​The mosquito, the snake and the flea were great friends. What bound them together is that they were all very envious of Orula. They wanted to kill him, so they could take over his palace. Together, they hatched a plot
 
“Let’s go to his palace and pretend that we want him to divine for us,” said the mosquito. “Before we go, I’ll suck the blood of someone who has tuberculosis so when I puncture Orunmila’s skin, he’ll be infected with the disease and die.”

 
“I can crawl under his mat when he’s not looking,” said the snake.  “I’ll bite him and my venom will kill him.”
 
The flea said, “I’ll think of something I can do, too, leave it to me.”  
Together, they set off for Orula’s palace, confident that their plan would work.
 
The mosquito was the first to ask for a reading from Orula. While Orula was consulting, the snake slid under the mat and was waiting for an opportunity to strike. The Odu that came in the reading told Orula to prepare a broth of a sweet potato and give it to the one who came to consult. Immediately, he turned to Elegua, his assistant, and asked him to bring him a heavy mortar so he could grind the sweet potato on the mat. Elegua set down the mortar right on top of the snake’s head.  Orula began to pound heavily with his divining chain, mashing the sweet potato into a paste, and at the same time, without knowing it, he killed the snake who was hiding under the mat. One enemy down, and Orula hadn’t even realized yet that there was a plot against him!

​The mosquito tried to act casual and relaxed, so as to not give away the plan. When Orula served him a large bowl of soup, he drank it all, as a good guest should do.  But it was too much soup for a small mosquito.  It made the mosquito swell up so much that he burst like a bubble, and he died on the spot.
 
Seeing this, the flea was terrified. He didn’t know how he could attack and kill Orula without the help of his friends, so he confessed everything.  “I’m sorry, Orula!” he cried.  “My friends wanted to kill you, I just came along hoping that I could warn you and prevent such a terrible crime. I mean you no harm.”
 
Orula wasn’t deceived for a minute. He cursed the flea and said “from this day forward, you will have no rest, you will never be still, you will have to hop from one place to another always in search of food, and everyone will consider you a terrible pest and try to kill you when they see you.”

This pataki reminds us that when we act unjustly our plans can backfire against us. We reap what we sow.
 
​

​Yemaya, Oshun, and Oya were three sisters who lived together in a village where the inhabitants were poor but happy. The land, rivers, and sea were fertile and provided them with food. They lived in harmony with each other, their neighbors, and the environment, taking what they needed to live but showing gratitude and satisfaction with what they had, never taking more than was their share. In this way, the years went by and the sisters were content.

One day, the territory was invaded by warriors from another land. When the warriors arrived, Yemaya was at the ocean, Oshun was at the river, but Oya was at home. The raiders entered the house and grabbed Oya, who was just a young girl at the time. She screamed and screamed, but her sisters couldn’t hear her. The invaders took Oya away, and when her sisters arrived home, they learned what had happened and were terribly upset.
 
Oshun, in particular, was very attached to Oya and she fell into a deep depression thinking about what might happen to the girl. “What can I do to get my sister back?” she asked herself.  She had no money, and no army to fight for her.   She determined to work harder and catch more fish in the river. Selling the fish, she could make some money, and with the money, perhaps she could pay ransom for her sister. 
 
Oshun knew it was important to get Oya back before Oya reached puberty, before the men who kidnapped her would sexually claim her as their prize.  She saved all the money she could, and then she set out to the town where the kidnappers lived to see if they would exchange Oya for the money.

​Oshun located the leader of the group and addressed him with a pleading look in her eyes and honey in her voice. She hoped the man would take pity on her and free Oya.  “Please!” Oshun exclaimed. “My sister means the world to me. I would give anything to have her back home with me again. Take pity. This is all the money I have in the world. Take it and give me my sister.”

The man looked at Oshun’s seductive figure and her beautiful face and thought about a different kind of bargain.  “I don’t want your money, Oshun,” he said. “But if you will agree to give up your virginity and allow me to have my way with you, I’ll release your sister.”
 
Oshun fell to the ground sobbing and begging the man to have pity, but he refused to show any compassion.  He said to her coldly, “either you do what I ask of you, or I will take my revenge on Oya. You’ll never see your sister again. I’ll put her in my harem.”
 
Oshun thought about what Yemaya would say, because Yemaya believed that virginity was a girl’s greatest treasure and only a husband has the right to claim it. She knew Yemaya would never agree to such a bargain with an immoral man. But, when she thought about Oya, she felt such concern and worry, she knew she had to do whatever was required to free her sister from the captors. Filled with shame, she nodded and told the man she agreed. 
 
Later, when Oshun returned home with Oya, she explained what had happened and begged Yemaya to forgive her. “I understand why you made this great sacrifice,” said Yemaya. “You did it to save our sister. You made the bargain to free her. You have nothing to be ashamed of. We’ll speak no more of it.”
 
