The 256 Odù of Ifá

Ifá speaks through 256 signs called Odù. There are 16 major signs, the Meyi, and 240 combined signs (omoluos) that are born from crossing them. Each Odù holds its own prayer, its patakíes (sacred stories), its ebbós, its iré and osogbo, and its eewó (taboos). This is the full index, in the Lukumí tradition.

All 256 signs have their page in English — essence, prayer, sacred stories and meaning. Search by name, number or the shells — or open its family. New to Ifá? Start here →

Before you subscribe: the paid part of the treatise — the full text of every patakí, the recipes for the ebbós and works and the iré and osogbo readings — is in English too, for all 256 Odù. The pages you see here are free, and so is the whole eewó of every sign.

The Ogbe family

Eyiogbe · no. 1 and its 15 combined signs The father of all the signs: the light that opens the roads, the power of Orí and the double salvation.

1 EyiogbeThe father of all the signs: the light that opens the roads, the power of Orí and the double salvation.
17 Ogbe YekuPayback and the loss of high posts: the crown is taken the good way or the bad way, with a debt still owed to Oshún.
18 Ogbe WeñaIfá of war and hidden enemies: disobedience brings the hardship, but with obedience and the saints behind you, everything is overcome.
19 Ogbe DiThe owner of the knowledge that wakes Orunmila: intelligence, business and camouflage, fenced in by arayé and by traps that grow out of his own good luck.
20 Ogbe IrosoTruth against lies: he divines by the power of the Eggun, and only steadiness beats the enemy and keeps the good luck.
21 Ogbe WanleThe one who tricked death, a lamp in the street and darkness at home: without peace in the house, the crown does not hold.
22 Ogbe BaraBetrayal and hidden things, where Shangó is born and speaks: enemies dressed as friends, and the debt of never being ungrateful to the one who raised you.
23 Ogbe KanaThe Ifá of being looked down on: the greedy one was killed by his own greed and deformity turned out to be a blessing — the one they scorn, this sign crowns in another land.
24 Ogbe YonoOgbe Suru, the praise of patience: he rescued the world from Eshú's claws — an Ifá of betrayal where steadiness never fails.
25 Ogbe SaThe one who went to war to ask for peace, not to fight: an Ifá of betrayal by friends, where only what is done completely is won.
26 Ogbe KaThe ring of Shangó and Oshosi, which makes the straight man unbeatable and breaks if he takes what is not his: an Ifá of slander and false witness.
27 Ogbe TumakoThe one who came to Ifá out of curiosity and prospers in a foreign land: the favor of Shangó and the pact with Aroní — he flowers where he is treated well.
28 Ogbe TuaThe fortune that is on its way: dancing brought him enmity and he lost his father's title — his luck only arrives when he settles down at home.
29 Ogbe AteThe one who sees the crown but never reigns by his own hand: he healed the deity of prosperity, and his throne is the shrine of Orunmila.
30 Ogbe SheOgbe Sanwo, the money man who shares out the fortune: immensely rich if he serves Orunmila — and prophecy, which always comes true, is born here.
31 Ogbe FunThe lawful son of Obbatalá: food reaches his house wherever he is, he grew rich selling salt and he made the pact with death alongside Orunmila.

The Oyekun family

Oyekun Meyi · no. 2 and its 15 combined signs The lord of the night: death and the ancestors, the Ituto and the birth of sacred writing.

2 Oyekun MeyiThe lord of the night: death and the ancestors, the Ituto and the birth of sacred writing.
32 Oyekun NilogbeThe sharing out of light across the world, where the plea to Ozain is born: misery comes from not paying the tribute, and good luck comes through the Eggun.
33 Oyekun Wori (Piti)The Ifá of the ungrateful one, chased by Oshún: a single flare of temper can cost a life or a prison term, but on the 21st day the iré arrives.
34 Oyekun DiConspiracy, deceit and war: here Orunmila set the world right and no one thanked him, and that is why he does not come down into the head of any Awó.
35 Oyekun BirosoJealousy, married women and the law: the road by which Ikú comes looking for this person — and where the Paraldo and the funeral honors are born.
36 Oyekun JuaniWhere Elegbara ate akukó for the first time: abandoning the saints loses you everything, but attending Elegba makes the Awó great.
37 Oyekun BaraThe binding and the unbinding: the horse was tamed with cleverness, not with strength — what force cannot get, intelligence reaches.
38 Oyekun Peleka (Polokana)Where the Spirit and reincarnation (Leri Ofe) are born: a sign of Olokun, where the dead takes solid form if it is not attended in time.
39 Oyekun TekundaThe enemy's own witchcraft is what beats him: the Awó carries ataré to undo any spell — and greed loses everything.
40 Oyekun BerikusaRespect, and ingratitude punished: the proud and disrespectful one loses everything, and the curse he throws turns back on him.
41 Oyekun BikaThe defense lawyer of Ifá, who got the 16 Kings out of jail: envy and falseness, one brother kills the other, and the law of Karma is born.
42 Oyekun BatruponWhere the pig saved mankind from death: troubles of the belly, and a marriage that jealousy and gossip pull apart.
43 Oyekun Tesia (Tura)The Ánima Sola and the transfiguration: the turtle swapped the brains of the world, and through drink you lose health, morals and life.
44 Oyekun BireteThe Ifá of disbelief: here sickness (Arun) works its way into the body and Ode, the hunter, is born — whoever neither respects nor believes is lost.
45 Oyekun PakiosheThe dead and reincarnation: here one person takes flesh again in another, and that is why this sign enters the Ituto — a sign of Yemayá where Olokun is received.
46 Oyekun Bedura (Ofun)Where Shangó handed the kingdom to Orunmila: a sign of Eshú Larufa and of lagoons, where drink destroys the owner of the Odù.

