A U T H O R S '

N O T E

The a uth o r spe n t several years as an Assistant

Dis trict Officer amon g the Yorubas in Nigeria an d ,

was th u s e na b l e d to collect the folklore contained in

thi s book from native sources .

Th e reticen ce of th e n atives on religious subj ects

made it necessary to piece mu ch together from in
ca n t a t io n s and chan ce rem ark s but it is ho p ed th a t
,

th e n otes wil l show that n o great l ibe r ty has been t a ken

with the beliefs of a tribe which inhabits a l a rge area in

Wes t Africa .

The legends are bare and u n certain a n d it seeme d

,

th a t blank verse wo uld prove a more suitable form

to present them than prose .

The author desires to express his indebtedness to

Mr Ford Madox H u effer fo r advice when this work
.

was half fi nish ed and al so to the Cou n cil of the Royal

-
,

An thr opological I nstitute for permission to re publish -

Notes I a n d ! I ! I ! which appeared origin ally in

-

Man . The suggestion s con tained in Note I V on

the Creation of Man and in Note V II on the possible
,

connection between the Edi Festival and the Sat urnalia ,

are offered after a subsequ ent reading of the Golden

Bough .
 P E R S O N S

G od o f Th under and Father of the God s .

Of fs ha Creator of men . Son of Aramfe .

King of men . Son of Aramfe .

God of I ron . Son of Oduwa .

The war rior so n of Ogun .

Smith of Ogun .

A worker in bras s .

Wife of Ob al ufon .

The M essen ger of the Gods prin cipal ly ,

known b y reason of di vination .

Goddess of the Sea .

Oldssa Goddess of the Lagoons .

A Goddess who transformed and became

the Ri ver Osh un .

The Perverter A God of Evil who

.

led men astray .

lO
 P E R S O N S

Now r eg arded as the Devil b u t originall y

,

as the Undoer of the favours of the Gods .

Peregd n Gbo
’
A Forest God who caused the Fores t to
bring forth wild an imal s and wa tched
over the birth of Orfin mil a .

Omimml a
'

A God who watches over the birth of

children .

Ofi un Kdnmn
’
A m essenger of ffa .

0 m! Odd m l a ’
The ancestor of the Ornis of ife .

A priest .

A priest an d maker of ch arms .

The S un Moon Night Day Dawn an d Evenin g were

, , , ,
‘

al so Gods and Goddess es sent b y Aramfé who is often ,

spoken of as God But a higher and very distant

.

Being is mentioned by some of the Priests .

Oibo means White Man .

Okp éll e is a charm used in the divination of ffa .

The fin al N is as in bo n an d French pronunciation is

,

nearly correct in all the above names .

11
 A whi te ma n visits ife the sacred city of the
,

Y o rubas and as ks to hear the history of the place

, .

The Orni the rel igious head of Y o rub al and begins

, , ,

and di rects the Bab al awo Ar aba the chief priest o f

,
-

Ifa to contin ue
, .

I2
 M Y T H S O F I F E

T H E B E G I N N I N G .

The Om ! of I fe spea ks
Oibo yo u have asked to hear our lore
, ,

The legen ds of theWorld s youn g hours—and where

’

Coul d truth in greater surety have its hom e

Than in the precin cts of the sh rines of Those
Wh o m a de the World a nd in the mouths of priests
,

To whom their doings have been han ded down

From sire to so n !
A rdmfe Befor e this World wa s m ade
rei gn s in There reign ed Aramfé in the realm of Heaven
H ea ven Amidst his sons Old were the hills around him
.

The S un h a d shone upon his vines a nd corn fi el ds

Since time past reckonin g Old wa s Aramfé .
,

The father of the Gods : his youth had been

The youth of Heaven . On ce when the Kin g
r eclined

Upon the dais a n d his son s lay prostrate

,

I n ve n er a t ion a t his feet he spoke

,

teh s his Of the great thin gs he purpo s ed

son s of the My sons you kn ow
,

crea tion of But fair thi n g s which I made for you before ,

H ea v en I called your spirits from the Dusk : fo r alway s

13
 T H E B E G I N N I N G

Your eyes have watched the shadows and the wind

On wavi ng corn and I have given yo u
,

The dances and the choru s of the night

An age of mirth and sunrise (the wine of Heaven)
I s your exis tence You have n o t even hear d
.

Of the grey ho ur when my young eyes first opened

To gaze upon a herble s s Mass un shaped ,

And unadorned But I knew well the heart

.

Of Him Who Speaks Not the far felt Purpose

- - -
,
-

that gave
Me birth I laboured and the grim years passed
along their sunn y beds ; I set
The m e a nd the hill s about
,

I fostered budding trees and t a ught th e birds ,

Their so n g— the un sha pel y I had fo rm ed to be a uty ,

And as the ages came I loved to m a ke

The beautiful more fair All went not wel l
.

A noble an imal my min d conceived

Em erged in lo a thsom e form to prey upo n
My gen tle crea tu res ; a river born to bask ,

I n sunli t ch a nn els a n d m irror the steep hills ,

Tore down its banks a n d ra vaged field and plain

While c a tar a c t and j a gged precipice ,

N o w g ra n d with ye a rs re m in d me of dread days

,

14
 M Y T H S o r I F E

When Heaven to tt ered and wide rifts sundered ,

my young
Fair hill s and all seem ed los t Yet—I preva iled
,
. .

Think n ow if the accom plished whole be He a ven

, , ,

How wonderful the an xious years of slow

And hazardous achievem en t—a destiny
For Gods But yours it has n o t been to lead
.

Creation by the Cli ff s edge way from Mass ’

-

To Para dis e He paused o n the rem emb ran ce

.
,

And Great Orisha cried : Can we do naught !

What use in godhead wi thout deeds to do !
Where ye a rns a helpless region for a hand
To gu ide it ! And Old Aramfe a nswered him
sends them My so n your day appr oaches F a r off the haze
, .
-
,

to ma ke the Rest s al ways o n t he outer wa ste whi ch sk irts

World . Our r ea lm beyon d a n erveless Mass lies cold ,

‘
Neath floods which som e m al ign unre a son hea ves .

Odfi wa fi rs t born of my son s to you I give

,
-
,

The fi v e clawed Bird the sa n d of power Go n ow

- ( 1)
, .
,

Call a despairing l an d to smiling l ife

Abo v e the j e al ous sea a n d found sure hom esteads ,

F o r a new ra c e whose destiny is n o t

The etern al life of Gods You a re their j u dge ; .

( 1) S ee N o te I on t he Cr e a ti on of the E ar th .

15
 T H E B E G I N N I N G

Yours is the kingship and to you a ll Gods ,

And men are subj e c t Wisest of my sons .

,

Orisha you rs is the grateful task to loose

,

Vagu e spirits waiting for the Dawn—to mak e

The r a ce th a t shall be and to yo u I give
This b a g of Wisdom s gu ar ded lor e and arts
’

For Ma n s wel l being and a dvancem en t And you

’
-
.
,

My younger son s the chorus and the dance

, ,

The voice of worshi p an d the crafts are yours

To tea ch—th a t the n ew thankful race may know
The mirth of Heaven and the j oys of labour .
”

s ai d : Happy o u r life has been ,

gladl y roam these hill s for ever ,

Your so n and servan t But to your comm an d .

I yield ; and in my kingship pride o ers tep s ’

Sorrow and heaviness Yet Lor d Ar am ic .

, ,

I am your fi rst born : wherefore do you give

-

The arts and wisdom to Orisha ! I ,

The King will be obeyed ; the hear ts of m en

,

Will turn in won der to the God who spells

Str ange benefits But Aramfe said Enough
.

To e a ch is fittin g task is given Farewel l . .

(I ) S ee N o te I! on t h e Cr e a ti on of Ma n .
 M Y T H S o r I F E

Here the Beginning was : from Aramfe s vales ’

Th rough the deser t regions the exiled Gods

approach ed
The edg e of He a ven and into blackn e ss plunged
,

A sunl ess void o er godless water lying—J ”

’

To seize an empire from the D ar k and win ,

Amidst ungoverned waves a sovereignty .

Ottawa But b y the roadside while Orisha slept

stea l s the Oduwa came by steal th and bore away

bag a nd The bag Ardmfe gave Thus was the wi l l .

ca u ses W a r Of G od undone : for th u s with the charmed

on E a rth
. sand
C a st wide on the u nmastered sea his so n s ,

Called forth a World of envy and o f war .

