A man by the name of “Aigboran” existed a long time ago. He tied the knot with a stunning woman whom he adored and revered as if she were a god. Everyone in the “Ojutaye” village was aware that Aigboran’s wife was the village’s most beautiful woman.
Instead of being content with his luck, the man started keeping an eye on his wife around the village because she was so beautiful. Aaye,” the pretty wife, was a trader who, like other women in that village, sold beans. She was frequently mocked by a lot of the men in the village.
One day, while Aaye was passing with her calabash of beans, one of Aigboran’s closest friends was playing aayo olopon with other groups of men. He called out, “Aaye, Eewa re nda mi lorun… ma ta ewa fun mi, eewa re ni mo fe ra, se wa taa fun mi? Aaye, your beauty is captivating me; don’t sell me beans; I want to buy your beauty; will you sell it to me?
The group of men made fun of Aaye and refused to pay her. Everyone insisted that such a beautiful woman was not meant for just one man, but the woman carried her calabash and left crying. The husband, Aigboran, was informed of the rumor about what took place between the men and Aaye. He then decided to pay more attention. He counseled a botanist and requested that he put “magun” (thunderclap) on his significant other.
He ignored the herbalist’s advice to refrain from such wicked behavior. Aigboran proceeded towards Orunmila. However, Orunmila consulted Ifa and reassured Aigboran that his wife was not having an extramarital affair, despite Orunmila’s assertion that he could never assist Aigboran in such heinous deeds. Aigboran didn’t trust Orunmila; He wanted to make absolutely certain that no one in the village was having sex with his wife. Aigboran did not heed any of Orunmila’s warnings.
He went to Esu, who gave him an answer for his concern. When Aaye went to sell beans, Esu taught Aigboran how to remove his eyes and stuck it on her calabash. Aigboran did so whenever his wife was not present to ensure that his gaze followed hers. At the point when she returns, he would eliminate his eyes from the calabash and put it in their attachments once more. That implies Aigboran would be visually impaired until his significant other return from her exchanging.
Aaye sold her beans and calabash to a man who wanted to perform a ritual one fateful day. Because the man gave her a lot of money, she was glad to sell. When her husband asked from inside the room when she got home, she started counting her money.
“Aye, me, Ni bo ni Igba ewa re wa?” What exactly am I?
(Aaye, dear, where is your can of beans? I’m looking for my eyes.)
Aaye cheerfully and innocently informed the husband that she had sold her beans and calabash for a significant sum. Aigboran let out a loud scream and began to weep heavily. He told his wife how he used to take his eyes off of Aaye when she went out to sell things.
Since she was unable to locate the individual who purchased the calabash, Aaye ran away from her husband, fearing that he had lost his sight.
Aigboran was helped to Orunmila’s house by a good Samaritan, but Orunmila explained everything to him in plain English: Ti aba ri Aaye, O leri oju re o”. Airi oju re, lowo Aaye lowa” (you can’t get your eyes because they are in Aaye’s hands if we can’t find Aaye). This is how Esu laalu brought Airoju Airaye into people’s lives to this day. Since Aaye could not be found anywhere in the village or nearby, Aigboran remained blind until his death.
This led to the Yoruba Kingdom’s well-known saying, “Airoju Airaye,” which is still used whenever there is trouble or chaos to this day.
Key Words and Their Meanings in Yoruba
- Aaye: A Yoruba word for Alive or space.
- Aigboran: Disobedience
- Ojutaye : The name of the village. Ojutaye means an open space that can be viewed by everybody around.
- Ayo Olopon: An indoor game in the Yoruba culture.
- Magun (thunderbolt): The Yoruba traditional uses this thing on a woman to detect if the woman is promiscuous. If such woman had been laid with thunderbolt, the man having a sexual affair with the woman will die immediately after the sexual act.