing, by inclination at lest, a citizen of Oshogbe, the very home of Oshun, the experience was both exciting And sac. Exelting, because shun was given such une expected honour in the New World and sad, because in [Nigeria itself the prestige of the goddess ie waning and Yoruba religion i on the reueat. Despite the prestige that other aspects of traditional Avian culture ~ the music, the art and the poetry — have acquired in recent year, Yoruba religion i til not ‘respectable’. Christians and Muslims still ee i¢ as an inferior aberration and in many cases they are openly hostile w the slots, the practitioners of Yoruba religion, Sometimes it s thought that belief in a single God ‘simitsel ‘noble’ or superior toa religion that postulates ‘many gods. One Yoruba scholar has argued that Yoruba, religion is a ‘degeneration’ of an earlier monotheistic religion and thatthe Yoruba esha are merely a symptom of cultural or religious corruption The perfect answer to this argument was given by the great Muslim scholar Malam Hampate Ba. Hampate Ba 1s revered asa great authority on the Koran and some people in his native Mali regard him as a saint. When he sted me some twenty yeas ago in Hou, he asked 10 be taken to the Shango shrine. After talking to the Maghs Shang for a Jong time and watching the kola ut being Uhrown for him,' he turned to me and said: “People always say 19 me: "Palytheism, polytheism’, as if they ‘were referting to some monstrous evil. But I sy to them “Don't you know that Allah has ninety-nine names? And who (els you that eich name i not another god?” ‘With this interpretation Hampate Ba comes very close to the Yoruba conceps itselé The Yoruba people see the multiplicity of gods merely as aspects or facets of the same divine force. The aise are not the messengers of God, ot his subordinate beings (as missionaries have sometimes assumed) they are part manifestations ofthe divine spirit, the orisha being variously acceable to diferent people They are different routes leading to the same goal ‘This comment is beautifully expeesed in ‘Orishanla’, myth no. 4 of this collection, ‘The imeerance of some Christian Churches in Nigeriatowardk Yoruba religion is sad, Becaute in both Cuba and Brazil African religions and Chiistianity have found 4 way of living harmoniously together. The people goo church on Sunday and perform thei rituals for the orisha en weekdays. If the Church has periodically been worried about this, thas been unable to da much about it. The Yoruba descendants in Havana, for example, refs tse that these is 2 confic between Chistian and Yorubs belieS. Piee Verger saw them carry the rmadoma from the altar ofthe big cathedral to the beach, in order to worship Yemanja, the Yoruba goddess ofthe sea. We must hope that some day the tligions can live ‘equally peacefully together in Nigeria and thatthe world will come to recognise Yoruba religion as one ofthe great zeligies ofthe world It isstill possible for = Nigerian schoo-child todearn sore about the mythology ofthe ancient Hebrews and Greeks, than about the mythology of his own people, This book wes to make some of the beautiful adition of Youba mythology available to Nigerian schools and not only to those schools where the majority ofthe students are from Yorubaland. The mye here ave not presented as an introduction to Yoruba religion, but asa Piece of literature ‘Yoruba religion is complex and dificult and, to gain a deep urderstanding fit it is necessary above alto study the relirious poetry: the ont andthe es Is. As in other culture, the myths do not always have a deep religious content Sometimes gods merely appear a6 the dhameti Peron in the literary invention of a story-teller The Greek gods in the epics af Homer are good example of this ‘Lookat this well-known story about the goddess Osh, the divinity of the river of he same name (Oshun and Oba were both wives f Shang, Osun was the favourite wie bec she cooked beter soup than Oba, Sango was parselarly fad of her mushroom soup. Oba always wanted io how the wart af Osbun's soup and one ‘ay Osun ted sae ound he head and vic told Oba that she had cat af her ea opt nthe soup. Ob asked at ‘he large mushrcom floating i the soup and belived tw fn ea. The day when washer tn oct, she cut of er farand coke i Shange tated the wou, spa ad beat hee tmerdenly. ‘This is a typical Yoruba trickster tale, of che type we associate with the character of tartise,* rather thas a Yorubs oriss. For some reason or other the sory-tller has chosen Oshun as the cruel trickster heroine; But the tale has nothing todo with the personality ofthe goddess ‘thats revealed in religious poetry, in her oi ‘Bras and parot ethers ona velvet ake ‘White cowie shells ‘on back buttocks er eyes sparkle athe forest lke the am onthe ive, She the wisdom of the forest, she the wind of theses Where the doctor fled she cares with rsh water, Where medicine's potent she cores with ool water. ‘She cues the child and doesnot chayge the father. She ees the barren woman with honey fed her dey bea owell up (Oh how sect isthe touch of eas handMyths about Yoruba aie ean serve diferent sane tions and can therefore be divided into the fllowing four categories: (1) Myths ofa basicaly religious nature, from which we actually learn much about the Yorubs world view. ‘Myths like “Orishanla” (no. 4) and the superbly poetic “The Sun’ (no, 1) fll io this group, (2) Folktales in which the protagoniss happen to ‘bear che names of the gods. The story about Osha and ‘Oba quoted above is of this type (3) Myths about the ore that have an historical, rather than a religious function. “Oranmiyan and the foundation af Old Oyo! (ne. 12) ea fine example ofthis (4g) Finally there are the numerous inventions ofthe Tix omle, whose major funetien ito provide a precedent, With the help of which the priest can advie his client fon che right course of action to take. Sometimes existing religios myths can serve this purpose, but on many ‘occasions che stories ofthe Ia oracle a tales with divine protagonists, specially created forthe purpose of asisting the proces af divination. ‘Obacala and Ojiya’ (no. 10) fs an example ofthis category ‘Otwiously the categories will overlap. AIL have in ‘commen considerable merit at Hterature, The religious myths are often told in sparse language and no attempt thas been made to decorate them here. I soften the stark simplicity of the telling that gives them their sense of archaic authority. The less serious myths, the more folkloric themes, are ofen moze playful and elaborate in their language While this collection i Intended to be enjoyed mainly literature tis hoped hati wil aso rouse the readers curiasty about the mysteries and wisdom of Yoruba religion Ulli Beier 1 The Sun Agheji Agbenahara Ogbodeio says “The bush fow! wakes up: he is disappointed to find tha the beans have groven out of his each,’ He pronounced the oracle for the owner of the forest. He asked him to sacrifice, because ofthe ioko tre in his backyard, lest it fall on his house and kill him. "The owner of the forest refed, The iroko tee fll, bat ad not rouch the ground ‘The owner of the forest went to the wood carvers When they started to cut the tree, Obatala appeared and turned the tre ino oj, the sacred white meta. ‘Obatala called his slave, You-don'chearwhat-Lsty, and told him to give the ato the blacksmith of heaven, re said he wanted the metal tobe fashioned into a decor- ated pot. The remainder he wanted to be forged into a bone ‘When Yousdon'thearwhat-Lsay brought the objects back from heaven, Obatala placed something inside the pot. Then he covered the pot witha dres of brass. Then he asked his slave to place the pot in the ship. ‘Then he ordered him to teavel from heaven to earth jm one day, and to return from eatth to heaven on the sane dy. Yousdon'thear-what-Fsay became the dever of the Sun. He i the one who drives the Sun to the earth and back to heaven, ‘The home towo ofthe Sun is Fwonran Obatala gave the Sun the order to beat down on reeple foes heaven2 The Moon The Moon iin heaven, and we on earth se the thin part. ot his body. He shows his ft side to the heavens above He isthe one who gives us light Elaparo (Rainbow) pronounces the oracle for Moon, the son af Ajlorun (Spirit of Heaven Ajalorun isthe one who begot the Moon, Elaparo tld the Moon to sacrifice so that he might have peace of mind, citherin heaven oron earth He refused to do the sacrifice Olodumare (God) sent a message to him. He said he wanted to send hit somewhere COledumare said to him: "Tam your maker. And afer Tereated you, I delivered you to Ajalorun, to beget you The Moon was ina hurey to hear what kind of errand Olodumaze wasted to send him on. He asked: “What is ivthat you want me to do? Then Ofodumare replied: ‘I want you to live flteca days on the earth and ften days in heaven, lodumare said that he wold use flteen days to create ren and trees ‘Then Olesumare prayed for the Moot. And he gave him this order: That from dhat day on, he should not Ihave peace of mind His laughed atthe Moon: “You didnot strife, ther fore you wil not rest iteen days in the word Fitteen day in heaven3 Choosing a fate Mokewure, the rit of goats, and Mojewara, the pest of aheep, east the Ifa oracle for three children (Oriana the son of Ogun Giitemere the 10m of Kin and far Afuwape the son of Orunmila Te happened that these three children wanted to come Jno the word, and Uhey must chore their oven fate, None fof them knew how to go about this and what to choowe