The Birth of Eleggua Who knows when? .... I was told it happened when the gods lived on Earth. In an African village there was a couple named Okubere and Ananaki, this man Okubere, was rich and powerful, but luck was not with him. He had not been blessed with an heir. He was a king without children. As the years passed, and since his wife could not give him a son, she said to him one day, You are a rich and powerful king, but as you can see, I have not been able to bear you any children. I shall go to the home of my parents, this will allow you to bring in a new wife who will give you an heir to the throne. Okubere told her there was no need to do that, because he loved her very much and did not want to have more than one wife. He continued saying to her to stay in the palace, and if it was the will of Olorun that they did not have children, he would accept it. Ananaki did not reply. She decided that night to go far away, so far that her husband could not find her. So, when the Moon was at its highest, she gathered her belongings and walked slowly out of the palace. She kept her back towards Nana buruku (the Moon) so she could not see where she was going. She walked and walked until she was really tired. She arrived at a crossroads in a place she had never been before. There was a beautiful coconut palm tree, she sat under it to rest for a while… this was such a peaceful place... she could recover her strength and go on walking. She sat and rubbed her back against the tree. At that moment, a coconut fell to her feet; it was a big coconut, larger than usual which shone with a strange light. As she was thirsty, she opened it and drank abundantly from its fresh water. After a while, Ananaki fell asleep. Ananaki, Ananaki, she heard a voice calling her. She looked around and saw it was the coconut tree who was calling her. Listen well, you have drunk the water from my fruit Obi. His water will make you bear children, more than one; but the first child you will consecrate to me. He will be beautiful and intelligent. If after three days of his birth you don't make an offering to me, I shall take him away from you. Ananaki woke up. The dream had impressed her extremely; but she arose and decided to continue her journey. She couldn’t walk for long, the memory of her husband, the village people and the vivid dream gave her a strong urge to return to her village. Okubere was sitting on a mat, crying. 10 days had passed since he lost his wife and no one had seen her or heard from her. 'They searched and searched in vain, Ananaki had disappeared. The king was in great sorrow and would not move from the mat where he was sitting, then he heard a great noise outside the house, he lifted his head, and saw his wife coming through the door. She had a strange glow in her eyes, they seemed to be brighter than ever. They embraced with tears of JOY coming down their cheeks. That night, there was a great rejoicing in the village because of the happy return of Ananaki, when the feast was over, both man and wife retired, Ananaki told her dream to Okubere, who agreed that if they had a child, they would bring an offering to the coconut tree. Time passed, and to Okubere and Ananaki a child was born, they called him Eleggua. They were filled with so much happiness by this birth that neither one remembered the dream Ananaki bad, or the promise they had made. Eleggua grew handsome and playful. When he was old enough he was given a servant,_ who ~oul? follow him everywhere. One day Eleggua went huntmg with his servant when suddenly they found themselves at a crossroads where they had never been. Eleggua stopped, and his servant saw him kneeling three times. The last time he kneeled, he picked something from the ground. An object had caught his attention. The servant was amazed that Eleggua would bend and pick up anything from the ground. He was so amazed because this was a proud and spoiled child who would not kneel for even the king, his father. This child would not do anything for himself least of all pick up anything from the floor. The servant got closer and could see this was a rather large coconut. The moment Eleggua took it in his hands, a strange light came out of it. The servant was surprised again, this time because the prince was showing fear, which was something he had never shown either before in his life. How could a coconut inspire respect in this spoiled young child? Eleggua took the strange coconut to his house, against the servants advice who told the king and all the people in the village what had taken place at the crossroads. No one believed him, including Eleggua's parents who had completely forgotten Ananaki's dream. Eleggua played with the coconut for a while, and tiring of it threw it behind the palace door and left it there. One day there was a feast at the royal palace to celebrate a good harvest and the admission of the prince Eleggua to the village secret society. Suddenly, the coconut that was behind the door began to fire rays of light in every direction. Everyone was horrified and ran out the palace. Three days later, Eleggua became ill and died. During all the lime the vigil lasted, the coconut remained shining without anyone daring to get close to it. The coconut was feared, and at the same time inspired respect. After the prince's death the people went through much hardship: there were no fish in the river, no fruit on the trees, nothing planted would grow, women would have children no more. It did not rain, the goats were thin and dying, there was no milk for the children and hardly any water to drink. The people were desperate, so they decided to consult the village oracle who told them they were being punished because they had abandoned the coconut left by Eleggua and the forgotten promise made by the king to the coconut tree. They went to where the coconut was and found it to be empty, eaten by small animals and insects. They consulted the oracle again who told them to replace the coconut with a river stone which would be Eleggua's spirit They gathered by the river and found a large stone which Ananaki and Okubere felt was inhabited by Eleggua. It was washed with twenty one different herbs and offerings of chickens and small goat was made, after, it was placed inside a day pot by the palace door. The oracle was consulted and it was in agreement