Irete Ogbe

Also called Irete Untelu

nº 212 of 256 · Edited by Ricco Ledesma

The scarcity that Olofin fixed with his wisdom: a just Odù where the great power of Egun is born, and Elegba received his 21 cowries.

48 patakíes 9 eewó 17 ebbós and works 18 proverbs

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Irete Ogbe is Odù number 212 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Irete family. It is also written as Irete Untelu. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 48 patakíes (3 in full in plain sight, with their teaching, ebbó and chants), its proverbs, 17 ebbós and works and the signs it shows in the consultation — with the full eewó in plain sight; the rest of the iré and osogbo and the full recipes open with The Notebook, in English.

The sign at a glance

Order in Ifá: Odù 212 of 256
Composition: Irete over Ogbe
Orishas that speak: Obatalá · Shangó · Olofin · Elegbá · Oshún · Oshosi · Oyá (Iyanzán) · Olokun · Orún y Egun · Oluó Popó (Azojuano)

What Ifá says in this sign

Irete Ogbe, also known as Irete Untelu, is a sign of justice and of a given word. Here were born the enormous strength of Egun and Ifá, the reason Elegba has 21 cowries, the swell of the sea that enters the land, and the virtue and curse of the snail. It was a time of scarcity, with no food and no medicine, until Olofin set it right with his wisdom. Its ruling is even handed: always keep what you promise, because this odu gives justice to whoever deserves it and punishes whoever fails.

It is also a sign of setbacks, which can bring you courts and problems. It marks the danger of prison for days, for months and even for years, and that is why the ebbó is not put off. You have three powerful enemies and one of them is right on your heels; false testimony is raised against you and something harmful is placed at your door. Do not accept stolen goods or keep what others hand you for safekeeping, be wary of gifts of fruit or tobacco, and do not lend money, for every loan brings you a problem.

«Irete Untelu is just: where it comes out to do good, there is justice, and for the one who deserves it and does not receive it, the letter itself collects.»The pulse of Irete Ogbe

But the snail, slow and patient, reached the summit before the eagle, and that is how you get there: with constancy. You have money on the way, and in three months you will see what Ifá announces come true. Many envy you and wonder how, knowing so much, you live with so little, but your stability is upheld by Olofin and confirmed by Orunmila. Oshún shelters you, and Egun supports you if you give it its due. Even if your childhood was hard and hungry, the saint is what lifts you up.

At home, do not let a fourth person come to live with you, because it brings disorder. An Egun stands between you and your partner and causes the quarrels; attend to it, and let the man never raise his hand against the woman, for here there is a marked danger that a husband may strangle his unfaithful wife. The mother who tries to arrange her daughter's love life ends up harming her, and the sign warns of a danger of rape: take care of yourself and your family. With others, you sometimes promise a lot and deliver little: that pride closes doors for you. Avoid dealings with adodis and alakuatas, and if you are young, guard against that inclination. Respect your elders and always pay your respects to your godfather.

In health, take care of your throat, which gets irritated with hoarseness and a scratchy voice and, with alcohol and tobacco, can turn into cancer of the larynx; take care also of your prostate, where cancer may appear, your hemorrhoids, liver, blood sugar and intestine, which tuberculosis threatens. Avoid spicy food and stay away from alcohol, which in this sign ruined the land of Obatalá. Be careful in the street and when traveling, because here the horse bolted. Be as constant as the snail and faithful to your word, and Irete Ogbe will bring you wealth, a partner and many godchildren.

The sign in one line

Do the ebbó of the fire on time, do not lend money and do not admit a fourth person into the house, for the slave child of Irete Untelu is crowned through the Santo.

The prayer of Irete Ogbe · Yoruba

IRETE INTEMEBOLE ABIRI KOLO OMOLUBO ABATA ATI KOTOPO OMOLUBO OWARA YANIYE OMOLUBO META LABA PARI ATI META LABA MERI LODAFUN IGBA NI, LODAFUN INNIYE.

Súyere
ONI AWA AGBA LAYO INSHEGBO TETE MERIN TETE MOÑA / ONI AWA EYORUN LAYO ENSHEODAN TETE MERIN TETE MOÑA / AWA KEKE LAYO INSHE OYO AYAKA TETE MERIN TETE MOÑA.

