How did Orula defeat death? The soothsayer's pact with Iku

Iku it is the Yoruba Pantheon manifestation of death itself. It appears suddenly and claims those who have completed their life time.

It arrives under the dark appearance of the skeleton of a man or dressed in black who walks outside the house in search of a small hole and through which he enters to take the souls.

And so it happened with Orula, the soothsayer, whose life was claimed by death and therefore they had to make a pact.

The only deity who made a pact with Ikú was Orunmila, the wise messenger of the word of Ifá, who commanded him to respect his children through the Necklace of Orula and Ildé.

Pataki by Orunmila and Ikú (death)

The pataki tells that the great fortune teller orula He lived for a time in a town that feared him and spoke ill of him, even asking death to take him away.

But the soothsayer saw the presence of Iku on his sacred board and was told that he had to do ebbó (cleaning) in a prayer ceremony with a yam, and then smear his face with the hairs of the food (fruit).

So Iku came to look for him for the first time and he himself, deceiving her, told him that no Orula lived there and Death left.

But then Ikú was asking the neighbors who told him the truth and he realized that Orula had deceived him, so he returned to observe him closely, until he knew if he was really the fortune teller he was looking for to take him to the other world.

Orula saw her return and cleverly devised another way to avoid her, so she invited her to lunch and served her a large dinner with plenty of drink.

After eating and drinking in abundance, Ikú fell asleep and Orula took the opportunity to steal her most powerful weapon, the command with which she killed people.

When Ikú woke up, he despaired when he saw that he did not have the order and begged the fortune teller to return it to him.

The pact of protection for the children of Orula

Thus, after much crying, Orula decided to make a pact with death.

He told Iku that he would return it to him if he promised not to kill any of his children, unless he authorized it.

Thus said the Great Diviner:

«From today onwards I will put a mark with my colors, green and yellow, on all my children's left hands; With this mark you will respect their lives until the time has come for them to leave the earth.”

The ebbó saved Orula, and the sacred necklaces and handcuffs that the soothsayer gives to his children, saves them from evil, darkness and misfortune, and after that pact, even saves them from death.