Oggán, Ogbón and Ogboni, the guardian trilogy of the Orisha Obatalá

Ogbón and Ogboni They are minor Orishas of the Yoruba pantheon and nowadays they are hardly received, since few maintain their cults.

The mysticism around their figures has increased over the years and few are those who know all their secrets, lost in a centuries-old Yoruba tradition that had to go through a compulsory syncretism process due to the slave trade.

For this reason, part of the cult of these minor Orishas has been lost in Cuba, due to the efforts that African slaves had to make to adapt and practice their cults without their masters noticing.

The trilogy and the wise Obatala

Ogbón is brother of Ogboni and Oggan, and it is indicated that they are ways of the Father Orisha Obbatala, so they live next to him. And it is that together with his brother Oggán, he is in charge of the soul of all Obbatalá's children when they die.

As attributes, Ogbón has:

an otá
3 arrows
snails.

Also among his tools is a tiny metal casket that houses a golden scarab, which is said to be his secret from Obatala that came from Egypt.

Inside the beetle the Ossain and a hand of very tiny snails. This box lives next to Obbatalá.

Ogboni, for his part, has the following attributes:

an otá
3 arrows

White doves are also sacrificed to him.

In the houses that still practice their worship, they usually have them in small white jars, and others in small tinajitas also white and covered with cotton.

Oggán, the Staff of Obatala

Oggan He is a minor Orisha known for being the Owner of the guataca and which makes up the trilogy with Ogbón and Ogboni, the three orishas have a direct relationship with the great sage Obatalá, many mysteries are still hidden around his cult.

He is the guardian and squire of Obatalá, secretary of Oddúa and Ayágguna. It is an Orisha who protects from curses, protects the earth and takes care of everything in its path. It also symbolizes feelings like envy, greed, and selfishness.

In the consecration of a new Ifá, the babalawo godfather places the sixteen necklaces of divination in the concavity of a guataca without end and from there passes them to the hands of the devotee, in a religious rite that symbolizes the transfer of the secret to the hands of the new babalawo.