Irete Meyi

nº 14 of 256 · Meyi · also Irete Meji

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.

40 patakíes 10 eewó 15 ebbós and works 18 proverbs

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Irete Meyi is Odù number 14 of the 256 in Ifá, one of the 16 Meyi and the head of the Irete family. It is also written as Irete Meji. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 40 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 15 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 14 of 256 · Meyi
Composition
Irete over Irete

What Ifá says in this sign

Irete Meyi is 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. It is the sign that made a pact with Ikú — and also love in person: grace, sweetness and artists from birth.

Its greatest deed changed the religion: human sacrifice in Ifá was ended here — the enslaved son of Eyi Elemere saved himself by saying who he was, and since that day Ikú respects men. That is why this Ifá can insult Death without any danger: blood comes back to life, and the one who tricked death is among the living.

«Only smallpox can insult Ikú without any danger — and the child of Irete, who made a pact with her.»The pulse of Irete Meyi

Its wealth comes with a strange, wise warning: be careful not to fall into the hole of prosperity. Eyi Elemere hunted the deer of his good luck — and fell into a hole; the knotted scarves of Oshún, Oyá and Yemayá pulled him out. It is a rich Ifá and you reach the end with no accidents, but do not dig holes and do not cross them, cover the ones in your house and, when you rise, do not get proud: hurt in their pride, the people of this sign are dangerous — and vanity ruins them.

Measure the people who serve you: the goat told on his master and the loyal dog said it was not true — when a head was needed for the sacrifice, everyone pointed at the informer. Keep loyal people around you and be loyal yourself: one good act of kindness deserves another; a bad one destroys the relationship. And learn from the mother of six children, who beat Death with cleverness and tenderness — cooking for her mother, braiding her hair: love in the right place disarms even Ikú.

Women are the good luck of this odu: a woman will bring you fortune, Oshún has pulled you out of many tight spots and through Yemayá you will have a seat and riches. Take care of your legs — the virtue of the deer is in its legs —, do not wear torn or black clothes, and smile, because that is your nature: love in person does not dress in mourning.

The sign in one line

Laugh with life and respect the pact: cover the holes, stay humble at the top and pay with loyalty — for the one who tricked death, love and wealth arrive on their own.

The prayer of Irete Meyi · Yoruba

Eyelemere akolomore apoyore amoni orun oni barabaniregun Orunmila mo ika oni awo akolomore Orunmila lorugbo.

Súyere
Ariku mariwa, ariku mariwa oñiki bakuodideo, ariku mariwa, oshe meniei, oshe meniei.

Ifá says — what Irete Meyi tells you

The ashé of this sign: He is the one in charge of bringing the dead back to life: he laughs at Ikú, he insults her, and Death can do nothing to him. · It is the Odù of «love in person»: full of grace and sweetness, an artist from birth. · It is a rich Ifá: you reach the end with no accidents. · The luck is hanging from the sky: with ebbó you reach it. · Oshún favors him and has pulled him out of many tight spots. · The Awó of this sign will always know what is going on, good or bad; he uses Oshosi and Azojuano as his defense.

Proverbs of Irete Meyi · Òwe

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

Iré and Osogbo

6 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 Meyi · 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 Meyi · The sacrifices that open the road

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

Works of Irete Meyi · The workings of the sign

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

Patakíes of Irete Meyi · The roads of the Odù

1The birth of Irete Meyi (Olomo, the enslaved son)

Hunting the deer for his ebbó, Eyi Elemere fell into a hole; only Kporoye pulled him out with her turban — and from that meeting Olomo was born. Years later, sold as a slave for his own father's sacrifice, the boy saved himself by singing his story: and human sacrifice was abolished forever.

Eyi Elemere needed a whole deer for the sacrifice that would give him a son. In the town of Ujo he read for Kporoye, a woman with no children, and made her ebbó; then, in the forest, he called a great deer with his mirror, and in the struggle both fell into a deep hole. The children, the men and the women who passed by mocked him — «the doctor who saves others cannot save himself?» — and walked on. Only Kporoye, who was coming to leave her sacrifice next to the hole, held out her turban, which he charmed to make longer, and pulled him out with the deer. As she fell backwards she was left uncovered, and from that meeting — on a bed of ikín leaves, because it is forbidden to make love on the bare earth — Eyi Elemere told her a son would be born. He described his house in Oke Mesi and they went their separate ways.

Kporoye had Olomo, who grew up singing the songs of a father he did not know. When she finally took him to look for him, three bandits caught them and sold them as slaves separately. And the wife of Eyi Elemere, looking for a slave for the human sacrifice at her husband's yearly Ifá festival, bought — without knowing it — Olomo.

While cracking palm seeds, the boy sang his whole story: the hole, the turban, the deer, the house with the tree that gave coral. Eyi Elemere listened in hiding, and tested him with fire — which did not burn him — and with boiling water, which turned ice cold. He held him as his true son. On the day of the festival, Eshú blunted the executioner's knife, which could not cut the victim's neck; the priests recognized the son, and Eyi Elemere declared: from that day on, Orunmila would never accept a human being in sacrifice. Afterwards he rescued Kporoye — masked in palm leaves he danced her out of her father's palace — and with her and his children he lived in prosperity forever.

2The tree of wealth

Oloddumare set the boa, the ram and the rooster to guard the tree of prosperity, and the two hundred deities failed before it. Orunmila sacrificed, gave each guard its food — jutía, yam and corn — and climbed Eshú's ladder to harvest the wealth.