The Iwori family

Iwori Meyi · no. 3 and its 15 combined signs The eye that puts things together: analysis, kept secrets, and the hidden beast you have to tame.

3 Iwori MeyiThe eye that puts things together: analysis, kept secrets, and the hidden beast you have to tame.
47 Iwori BogbeThe wind and the transformations of Olokun: what the wind carried off was lost through disobedience; whoever studies Ifá is freed from the torment.
48 Iwori YekuNo flies get into a closed mouth: what you see, you do not talk about — a sign of blackmail and of a woman's betrayal, where the knowledge of Ifá does not die.
49 Iwori WodeSkill beats strength: the weak one wins over the strong with intelligence — a sign of the sea, where Olokun ruled that someone will always drown.
50 Iwori KosoWhere San Lázaro was thrown out of the Yoruba land: a sign of the swamp and of division, where only one king can rule in one town.
51 Iwori OjuaniThe guardian of the Kutun, the pit of the Egun: pride loses this person, but whoever sings frightens their troubles away — attend your ancestors.
52 Iwori ObereWhere a good heart makes you lose: the pica-pica that hides the Awó from his enemies is born, and renown awaits whoever puts some firmness on.
53 Iwori KanaRuled by Oggún: disobedience is paid for with your life, but the mother saves the child.
54 Iwori OggundaWar and ingratitude punished: Olodumare condemned Oggún for trying to do away with Orunmila, his benefactor — and fright was born into the world here.
55 Iwori BosasoStruggles and changes of the weak one who defends himself with skill: Obatalá Ayaguna speaks, the revolutionary spirit — without discord there is no progress.
56 Iwori BokaStubbornness, adultery and crimes of passion: whoever kills by iron dies by iron, and the wife falls in love with her husband's best friend.
57 Iwori BatruponWhere the novena of Orunmila is born, and that the Awoses help one another: the priest who does not study loses his memory and his ashé.
58 Iwori TuanilaraBeauty and glory: for the iré, surround yourself with beautiful things — David's sling is born here, and Olokun showed his riches to man.
59 Iwori RoteWhere the four seasons and the miracles of San Lázaro were born: the guardian of the Atepon Ifá, a sign of whims and shifting luck.
60 Iwori BosheThe losing of the head: one head does not rule two lands and greed loses — the money is in the sand of Oshún's river, not in gambling.
61 Iwori BofunThe Godfather who baptizes and makes life be born again: one of the three greatest Odù in the consecration of Ifá — you must adapt or perish.

The Odi family

Odi Meyi · no. 4 and its 15 combined signs The womb of the world: motherhood, the sea, and the promise that what is lost will be found.

4 Odi MeyiThe womb of the world: motherhood, the sea, and the promise that what is lost will be found.
62 Odi Ogbe (Odigbere)The voice that fills the house of Ifá: sound and memory, where the box of the Baatá drums is born, along with the command to write everything down.
63 Odi YekuMasks and two faces: trade is born here, but whoever gives up his own people dies despised by them, like the jackal.
64 Odi Iwori (Odi Oro)The water flower and the eyesight: a curse left him blind and forgiveness gave him back the light — only honesty, the road of Ela, makes a man great.
65 Odi Iroso (Odi Roso)The roar of the sea: breathing is born here — the nose keeps watch while the body sleeps — and the Awó made himself king with his own hands.
66 Odi Ojuani (Odi Omoni)The blessing of the yam, where Orunmila ended up sitting on the money: whoever rises and then scorns the one who lifted him falls again.
67 Odi Obara (Odi Bara)Where Shangó appeared and marriage was born: however many enemies you have, there will always be a herb or a seed that saves you.
68 Odi Okana (Odi Kana)Envy and the wrecking of the body: the earth catches the thief and rewards the grateful — and you cannot live upstairs, like the spider.
69 Odi OgundaWhere the trap and the lie were born, and where the ashé sits in the mouth: speaker, singer, teacher — the voice of this sign is a king's drum.
70 Odi Osa (Odi Sa)Resurrection and slavery: Orunmila raises the dead with the horsetails, and Yemayá lifts up the one their own house threw out.
71 Odi Ika (Odi Ka)The King of mysteries, the bat that only flies at night: here Oduduwa is born at the foot of the Ceiba — he goes far, but never alone.
72 Odi Otrupon (Odi Batuto)Orun Belekun Orun, the tears of the spirit who saves souls: from the other world they watch this one, and whoever cuts himself off from his family dies.
73 Odi Otura (Odi Atakofeño)Where diabetes was born, when Olofin's honey was traded for sugar: the luck comes by someone else's hand, and Obatalá's sorcerer defends you.
74 Odi Irete (Odi Leke)The bull who was left an ox for doing a favor: bindings and favors that enslave — but Oshún is chasing you with good luck, and she crowns the hard worker.
75 Odi Oshe (Odi She)Where the ceremony of the Apeterbí is born: this person quarrels with their own Guardian Angel, and that quarrel is the whole of their bad luck.
76 Odi Ofun (Odi Fumbo)The one who carries the ebbó away, condemned to always take the sacrifice: betrayal even from his own blood — Eshú sweeps out the false ones, and only humility saves.

