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Ikú (Death)

Ikú solves the mystery of Death. Ikú is death in the sense of loss of emí or life sustaining breath, the end of terrestrial life but unlike Egúngún, it was one of the beings in Òrun that came to Aiyé.

Ikú was assigned the task of ending peoples life. The great difference between these beings are also understandable through the Òdù Ifá, where Ikú manifest in the family of Òdú related to Oyekun while Egúngún manifested in the Òdù Oturupon Méji.

Ikú further has a very different role in creation than Egúngún. Ikú is an Irúnmalè from the left side and consequently in the strict sense and ebora in the sense of being a “child” of these spirits.

Like them, he is a warrior and is represented by a òpá or Kùmòn, the symbol that also makes a part of the emblems of Obàlúaiyé. The Kùmòn is a packet in the shape of club approximately 30 cm, in all, sometimes with a head carved from this full wood that vaguely is representing a cranium. It is at the same time an emblem powerful and dangerous as it serves to kill… He is not found in any fixed place but is roaming around everywhere in the world to do his work…

Ikú is deeply related to the origin of the human race on earth: “When Olórun was looking for a suitable material to create human beings, all the ebora went to look for it. They brought different things but none of them were suitable. They went to take the mud but it cried and shed tears. None of the ebora would then take a bit of it. But Ikú Òjègbè-Alàsó-Òna came out and took a bit of the mud – eerúpé – and was not merciful to its weeping.

He took it to Olódúmaré who asked Òrísàlá and Olùgama to mould it and He himself breezed into it. But Olódùmarè said to Ikú that, because he was the one who took out a bit of mud, he will have to replace it there anytime – that is why Ikú takes us back to mud each time.

Source By: Olafisoye Ibukun John

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