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*LÊGBA or ESHU |
A CONCEPT IN POWER DOES IT EQUAL TO A CONCEPT IN ACT ? |
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THE GODS |
** CAN WE DO MEN WITHOUT DOING THE GODS ? |
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This site is entirely devoted to god Eshu and Ifa. More precisely, I want to examine here what would be the behavior of these two divinities in our contemporary world.I ask me how we could have to situate their teaching today ?.
The Values that the legends of these divinities propose to us would be obsolete by report to the daily that we know ?
The teaching of the Yoruba culture is it again current events ? Such are the questions that I propose you to examine through the NOTEBOOKS. I am going to remind some prominent aspects of gods Ifa and Eshu so as to give us a start point reference.
If you want learn more about Yoruba god's legends, you can consult my site " THE THINKING AND ITS OBJECT " .You will find the founder legends of eight gods (personal choice ; and pesonal thought on this mythology) of the Yoruba peoples area ( Benin, Nigeria and Togo) in wich the two Spirits that we consider in this site. These legends are not made as the monographic form ; they are presented of an analytic manner, and they are proposed with their senses, (according to what I have understood some). If you prefer a more literal presentation, you can take knowledge of "THE KOUTI WATCH MAKER, The Beginning" that relates ( in French ) the history of an initiation to the meaning of legends of the same divinities. Six chapters are to your disposition on the site: " The Kouti Watch Maker ; The beginning ".
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*LÊGBA or ESHU |
A CONCEPT IN POWER DOES IT EQUAL TO A CONCEPT IN ACT ? |
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The god Eshu is considered as the most important of Yoruba peoples Spirits, this is true in Africa, in Yoruba peoples area ; this is tru also in America (North and South, Caribbean... ) were this Spirit arrived as consequences of events that you know well.It is the first of Spirits because the Powerful Whole has decided some thus ; but, this are gods that wish to know which of them come in first ; Eshu is the winer of this competition.
Eshu is the god of the head, the god of the reflection. It is also the god of knots, the god of crossroads ; This Spirits induces the reversals of situations them most unexpected. This is what we can deduce from the two legends who founde the divinity. If you wish to learn some more about the god, please, go to the site. You will find there legends and their interpretations.
Here is in complement, three summaries of legends that give us an overview fo the character of this Spirit.
First summary: Eshu know a day that the king Metolofi possesses a goat with four eyes; two are situated on the head and the two others to defers of the animal. Presenting the beast to its people, the king say that the animal know all that each people would be to make ; each action will be immediately brought to the king ; nothing could escape its goat. Eshu be indignant ; it think that it is inadmissible that one people , even the the king, could know all about the man, its similar. It had a debate between Eshu and the king ; at the end, Eshu claimed that he can do what he want without that the goat could know it. Eshu rummaged Ifa ; it was prescribed it a sacrifice that consisted of a hat and in four cloth pieces of different colours. The Spirit Ifa remodel the hat ; it tranform it in a head covers with four faces whose each had its colour ; it give it to Eshu that was going thus equipped. Eshu found the first lady of the king on the road ; it killed it. The goat informed immediately the monarch. The population of the kingdom had observed the scene equally; but each man and goat, describe the reponsible of the crime that according to its viewpoint, according to the face of the hat (and therefore its colour) that it could see, without suspecting that the other persons saw an other colour. It had followed a pungent discussion. The king hurried its minister to know the author of the misdeed and to calm the crowd. The general quarrel did not cease for as much; each person being persuaded to be the witness of the unique truth. Eshu profited the melee to kill the minister; there again, the crime was observed different manner according to the colour of the hat that each people could see.
The following day, Eshu come back with its usual appearance to find the king ; It pray it to gather the people; it had to tall with it in its presence...
Second summary: This summary concerne a legend that claims that God, by creating the woman, do not know where fixed its sex; God make several attempts whose IT was not satisfied. IT opted provisionally for the armpit in the meantime to find a best site. But, the proximity of the nose brings women to lift arms all time ; this attitude scandalised Eshu that was going to find Ifa, it submit it the problem; it tells it: " listening, Metolofi has a problem; its provisional solution to woman conduit to to have an unacceptable behavior; the sex, this is not a thing to show in this manner! ... "
The Spirit of the soothsaying prescribes a sacrifice, and the two gods addressed to a third, - a goddess - that finally, gave the solution; that that we know today. (This legend is remarkable; its real senses intervene the founder legend of the principle Eshu; but equally, the meaning of the founder legend of the thunder god, the god of the thunderbolt. A first approaches is proposed in my newsgroup archives ; Digest n # 8, 9 and 10 . For Hêbiesso, god of the thunderbolt, please, go to this address, if you wish it. )
Here is a supplementary key: Eshu has scandalised that the woman exposes its anatomical detail all time ; but gold Eshu, decreed itself, once the resolute problem, to expose its sex to the view of all people in permanence; because, tells - it, " I has the right, being behind the solution that preserves the woman dignity ! )
Third summary: The last example that I propose you is an extract from the founder legend of the healing god. This god is infirm (as you know, may - be already); it is one-armed, one-eyed, one-legged and voiceless, because while it slept, Eshu make to crumble its residence on it to come in assistance to the healer sorcerer. The man had pitied to the god of the head - Eshu - because it has no longer be able to provide to its needs, for lack of sick to treat; the god of medicines, very efficient, no longer would leave it nothing to do. The atrophied god had need the man, since the accident, to accomplish its mission; the man could thus continue to live by its work.