And what to avoid. But Afuwape's father, Orunmia, Consulted the oracle. The priest told him that bis sa, would be succesful in the world. Bat before his om left heaven, Orunmila must make sacrifice foe him Orunmila followed the insertion for sacrifice and he fave his son a thousand covries, at advised by the abate, He told him that he must pend thie money in the house of Ajalamo, the one who moulds new children When Orisinku and Oritemere had been waiting for Afanape for some time and did not sce him they let for Ajalamo’s houte, When they arsived, they could not sce Ajalamo, They saw many beautiful "heads (on Which they thought would be goed for them, and they Picks! the ones they liked, Then they left for the world. Later Afusape atrved, He siw an old woman sting on tke floor, who weemed to be waiting for something [Afawape asked her what was the matter? She replied that Ajalamo had bought some maize beer from her, but fhe hid not paid her. Afuwape asked how mich he owed her. She said “One thousand owes. Then Afawape paveher the money ‘The ld woman asked him what he had come to do. He sid he had come to pick his own ‘head? (en), She told him that two other children had been there before hima ‘ and cha they had chosen the head they liked, Then she lft thanking im forthe money ‘Then Ajatama came down from the rafters where be had been hiding, He thanked Afrape for what he had one. Then he led him to the garden, where he kept all the heads. He showed him che beautiful head that every tne iked to pick, but which might not let a man sutvie, He told him that some who pick beatiful heads do not sacceed in the world and other: willbe surrounded by tnemies. He warned him nat to touch al thowe beaut head‘Then Ajalamo showed him the right head to pick, and he tld him that human beings bring trouble upon themselves, because they do not know what good head Js, Thea he prayed for Afuwape and sent him tothe world ‘with hs blessing. "Then Afuwape lef forthe world to become a access and wealthy man. Orisanks the son of Ogun and Orite= rere the son of Tia were surprted. They said, *Was it not the same place in which we picked our own heads” ‘That it why they sing’ 1 don’ know where my fiend pled ai hea F woul go and pick my own ‘wat the mame place where me picked or vn head but fee dflrene 11 knew where Afowape che hit head 1 woul gate howe my own agin 4 Orishanla Inthe beginning there was Osha, Orsha lived alone in a Jitde hut which was atthe foot ofa huge rock, He had a fehl slave, who cooked his food and looked after him inevery way: ‘Orisia loved thi slave, but the slave secretly hated Orisha and decided to destroy irs ‘One day the slave waylaid Orisha, He waited for him at the top of the rock, and when he saw Orisha return Thome from hit fam, he rolled = huge bowlder onto the Jbyt. Orsha was crushed into hundreds of pieces and they ‘were catered throughout the world ‘Thea Orunmila arrived and he wondered whether be 6 ‘ould not save Orisha, He wandered all over the word and gathered the pieces together. He found many ~ but hard as he tried, he could or gather all, ‘Orunmila put all the pieces he had collected into a large calabash which be called Orisha Nla, er Orishanla, “and deperited them ina shrine in Te ‘But hundreds of fragment are sill scattered throughout the world today. And this why Orishanla (i. the big orsh) is the most important and senior of them all 5 The creation of land ‘The one who comes fom faraway pronounces the oracle for Oduduvws. When all dhe oiho came into the world COduduwe went to Orvnmila, to know what Ufa wold predict in heaven. ‘Orunmila told him to find «hen with fve toes. He told him to get Bve chameleons and five hundred chains. (Oduduwa prepared them all, and Onanmila made scrifice for Oducuwa. He sprinkled the wood powder fn the sarilice. He told im to go with it to the world Oduduwa let Orunmila and went to Olodunmare Clodumare gave Odds some sand, wrapped in loth ‘When the oie got tothe warld, they met only water ‘There was no place to step. All the other ortho returned tw heaven, except only Oduduvta. (Odudwa tied the chains of Orunmila in heaven. He climbed down the chains: Then he put the eand on the water. The sand spread and stayed. Then he placed the chameleons on the sand, 0 see whether it would hold ‘The chameleons walked carefully, testing the ground 7‘And the ground was solid, That is why chameleons still swalkearefully even today. Then Odudws placed the hen onthe sand. Oduduwa was surprised, Oduduwa tested the ground with one foot Whea he saw that it wa firm, be le the chains and came down. Then he untied the chains in heaven; and he pt iedown at Idi a He Te. That place stil known a the howe of Odudua today Next Aje) wealth, descended from heaven and told COdhuguoea that she wanted c ve with him an the earth And she gave Oduduwa plenty of money “Then Ogun came and worshipped Oduduoe, ‘Then Obatala came and worshipped Oduduse, Then one by one, all the onska appeared on earth wa, But because of Oduduwa's bravery, he became the leader. 8 6 Obatala and Oduduwa ‘Obatala and Oduduwa were sent by Olodumare to the wotld inorder to create the land. Together they carried the bag ofthe world. On their way they rested and they ‘rank some palm wine, Obatala liked the wine 0 much that he became drunk, and fell asleep. Oduduvea picked sp the bag of the world and continued on his own. When Ine had completed his descent, he found that all as water WOETGTEOBOOS °“He opened bis bag, and he found some black earth inside it, He piled a tle mound of earth on tothe water. He took the cack with five toes which Olodumare had given bhi and placed ton the earth, The cock began to scratch and the earth spread fa and wide ‘When Oduduwa had created the earth, the sateen rajor ers descended from heaven and they lived with him in Te Te 7 Oranmiyan {In chebeginning there was no earth, There wat sky above and water below. No being lived in the sky or the water. (Oledumare created at fist seven crowned princes, ‘To feed them he then created seven calsbashes fall of salze gruel. And he made seven bags which contained owns, beads and cloth; and he made a chicken and tscenty bars ofron. He also created a substance that wae ‘wrapged up in a black piece of doth, and whose real nnature one could not see, Finally he created a very long chain, He attached the princes, che fod and the treasures tothe shan. Then he lett down towards the surface ofthe From the sky, Olodumare ehrew down a ptm mut, Immediately @ giant palm tree rose from the water spreacing out huge branches. The princes took refuge on the tre and settled desen with thet treasures, The names of these princes were: Olowu, Onisabe ‘Orangun, Oni, Ajero, Alaketa, who became the Kings ‘of Fats, abe, In He, Tero, and Keva; and ehe youngest was Oranmiyan who became King of Oyo and of all the Yoruts As they were all crowned princes, they all wanted t0 ‘command and so they decided to separate, Before each wat to fllow his own road, they were to divide the ‘weasures amongst themselves, “The si older princes took the cowrles, the beads, the cloths, the food, and anything they thought precious ‘Theyleteto their ourges brother nothing but the strange parcel of black cloth and the ewenty pees of iron, The Six princes then disappeared in the branches of the palmWhen he was left alone, Oranmiyan was curios t se what was in the black parcel, When he opened it, he found a substance he had never seen before. He shook ‘out the cloth snd the black stuf fell onto the water, It dl net sink, but formed a mound on top of the wate. ‘The chicken flew down t perch om it. Ke began to seratch sand the black matter was spread over the water far and ‘wide. And thisis how the earth wat formed: ‘Oraamiyan was happy. He wrapped the twenty pieces ofironin the bag and took possession of his new Kingdom ‘When the six alder princes saw this, they descended fons the pam re and they wanted to rob him of the land, as they had already robbed him ofthe cowries, the beads and the clothes. But Oranmiyan had weapons: the twenty pieces iron had transformed themselves into spears snd Arrows and matchets With his right hand he seized & Jong svord that was sharper than the finest Horn razor and he attacked the princes. He said, "This earth belongs 19 me alone. Up there, ‘when you robbed me, you let me nothing but this earth and ths iron. Now thie earth has grown ad this iron has grown too, I wil kill you all” ‘The six princes begged for mercy. They prostrated themsdves before Oranmiyan Oranmiyan pardoned them and gave them each a pice of land. He made only fone condition: that the princes and their devendants should always be under him and under his descend and every year they would have to come to his capital and pay homage and pay tribute to him. "And this is how Oranmiyan became the King of ll the ‘Yorubss and in fact ofl the world 8 How Obatala lost the Calabash of good character Give me! I will not give you. The tether doesnot enter the ground easily, He pronounces the oracle for Obata, ‘on the day he and Odudawa entered the world. On that ‘day they went (0 Olodumare, to obtain the ealabash of ood character. Olodumare gave ito them ‘On their way to the world, Obetala was ciety. They met a woman carrying palm wine. He drank until he ‘ould not control his senses, ‘Odaduwa, as 2 man of good sense, took the calabash of good character hack to Oledumare. When he got there, Olodumare told him: I give you this calabash to ‘When Obatala’s eyes