The Iroso family

Iroso Meyi · no. 5 and its 15 combined signs The deep water: the bottom of the sea, the sunset, and the eye of providence that uncovers every trap.

5 Iroso MeyiThe deep water: the bottom of the sea, the sunset, and the eye of providence that uncovers every trap.
77 Iroso UmboWhere making Ifá for free was born: a sign of trials and false witness, but one whose wars Ogún swore to keep away.
78 Iroso MatelekúnThe photographer, the coffin and the candle: here the change of heads is born, and Ikú, who ate only human flesh, ate animals for the first time.
79 Iroso Güiro (Iroso Wori)The dockworkers and the load you can no longer bear: Agayú carried the child who weighed as much as the world — it was Oduduwa — and won the river.
80 Iroso DiThe Ifá that lives in water, where love was born and women hold the rule: he slips away from his enemies like the fish no hand can catch.
81 Iroso OjuaniWhere the electric light was born, when Shangó breathed fire from his mouth: an Ifá of the musician and of money, with valuables buried that you will find.
82 Iroso GanThe four columns of Osun: the king who lives at feasts while his people go hungry loses the crown, and the sorcery is in the kitchen.
83 Iroso KanlúWhere the Iyoyé is born, the taking of the Gan from the Awó: the masks of Olokun are born here too, and Olofin came down in person to test the boastful Awó.
84 Iroso ToldaWhere sudden death (afitibó) was born and the clocks stopped: here the dog was killed for gossiping, and the fortune comes to you on its knees.
85 Iroso SaWhere the grains were born and Shangó collects his debts with fire: Oshún, the sinner, was the only one who went back into the flames for Orunmila.
86 Iroso KaWhere Oshún brought money and came down unclothed with a white flag to end the war: the great deceiving of women is born, and Orunmila saves them from Ikú.
87 Iroso BatruponThe gardener who gave his own sweat so the flowers would have scent, and was repaid with ingratitude: think before you act, so you do not become Iroso Bruto.
88 Iroso TunialaraWhere Ogún wanted to be an Awó and Obatalá took it away from him, since he was born to make war: pride punished, like the palm the lightning bent.
89 Iroso AteWhere fire is born, which Orunmila drew out of a stick in order to win: faith put to the test, since the only crown that lasts is Orunmila's.
90 Iroso SheWhere cooking oil and lamp oil are born: at the hour of death the Angel comes for you by the feet, but Orunmila, the soul's go-between, saves you.
91 Iroso FunThe war of Obatalá and Agayú over the heads, where Oluo-Popo was crowned: the money for the works is not knocked down, and the enemy eats at your table.

The Ojuani family

Ojuani Meyi · no. 6 and its 15 combined signs The mask and ingratitude: you never see the fruit of your work, until the sacrifice ties the hands of your enemies.

6 Ojuani MeyiThe mask and ingratitude: you never see the fruit of your work, until the sacrifice ties the hands of your enemies.
92 Ojuani ShogbeWhere glass was first known — Oyá's spectacles against Elegba —: the earth was left half and half, and pride is the greatest osogbo of all.
93 Ojuani YekuWhere a woman raised her hand to a man for the first time: the woman's hold over him — and whoever gives Eshu no goat loses everything.
94 Ojuani TanshelaThe alliance of the powers of Ifá to destroy betrayal and sorcery: the pulling down of injustice — nothing is given away for nothing.
95 Ojuani ShidiThe Ifá of the pack of cards, where you play dead to watch your own funeral: generosity and honesty open the way to love and to success.
96 Ojuani HermosoWhere the lighting of candles for the Egun is born, and the Oriaté: an Ifá ruled more by the dead than by the Oshas, with a beautiful child of doubtful fatherhood.
97 Ojuani Obara«In union there is strength»: eviction is born here, and this is the only Ifá that allows the Awó to be scratched and to work a prenda — a foré sign.
98 Ojuani PokónPokón: the stones the river drags along — do not let pride drag you. Here the osobos are born, and Ikú Makuao, the mother of death.
99 Ojuani DawánThe strongest Odù after the 16 Meyi: it can never be crushed, and it gives the Awó victory in every war he fights with Ifá.
100 Ojuani BosaWhere restlessness and nerves were born: here Oro came down, the executioner of injustice — his power is in the ceiba, the night and the river.
101 Ojuani BokaThe Ifá of measure: the yam is Orunmila's crown, and the sea is king of the rivers because they all run into it — greed is this sign's undoing.
102 Ojuani BatruponThe Ifá that made peace on earth and in heaven: here the pact of Osanyin and Orunmila was born, and Oyá handed over the power of the wind.
103 Ojuani AlakentuWhere the Quimbisa and Eshu Alakentu were born, the first Saint crowned with peacock feathers: an Ifá of willfulness and of envy.
104 Ojuani BireteReligious inheritance: the godchild inherits from the godfather and carries what the ancestors left unpaid — here the first rooster was killed.
105 Ojuani BosheWhere giving ikofá and awofakán to homosexuals was born, and Orunmila's oath for his two hands: Oshún sits this person on top of the money.
106 Ojuani BofunThe undertaker: here funerals were born, and the secret of the iyefá, Orunmila's powder that throws out everything bad — Oshún says do not cry.