that the proper sacrifices had been made and Eleggua was now inside the stone. They were told to use the coconut as an ally to Eleggua and to bring offerings every once in a while to the coconut tree where they could also find Eleggua 's spirit. Once they complied with all that was requested of the Orisha, the village began to prosper again and many children were born to Ananaki as well as to the rest of the village women. And this is what we still do today. This is why we say: iku tevi Osha Eleggua which means: the ghost of Eleggua gave birth to the Orisha. Without his spirit there is no Orisha. This is why Eleggua always should be made out of stone, and the coconut used for asking questions to Orisha. This is the true story of how Eleggua was born. This is the first story to be learned when it is time to be vested with Orisha Introduction There are four basic theories of myth. Those theories are: the rational myth theory, functional myth theory, structural myth theory, and the psychological myth theory. The rational myth theory states that myths were created to explain natural events and forces. Functional myths are what you call the kinds of myths that were created as a type of social control. The third myth theory is the structural myth theory. This theory says that myths were patterned after human mind and human nature. The psychological myth theory is the fourth myth theory, which states that myths are based on human emotion. Rational Myth The rational myth theory states that myths were made to better understand natural events and forces that occurred in the everyday lives of people. This theory also explains that the gods and goddesses controlled all of these happenings of nature. Examples of this type of myth are creation myths from different cultures. Creation myths explain how man was created and explain what the gods and goddesses used and what actions they took to create humans. These myths also tell what substances were used (if any) in order for man to exist. The existence of man is a natural event but creation myths give other explanations. Functional Myth The functional myth theory talks about how myths were used to teach morality and social behavior. It states that myths told about what types of things should and shouldn’t be done, and the consequences for those wrong doings. The functional myth theory also states that myths were created for social control and served the function of insuring stability in a society. A story about a tribe who rebelled against the great serpent, Degei, is a good example of a functional myth1. This story is about a tribe who learned many skills from their great serpent god, Degei, and then became Degei’s workers and servants. Two chiefs of this tribe were sick of working for him and tried to defeat him; they were too weak for Degei. Instead of winning their freedom, they were killed in a great flood caused by Degei. This myth is trying to say that you should not be lazy because if you are, then you will regret it. Structural Myth Structural myths are said to be myths based on human emotion. These types of myths show the two sides of the human mind; the good side and the bad side. They show the divided self and the duality of human nature. Myths about Hercules show how the human mind can be both good and bad. Hercules did both good and bad things. One of the bad things he did was (in “Jason and the Argonauts”) he stole a broach pin from the treasure chamber of the god Talos. This sin caused his friend to be killed. Hercules knew that his friend was killed because of his sin, so to make up for it; he vowed to stay on the island until his friend was found. Psychological Myth The psychological myth theory states how myths are based on human emotion and that they come from the human subconscious mind. Cultures all around the world had similar fears, questions, and wishes which, to them, were unexplainable. That is the reason that psychological myths were made; and that is why there are archetypes shared between cultures. Archetypes are general forms and characters used by all cultures. Some archetypes found between cultures are having a sky god (Zeus and Oleron),a sea god (Poseidon and Olokun), and an agricultural god (Orisha-Oko and Demeter). These archetypes are examples of how people think alike when it comes to things that are to them mysteries and fears. Reading Responses Purpose/Goals: This assignment is guided by the following learning outcomes: • define key literary terms/concepts and implement these in oral/written critical analyses • describe, examine, and evaluate their own reading practices and oral/written critical analyses • analyze literature and explain how various components of literature work together to create meaning • recognize, describe, and analyze the influence of various cultures in literary works Reading responses allow students to practice their own interpretive/analytical skills and give them the opportunity to practice writing about literature in a non-formal/non-threatening manner. Because this is a writing to learn assignment, rather than a formal essay, students should feel comfortable exploring their thoughts about the text without the pressures that a formal essay exacts. Furthermore, since these responses give the students plenty of time to consider their interpretations of the text, reading responses can also significantly improve classroom discussions. Assignment: Students will complete 7 reading responses. The responses should be no fewer than 500 words in length. These responses are not plot summaries or confessionals, but careful commentaries on the ideas/images expressed in the works that you will be reading. You may choose to respond to an individual work or make comparisons between works, but you must limit your responses to the works we are covering as a group. Your responses can be thesis driven, argumentative attempts to establish a singular point about the text, or they can be exploratory, positing one or two questions on a topic and exploring the complications that those dilemmas raise. Support your observations by quoting from the text. Requirements: 12-point font, Times New Roman 1-inch margins Due on the day we discuss the work. Assessment: This assignment will be evaluated under the following criteria:
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