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Long ago, if a child was "named" by a vodoun¹he went at the age of twenty to live with the priest for eight years. After eight years they gave him a wife. Formerly a man was married at twenty-eight. If a woman, she waited till twenty-eight years too, for at the age of twenty, both men and women entered these Spirit Houses for eight years.

In those days, no one saw them. The priest used to provide food for them. Good. There was a woman, a young girl, who sold acasa and cakes. Now, no one might enter where the young man was, for he was with the god. But the woman, while walking, saw the man. The woman said, "You are a fine fellow, I like you." And the young woman entered where the young man was, and she said, "I never saw you before. Yet the moment I see you, I want to lie with you."

The man said, "The priest forbade me to touch a woman." The girl went away. Turning her back, she threw off her clothes, and she remained in beads alone. Now she went back into the house to tempt the man. The girl said, "Today we will have intercourse, whether you wish it, or you do not wish."
The boy begged her to leave. "Here they do not do such things." The girl said, "You are not a man. A real man, seeing a young girl naked, would take off his clothes and would be naked with the girl." And she sang a song tempting him.³ The boy now approached the girl. They had intercourse. When this was over, the boy died.

The vodoun priest came and gave orders that the girl should be bound. The girl said, "Do not trouble to bind me. I am here." When she said this, she did not rise. She remained there seated. She sat beside the dead body, keeping off the flies.

The vodoun came to the head of another male worshiper⁴ and said, "If you wish the boy to come back to life, bring three bundles of firewood, and three jars of palm oil." They brought the things he asked for. They dug a hole before the door leading to the temple of the vodoun. There they put in three bundles of firewood, and they poured three jars of oil on top of that, and they lit it. This made a great fire.

The dead boy was called Hundjo. They went to take his body, and put it in the fire. Now all the people of the village and all the worshipers of the vodoun were gathered there. They said to them, "Those among you who have courage to enter the fire with Hundjo, will come out from the fire with Hundjo." Not a man was willing to go into the fire. Not a woman among these.

Hundjo's mother rose and said, "If it is true that my son will come back to life, I will go into the fire. He is the only son I have." She went close to the fire, but as she smelled the fire, she said, "No, I cannot enter. If I do not want to die, I will bear another son."

His brother rose and he went to the fire. He said, "I am going to take my brother." He approached the fire, but he too, lost heart, "If I am not dead, I will have another brother." His first friend came. "I am going to find my friend." He approached the fire. But he lost heart. He went back. "If I am not dead, I will have another friend, better than this man."

Now, there was no one else willing to go into the fire. The girl Ahwala who caused his death now rose. She took from her sack two pipes, a small calabash, two sticks for cleaning the teeth, tobacco and matches.

Now, if fire subsided, they added oil; they added wood. The girl put her calabash on her head, her pipe in her mouth, the other pipe, tobacco and matches in the hand. They poured so much oil on the fire that it was now a great flame. She began to walk round and round the fire. She said, "Now, if I do not enter the fire, I would be ashamed." then she sang a song,

If I do not go into the fire
I will not be able to live with my soul.

After having sung her song, She threw herself on the fire. In a few minutes, the two came out of the fire alive. All fire villagers began to beat the drums, to dance. Metonofi ordered all the people of the village to assemble. When the people came, Metonofi said to them, "If a child comes into the world and is called by the vodoun, he must not be kept secluded for eight years. From this day on, the ceremony of the vodun initiation must be concluded in three years." When he said this, the man and woman were there. They now took the girl and gave her to Hundjo to marry.

Long ago, a child named by the vodun was held for eight years without seeing the sun, or playing with women. As Hundjo disobeyed, they changed it. Now they keep them for three years instead of eight. The disobedience came from Hundjo.

Metonofi is king of all the world. He rules the vodoun and Destiny, the animals and all men. He rules not only in Dahomey, but everywhere in France, as well. He is like the sun. But he is not the sun. No one ever saw him. He lives in the air, and he eats with all the gods.

Metonofi was born before Destiny. Destiny does his bidding. He is Mystery. We say that about all things that exist, and that we do not see. Metonofi, Yehwe, ⁵ Yo, are Mystery.

1. i.e., either vowed to a deity, a vodun, by the parents before their birth, or as determined by divination, after a "spiritual" illness.
2. Interpolation by the narrator: "She is strong, that woman!"
3. It was not possible to record this song.
4. i.e., the man became possessed, and thus what he did was interpreted as the utterance of the god.
5. In this sense, a synonym for vodun.

Return to: Ancient Lore