Two further Esu texts beyond the one analysed for its poetics elsewhere in this section, two Osanyin herbal-medicine oriki of markedly different quality, and the hunter-diviner Osoosi's homage formula.
The Yorùbá wey dem quote, the proverbs, oríkì, ẹsẹ Ifá, word list headwords, Odù names and citations dey exactly as the corpus record dem, for every language.
06-orisa/08-esu.md and 23-orisa-deep/07-èsù.md get the theological account of Èṣù; 23-orisa-deep/09-osanyìn.md and 23-orisa-deep/11-osoosì.md get the same thing for Ọ̀sanyìn and Ọ̀ṣọ́ọ̀sì. oriki-poetics-and-untranslatability inside this section already present and analyze one Èṣù text, the "slept in a nut" paradox passage wey Rowland Abiodun translate, specifically for the accretive non-narrative structure wey e get. This file add two more Èṣù texts, two Ọ̀sanyìn texts wey their source quality clearly dey different, and Ọ̀ṣọ́ọ̀sì's homage formula.
Èṣù Òdàrà, ọ̀tá òrìṣà, ọmọkùnrin Ìdólófin, ó lé sọ́ńsó sí orí ẹsẹ̀ ẹlẹ́sẹ̀, kò jẹ, kò jẹ́ kẹ́ni tí ó jẹ ó jẹ. A sọ́tùn-ún sọ́sì láì nítìjú, Èṣù àpáta sọmọ olọ́mọ lẹ́nu, Àtùká máṣe é sá, Èṣù máṣe mí, máṣe ọmọ ẹlòmíì!
Èṣù, adversary of the other deities, the son of Ìdólófin, the troublesome and aggressive one, he will not eat, yet he stops others from eating. He turns to the right and to the left without shame. Èṣù, the stone that strikes another's child on the mouth. He who causes a scattering...
Dem attribute am to "Pierre Verger / Ulli Beier research tradition," from one source wey get the title "Iconography and Oral Poetry of Yoruba Divinities" (1980) [S1].
Wetin e talk. For here, dem call Èṣù directly as "adversary of the divinities" (ọ̀tá òrìṣà), wey be stronger framing wey dey show direct opposition pass the paradox text from Abiodun for oriki-poetics-and-untranslatability, wey present am as force wey dey turn good to bad and turn am back instead of to call am complete enemy of the pantheon. The last line na prayer make e face another side, dey beg Èṣù make e go trouble another person pikin instead.
Significance. This text document one clear emphasis inside Èṣù's praise tradition: wahala as direct attack (to drive spike for leg, to stop people make dem no chop, to hit children) instead of just cosmic ambiguity. When person read am beside the Abiodun text, e dey show the wide range wey this corpus translation rule say make dem bring out: dem no dey praise Èṣù the same way for every performance wey dem collect, and reader wey encounter only one text go miss how the tradition itself get plenty variation reach.
How dem dey perform am. The opening phase of any ritual, before Ifá divination consultation, for shrine or junction (oríta) before dem go ahead to worship any other divinity [S1].
The attribution "Pierre Verger / Ulli Beier research tradition" mention two real scholars but e no cite any specific publication wey single person write with page reference; confidence on the exact translation na medium.
Èṣù, Èṣù Òdàrà, Èṣù Láàlú ògiriòkò. Ọkùnrin orí ìta, a jó lángá lángá lálú, a rìn lánjá lánjá lálú. Ó dé ibi ìjà dé mọ́lẹ̀. Ìjà ni ọ̀tárù bá d'élée 'fẹ̀, tó fi dé ọmọ wọn.
Èṣù, Èṣù of Transformation, Èṣù of the City, strong as a stone wall. Man of the crossroads, dance briskly through the town. Strut swiftly through the town. He arrives where there is strife and locks it down. Strife and discord entered the house of Ifẹ, and reached even to their children.
Dem attribute am together to "Awo Fa'lokun Fatunmbi / Wande Abimbola liturgical tradition," from one source wey cite both one devotional publication ("Oríkì Èṣù: Praising the Divine Messenger") and Rowland Abiodun Yoruba Art and Language as reference points, dated 1997 [S2].
