Owonrin Ogbe (Ojuani Shobe)

Ebó: A rooster (akuko), a pigeon (eyele), a guinea hen (etu), Siguaraya leaves, a cap (fila), all kinds of food (gbogbo tenuyen), and plenty of money (opolopo owó).

In this road, Obatalá was very worried because the good lived alongside the evil on the earth. Olokun, who knew what was happening, was in agreement and happy that things were this way.

Once, Obatalá met with Olokun and they began to speak. Obatalá told Olokun that the good should not live with the evil. Olokun answered him rudely: "You are never satisfied with anything, Father (Baba)."

Obatalá left very upset. Olokun then sent for Eshu and gave him a mask; he did the same with Oyá and Yewá. Afterward, he sent for Shango, but when Shango appeared before him, Shango rejected the mask and set out on the road. After a short while, Shango saw Elegba wearing a mask, but he recognized him instantly by his legs and his long nails, and Shango began to sing to Elegbara. Knowing he had been discovered, Elegba removed the mask.

Shango was carrying a rooster (akuko) whose head (leri) he had painted red (pupua) on one side and white (fun fun) on the other. When he presented it to Elegbara, the latter was startled, but then said: "I would like to eat that." Shango replied: "I will give it to you to eat, but on the condition that you take away the masks Olokun gave to Oyá and Yewá, and that you take all the masks Olokun himself possesses." After Elegbara accepted, Shango told him: "First, you will go to Olokun's house with this rooster before eating it."

Elegbara did so. Arriving at Olokun's house, he knocked loudly three times on the door. When Olokun came out and saw the rooster Elegbara was carrying, Olokun became frightened of the rooster and hid. Elegbara seized the opportunity, entered the house, and stole the masks he found there. Upon exiting the door, Shango and Oduduwa were waiting; they took the masks, tore the head off the rooster, and gave the bird to Elegbara. They threw the rooster's head (leri) into the sea.

When Olokun realized Elegbara had stolen the masks, he ran out to follow him, but Olokun encountered the head of the rooster, became terrified, and stopped his pursuit. Shango and Oduduwa met with Death (Iku), handed him the masks, and told him: "Elegbara still has two more masks to deliver to you."

Olokun went to see Olofin to tell him what had happened with Elegbara. Meanwhile, Death, warned by Shango and Oduduwa, waited for Elegbara on the road. When Death saw him coming with the masks of Oyá and Yewá, he hid behind a Siguaraya bush, from which he tore three branches. As Elegbara passed, Death struck him with the branches and snatched the two masks. Terrified, Elegbara ran to the house of Olofin. Seeing him arrive out of breath, Olofin said: "Do not tell me what has happened, for I know all. I am going to reward you by giving you this power (ashe): Elegbara, from this day forward, you shall carry all that is evil into the world, and you shall only do good when Shango orders you to do so."

Olofin gifted Elegba a cap (fila) that was half red and half white and told him: "You shall always wear it." Elegba returned to the earth bringing all that was evil, and then everything began to rot. When Oduduwa saw this, he went to tell Olofin and added that the only one who could fix this problem was Shango.

Olofin called Shango and ordered Shango to bring the good back to the earth. Shango replied: "Father, on the earth there must be half good and half evil." Olofin gave him his blessing (ashe) and sentenced: "To Iban Eshu" (So be it, as Eshu wills).

For his part, when Elegba arrived on earth to do evil, he met Death (Iku) and they became allies. The red and white cap served as identification so that Death would not harm Elegbara. When Shango arrived on earth, he snatched the red and white cap and started to run. Elegbara chased after him and encountered Death, who, not recognizing Elegbara without the cap, began to pursue him — seeing that Shango was running ahead of him.

Shango stopped and ordered Elegbara to stop, and Death stopped as well. The three made a pact, and Shango said: "You, Elegba, shall do evil, and when I order it, you shall do good." Death spoke and asked: "And how shall this be known, Shango?" Shango replied: "The good is a small ball (circle), and the evil is a streak (line); the evil is the day, and the good is the night."

