Àjàpá rẹ Erin sílẹ̀ – “Ìjàlọ ò lè jà, ó lè bọ́ ṣòkòtò ni idi òmìrán”: The Tortoise humbled the Elephant – “Soldier ant cannot fight, but can cause the giant to remove pant”.

Erin jẹ ẹranko ti Ọlọrun da lọ́lá pẹlu titobi rẹ ninu igbo. Yorùbá ni “Koríko ti Erin bá ti tẹ̀, àtẹ̀gbé ni láyé”, oko ti Erin bá wọ̀, olóko bẹ wọ igbèsè tori ibajẹ ti o ma ṣẹlẹ̀ si irú oko bẹ. Gbogbo ẹranko bọ̀wọ̀ fún Erin, nitori Kìnìún ọlọ́là ijù kò lè pa Erin.

Bi Erin ti tóbi tó, ni ó gọ̀ tó. Ni ọjọ́ kan, gbogbo ẹranko pe ìpàdé lati pari ìjà fún Kọ̀lọ̀kọ̀lọ̀ àti Kìnìún. Kọ̀lọ̀kọ̀lọ̀ ni bi ohun ba pa ẹran, Kìnìún a fi ògbójú gba ẹran yi jẹ. Kàkà ki Erin da ẹjọ́ pẹ̀lú òye, ṣe ló tún dá kun. Ìhàlẹ̀ àti ìgbéraga ni àwùjọ yi bi awọn ẹranko yoku ninu. O bi Kọ̀lọ̀kọ̀lọ̀ ninu to bẹ gẹ ti kò lè fọhùn. Àjàpá nikan lo dide lati fún Erin ni èsì ọ̀rọ̀, ṣùgbọ́n gbogbo ẹranko yoku bú si ẹ̀rín nitori wọn fi ojú di Àjàpá. Dipo ki Àjàpá panumọ́, ó pe erin níjà.

Ni ọjọ́ ìjà, Erin kò múra nitori ó mọ̀ pé bi Àjàpá ti kéré tó, bi ohun bá gbé ẹsẹ̀ le, ọ̀run lèrọ̀. Àjàpa mọ̀ pé ohun ko ni agbára, nitori eyi, ó dá ọgbọ́n ti yio fi bá Erin jà lai di èrò ọ̀run. Àjàpá ti pèsè, agbè mẹta pẹlu ìgbẹ́, osùn àti ẹfun ti yio dà lé Erin lóri lati dójú ti. Ó tọ́jú awọn agbè yi si ori igi nitosi ibi ti wọn ti fẹ́ jà, ó mọ̀ pé pẹ̀lú ibinu erin á jà dé idi ibi ti yio dà le lori.

Awọn ẹranko péjọ lati wòran ijà lãrin Àjàpá àti Erin. Àjàpá mọ̀ pe bi erin bá subú kò lè dide, nigbati ti ijà bẹ̀rẹ̀, ẹhin ni Àjàpá wà ti o ti nsọ òkò ọ̀rọ̀ si erin lati dá inú bi. Pẹ̀lú ibinú, ki ó tó yípadà dé ibi ti Àjàpá wa, Àjàpá a ti kósi lábẹ́, eleyi dá awọn ẹranko lára yá.

: Erin múra ìjà – Elephant charged for a fight. Courtesy: @theyorubablog

: Àjàpá – Tortoise. Courtesy: @theyorubablog

: ẹranko péjọ lati wòran ijà – animals gathered to watch a fight. Courtesy: @theyorubablog

Yorùbá ni “Bi ìyà nla ba gbeni ṣánlẹ̀, kékeré á gorí ẹni” ni ikẹhin, Àjàpá bori erin pẹ̀lú ọgbọ́n, gbogbo ẹranko gbé Àjàpá sókè pẹ̀lú ìdùnnú gun ori ibi ti erin wó si.

Ìtàn Yorùbá yi fihan pé kò si ẹni ti a lè fi ojú di. Ti a bá fẹ́ ka ìtàn yi ni ẹ̀kún rẹ́rẹ́ ni èdè Gẹẹsi, ẹ ṣe àyẹ̀wò rẹ ninu iwé “Yoruba Trickster Tales” ti Oyekan Owomoyela kọ.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

The Elephant, was created by God with her giant status in the forest. As the Yoruba adage goes, “The grass trampled by the Elephant, is destroyed forever”. All animals respect the Elephant, because even a Lion, the king of the forest, cannot kill the Elephant on its own.

The Elephant is as foolish as her big size. One day, all animals gathered to settle a quarrel between the Tiger and the Lion. The Tiger accused the Lion of snatching the prey he had killed. Instead of the Elephant settling this quarrel with wisdom, she added more. Her boasting and pride angered the other animals. The Tiger was so angry that he became dumbfounded. Only the Tortoise got up to respond to the Elephant, but all the other animals busted into laughter because they under-rated the Tortoise. The Tortoise was undeterred but challenged the Elephant to a fight.

On the day of the fight, the Elephant was unprepared because she knew the Tortoise was so small that stamping on the Tortoise with one leg would result to an untimely death. Tortoise realized that she had no strength, hence, she invented the trick to confront the Elephant without ending up with untimely death. Tortoise prepared three gourds, filled with mixture of stool, the other with camwood (that is as red as blood) and the third with lime. He placed the gourds on the nearby trees closest to the venue of the fight, knowing fully that the Elephant out of rage would reach under the trees that would spill the concussion on her.

All the animals gathered to watch the fight between the Tortoise and the Elephant. Tortoise knew that once the Elephant falls, she cannot rise, so he began to taunt her to anger. In anger, before turning around to reach where the Tortoise was taunting, the Tortoise must have gone under her, this entertained the other animals.

According to the Yoruba saying, “When one is fell by small affliction, bigger ones will ride”, in the end, the Tortoise defeated the Elephant with wisdom, all the animals carried the Tortoise shoulder high with joy jumping on the Elephant where she fell.

Lessons from this story are one cannot underrate anyone, wisdom is mightier than might, boasting and pride brings shame etc. To read this story fully in English, check it in the book titled “Yoruba Trickster Tales” written by Oyekan Owomoyela.

Originally posted 2013-10-25 17:02:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Àjàpá rẹ Erin sílẹ̀ – “Ìjàlọ ò lè jà, ó lè bọ́ ṣòkòtò ni idi òmìrán”: The Tortoise humbled the Elephant – “Soldier ant cannot fight, but can cause the giant to remove pant”.

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