Once again, I am dedicating the month of May to the orisha Ochún.
Today I am sharing an Ifá verse. Ifá is both a Yoruban religion and a divination system, both present in Cuba and the diaspora alongside the Afro-Cuban religion Lukumi (Santería). The verse tells the myth of the primordial orishas whom Olodumare, the supreme creator god, sends to earth to make it livable for humans. It contains many lessons, not least of which is how Ochún is the vital source of all good things on Earth and also about the inherent power of women.
This version is by Rowland Ọlá Abíodún, a Nigerian-American professor and author. It appears in his essay, “Hidden Power: Osun, the Seventeenth Odu”, in the collection Osun across the Waters: A Yoruba Goddess in Africa and the Americas.
Oshun, the Seventeenth Orisha
It was divined for the sixteen Odù
Who were coming from heaven to earth
A woman was the seventeenth of them.
When they got to earth,
They cleared the grove for Oro,
Oro had his own space.
They cleared the grove for Opa,
Opa’s abode was secure.
They prepared the grove for Eégún,
Eégún had a home.
But they made no provision for Oṣun,
Also known as “Seegesi, the preeminent hair-plaiter with the coral-beaded
comb.”
So, she decided to wait and see
How they would carry out their mission successfully;
Osun sat quietly and watched them.
Beginning with Eji-Ogbe and Oyeku meji,
Iwori meji, Odi meji, Irosun meji
Owonrin meji, Obara meji, Okanran meji,
Ogun-da, Osa, Orangun meji and so on,
They all decided not to countenance Oṣun in their mission.
She, too, kept mute,
And carried on her rightful duty,
Which is hair plaiting.
She had a comb.
They never knew she was an “àje.”
When they were coming from heaven,
God chose all good things;
He also chose their keeper,
And this was a woman.
All women are àje.
And because all other Odu left Osu out,
Nothing they did was successful.
They went to Eégún’s grove and pleaded with him,
That their mission be crowned with success.
“Eégún, it is you who straightens the four corners of the world,
Let all be straight.”
They went to Adagba Ojomu
Who is called Oro
“You are the only one who frightens Death and Sickness.
Please help drive them away.”
Healing failed to take place;
Instead, epidemic festered.
They went to Ose and begged him
To let the rain fall.
Rain didn’t fall.
Then they went to Osun
Osun received them warmly,
And entertained them,
But shame would not let them confide in Osun,
Whom they had ignored.
They then headed for heaven
And made straight for Olódùmarè,
Who asked why they came
They said it was about their mission on earth.
When they left heaven,
And arrived on earth
All things went well;
Then later, things turned for the worse,
Nothing was successful.
And Olódùmarè asked
“How many of you are here?”
They answered, “Sixteen.”
He also asked, “When you were leaving heaven, how many were you?”
They answered, “Seventeen.”
And Olódùmarè said, “You are all intriguers.
That one you left behind
If you do not bring her here,
There will be no solution to your problem
If you continue this way,
You will always fail.”
They then returned to Osun,
And addressed her, “Mother, the preeminent hair-plaiter with the coral-beaded comb.
We have been to the Creator
And it was there we discovered that all Odu were derived from you [Oṣun],
And that our suffering would continue
If we failed to recognize and obey you [Ọṣun].”
So, on their return to the earth from the Creator,
All the remaining Odu wanted to pacify and please Osun.
But Osun would not go out with them.
The baby she was expecting might go out with them,
But even that would depend on the gender of the baby
For she said that if the baby she was expecting
Turned out to be male,
It is that male child who would go out with them
But if the baby turned out to be female,
She [ỌOṣun] would have nothing to do with them.
She said she knew of all they [the Odu] had eaten and enjoyed without her,
Particularly all the delicacies and he-goat they ate.
As Osun was about to curse them all,
Ose covered her mouth
And the remaining Odu started praying
That Osun might deliver a male child.
They then started to beg her.
When Osun delivered
She had a baby boy
Whom they named Ose-Tura.
Ochún, the vital source
"In the divination verse above, the Creator-God has placed all good things on earth in Oṣun's charge, making her 'the vital source', as her name suggests. Without Oṣun's sanction, no healing can take place, no rain can fall, no plants can bear fruit, and no children can come into the world."