Shango returned the cap to Elegbara, and in the world, the good continued to live alongside the evil.

Ebó: A rooster (akuko), two hens (adie meyi), sand from the sea or river (eyutan ñari), a chicken egg (eñi adie), smoked jutía (eku), smoked fish (eya), palm oil (epó), toasted corn (awadó), honey (oñí), one candle (itana okan), nine stones (ota mesan), a vulture feather (gunugun), beef (eran malú), two pieces of crystal/glass (cristales meyi), and plenty of money (opolopo owó).

Distribución: Before starting, give a rooster to Elegba. Remove the eyes of the rooster and place them inside the ebbo. Take two eyes (from the offerings), mix them with sand, smoked jutía, smoked fish, palm oil, egg white, and the two pieces of crystal to create a paste. Place this paste inside the ebbo. Afterward, sacrifice two hens to Oyá, letting the blood fall into the ebbo. The heads (leri) of the hens and the nine stones are also placed inside the ebbo.

Elegba lived in the land of Bankele Keli — a land where there was neither voice nor command. He lived a sad and disgruntled life because he knew he represented nothing in the world and was "nobody."

One day, Oyá, who lived in a rich land where everyone enjoyed life, looked out and saw the neighboring land. She went to visit Elegba and found him very sad. Seeing his state, she took a rooster (akuko), sacrificed it to his "secret" (his foundation), removed the rooster's eyes, and placed them on top of Elegba. While performing this ceremony, Oyá sang: "Elegba mi kodea Ojuani Shobe..." (Chant to give vision and power to Elegba).

Elegba asked Oyá for her blessing, but inside he was resentful because of how great Oyá was. He said to himself: "I am going to the house of Olofin because I cannot continue like this. I must have command and do whatever I want, because there is no one greater than I in the world. Others will have to live blind and do as I command."

Elegba arrived at Olofin's house acting very humble and sad. He cried, saying: "Father (Baba), give me your blessing, for I am nobody in the world." Olofin replied: "If you want to be someone, you shall be." Elegba asked: "Send me to a place where I can have command."

Olofin, who knew him well and knew what Elegba was capable of when given power, held him for three days giving him advice. But Elegba only thought of his own plans. Olofin asked if he was listening, and Elegba said yes. Olofin warned: "If you do not do as I say, you may lose your life or your mind."

After three days, Olofin sent him to the land of Obainile. Elegba thought he would never succeed there, so he said: "To succeed, I must go to the land of Obarioda," as he knew Oyá was visiting those lands. He thought: "That land is full of sand. With my virtue, I will strike everyone with eye sickness (intori arun oyu). I will rule and be the master of everyone, as this sickness will become a plague that spreads across the world."

When Elegba arrived, he began to "wash the heads" and perform ceremonies on the people so they would become blind (biri ofo) and lose their vision (osa ofo).

In those lands lived a priest (awo) named Osa Obarioda Ojuani Shober, who had gone out to receive Oyá. He carried a cowbell and a pod and sang: "Oya nile unlo Obara loda..."

Oyá heard the song and ran to the land of Obarioda. When she met the Awo, she asked what was happening. He told her: "Elegba has arrived and made everyone blind, and everyone has lost their memory."

Oyá reached into a bag she carried with chicken eggs (eñi adie). She mixed the sand with the eggs to make a paste. She called everyone and told them to wash their eyes with it. Olofin, who was watching everything, sent a lightning bolt so the sun's rays would strike with intensity. That paste Oyá had made was calcified by the extreme temperature, and thus crystals (glass) were formed.

Olofin reprimanded Elegba: "You did not have to do what you did; you only had to speak to me with total frankness. But here you have the great power you need. Even though you are young, you will have to use eyeglasses (espejuelos) to see the elders and the young, and over time, you will have to change the crystals to continue seeing the curse that you yourself created."

Nota: The eyeglasses are represented on Elegba by the cowrie shells (caracoles) that are placed on him; through them, he sees everything. With the shell placed on his mouth, he goes to tell everything to Orunmila and Olofin. Anyone with this sign should wear dark glasses, even if they are non-prescription.