Ogun vs Orunmila

According to lwori-Ogunda, Olodumare admonished Ogun when he fell from grace after contriving the assassination of Orunmila.

Ogun was very poor and his guardian spirit advised him to request Orunmila to prepare lfa for him. Orunmila refused on the ground that Ogun would try to kill him in an ultimate show of ingratitude.

Ogun begged Orunmila several times but on each occasion, the latter refused to oblige.

Eventually, Ogun reported the matter to the Divine Council of Olodumare where all present accused Orunmila of being uncharacteristically hard-hearted.

In his verdict, Olodumare Commanded Orunmila to prepare Ifa for Ogun.

Orunmila agreed to carry out the injunction but predicted that Olodumare would Himself be a witness to the ultimate manifestation of Ogun's ingratitude.

Orunmila proceeded to perform the ceremony which lasted seven days. Before finalizing the ceremonies, war broke out between llakporo (Hadlmand Aminikun (Ere bus) on the sixth day and being the divinity of war, Ogun had to leave for battle before completing his lfa ceremonies.

He fought both sides into submission and returned home with over 600 prisoners of war, all carrying the spoils and loots of war.

On getting home, Ogun began to ponder over the hidden powers that Orunmila wielded.
He thought to himself that if the ceremony performed by Orunmila could so efficaciously transform his lot from penury to affluence, what would such a fellow-divinity do to him the day he decided to dare him.

Ogun then contrived a strategy for the elimination of Orunmila.

He invited his soldiers and gave them detailed instructions to go to Orunmila' s house in the night not only to set it on fire but also to kill anyone trying to escape from the blazing inferno.

Traditionally, Orunmila's house is next to Olodumare's in heaven, which-is why he Is called Ajiborisha Kpero - meaning: "the divinity who goes to greet Olodumare first thing in the morning."

Olodumare's house is all white with a white flag in front of it. On the other hand, Orunmila' s house Is painted with black dyestuff with a palm frond In front of it.

Ogun told his followers to bum the dark coloured house without telling them who owned or lived in it.

Meanwhile at his usual morning divination, Ifa revealed to orunmlla that war was imminent and that he should without delay offer a he-goat, white native chalk, charcoal, white cloth and palm-frond to Esu.

He quickly sent Akpetebi to the market to fetch the materials and he made the sacrifice without any delay.

Late in the night. when everyone had Slept. Esu got to do the work for which food had been given to him. He turned the colour of Orunmila's house to white and inserted a white flag in front of it. At the same time, he turned the colour of Olodumare's house from white to black and Inserted a palm-frond in front of it.
At this point, it is important to recall the proclamation of Esu that although he has no creative powers, he can nonetheless mutilate whatever Olodumare has created or designed.

After everyone had slept. Ogun's soldiers moved in to attack. They had no difficulty in locating the black house with the palm frond In front of it. They instantly set it on fire and took position to attack whoever would come out of it.

When Olodumare saw that His house was on fire, He commanded the fire to extinguish because. "it is forbidden to do any damage in the house of Olodumare - "Aikoro lule Orisa." The fire was instantly extinguished.

Olodumare then asked Ogun 's soldiers what it was all about and they explained that they were acting on Ogun's instructions. He asked which house they were instructed to set on fire and they further explained that it was the dark-coloured house with palm-frond in front of it.

Olodumare immediately realized what had happened and used Divine Telephonic Telepathy to invite Ogun and Orunmila to His Divine Chamber...

Olodumare immediately realized what had happened and used Divine Telephonic Telepathy to invite Ogun and Orunmila to His Divine Chamber. Recall that the telephonic Communication brought to this world is a replica of the means of communication used between Olodumare and the Divinities and between the Divinities. Guardian spirits and their wards. It was revealed to this earth by the cult of witchcraft.

In no time, Ogun and Orunmlla were present in Olodumare's palace. Olodumare asked Ogun: "who sent the arsonists that tried to set His house ablaze?" He was speechless.

