Revelation: an account of a West African creation myth.
Chapter 1, Verse 1.
Man was created when the divinity known as Ọbàtálá had an issue with Olódùmarè. The fight was so heated that Olódùmarè had to escape for his safety after receiving advice to flee from Ọrúnmìlà (the god of wisdom and intelligence) .
2. In search of a place to habit, he came upon a place "Maikiuri" (Mercury) not too far from the heavens, but it was so close to the sun that his skin burnt and his hair fell off that he became dark skinned.
3. Orùnmilà being all knowing and sensing “Maikiuri” was the more logical place Olódùmarè would go and knowing Obatala having control over the sun, would smite him with the power of heat, sent a raven (èiye) to advice Olódùmarè to leave Maikuiri at once and go to a place so dark and desolate.
4. Orùnmilà gave Olódùmarè gifts of three stones, a sack of wine and a burning torch to travel with.
5. When Olódùmarè came upon this new land, the clouds were good and the air fresh. But it was covered with darkness and water that he couldn't see a thing. He threw his torch into the deep and it fell upon the waters, the fire burnt out the water and “aiye” (earth) appeared.
6.There he settled.
7. It was a new place. He was devastated with the loneliness and all the memories of the gold, music, company, power, influence and celestial comfort he was missing that, he drank himself to stupor.
8. He cried out in anger so much so that the heavens became loose and cried alongside him. It was the very first day he had seen the sky shed tears as it poured down on him overpowering his very own pain.
9. Olódùmarè was alone and the wine could not cure his loneliness and so he thought of creating company.
10. He created Eniyan and breathed life into him. He looked at him and saw that what he had made was perfect and beautiful and to his delight. He drank some more and in his inebriation he created Obinrin.
11. The very style of his craftsmanship was stolen to liquor that he did not notice the flaws.
12. From then on, the woman would bleed from the mistakes in her biology, her chest was swollen and the breath Olódùmarè had breathed into her, was contaminated with wine such that the energy of a god was missing in her.
13. The flaws made her weaker but kinder, slow but gentle.
14. Olódùmarè had made so many mistakes, that he even forgot to cover the hole inbetween her legs from whence he had breathed life up her chest.
15. “Obatala” having seen this huge progress Olódùmarè had made over a short period of time, became jealous and insecure, so he created chaos among Olódùmarè and his crafts.
16. In an evensong, one morning Eniyan called out to Olódùmarè to see how big the three stones he had come down with, had grown so big into becoming rocks by absorbing lots of the earth's water, air and heat.
17. When Eniyan and Olódùmarè approached the mid eastern part of “aiye” where he Olódùmarè had left the stones, he saw nothing. He turned to Eniyan to ask where the stones he had left were. Eniyan having grown so big and having the full strength and energy of a god lifted the rocks from the sand that had covered it and buried Olódùmarè with all three.
18. “Obatala” impressed with Eniyan promised him life after death and a reward of all the riches Olódùmarè had left in heaven.
The End.
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