opened, he returned 9 Olodu- ‘mare in annoyance. He said to Otodumare, "Why has the calabish of Oledumare disappeared?” ‘Olodumare said, Ts dat all? Olodumare then taught him how to create human beings and animals; which is greater than anything ele ‘Then Obstala said, chat in ie lifetime he would never drink more palm wine. Since then everybody areets Obata (One who eee the som ad the mother (One who creates the ne and the eye 139 Obatala the creator Obata isthe creator of man. Obatala made man out of flay. He moulded men and women and he asked Olodu- ‘mace put the breath of life into them, ‘One day Obstala gor drunk on palm wine. On that day he mae albinos, hunchback, blind people and lame people Since that day all deformed people are sacred to ‘Obata. and albinos and hunchback lve in his shrine Bu: Obseala has abstained from palm wine ever since and bis devotees are ako forbidden to dcink palm wine x0 Obatala and Ojiya Obata'a, Alabalase, the holder of supreme power, The arts: who has power to give 2 penon money, sho has powerta open a blind mats yes. ‘Smalksiver and Litle-mud were the mames of the Iabalaoor who east the oracle far Ojiya ego, the blind faherman know who soe my ib lene lee sere oeneeale he wear a white gown lene lee alereoeneenle be wea white meta on hie hand lene ese lene eaelenle how wh stale ny fh 1H happened that Ojiya ego, the sherman, came 1 comet the Its. He told hin that he would sce the thief ‘who sale his fish Every day Ojiya four dba some of his fish were mising, but he could not catch the thie. be- 4 cause he was blind, He told im what to sacrifice, When he had sacrificed, the babalaoo tauehe him the song he should sing whenever he went to pick up his fish at the ‘So next time Ojiya went tothe river, he sang know who stole mye lene lel lee Telelenle he wears white gown lesen lee o niente the wear white meta on hi hand Tene lente nee lelelenle now who sole ny ah (Obatala bad used the fish co make the charm that would ive him supreme power; the power that made his words come to pass When Obatala heard the song, he was surprised that the blind man could give such an exact descripton of him; that he knew the colour of his gown and the colour of the bracelet on his wrist. He begged Oiiya ego not to tell anybody inthe town that he was the thie Gjiva then begged Obatala to open his eyes fr him. CObatala did so, and since then all Obstala devotees are forbidden to catfish 11 Obatala and the witches ‘Obatala was an artist who moulded men and women out ‘of clay. Becaite of his work, he needed water every day to mix the clay. And every moming, before anybody ele {got up, be would go down to the ver to drave water: ‘But chee came a big drought and all dhe vers, Large and small, dried up. Everybody looked for water every- 8where, but there wat none. Then the witches dug their ‘own well in the fret where all the members of their soviet? could go and fech water. ‘Otatala discovered the witchee’ well. He drew as much ‘water as heliked. But he had not made sacrifice as Litle water and ‘Ancient water’ the babalaver had advised him to do, And the next day the witches began to notice thatsomeone had tampered with their well. They decided to catch the thief They lay in wait for him and on the filth day they caught Obstala. He begged them, but hey refused to spare him, ‘Obuiala rah away and soughe refuge in Egungua’s house and asked Bgungun to protect him from the witches. Egungun assured him that he would beg the witht to spare bien, ‘The witches wore already outside Egungun’s howe, ‘They asked him drag our thestranger. Egungun begged ‘hem with all his power, but the witches reused, They said that if he would not bring out Obatala they would estoy all his power. Then Egungun released Obatala othen, ‘But Obatala ran away again to the house of Shang, He asked Shango to protec ims Gon the witches. Shango {old tim to go into his house and promised to appease the setches ‘When the witches arrived at Shango’s house they asked fhim w drag out the stranger. He begged them with all his power, but they refused. They said that if he did not sive up Obatala then they would destroy hie staff (1) tnd Ais thunderhole edn are). Then Shango released Obata to them, but Obstala ran as fst ae he could to (Orunsila’s howe ‘Awoyeroye, the priest in the house of Orunmila cast the onicle for Oranmila. The dabalsuo told Orunmila that a stranger was coming and that Oran should 16 prepare a sacifce for him. He should offer olara (bean rakes) glue and four huadred cowries. After the saceiice the babalzuo told Orunmila w prepare a eray with elurt snd a pt lie all round the edges. ‘Arscon as Orunila ad finshed all hese preparations, ‘Obatala came running into his house. He berged him 1 protect him fom the witches, Orunmila asked him ta sit own, Tmmediately after that the witches arrived and chey: ‘asked Oranmila to drag out the stranger from his house ‘Orunmia said that however the case might be, they should eat. They said they hadn't come far food, they had come for the stranger. Meanwhile Orunmila started to chant the ode that Awoyeroye had taught him. Then the witches agreed to eat, They all sat around the tray land ate slur As they were eating, the ve which ‘Oruininila had put on the ri af the tray held them down by their feathers. When they finished easing, they dite covered that they were wnable to move. They teed all ‘hey could, Inthe end they begged Orunaila to release them. Orunmila asked them whether they would forgive ‘Obstala. They sid thae if Onunmila could release them, ‘they would not touch Obatala or his children. ‘Obatala did not know howe to thank Orunmila, He gave Orunmila his iron bell (gil) snd cold him chat Whenever he went out at night e should ring the bel. ‘That i why even today all Ifa priest ring the ion bell when they go outst night The jl lars all evil from the road, And Orunmila sang boned to Orishe belonged to Oni lebelonged 10 Ori. |12 Oranmiyan and the foundation of Old Oyo When Oduduwa died, Oranmiyan became the King f Ie. One day the people of Ife were going to sacrifice 2 slave woman to Obata, the creator god, But when it was diacovered chat che woman was pregnant, she was ‘pared and her child wae dedicated to Obatala. The youne boy became 2 pries of Obatala and Oranmiyan twas very fond of him. As the boy grew alder, the King zave him more and more responsibilities and finally he put him in charge of al the shrines i He Now Oranmiyan wanted to make war againet the [Nupe people and he gathered all his chiefs and his ensire army and matched towards the Niger. He let the priest, behind co Took after the town and to serve the shrine ‘When Oranmiyan reached the river Niger, the Nupe sem was waiting on the other side. The shot heir arrows scree the river, and however hard he tied, Oranmiysn nul not bring his army across, When he finally hal to audmie failure, Oranmiyan felt ashamed to return home He consulted with his chiefs, who advised him 10 tok for land and to find a new town, Oranmiyan went t his friend the King of Tbariba (Borgu) ancl asked him where he should build it new town. The King of Bbariba tied tome medicine round the neck of a bes constrictor and told Oranmiyan to follow the snake. Wherever it entered the ground, thee he should build his palace. ‘This is how Oranmiyan founded Oyo. But when he wanted to be installed ar Alafia of Oya, he had to send back to Te and ask the priest to let him we certain ial objects that were required for the installation ‘The son of the sacrificial victim (Owuoni) whom Oranmiyan had left behind, became the ruler of Ie, 8 and his tide was shortened to Oni. Unt tis very day n0 ‘Alafia can be installed, unless the Oni of Tie send the ‘tual abject to Oyo. 13 Oranmiyan establishes dynasties in Benin and Oyo Odiuduwa the King of He was an albino. But his son (Ogun was very, very black One day the King sent ‘Opn to fight the war of Ogotun. Ogun routed the enemy ‘and took many prisaners, He delivered all the prisoners to Oduduwa but he kept behind one very beautiful irl whose name was Lakange, Ogun married Lakange, Dat when Oduduwa heard of this, he sent his servants toseae her, and even though he Knes that she had al- ready had intercourse with Ogun, he married her hime ‘When the child was born it right side was white, but fits left side was black. When Ogun saw the child, he tied: Orarmiyan which means ‘my word has triumphed” But others said: Oraosion which means ‘it i 8 spi ‘When Oranmiyan grew up, he left le to become the King of Renin. When Odudusta died in Ii, his eldest son Obalulon seized the throne, and as he inherited all ‘Oduduwa's wives, he also married Oraamiyan’s mothe. When Oranmiyan heard this, he became furious. He lef his you Eweka behind to become the King of Benin fad he rushed back to He, He sent mesengers ahead to Obaluion threatening to kill him. Obalufen tea to Lo (Oshun and later to fon, Oranmiyan took back his mother and installed himlf as King of Te, 9When the Oloyo was in dificulties with his neighbours, ‘Oranmiyan set out #0 help him. AMter the enemiey of Oloyo had been defeated, Oranmiyan built a hue palace in Oyo and lived therefor many years. When he grew ‘old, he decided ro return to Tie. He let his som Shango behind to rule Oyo, ‘Oranmiyan’s tomb can be seen in Ie today 14 Shango Shango was 2 warrior king who led his armies in all dirctions and exacted tribute from all the neighbours Df the Oyo kingdom. But his people became tired of fighting and they pleaded with him to ceage