The Obara family

Obara Meyi · no. 7 and its 15 combined signs Two kings, two crowns: the tongue that saves and the tongue that ruins, and the humble calabash that hides the wealth.

7 Obara MeyiTwo kings, two crowns: the tongue that saves and the tongue that ruins, and the humble calabash that hides the wealth.
107 Obara BogbeWhere Olofin sat the Awó down to paint the Odù of the consecration: the great drum of Ifá is born here, and one ebbó is made on top of another.
108 Obara YekuWhere smoking opium and marijuana was born: the turtle was cursed for disobeying — however far you get here, you never reach the top.
109 Obara LoríObara Wereko, the Ifá of experiments: to become great you have to go through poverty and disaster — and here the sick person is saved.
110 Obara DilaWhere the ebbó of the year was born and daylight came into the world: Eshu moved the genitals down from the forehead, and Shangó handed Yemayá his crown.
111 Obara KosoWhere the cashew was born, lost through arrogance and talking too much: the children of Azojuano wear a crown of tiger skin — an Ifá of Abikú.
112 Obara JuaniWhere exile and the lightning rod were born: this person goes abroad and dies there — but the batá drum beats the enemies.
113 Obara KanaA mother's love is blind: Oyá, over her dead son, tore through the guilty and the innocent alike — an Ifá of high office, where willfulness is what ruins everyone.
114 Obara KuñaThe remora fish that spots the traps and never falls into one: an Ifá of binding, where you do not love your partner but cannot leave — make yourself indispensable.
115 Obara SaThe pact of Agayú and Shangó and the Egun of the whole world: an Ifá of arguing, whose secret is a pot of water in the yard, kept for life.
116 Obara KaThe betrayal of godchildren and appearances that deceive: what it looks like is not what it is, and the slanderer is left looking ridiculous.
117 Obara TruponObatalá's intelligence: you have to be very shrewd for this Ifá — Oyá dresses in nine colors, and the hot house is cooled with omiero.
118 Obara KusheyóThe bugle that calls the people to the worship of Ogún and to arms: here respect is set in the house and in the business of life.
119 Obara ReteWhere the ceremony of the Irofá was born, the tool that strikes the board to call on Ifá: when the truth arrives, the lie is ashamed and leaves.
120 Obara OsheGood and evil in the same person, a magnet that draws both: the apprentice watches the master, and should not walk off with everything the master has.
121 Obara FunThe sign of the parrot, who by refusing the ebbó was left with the only two words of Ifá she knew: great financial success, if the tongue does not lose it.

The Okana family

Okana Meyi · no. 8 and its 15 combined signs The world upside down: Eshú gives the opposite of what you ask for, and the tongue that gives away secrets costs a life.

8 Okana MeyiThe world upside down: Eshú gives the opposite of what you ask for, and the tongue that gives away secrets costs a life.
122 Okana SoddeOkana Jun Jun, Ifá's policeman: you beat the enemy in order to rise — a promotion or a new post is waiting for whoever obeys.
123 Okana YekuOrunmila's secretary, the memory of Egun: sacrifice brings riches and refusing it destroys — here the first three Oloshas were born.
124 Okana GioWhere Olofin and Orunmila share the government of the world, one on earth and one in heaven: Eshu is his banker, and keeping your troubles quiet blocks the road.
125 Okana DiA relationship given up for lost that comes back to life: here fright is born, the chick's cry drives Ikú away, and Yemayá Mayelewo of the mask speaks.
126 Okana RosoA sincere apology is forgiven — the ignorant, not the wicked —: an Ifá of curses, and here Orunmila dressed as a monk, like Saint Francis.
127 Okana YabiléTrouble with the law, where crime is punished: here Olodumare created the earth through Orunmila's hand, and only Eshu saves, with his word of mouth.
128 Okana ObaraAvoiding early death and the lightning that destroys the house: when Obatalá turns his back on someone, only Orunmila saves them.
129 Okana KuñaThe creation of the earth: Orunmila spread it over the water and the world grew out from Ilé Ifé — and here the Rainbow was born.
130 Okana SaThe one who carries the sacrifices before Olofin: no ebbó counts without him on the board — here the Great Flood happened, and the final victory arrives.
131 Okana KáWhere the earth, laid waste by Death, sacrificed and so never falls ill and never dies: here the Awó gave sight back to a whole town of the blind.
132 Okana TruponOkonron Tutu, the merchant: the Ifá of the wife you were meant to have, whom the sacrifice brought to you — and the pigeon is prosperity's messenger.
133 Okana TuraleWhere the mouth sacrificed and eats hot food without burning: only Olokun made the ebbó, and everyone's work makes the owner of the waters rich.
134 Okana WeteThe water that beat its three enemies — clouds, rock and roots — with Eshu: sacrifice against sudden death, the way the cockroach did not.
135 Okana SheThe supreme sacrifice of love — «a man makes himself a slave for it» —, like the salmon going from the sea to the river to spawn: it brings luck to make an Ifá for free.
136 Okana OfúnThe one that closes the Okana family: fortune comes down from heaven looking for somewhere to settle, and arrives where feathers are scattered with pounded yam.

