Prince Idubor, also known as Arhuanran (sometimes spelled Aruanran), was supposed to be the Oba (King) of Benin because the great kingdom was doing well at the time. However, legend has it that his birthright was given to his younger brother, Esigie, who was born on the same day as Idubor.
How It Happened Oba Ozolua, also known as Ozolua n’Ibaromi (Ozolua the Conqueror), was a significant Oba (king) in the Benin Kingdom’s history. He ruled from 1483 to 1514. Queen Ohonmi, one of Oba Ozolua’s wives, gave birth to a boy named Idubor, who was affectionately referred to as Arhuanran.
Since it was considered taboo at the time to inform the King of the birth of a mute infant, Arhuanran did not cry right away. However, Queen Idia, another wife of Oba Ozolua and the subject of the well-known FESTAC’77 mask, went to bed later that same day. Unlike Queen Ohonmi, however, her newborn son, Osawe, cried right away.
When Oba Ozolua learned of Osawe’s birth, he immediately performed the necessary rites and declared him his first son and crown prince, making Arhuanran (Idubor) the second son.
Arhuanran was constantly depressed as a child because he had been denied his inheritance. Because he believed that a father would never deny his son what he truly owned, he frequently inquired of Queen Ohonmi, his mother, about the king’s true identity.
Actually, Oba Ozolua had two sons before Arhuanran (Idubor) and Osawe, but during the slave trade, oduomomu (child thieves) kidnapped both of them. Idubor matured into a formidable warrior of immense size and strength over time. He was a huge man who could use his hands to cut down palm trees!
Osawe, on the other hand, did not get much experience in combat because he had to go to the Portuguese missionary school instead of joining his father on the battlefield. Arhuanran was made Duke of Udo, the hometown of Oba Ozolua’s mother and the kingdom’s second-largest and most important town at the time, while Osawe was made Edaiken (Oba-in-waiting) of the Benin kingdom. Arhuanran was dissatisfied with his brother’s dominance.
We learned that Prince Osawe succeeded Oba Ozolua as Oba of the Benin kingdom and adopted the title Oba Esigie. Arhuanran tried to make Udo the capital of the Benin kingdom with himself as king when he was Duke (Enogie) of Udo. He refused to be subordinate to his brother, Osawe (now Oba Esigie), and instead tried to make Udo the capital. Within a short period, the two brothers began fighting against one another.
According to oral tradition, Oba Osagie’s mother, Queen Idia, supported him spiritually and thwarted numerous assassination attempts against him. Arhuanran, who was significantly larger and more powerful than Oba Esigie, could have easily killed the latter.
A statue of Arhuaran
Arhuanran traveled to Uroho village to learn black magic from an elderly sorceress, Iyenuroho (Okpewho), as he realized that he needed supernatural abilities to defeat Queen-mother Idia, her son’s spiritual protector. He recognized that his opponent was a woman and that he needed to learn how to use female mystical powers to win by choosing a female teacher.
Three times, the two brothers engaged in combat with one another. Arhuanran’s town of Udo was destroyed in the third battle. The Udo citizen-soldiers, who were primarily farmers, were busy working on their farms at the time of the third battle, which occurred during the planting season. Kpamabira and Oni-Oni, Arhuanran’s two sons, were born in the meantime. Kpamabira had passed away before the war, leaving Arhuanran with only one son, Oni-Oni, who was ruling alongside their father.
Arhuanran, the Duke of Udo, had told his surviving son, Oni-Oni, to stay at home and wait for him to return before the third battle. Additionally, he instructed his family to keep an ear out for the magical bell that he had hidden somewhere in the house. He explained that if it chimed, they ought to be aware that the battle had ended in defeat.
Arhuanran later saw a young man fighting just like him while he was fighting on the front lines. He used a powerful incantation to command the sword to immediately kill the copycat fighter (A gbe vbe ni me gbe ne umozo gbee rie yoewe) after being shocked and enraged.
Arhuanran discovered that the man who possessed the fighting skills was his beloved son, Oni-Oni, after the warrior had passed away at that very moment. Arhuanran was unaware of his son’s covert participation in the war. Arhuanran intensified his assault on his brother’s army out of rage and pain until there was no winner on the battlefield.
Arhuanrandecidedn to hurry home when victory did not materialize, but he moved too slowly. The Udo people believed Oba Esigie had conquered their duke because the magical bell at home was ringing at this point. His wife jumped into a lakeside river as a result of this imagined tragedy (Odighi). She perished by drowning.
Arhuanran discovered that his wife had jumped into the river as soon as he got home. He was so gloomy. His wife was now his only son. Arhuanran, depressed, also jumped into the lake. He didn’t want to be taken back to Benin and held captive.
Arhuanran left his Ivie—a necklace made of coral beads—dangling from a tree branch where it could be easily found before jumping into the lake. The Ivie is a valuable symbol of authority in Benin land. These trophies belonged to nobles and leaders who had passed away or been conquered, and only the Oba could inherit them. Excitedly, Oba Esigie now wore the necklace of his deceased brother. When he put the necklace around his neck, he became mentally disoriented. It didn’t matter if you took the necklace off his neck. In that hopeless state, the king was immediately taken back to Benin.
Idia, his mother, immediately sought out a Yoruba Babalawo (mystic) in the riverine region of Ugbo/Ilaje and brought him to Benin to treat the king’s spiritual condition. After treating the Oba for his illness and receiving a generous reward, the Queen persuaded the Yoruba Babalawo to settle permanently in Benin and continue providing his services. He established a residence in the Ogbelaka quarters, where his heirs continue to prosper to this day.
Many people (Odighi) believe that Arhuanran did not pass away in the lake. They say that he still goes out at night to protect his people by marching through Udo. Even as of 2017, it is against the law to touch or consume the lake’s water. Additionally, no animal from the lake or its vicinity may be killed or eaten. The waters were considered holy.