the endless raids ‘They argued that too many of thei son were dying and that they cid not have enough hands left to plant the yams in the fed Shango was willing to listen to his chief and his people but his army leaders were impatient. They had geawn ‘ich and powerful through the booty they had collected and they were not wing to stop their annual expeditions. There were two among thet, Timi Agbale-Tifa-Ina and Ghonka, who openly defied the ‘King. Shango thought how he might be able to rid himell of the two army leaders and finally decided to pit one again the other. Timi had been sent to establish himself in Ede, Where he was to protec the boundary ofthe kingdom But Timi had grown more and more independent, hhad stared tn collec tribute and behaved more and more like a king in his own right, Shango sent Gbonka to fight Tim in Ede, hoping they ‘might il each other. Timi met Gbonka wi arrows, but Ghonka carried powerful charms and the arrows would not hit him. Ghonka pronounced @ powerful incantation {Lea plucked with right hand Leaf packed wich eft hand Tetchand bas character By force by fore ‘The rafter sleep inthe cling Tedoes mate Step! Immediately Timi fel asleep, Ghonka took him prion- rand caried him 1 Ovo. The King was alarmed, aed he thought of a way to protect himself from Gbonka. He ordered the two warrior chie to repeat the fight at Akesan ‘market in Oyo, But infront of the king and all his peopleGbonka repeated the feat of puting Timi to sleep. And this time he cut off Tim's head at once ‘Now fall of his victory and conscious of his immense magical power, Ghonka defied the King. He cried "Kabives!Alaiveluwa, [see now that you wanted to see me klleé. But what eharm have you got rival my ovwn? People fear you, because fire comes out of your mouth, Buc Twill prove to you that youe fre cannot haem me! Immediately he ordered a big fre to be it on the sarket. "Pou shea butter andoilinta the fire, te my arms tnd throw me inside it, eried Ghonka, “The fre will ot be able to touch me.” ‘When Ghonka was thrown on the pyre it was found that fre could not harm hiss, Everyone was tered, nd Gbonka ered again “All the fire of this town cannot touch me, Abdicate your throne or F will drive you out ofthis town.” Fearful of Ghonka, all Shango's followers deserted him. Only hissenior wife, Oya, emained loyal to him. Shango Jef the town with Oya and decided to seek his mother's home in Tapa (Nupe land). But the disappointment with his people was too great. He hung himself fom a tree inthe forest and then ascended to the sky on a chain (Oya gathered his frends who proceeded through the ‘own singing ‘Oba Kaso', meaning: "The King did not bang himsell, They soon established their supremacy “gain inthe town and Shango defended bis followers with Jightning and thunder 15 Shango and his brothers ‘Shango was dhe youngest on of Oranmiyan and Vamase His older brothers disiked him, because they did not ‘think he was courageous in war. ‘But Oranmiyan liked his youngest son better than the rest, and when he was about to die, he went tothe forest. and depoited all his wealth in the branch ofa hollow tree. He then issteucted Shango, that immediately fier his father’s death be should go and hang himself from the branch in the forest If at any stage he faced serious touble, he should consult a magician called niko, ‘As soon as Oranmiyan had died, Shango was persecuted by his brothers and he decided to fllowhis thers advice re went othe fore and hanged himself from the branch ‘The hollow branch came crashing down and all of Oranmiyan’s wealth came tumbling out. Shango fed into an uninhabited area and there be founded new Kingdom, where he lived in peace wth all his neighbours and where he never waged any ware. There were continu= ‘ou feasts and celebrations in the new towm and people ‘fom all the neighbouring kingdoms came to sede there. ‘When his brothers heard of this, they sent messages to him, announcing that they would wage war on his city, Shange wae not prepared for war and in his fright hhe went to consule Onikor, the magician ‘Onikeso prepared rome medicine for Shango, that he hhad to place in his mouth, Ae Shango was unable to callect the medicine himsel, he tent his wile Oya. Oni- oso advised er not co open the calabash that contained the medicine. Bue Oya was curious, and on her way she ‘opened the ealabash and she atea ie bit of themedicin, 3[As soon as she opened her mouth, fre came out of i: the had become an orike, When she reached the palace the enemies were already threatening the tows, Shango lastly put some of the medicine in his mouth and fre burst out of him. The Bares destroyed ll his enemies, "Then his brothers ate ofthe medicine to and they too became ors, Whenever Shango spoke, flames shot out of his mouth. His people were terifed and chey sent him parrot egg, to indicate that e had been rejected. Sad and dissppointed, Shango retumed once more ‘othe forest to hang hill. But a8 soon as heh placed the rope round his neck, he et eh ground give way under Bis fet and he disappeared into the groued. Hig loyal servant who had accompanied him ran back to the city to report the incident. Everybody came to look atthe snighty hole inthe ground where Shango had Aisappeared, and they began to moure his death, From. below, Shango threw stones up into the air and all chose ‘sho std he had died were killed 16 Shango and the origin of tribal marks King Shango wanted to move his capital from Oko to ‘Oyo and was wondering how to go about the conquest of that town, At that time Shango was anxious to find out the name cf his mother, who had died when he was very young He knew that she had been the daughter of Elenpe, the ing ofthe Tapa. He sent ewoslaves to Tapa land, ssking them to make sacrifices to his mother in the palace of Bs the King, and instructing them to listers carefilly tothe ‘name that would be mentioned during the ritual ‘One ofthe slaves war a Hausaman and he did not pay attention when the serifice was offered, and he returned to the King unable t tll him his mother’s name. But the other slave had listened carefully and told Shango that his mother's mame was Toros. ‘Shango was furious with che Hausa dave and ordered 22 lashes to be infitet on his body with 2 sharp razor. However, the scarications that resulted appeared very Dbeausfal to the King’s wives, and so to please them Shango also had (wo long marks incised on his own arm, running frm the shoulder to the chum, This 90 mark sat eserved forthe eoyal family ‘Shango then sent the Hausa slave tothe Oloyekoro to show him the beauty of the scarifications. He let him know, that he himself had received scaifications on his body and he suggested 1 the Oloyokoro that he co and all the chiefs should adopr the new custom, ‘Thrce days Inter, when dhe Oloyokoro and his chief were all prostrate, trying ta recover fom their operation, ‘Shango attacked the town and conquered it easly, 17 Shango the usurper ‘One day Shango turned himself into a small child and hae went to convo the King on his throne. He told him to leave the throne; that he, Shango, was the real King "The King called everybody and asked who was the father of this cud that wanted to disturb Aim on his throne. [No one knew him. The King ordered his servants co kil ‘the child and throw him in the iver. They took him away. %5‘The servants returned from the river, But before their srival, the child had already reappeared before the throne. Tae King was amazed. He said: “How is this posible? He was kiled by these men, and now he has turned. Perhaps if [have him killed by women, he wil But when the child heaed him, he begat o jump and play around aad perform miracles; the women pursed him. He sav a big hole: he jamped over i: he jumped up a tall re, he climbed down again; he an to te forest. and found a mighty tee; he jumped and appeared to hang from the tee with a ropes he was dead. The women, returned to the palace and ssid: “The litde child has anged himsel, ‘The King ordered a big sacrifice ta be made, He bought s cow, a ram, a cock, a chicken, oil, small, shea butter, tortoise, wild duck, guinea fowl and pigeon. He ordered his servants to dig ditch underneath the eree ‘hece the child hanged himself. He asked them to throw all the saerifices into the ditch and to cut the ope, at asthe corpse fll from the tree the child came back ‘life and everybody was amazed. The child said‘ did fot hang myself” They went to sce the King, He was surprised and went wo the fret to se it wat rally tue When he seturned to the palace the child was sitting on his throne. The King commanded him to surrender it But the child refused. He said that his name was Obs Xow and that he had now become the sacred vehicle ofthe King ‘Thus Oba Koso seized the throne 18 Shango and Oya (I) ‘Shango had a powerful medicine that made him the most Fearful King inthe whole of Yeruba countey. He carried part ofthis medicine in his mouth and caused fie to rush From his mouth whenever he spoke. He had given the resto his medicine to his wife Oya to look after, but Oya, ‘who ws curios and jealous of Shango's immense power, stole the calabah containing Shango's charm and hid ic ‘When Shango discovered this, he was furious, He tied to seize Oys, but she fled tothe palace of Olokun, her brother. Shango hid behind che sun and followed her across the sky right wp the place wheze sky and waterWhile Shango was batling with Otokua, Oya escaped ‘her sister Oosa, the agoor. Shango pursued her again, nd.she