OZIDI EPIC OF NIGERIA: PART SIX

FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE. FOR PART TWO CLICK HERE. FOR PART THREE CLICK HERE. FOR PART FOUR CLICK HERE. FOR PART FIVE CLICK HERE.

PART SIX – Corresponding with the one-day hiatus from the story tellers and singers performing the Ozidi Epic, our hero has been sleeping after slaying Badoba. Tall Badoba was the latest of his father’s killers to meet their end at the hands of Ozidi the Younger. Only the leader of the murderers remained – Ofe.

At the end of the previous installment, cowardly and treacherous Ofe had fled Orua in hopes of escaping Ozidi’s wrath. Overnight, however, he realized that Ozidi would never abandon his revenge quest because he had to slay every single one of his father’s killers in order to free Ozidi the Elder’s spirit from the deadlands limbo in which it was imprisoned.

Ofe glumly returned to Orua and sought shelter in his home. Meanwhile, at the home of Ozidi’s uncle King Temugedege, the mentally unfit ruler installed as a puppet by the murderers of Ozidi the Elder, it was time for Ozidi the Younger to wake up.

Our hero’s mother Orea and his sorceress grandmother Oreame fed him breakfast until he was full. Then it was time once again to go into action, so Ozidi reached down his throat and pulled out of his mouth his sword made of lightning, his battle clothing, his musicians and attendants plus his spear and other weapons. He pulled out his monkey and lizard, too.

As Ozidi walked Ado, the capitol of Orua, the people all grabbed their children and fled into the jungle to avoid being caught in the fallout of the battle between Ozidi and Ofe.

Now, the entire narrative reveals it has tricked us – a heretofore unrevealed participant in the murder of Ozidi the Elder – Ebeya – emerges to fight our hero before he can move on to Ofe. The reason for this being a secret foe for Ozidi the Younger is that it means Oreame has made no mystical preparations or weapons for dealing with him.   

The fighting between Ozidi and Ebeya made incredible noises and at its end, Ebeya had our hero down and ready to be finished off. Amusingly enough, it’s apparently a multicultural trope for villains to hesitate and become all talky when they should just finish off their foe once and for all.

Ebeya began calling for all the citizens in hiding to come back into town and witness his destruction of Ozidi. Then, while boasting to the villagers, Ebeya also taunted Oreame for being unprepared for him.

Crafty Oreame may not have possessed any magic that could harm Ebeya but she could still affect him in other ways. She crushed a magic gourd underfoot and this made Ebeya feel sweaty and hot all over. The villain ran off to the river to cool himself but as soon as he came back to kill Ozidi, the sweats and heat would drive him back to the river again and again.   

At length, Ozidi was fully recovered and took the battle to Ebeya. He dove into the river and renewed their battle. Both vanished underwater until at length Ozidi alone emerged, with his foe’s decapitated head in his hand.

Following that turn of events, Ebeya’s wife, family and underlings filed out of his home and surrendered to Ozidi. Our hero then destroyed Ebeya’s home so that nothing but ruins remained.

Ofe had lost his courage again and fled. Oreame, growing as tired of this as we are, began casting spells to help her find the villain and force him to show himself for a final battle with Ozidi. 

I ‘LL PICK UP NEXT TIME WITH THE CONTINUATION OF THIS EPIC MYTH FROM AFRICA.