Odù 225 of 256 · Irete family
The 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.
Irete Otún is Odù number 225 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Irete family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 22 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 12 ebbós and works and the signs it shows in the consultation; the detail of iré and osogbo, the eewó and the full recipes open with the Babalawo plan — that locked part is still written in Spanish.
Irete Otún — also called Irete Unfá and Irete Ekún — is the Ifá of the Aggó Ikú Abila: «I open the door to death» — the Odù that shares death out and drives Egun's cart to the cemetery, the one who announced a King's death. But its other side is bright: here the deathlessness of the soul is born — the body dies, but the self does not — and the Ituto while you live, made with everything broken in the house.
This is an Ifá of a change of heads: a servant died in the King's place — be careful with favors that put you where the blow lands. Its watchword is watchfulness: keep to your house and to your own life, send Ikú away from the door with works — Oyá and the Owl are her messengers and they give warning.
Its armor is rare and valuable: this Ifá protects against witchcraft — witchcraft aimed straight at your head is made useless — with the sacrifice made, since otherwise Eshu will do you one harm after another with his thorns. The ash figures looked alive because of the wind: sometimes appearance alone is enough to scare an enemy off.
Its fables lay down conduct: the Mockingbird won Obatalá's prize with a song of his own, and the Cotunto, for copying him and betraying him, was cursed as the ugliest bird in the world — whoever copies fails; the ox went without a tail for being in too much of a hurry: whoever does not wait for Olofin to finish his work lives a torment. Sing with your own voice and wait your turn.
Its household warnings: they can throw you out for taking someone else in, a comadre is your worst enemy, the tiger is on the loose — and fierce as he is, he falls into a trap through a woman or through what he wants — and the sadness you carry is caused by an Egun: he is sent away. The family gives rogation to their heads with river fish, and the good news is already sounding: the money is at the door — and it is going to come in.
Have your Ituto done while you live, copy nobody and wait for Olofin to finish his work — the money is already sounding at the door of Irete Otún.
Emonobi Minobo Dowena Dometo Tutunido Yiwe Nalewado Akewe Ayanaru Geli Mosedo Meta Ko Kabio Boeda Tebi Nikabio Zowe Mogoa Jaga. Owiwi Owiwi Olele Oya Nkala Kala Olele.
Súyere
Letefa Nimaña Mono Ñala Bomi Dingbofi Dinkale. Letefa Wini Wini Olele Oya Kala Kala Olele.
“Whoever copies fails.”
“A horsefly that makes things move gently.”
“Death said: I go through this at every hour.”
“Whoever dresses in white should watch out for the lard.”
“The man with arms who does not work is the father of idleness.”
“The stick you throw into the air can come back to meet your own head.”
“The false line is found out with the square.”
“Only whoever has made a pact with Iku knows her.”
“Whoever goes about with dung does not smell of fruit.”
“The diviner has to die, the doctor is mortal, the magician does not live forever.”
“Too much sweetness turns bitter.”
“Bad blood makes the intelligent man ignorant.”
“All the money in the world does not buy one life.”
“Favors and more favors bring bitterness.”
“Bitterness wipes out the fool's head.”
“Vices are the murderers of ability.”
The announcement of a King's death.
The sign appeared on the altar warning of the King's death; that is why this Ifá is one of a change of heads.
Aggó Ikú Abila: «I open the door to death».
When this Odù traveled to Earth, that is what he said on arriving.
The deathlessness of the soul: the body dies but the self does not; they are separate.
From the pataki of Ikú and Koré: the soul goes free, it does not die.
Doing the Ituto while you live.
With everything that is broken in the house, a circle of ash and an eyelé (dove) to the Odù.
Ikú's daughter, Onireggun, turned into an ekú (jutía).
Olorun granted her the virtue her mother did not have and sent her to the bush.
That Olorun sent the menstruation to the jutía.
From the same road of Onireggun.
The cart driver of death (Aluja, in Arará).
Irete Unfá drives Egun's cart to the cemetery.
The deformity of Ozain.
He burned a hand, a foot and an eye when Elegbá set the bush alight smoking gunpowder in his pipe.
The four marks on the Ikín.
The leopard clawed Orunmila and marked him forever: the four eyes seen on the ikines of Ifá.
That the children of Orun, the Awó-Orun, die too.
By Olorun's ruling, in spite of the pact with Ikú.
That by Natural Law the old die before the young.
From the wager between Death and Illness: illness attacks the young, but death respects the old less.
Obatalá's curse on the Cotunto (Sijú).
For betraying the Mockingbird: he will be the ugliest and most wicked bird as long as the world lasts.
That Oyá and the Owl are Ikú's messengers.
They appeared on the Earth to serve death; the owl's cry announces her.
Not killing male animals for seven days when Aron (illness) is present.
It is this Ifá's rule of Ituto when it is seen for a sick person.
Both came to Earth as death's messengers, they fell out, and the Owl had to flee.
Oyá and the Owl appeared on the Earth to be Ikú's messengers, but the two of them fell out and the Owl went through great hardship and had to flee. Note: the owl's cry announces death. When this Odù traveled to Earth, he said: «Aggó Ikú Abila» (I open the door to death).
Yewá was finishing off humankind; Shangó, on Orunmila's advice, made figures of ash that the wind moved, and Yewá, thinking them alive, took fright and left.
Prayer: Irete Otun, Kaferefun Yewa, Obatala, Shango, Oshun, Elegbara, Olofin. Ebbó: akukó, adié, malaguidí, herb ash, opolopo owó.
There was a land where Yewá was finishing off humankind, so great was the dying. Olofin sent Shangó as his messenger to set that land right and to end the state Yewá had created.
Shangó went to Orunmila's house, who saw this Ifá for him and marked him the ebbó, telling him to give akukó and adié to Egun, and telling him that when he reached that land he should make a great many figures of ash, since in that land there was a great deal of wind and, as the wind scattered the ash, the figures looked as if they were alive.
Yewá, going through that land, saw in the distance a great many figures moving and thought: «How can this be, if everyone in this land is dead?» She took fright at them and left that land, and Shangó managed to put an end to the dying thanks to Orunmila.
This Ifá is one of Ituto: when a sick person is read and this Odù comes up, male animals are not killed for seven days. Ituto is done while you live with everything that is broken in the house, a circle of ash is drawn, in the middle the Odù is set out in ash, and an eyelé is given to it.
Irete Unfá drives Egun's cart to the cemetery: when he comes into the Awó's house, he leaves with a body.
Irete Unfá is the one who drives Egun's cart to the cemetery. This Ifá, when it comes into the Awó's house, leaves with a body. He shares out death and illness. In Arará he is called Aluja.
Note: it is an Ifá of Ituto; it does harm for nothing; it opens the door to the dead, to those who are buried in the earth. That is why the works are done to send Egun away from the door, to send Ikú away and to send away the bad luck this Odù marks.
What does the Odù Irete Otún mean in Ifá?
The 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.
What number is Irete Otún among the 256 Odù of Ifá?
Irete Otún is Odù number 225 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Irete family.
Which orishas speak in Irete Otún?
In the Odù Irete Otún these orishas speak: Obatalá, Yewá, Shangó, Oshún, Elegbá, Ozain, Oyá, Shakuana, Orishaoko, Egun.
What is a proverb of the Odù Irete Otún?
One of the proverbs of Irete Otún says: «Whoever copies fails.».