Irete File

nº 226 of 256

Where Shangó ruled that there is no complete happiness: the youngest son of Ikú, builder of the Añá drums — here you win by being intelligent.

23 patakíes 7 eewó 14 ebbós and works 14 proverbs

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Irete File is Odù number 226 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Irete family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 23 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 14 ebbós and works and the signs it shows in the consultation — with the full eewó in plain sight; the detail of iré and osogbo and the full recipes open with The Notebook, in English.

The sign at a glance

Order in Ifá
Odù 226 of 256
Composition
Irete over Ofun
Orishas that speak
Shangó · Odduduwa · Oyá · Elegbá · Orunmila · Ikú · Orishaoko · Egun · The Moon

What Ifá says in this sign

Irete File — also called Irete Fún and Atefún — carries the harshest ruling in Ifá: here Shangó ruled that marriage is unhappy and proved that in this world there is no complete happiness. He is the youngest son of Ikú and the builder of the Añá drums — the drum Tinga speaks, sealed on both sides so its sound carries above all the others — and his flaw is confessed: stubbornness is his undoing — through stubbornness he ended up enslaved.

Its way out is the road: this is an Ifá of travel — leave your own land to look for your luck —, with a sacred toll: the Awó gives Ifá two goats, one on leaving and one on arriving. Its model is Awó Mayere: he won the wager by being intelligent, riding the young bull at midnight like a bolt of lightning, with Eshu Bi as his ally — and the Obá rewarded him by making him his successor on the throne: here intelligence is worth more than force.

«Shangó ruled that there is no complete happiness — but Awó Mayere won the throne by being intelligent, not by complaining.»The pulse of Irete File

Its house calls for a negotiated peace: there are disasters in the marriage and blood can run — the man does not raise his hand to the woman: avoid it at all costs — and the woman does not meddle in what is not hers, like the Awó's obiní with the Palero. Nobody is completely happy: you are as happy as is possible — hope, respect, and each in their own place.

Its enemies sleep at home: your own family envies you and closes your roads so you do not get on; you sing and dance, but it will cost you work to get ahead — work anyway. There is the shame of a scrotal hernia that stops intimate life — it is operated on, not suffered in silence —, madness through a curse, and a humiliation with a fright is near: the live jutía of the ebbó distracted the King's soldier — the work gets you out of the tight spot.

Its greatest graces: Kaferefun Iyá — give thanks to your mother, who shelters you from everything bad —, the dove is respected for life, the Egun make themselves felt at night — do not be frightened —, and your medicine chest is the almácigo tree, of which everything is used: root, bark, shoot and resin. There is no complete happiness — but the intelligent man, like Mayere, turns other people's lost wagers into his own throne.

The sign in one line

Set out to look for luck with your two goats, never strike your wife and give thanks to your mother — Irete File wins by intelligence what stubbornness turns into slavery.

The prayer of Irete File · Yoruba

Irete File Kase Leli Ewe Ni Kasu Leli Omó Kafiliere Asho Funfun Era Ara Adifafún Orunmila Gbogbo Unló Ayonile Obbá Olueshi Omó Odduduwa A Okó Lakao Oun. Irete Ofundí Eye Korupale Adifafun Eta Tinla Igbaya Kaferefun Iya, Eshu y Orunmila.

Súyere
Asho Pa Agua Ni, Asho Pa Aguaniyo, Asho Pa Edun Awo, Asho Pa Agua Ni, Eni Unyen Eyele, Eye Eyike, Eyeguese Edun, Emi Omo Omi.

Ifá says — what Irete File tells you

Proverbs of Irete File · Òwe

11 proverb interpretations in this Odù, locked.Every proverb explained: which road it comes from and how it applies.Unlock →

Iré and Osogbo

9 iré and osogbo readings in this Odù, locked.The iré and osogbo of the sign, sorted by subject — health, money, love, death, loss…Unlock →

What is born in Irete File · Ìbí

What is forbidden · Eewó

The full eewó of this Odù, open to everyone — with the road each ban came out of.

Ebbós of Irete File · The sacrifices that open the road

6 ebbós in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes.Unlock →

Works of Irete File · The workings of the sign

8 works in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes.Unlock →

Patakíes of Irete File · The roads of the Odù

1The poor drinking woman and the King's humiliation

Ainune Adaba wagered her head that she would turn the King's red clothing white; her mother's ebbó, with the live jutía that distracted the soldier, saved her life and brought her a fortune.

Ainune Adaba, a very poor woman much given to drink, found herself one day near the King and blurted out that the clothes he was wearing were red and that she would leave them white for him. Embarrassed, the King handed her the garments so she would turn them white, and he set one condition: if she did not keep her word, she would pay with her head.

The King sent for one of his soldiers and told him to go with her to the river and not to let her out of his sight. Eshu, who missed nothing of all that, went to the house of the girl's mother and told her the great trouble her daughter was in.

The mother ran to see Orunmila. He marked her ebbó with a live jutía, mashed yam and red clothes, and told her to take it to the river where they had her daughter. With the ebbó set at the bank, the jutía took off running and climbed up the soldier's feet, and he went after it meaning to catch it; in that time the mother swapped the King's red clothes for some white clothes she had brought with her.

When the soldier came back to the river, the clothes were already white. They took the girl before the King, and he ordered that she be set free and given money.

2Awó Mayere, Eshu Bi and the King's favorite

Awó Mayere wagered against the Obá's favorite over who could bring more people out into the street without blood running; with Eshu Bi and Shangó as his allies he won by being intelligent, riding his young bull, and inherited the throne.