The Ogunda family

Ogunda Meyi · no. 9 and its 15 combined signs The kingdom of iron: the knife that splits the difference, the justice that cuts straight — and the crying that turns into laughter.

9 Ogunda MeyiThe kingdom of iron: the knife that splits the difference, the justice that cuts straight — and the crying that turns into laughter.
137 Oggunda BiodeThe Odù of the children of Oduduwa that gets you out of any tight spot: inside the Igbodun room, it stands for the godfather.
138 Oggunda ArikúStanding for Orunmila on earth: the rider had to put the bit in the horse's mouth to master it — its osogbo is idleness.
139 Oggunda Kuaneye«Ogún with his machete destroyed the sorcerer»: here surgery was born — they cut Ogún's belly open — and the pruned tree grows back.
140 Oggunda DioLost hopes: what you get does not last long — and here Elegba, who opens the roads, could not find his own and went weeping to Orunmila.
141 Oggunda KorosoThe Ifá of the pelican, who leaves the nest as soon as its feathers come in: you travel, but like the fish, you always have to come back to your own land.
142 Oggunda LeninThe three great pieces of advice: do not leave the road for the shortcut, do not get into what is not yours, and never start with violence — with the anvil Ogún gave him.
143 Oggunda BaraWhere cockfighting was born: it marks debts with Ogún and with a dead relative — and the money comes from the country, through a woman's hands.
144 Oggunda KoNo power an Awó receives is greater than Ifá: here the prenda's power over him is born, and Oyá decides on each person's death.
145 Oggunda MasaThe «Oggunda crossed over»: the Babalawo above all others for calling the igbodun of Ifá; bring your family together, because peace is Olordumare's to give.
146 Oggunda KaThe Ifá of the razor: to make Ifá you have to have Olofin, and the elephants' graveyard speaks — better to lose your life than your good name.
147 Oggunda TruponWhere ebbó can be made for children through the mother — there is nothing like her blessing —: a war you cannot win is held off with ebbó.
148 Oggunda TeturaDisobedience punished: Iño the coral, a son of Obatalá, would not make ebbó and was turned to stone — whoever will not listen to advice does not grow old.
149 Oggunda KeteThe Ifá of public shame, where the moral laws and the power of Orí speak: here the Fifeto ceremony is born, and your morals are your only armor.
150 Oggunda SheWhere Olofin made man head of the family and gave woman her monthly cycle: they shunned Ogún, and Oshún proved he was innocent.
151 Oggunda FunAn Odù of curses, where the head has to be prayed over at once: everything the earth gives goes back to it — the siempreviva saved Obatalá.

The Osa family

Osa Meyi · no. 10 and its 15 combined signs The air and the world of the spirits: the wandering wind that makes deals even with the witches — and outlives them all.

10 Osa MeyiThe air and the world of the spirits: the wandering wind that makes deals even with the witches — and outlives them all.
152 Osalo FobeyoThe hairy one and the shaven one — Olofin and Abita — sitting at the same table: you are with God and with the Devil, and happiness comes in old age.
153 Osa YekuThe tribute to the Earth that lengthens life: Eshu was given its rule, and the ebbó is never without the ivory that gets lost luck back.
154 Osa WoriwoThe fortune that comes in through spiritual work: doing favors can cost you your life, and the tiger could not eat the goat — cunning over strength.
155 Osa DiThe war between the hook and the fish, caught by the bait of deceit: be content with your own luck — peace of spirit is the greatest wealth.
156 Osa RosoWhere it was born that Orunmila decides the Guardian Angel: you live the same in a wide place as in a narrow one — you have to adapt in order to be happy.
157 Osa LoniWhere electricity and the rainbow were born: an Ifá of slavery — you work more and get paid less — and it orders you to run from public shame.
158 Osa BaraOsa Shepe, the Ifá of curses: the sick person is saved, intelligence rules over strength — and the bee, for not making ebbó, dies when it stings.
159 Osa KanaWhere looms and the automobile were born, and the great power of Oyá: faith is lost here, and the only defense of its children is to make or receive Ifá.
160 Osa KuleyaWhere Oyá handed her ram to Shangó to save her children: the moyugbar and the Throne of Ifá were born here, the seat of wisdom.
161 Osa KaThe clown who makes people laugh while his heart weeps: here the naturalness of death was born, and the tired horse works with nobody valuing it.
162 Osa TruponThe legend of the mermaids, the songs of Olokun's daughters: infertility beaten by giving to Ogún — and the godchild saves the godfather.
163 Osa UreGod favors whoever tells the truth: face what you are avoiding — of three roads, the obedient one walks the road of happiness.
164 Osa ReteWhere the Flood washed the Earth clean and the healing powers of plants were born: no work gives a result until 72 hours have passed.
165 Osa SheWhere Mother Earth speaks, Inle Oguere: a mother blesses her children even after death, and Olokun, through her ebbó, was left owner of the sea.
166 Osa Fun«Obeying my prohibitions will be my victory»: here Obatalá rewarded the worm with butterfly wings — and two ebbós are always made.

