Tales Of Rivalry
After Sango accepts this defeat he transcends and directs his motions in the sky using his axe, he heads home, to his kingdom, to his many wives and merriments, he was known for his partying.
But that was not the first god-mode battle between Shango and Ogun.
Adapted from the tales my grandmother used to tell me as a kid, about the origin of the bitter rivalry between the two orisha... I will tell the story from Shango's perspective as the narrator.
Follow my words carefully as a click trails its mother mortal, for I shall not repeat myself, I am Shango the stone hurler, son of Oranyan the conqueror and great-grandson of the legendary Oduduwa, having these illustrious Sirs as my forebear had never daunted me in the least, I choose my destiny when I earned my battleaxe Oshe the shameless biter in my eighteen showers of rain, and with it, I killed a god in my twentieth, I became emperor in my early thirties and ascended as an Orisha before I was forty... Tell me why Ogun of Ire will not be jealous of me.
My fame as a mortal increased more as an Orisha, and a large portion of Ogun's warriors began to take me as their patron god, the war god was not happy to share, unlike the rest of the Orisha he saw me for who I was, power-hungry, spoilt and vain. I threw parties in my brass palace in the sky, and broke protocols by mingling with the mortals during festivals, womanizer goddesses, and mortal women, If my life as a mortal was careless, It increased tenfold as an Orisha for the first hundred years as an immortal were filled with debauched and carousing.
He steadfastly ignored me like a pestilent until Dada, the impish Orisha of mischief, brought about our first conflict. Dada the impish god of rebellious children, son of Aroni the one-legged Orisha of the forest, and Aja the lady of the wild, and patron of the forest folks, was a source of constant grief to his parents for unlike his celebrated elder brother, Ososhi the hero-god of hunters, he was the black sheep, bringing nothing but trouble to his parents' doorstep.
One day he stole into Ogun's forge under Ire to steal his pet dog on a dare by Lanroye, whom he takes as mentor despite his mother's warnings, a beautiful creature coveted by all, with furs of delicate brass and teeth of silver.
Ogun hated most things but he hated thieves most of all, for woe betide any mortal accused of stealing. Who swear falsely in his presence, his retribution was swift and terrible, such was his wrath when he caught Dada in the act, for he bounded the impish deity with chains of fire till his piteous cries reached his mother's ears.
Dada had trespassed unto another god's dominion without permission, and there was little his parents could do about it, for even Aroni the Great must obey the laws of Obatala, Aroni sent emissaries to ransom Dada from Ogun but he declined and and said Dada will stay and serve him for a thousand years, maybe he would grow out of his impish nature by then, the forest god had no choice but to agree. A mother will always be a mother, be she the mother of a monster, Aja did not agree for her heart yearned after her boy, and she petitioned her case before Obatala but found no solace in his answers, she then went crying to Orunmila the Orisha of wisdom.
"Orunmila the far-sighted, custodian of the Ifa Oracle, she cried "I implore you to wipe a mother of her tears, the gods have decided to let Ogun keep my boy for a mere prank forgetting the said culprit is but a child condemned to turtore for a hundred years, is this the Justice Obatala claimed to uphold?
"Peace woman, for a parent that refused to train his/her child in the morning, will surely be sore-hearted at the end of the day; Orunmila chastened, "Dada, is an Orisha, and despite his age should not be compared to a human child. He knows the consequences of breaking the laws of Obatala, Ogun was in his right and you are to blame for not putting your child in check, what is a hundred years to an Orisha? Woman and before you know it, you will be with your son again, hopefully, more mature and disciplined.
And away she went, weeping from the oracle deity's presence and came upon Lanroye the trickster.
"Lady Aja, why do you shed tears enough to drown a village." He said.
"Away from me spidery one, have you not caused me enough grief? Here you are to mock me after leading my boy array, be gone from my side else you will never find solace in my forests for all eternity."
"Fair lady why to blame me for your son's atrocities when a child traps a grass cutter, he eats alone, when he traps a bush rat, he also eats it alone, but when he traps Oran the mother of all troubles, he brings it home to his parents, never mistake persuasion for compulsion good woman for they are two things, what has happened has happened, but instead find a solution to the issue at hand."
Lanroye, smooth tongue finally convinced her to seek the only one bold enough to confront the dreaded god, the only one reckless enough to defy Obatala's law. Me!
She made straight for my realm of storms and met my manservant, Osumare the rainbow deity. Ere his giant rainbow python around his shoulders, told her where to find me, on Earth partying with my followers accompanied by Obembe my bard, and Biri the lord of the Night.
"Greetings Aja, mistress of the forest folk, gnomes and tree spirits, how fared Aroni your lord husband, I hailed as she approached my party. She felled on her knees and cried much to my discomfort.
"Shango OluKoso, lord husband of the tempest Oya, the lord with the fiery eyes whose spittle is flames, they said you are the champion of the oppressed, where were you when my son Dada was snatched from my helpless hands.