When Oloddumare finished his work of creation, he made the tree of prosperity — the ikín tree, the tree of riches — and named the boa, the father ram and the rooster as its guards. The two hundred deities tried in vain to get prosperity out of the tree: they all failed, because they did not bother to find out the secret of harvesting its fruit.

Before trying, Orunmila went to his diviners — «the person who takes water out of the river destroys the home of the fish; only a patient man can succeed» — and they told him first to take down his house in heaven over the shrine of Eshú (that is why, when this sign comes out, someone who is building a house is told to stop the building for a while). Then he was to sacrifice plenty of corn, pieces of yam and jutías, with a goat and a ladder to Eshú, and to carry the materials in a bag to the foot of the tree.

When he got there, the boa attacked him first: he threw her a jutía, which she swallowed at once. The rooster shook his wings to crow: he threw him corn, and he started eating. The ram dug in to charge: he threw him the pieces of yam. And with his bag at his side, Orunmila climbed the ladder set up by Eshú and pulled off all the fruit at the top. When the rooster finished his corn and saw him up there, he crowed: «Orunmila gegoo!» — which is the rooster's crow to this day: «Orunmila was the first to climb the tree of wealth».

3The ingratitude of the Olofen

Jealous of Eyi Elemere, the Olofen made him fall through a hole in the palace all the way to heaven. His fellow diviners up there treated him well and sent him back to earth; and when the Olofen could not deny his crime, he paid the fine. One good deed deserves another; a bad one destroys the relationship.

Eyi Elemere became one of the four royal diviners of Oyó — the other three lived in heaven and came to the palace every five days. The king, bothered by his skill and his prosperity, plotted his downfall: he had a hole dug in the palace that led to a bottomless pit, covered it with a mat, and invited him to sit on it. Eyi Elemere fell at once — and found himself in heaven.

Walking with no direction, he met his fellow diviners from heaven, who treated him to a goat and talked him into staying the night. The next morning they gave him another goat and showed him the shortest road back to earth: in an instant he was back home, where he feasted with his followers.

Three days later the palace visit was due, and he refused to go. The three diviners from heaven asked about him; the Olofen lied: "he has run away from the earth." They insisted on sending for him, and when he finally showed up and took his place, everyone found out how the Olofen had treated him four days before. The king could not defend himself and was fined on the spot four goats and four barrels of wine. And as they got up, the diviners sang a song: they had come to divine for the Olofen and he paid them with ingratitude; whoever receives a favor is bound to return another, because a bad deed breaks the deal between people.

4The goat's mouth killed him (and the loyalty of the dog)🔒 The Notebook5The mother of six children🔒 The Notebook6Agbani tricked Orunmila🔒 The Notebook7Orunmila in the well and the three women🔒 The Notebook8Oyá taken captive by Oggún🔒 The Notebook9The money on the long stick🔒 The Notebook10Ayé, the ugly luck🔒 The Notebook11When the otá is prayed over to beat the opponent🔒 The Notebook12The hunter and the bath with the two guinea hens🔒 The Notebook13The three men who asked for each other's heads🔒 The Notebook14The luck is hanging🔒 The Notebook15Elegba fell asleep and Orunmila took advantage🔒 The Notebook16The cleverness of Orunmila (the sack in the tree)🔒 The Notebook17The wicked son of Oshún🔒 The Notebook18Olokun finds his luck with the smooth china stone🔒 The Notebook19Olokun comes out of the sea (the bull's head and the nose ring are born)🔒 The Notebook20Olofin tests Orunmila (the hole of Oggún)🔒 The Notebook21Osun Laye and Fa-Aydogu (the end of human sacrifice)🔒 The Notebook22Where women lost the power of Olofin (her crown is born)🔒 The Notebook23Oshún and Nanú (Azojuano swears in the children of Oshún)🔒 The Notebook24When Oshún was a midwife🔒 The Notebook25Orunmila falls into the hunters' trap (the pact with Oshún)🔒 The Notebook26The land of Mimagua Oshe (the ewe to Ikú and to Eggun)🔒 The Notebook27Oro found his father (the bell Aye Agogo Lorun)🔒 The Notebook28The crown of Ifá for two🔒 The Notebook29Akan, the crab, moves house🔒 The Notebook30Oluweri, the slaver, and the crab🔒 The Notebook31The old crab threw Ifá for Orunmila🔒 The Notebook32The selfish one (the men and women of Are)🔒 The Notebook33The fight between Orunmila and Ikú🔒 The Notebook34The road of the light (when the night ends)🔒 The Notebook35The climb to heaven🔒 The Notebook36The disappointment of ingratitude🔒 The Notebook37The rabbit and the wild boar (the shaving of Ifá is born)🔒 The Notebook38The female monkey and the calabash🔒 The Notebook39You cannot be judge and party (the rainbow withdraws)🔒 The Notebook40The edge of the unknown (the garden of Azojuano)🔒 The Notebook
37 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 Meyi in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Irete Meyi

What does the Odù Irete Meyi mean in Ifá?

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.

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

Irete Meyi is Odù number 14 of the 256 in Ifá, one of the 16 Meyi and the head of the Irete family.

Which orishas speak in Irete Meyi?

In the Odù Irete Meyi these orishas speak: Orunmila (Eyi Elemere), Oshún, Oyá, Oggún, Shangó, Elegbá, Ikú (Death), Azojuano (San Lázaro), Olokun, Odduduwa.

What is a proverb of the Odù Irete Meyi?

One of the proverbs of Irete Meyi says: «Blood comes back to life: the one who tricked death is among the living.».

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