by Hiáli R. Quiñonez
"What is this coming up from the desert / like a column of smoke, / breathing of myrrh and frankincense / and every perfume the merchant knows? / See, it is the litter of Solomon. / Around it are sixty champions, / the flower of the warriors of Israel; / all of them skilled swordsmen, / veterans of battle. / Each man has sword at his side, / against alarms by night. / King Solomon/ has made himself a throne / of wood from Lebanon. / The posts he made of silver, / the canopy / of gold, / the seat of purple; / the back is inlaid with ebony. / Daughters of Zion, / come and see / King Solomon, / wearing the / diadem with which his mother crowned him / on his wedding day, / on the day of his heart's joy."
The story is told in the voice of a warrior; an understanding of love from the aggressive human experience. Stories which depict human nature at its most basic can be found enmeshed in mythologies all around the world. Humans conjure these tales in order to explain what they do not understand and, quite possibly, to find an identity in this world.
The Yoruba people of SW Nigeria, some of whom were brought to the Americas in the late 1800's with their own distinct cultural worldviews, were a minority group and relative new arrival. But, their strong cosmopolitan organisation allowed them to exert a great deal of influence over other agrarian-oriented African societies that were mostly rural and spread out. The urbanite Yoruba asserted a strong cultural presence and became greatly influential within Caribbean Creole society.
Yoruba mythology is based on a people who began at Ife, where the Staff of Oranmiyan marks the point "Obatala came down to the Earth". Obatala is one of many Orisha deities thought to rule over certain aspects of nature. Symbolically, we can say that Obatala is like light, a prism would be like Esu and the visible spectrum, produced when that light was shone through the prism, would be the many different Orisha energies that existed in Nature. The Orisha are colour-coded entities who together, as an anthropomorphised group, represent the "face" of Olodumare, or "God"; "God" being 'that which we cannot think of'. Each one of these Orisha "energies" is said to hold sway over a particular aspect of Nature. As such, each has a multitude of symbols and ideas that go along with it. The mythology behind each delineate, in symbolic terms, just how the Universe works. The stories describe Orisha doing different things to and with each other, good and bad. This is Nature and the Orisha are simply reflecting that; their symbology aligned in similar fashion as any other religious system that employs symbols to explain "natural" things more efficiently.
Yoruba mythologies were more than likely, wholly or partially, based on earlier myths propagated by Oromo people. Oromo were the indigenous people of the East African empire of Kush, later known as Oromiyaa. Their language was called Oromiffa. The staff of Oranmiyan (a corruption of the word "Oromiyaa") signals the arrival of "Oduduwaa", child of "Lamurudu" ("Nimrod", the hypothetical son of "Cush").
Yoruba mythologies would change, yet again, during and after the enslavement period in the Americas. Some of the myths survived Maafa intact; others were modified to suit the new social arrangement. Myths from other tribes were sometimes merged along common denominators and whole new stories, reflecting the current state of affairs, were born. As mythological tales have all ways done: the Yoruba described their current state and worldview in symbols, the easiest way to share belief with others more efficiently.
"Orisha Ogun was a medicinal Deity associated with the creation of technology. He was considered to be a wild and dangerous warrior whose gruff, aggressive nature caused him to often miss out on love. When he wasn't out warring with the world, he'd spend most of his days and nights in the forest, building and constructing. One day, Ogun became infuriated with his fellow villagers. He felt he did not receive enough recognition for his role in the creation of Civilisation. After having several arguments, he disappeared deep into the forests vowing never to return. No sooner did he depart, when all the wheels of civilisation came to a screeching halt. The villagers begged the other Orisha to plea before Olodumare, the "Owner of the Sky", so that Ogun might come back to the village. They lamented taking him for granted.
Olodumare suggested that Oshun, the smallest and daintiest of all the Orisha, go and bring him back. The Orisha laughed at the thought of such a young, beautiful woman bringing back this wild man from the forest. What kind of powers could such a small, young lady like Oshun possibly possess? All the Orisha could do amazing things: Shango moved the thunder, Yemaya stirred the seas, Oya could even manipulate the wind at will. But, what could the guardian of the river possibly do?!
So it was. Oshun set out to the forest dressed in a beautiful white cotton dress; amber and gold scarves billowed behind her as she walked. Sensuous cavorts caused her cowrie-laced braids to punctuate in rhythmic snaps. Her gold bangles elevated the rhythms of her body and song. On her head, a pot of sweet-tasting honey. Oshun continued her dance along the perimetre of the forest, following the sound of Ogun's heavy hammer hitting the anvil. Before entering the woods, Oshun reached out and dropped sweet confections and cowries at the foot of the guardians of the forest, Esu Aroni and Osanyin. She made her way up to the middle of a clearing, where she began to intensify her alluring dance. Oshun twirled and sang her beautiful songs to Nature. Her 5 scarves moved effortlessly about, caressing her every enticing move. As Ogun peered through the brushes at this bedazzling creature, her dance seemed to freshly define each passing moment.
