With this rite, the werewolf calls upon the ajogun, or “tricky spirits,” to create confusion for those who come near a certain area. The werewolf marks a certain area as a “maze” of Eshu, whereupon those passing through become hopelessly lost. Travelers get turned around, wander in circles, or double back from whence they came. While this doesn’t always prevent invaders from finding their target, it can often delay them long enough for the Brotherhood Uratha to work whatever deception is necessary to keep them away.
Performing this ritual too close to the sacred spot or object is useless. Once travelers are actually at the destination (i.e., the locus, fetish, or holy location), creating confusion is a futile effort. No, the ritual is performed on the outlying areas leading to the protected zone: pathways, roads, forests, deserts. Wherever individuals may pass through serves as a good target for this ritual.
Performing the Rite
The ritemaster binds together three feathers with three pieces of straw. She buries this in the ground at the center of the area which she hopes to affect with the ritual. Then she must engage in a series of dances and chants to the ancestor-spirits (ara-orun, or the “living dead”). Such chants often take the form of playful and mischievous yips, as well as invocations of Eshu’s name.
