ALÁÀFIN

HE sits on the royal armchair made from a mansonia wood, of which its seat is wrapped with tiger’s hide, its spindle is covered with elephant’s skin while its manchette is overlaid with the skin of a leopard.

This royal armchair that his great grandfathers sat on for ages which has become the sacred seat of the gods in the days and of the witches in the nights. With his bare hands, Kábíesí eats with the witches and breaks sacred kolanuts with the gods.

His royal apparel is gods’ own hand-weaved, the shoes he wears are made from anaconda’s thick skin, and only a Serbian horse was too expensive enough to bequeath his tail for his royal tassel he holds in his hand.

The ancient beaded crown he wears worth the entire ocean. The beaded crown Ọ̀rànmíyàn inherited from Odùduwà which he wore till he ascended to heaven.

Aláàfin Ikú-Bàbá-Yèyé, the spiritual triad of the encompassment of the death, the wizard and the witch. The sacred triad of the death, and patriarch of the deities, and the matriarch of the queens of the brass gongs.

His eyes spit fire, his mouth roars thunder and his nostrils breathe winds. No man can survive his gorgonic stare when he is enraged. No doubt, he takes the prostrates of other kings; no doubt, with his bare hands, he dines and wines with the witches and the deities.

Odùduwà begot Ọ̀kànbí,

Ọ̀kànbí begot Ọ̀rànmíyàn,

Ọ̀rànmíyàn begot Ikú-Bàbá-Yèyé,

Aláàfin Ọ̀yọ́, the son of the death, the grandson of the plague, and the only living deity in their flesh.

All hail his royal highness,

Ọba Lamidi Adeyẹmi,

All hail Aláàfin Òòsà,

Kí àdé ó pẹ́ l’órí,

Kí bàtà ó pẹ́ l’ẹ́sẹ̀,

Kí àṣẹ ó pẹ́ l’ẹ́nu kánrin késẹ.

(Celebrating 50th royalship of Ọba Lamidi Adeyẹmi Aláàfin of Ọ̀yọ́)