Wetin e talk. As e dey clearly different from the Èṣù-as-adversary framing for the text wey dey before, this text present Èṣù as e dey arrive for where conflict dey and hold am down ("locks it down"), and e trace one specific narrative part where wahala reach the house of Ifẹ̀ and their children, wey the excerpt dem collect no settle.
Significance. When dem put am beside the two texts wey dey up, this one give third distinct register for Èṣù inside single harvest: cosmic paradox (Abiodun text), active adversary (the first text here), and crisis-container (this text). 06-orisa/08-esu.md treat the theological reconciliation of these functions wey appear like say dem dey contradict each other; the work of this file na only to show say the praise tradition itself hold all the three without resolving dem into one consistent portrait, wey dey match the accretive, non-reconciling structure wey oriki-poetics-and-untranslatability document as general character of the genre.
How dem dey perform am. Daily morning prayers, before Ifá divination rites, before opening communal rituals, and when person dey start journey [S2].
Just like the text wey dey before, the attribution mention real scholars (Wande Abimbola, Rowland Abiodun) together with devotional compilation instead of to cite one specific publication wey author write with page number; confidence na medium.
Ìbà Ọ̀sanyìn, ìbà oní ewé. Àngbẹ́rì, ewé gbogbo kìkì oògùn. Agbenigi, òròmodìẹ abìdí sonso, Èsìnsìn abẹ́dọ̀ kínníkínní, Koogo egbòrò irin, Àképè nígbà ọ̀ràn kò sunwọ̀n, Àrónì jà kòtò dígun mọ́yà.
Praise to Osanyin, praise to the owner of leaves. The supernatural one, one who turns all leaves into medicine. One who is versed in the use of roots, one who has a sharp, pointed tail like that of a chick. One who has a liver as crystal clear as a fly's, one who is as powerful as an iron rod...
Dem talk say na "Awo Fategbe Fatunmbi / Pierre Verger (referenced corpus)" join write am, from one Medium.com essay, "Ìbà Ọ̀sanyìn: Praise to the Owner of Herbal Medicine" [S3].
Wetin e talk. One long list of physical and animal-based comparisons (small chick nyash, fly liver, iron rod) wey dey build up to show Ọ̀sanyìn's identity as di main authority over leaves and herbal medicine, and him connection with Àrónì, one-legged forest spirit wey dem join with Ọ̀sanyìn for di wider tradition.
Why e dey important. Di style of piling physical comparisons together here na di same format wey no get join-join wey oriki-poetics-and-untranslatability document for Wínyọmí and for Èṣù: different-different sharp images wey line up, wey none no get long explanation, and none no get logical connection to di one beside am.
How dem dey perform am. Di source no state am clearly pass di general classification say na praise wey dem dey recite to Ọ̀sanyìn.
Di source na personal essay for Medium, platform wey people dey publish by demselves, wey mention Verger without specific citation; di level of confidence na medium-to-low, and dis corpus note say di author dey write under di name "Awo Fategbe Fatunmbi," title wey show say na initiated Ifá priest instead of academic scholar, wey dis corpus report as descriptive fact, no be to spoil di ritual authenticity of di text.
Atóóbájayé o Àfọ̀njá, Ewéeee-l'érè oo, Ewéeee, ewéeee-l'érè oo. Ewé ni ń ṣe ọ́ báyìí bí? Ọkọ láyà mi Ọ̀run. Ṣèèréjọbí ewé tí í ṣọmọ orí igi, Ìpín báwọ̀nyí ń ṣọmọ agbìjàlẹ̀.
The adequate protector, Afonja, there is great value in the knowledge of herbs, herbs! There is value in the knowledge of herbs. Is it the knowledge of herbs that makes you behave like this? You are my husband in Heaven. Seerejobi leaves belong to the...
Dem translate am for one source wey dem link to "Will Coleman Ph.D. (OER Commons Religious Studies Project)," wey no get date inside di record apart from dat attribution [S4].
Wetin e talk. One structure wey be like song wey dey repeat ("ewéeee, ewéeee-l'érè oo" as refrain) wey dey call Àfọ̀njá, historical name wey dem also associate with di nineteenth-century Ìlọrin leader wey dem discuss for 19-warfare and di towns section, wey dem use here like praise name for Ọ̀sanyìn or to address am, connection wey di source material no explain and dis corpus no use guesswork take settle.
