3 Pataki of Oduduwa: Stories of this Orisha

Yoruba mythology is composed of different stories, which reflect the experiences of each of the deities, these are some of the Pataki de Oduduwa More importantly, they will help you understand this powerful deity of Santeria.

The war between Obatala and Oduduwa

At the beginning of time and space, all the Orishas and Irunmoles lived in Ajalorun, since only water reigned on Earth. Olodumare (God), desiring to create Isalaije, called him orisha obatala and by order of Orunmila I give him a chain, a snail full of earth and an Adie. I take advantage of the moment and asked Orula to make divination with Ifa, it was Ojuani Meji the sign that was revealed, they made the Ebbo with the materials already mentioned in order to go down to this world and create the Earth.

The other Orishas, ​​were envious for not being the ones designated by Olodumare to carry out such an important mission, they conspired and made a party for Obatala, they gave him a lot of Oti Pupua (Red Wine), which made him intoxicated and intoxicated and caused him to become will fall asleep. Oduduwa, his brother, took advantage of this to steal his attributes.

Oduduwa went to see Oshumare (Orisha of the rainbow), he was the bridge between Ajalorun and Isalaije, and he came down to Earth in the company of Aguema. Holding the chain, he poured the earth that he was carrying in the snail, put the cinqueña hen on top, which dug, watered it and threw the Aguema (lizard), to see if it was already firm. When this warned him, he came down to Earth being the first Orisha to reach this world.

Obatala, when he woke up and saw that he had been the victim of the trap that his brother made him, did not drink more wine or any other alcoholic beverage and went to claim Oduduwa, this was the governor of the land by order of Olodumare. Odudua replied: This land is mine, because it was I who created it.

The two brothers began to fight each other and other Orishas also came down to stand on one side or the other. God, seeing this, called them and said: The war must cease and thus ODUDUWA, despite its tricks, created the Earth and will be its owner. You, Obatala, will have the great Power of being the creator of humanity and owner of all the heads and bodies of the world.

Olodumare sent to Earth 5 characters that symbolize the Cinqueña Hen, which were necessary to give strength to Earth. These are: Oduduwa, Orishanla, Orunmila, Oranife (Shango), Ozain, and thus the war between the two brothers ended.

Ifa wa and Oduduwa: Why humans to be great go through different stages and tragedies

This pataki tells that in the Inle Nari Laye Land, there was one of the sons of EleguaThis was a boy and his name was Ifá Wa.

He was very naughty but his father always told him that to be great he had to go through different difficulties. Ifá wa was tired of going through so many negative stages despite being so small.

One day he decided to give a daring to his father in the hope that it would help him. He called him for the sacrifice and Elegua told him: If it is not that you are sick, why do you call me? I have told you about the life you have to lead. He also added: You will never know anything, you will lose your memory and you will also lose the great secret, that when time passes you will have to know. Ifá Wa knelt in front of Elegua and said: I will wait, I will do what you send me.

Ifá Wa went out on the road and met a friend named Ifa Lenire, who was the son of Ofo (lost) and had curses on him. The bad situation of both made them come together, following the two of them on the way, doing mischief and mischief wherever they went.

One day Ifá Linere killed a son of Oduduwa, and then when Elegua saw that, he presented himself to Ifá Wa and said: Separate yourself from him and come with me, because if you continue with him, he will take you to the prison, he will be nobody in life because it is cursed and lost.

Elegua led him to the foot of Ozain, he told Elegua; Ifá Wa is already growing and you have to give it baths with Ifá herbs at your feet and feed it a little chick (jio-jio), a chicken and a rooster, and then make a prayer of its head, so that things change and everything. that he does including his antics turn out well. Elebara replied to Ozain: If with that we make sure that my son does not have setbacks, we are going to do it.

Ozain prepared the Ifá herb Omiero to bathe him and after the bath he gave Elegua blood, but he was thinking that as his son Ifá Wa was, Osain was going to do more for his son than himself. Then it was said: My son has to be as I have told him. In that the god of herbs warned him because he read Elegba's thought and said: You are not satisfied with what I am doing to your son, but to show him that I am Ozain I will tell you that he will be your son.

