The first book to explore the sacred myths of Santería • Includes more than 100 myths, stories, and histories about the odu and the orishas • Reassembles the oral fragments from the African diaspora into coherent stories • Demonstrates that the African peoples, specifically the Yoruba, were deeply spiritual At the core of the diloggún--the sacred divination system of Santería--are the sacred stories known as the patakís, narratives whose themes are as powerful and relevant today as they were in the minds of the ancient Yoruba who safeguarded them. Each patakí is connected to one or more of the 16 odu, the principal creative forces of Santería. Some recount the lives of orishas on earth, others the lives of individuals in heaven, and some tell of the odu themselves, for even they once walked the earth as mortals. The first book to explore these ancient African stories in English, Teachings of the Santería Gods recounts more than 100 of these sacred parables, including many stories reassembled from the oral tradition of the African diaspora. Ranging from creation myths to what happens when a love potion works far too well, these stories share the wisdom and spirituality of the Yoruba people of ancient Africa and form the living, oral bible of one of the world's fastest-growing faiths.

Preface Acknowledgments An Introduction to the Diloggún 1 Okana--One Mouth on the Mat Okana Brews a Love Potion Okana's Seduction of Shangó Okana's Curses Okana's Lesson in Love The Story of the Cat and the Rat 2 Eji Oko--Two Mouths on the Mat The Birth of Ikú The Marriage of Ikú and Ejioko Ejioko Loses His Friend Iré Ochosi Feeds Olófin 3 Ogundá--Three Mouths on the Mat Why the Rooster Was First Sacrificed How the Crocodile Became Powerful King Olushola Makes Ebó 4 Irosun--Four Mouths on the Mat How a Man and a Woman Found Love Irosun Discovers His True Friends The Story of the Cat and the Leopard The Pact between Orishaokó and Olófin The Tail (Tale) of the Little Monkey Obatalá Rewards Odé 5 Oché--Five Mouths on the Mat The Birth, Death, and Rebirth of Oché How Oshogbo Became Dedicated to Oshún How Oshún Came to the New World A Foolish Merchant's Tragedy I Will Give You a Small Thing 6 Obara--Six Mouths on the Mat The Farmer and His Ebó The Best Food: The Worst Food Ochosi Learns to Build a Trap Ochosi's Curse The Story of Elegede 7 Odí--Seven Mouths on the Mat The Creation of Copulation Where the Hole Was First Opened He Who Fights Knows about War 8 Unle--Eight Mouths on the Mat Unle Is Born Unle's Ebó to Elegguá Unle Builds a Home Unle Becomes a Farmer Obatalá Eats Heads 9 Osá--Nine Mouths on the Mat The Death of His Love A Beggar's Story A Son's Loss The Brag of the Boastful Boy Shangó's Imprisonment 10 Ofún--Ten Mouths on the Mat Life and Death The Story of Iré and Osogbo Ofún, the Godchild of Ikú The Loss of Ofún's Daughter How the Leopard Gained His Strength The Spinning of the Web Obatalá Makes Ebó 11 Owani--Eleven Mouths on the Mat Eshu at the Crossroads The Climbing Vine and the Okra The Death of the Egungun Priests Disobedience Becomes the Road to Death Oshún's Ebó How Osain Saved the Ill-Prepared Man 12 Ejila Shebora--Twelve Mouths on the Mat Shangó's Losses The Marriage of Oshún and Orúnmila Yemayá's Quest Yemayá Learns to Cast Òpèlè Glossary Index