Prayer: Adifafun Awo Malu Mayere Sokin Imbowa Ni Olofin Unlo Ni Ile Awo Belegun Oyu Miniosi Orunmila Un Soro Kowa Dudu Igbo Eshu Bi Ini Fila Foribale Awo Delele Oba Awo Mayere Odun Awo Malu Ade Oba Orisha Aso Oba Ilu Lodafun Orunmila Maferefun Eshu.

Ebbó: a young bull (replaced by an inshé of malú), akukó and a white cap, a cowbell, ekú, eyá and otí, all kinds of food, opolopo owó.

An Awó named Awó Mayere lived in a place where he could not get ahead; he wanted to leave and could not manage it. He came before Orunmila, who saw this Ifá for him, the Odù that belonged to him, and marked him ebbó with a young bull, a rooster and a white cap, ekú, eyá and gbogbo otí, and told him to take it to the place where he planned to move.

When he got there he ran into Eshu Bi, who lived in the bush. Eshu asked him for the cap the Awó was carrying; Awó Mayere gave him moforibale, and when asked what brought him there, he explained his business. Just then the Obá's favorite was passing by with his retinue, and Eshu Bi told him that the man was a wrestler, the Obá's favorite, and that nobody beat him. The Awó said he would like to measure himself against him. To this Eshu Bi answered: "Come, I will introduce you to my friend Shangó," and Shangó gave his approval.

The next day, Awó Mayere and Eshu Bi went to the Obá's house to set the terms of the fight: the prize would go to whoever, in fifteen days, brought more people out into the street without any blood being spilled.

The Obá's favorite went first. Eshu Bi went out too: at the corner he found ekú, eyá and awadó, further on otí, and when he reached the café a huge fight broke out. Many times the obiní dropped their chores to see the Obá's favorite, and trouble came with the husbands, which at times ended in blood. Things went on that way until the Obá ordered his favorite: "Do not go out any more, because too much blood has been spilled."

Then it was Awó Mayere's turn. He rode down the street on the young bull at twelve midnight, like lightning: he went so fast that nobody could see him. The noise at night left people alarmed, because nobody could make out who it was; even the Obá himself got alarmed.

Later Mayere came out into the street again on the young bull, very slowly and in broad daylight. Behind him came an endless crowd, and in the town there was no misfortune and no accident at all. That is how he won the bet, for being the smarter one, and the Obá rewarded him by leaving him as his successor on the throne.

Note: here the ankle bracelet and the change of lerí are born; it is an Ifá of inheritance, and in it the beasts were tamed and the cows as well. A red and black cap is used, and a cowbell is put behind the door. Work: a young bull to Shangó at the river bank; the Ogue are loaded. It is also born here that Awoses and Santeros do not sit down in parks.

3There is no happiness in the world

In the land of Takua everyone was happy and nobody believed Shangó; with Orunmila's ebbó and his rides on horseback, in twelve days the houses were without food, husbands and wives were quarreling, and Shangó proved that there is no happiness in the world.

In the land of Takua, Shangó announced that he was going to prove there was no happiness in the world. Everyone there lived happily, so he got a big letdown: everywhere he said the same thing and nobody paid him any attention, and from that came many arguments. He set a term of twelve days to prove it, and when he realized what he had promised he said to himself: "What a mess I have gotten into!", and he ran off to look for Orunmila.

Orunmila made him Osode, saw this Ifá and told him to make ebbó. Shangó did it, and from then on he went out riding his horse every day at twelve, with this song: "Kere Kito Kere Shango, Olokua Neloguere". The women, who were washing or cooking, dropped the work and said: "There comes the man with the horse". So at lunchtime the husbands arrived and the food was not made.

By the sixth day there was already bad feeling among the men. Shangó went out again, now with this song: "Alamo Feye Shango Lambela, Alamo Feye". And they began to complain: "This man with the horse has us worn out: we get to our houses and we find no food and no clean clothes, and the house dirty".

On the ninth day he went out with a cowbell on the horse's head, basil, nine itanás and a hen, and this song: "Maloribo Dere Shango, Takua Moloye". The men then went on to beat the women.

On the twelfth day Shangó appeared with akukó and eyelé hanging from the horse's head, and this other song: "Adashe Adamashe Ayewese Umbalowo, Biada Ashe Ayewese Umbalowo Batilide, Yami Aye Bere Bokua". The men poured out into the street and Shangó began to shout: "Do you see that there is no happiness in the world?". Right away he ran to give moforibale to Orunmila, saying: "Iboru, Iboya, Iboshishe".

Ebbó: akukó, adié and eyelé, akuaró meyi, erán malú, pink cloth, a cowbell and nine itaná, ekú, eyá, awadó, opolopo owó. Work to uncover the enemy: a white plate with six candles; one by one they are smoked, prayers are said, and the enemy comes out.

20 more patakíes in this Odù, locked.Read every road in full with The Notebook.Unlock →
The full treatise is in English. With The Notebook, the whole sign opens on this page in English: the full text of every patakí, the recipes for the ebbós and works, and the iré and osogbo readings. · This page is also available in Spanish: See Irete File in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Irete File

What does the Odù Irete File mean in Ifá?

Where Shangó ruled that there is no complete happiness: the youngest son of Ikú, builder of the Añá drums — here you win by being intelligent.

What number is Irete File among the 256 Odù of Ifá?

Irete File is Odù number 226 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Irete family.

Which orishas speak in Irete File?

In the Odù Irete File these orishas speak: Shangó, Odduduwa, Oyá, Elegbá, Orunmila, Ikú, Orishaoko, Egun, The Moon.

What is a proverb of the Odù Irete File?

One of the proverbs of Irete File says: «Nobody can happily be the judge of his own conscience.».

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