The Ika family

Ika Meyi · no. 11 and its 15 combined signs The safe harbor: the word nobody can go against — and the proud ship that ends up paying its due at the dock.

11 Ika MeyiThe safe harbor: the word nobody can go against — and the proud ship that ends up paying its due at the dock.
167 Ika BemiThe mirages: evil hides behind the face of good, and the turtle who wanted to fly lost her shell — the merchant who ends up rich.
168 Ika YekuWhere the food for Egun was born: salvation is feeding the earth and holding on to Orunmila — you have enemies because you know what others do not.
169 Ika FefeThe sign of orientation, where the bats were given their radar: an Ifá of being taken for someone else — you carry other people's blame, so keep your eyes open.
170 Ika Di«The belt that squeezes», the live coal of the Odù: Olofin cursed the serpent of wisdom — and happiness is found here, with Shangó.
171 Ika RosoWhere the load of Osun was born, the only one who divined before Olofin: men made themselves giants and, frightened by their own power, went back to the past.
172 Ika JunkoWhere fingernails, the totem and religious images were born: a war has to end so that good feeling can rule — watch out for false affection.
173 Ika BaraWhere the wings of birds and the airplane were born: war between brothers and witchcraft — but the sun melts the wings of the enemy who crosses the sea.
174 Ika KanaWhere eating meat was born: the rich cat lost everything by arguing — luck arrives running, but it also leaves running.
175 Ika OggundaThe boat and sea trade: the favorite son of Yemayá — Osain made the paths and the streets: nobody can live cut off.
176 Ika SaWhere one orisha gets mistaken for another —great care in naming the Guardian Angel—: masonry was born here, and homesickness speaks.
177 Ika TruponWhere Orunmila, run down by the dogs, was saved in the yagruma —blessed by Olofin, it does not burn—: you are your own slave.
178 Ika FogueroThe parents' unease about their children: the king who did not make ebbó was given away by his own dog — strength is in sticking together.
179 Ika ReteThe fish dies through its mouth: an Ifá of envy and two-faced people — never tell the secret that saves you, or the hidden enemy beats you.
180 Ika SheIka Fá, the blessed word of Orunmila: what is said, comes to pass — here cotton won its case before Olofin, and this odu dresses in white.
181 Ika FunWhere the mirror speaks: the women let their hair down for seven days and unmasked Ikú, the fleshless queen — do not look at yourself in stained mirrors.

The Otrupon family

Otrupon Meyi · no. 12 and its 15 combined signs Intelligence come into the world: nobody is skilled enough to carry water in his clothes, or wise enough to count the sands of the earth.

12 Otrupon MeyiIntelligence come into the world: nobody is skilled enough to carry water in his clothes, or wise enough to count the sands of the earth.
182 Otrupon Bekonwao«A cat in gloves»: here the wheel was born, the one that brought trade and prosperity — and the great lesson that a good deed gets paid back with a bad one.
183 Otrupon YekuWhere it was born that women paint their faces: an Ifá of death circling and of abikú who must be tied down — you have to hold on to Shangó.
184 Otrupon AdakinoWhere washing the santos before making Ifá was born: a sign of short life tied to Oyá — do not accept handkerchiefs, flowers or perfume as gifts.
185 Otrupon Di«The word of Orunmila never falls to the ground»: somebody died so that you could live — greed can cost you your life, so check your food.
186 Otrupon KosoWhere the ice and Yemayá Okuté, the queen of the snows, were born: the tamarind turned sour in order to survive — change so you can live.
187 Otrupon ÑaoThe spirit made flesh: the egun came to the banquet looking like the living and Orunmila found them out — serve your dead a mass and flowers.
188 Otrupon BaraifeWhere cement was born: no favors are done here, because they cost a life —the goat lost his head over one— and your luck is brought to you by your wife.
189 Otrupon KanaWhere smuggling was born and Orunmila ate fresh fish: people speak ill of the Awó and he finds out — luck comes to you by sea, so keep your own counsel.
190 Otrupon GuedeWhere the ebbó from inside (wonu) is born: the enemy is subtle and sends the witchcraft through someone else — do what Oshún orders, or you die.
191 Otrupon SaThe whale who surfaces gives herself away with her own spout: the tongue that reports on itself — between heaven and earth nothing stays hidden.
192 Otrupon KonwaDo not make room in your house for just anyone: the majagua lent the branch and the axe felled the whole forest — only the obedient ceiba was left standing.
193 Otrupon TauroThe albino Odù, where the pains of childbirth are born: the ebbó settles the contest between good and bad — in 24 hours you are rich, or poor.
194 Otrupon BireteShifting ground and swamp: an Ifá of collapse, where only what Ifá props up stays standing — the way up is the way down.
195 Otrupon SheWhere saving and the money box were born, set at the foot of Orunmila: «do not waste it doing so many favors» — reread everything you sign.
196 Otrupon BalofunThe majesty of death and the circle: moforibale is given to the knife, which tastes everything first — keep the oath you swore before the dead.