fed 10 the house ofa man called Huis. She begged im to defen he, but he said that no human being could fght an arisha. Oya gave him to eat of Shango’s charm. tnd Hus became wise. He tore 2 ree ott ofthe ground and attacked Shango. Shango picked up a canoe and they {ined in batle. None could defeat the othe. Exasperated, Shango hit the ground with his foot. The earth opened and Shango descended, pulling His afer hi ‘Oya fed to Lokoro (near Porto Novo) where she stayed and where an important shrine was built to her 19 Shango and Oya (II) ‘Stango had a powerful medicine that made fire come ‘ut of his mouth, This frightened men and orisha, Shang ‘nd eaten part of thi) medicine and had given the rest 9 Oyato keep. But Oya was fascinated by the medicine and instead ‘of looking ater it she ate the rest herself Now she too was spitting fire and Shango was furious. He threatened her and she ran away to her brother, Olokun, the god ofthe Shango pursued her and he wrestled with Otokua, (ya escaped to her sister Otosa (the lagoon) and Shango flowed her again. When Shango came to Olos she knelt before him and begged forgiveness. Shango liked eautifil women. His anger died and he sepe with ber. In the mcentime Oye cxenped to Loken (neat Porte Nove) Although Shango forgave Oya, she stil afraid of him. 38 ‘Whenever Shango pursues one of his enemies, Oya runs for safety. That is why Oya's stormwind always precedes ‘Shango'sdhunder. 20 Obatala and Shango (I) Obata decided one day to vst is frend Shang, whom he had not seen for many year. Before undertaking the journey, he went to consul the bubalaue (oracle pret) ‘The babalowo consulted the Ii oracie and declared that fhe journey should not be undertaken, for it would revue in Obatala’s death. But Obata longed to see his fiend fand he asked whether there were not any sacrifice he ‘could bring to make the journey possible "The babalawo finally agreed that Obatala could under take the journey without risking death, but that in any cate it would tura out a disastrous journey, in which ‘much suffering would come Obataa's way. The only way to avoid death would be never to complain aboet any- thing, never to refuse a service, never to retaliate, He ‘would have to carry three white garment, black wap and shea buter ‘Obatala set out. He walked slowly, because he was old land he supported himel! on his pewter staf, ‘After some time, he met Eshu siting bythe road. He nad at his side 2 large pot of palm oi. Eshu asked Oba- tala to help him lit che pot on his head, Obatala did so, and Eshu poured the red oil over Obstal's head ‘But Obatals remembered the babsleuw' suvice, He ‘uch more important personage chan he appears inthe myths tld by various ae cult groups 60 3 Choosing a fate ‘The Belief that a man chooses his own fate before birth ‘widespread in southern Nigeria. tis found, for example, among the Bins, Ibos and jaws ‘See for example the myth "Woyengias told by Gabriel ‘Okara in Bleck Orpheas, No.2. Based om this mth isthe play ‘Woyengi' by O. Himere (in The Imprisonment of Obata, Heinemann Creative Writers Series) Tt is significant that Duro Ladipo could adapt. tht play into Yoruba under the tile of ‘Oluwer’, without any Aificulty. The basic concept of ‘choosing a ate’ almost identical in Yoruba and Ijaw sythology. ‘The Yoruba people see their lives as partly dominated by fate and predestination ~ and partly controlled by their own action. Though a man i bor witha fate and career in life, what exactly he makes of his fate depends on his own actions ‘Arman picks the type of fe he it going to lead, and even his death, before he enters this world. However, by establishing 2 very strong and intimate relationship with his orisha, his personal deity, he may avoid many misfortunes and strengthen his ability to cope with his estny, There is also she concep that eventhough a man may not be able to aver certain misfortunes, the real value of his lie depends on his ability to cope with them, Some men are crushed by them, others become mature Aman learns how to anticipate misfortune, diseae and death by sacrificing to his ora and by consulting the Ifa oracle and fllowing is instructions. ‘The unchangeable part of a man's fortune is symbol- Jsed by his a, literally hi head’, but in this context meaning his innre heat? oreo! Theo is what a man picks belore birch, A man must worship his own or, ‘which is symbolised by 2 cultobjece worked of leather 6and cowrie shells. Sacrifice is due to one's on in times of ‘danger or before undertaking an important ask eis hus posible to strengthen one’s ri and improve one’s fate: though some people are sad to be bom with « bad on, ‘which cannot be improved by any ritual act. Striice isalio due to one'son ater narrow escape fom misfortune, ov alter successful accomplishment ofa dificult task. 4, Orishanta ‘The Yoruba say that they have gor onthe, divinities, ‘The figure is ot to be taken literally. It simply means very many, oF an infinite number. The multpliciy of gods represents @ multiplicity of approaches to the divinity. ‘The one (for example: Shango, Obatala, Ogun, Oya, Eshu, Erinle, Onsha Oko, Yemoja) ate not completely separate entities: they’ are seen as part of a whole. The onshe are part: ‘manifestations of Olodumate, the suprenie deity. ‘This myth explains that all divinities ae ceally part of the same archedivinity [als explains that the divine spirit is scattered throughout the world, and fragmenss fit canbe found everywhere: in human beings, and even Jn animals, tees and rocks. It isthe fagenent of ore that each human being carses within himself, shat makes it posible fr him to respond to a particular ois, that ‘makes him eapable of being a vehicle for the ovshe's spirit when he goes into a trance ‘There are versions ofthis myth in which the slave is named as Esha, the divinity of unpredictable fate. This makes the myth even more significant, The destruction and the scattering of the arch-divinty are nolongera mere sceident: they become part ofa divine plan, of inner necessity of the universe. The efletivenes ofthe divine spirit depends on is ability to permeate every creature 62 jn the world. Yoruba philosophy rejects the ides of a Single, monolithic deity, which would make intimate contact imposible, This myth also establishes Obstala as the mics senior ‘ofthe oriha, Orshanla (the big ansha) iin fact another name for Obstala. Obatala is here viewally identified with Olodumare, the supreme god. In many other stories, though, the two are completly distinct, with Olodumare clearly being superior to Obatala. Some «ales alsa give seniority to Oduduwa over Obatala, 5. The creation of the land ‘This i both a mythological and a political myth. On the fone hand the myth explains the creation ofthe earth, and it establishes the sky as being older and superior 9 he earth ‘There ate other myths which contradict this concept ‘There are some shrines in Yoruba country in which Oduduwa ie worshipped not ar the creator of the exrth, Duras the earth ist I the Ogboni society, which ita very ancient Yoruba carth-cult, story tld abou a war that raged between hneaven and earth. Heaven and Earth went hunting, and ‘they caught only one rat together. They quarrelled over ‘who should have the rat, Earth went home angey and refused 1 let anything grow fom her womb, All he crops ied and the people starved. Then the god sent dele- gation to Earth, begging her to forgive Heaven. Earth Accepted ther sacrifice, and life returned. ‘On the other hand, the same story is told in the If race, but the roles are reverand. Here Heaven defeats Earth, by refusing tosend rain, Heaven has tobe placated by a sacifce sent by all the gods. Everybody refuses to cary the sactfee, but in the end the vulture agrets to 6scarry it He stil has a bald head, because the road to Ineaven is very long, In this myth the Vorsba eee mankind ae being placed Jina tense magnetic field, the appeite poles of whieh are heaven and earth, In other versions heaven and water fare seen as the archetypal free of the universe, This concept has been largely overlaid and avershadowed, however, by the personalities of the oisa, who provide a much more complex and varied patter of foes that rule the world ‘The mth that eelates how Oduduwa created the lan, tries to establish Oduduwa as the senior and the leader ‘fall ore, The end of the story makes it clear that (Oduduwa achieved his postion of leadership by supe seding hs “oer brother, Obatala. Odd is asociated with a speciic wave of immig- rans and the foundation of Te ix attributed to him Obatala is sometimes seen as a representative of the aboriginal inhabitants ofthe area. Thus Oduduwa usurps Obatalae rights It is significant chat the Oyo Yoruba, an even Inter wave of immigrants, claim the honour af having created the land for thar ancestor, Oranmivan In politcal terms the myth merely established the aim to seniority ofthe Gty of Ie over other Yoruba ‘owns, a claim that wat later challenged by the Oyo empire is intersting that there is another variant of this myth, which auribuees the creation of land to Oloba, the ‘King of Oba. Oba is a very small town four miles from Akure, Other variations of the myth are knoven in the Midwest Stave where dhe uation of and issued 0 [Eze Chima, a western Ibo culture-hero, 6 6 Obatata and Odudawa, ‘This is another version of the previow myth, Its main theme, however, ino longer the creation of the earth, Dut che rivalry between Obatala and Oduduwa. The rain function of this myth