"What is it that causes me to get so enamoured with this gorgeous creature whose stunning body moves with such a harmonious flow?", he thought.
Ogun was mesmerised. Oshun drew closer and closer, his eyes remained fixated with hers. She reached out and slathered some of her sweet-tasting honey across his lips. It was like nothing he'd ever had before. Ogun was now suddenly caught in the moment with this wondrous creature. Time seemed to flow with a rhythm he'd never experienced before. Without missing a beat, Ogun lovingly followed this amazing woman back into the village where he was welcomed by all his former villagers. Oshun's loving embrace brought the mighty Ogun back from obscurity and into the fold. As long as Oshun remained close to Ogun, civilisation could go on."
Culture, symbolically represented by Oshun, is what gives distinction to the cold, pragmatic routines which define our interactive civilisation; more specifically, love and appreciation... civility. This concept can be found across many world cultures, as religious mythology diverges with people when they move across the globe and across time. The concept of culture "bringing meaning to Life" is synonymous with human ways. We give meaning to Life because our reasoning minds seek it, much like electric Ogun is caught in the force field of magnetic Oshun.
In the third poem from King Solomon's "Song of Songs", a warrior is coming to terms with the essence of beauty and love. The first lines read: "What is this coming up from the desert / like a column of smoke, / breathing of myrrh and frankincense / and every perfume the merchant knows?" *Beauty* rises from the Earth, heralding the beginning of culture and aesthetic appreciation ("like a column of smoke"). The effect of beauty is described from the perspective of the ever-seeking warrior/hunter whose world is one of trade ("breathing of myrrh and frankincense") and reflects his own personal experience ("and every perfume the merchant knows"). Beauty, here, is an assault on the senses; described as an alien erotic pleasure, previously unknown. As with Ogun, it is love as lust, not yet a reasonable and useful love, which is what it becomes by the end of the tale. Ogun, a quasi-god with frailties like all the others, learns humility and control in the face of Love.
Beauty's draw, in the "Song of Songs" excerpt, is likened to power ("See, it is the litter of Solomon. / Around it are sixty champions, / the flower of the warriors of Israel; / all of them skilled swordsmen, / veterans of battle. / Each man has sword at his side, / against alarms by night. "). The allure of feminine, internal power is described in terms of masculine, external energy. The attractive principle present in this act of temptation is what achieves a working balance, much like "Oshun remained close to Ogun" so that "civilisation could go on".
The allusion to power is present throughout the "Song of Songs". It is purportedly King Solomon telling the story. Human cultures branch off from whomever populates successfully, an "originator" who influences possible propagation of their own particular beliefs, along with their genes. In this case, King Solomon is relating this encounter with his own experience.
Development into a distinct culture is a product of evolution. The next few lines in the same poem describe and delineate the process as it unfolds: "King Solomon/ has made himself a throne / of wood from Lebanon." Representational objects elucidate: "The posts he made of silver, / the canopy / of gold, / the seat of purple; / the back is inlaid with ebony." The posts are silver, a pure metal, representative of the technology with which warrior/hunters originally formed society. The canopy of gold crowns a successful civilisation. Gold, itself, is viewed in many cultures worldwide as a metal of beauty. It is representative of the art which makes life more enjoyable beyond the mundane. This might also include the art of erotica and appreciation of beautiful moments with people, places and things. The "seat" being "purple" anoints royalty and signifies the philosopher-king. This seat might also represent a central hub of culture based on socialising in a civilised and sophisticated, well-thought manner. The "back is inlaid with ebony" alludes to the East African roots of his people.
The first few lines spoke of warrior/hunters being introduced to "beauty", followed by the introduction to the actual feminine force. The conclusion is the blossoming of beauty into a culture of mores and rules. "Daughters of Zion, / come and see / King Solomon, / wearing the / diadem with which his mother crowned him / on his wedding day, / on the day of his heart's joy." It culminates with a harkening of the ancestral mothers, the source of their power, to bless the universal order of masculine and feminine polarities, the energies which both men and women have. Men have feminine qualities, as much as women have masculine ones. The Yin/Yang symbol of Chinese culture shows a balance of energies, with each one carrying a piece of the other within itself.
The "wedding day", described as the "day of his heart's joy", is civility empowered and guarded by the "Daughters of Zion", women. In the Ogun myth, Oshun is the keeper of Ifá, the most high Oracle in the Orisha tradition. She is the confidante of Esu, a trickster Deity who embodies ashé (chi, for those familiar). Oshun is the only one who can lead and hold Ogun in place for she is bestowed with the cohesive ability to manipulate and sustain emotion; something that Ogun often operates instinctively on. In many societies of the not-too-distant past, a woman's power was duly recognised as being equal to that of a man, in strength and wit.
copyright 1994