Dis text bring up serious puzzle about meaning wey dis corpus state instead of to answer: why di historical name Àfọ̀njá dey appear inside Ọ̀sanyìn oríkì na wetin di available source material no explain. E fit show different oral tradition wey join di historical figure to herbal knowledge, or borrowed praise name wey dey do different work for different contexts (di kind boundary-crossing wey oriki-typology document generally), or mistake from transcription. Dis corpus report di puzzle instead of to create answer for am. Confidence on dis text: medium-to-low, because of di source (open courseware platform) and di unresolved Àfọ̀njá reference.
Ìbà Ọ̀ṣọ́ọ̀sì. Ìbà Ológararẹ̀. Ìbà Oníbébè. Ìbà Oṣọ́lọ́kẹ́rẹ́. Ọdẹ àta mātáṣe, Agbáni níjọ́ tó burú, Oní idídẹ gan fi dí ìjà, A júbà. Àṣẹ.
Praise to the Spirit of the Tracker/Hunter. Praise to the master of himself. Praise to the owner of the riverbank. Praise to the magician of the forest. Hunter who never misses his mark, savior who delivers in times of adversity, owner of the sacred parrot who stands firm to confront fear and struggle, I salute you. May it be so.
Na Will Coleman and Awo Fa'lokun Fatunmbi join translate am together, from one open courseware source on Ifá ritual praises [S5].
Wetin e talk. One structured sequence of ìbà (homage) calls, each one naming distinct praise name, marksmanship wey no dey miss, self-mastery, connection with riverbanks (wey link Ọ̀ṣọ́ọ̀sì to di water-related Erinlẹ̀/Ọ̀ṣun group of divinities), forest knowledge, and deliverance inside crisis.
Why e dey important. Di praise name Oníbébè ("owner of the riverbank") document connection between Ọ̀ṣọ́ọ̀sì, wey dem mainly know as hunter divinity, and di water divinities wey dem discuss for oriki-orisa-osun-yemoja-oya, link wey di source own commentary make clear as e name Ọ̀ṣun and Erinlẹ̀ alongside am [S5]. Di source still mention Kétu as Ọ̀ṣọ́ọ̀sì's historic royal seat as Alákétu, wey connect dis oríkì to di diaspora nation-name material wey towns-oriki-orile treat for di Kétu and Nagô traditions for Brazil.
Dey perform am. Invocation-dem, annual festival ritual-dem, shrine opening ceremony-dem, hunter guild ritual-dem, and bifor person go journey or look for justice [S5].
Variant-dem. Di source record several name variant wey dey circulation: Òṣọ́ọ̀sì, Ọ̀sọ́ọ̀sìn, Ẹ̀ṣọ́ùsì, Ọ̀sáòsì, join with one longer praise line, "Òṣọ́ọ̀sì ọdẹ àta mātáṣe, Onígbó Olúwa ẹranko, Ó wọ igbó já," wey dem no explain on im own for here [S5].
[S1] "Iconography and Oral Poetry of Yoruba Divinities," attributed to the Pierre Verger / Ulli Beier research tradition (1980). Not independently retrieved and page-checked by the compiler. [S2] "Oríkì Èṣù: Praising the Divine Messenger," attributed jointly to Awo Fa'lokun Fatunmbi and the Wande Abimbola / Rowland Abiodun liturgical corpus (1997), referencing Abiodun, Yoruba Art and Language: Seeking the African in African Art (Cambridge University Press, 2014). [S3] "Ìbà Ọ̀sanyìn: Praise to the Owner of Herbal Medicine," Medium.com essay by Awo Fategbe Fatunmbi, referencing Pierre Verger. https://medium.com/@fatunmbi/iba-osanyin-praise-to-the-owner-of-herbal-medicine-1bfcfcb5b853 [S4] Coleman, Will (Ph.D.), "Oríkì Osanyin: Praising the Spirit of Herbal Medicine," OER Commons Religious Studies Project. https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/62534/student/?section=9 [S5] Coleman, Will (Ph.D.), and Awo Fa'lokun Fatunmbi, "Ifa Ritual Praises & Prayers," OER Commons Religious Studies Project (2013). https://www.oercommons.org
Esu as orisa in his own right: the messenger who carries sacrifice, the keeper of the crossroads, the activator of ase, the one who tests. The Satan conflation is handled in 04-cosmology; this page is about what Esu actually is.
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