When he was finally able to collect himself together, he giggled that they did not go to where he sent them. Asked where he sent them? He replied that he directed them to destroy Orunmila's house.

By this time. the Houses of Olodumare and Orunmila had assumed their usual features and characteristics from what Esu had transformed them to be.

Olodumare settled back to His throne and recalled the predictions of Orunmila. The Divine Father admonished Ogun for not having the magnanimity to present a few of his spoils from war to his benefactor as a gesture of appreciation for what Orunmila did for him.

Rather he thought that the best way of demonstrating his gratitude was by eliminating his benefactor from the face of heaven. That was the first demonstration of anger that Olodumare was ever associated with.
He quickly convened an emergency meeting of the Divine Council to make a proclamation. When all the Divinities were assembled, Olodumare recalled what transpired on the day He ordered Orunmila to prepare lfa for Ogun and how Ogun and his followers tried to set His own house on fire when in fact he told them to set Orunmila's house ablaze and to kill him and to kill him and members of his household.

He briefed them on how Orunmila's good turn to Ogun manifested in his success in the war between llokporo and Aminikun. Instead of sharing his loot with Orunmila, he decided under the influence of Esu to eliminate him from the face of heaven.

Olodumare commanded Ogun to stand in the middle of the conference chamber and proclaimed:

"Ogun, I had earlier on at creation ordained that you would for all time be the indispensable complement of all divinities and mortals created by Me.

That will continue to be so without fail because no divinity or mortal will be able to do without you on the account of your engineering industry and inventiveness.

Now that you have demonstrated that you are not only an arsonist but also an ingrate, I will add another proclamation because your mind has been taken over by Esu."

Olodumare then brought out his wand of authority (ASE in Yoruba and Akhase or Sosomaye in Bini) and further proclaimed:

"From today to eternity, you Ogun will become the servant of all my divinities and mortals. You will assist them in all their chores, be it in the home, in the farm, moving from one place to another and in moments of strife. As the metal divinity, you will continue to be endowed with the authority to produce all kinds of Instruments and ornamentation.

However, before you are able to perform any transformation, the fire with which you tried to burn My house and the house of Orunmila your benefactor and mentor will always be used to burn your head, chest, hands and feet before you assume the shape in which you are required for service.

After working for my creatures night and day, no one will ever remember to express gratitude to you in any shape or form. That will be your everlasting punishment for the ingratitude you have shown to your benefactor.

Olodumare then turned to Orunmila and proclaimed that as the Divinity of Wisdom and the wisdom diviner of Heaven and Earth, anyone who repays your good deeds with ingratitude will also become the victim of ingratitude for all the good turn they may do to others. But I will always repay you ten fold for any act of Ingratitude demonstrated to you for your good deeds."

The manifestation of Olodumare's curse on Ogun is reflected in the following living facts we all take for granted:

(1) Before iron ore is melted into malleable steel or cast iron, it is heated with fire and beaten up with manual or mechanical instruments before assuming the required design. Examples are matchets, hoes, ploughs, knives, guns, metal beds, tables, bicycles, motor vehicles, aeroplanes. factory machinery, all domestic and institutional metal appliances and so on.

(2) After using any of them for the required purposes, they are cast aside until they are required for use again. No one ever bothers to thank the matchets, hoes, ploughs with which the farmer feeds the world nor does any one express any form of gratitudes to the bicycle, motor bike, car, helicopter or aeroplanes that transport them to and from the places they fetch their means of livelihood.

That is Ogun, the metal divinity, performing all the chores but no one stops to show him any form of recognition or appreciation.

With that final proclamation, the meeting of the Divine Council dispersed just before the crow of the rooster. That is why anyone for whom lwori-Ogunda comes out at Ugbodu can rightly be described as an ingrate and hence all his good deeds are also bound to be repaid with ingratitude.