Osun (as leader of the Iyami, the mothers)holds aspecial place in Yoruba thought, and is indispensable to successful and harmonious political, economic, religious, and social life.
It was divined for the sixteen Odu
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 a grove for Eegun,
Eegun had a home.
But they made no provision for Osun,
Also known as “Seegesı, 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 mejı,
Iworı mejı, Odimejı, Irosun mejı
Owonrın mejı, Obara mejı, Okanran mejı,
Ogun-da, Osa, Orangun mejı and so on,
They all decided not to countenance Osun 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 “aje´”
When they were coming from heaven,
God chose all good things;
He also chose their keeper,
And this was a woman.
All women are aje.
And because all other Odu left Osun out,
Nothing they did was successful.
They went to Eegun’s grove and pleaded with him,
That their mission be crowned with success.
“Eegun, 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 Olodumare,
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 Olodumare 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 Olodumare 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 Osun,
And that our suffering would continue
If we failed to recognize and obey you.”
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 would have nothing to do with them.
She said she knew of all they 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.
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