Of Man s Creation and of th e r estrai nt

’

Ol ok un placed upon the chafing sea

(2)
,

Of the unconscious years which pas sed in darkness

Till dazzling sunshine touched the unused eyes
Of men of War and magic—my priest shall tell you
, ,

And all the Great Ones did before the day

They vanish ed to ret urn to the calm hills
(1) S ee N o t e I on t h e Cr ea ti on .

( 2) Th e G o dd e ss o f t h e S ea .

17
 T H E B E G I N N I N G

L ife in ffé Of Old Aré mfé s realm They went away ;

’

is a s it wa s But still with us their altars and their priests

tn the time Rem ain and from their shrines the hidden Gods
,

Peer forth with j oy to watch the dance they taught ,

And hear each night th eir choru s with the dru m

For changeless here the early World endures
I n this first stronghold of h umanity ,

A n d constant as the b uffets of the waves

,

Of ! ueen Olo kun on th e shore the song , ,

The dance of those old Gods abide the mir th , ,

I too am born of the Beginning :

, ,

Odd m l a
’
when from the sight of men the Great Gods
spea ks for passed ,

the Gods They left on Earth Orni Od um l a “ ) charged ’

To be a father to a mo urning people

‘

To ten d the shrines a n d u tter solemn wor ds

I n spired by Those invisible And when .

Odii m l a s time had come to yield the crown

’ ’ ’

To wait u pon t he River s brink ( 2)

and cross ’

To Old Aram fe in his wisdom ,

(1) S ee N t II
o e o n Od i i m l a
’

t h e fi rs
’
tO rn i o f I fe
iv hi h p t t hi W l d f t
.
,

(2) Th e R e r w c se a ra e s s or ro m the n ex
N t X III
.

S ee o e
N o t e X II
.

(3) Th e M e sse n g e r o f t h e G o s S ee d . on
his d iv ma t io n .

18
 M Y T H S '

O F I F E

Proclaimed tha t son wi th whom Odiim l a s soul

’ ’

Abode Thus has it eve r been ; and now

.

With me that Being is—a bout within

,

And on o ur sacred days these lips prono unce

The words of Odudii wa and Orisha
’

.
 T H E D E S C E N T

A raba pea ks
s

I am the voice of I fa messenger ,

Of all the Go ds : to me the his tories

Are known and I will tell you of the days
,

Of the Descent : How Old Aramfe sent

The Gods from Heaven and Odudiiwa stole ,

The ba g — my king has told y ou For many a .

day
Across unwatered plains the Great Ones j o urneyed ,

And sandy deserts—for s uch is the stern bar

fé twixt his smil ing vales
’

Cli ff s e dg e which his sons ap p roached

’

til l from the sa ndy brink they pe ered

Down the sheer precipice Behind them lay .

The parched forbidding leagu es b u t yet the Sun

,

Was there and breezes soft and yet the mo untains

, ,

A faded line beyond the shimmering was te

Called back to mind their an cient home Beneath .

Hu ng chaos—d a nk blackness and the threatenin g

roar
Of untamed waters Then Odudii wa s poke
.
’

Orisha what di d we
,
And what fault was ours !
Outcas ts to d a y ; to morrow we must seek
- -

Our destin y in d ung eons and ben eath ,

20
 T H E D E S C E N T

The fiv e clawed Bird to scatter far and wide

-

Triumphant lan d B u t as Earth s ramparts grew

“ )
,
’

Ever in the darkn ess came the waves and sucked

Away the crumbling shore while foot by foot ,

Lagoons crept up and turned to reedy swamps

,

The soil of h 0 pe So Odudii wa called

.
’

Ol okun and Ol ossa to the clifi

( 2) (3)

a nd And thus he spoke Beneath the waters wrestle ,

With the new rising World and would destro y

-
,

dom and u n do Aramfe s will ’

.

fields of men to be the homes ,

t they sh al l make Ol ok un ! to the sea ! .

For there yo ur rule and your dominion shall be

To curb the hungry waves u pon the coastlan ds
F or ever . And thus in our first queen of cities
,

And secret sanctuaries on lonely shores

Through every ae on as the season comes ,

Shall men bri n g gifts in homage to Olokun .

And you Ol ossa where yo ur ripple laps

, ,

The fruitful bank shall se e continuall y

,

The o fferings of th an kful men .

(I ) S ee N o t e I on th e Cr ea ti on of th e E a rt h .

(2 ) Th e G o dd ess o f t h e S ea .

( 3) Th e G o ddess of th e L a goo n s .

22
 M Y T H S O F I F E

The m onths
Of Hea ven passed by while in the moonless night
,

Ben eath the Bir d t oiled on uhtil the bounds ,

The com ers of the World were ste a df ast And then .

Oduwa called Ori sh a and the Gods

To the cliff s edge a n d spo ke these words of sorrow
,

We go to our sa d kingdom Such is the will .

Of Old Aramfé : so let it be But ere .

The hour the wildern ess which gape s for us

Engu l f us utterly ere the lingeri ng sight
,

Of those loved hills ca n gladden us no more

Ma y we not dre am awhile of smilin g days
Gone by ! Fai r was drenched m orni ng in the
Sun
When dark the hill tops rose o er m isty hollows
-
’

Fa ir were the le a fy trees of night ben eath

The silvering Moon and beautiful the wind
,

Upon the grasslands Good bye ye plains we

.
-
,

roamed .

Good bye to su n light a n d the shift ing shadows

-

Cast o n the cr ags of He a ven s blue hil l s Ah ! wine

’
.

Of Heaven farewell
, So came the Gods to I fé .

Then of an age of passing m onths untold

By wa n ings of the Moon o ur lore repeats
23
 T H E D E S C E N T

The dirg e of wasting hopes and the lament

Of a people in a strange World shuddering
Beneath the th under of the unseen waves
On cr umbling shor es ar o und Al ways the marsh .

Pressed eagerly on He ; b u t ever the Bird

Returned with the unconquerable sand
Oj umu po ured from hi s enchanted shell ,

And th e marsh yielded Then young Ogun bade .

The Forest grow her whis p ering trees—but she

Budded the pall id shoots of hopeless nig ht ,

sorrow r ound the sodden town

Odu dii wa reigned Yet for live men .

Orisha the Creator y earne d and called

, , ,

To him the longing shades from other glooms

ma n .
0
He threw their images ) into the wombs
Of Night Ol okun and Ol ossa and all
, ,

The wives of the gre a t Gods bore babes with ey es ’

Of those born blind—unknowing of their want

And limbs to feel the heartless wi n d whi ch blew
From outer n owher e to the murk beyond .

But as th e uncon scious years wor e by Orisha , ,

The Cre a tor watched the unlit D a wn of Ma n

,

Wistfully— as o n e who follows the set fli ght

( 1) S ee Not e I! on t h e Cr e a ti on of Ma n .

24
 M Y T H S o r I F E

Of a lone sea bird when the sunset fades

-

Beyond a marshy wilderness—an d spoke

To Odudii wa : Our d a y is en dl ess night
’

And deep wan woods enclose our weeping children

,
.

The O cean menaces chill winds moan through

,

Our moulderin g homes O ur gu ardian Nigh t.

,

who s poke
To u s with her s trange sounds in the stil l hours
Of He a ven is here ; yet sh e can but bewail
Her restless task And where is Evenin g !
.

Oh ! where
I s Dawn ! He ceased and Oduduwa sent
,

Ifa the Messenger to his old sire

, ,

To crave the S un and the warm fl am e that lit

The torch o f Heaven s Evening an d the dance
’
.

A deep compas sion moved thundrous Ar am fe ,

The Father of th e Gods and he sen t down

,

The vulture wi th red fi re upo n his head

For men ; and by t he Gods comman d the bird
,

, ,

S t ill wears no plumage where tho se embers b urned

A mar k of hon our for rememb ra n ce Agai n .

The Father spoke the word and the pale Moon ,

Sought o u t the precincts of c alm Night s retreat ’

25
 T H E D E S C E N T

To share h er watch o n Darkness and Day took

wings ,

And flew to the broad spaces of the sky

To roam benignan t from the floatin g mists
-

Which clin g to hillside s of the Dawn— to Eve

Who calls the happy toilers hom e .

And all
The Ag e Was changed for when the terror of bright Day
Had lifted from the unu sed eyes of m en ,

Ladi s anvil while Ogun taught

’

and wise Ob al ufo n ( 1)

brazen vessels an d showed how wine stream s

out
From the slim pal ms ‘2)
And in the night the Gods
.