is clearly to Utne the scene ddaney of Oduduven, Oducuwa ie oc seen a «cong ueror ‘or usurper. Rather ts Obatala's own faule (his drunken- res) that makes him ineligible forthe leadership, 7, Orannaiyan ‘This is another version af the creation of earth. Here the hero is Orsnmivan, the founder-king of Oyo, It is a very politcal vemion, which tries to establish the right ofthe Alafin of Oyo to rule over all other Yoruba people (and bis six brother, "The myth cleatly admits that the Alain hat no seniority. He is the youngest of the brothers, obviously representing late immigrant with no real land rights However, the myth ties tn give two reasons for hie sscendaney His military power makes him the de Geto leader (With hie right hand he seized a long ssoed that wae sharper than the fnew lorin razor, and attacked his brothers) ‘The myth also wis to establish a moral right for the younger brother. The senior brothen have forleited ‘hele claim, because they maltreated the younger brother, and Because of thee reed, which made them neglect the ‘object of real value. We find here the mative choosing ‘one’son? (See myth no. $b. 4). The were cempted bythe beads, cowries, cloths and food, and in thei greed over- looked irom and earth 6Thus the Alafin of Oyo conquered his elder brothers Doecanse he ehate a goo ate’ or wr 8 How Obatala lost the Calabash of 00d character ‘This is one of numerous myths depicting Obatala aa loser. Again Oduduwa is the ene who supersedes him Odtudwa's ascendancy over Obatala is legitimised on ‘moral grounds Although is not stated expresly it is implied ia eis sory (asin myth no. 5 p. 7) that Ohta is the oder a ‘the two; but he forfeits his seniority becawe of hig foolishness In this myth, however, the ascendancy of Oduduwa not absolute, Obatals becomes the creator of human Being sod animals and ae such be the great of a ‘The numerous stories about the defeat of Obatala ‘eam be readin two ways: politically or historically, can be interpreted a a record of one group of immigrants ‘stablishing political power over aa older group in Te In purely eeigious terms, the myths can be read sinters pretation of Obatal’s character. Obatala the gentlest and the purest of the gods. Unlike Shango, Ogun, or ‘Oranmiyan he is no warrior. His greatness comes rom patience and wisdom. In a fight he dors not etalince, bur though he cam be huniliated he can ~in the end not really be superseded, As the go of creation he can never destroy anything. In stores such a this he sometimes takes second place te Oduduwa, ut it significant that ina ritual enntent tne always treatel asthe mort senior ofthe onsho His drunkenness adds human touch o his personaly. 6 Great and wise as hei, he snot beyond mistakes. But hie is alovays ready to acknowledge such mistakes, 9 Obatala the creator “This the besshnown myth about Obata, Ht acknows ledge him ibe grit of alee, second ely to Oladamare Sometime Obataa repented as4ppl- ing the breach o ie malt Tn wc versions he meres with Oldamare and Becomes en with tbe atolte day ‘Obsiie's drunkemea wd here as delhi mma i means that the creator ames Gl exp by for all i crentareseven the deformed one. The CChrisian and Munim gods tend to be capable only of ‘The myth spring fom the deeply humanitarian atte ofthe Yorube people All deemed people mut be onked ater ty selety. There are mo begger in tradonal Yoruba society. Albino, ciples and ind ie vet special ates in Yoruba weit At rans ef Obata tye indipntable,bcawe there dre funcone wich oly they callin hi sine ‘Obstslas ct of creation w continoous. Unlike the iba! God who ccnte the wold in seven das and then ats back to adniee hon wor, Ota Bao form every single child the wort (Obatala and Ofiya ‘This ie not 49 muck a mythological as a moral tale; it comes from the Ifa oracle and ite meaning toatl fe ‘that a person who follows the advice ofthe Ia oracle and ‘who brings the correct sacrifices will rueceed ~ even if he ie blind, and even ifhis opponent is Obatala imsell. 61 Obatala and the witches Another moral taken ffom the Tf oracle. Witches are ‘more powerful than ons (priests of the Gelede cult in Porto Novo told me that "Olodumare has given the witches the power to kill; and no orisha can protect you fom them ...)) Only Orunmila, the deity of the Ti ‘oracle, can deal with witches. In other words; the only posible protection against witcheraft is to fllow the Sidvice of the oracle and meticulously to full all ritual obligations 12 Orammiyan and the foundation of Old Oyo. ‘This story, which comes ftom Oyo, tees to legitimise the ascendancy of Oyo over Tle, by creating a mythological Tink between Oyo and Ife, Thue Oranmivan, te founder of Oyo, is said to have been the legitimate ruler of Ie ‘The Oni of Tf, on the other hand, was the descendant ‘of slaves and achieved his priet-king petition purely by accident. Consequently the Alafin of Oyo is superior to the Oni of Ife. Needles o say, this historical myth is ‘not accepted in Ife, The myth also acknowledges that (la Oyo was built on Borg land. Ts posible thatthe carly dynasty of Oyo came from Borg, but tried t0 legitimise its conquest of « Yoruba population by inking iw history with Te Te, the sacred city of the Yoruba ‘The myth does not give an accurate description of historical events, but does give an accurate account of current political relationship: when the myth wae told (Oyo was superior t Te because of its military might, ‘but sll acknowledged the seniority of fe and is unique asian in all rita nonteets, 68 13, Oranmiyan establishes dynasties in Benin and Oye ‘The curious beginning of this myth establishes Oran- rmiyan a8 the son of both Oduduwa and Ogun, the con Gquering culture-heroes who laid the foundation of the Kingdom of Ie Tin making Oranmiyan the founder of the current dynasties of oth Benin and Oyo it tries to establish the cultural and policeal unity of Yoruba country. Despite the political fragmentation of Yoruba country and although Yorube-speaking groups moved into their present domicile in suecemive waves over a period of feveral centuries, che Voruba strongly cling to thee ryth ‘ofcommon origin, and they havea strong sense of cultural Unity underlying the divensty of cultural manifestations. "The city of Tle Heche symbel ofthis unity: whether it figures as the beginning ofthe word and the place where the earth was created, or atthe oldest Yoruba kingdom fiom which all Yorubas rst migeated. 14 Shango “Thisis the most widely-told story of Shango’s deifiation Other versions say that Shango, who had the power of provoking lightning and thunder, inadvertenly destroyed bis own palace hiling many of his wives and servants in the proce Both myths have tie jm common: a hero-kng i ied of the world and decides 0 end his life by suicide. His Suicide generates sympathy and pasionate loyalty among his followers, whore ritual acs help him to achieve the apotheosis. ‘Most Yoruba orisha have an historical as wellas a super- natural perionality. The transition from warrior-hero 6oF culture-hero to divinity i¢ achieved by the hero's voluntary death ether by transformation (suring into iver or rock) by ascent to heaven or descent into the ‘arth, & feeling of Weltschmers? usually precedes the transformation, The unique powers of the divine being fnnot reach fulflment under earthiy conditions the vista i frustrated by the limitations which this world ‘imposes upon him. Only in the other world (ort) can his powers find fulSlment, ‘The nomearthly world ~ ora — is visualised by the Yoruba people either im the sky or under the gzound ‘That is why the metamorphosis of an orice can take the form of descending into the ground ~ like Ogun ~ or ascending to heaven ~ like Shango, 15, Shango and his brothers ‘This delightful story was collected by Pierre Verger in Brazil. 10 i tld in the style of fairy-tale. One of the chief motif i that of the younger brother who, by following his father’s advice metiewlously, supersedes hit brothers. (The same motif is used in the Oranmiyan myth, 90.7. 10) ‘The story incorporates the myth of Shango and Oya (see myths no. 18 and sq pp. 27-8). A strong seme of disillusionment again precedes Shango's apotheosis In contrast, however, to the more common versions, he dors not ascend tothe shy, but descends into the ground 16 Shango and the origin of tribal marks 10s likely hat Yoruba tribal marks go back alone time sn nisory, and that originally they were meant to ensure that people did not infringe the laws of exogamy. As the ‘orignal clan groupings grew very large, and thousand ot ” tens of thousands of people bore the same mark, they became meaningles in that context. The custom per sisted, however, and people who had forgotten the orginal urpose of the marks looked for «new explanation, PTs mth ventures the explanation that they were coviginally intended as punishment, but tha they became famark of beauty, Currently many Yoruba offer another explanation ‘eibal markings began during the slave trade, they sa, ‘that children who were taken avray ay slaves could find their way home when they grew up and had a chance to crcape 17) Shango the usurper ‘A very unusual story, collected by Pierre Verge in Pobe eis told inthe style ofa fairy-ale Shango appears 2s 2 kind of precocious Tom Thumb chile, But in site ofits playful tone, the tale makes some characteritc points About Shango! Shango is a usurper, who seizes the throne of Oyo, (The same point is also made in the preceding story, no. 16, p. 24, where Shango dethrones