Oya’s captor refused the copper coins that Oshun had saved to pay the ransom, so Oshun and Yemaya decided they would give these coins to Oya to decorate her crown. They melted some coins and made copper bracelets for her. This is how they showed their love for her, and their happiness in having her home again. From that day forward, Oya wore 9 copper bangles that her sisters made for her.

​Olofi heard about what had happened to the sisters, and he decided visit them. First, he recognized Oshun’s sacrifice, making her the owner of all the rivers. “This will be your territory now, Oshun, no one can take it from you. You’ll be wealthy and powerful never have to worry again about making ends meet,” he explained.  Olofi also wanted to reward Yemaya for being so hard working and looking after her sisters for so many years.  “You’ll be the owner of the ocean,” he told her. “The ocean will be your source of power and wealth, so you can always provide for yourself and your sisters.”
 
A long silence followed as Oya stood in the shadows and waited to see if Olofi would recognize her.  “What about Oya?” cried Oshun at last. “What can you give her? She must reign over something, too.” 
 
Olofi’s heart was softened, but he shook his head sadly.  “There’s nothing left, I’ve given it all away,” he said. “But there is one place that doesn’t have an owner, and that’s the gates of the cemetery. Would Oya want this?”
 
Oya accepted to show gratitude to Olofi and to her sisters who helped free her from the captors. She became very powerful in her own right, as the one who monitors all the comings and goings of the world of the living and the world of the dead. She sets the boundaries between the two worlds, and makes sure everyone stays in their proper place. Any coming and going between the two worlds takes place under her watchful eye. Since that day, Oya has been the guardian of the gates of the cemetery, and the living pay tribute to her by leaving a few copper coins at the gate whenever they visit the cemetery. 

​Ochosi was a very skilled hunter and proud of his skill with the bow and arrow. But, he was very frustrated in his attempts to kill a deer because every time he tried to shoot arrows at the deer, they fell short of the target. The forest was very dense and so many trees and bushes separated Ochosi from his prey, he could never get close enough to the deer to bring him down with his arrows. The people of the town depended on Ochosi to provide them with meat, so they were all suffering from great hunger. Every day, he returned without a deer, and people were starting to become desperate.
 
“If only I could get closer to the deer,” he thought, “I’m sure my arrow would bring him down.” But, alas, Ochosi had no tools he could use to clear the forest.

​Ogun, his brother, was also trying to capture a deer by digging holes and covering them up with bushes, hoping the deer would fall in. Ogun had a great talent for mechanics and engineering. He was skilled at making iron tools, but he wasn’t quick and stealthy like his brother. He couldn’t stalk the animals silently. They always heard him coming, so they stayed away from his traps. Every day, he returned home empty handed as well. 
 
“What’s wrong with my traps?” he thought. “I’m sure I’ve used my tools correctly to build a good trap. If only the animals would fall in!”

There was a lot of rivalry between Ogun and Ochosi, especially in terms of who would be able to kill the deer to provide food for the people. They both tried their best, but neither of them was ever successful. Each one asked himself constantly, “how can I kill the deer?”  They couldn’t imagine what they were doing wrong.
 
Finally, they decided to go see Orúnmila,  the great diviner, to see if he could help them understand the problem. Orúnmila told them that it was the fault of Elegua, who was envious of them. Elegua felt left out. He didn't want Ogun and Ochosi to do things without him, so he was causing them to have problems whenever they went hunting. Orúnmila advised them to offer ebbo to Elegua in the forest, and ask Elegua to help them accomplish their goal.

When Ogun and Ochosi reached the place in the forest where they were going to leave their offering, they saw a large deer there. Ogun froze in his tracks and didn’t move, afraid he would chase the deer away. Ochosi quietly advanced, took aim and let the arrow fly. It hit the deer, and the animal fell down dead. 
 
“Hurray!” shouted Ogun. “Now the people of the town will have food. Everyone will be able to eat deer meat tonight.”
 
Ochosi looked doubtful. He saw that the undergrowth was very thick and there was no way for him to reach the deer carcass to retrieve it. He had killed the deer, but the meat would be left to spoil if he couldn’t reach the spot where the deer lay.
 
“What can I do?” he asked Ochosi.  “My arrow flew through that space, but I can’t. I have to go on foot, and there’s no place for me to walk.”

​Ogun realized at that moment that he could help his brother by using his machete to clear a path. As he swung his strong arm to cut through the brush, he encouraged Ochosi to follow in his steps so together they could get to the deer, take it home, and feed the people of the town with the meat. Thanks to Elegua, the brothers understood that they need to work together. Each one recognized his strengths and limitations. They saw that together they could do more than either one could do alone.
 
That day, they made a pact to always work together. This pataki explains why Ogun, Ochosi and Elegua always live together as inseparable friends and brothers. Together, we know them as “the warriors.” The moral of the story is that cooperation and collaboration accomplish more than rivalry and envy. When strong forces join together, they are invincible.