Owonrin Irete (Owonrin Irete · Owonrin Irete)

PATAKÍN: Orunmila announced to the king that his son could not bathe in the sea or in the river, because a great danger would befall him. And the guardians answered the king that he should pay it no heed, that they were there to save him, and that therefore nothing was going to happen to his son. At that, the king's son went to bathe, and when the accident occurred the soldiers could not save him, because a whirlpool swallowed him.

When the king learned of it, he set out hurriedly for Orunmila's house, but it was already too late.

PATAKÍN: Once an Awo went to Orunmila's house and made ebbó with a rooster for Eshu and two white eyeles (doves) that he was to carry with him wherever he went. He put them inside a sack, and after much walking he came upon three warriors. Those gentlemen asked him where he was going, and he answered them that he was going to (Odo) of that land [the Spanish gives "(ODO)" in parentheses and does not explain it]; and they also asked him whether he had not seen a white bird.

At the moment they asked him the question, the owl passed by. "That one going there is the brave one," the Awo answered, and added: "I too have two." He squeezed his arms [against the sack], and the eyeles told them [le dijeron las eyele]; it [the owl?] came out quickly and fought [the Spanish is run together here; compare Patakín 8, where the Awo squeezes his arms against the sack and the eyeles simply "responded"]. The warriors went on their way, and as soon as they reached the city the news spread at once.

The king heard of it and tried to consult Ifá for himself [trató de mirarse]. Orunmila ordered him to perform the cleansing as soon as possible, and that his son the prince must not bathe in the river. When everything was about to be done, the warriors arrived and objected, claiming that they alone were enough.

It happened that a short time later the prince went to bathe in the river, with such bad luck that in the deepest part of the river he got tangled in the lino [the Spanish says lino (flax); probably an error for limo (silt) or a river weed]. The warriors tried to cross the river, but it was impossible for them to reach him. At that they remembered the Awo and went to look for him, finding him up in a bush [arriba de una mata]. The Awo told the warriors that in order to come down he must be given a sack of money; they gave it to him, and when he came down he made the ebbó.

The Awo went in a boat to where the prince was in the river, and next to him he threw the stalk of plantains, by which the prince was able to get out. When the king learned of it, he made a great present to the Awo.

[Translator's note: Patakín 8 below tells this same story again, with small differences in wording. The Tratado numbers it separately and the two are kept apart here.]