Eshu is the god that met its conscience and died some because it not to have known to honour it.
Eshu is also the god that is multiplied, the god of the division.
To share, because, it is not good that the poor man suffer too; it is not good that the miserable is it too miserable. One told us that the suffering of the pauper man is also that the" whole "; it is also that the man consequently.
To share therefore; but, a motto of Ifa precise: "if one asks you the fire, obtain the tobacco from him before to give it fire.
To share? Yes, but...
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* IFA or IFA |
TO THINK - TO ACT : TO RUMMAGE REFLECTION - ACTION : TO BE RESOLVED |
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Ifa is the god of the fulnesse ; it is the god of the serenity; it is what translated the literal senses of its name. In most language of southern Benin and in the geographical Yoruba area " ifa " means freshness, calm, serenity; the fresh water is tells "si fifa ".Ifa, the " silent " . One tells that Ifa knows all things; on tells that Ifa tells always the truth (in the opponent to Eshu). I tell it "silent" because, one "does not question" Ifa; one " rummage " it . The explanation (according to my tought) is found in archives of the group of discussion - Digest # 4, 5, 6 and 7 - It is one fundamental points of the teachink of Yoruba god's legends; I call it the " Pedagogy " , an other shutter of this study on the mythology (under construction).
Ifa knows all thinks and gave all answers. Ifa is inseparable from Eshu ; one observes that the second turns itself constantly to the first to submit it the problems; Ifa prescribes a sacrifice and Eshu acted. May be in this reason that it is necessary " to feed " Eshu before " feed " Ifa. It is the rule, probably because Eshu is feared; while Ifa is " only " respected.
It is told on the site that the god Ifa guards the " ways "; the god guards the sixteen ways of the knowledge. Ifa is therefore multiple through these ways. Before to speak some, note an important characteristic of the god, that appears in the next legend:
When the gods decided to constitute, they have heard to give some to the Powerful Whole; it is the trip whose it is question on the site. Eshu consulted Ifa before to undertake the journey. Tthe legend told us that Ifa revealed it what is necessary to make to to be chosen as first god; what Eshu hurried to make; we know the resulted. Our attention wears or have to focus on the fact that Ifa was also candidate, as all the other gods. We see there, the two aspects of the god; a real aspect (Ifa is a candidate) and a potential aspect (Ifa is a counsellor of one of the candidates); one would tell two reflection images of each other; it is to the individual to know to interpret the situation.
An other example that is related at this point is given in archives of the group of discussion (Digest # 4.) it concerns a legend in which the Death was furious to have failed in its attempt to seize an individual, while it had to the consulted preliminary Ifa and accomplished its sacrifice for the success of the enterprise. (The man also had consulted the god and had do its sacrifice).
When one rummages Ifa one obtains, or better, one finds a reply that is also a Ifa to which are associated legends, mottoes and songs; a reply that it is necessary to untie. This is only the translation of the sixteen ways whose I have spoken.
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* IFA and the IFAs |
*IS THERE EQUIVALENCE BETWEEN EDGES AND LIMITS ? |
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Indeed, to speak Ifa has to hear in a multiple senses. A multiplicity that is translated in the figures of the god. We find the sixteen ways or sixteen basic figures; this are " mothers " figures One tells them " mothers " because this are figures of the foundation; and non because they are feminine. In fact, there are eight males and eight females; the first is male and the last female; this totality forms a first family in which figures number 2 to 15 are the " children ". Each of these sixteen first figures gives birth to sixteen children. A rapid calculation shows you that Ifa is formed by a totality of 256 figures (16 x 16); with 16 basics figures and 240 secondary figures.(The details of this aspect of Ifa, with interpretations, will be given in the" Pedagogy " that is the next step of the content of my site; it is under way).
One claims that each one of the 256 figures possess three legends for so much mottoes and so much songs; in reality, nobody is not in measure to guarantee these numbers ; nevertheless, on this basis, one can notice that Ifa is a very extensive knowledge; and practically nobody can praise to know all legends, all mottoes and all songs.
Here is why when one tells that Ifa to has knowledge - a power - infinity; I think that that is false. Ifa has not an infinite knowledge; Ifa is as a " surface " perfectly limited, but that has no " edges "; as the earth for example. Ifa is a limited " surface ", otherwise it would be God. Ifa is as a surface without edges because, a man can not probably master all its knowledge. You can advance as long as you want on the earth without ever meeting edges. (This problem is, able - be, also that the human spirit; we will return there; may - be).
HERE IS WHAT I CAN TO TELL YOU ON OUR TWO VISITORS.
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READING ? >>> Ecritdire |
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ART..... ..AND ARTISTS
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..Refer.
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.Visitors. |
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