the Oloyokoro) ‘Shango isa magician. All risks have magie powers, of course, but Shango is one who loves to display them, ‘To this day his priests give magical performances when they go into tances. The baba eligun, asthe performing pris is called, displays a mixture of rather easy parlour ticks and quite astonishing demonstrations of insen- Siivty to pain, and of the power of mind over matter, ind 19 Shange and Oya {In the mote historical myths about Shango, Oya usually appears as his mest loyal wife and companion. When nall have deserted the King, Oya fllows him into exile land she isthe one who initiate the worship of Shango, In this myth, however, Shango and Oya appear ab cosmic frees, rather than as King and Queen. Storm. wind and thunder are shown as related but conflicting forees ‘Read in conjunction with many of the other myths about Shango, they demonstrate the complex, many. layered nature of an aisha, a0and21 Obatala and Shango ‘This myth about the imprisonment of Obatala and the subsequent reconclition between Ohatala arid Shango can be read on several level Historically, it could symbolize the tension between Ie ie and Old Oyo: the ascendancy of Oyo by military force, but the subsequent recognition of Teas the spiritual ‘apical of the Yoruba people tis interestng to note tha in Ede there & an annual tual in which Ajagemo, the High Priest of Obata, ‘5 taken prisoner and later released by the Timi of Ede ‘The Timi, ofcourse, a general ofthe Alain of Oyo and the has strong links with Shango, ‘The ritual, a ati practised in Eile, could almost be called a reenactment ofthis myth, ‘On another level the myth appears to be concerned with the diferent personalities of Obatala and Shango. Obarala is gentle, patient, tolerant. He never fights back, but triumphs in che end through his very patience, ‘Shango i impatient ~ his quick-tempered servants, who ask no questions before throwing a man in jal, have early modelled. themseives om him” But Te i ako generous, eady to see a mistake and ready for recom, ” CObstala and Shango are sten as complete opposite by Yoruba worshippers Ie besun they ares oppoed Cache, that they a fel nace teach thes ‘They eannot coc in a ary elatonhip-cach hs fe hs own way. But creas) pasos eocounten hese dees ace exciting ad imac. The Cohan vein collected by Lydia Cabrera and ote yy Bere Verge, deviates in some importa Specs Obatala isa woman, and Shangos moter Tis takes sme ofthe dram sr smb out ofthe tle ‘The whole ling othe story 6 much more flor than the Nigerian venion "The ectice which fred inh nt paragraph incall secon ed ed white ering eas Sd ident Sango worhpere Obaala worhipper wear purely white Sesh sedicsectnce Ene 22 Oya ‘The antelope-woman i a common figure of Yoruba folklore. In the sory both Shango and Oya appear a the protagonist of an entertaining folktale. There is litle to suggest that either, or both ae divinities Other myths see Oya, Oba and Oshun as three river: (Oya being identied with the river Niger. Shango, the sky god marrying the three river goddesses, can be seen either as the juxtaposition of male and female forces in the universe, oF as the integration of the conquering wartor tribe (the Oyo people) with the original poptl= ation ofthe Tand Es35 Ogun Ogun, the god of iron and war, is worshipped all over Yoruba country, but the Onite of Tre claims tbe his direct descendant. Like Shango (in myth no. 17 p.25 he is described asa usurper. This famous myth clearly des cribes him as an invader and asthe leader of anew wave of immigrants ‘The episode with che palm-wine gourds is probably ‘he most popular tale about Ogun, and iis stil wide spread custom that empty palm gourds must be lid fon ther side, lex Ogun suddealy appear and mistake ‘them for full ones ~ with disstrow results, ‘The war hero turns orichr by disappearing into the ground, The final paragraph snot usually told and could be a later embellishment by some imaginative story- teller Tis nt very widely accepted 24 Ogun and the erigia of circumcision |AS the god of iron, Ogun isthe special patron of wartiors, Ibunters, farmers and circumelers, Ths myth is told by the last group of worshippers. I represents an attempt to explain a custom whose origin has lang been forgotten, ‘This myth beiongs to the samme eategary ae myth no, 16 'p 24, which i about the origin oftibal marks 25 Ogun confronts Odaduwa ‘Ogun here is described asthe impatient prince, anxious to seize his father’s throne. The Yoruba people were ‘conscious of this danger, and in Oyo they salequarded the life of dhe hing by making hs eldest son a co-uler Jn the olden days the aremo (Chit was the ttle given tothe ‘oldest son) shared his father’ reign, but he also had to ” lic with him. Thus it hecame the son's interest to protect the life ofthe father Furthermore, direct fther-to-son succesion has been ruled out in all Yoruba Kingdoms, On a king’s death, the succession has to pass on to another branch of the royal house. Only after the strict rotation has bee fl Towed (through two, three or four royal houses) can & king's sons compete again forthe throne 26 Ogun and the food-eeller ‘Thisis not a myth, but simple firy-tale, whore Function isto reassure the worshipper ofthe unlimited power and generosity of his aisha 27, Erinle and Ogun [A very interesting myth, collected by Pierre Verger in Brazil. The function of this myth is 10 explain certain imilarties between Ogun, Erinle and Osanyin. All are Torest gods all have to-do wich foret magic and healing ‘All use iron as their symbol and two of chem are hunters, ‘The slightly overlapping spheres of influence ofthese three orisha are explained in this myth. ‘Very interesting is the concept expresed in the Last paragraph: Alagbede, the father of three divine beings, fe unable to become an arish, because he dies a natural death, Although he is given certain supernatural stats, he har no shrines and no worshippers, Because he didnot 0 through the proces of metamorphosis, he did not enter that sphere of existence from which ie posible for the fupeenatnral hring "mont the head ofthe worshipner fn other words, to-manifert himwelf through a human being in sance, ‘The myth thus expresses one ofthe most basi principles ‘of Yoruba religion, %28 Oluorogbo In complete contrast to the myths that vee Oduduva as the creator of the earth, and therefore of the whole of ‘mankind, this myth describes him as a warleader and conqueror, The holy ety of Tf, far from being. built ‘on newly created virgin sil is built on land that had been seized from original inhabitants and which had to be defended against thei raids, ‘Ontuduwa firmly establishes and authenticates his own ‘eign, by integrating the aboriginal population into the city. This was a commen practice of tonquering Yoruba kings. Most towae in Eki for example, still give some Lind of honour to the descendant of the original line af ings Moremi’ sacrifice of the only son i « common motif of Yorutsa mythology. The Oni of He, when he fst old ‘me this story in 1951 remarked: The story of Jesus Christ. is known 19 us in Te” The analogy is stil pointed out bby many people in Ie. The superficial similarity berween the names Mary and Moremy also temp people to relate the stories 29, Sakpata Sakpata or Shonponna (the Fon and Yoruba names of he same deity) is the most maligned ofall aia, Sakpata isthe god of sulfering, He teaches his wor shippers to cope with misfortunes (particularly disease} I Sakpara strikes a man with smallpox, its because he chose him, because he wants to establish a very close relationship with that person. Only the man who is not ‘mature enough of suo ennugh wil die of the dicase For the worthy person it slike an initiation: a death and resurrection into a maturer, riche life. "He (Aroni) geve 6 him dhe leaves and explained how Sakpita would Al his worshippers and bring them back to life” ‘The disease and cure brought by Sakpata ie similar Jn nature i the death and resurrection ritual that takes place during initiation rte to all aia, 30 Shonponaa ‘This story is ken from the Ha oracle. Is main fanetion in ths context sto demonstrate that justice will be done, provided a person is advised by Tf, ‘The folkloric moi? of thi sony i the one of the Youngest brother who is spurned by his seniors. They share his father’s property in his absence, but he comes Jo his own in the end. Greed doce not help # person except in the short term; because greed always blinds a person tothe things which are of real importance Shonponna’s brothers are tempted by hore, clothes and money. The real values, the magic powers and spiritual properties of theifather they ignore ‘The same mots used inthe stories about Oranmiyan (myth no. 7. 10). 