Who is Oggún in Palo Mayombe? The Lord of War is Sarabanda

Oggún is the Osha who in the Yoruba pantheon It represents strength, firmness in life, continuous work, iron, everything durable and permanent, its energy protects the religious and defends them to face the battles of life and against enemies.

Due to the process of transculturation and the syncretism present in religious expressions in Cuba, the deity of Sarabanda in palo Mayombe is equivalent to the pattern of the Oggún irons, in the rule of Ocha or Santeria.

Who is Sarabanda in the Rule of Palo Monte?

He is one of the strongest spirits of the Rule of Palo Monte, characterizing himself as aggressive and powerful, protector of all devotees.

Sarabanda is a Nganga and foundation, and he is considered a great warrior, owner of the lands, the iron and the metals. As a warrior and leader, he stands out for his fierceness when fighting his enemies.

We call Sarabanda to offer his protection against enemies and evils.

This Mayombe deity is also known as:

Saraband
Break mount

Characteristics that define this Mayombe deity:

In addition to being a warrior, he is the deity of work and strength. He stands out for his firmness, but also as the one who fulfills everything that is requested of him if he considers the requesting devotees worthy of their support.

Sarabanda represents the mountains, the variety of metals, the earth, the iron and the wars.

So intense is its force that it creates chaos, but it also manifests the energy, work and strength of the warriors of the Congo.

This Mayombe deity is called upon when carrying out works that stand out for their speed and power.

It is said that for these great powers that can bring about destruction, Sarabanda is granted only by the Tata or Priest of religion.

History of Zarabanda, the warrior in Palo Mayombe

As we explained, Sarabanda is an extremely complex deity that is characterized as a complete foundation.

It is said that within it are qualities of other spirits or Mpungos such as: Mother of Water, Lucero Mundo, Mama Chola, 7 Rays, Earth Tremble and Centella.

The story goes that Nsambia, the great God, entrusted Sarabanda with the mission of finding a new land to inhabit when he retired from his tasks and thus enjoy his rest.
Sarabanda decided to please Nsambia and set out looking for the new land.
In his work, he brought with him a variety of items such as the head of a black dog, brandy, tobacco and a rooster, which he left as an offering to Mama Ungundo (the ceiba tree) before leaving and in gratitude for the advice and blessing he received.
The offering allowed him to seal a pact that would help him in the search for the new lands and protect him from evils and enemies.
Thus, although she faced many dangers and many difficulties along that path, with the help of many deities, Sarabanda was able to achieve the desired success.

It is believed that, due to his qualities, persistence and courage in his search, Sarabanda was named king in palo mayombe, where there is a foundation with great strength and in which all the secrets of nature are locked.

Due to Sarabanda's great exploits in his adventure, he receives the secrets of fire from 7 rays, and forms with him, a great brotherhood that his devotees always respect.

The legend of Sarabanda and Mama Chola (Oshun)

This legend tells that:

Sarabanda, seeing that he was going blind and that he could no longer continue with his missions, made a deal with Endoki so that he would allow him to continue working spiritually and hid in the bush.
But Nsambi wanted to remove him from the mountain and return him back to earth, because of the danger he represented for other deities, because Sarabanda on her way to find the cure for her blindness began to distrust everyone.
In addition, as iron could not work, the tools of the people were beginning to deteriorate and there were no tools left to carry out the work of the field.
That is why Nsambi called the Mother of Water (Yemayá) to solve this difficult situation and she sent a great tsunami from the depths of the sea, flooding the entire Mayombe mountain.
Sarabanda then went to the highest mountain and from there asked for forgiveness so that the mother would withdraw her waters.
There on the mountain, Sarabanda met the only deity who could get him out of the forest, Mama Chola.
She possessed the power to control honey and put some of it in the delicacies that she placed at the entrance of the mountain.
This caused Sarabanda to go out to try them and all the gods were happy, they asked Nsambi to give him his sight again to the patron of the irons.

Offerings dedicated to the representative of work and war in El Palo

Each deity within the palo mayombe possesses a unique trait that determines its tribute. Thus works and offerings are offered to him according to his tastes.

Sarabanda, for example, agrees with Mama Chola and Siete Rayos in many of her preferences.

In addition, we must bear in mind that it can be attended and offered before making requests.

The great warrior Sarabanda likes:

The pumpkin
Honey
The rue
The Chamomile
Parsley
Camphor
Apple cider vinegar

Goats, rams, roosters, chickens, guineas, turtles, pigeons and jutías are slaughtered.

He also loves roasted corn, smoked fish, and liquor.

Powerful prayer to Sarabanda to ask for her protection

We pray to Sarabanda with the utmost respect and always aware of her immense powers and characteristics, in addition to the consequences that what we ask of her can bring.

A very powerful prayer is called "Sarabanda I call you", as it describes him as a great warrior and powerful spiritual force.

Thus we ask him to allow us to open all spiritual paths and to guide and protect us to reach our destiny.

Although we must bear in mind that, as a powerful deity of the Palo, he can help us for dissimilar matters such as love, health, prosperity and abundance.

What will determine the help of Sarabanda is the faith that the devotee can put in their prayers. Only in this way will this powerful spirit lend us its protection and support.

Prayer to Zarabanda “I call you”

Zarabanda I call you, Zarabanda kimbiza kimbiza, I beg you,
you are the eye, zarabanda you are malembe, you who open the paths for me and protect me from metals,
Zarabanda the hard stick Zarabanda, your son mayombe stick of the mountain,
you with seven irons, seven anvils and seven oguns win all wars.