The Otura family

Otura Meyi · no. 13 and its 15 combined signs The father of life: man became king of creation, and the truth — slow and weak as it is — always wins in the end.

13 Otura MeyiThe father of life: man became king of creation, and the truth — slow and weak as it is — always wins in the end.
197 Otura NikoThe foreman of Egun, messenger of the dead: here the oparaldo is born, and its secret is giving food to the spirit of your father.
198 Otura YekuWhere the great devilish power of Eshu is born and Satan tempted Olofin: make no pacts with the powerful — the key is the crucifix around your neck.
199 Otura PompeyoWhere the fish did not make ebbó and has been caught ever since: do not take the first offer — the good is on its way, if you obey Orunmila.
200 Otura DiWhere Elegbara was born, the owner of the will, and the Ibeyis beat the Devil with their little drums: do not betray the secrets people trust you with.
201 Otura MoWhere you do good and do not look at whom, and there are no blood sacrifices, only addimú: «the eye of God stops the wrong you do».
202 Otura AlakentuDeath as part of the order of the cosmos: here mourning and the wake for the dead are born — and staying close to the old is the road to luck.
203 Otura BaraWhere Eshu Alaboni was born, from the union of Obatalá and Oshún: Santo has to be made so the mind does not weaken the body.
204 Otura TikúThe mother's sacrifice, who turned herself into a goat so her son would receive the power: here the mother is called on for everything — Ikú walks behind you.
205 Otura AiráThe Ifá of the fox: the purge that draws out the negative — here human beings were sorted into the good and the bad, and Ogún held the world on his shoulders.
206 Otura SaOtura Gasá, «Otura rises»: a cool body and a mind without fear — Olokun sacrificed to beat fear, and his children do not sing their own victories.
207 Otura KáScattering your enemies in order to prosper: here you are born with no crown and Santo has to be crowned — disobedience costs a life.
208 Otura TrúponThe secret of Shangó's cigar: he lit it loaded with gunpowder and made everyone respect him — the daughters of Yemayá are not ill-treated.
209 Otura TiyúWhere nuns and the woman devoted to the care of Ifá were born: here Olofin handed Orunmila the ashé of all the Oshas — moderation.
210 Otura ShéAlaigborán, the three beings who walk with a human being —the Angel, the guide and the obsessor—: here truth and lying were born into the world.
211 Otura AdakoyIfá Orún, of good luck close at hand if you resist the temptation of adultery: here the origin of the Abakuá and its plazas was born.

The Irete family

Irete Meyi · no. 14 and its 15 combined signs Eyelemere, the one who laughs at death: he went down to the land of the Eggún and came back to the land of the living — love in person.

14 Irete MeyiEyelemere, the one who laughs at death: he went down to the land of the Eggún and came back to the land of the living — love in person.
212 Irete UnteluThe scarcity Olofin put right with his wisdom: an Odù that deals justice, where the great power of Egun is born — and Elegbá received his 21 shells.
213 Irete YekuWhere the Santos, out of envy, declared war on Orunmila — and he proved before Olofin that he does not kill: he saves, with the animals of the ebbó.
214 Irete YeroForeman of the Egun obiní, where masonry and mathematics are born: quick as the corn, undying as the stone, needed as the water.
215 Irete UntendíThe born diviner: the war between santeros and Awoses over who comes first — and power and ashé are lost over a woman.
216 Irete LazoWhere Osun, Orunmila's staff, stands witness to the Itá facing the board: this Odù is called edí — the one who does not see what is in front of him.
217 Irete Wan WanWhere the gardens of the world and the ashé of flowers were born: tribute is paid to the river, and the place of honor is held by sacrifice.
218 Irete ObaIfá orders you to move house in order to prosper, and to have the rogation done by a daughter of Yemayá — the poor woman of this sign became a Queen.
219 Irete KanlúWhere you come to atone for your faults and purify what was profaned: the okumambo is born, Shangó's defense — and an Awó does not deceive an Awó.
220 Irete KutánThe pact between man and the earth, which lends and sooner or later collects: here Ikú lobí Osha was born — to be a Santo, you first have to die.
221 Irete AnsaToo much joy makes you ill and kills you —the Frog lost the throne—: there is only one Shangó, and it is the mother who blesses.
222 Irete KáThe struggle of the water and the sand, where Olokun with a rogation reached the shore: arm yourself with thorns, because a soft heart is what finishes you.
223 Irete BatrúponWhere the bone had flesh for the first time —Odudúwa gave the Egun and Osain the flesh—: the Ifá of Ayaguna, where everything is aggressive by nature.
224 Irete SukáWhere you go from free to enslaved, like the Princess who ended up serving her own maid: Olofin does not bless a King's head with a child's brain.
225 Irete OtúnThe one who opens the door to death and drives Egun's cart: here the deathlessness of the soul is born — the body dies, but the self does not.
226 Irete FileWhere Shangó ruled that there is no complete happiness: the youngest son of Ikú, builder of the Añá drums — here you win by being intelligent.