Set t o rches in their th ron ging courts to light

The dance and Heaven s m usic touched the drum
,
’

O n ce more as in its ancient hom e And mirth .

With Odu duwa reign ed .

(1) S ee N te
o ! on Ob al u fo n
i i tiv i t i t
.

(2) Pal m -w ne, an e ffi c a c o u s na e n o x ca n .

26
 M Y T H S O F I F E

I II THE WAR OF T H E GO D S

A rdba con tin u es

Oibo I will tell a nd chronicle

,

A second chapter from the histo ri es

The fa bl e Bequeathed from other times A tale is told
.

of E a rth,
How God in the Beginn ing s ent three sons
Wa ter a nd I nto the World—Earth Water and the Forest
,

F or est With one and twenty gifts for Earth and men
That ar e the sons of Earth ; and all save one
The Forest and the Rivers stole ; and how
God promised to his first born Earth that men
-
, ,

Shoul d win the twenty gifts aga in by virtue

Of that last on e Good Humour And this is tru e
, .

For in those years when O gun and the Gods

Made k n own their handicraft s men learned to seek
Thatch food and win e in Forest and in River
,

Patien tly So Man prevailed but in those days

.

between Came strife and t urmoil to the Gods—for stil l

Odawa a n d For j e al ousy and pride Oduwa held

Ortsha The bag Aram fe gave to Great Orisha .

Often Orisha m ade en treaty ; oft

A suppli a n t came before his brother—in vain
Till o n ce when Oduduwa sat with Ogun

27
T H E W A R O F T H E G O D S

I n that s am e palace where the O rni reigns ,

The sound of drums was heard and Great Orish a

Appr oached with Skil led Obal ufon and sai d : ,

The time has come to teach Aramfe s ar ts ’

To men Give back the b ag (for it is mine !)

.

That I may do our Father s biddin g Else ’

.
,

Have a care is it not told how ca u tion slep t

,

I n the still woods when the p ro u d leopar d fell ,

L ured on by S ilence neath the monster s foot ! ,

’ ’

an gered exceedin gly :

king ! Did not Aramfe make

Gods an d men ! Begone ! Who s peaks
U nseemly words before the king has p acked
His load ( 2)
.
”

Orisha and Odii wa called ’

To arms their followings of Gods an d men ,

And on that day the first of wars began

I n He and the Forest Such was the fal l .

Of the Gods from paths divine a nd such for men ,

The woe that Odu duwa s theft prepared ’

But little th e Gods recked of their dee p guilt

(l) cp Y
b th t Th E l ph t h p w t
o ru a r ea e e an as o er o
h t h L p d th gh h b il t
.

!
c ru s e eo ar ou e e s en

(C mm i t d b y d m b t I t hi k )
, .

o u n ca e ru -
ea s , n
Y b yi g Th p k i p b bly p p d
.

( 2) oru a sa n e s ea er s ro a re ar e
t vl
.

t o ra e .

28
 T H E W A R O F T H E G O D S

And lead Creatio n in the ways of Heaven .

How then th is b rawl ing ! Did th e Void s black

, ,
’

so ul
O u tm atch you or possess yo ur hearts to come
,

Agai n into its own ! F or Man s misfortune ’

I grieve ; but you have borne them on the tide

Of yo ur wrong doing and your p unishment
-
,

I s theirs to share For now my th underbolts

.

th deluges upon the land

and l a goons a n d stay,

irnp io us war .

but fa il s . Dawn came ; the storm

Was g one a n d Old Aramfe in his grief
,

De p arted on black clo uds But still the wrath

.
,

But still the anger of his s ons endured ,

And in the dripping forests and the marshes

The rebel Gods fought o n—while in the clouds
Afar Aramfe reasoned with hi mself :
I spoke in thunders and my deluge filled
,

The marshes that Oj umu dried —but still

They fight Punish I may—bu t what ca n I
.
,

Achieve I n Heaven om n ipo t ent but here

What means it I cann ot tel l I n the Un known
.
,

Beyo n d the S ky where I have set the S un ,

30
 ‘

M Y T H S O F I F E

Is H e -Who Speaks Not He knows all Can this

- -
.

Be Truth Amidst the unnatural s t rife of brothers

Th eWorl d wa s wea ned : by strifemust it endur e
Oibo how the firs t of wars began
, ,

And Old Aram fe sought to stay the flow

Of blood your pen has writte n but of the da ys
-
,

The weary days of all that war what tongue ,

Can tel l Tis said the anger of the Gods

E n dur ed two h undred years we know the priest
Osanyi made stran ge am ulets for all
The mortal soldi ers of the Gods—o n e charm
Co uld t urn a s pe a r aside a second robbed
,

The woun ding Sword of all its stin g another ,

M a de one so terrible that a fu l l sc ore

Must flee—but not o n e word of the great deeds ,

Of hopes and fears of imminen t defeat

,

Or v ictory s n atched a way is han ded down

No legend has defied n o voice c alled through
,

The di mn ess and the baffli ng years .

But when
An e n d wa s come t o the ill d a ys forek n own

To Him Wh o Speak s Not remembran ce of the

- - -
,

c alm

Of Heaven s tole upo n the sleepless Gods

T H E -
W A R O F T H E G O D S

F or while the Moon lay soft with a l l her spell

On I fé of the man y battles ; while

With sorrowf ul reproach the wise trees stood

An d gaze d upon the God s who made the soil

The voices of the Forest crooned their dreams

Of peace Sleep sleep all weary Nature craved
, ,

An d Sleep the slumbro us reed folk urged -

,

and twixt ’

The shadow and the S il v er d leaf for sleep ’

The drowsing breezes yearned And with the .

dawn
Ogun the warrior with his comrades stood
, ,

Before the kin g and th us he Spoke : ,Oduwa ,

We weary of the battle and its agony ,

Weighs heavy on our pe ople Have you forgot .

The careless hou rs of Old Aramfe s re a lm ! ’

What means this wa r this empty war between ,

One mother s sons ! Orisha willed it so

’

You say Twas said of old Who h as n o ho use

.
’ ‘

Will b uy no broo m f” Wh y then di d G r eat Orisha

’

Bring plagu es on those he made in love

I n Heaven
Afar Ar amfe gave to yo u the em p ire ,

(1) Y oru b a sa yi n g .

32
 M Y T H S o r I F E

And to Orisha knowled ge of the ways

Of mysteries an d hidden things The bag .

Yo u seized b u t not its clu e —the Skill the wisdom ,

Of Great O risha which al one could wake

The sleeping lore The nation s of the World
.

Are you rs give back the bag and Great Orisha ,

Will trouble us no more But neither Og un

.

Nor the soft voices of the night could loose

Odii wa from the thral l of envy : the r ule
’

Of men and empire were of no account

When the hot thought of Old Ar amfé s lore ’

Rou sed his black ire an ew The bag he held ; .

But all the fai thless years had not revealed

I ts promi sed treasures Bitterly he answered
.

These m an y years my brother has made war

U pon his kin g whil e for the crown its power ,

And gr eatness I have wrought unceasing To day

, .
-

My son—ho pe of my cause my cause itself ,

Wearies of wa r and j oins my e n emies

'

.
,

Weak so n the sceptre you were born to hold

,

And hand down strengthened to a line of ki ngs

Co uld not uphold your will and be your S p ur
Until the en d I s it not said Shall one
.
,

Priest bury and anon his mate dig up

,

33
T H E W A R O F T H E G O D S

The corpse ! No day s brief work have yo u

”
( 1) ’

undone ,

But all my heart has long ed for thro ugh a life

O f labo ur So let it be : God of Soft I ron !
.

U pon your royal brow descends this day

The crown of a diminished chieftaincy ,

With the sweet hono urs of a king in name

For I go back to Old Aramfe s hi lls ’

An d the cal m realm y o u prate of Then Odudirwa ” ’

Transformed to stone and sank beneath the soil ,

Bearing away the fat eful bag .

And th us ,

Beneath thro ugh a l l the ag es of the World

,

A voiceless lore and arts which fo und no tea cher

Have lain in bondag e .

(l) Y o ru b a sa yi n g .
 M Y T H S o r I r is

I V T HE SA C R I F I CE OF M ORIMI (1 )

A raba continues

Oibo I have told you of the da ys

When Odudii wa an d Orisha fought ;
’

But of the times of peac e our ann als hold

S t range legends also Now in the age when mirth
.

And Odu duwa reigned grief ever growing ,

-

Befell G r eat M o rimi the wife of skill ed ,

Obal ufo n —for while his lesser wives

Proudly bore many son s un to their lord ,

A daughter onl y young Adéto un , ,

Was gran ted to his queen And as the years .

La gged by a strange n ess whi ch he always seemed

,

To keep in hiding chequered the fair day

With doubtings and waylaid her in the paths
,

Of her fon d nightly dream s Once with the Spring .

,

She saw the clustered tree tops breaking into leaf -

COp per and red and every green and she ,

Remembered how ben eath the new year s b uds ’

I t was ordain ed by Peregl m Gbo lord ' ’

Of u n inhabitable woods that Life ,

(1) S ee N o t e ! I on Morimi
’
s sa cr ifi ce .

35
TH E SACRIFICE o r MORIMI

Should spring from Forest , an d Life from Life ,

The Woods wer e gladdened with the voice o f beasts

And birds—and thus She reason ed I s it not tol d “

How Peregrm spoke and from the womb

’

Of Forest leaped the Sloth that laughs by night P

How mid the boughs the Sloth brought forth the
’

ape
That bore the leo pard ! And did not Peregim ’

Watch o er the bir th of young Orimmil a

’ '

An d ever when the mo rr ow s sorrowing dawn

’

Must yield up to the leaguing fiends the child s ’

Fai r life did not the wat chful God send down
,

His messenger to stay the grasping hand

Of Dea th ! Thus do the G ods ; and surely one
Wil l gi ve me sons Ah whom must I appease
.

! ui ck with new hope Great M o rimi sought out

A pri est of Ifa in his cou rtyard dim
‘ 2)
,

Where from e a ch be a m and sm oke gri med pillar -

hung
The ch a rm s th e wise man se t to guard hi s home
'

His wives and children from the ill S con trived

(1 ) S ee N o te X I o n Per eg in G bo
i
‘
.

( 2) S ee N o te X II o n t h e divin a tio n o f I fa .

36
 TH E SACRIFI CE OF MORIMI

And pray for sons and my Adétorm ’

Th e last word is not yet Ol okun s tide .

’

H as ebbed : will it not flow ag ai n !

Yet hope
S he Went not with M o rim i to the dark court
con sul ts Of l fa s pri est ; an d when a torch dis closed
’

The self same bode of sorrow in the dus k

-

To her dr ear home Great M o rimi fled back

I n terror of the deed which love commanded ,

And love condem n ed Silently in the night

.

E di a dvises Came E di the Perverter t he smooth of tongu e

, , ,

her to a ct Who with his guileful r easoning com p els

To conscious S in The form s of messengers
message . Reveal the thoughts of l fa and the ears ,

Of Ifa the God M essenger have heard

,
-
,

The far off thundro us voice Would y o u hold back !

-
, .

I s not the bir th of N a tion s the first law

Aramfe gave ! Can any wife withstand

His will or maid stern O gun s cal l !
,
( 1)
To day ’
-

I S yo urs oh mother of gr eat kings that shall be

, ,

The green Shoots gr eet the Spring rain an d forget -

The barren months an d Mo rimi Shall kno w

,

Her grief and her reproach no more Then d oubt .

( I) Ogu n ki lls u n m arr e i d gir ls of marria g ea bl e a ge .

38
 M Y T H S O F rE E

Seized M orimi but still she answered Will G ods

Not give I s the grim World a morning market

Wh ere they drive bar ga in s with the fol k they made !

Are babes a s bangles which Ob al ufo n
Fashions to b ar ter ! But E di answered her
But once Aramfe spoke to Oduduwa ,

An d wi t h what heavy hearts the Gods went forth

From He a ven s v a lleys to the blackness ! Now

’

thrice ( l)
,

Thrice to the woman M orimi the word

H as come— with pr omise of the World s desire ’

Not every wife is chosen for the mother

Of a house of kings And think l—Obal ufon !.

Then E di the Pervert er hid his form

, ,

I n darkness and with the dawn a young girl lay

On the U ndoer E shu s al tar while ’
-

The lazy blue of early morning smoke

Crept u p the pass between the hills .

(1) A c co r di n g to th e l egen d M ori m i co n su lt e d I fa ith ree

tim b f a c ti n g o n h is a d vi ce
,

es e o re .

39
 T H E U B O W A R S “)

A rdha con tin u es

Oibo gr aven on my memory

,

I S the s a d legend which my fa ther told me

Of the G reat God s departure ’

The years sl id by .

Unnoted while King O gun r eigned Th e World

( 2!
.

Was young : upon the cra ggy Slopes the trees

Shot for th red buds and ancient l fe gaunt
, ,

Wi th sufferin g dreamed a ga in h er early dreams

, .

Taught by the Gods the folk began to learn

,

The arts of Heaven s peace anew ; the drum

’

Returned to measures of the da nce a n d Great ,

Orisha saw the j o y of life once more

I n his creature s eyes Th us l ived mankin d among
’
.

Th e Gods and m ultiplied until th e youth

,

Of I fe so ught new hom es and wider lands

I n th e vast Forest a n d thus was born th e fi rst
F air daughter of Odfi wa s city Men called ’
.

Her Ubo and the leader took the nam e

,

Ol l i bo o f Ubo with his chieftaincy .

is a ttend ed B u t to these colonists the Gods their Fathers , ,

Gave no good gif t s midst battles with the Wil d

’

’
Mid struggles with the Forest the town grew
While dull remembrance of unnatural wrongs
(I ) S ee N o t e ! I I o n U bo a nd t h e E di F es tiv l
a
No te X o n O gu n
.

( 2) S ee .

40
 M Y T H S o r I F E

B red Man s firs t r ebel thought against the Go ds

’

And when the tim e of festival was near ,

Word came to I fe that the folk of Ubo

Wo uld bring n o gift s n o r worship at the feet
,

Of O gun But the King scorned them laughin g

.
,

Who lights
His lamp between the leopard s paws ! ( 3! ’

The Chief Years pas sed

of Ubo I n grieving while Ol I I bo sough t the hom es
’

seeks a dv ice Of spiri ts of the Forest s pri n gs laid gifts

, ,

A t crossway shrines where childl ess wom en go ,

Or wandered to dre a r coasts to sh ar e his wrongs

With Oce an chafin g at his old restraint .

B u t rivers a n swered not n o t b rooks n o r Gods , ,

Of cro ssway al tars at the light of d a wn

And th rough the unceasin g hissin g of the foam
No voice of counsel came With Autumn s fall.
’

Ol ii bo came with gifts befo re the shrine

’

Of the grim Forest God who hedged his land -

,

And prayed him to accept the corn he bro ugh t

And the fat beasts nor seize his lands again
, .

And the God saw the oil and smel led the blood ,

Of birds and cattle ; a nd the longed for voice -

(3) Y o ru b a sa yi g
n .

41
 T H E U B O W A R S

C am e to Olubo : See with th e rain I come

Each year upon y our fields with springing trees ,

Rank growing gr ass and veg etation wild :

-

Your work of y ester year is all undone -

By my swift deso lation Be this yo ur symbol .

Go thus ag ai nst the Scornf ul Ones arrayed

As I .

I n I fe was great j oy : the last

Black thun dercloud has p asse d ; the maids were
wed ,

And al l men feasted on the sacred days

Of Ogun a n d the Lord of Day—when sud den ,

From the still Forest o er the walls there broke ’

Portents of moving trees and h urrying grass

On Ifes stone still revellers (Hope perish es
’
-
.

I n the dark ho ur a mother sees the dance

Of white robe d goblins of the mi dnight streets
- ( I)

A glimps e no more ,and her sick child is lost) .

Desp air held rule the new wed wives were lone -

Their men were slaves of Ubo lords The dr um .

Was Sil ent and laughter m u te About dull tas ks

, .

A listless people wandered ; b u t not so

( 1) S ee No te X III . Th ese go blin s a re ca ll d
e E l éré .

42
 M Y T H S O F I F E

M drl ml Mdrimi—for She ass ured of triumph Strode

, ,

consul ts To the dim co urt of Ifa and l ai d bare ,

I fa , Her gift A vision flickered and was gone

.
,

And the priest prophesied : The bod e is good .

