This particular urban legend that I'm going to talk about is not from my locality. I was privileged to learn about it on one of my work trips to Ile Ife. You see, Ile Ife is a town located in Osun state. It is also known as the ancestral home of the Yorubas, a tribe located in the Western part of Nigeria. Although, there are some of them in Kwara State located at the Northern (North-central) part of Nigeria. But this particular story is said to have happened at Osun state, Ile Ife precisely.
Touching down at Ile Ife, I had a hard time communicating with the locals. Once they hear me speak in English, it's an automatic giveaway that I'm a stranger. Thus I'm always given high prices for fare and for food. Seeing how I was going with the locals and how I was being cheated, I got on my Facebook and posted that I needed a local at Ile Ife to be my guide and act as a medium between the locals and I.
From that post, I got a girl and we started working together. On one of our trips to the teaching hospital for the project that took me there, we drove past a place that I haven't seen since I was at Ife. The place was gated, looked really clean with small pots lined up on the stairs.
Tracing the pot up the stairs, my eyes were greeted with a giant gold statue of a woman. The statue had one hand up holding a symbol of authority (staff). I was intrigued by the sight of the statue and kept looking back even after we drove past.
I got really interested in it but before I could ask the girl with me what the statue is all about, she started giving me the load down.
According to her, the Statue is the monument of Queen Moremi, the wife of Oranmiyan who was a son to Oduduwa. She said that it's the tallest statue in Nigeria and the fourth tallest in Africa. She also informed me that it's state of the art with international recognition as well.
All those weren't really my concern as I quickly asked what the story was. She smiled and then said in admiration, Queen Moremi liberated our people at a time when it seemed we had no hope. I listened with wrapped attention as she narrated the story to me.
The story
During the time of Moremi, Ife became a target to a certain tribe who came to invade their village wearing raffia palm fronds. No one knew where they came from or how they came about and because of their appearance, they were called bush people.
They appeared frightful and could be likened to a masquerade. The people of Ife thought them to be spirits because of how swiftly they move in the Raffia palm fronds.
Whenever these bush people raid and invade Ife, they take back with them foodstuffs, properties and livestock. They also capture some of the locals and take them back to their hometown as slaves. There was nothing Ife warriors could do as they weren't even sure if the invaders were humans.
In no time, the king became troubled and this prompted Queen Moremi to act fast before it's too late. She sought the help of an Oracle who directed her to a river goddess. Desperate to save her people, the Queen pledged a great sacrifice to the River goddess if she helps her rescue and free her people from raids and captivity.
The goddess agreed and instructed Moremi to disguise herself as a commoner on the next raid and allow them to capture her as a slave. Again, according to the story, Moremo was an epitome of beauty. Thus, it wasn't hard for the king of her captors to pick interest in her and ultimately marry her.
Moremi used her beauty to her advantage and extracted all the secrets of the bush people from the king. It was then that she knew they weren't spirits and fire set on their palm fronds could defeat them.
After gathering all the needed information, the Queen escaped back to Ife and told them about all her findings. Thus, the next time Ife was invaded, the people were ready and waiting for the bush people with flaming touches of which they used it to set ablaze the palm fronds the invaders were wearing. Ladies and gentlemen that was how the people of Ife chased the invaders away and became free.
Celebrations abound as the Queen reunited with her husband. After the jubilation and merriment, she paid a visit to the river goddess with the best of material things to show her appreciation but to her horrification, the river goddess rejected all the items she had brought and demanded for her son as an appeasement sacrifice instead.
Oh! Moremi was saddened, she pleaded with the river goddess to ask for something else and spare her only child but the goddess refused. Moremi had no choice but to offer her son, her only child, to the goddess as a sacrifice. Seeing how devastated she was after the whole ordeal, the people of Ife offered themselves to her as her children even in death.
Listening to this story, I felt a certain rush of emotions. I do not know how true the story is, but a parent's love or loyalty shouldn't be tested with their children.
Do I believe the story? To some extent I do, I really do not want to think that the people of Ife will go through all the rigours to idolise and immortalise a con artist.
Above is my response to the Inleo prompt, you can participate Here