The Oshe family

Oshe Meyi · no. 15 and its 15 combined signs The wrestler who learned how to fall: by losing, you win — and money chased with greed pays for your own burial.

15 Oshe MeyiThe wrestler who learned how to fall: by losing, you win — and money chased with greed pays for your own burial.
227 Oshé NilogbeAn Ifá of kings where Oshún governed above Obatalá: the secret of Oshósi is born — as long as your Angel does not leave you, no King can stop you.
228 Oshé Yeku«The Ifá of the flies», foreman of the Obá Egun: he commands 36 just spirits and confirms Kings — you cannot consecrate yourself.
229 Oshé PáureWhere Orí is Olofin in every human being and all religions are born: Obá Lele Egun, King of the dead — and Oshún is the owner of the owó.
230 Oshé DíEbbó to be born and ebbó to die: Shangó set a load of firewood on him that will not come off — the luck arrives after three hardships, by Oshún's hand.
231 Oshé LezoThe lifting of pain: whoever clears the obstacles clears the poverty — the wild fire with Olofin's command, and the women save him.
232 Oshé NíwoThe Odù that came down to Earth with Ozain: an Ifá of hypocrisy —those who seem one thing and are another— and of the three knives: godfather, Ogún and Awó.
233 Oshé BaraThe tongue, the whip of humankind —the most dangerous opening is the mouth—: the Awó does not die while his things stay alive.
234 Oshé PolokánaThe need for a companion: the Mamuraye is born, which beats Ikú — look down on nobody, because the humblest one gets you out of trouble.
235 Oshé OmolúPoverty ends if you sacrifice: the knife cannot make its own handle — and the proud King traded his crown for yams.
236 Oshé MasáMaking peace before quarreling: the adimú is born —Adí and Imú, the children Yemayá offered up for humankind— and cunning saves you from death.
237 Oshé KáThe King's slave who became King in another land: «wherever my head takes me, there I will be» — the harm they do you turns to good.
238 Oshé TrúponWhere Babá Ashó taught men to clothe themselves: you do not curse, because what you ask for happens — do not mock another's trouble, since yours is walking behind you.
239 Oshé TuráThe Odù of the ashé, the messenger who carries the offerings to Heaven with Eshu Odara: no sacrifice is accepted unless he is called first.
240 Oshé BíleThe oracle of the coconut: the vain one Olofin cursed to roll on the ground serving before Elegbá — here «God willing» was born.
241 Oshé FunThe pact between Ikú and Orunmila, where the Iddefá was born: death respects whoever wears his necklace and his iddé — and men who join together win.

The Ofun family

Ofun Meyi · no. 16 and its 15 combined signs The powerful one on earth: mother of the fourteen Odù, owner of the empty space, the one who speaks with life and with death as an equal.

16 Ofun MeyiThe powerful one on earth: mother of the fourteen Odù, owner of the empty space, the one who speaks with life and with death as an equal.
242 Ofún NágbeWhere the fluids of the body were born, whose King is the semen: Obatalá is above every head to save it — the mouth is what ruins this person.
243 Ofún YemilóThe farewell of the Obá and the lifting of the plates: Ikú comes for one person and takes another — the cure is with Ozain, the ruin is in excess.
244 Ofún GándoThe one who saved the village of Gándo and was crowned King: here rank was born — and whoever tells how he got to the top loses everything.
245 Ofún DíGreed without limits and lending at a profit, where Olofin cried for the first time: it is not set on the board — and an Egun will give him the ashé he was cursed out of.
246 Ofún BirosoWhere confession and letting your sorrows out were born: what you keep inside can kill you — and the ancestors speak to you in dreams.
247 Ofún FuníWhere the iruke of Orunmila and the reason ebbó is made were born: here lives the Spiritual Double from Heaven — where the gift is born, the luck is not.
248 Ofún SusúWhere the post of Oyugboná in Ifá and in Osha was born: Olofin makes worn-out men strong again — this person is one of the chosen and will have what he wants.
249 Ofún KánaWhere jet stone was born, which cuts the evil eye: the rat and the mouse do not keep company, and a man cannot live alone — he needs his wife.
250 Ofún FundáWhere Ifá was first learned: Olofin drew the 16 Odù on the white otá — and Ifá, cut in two, answered: «I am immortal».
251 Ofún SáWhere medicinal herbs, the seven virtues and the seven sins were born: Awó Oreré, the far-sighted one — everything of his is up in the air.
252 Ofún KamaláThe one hemmed in by hardship, the house under attack by ogú: the money is cursed — turn your life all the way around and receive the greater powers.
253 Ofún BatrúponWhere languages were born — the Tower of Babel and the father of tongues — and the knife that holds up because of its temper.
254 Ofún TempoláWhere the catching of leprosy was born and Babalú Ayé founded his first arará town: only Shangó takes the bad away — and this Odù is not read without money.
255 Ofún BíleThe soul that does not die and Orí Inú, the inner head: all the Orishas slept and only Orí got up — a life of plenty depends on him.
256 Ofún ShéThe last Odù of Ifá, where the Okín was born, the heron of the Kings' crown: three pieces of luck have been lost — but a greater one is coming.

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