AS when a S ick man lies beset by fiends ( l)

I call not to the Gods for ai d but take ,

The pepper on m y ton gu e a n d thus invoke

Those very fiends in their dread mother s n am e ’

An d then comm and the Prince of leagu ing Woes

(Though has t ening to the River s lip) to tu rn

’

Again — such n o w is I fa s coun sel borne

‘ ’

Swift in the form of Messenge rs to me

who a d v is es His priest his voice : Evil h a s com e down on I fe
,
‘

her to go By Evil o nly can desire prevail .

to Ubo .Take Six h e goats to Eshu the Undoer ;

-
,

Thus crave his aid and go Great M o rimi , ,

A har lot to the land of Ubo So sped

M o rimi to the r ebel town ; and when
A lord of Ubo sought her midst the Shades
out the Of nig ht the Undoer s will possessed his lips
,
’

secr et . And he betrayed the way of U bo s downf all ’

.

While E sh u s shrine y et ran with blood

’

the Gods ,

(1) S ee N o t m
e i fo r t h e i
n ca n a t ti on .

43
 T H E U B O W A R S

M ea nwhil e , Un knowing sat alone in their abasement

, ,

the gods And O gu n said We scorned our upstart so n

tra n sform Scorned him and let him b e—nor bore in m ind
to ston es , The wisdom of the Past A little snake ,

r iv ers , I s yet a sn ake ( I)

See now the end has come
.
’

etc , Swift from the S ight of mocking men we m ust

Depart The sage Osan yi wil l lay wide
.

The door of our deliverance : come then

For naked of dom inion what are we Gods !
And o n e by one Osanyi gave his charms
To the lorn Gods Orisha could b u t moan .

Children I made you—who but I ! and sank

Beneath the soil he loved And Oshun threw ‘ z’
.

Her body down—but never ceased : a stream

Gu shed up the sacred stream that flows for ever
, .

Olo kun fell

( 3)
neath the wide Earth She flowed
’

To the b road spaces of her troubled realm .

So went the Gods ; but last as Osanyi g ave ,

The charm to O gun last of all the Gods ,

Back from the rebel town Great Mdrimi

R ushed back and cried : The fire the v ultur e
,

bro ught
(3) Y o ru b a yin g sa
No te ! I II o n Os hun
.

( 4) S ee
N o te I X o n O loku n
.

(5 ) S ee .

44
 T H E P A S S I N G OF O G UN .

A raba contin ues

After the An age passed by an d ire knew no more ,

( 760 Wa rs O f battles ; for Ogun grey and bent chose

, , ,

Ogun reign sTh e way of peace beloved of O ld Ar amfé .

in pea ce .

Forgotten l ives were lived and shadowy ,

priests
Kept warm the al tars of the departed Gods
Old men went softly to the River s lip ( l) ’

Unsung : twixt h Ope an d fear mute colonists

’

Went for th to the stran ge forests of the World

And unremembered wives sought out the Shrines
Of the givers of new life Their nam es are lost . .

Yet now Oibo let a fin al t al e

, ,

Be told ; for at the last that silent ag e

, ,

Yields up the legend of its fall I n those .

Last tranq uil years the mothers bles sed King Ogun
For peaceful da ys and night s security ; ’

And old men used to tell of their b rave deeds

I n battles where Oranya n led applau d ,

The torch lit dance an d pass their last c airn da ys

-

Happil y . But then came traders from the wil ds

( 1) Th e R iv er w hi ch se pa ra tes this Wo rl d fro m t h e n ex t .

46
 M Y T H S O F I F E

B y thorn and tangle of scarce trodden ways -

Thro ugh the dim woods with won drous tales they ,

heard
At crossway markets in far lands of dee ds
( 1)

Oranya n did on battlefields beyond

The region of the forests The s e tales oft told .
,
-

I n ho use an d market filled the air with rumo urs

,

And dreams of war which troubled the repose

Of ancient I fe—for while the fathers feared
,

The coming of the day when the grey G o d ,

Aweary of Ear th s Kingship woul d go back

’

To his first far o ff home the yo ung men s dreams

-
,
’

Were always of Oranyan and their pale days ,

Lagg ed b y S uch were the various though ts

.

returns of men
from I n I fe ,
when on a da y u nheralded , ,

dista nt Oran ya n ( 2)
with a host ap peared before
Wa rs to Her peaceful gates None coul d deny his entrance
.

dema nd the The h ero strode ag a in the stree ts he saved

“ ow” . From the Ol ubo s grass clad men and came

’
-
,

Before his father to d em a n d the crown

O f Oduduwa King Ogun spoke : M y son
.
,

(1) Ma r ke t
s are oft en fo u nd a t cro ssro a ds in t h e fo res t .

( 2) S ee N o t e X o n Ogu n a nd Or an ya u
. .

47
T H E P A S S I N G O F O G U N

Tis lon g since you wer e here and yo u are welcome

’

, .

B u t why with these armed men do you recall

Times wel l forgotten and the ancient wars !
-

This is a lan d of peace : beneath the shade

Of Ife s trees the mirth of Heaven s val es
’ ’

H as found a home the chorus and the dance

,

Their mea sure Lay b y your arms and may no

.
,

h urt
Attend your coming or your restful hours !
Harshly Orany an answered his old father
You S peak of peace Great Ogun and the calm
, ,

Aramfe destined for a World to be .

Ar amfé S poke — an d Odu duwa s dream

’

Of wisdom linked to supreme power begat

A theft 0 ) And that same night on Heaven s rim ’

Devised an other destin y for men .

What Heaven sent art h as Ogun to undo

-

That deed and bid the still born live ! Besides -

W
, ,

h o taught the pe aceful peoples of the World

Their lon gin g fo r re d War ! Who forged their

With st eel Aramfé gave for harvesting !

Who slew young m a ids who would not wed to bea r
( 1) Th e th ft
e of Orisha '
s bag .

48
 M Y T H S O F I F E

More sons fo r ancient wars Who pray b u t Ogun , ,

The God of Wa r ! Wha t then Tis said

’

Th e field
The fath er sowed his son sh a ll re ap !
An d Ogun
M ade answer Th e story of my life has been
As the su cce eding seasons in the course
Where Oshun po urs h er stream First long ago .
, ,

The sunny months of heaven when I roam ed

A careless boy upon the mo unt ai ns ; then ,

As a whole season when the boistero us storms

Fill full the crag strewn bed with racing waters
-
,

And the wa rm Sun is h idden by th e clou ds ,

Doom bro ught me j o urneys toil s in d arkness wars , ,

And yet more war s Again the barren months .

Are here : the wagt ail lights u pon the rock

Th e river hid ; a lazy tric kle moves
An d in my age Aramfe s promise d pea ce ’

G ives bac k h er stolen ha pp iness to I re .

An d now the sage Osén yi ” is no more

,
‘
,

His charms forgotten : I can not turn to stone

An d vanish lik e Oduwa ; I cannot cas t
( 2) Y o ru b a sa yi n g
i bled
.

(3 ) Osé ny i ma d e t h e cha rms wh c h e na th e G o d :

to tra nsform .

49
T H E P A S S I N G O F O G U N

M y worn old body down to rise I nst ea d

A river of the land as Osh un did , .

N o Eart h mu s t hold me glad or de sol ate

, , ,

A King or outcast in the v ague forest ,

Till Heaven cal l me when the loc k ed pools bask

-
,

And O sh un slee ps Till then I ask to be

.

I n p eace and with m y tal e of days accom plished

, ,

My last ar ts taught Aramfe s bid ding done

,
’

I the lone God on Earth who knows fair H eaven

, ,

And the cal m l ife the Fath er bade us give

To men — I Ogu n will mak e wa y a n d go
, , , ,

Upon the road I ca me B u t Oranya n sai d

.

Let the first M istress of the World decide .

These y ear s the kingly p ower h as p assed away

From th e old sleeping town Oduwa b uilt
To me Oranyan battlin g in far l ands
, ,

Where no voice spoke o f I re Let I fé ch oose .

H er way : obsc urity or wide renown !

A sil ence fell th e black clo uds of the storm
Were overh a nging h um an des tin y ;
The breathl ess pause before the lo ud Wind s b l a st ’

H eld al l men sp eechless—though they seeme d to

heave
 I F E
'

M Y T H S O F

For utt erance A t len gth E l éffon th e fri end

.
, ,

men desire Of Ogun voiced the fond hop es of the old chi efs
,

Who feared Oranya n and his coming day

Ou rs is the city of the shri nes which gu ard
The spiri t s of the Gods and all o ur ways
,

Are ordered by the Pres ences which haunt

The sacred precincts The noise of war and t um ult

.