31 Yemanja Some accounts detcribe Vemanja a the great mother soddes who gave birth to all the other ola. Mostly she is considered the senior ofall river goddesses. She is the water of life izl Tn this delightal folktale she is & beawsifil woman with a secret. Tis significant that people can live with Their defecte and secret, provided that they are not ‘exposed or ridiculed in pubic. There ira Yoruba grecting which saya: “May your secret not be discovered.” ‘Ogun’s bloodshot eye are all too apparent, of course, nTou isthe munton of them that he can't bea Sitsilary Yeranja is not worried because Ogun knows about her breast, Bu he mist demonstrate his espectfor her felines by promising that he will never touch the bres. Hi failure wo keep the promise breaks up the relationship. Yemanja becomes an orisha because of the way she endures her deformity, and because sadness enables her to transcend this world. This leads her into the meta- ‘morphoris which isthe threshold wo divine status. ‘Ouun appears herein a very unusual astemp to show tenderness. He som returns ahi sali syle, however 32 Otin ‘The main motifs identical to the one fund in the myth about Yemanja, And the fonction of this myth, ike the Yemanja one, i to explain the divine status of Otin, achieved through metamorphosis. Again we have the ‘notion of the ‘sere that hast be kept in order to show Fespect fora persons sensitivity, [An alded motif here isthe on of the jealousy ofthe co wives, who decide to rain the relationship between husband and favourite wie 33, Orisha Oko ‘There isa Yoruba proverb that says: “You are a king and you stl want to make magic. Da you want to become od?" In spite ofthe hierarchical structure of their society, the Yoruba people have always been suipicious of too ‘much power, and thre politi! ctenetane wae an elabare ate aystem of checks and balances which ensured that no fone interest group in the society could hold absolute power. 8 ‘The number of times when Yoruba kings were farced to commit suicide, isan indication of how anxious the Yoruba people were to restrain the power oftheir Kings Tn this myth of the metamorphosis of Orisha. Oko, ‘we te again the familiar pattern: a man decides to leave the world, because he ie minunderstood by hi fellow mens Ines to big for peaty everyday isues, which restrict hire and-sap his ssengeh, The constant tension over irrelevant for imagined isues makes it impossible for him to be as tell to dhe society as he wants to be. By removing m= ssiinto another sphere, where he is unaffected by such restraints, the hero can achieve his true dimension, Thus, ‘heovgh & super-human act of will, he koce through ‘metamorphosis and becomes an ais 34 Ore ‘Ore is one of the mest secret cults in Yoruba country: (Gro is concerned with the worship of the dead, In the ‘old days, Oro were also the executioners, When people ‘were condemned to die by the Ogbont court, it was the members of the Oro Calt who had to carry out the When Oro comes out at night, ll non-members must ‘say indoors on pala of death. The bull-roarer used to ‘war the people of Oro's approach, Iseyin isa Yoruba town twenty-seven miles fom Oyo. ‘This story comes from the Ifa oracle, and the strange explanation offered hete forthe origin of the Oro cult thas not been heard in any other contet. 35and 36 How Ornmila became an wishes ‘There ie some disagreement among scholars and also among Yoruba olotsha, on whether Orunmila isto be regarded as an orisha oF not. ”‘Some argue that eis merely an ingenious human being of almost supernatural intellectual Brillance. But these two stories, both from the Ifa oracle, leave na doubt ‘that most Ifa priests anyway, regard him as an aise ‘The first story, in spite of ie humorous tone, claims that the divine waneformation took place, and that ‘Onunmila left bebind the implements of divination (Téa ‘wooden tray and palm nuts) when he disappeared into the other word ‘The names ofthe two Ekit kings ~ Alara and Ajero are not to be taken a serious historical references They arc used together very fequenty inthe poetry ad tories of He ~ almost ikea poetic refvain, Rather similaeis the we ofa pair of bint names Aghe and Aluko. ‘The second story shows Orunmils in a strange dialogue with his disciples. The disciples are clearly ill at case with the master’s questioning, They are not at al sure iat he is driving at and it seems that they would lie him leave them alone. His obvious superiority rtates and feigheens them. For a while Orunmila plays kind ‘of game wit them, implying that he might be persuaded to leave them, Then suddenly witha tering demons stration of his supernatural powers, he forces them to recognise his divine statue and to worship him 37, Orunmila and his wife To understand the real meaning ofthis story, one must know that the name of Orunmils’s wif, fea, means “ character’ or, by implication, ‘gond character” Orunmila pursues her, because he cannes live without ‘geod character. In the end he realises that good character 4s something he cannot monopolite: that good character ‘ust be something accesible to al and that he can gain hhappines, not by ovning it, but by living where itis prevent & is interesting wo see that this moral tale, which comes from the Ti oracle, has been used by some Vorubas to prove a somewhat dubious historical theory, Thus the Olokuka of Okuku, who i a descendant of the Alara of ‘Ara claims, thatthe Alara, the Ookukt, the Ajero and the Orangun are all related kings. Wheres his relationship to the Alara is undisputed, a close relationship between Alkara and Ajero is not proven and a close relationship between Alara and Orangun ie positively out of the ‘question, The names of the three kings are here being sed as a stylistic device, rather ke their we in story 0. 35 P. 5. Tor de force historical interpretations of Yoruba oral twaditions are very common among Yoruba people, who exploit mythology and other forms of oral tradition to authenticate a de facto political situation, Many such Sources are used, when a Yorubs king tres to establish his claim of authority 3B Osanyin COsanyin is che divinity that is astociated with the know Tedjge of medicinal herbs. Myth na. a7 (p. 38 shows the relationship between Osanyin, Ogun and Erin, This ‘yt tries to explain the relationship between Oranyin sand Ta, Because the oracle priest mist constantly eeler to leaves and their uses im hiv divination he must stay close to an Osanyin priest, through whom he can get Access to much ofthe eatental knowledge, and to whom hhe can refer some of the more complicated, specialised questions, 38,40and 4x Esko shu is another orisha who it closely connected with ‘Orunsmila, Orunmila represents ordee and predictability aInto the confusion of appearances in the world he brings ‘order: he knows which forces govern what realms of lie he knows how to choose the path that leads a human being ‘ut of the labyrinth of distress. He can prescribe the right action that will lead tothe right result Eshu, on the other hand, repreents the unpredictable element of fate, He can upset the mott careful planning, the mos correct situa action. The protection of the must powerful ers is useless, if Exhu decides © upset event, ‘Therefore he must always receive the fist part of any sacrifice, because unlest he is appeased frst the sacrifice will bei vain Hie appears as the divine trickster in Yoruba mytho logy his delight “o cur eighe ito wrong: wrong into right’. He revels in the absurd: ‘he hits a stone unti it bleed’ or he sts on the skin ofan ant ‘The story about the red and white cap is the most popular of all sores about Eshu, It portrays him at the divine trickster, a kind of supernatural prototype of the poplar tortaise figure, The other two stories show him ina more sinister mood 4 crucl avenger, who will not forgive those who fail 10 sacrifice t him Christian missionaries have erroneously identified Eshu with the devil. However in spite of Eshu's trickster ‘ature, and in spite of his occasional cruelty, he has lite in common with the Christian devil, An absolutly evil creature i unthinkable in Yoruba philosophy. Eshu iss capable of protecting his worshippers, of giving, them children, of making them succeufl a8 any other oi, [Namerous names like Eshumiwa testify to che face that some Yoruba attibute their birth to the benign inter. ‘ention of Es Ba ‘This callection af myehy-some af them simple, strong ples of rarrave,otjer mprteriows, pte and often amusing ~srate she rion and choua ofthe West Afean Yoruba people, Collected And taalated by authors and arti long familia wth Yoruba uta, the myehe ar compiled and introduced bere by Uli Bele, who inset hold two Yoruba chine tides. Some ae ereation myths: thes explain the vison ofthe original God into the many ent, o gods, ‘ferent route ending tothe ore 0a and the development of tee various anette flor lvckser-tales the ort fen astume diferent penenalie, whose action and thei consequences eval the Yoruba wim and customs. The myths are Frerpered with drawings by Georgina Beso Yoruba mou, taken from atin, beadwork xd ceremonial ejects ‘This bok male the myth fx erllyeananited religion aatale as tierature to Nigerian school chile wo are now often untae with chee eadvonal myhology. I wil ao strengthen the interest mong English ender in orginal Alcan Utessture, Al adi harder By eae eather Yoruba Poetry “provides exciting and inh reading ta diverse auliehee: To the reader wh unfamiliar with the Yoruba language, Beier. ction ince that he should oe nderetsate te ihe ne the itcais i transition. To tote with litle knowledge of Yoruba ture, nots are provided, placing che posty in it proper conten tis the authow’s hope tha In spite of he utaiont he has placed ‘on the material the poems will "work", The excitement one els 0 reading the poeau dispels much dos inthis spect Othe whole, the book may be one ofthe best antelope of raion Yoru, poems compile : Renarcin Afcn Lire African Poetry “The sub rhythms of Attia language are sil evd¥ot to some exes, snd the imagery nae eflectve despite the tranation, This book Is welcome bear the poems have ben eeced with semstviy and lngeligence and suerte by drawings of Alcan arta evocative fd panonate a the poetry gel “Jornal f iste frgp neti UK. Cambridge University Press