Ọba Ọzolua Vs Isẹ
The bold Sword Bearer who battled the king
Continuing our series on Ọba Ọz̩olua, the formidable warrior king who fought 201 wars,
Of all the mighty warriors, the battle that Ọba Ọzọlua is most remembered for is the conflict against one of his palace workers, Isẹ, from Utȩkọn.
Isẹ: The Omada
Isẹ was an Omada or Ada-bearer (sword-bearer), responsible for holding the ada (ceremonial sword) for the Ọba.
The Rebel States
Utȩkọn and Okhun were among the rebel states that refused to acknowledge Ọba Ọzọlua as the rightful ruler of the Benin kingdom. This angered the king, and he openly vowed to conquer them. Isẹ’s mother hailed from Utȩkọn and his father from Okhun. While serving Ọba Ọzọlua as a sword-bearer, Isẹ often heard the king expressing his desire to crush these two areas. Ọzọlua’s frequent verbalization of his promise to conquer Utȩkọn and Okhun taunted Isẹ, infuriating him to the extent of boldly challenging Ọba Ọzọlua to battle. This was quite unusual, as sword-bearers were not considered high enough in society to challenge the monarch. Yet, Ọba Ọzọlua granted his request.
The Departure
Ọba Ọzọlua discharged the sword bearer and gave him a sword, umozo, as a gift. Isẹ threw the sword in the air, caught it with his teeth, and then walked out of the palace without looking back. The two escorts that accompanied Isẹ reported that he did not look back once nor stop walking until he reached his home in Utȩkọn.
Preparing for Battle
Three years passed before Ọba Ọzọlua decided to mount a surprise attack on Utȩkọn, and Isẹ was ready for him. Having worked in the palace for several years, Isẹ understood many of the monarch’s secrets, making him a formidable opponent for Ọba Ọzọlua.
The Intense Battle
Isẹ successfully isolated the monarch from the rest of the Benin army to fight him one-on-one. During the intense battle, the king, realizing he was about to lose, threw enchanted kola nuts to the ground. The kola nuts magically grew into a kola tree, which Ọba Ọzọlua quickly climbed to safety.
The Standoff
Hoping to trick his opponent, Ọba Ọzọlua stayed up high in the tree, knowing that Isẹ wouldn’t cut down a kola tree, as it is a taboo to do so in Edo land. Isẹ was not fooled by the king's cunning ploy and waited by the tree, machete in hand, ready for the monarch to descend. The standoff lasted for days. When word reached the rest of Benin, some of the most powerful warlords in the kingdom came to gloat.
Arrival of the Warlords
First was the mighty earth shaker, Ọvatọ.
With every footstep shaking the ground, he stopped by the battleground and greeted the Ọba.
"Ọba gha tọ ọkpere" - Long live the king.
Relieved to see one of his father's former generals, Ọba Ọzọlua asked Ọvatọ to help him get down. Ọvatọ laughed and reminded his king that he was still waiting for the title he had been promised for his service to the kingdom. Ọba Ọzọlua quickly uttered the words and bestowed a much-deserved title onto Ọvatọ. Ọvatọ was pleased and told Ọba Ọzọlua that to thank him, he would come back in three years after he finished celebrating his title, then he left.
Second Encounter: Ọkhwaihȩ
Next to come and seek revenge was Ọkhwaihȩ, the war hero captain of Ọba Ewuare's army.
Ọkhwaihȩ hailed his king.
"Ọba gha tọ ọkpere" - Long live the king.
Upon seeing Ọkhwaihȩ, Ọba Ọzọlua begged him to pacify Isẹ to allow him to climb down from the tree. Again, Ọkhwaihȩ reminded the young brash king of his promise to grant him a title. Once again, Ọba Ọzọlua swiftly granted the war hero the title he deserved. Ọkhwaihȩ rejoiced and promised to come back in three years once he too had finished celebrating his new title.
The Final Challenge
Ọba Ọzọlua was helplessly stuck in the magical tree with no way of escaping Isẹ. It was not until an acquaintance of Isẹ, Orunmworria, convinced Isẹ to free the king and challenge him to a wrestling match. Wrestling matches in ancient times were not as colorful as modern ones; once pinned to the floor, the loser would forfeit his life.
Isẹ accepted the challenge and allowed Ọba Ọzọlua down to fight. However, the fight was rigged, and Orunmworria betrayed his friend by tripping Isẹ to the floor. With Isẹ’s back on the ground, Ọba Ọzọlua quickly grabbed his sword and chopped off his head.
Return to the Palace
Ọba Ọzọlua was relieved to have succeeded. With Orunmworria by his side, the king carried Isẹ’s head back to the palace. However, on the way, Orunmworria started to brag about his role in bringing down the mighty Isẹ, even promising to recount the story of the king trapped in the tree. As Orunmworria continued boasting, he failed to notice that Ọba Ọzọlua was lagging behind him. With one fatal swing of his sword, Ọba Ọzọlua took off Orunmworria's head. A shrine was later established in memory of Orunmworria, in honour of his loyalty. Orunmworria's shrine still exists to this day, and the deity is still worshipped annually.