I s far from those who drea m beneath th e trees

Of I fé . There is anoth er way of life

s

The way of colonist s B y G o d s command

.
’

From this first breast the infant nations str ay

To the u tter marches of humanity .

L et them press onwa rd and let Oranyan lead th em

,

Till th e far corners of the World be fil led

L et the unr uly fall before their sword
U ntil th e L a w prevail B u t let not I fé
.

Swerve from the cool road of her destiny

For dreams of conqu es t and let not Ogun leave
Th e roof the evening firel ight and the ways
,

Of men—to go forth to th e naked woo ds .

”

An d th e old chiefs echoe d : L ive with us yet ,

Reign on yo ur stable thr one . B u t m urmurs rose

51
 ‘

T H E P A S S I N G
'

O F O G U N

From the y ou ng men—suppr essed at first then

,

Un t il their le a der gaining courage cried :

, ,

Em pty o ur life has been—while from far plains ,

Vibrant wi th the romance the living lustre , ,

Oran y a n s name b estows gr ea t r umo urs came

’

To mock our laggard seasons ; and each year

MOrimi s festival recalls al ik e
’

The hero s name and l fe s greatness Must

’ ’
.

All I fe sl umber that th e old may drowse !

N o ; We will have Oranya n and no other , ,

To be o ur King And a l ou d cry w ent up

.

From his followers : Oranyan is our King !

And in that cry Kin g Ogu n heard the doom
A ch ieftain of our day sees clear in eggs “ )
Of fateful parrots in hi s inmost chamber
The walls of his prou d ci t y (his old de fence)
Can never more uphold a ru le o f iron
For victor treachery within And wearily
H e S pok e his last sa d words My boyhood scarce
Had ended on Aramfé s happy hill s ’

(I ) A gi f t o f o a rro t s eggs t o a Yo ru ba chi e f is a n

’

in ti ma ti o n th a t h e ha s rei gn e d lo n g e no u g h
.

a n d t ha t sh o u l d h e di e by his o wn ha n d
tr ouble woul d b e sa ved
, ,

62
 N O T E S

I . TH E CRE AT I ON .

Th e elationships of the vario us gods are di fferently

r

s tated by different chiefs a n d priests of I fé a n d also ,

by the same m en at different times .

I t appears however th a t
, ruled in Heaven
, Aramfe ,

an d sent his sons Odl l wa an d O rish a to a dark and

’

, ,

watery region below to create the world and to people

it
. According to th e legen ds told in He the gods ,

were n o t s en t away as a p unishment ; but there is

some story of wrong doing men ti oned at Owu in the
-

Jéb u co untry Aramfé gave a bag full of arts a n d

.

wisdom to Orisha and the ki ngsh ip to Odl l wa

’

.
,

On the way from Heaven Odil wa m a d e Orisha ’

drunk an d stole the b ag On reaching th e edge of

,
.

H eaven Odl l wa hung a ch ai n over the cliff and sent

’

down a priest called Oj li mu with a sn ail Shell ful l of

, ,
-

m agic sand an d a fi v e fin g ered fowl Oj l l m u threw '

-
.

th e s an d o n the water and the fowl kicked it about .

Wherever the fowl kicked the sand dry land appeared ,

.

Th us the whole world was made with ire as its ce n tre ,

.

When th e land was firm Odl l wa and Orisha let ,

’

themselves down th e chain and were followed b y ,

several other g ods Orisha b egan m a kin g h uman beings

.

but all was dark and cold beca use Aram fe had not ,

sen t the sun with Odil wa So Odl l wa sen t up and ’

.
’

Aramfe Se nt the s un moon an d fire (Fire was sent

, .

54
 M Y TH S O F I F E

on a v ul ture s head and that is why the vult ure has

’
’

no fea thers on its head ) Then the gods beg an to teach

.

their arts and crafts to men .

After many years Orisha made war u pon Odil wa ’

to get back his bag The various go ds took sides

.
,

but some looked on The medicine men provided .

-

amulets for the men on both sides Ar amfe was an gry .

with his sons for fighting and threw his th underbolts

impartially—for he was the god of th under in those
days The war is s ai d to have las ted 2 01 years and
.
,

came to an end onl y because the gods on Odl l wa s side ’ ’

asked him to give back the bag Odl l wa in a h uff .

’

, ,

tran sformed to stone and sank beneath the earth taking ,

the bag with him His son Ogun the god of iron then
.
, , ,

became king .

II . ODU M ’
LA , TH E F I RST O RNI OF IF E
According to tradition when the gods transformed , ,

they ordered Odl l m l a to speak for them to be a father

’ ’

to the whole world and to r em ai n on E a rth for ever .

I n the words of an old chi ef : I t is o ur ancient law

that the S piri t of Odlim l a passes from body to body
’

and will remain for ever on the earth The spiri ts .

of the g ods are in their Sh rines and Odil m l a speaks ,

’ ’

for them .

I think the O rni claims t o be Odl l m l a himself ’ ’

.

This is a matter of dogma and I express no opinion , .

55
 N O T E S

III . ODU WA .

There is little to add to the st ory of Odl l wa

’

told
in Parts I II III
,
.

Ar aba told me another version of the end of the

War of the Gods : Ori sha and Odl l wa agreed to stop ’

the figh t in g on condition that each Shoul d have a man

'

for s acrifice every seven mon ths Four teen months wa s .

then regarded as a y ear .

Another story A rab a told me was : Th e Moon is

a r ound c rys tal ston e which is with Odl l wa They
,
’

take it in front when they go to sacrifice to Od l l wa ’

otherwise the god wo uld inj ure the man who offers the
sacrifice Odl l wa is said to have t a ken the sto n e from
’

a M oslem and to have been in the habit of looking

,

at it .

When I went to Odl l wa a grea t

’ ’
s Shrine there
, wa s
knockin g of doo rs to warn the god of my arrival .

I did not see the ston e .

I! . CREAT I ON OF MAN
OR l S H A AN D TH E .

The legen d of Orisha s cre a t ion of Ma n is mys terious

’
.

He is said to have thrown imag es in to wombs I .

was on ce told he p u t Signs into women s hands I ca n ’

.

on ly a ccou n t for this story by the suggestion tha t i t

ma y date from a period when men had n o t discove r ed
the conne c t ion betwee n sexu al intercourse an d th e
bir th of children .

56
 ‘

M Y T H S O F I F E

As to spirit life before bi rth the priest of Aramfe ,

sai d A child ma y have been with the spirits but when ,

he is born he forgets all a bout it .

The sacrific e offered to Orisha consists of eight

goats eight fishes eight rats and eight kola nuts
, ,
-
.

Orisha was a god of gre a t knowledg e (apart from

the contents of the bag which was stolen from him)
and taught his so n Ol uoré gb o —who according to
,

, ,

tradition is the ancestor of the whi te races

,
’
‘

The Orni attributes ascendancy of Europeans to

the up bringing of Ol uorOgb o
-
.

Our ancestor has n eed of eggs fowls Sheep kola , , ,

-
and snails .

V OBALU F ON
. .

Little is told of Obal ufo n the hu sband of M o rimi

, .

He was a man sent from Heaven by Aramfe and ,

was a weaver and a worker in brass He also showe d .

the people how to tap the palms fo r palm wine -

.

Apart from that he took care of everybody as

,

a mother of a child and u sed to go r ou nd the town

,

to drive out sickn ess a n d evil spirits .

His imag e represents him as a king .

V I M ORIM I . .

M orimi is the great heroine of the I fe legends .

The story of her sacrifice which I have adopted is

Ar aba s version
’
.

57
 N O T E S

I went so to MOrimi s priest who showed me her

al
’

image—o f p ainted wood and no ar tistic merit—repre

,

senting a naked negr es s His story was much the same

.

as Ar aba s ; but in his ve r sio n M o rimi sacrificed her

’

, ,

onl y son Y esu for the whole world and n o t to an y god

, , .

I t woul d appear that some early Christi a n missionary

had recognised the Virgin Mary in Mo rimi ; but it
may be doubted whether the missionary had heard of
MOrimi s visit to Ubo (See Note V II )
’
.

V II UBO AND THE E D I FEST I VAL

. .

The story of the Ubo Wars I S that some colonists

went from I re to fo und a new town which they c a lled
Ubo ; but as the gods had given them nothing they ,

invaded I fe On the first occasion the y were driven

.

back ; but the next year the y came dres sed in grass ,

terrified the people of He a n d took the men as sl aves .

(And in those parts of Africa dead kings and gods in

need of sacri fice are believed to prefer slaves to free
men ).

Then Mori mi consulted ffa and was told to sacrifice

,

six goats and six bags of cowries to E sh u and go a s ,

a harlot to Ubo Her mission was successful and she

ret urne d with the necessary information—onl y to find
.
,

the gods had tr ansform ed to rivers stones etc (I t , , .

seems that O gun di d not tr an sform as he wa s after ,

wards dis placed by his so n Oranyan) , .

Acting on MOrim i s advice Or any an se t fire to the

’

Ubo soldiers on their next inroad .

58
 M Y T H S O F I F E

The end of Ubo is comm emorated by E di (the

fes t iva l of M orimi which bega n on the 2 l st November
,

in Men dressed in h a y p arade the town b ut ,

h a ve to run for their lives when others pursue them

with fire Fire is al s o taken out to the Bu sh
. .

On the first of E di the Om i appears but mu st

da y , ,

r em a in in the A fin (P al ace ) for the r e m ai n ing seven .

Du ring this period the women do hon our to MOrimi s ’

Share in the victory by emulating her deed an d their ,

husban ds a re not allowed to interfere .

The meaning of the legend is doubtful The re .

m a y have been such a town a s Ubo but it seem s likel y

,

that the Festival is conn ected with a griculture .

Ubo (o r l gbo) means the Bush and M o rimi m a y ,

have a dvi sed the c ustomary burning of the Bush to

pr ep a re the land fo r crops The da t e of the Festiv al
.

(e a r ly in the dry seaso n ) the

,
fi r e a n d the men dressed in

hay all sugges t this in terpretation On the other

,
.

han d the s am e argum en t s combined with the seclusion

, ,

of the O rni and the l icense of the women would favour ,

the view th a t E di was the more gen eral Fes tival o f

the S a turn al ia .Possibly it was so origin a lly ; an d
the demons to be dri ven out appeared so material
in the form of tropical vegetation that Ubo (the Bush
t o be burned) h as obscured the former mea n ing of the
Fes tival I f thi s be so MOrim i S mission to Ubo may
.
,
’

be a later fable to accoun t fo r the licen se of the women

before fa rming opera tion s begin .

59
 N O T E S

VIII . O SH U N .

Osh un wa
a wom an (or goddess) in high favour
s

with both Oduwa a n d Orisha I t were well were .

Oshun wi th us said Odl l wa and Orisha agreed

,
” ’

Accordingly sh e took her place on Odl l wa s left Orisha ’ '

being on his right that is to say Oshun was considere d

the third person ag e in I fe .

The secon d chief in He the Ob a l l l fe claims descent

,
'

from Oshun for himself a n d half the people of his

qu arter of the town He h as a well in his compound
.
,

called Oshun which is s ai d to be the actu al water into

,

whi ch Oshun transformed hers el f He says his fir st .

forefather took a calabash of th e water wi th him when

he went to wa r and thi s gallon became the source of
,

the River The so urce is forty miles from I fe and

.
,

pe rhaps the Ob al l l fe is ri ght The well is never dry ;

’

and it is nee dless to add that the water has many

curative properties One woul d be su rprised if a
.

descendant of Osh un di ed except from other c auses , .

At the time of the Osh un Festi v al s a ys Ob al ufe , ,

all her t ri be col lect Sheep goats yams agi di palm , , , ,

wine kola rats fi sh and pig eons and bring them to

, , , ,

me for the feast O sh un gets the blood of go a ts sheep

.
,

and pigeon s the head of a rat—but n o t of a fish We

, .

eat the fish —al though they a re the children of O shun and
consequen tly our brothers Osh un is more strait .

laced than her descen da n ts .

60
 N O T E S

to be of Phallic origin I t is al so notewort hy th a t

. ,

at the time of hi s Festival Ogun is said to kill a ny ,

m ar riag eable girl he may find in her mother s hou s e ’

.

(This happened once to A r aba the p r o s pec t ive s o n in -

law co uld not produce £ 5 a n d Araba who gives n o , ,

credit lost a potential five pound note in the shape

,

of his daughter) Further when a child is circ umcised

.
,

the severed skin is put in a c al a bash of Ogu n to

worship him (together wi th a sn ai l in order that the
wound m a y heal ) .

Ogun al s o have been the S un God (or a wo r

may -

shipper of the Sun God) His festival is commonly -

.

called 0 l j or (Lord of D a y) Osh Ogun says Ogu n was .

Ol j or ; Ar aba s a ys 0 l j or was som eone els e the ,

confusion being due to the circum stance that the two

festival s take place a t the same time I n this conn ec .

t ion the half and h al f colouring of Oran ya n is suggestive

,
- - .

The dog is the principal animal u sed for sacrifice

to Ogu n Orany a n prefers a r am a rat kol a a n d
.
, ,

mu ch p al m wine -

Even tually Oran ya n displaced his father who

, ,

pl a n ted his staves in I fe and wen t away I have .

pres umed the death of Osan yi as I can not otherwi s e ,

explai n the fact that Ogun went away instead of

tran sforming as the other gods had don e I n his .

turn Or an y a n went away he h a d too mu ch medici n e

,

t o die .
”

62
 M Y T H S O F I F E

! I . THE C U LT OF PE RE G U N
’
GBO .

Gbo (or Peregl m Igbo) seem s to have been

Peregun
’ ’

a god who cau sed the forest to bring forth birds and
beasts He was a son of God and came to eart h with
.
,

E bb or (worship) and E di a god who causes men to ,

do what they know to be wr ong .

I t is eviden t from the incantation below that

Pereg l m Gbo wa s original l y approached by people
’ ’

in need of children but nowadays the same form ula ,

is recited by the priest whatever a man may be asking

for The priest tells the man to bring a sheep kola
.
, ,

pal m oil a pigeon a co ck and a hen al so a live goat

-
, , ,

for the priest .

The priest kills the Sheep pigeon cock and hen , ,

.

The three birds an d a part of the sheep are placed in

separate broken pots with pal m oil The man is then -
.

told to produce nine penn yworth of ko wriss which ,

are also put in the pots The priest takes the balance .

of the mutton in addition to the live go a t .

The priest then f a ces the po ts puts pepper (a tar e) ,

into his m outh and recites the incantation,

fgbo
'

l . l dbr tror
The forest bore the sloth .

2 . fror ldbl dgubor

The sloth bore the monkey .

Ogubor ldbr dha n-n dmaj d

'

3 .

The monkey bo re the leopa rd .

63
 N O T E S

The leopard bore the gu inea fowl -

.

E rel u agdma l dhi ekusd

'
-
,

The guinea fowl bore the hawk -

.

E kusa l dbi dj u g bo na
’
-

The hawk bore the evil spirit who gu ards Heaven s ’

gate .

Oj u gbona l dbr dfr there ttkere

' '

ehtn éku
'
- -
.

The evil spiri t bor e the generative organs of

men and women .

I mdl e
'
’
8 . Per eg rin Gbo n r a bobd .

Untranslated . I m ale is Peregl in

messenger ’
G bo
’
s

and is sent to do what the man asks .

9 . Oriy dml l a -popo

Good lu ck is human .

E se dmr l ape okute dba

'
’

The father of a luck y child is lucky .

A torl a ddrl a I g ba dd l ordrfa f Orunmil a n ig ba tl

’

un

n won fr oj or thu r e dél a

’

At o rl a do rl a I gb a d a approached Ifa on beh al f

of Orl l nmil a when they had fixed his
'

death for the morrow (Atorl a ddrl a .

I gbada is a good spiri t who keeps on post

po ming an evil deed con templated b y
someon e ) .

64
 M Y T H S O F I F E

Orun mzl a
’ '

12 . nt kdtrkun ttkun kdtikere tiker e .

Orl rnm il a
’

s a ys menstru ation will cease ,

and
pregnancy will begin .

Orun mtl a
’

13 . n r on ko y un l e orun .

Orl rnmil a
'

says that he (the child) will not go to

Heaven (Le will be born alive )
. .

When the pries t has fin ished the recitation the ,

ma n takes the pots to the Shrine of E shu ( the Devil ) .