While Ozain and Elegua were talking, Ifá Wa went out on the road and went to the land of Baba Laye where Oduduwa lived, who was the real father of Ifá Wa. Oduduwa had given his son to Elewa when he was born, so that he would raise him and teach him life.

When Ifá Wa entered the land of Baba Laye, the first thing he did was steal three doves, which he found in three different places. Oduduwa had seen him since Baba Laye entered the land, he hid and watched him do the wrongdoing. In that Oduduwa threw many sticks at him, Ifá Wa stumbled and fell, an opportunity taken by Oduduwa to catch him. Holding him, he asked his name and the boy replied: I am Ifá Wa. When Oduduwa heard that name he began to cry, and at that Olodumare came in, who had gone to visit Oduduwa, asking him what was wrong with that boy, then he began to pass his hand over his head and said: My son, you don't know anything about the secrets of your life and I'm going to tell you. You will receive the ashé from this one who is here called Oduduwa, and he is your real father.

Ifá Wa was surprised by what Olodumare had just said. Then he added: He gave you Elegua when you were born, so that he would raise you and make you great and teach you what life was, then you began to work from your childhood until you became a man, but you were very disobedient and Elegba very capricious; You did whatever you wanted and that's why you went through so many unpleasant and bad things in life and you went through a lot of hot flashes.

Then Olodumare said: From today you are going to change, I will separate you from the bad and I will give you the good. Olodumare and Oduduwa took the three pigeons and begged Ifá Wa for his head. The next day Ifá Wa began to change his way of being.

Meanwhile, Elegua was looking for Ifá Wa who had been lost, until he reached the land of Baba Laye, there Oduduwa received him, he embraced him and thanked him for what he had done for his son, he gave him a Hee hee, an Osadie and an Akuko.

While eating what Odudua had given him, he was asking for the happiness and good of Ifá Wa. Then he approached Ifá Wa and said: That is your father, he and I will help you, because he commands. And Olodumare who was listening said: To Iban Eshu.

Pataki of Oduduwa and the symbol of Medicine

This story or pataki of Oduduwa is extracted from the Sign of Ifa Ogunda Meji

Orunmila went to visit the towns because Oduduwa had sent him and in the fourth town he met Eyola (the majá of Santa María) and told him to make Ebo with 16 coconuts of water, and he replied that who was he and I answered him I am ORUNMILA and you have to do this because you are going to get lost and she was not going to be able to walk and she was going to get sick with leprosy and she was going to lose her limbs and the mark would remain on her body.

These marks were the scales, Eyola ignored the great advice of orunmila That Ogunda Meyi had seen him, at the entrance of that land, some time passed and Oduduwa went out to visit the towns where Orunmila had been to see if the people had done what Orula had commanded in each of the lands.

On their right side was the dog and to the left Okete (the jutía), when they had already walked some lands they came to the land where Orunmila had seen Ogunda Meyi and in a brush they found a man who was complaining and was short of breath and Oduduwa asked him who he was and he replied: I am Eyola, whom Orunmila told me to do Ebo, but I disobeyed him and I want to do it, with what Orula said, that they are water coconuts.

Oduduwa, who was thirsty, drank the water from the coconuts and then said to Eyola: You will never be able to walk standing still, you will crawl and the mark of leprosy will remain on your body for disobedience and since you have asked for forgiveness, I was thirsty and you have given me a drink, I will give you the virtue of hypnotizing the animals so that you drown them so that later, with the saliva of your tongue, you can swallow them and you will crawl with barbaric lightness. Uncle Iba Eshu.

When Odudua and his assistants were on the way, Oduduwa said: I have kept my cane, but do not go and collect it. Okete, restless as always, went hiding from Oduduwa where the staff had been left, but Eyola had curled herself on Odua's staff and when the Jutia arrived, Eyola made use of the powers they gave her and ate Okete.

After a short while the dog told Oduduwa, Father where the jutia and the Orisha are, when he saw that she was not there, he realized what had happened and said: Don't worry, she won't come back anymore.

Note: In Ogunda Meji the symbol of medicine was born where the staff of Oduduwa symbolizes healing and the coiled serpent (Eyola) symbolizes the salvation of the sick.

---

More about Oduduwa: