Why does Oshun rule the heart of the Children of Obba?

This patakin or Yoruba legend is born in the sign Ojuani Dawan, also known by the name of Ojuani Ogunda or Ojuani Gunda.

The story goes that in a distant land there was a kingdom located where the waters of the river and the sea converge, it was a kingdom full of colors and smiles, and its queen was the beautiful Oshún, the goddess of love in the Yoruba Pantheon.

One day the queen's sister, whose name was Obbá, arrived, but she did not come alone, but rather accompanied by all her people.

Before his arrival the beautiful Oshún asks him when he sees her:

What happened to you to come with all your people here?
I flee the world because of how disappointed I am in love -answers Obbá

Then Oshún gave him protection and made known to the entire kingdom that Obba was his sister, who also belonged to the court and for that reason they had to pay him honors.

Pataki where Obba brought sadness to the kingdom of Oshún

Once Oshún had to leave the kingdom for a long period to do some urgent errands and left his sister in charge of the palace duties.

Obbá knew very well how people lived in that kingdom, but she did not share those festivals with them, nor the deep feeling of love, she only did it because her sister was the queen and ruled.

And the thing is that Obbá, due to so many disappointments, was a very long-suffering woman and she was always sad.

As Oshún marched, he began to dictate his own laws and change the entire life of the kingdom, even going so far as to prohibit music and dances.

In order to get the women of the kingdom to change their attitude, he began to call married women and order them that they had to serve at court for 9 moons before becoming pregnant and those who were going to get married, they still had to fulfill 9 moons before marriage.

His goal was to change the mentalities of those women little by little regarding their marital relationships.

Obba was also a sorceress and used her spells with those women, bathing them with herbal preparations (omiero) that she herself made to fulfill her purposes.

She made powders and rubbed them on the heads and bellies of all those women, and after a while they acted cold and very distant with their husbands or future spouses.

Little by little that joyful kingdom became gloomy and very sad, all the women wept and lamented over their misery with their husbands.

Orula brand Ebbó to bring happiness again

The men of that kingdom seeing the deplorable state of life and more of their women decided to go see Orunmila.

Orunmila then consults them and in the registry the Oddun Ojuani Ogunda appears and advises them:

They must urgently make a ceremony so that their queen Oshún returns immediately.

For this they will make Ebbó giving Eshú a rooster (akukó fifeshu), two chickens (addié meyi), a male doll and a female doll (malaguidí okuni and malaguidí obiní), a leaf of the peony tree (ewé iwereiyeye), a fern (imo Oshún) , sea and river water and two masks.

Then all the belongings are sought for the ebbó (cleaning) and thus fulfill the word of Ifá, and the Awo gives the rooster to Eshú on the bank of the river and orders him to look for Oshún.

The rooster is thrown into the river to Ibú Losa or Ibú Kolé (on the way to Oshún) and reaches the land where the goddess of love was present on a drum that her children offered to her in that land.

As soon as the message arrives in Oshún, he retires from the drum and those parts to return to his town.

When she arrives, her entire kingdom is unrecognizable, sad and desolate and when Obbá sees her, he is surprised because he did not expect her arrival.

Without further delay Oshún summons his entire kingdom to a party that he would give in the palace to celebrate his return, but Obbá immediately tells him that he does not agree.

But at the end of the day Oshún ruled and Oshún was his queen, so the party took place the next day, although Obbá did not participate.

And in that feast, what would Oshún's amazement be when he saw all those women present, but without an iota of joy, a lot of sadness showed their faces and the men were the only ones who were having fun.

The Orishas sisters reach an agreement to protect their children

Suddenly Orunmila arrives at the party with the missing items marked on the Ebbó: two chickens, herbs and dolls.

The fortune teller Orula goes to Oshún and tells him the whole story of what happened.

Then they looked for Obbá and took her to the banks of the river and there Orunmila fed both goddesses, white chickens for Obbá and yellow chickens for Oshún.

At the end of the ceremony, Oshún addresses Obbá and says:

I love you and respect you for being my older sister, but you have been in my absence sacrificing your daughters and mine, subjecting them to suffering.

From this day on, I will be the one to take charge of the feelings in the heads of your daughters, but instead, you will teach my daughters good manners and stay away from the mundane that hinders their path.

You will live with me, everyone will honor you and count on you for everything, but the heads and hearts of your children will be mine.

From that moment on, the kingdom was happy again, and sweet like Oshún.

And at each wedding that took place, Obbá was offered virgin animals, eggs, fresh fish and fruits to venerate and honor her with the respect she deserves.