The firs t t en s en tences are in prais e of Peregim Gbo ’ ’

who ordered Atorl a dOrl a I gbad a to go to Ifa and is ,

now asked to se n d Im ale to Orl l nmil a with the appl icant s

’ ’

request (The incantation is apparently in some form

.

of archaic Yorub a and the Bab a l awo h a d to explain

,

m uch of it to the interpreter Some of the tran sl a .

tions are probably very loose ) .

! II THE D I VI NAT I ON OF IFA (A FRAGMENT )

.

Ifa was the Messenger of the Gods a n d is consulted ,

by the Yoruba on all subj ects .

His priests (called Bab al awo ) profit considerably

by divination wh ich they perform with sand o n a
,

circ ular board o r with a charm called Okpél l é

, .

consists of eight pieces of bark on a s t rin g

Okp éll e .

These eigh t are a rranged in fours .

ach of the pieces of bark may fall ei ther with

E
the outside o r the inside Showing Con sequently .

65
 N O T E S

each se t of four may f al l in sixteen different

having different nam es and meanings .

The S ixteen names are

1 Ogb e—a ll fac e down—inside showing
Oyéku—all face u p—
. .

o u tside showing .

I wo ri .

Ob ér a .

Ok anran .

OwOrin .

9 . E guta n .

10 . Ossa .

ll . Erette .

E t l l rah
’

12 . .

I 3 . Ol Ogbo n .

14 . E kka .

’
15 Osh é .

16 . Offun or Or angun .

When Okpéll e is thr own on the and

two fours a re identical the r es ultant is cal led :
Ogbe Mej i Two Ogbes) E gu ta n Mej i
1 Ossa Mej i
I wori Mej i E ré t te Me! l
E di Mej i E tur ah Mej i
Ob ara Mej i Ol o gbo n Mej i
Ok anran Mej i Ekka Mej i
Roshnu Mej i
Awo rin Mej i Offun Mej i
These are called Six teen Messengers of Ifa .

66
 ‘

M Y T H S O F rF E

The ch a n ce however of the four on the Ba b al awo s

, ,
’

left agr eein g with t hat o n his right is only on e in Sixteen .

The other fifteen combinations which may appe ar with

Ogbe on the righ t are called : Ogbe Yeku Ogbe Wo ri
'

, ,

Ogbe Di &c s imilarly with the other Messen gers of

, .
,

I fa Th e se combination s are c a l led the children of

.

th e Messe n ger who appear s o n the right Thus Ogbe .

,

Yeku is a ch ild of Ogbe ; Oyeku L o gb e is a child of

Oyok u .

From this it will be s een that Okp éll e can Show

2 5 6 combin a t ions .

Procedure —A m a n c om es to a B a bal awo to cons ult

Ifa He places a gift of cowries (to which he has
.

whispered his needs) before t he Bab al awo The latter .

takes Okp éll e and places it on the cowries He then .

s ays : Yo u Okp éll e know what this m a n s ai d to the

, ,

cowries Now tell me

. Then he lifts Okpéll e and
.
”

lays it out o n the floo r From the messen ger or child

.

which appears the Babal awo is supposed to deduce

t hat his Clie n t wants a son has stolen a goat o r has , ,

a toothache as the case m a y be He then tells him

,
.

what he must bring as a s a crifice to achieve hi s ends .

I n a l l cases the s acrifice (o r a l ar ge p a rt of it) is offered

to Eshu (the devil) fo r fear that he might un do the go od
w ork . F o r inst a n ce th e clien t is poor a n d needs money
,

E di Méj i appears an d the B a bal awo tells his client to

,

bring a dog a fowl a n d some cowries and pal m oil

, , .
-
.

The man spl its the dog a n d the fowl pu ts palm oil and -

67
 N O T E S

c owries inside them and takes them t o E sh u The , .

Bab a l awo presumably t a kes the b ulk of the cowries

for h im self.

The appearance of Ogbe Méj i promises long life ,

but a goat must be brought .

I f a man h as no children and Oy éku Méj i appears ,

he m u s t bring a ram and a goat .

d ri Méj i demands eggs a pigeon and cowrie s , ,

from a Sick m a n .

E di Méj i —As above

. .

Ob ara Méj r —A s a crifice of 2 co ck s 2 hen s and

.
, ,

25 0 cowries is needed to p urify after m enstruation .

Ok anr an Méj i — A go a t and 500 cowries bring o n

.

mens truation .

R o shnu Méj i —A sh e goat a nd 2 hens t o cure a

.
-

headache .

AwOrin Méj i —4 co cks and 800 cowries to b rin g

.

about the death of one s en emy ’

.

E gu t a n Méj i —A ram (large ) and

. cowries
to cure a bad bellyache .

Ossa Méj i —Butcher s meat and 4 pigeons to drive

.
’

away witchcraft .

Erette Méj i —2 pigeons 2 cocks and 600 cowries

.
, ,

to get children .

E tl rr a h Méj i —One large gown a sheep a n d 300

'

.
, ,

cowries to cure eye disease .

68
 N T E S
'

given to E shu and the other 2 are t aken to a place

where three roads meet Then either a n ecessary
wit ness will not ap pear in co urt or the acc used will
be found not guilt y .

( )
d I f t wo men want the sam e woman an d O g be ,

Wori appears (when one of them consults Ifa) the ,

Babal awo asks for 4 hens and a h e goa t Th e wom a n - .

then beco mes the cl ient s wife E sh u ge ts the h ens

’
.

an d th e g oat s blood ; the Babalawo t he goa t

’

, .

! I II . A CU RE FOR S UD D E N AND SE R I O U S
I LLNESSES .

The pries t pu ts pe p per (atare) into his mout h an d

A kél ej d
'

A kél q d I
A spiri t who gr i ps a man b y the th roa t an d ma kes
brea thing q uick and uneasy .

A hel ewdssa I

A mulepdshey é I
One wh o causes bad bellyache .

70
 OF
‘

M Y T H S I F E

One who h as a very sharp e dge to his cloth ,

and ca uses backach e .

I mps seen a t night in white clo ths . N ow called

Ol dmo-dm , niy éy e éshuksi I

Olomo aro wh o art the mother of evils
-
, She .

does no harm b u t is invoked because her

childr en alread y named will listen when
, ,

praye d in their mother s nam e ’ “

The husban d of Ol omo ar o and the father o f th e

-

evil spirits I f he is not invoked the sick

.

man dies He is also called upon to sto p

.
‘

his sons mischief

’
.

E vil lea ve m y back !

, Wh en this has been

E bum N l a ba dc éti dmz

’

Bi , a péy inda .

If th e Great Evil comes to the riv er

’ ’
s b an k , he

E b ura Nl a is the master of all vils I f cal led

!

th e e .

by the o th er s p irits he comes to the further b an k of

,

th e rive r Arénk enken which is d escr ibed as th e

‘
, water
of Heaven I f he crosses to the near side the sick ,
 N O TE S

After finishin g the incantation the preis t ta kes some

:
,

of the pe ppe r from his tongue an d pu ts in on the .

pa tient s head Th e p atien t recovers an d is able to

’
.
,

ta k e nourishment at once .

( Th e Yor u ba of this is p robabl y a r ch ai c The '

interpreter d id not understan d it and the Bab al a wo ,

had to ex p lai n ) .

xrv . AJiJA VI L )
(THE D U ST-
D E .

Aj ij a was a doctor who lived wi th Arérnfé and ,

came to earth with anoth er doctor They m a de various .

medicines o ne to kill a man when asked to do so

- .

H e prono unced certain words an d the man died , .

He could al so kill with his w al king sti ck He li v es

‘ ‘

-
.

on Oke Aramfe ( Ok e Ora) and ca n only be appro a ch ed

,

through Aramfé (the father of the gods) because h e ,

is a bad ma n H e is worshi pped near Aramfé s shrine ’

. .

Wh en h e wish es to mak e trouble he com es thro ugh ,

the town H e sometimes sets fire to a house b y pick ing

.

th e fire up and putting it on the th atch .

When a man meets Aj ij a h e should protect h imself ,

b y putting pepper in his mouth and saying : Aban

rfyen, Fagada Shaomi (names of Aj ij a ) ki iru re ,

borni (p ut yo ur tail in water) The man sho ul d then .

spit the pe pper a t Aj ij a .

Sometimes Aj ij a tu rns into a big l iza rd .

Accor ding to another sto ry Aj ij a is a d evil with ,

/

one l eg wh o throws men do wn an d break s th eir an kle s

,
.