Ifá says — what Irete Ogbe tells you

The person who comes to consult is not good for the Awó; he brings him the law and difficulties.
It announces ruin or prison within 7 days; the sentence may be 11 days, 11 months or 11 years. It is vital to perform the ebbó of fire.
People speak of the person, for good or ill: ekó, smoked fish and palm oil are offered to Elegba, and the person cleanses with a rooster.
The owner of this Ifá spits often and feels a scratchy throat (pharyngitis, laryngitis); to prevent it an omiero of cundiamor (ewé eyení) with honey is made, Oshún is placed inside the cazuela and a glass is drunk each day.
A fourth person is not admitted in your home, because of the conflicts it causes.
An Egun comes between you and your spouse; it is counteracted with a red ribbon placed behind the headboard of the bed.
Wanting to do good for her in love, the mother destroys the daughter; for there to be peace, that mother must receive Ikofá.
In this Ifá the son of Orunmila got lost.
No godchild, however great he has become, is free of paying moforibale to his godfather; and so that he does not separate from that godfather, 8 coconuts are placed for Orunmila.
Lending money is looking for trouble.
Irenlú (rape) speaks: a danger that this Odù warns against and condemns; maidens must not sleep in your home in their underwear.
Obatalá's land was being ruined because of aguardiente (otí).
They raised a hand against Orunmila.
Her husband watched the jutía constantly.
Olofin's wife could not give birth.
They wanted to kill the prodigiosa, because it unites.
Through an ebbó the bee gets its stinger.
Avoid dealings with people of misguided conduct; if the person consulting is young, he or she may have tendencies that must be guided well.
Be careful with traffic accidents: here the dark horse bolted.
That when this Ifá comes out a paste of cascarilla and aguardiente is prepared, the Odù is drawn with it on a hen's egg, the egg is put in a glass with honey, covered with a plate, and the glass is turned upside down behind the door.
That the person consulting must make an ebbó with a broody hen, with or without chicks.
That the Awó cleans the Ilé when the aleyo comes, with ekó, ewé tete, ewé dundun (siempreviva) and cotton; the house is purified by washing the floor with white bleo, indigo and rompe saragüey, and then honey and amalá are sprinkled in the corners.
That the 4 corners of the house are fed for the Egun who live in it: at times the person notices a smell of a pigsty in the home.
That to work this sign, the necessary Odù are marked, without leaving out Irete Kután, Ogunda Meyi, Ojuani Meyi, Ojuani Shobe, Otrupon Adaweña, Otura Tikú, Otrupon Ka and Ojuani Pokón.
That the hand of Orunmila, when it is given through this Ifá, is done with as few Awoses as possible and with only 7 herbs; 16 ikines are given, because the one who receives it could bring the law and reveal the secret, and, in case he ever betrayed it, the adelé meta stay in the hands of Ogún.
About health: intestinal tuberculosis (take ateje root), hiatal hernia, diabetes, liver cirrhosis, prostate, impotence, laryngitis and pharyngitis, hemorrhoids. Do not eat spicy or salty foods, cold cuts or highly seasoned meals.
That the insect of the rice causes you problems in the liver; do not eat yellow rice.
That in the man's prostate there are clotted secretions that, when he drinks alcohol, stir up and spread through the body with serious consequences.
Herbs of the Odù: piñón florido (bien vestido), acacia (piñón de rosas or French paradise), ewé tete, siempreviva, white bleo and cundiamor.
That Orunmila carries 16 igbín inside, 8 in each hand.

Proverbs of Irete Ogbe · Òwe

“You cannot pick up the trail of salt in water, or find the tracks of the deer on the stone hills.”
“The tongue was the head's undoing.”
“There is no tongue that speaks that God does not punish.”
“While the food is not cooked, it is not taken off the fire to be eaten.”
“A hardworking man is rarely in need.”
“The man who could do something better than he does and does not do it is the greatest of idlers.”
“The comadre bought a new broom.”
“The amaranth was delicious before it rained.”
“Man is born of the stone, and the stone is born again of man.”
“It is worth more to answer plainly than to love in secret.”
“The feelings were the head's undoing.”
“The ear that listens and the eye that sees save a man from error.”
“Whoever mutters gives away secrets and turns into a gossip.”
“If you are weak, distress crushes you and men trample you.”
“A dog that barks does not bite.”
“The man who holds himself wise has less hope than the fool.”
“The quarrelsome man sets fire in the street and burns his own house.”
“Whoever preaches what he does not keep is a fraud.”

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

Iré and Osogbo

Three iré and three osogbo of this sign, open to everyone.

Iré · what the sign brings

They defeat their enemies: like Orunmila, who came out unharmed from the confinement death put him in, they win even the war that is coming toward them.
They have a good deal of money on the way, and within three months what Ifá says comes true.
They find a good partner and marriage comes with prosperity, if they carry out without delay what they are told.

Osogbo · what the sign warns

This is a sign of delay: the person who comes to be consulted fares badly, because they draw the courts and problems upon themselves.
They may be jailed for seven days, eleven days, eleven months or even eleven years.
Several people die because of them, and in the end they die too.

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

What is born in Irete Ogbe · Ìbí

That this odu is withdrawn at once.
It is an Odù of delay for the Awó: when the aleyo leaves, the Awó cleanses his body with a young rooster, because witchcraft is being cast on him.
Spitting three mouthfuls of water and three of aguardiente out into the street.
The Iroyé of Olofin, because he suffered memory loss.
Obatalá Yeku Yeku (the nerves; it touches the mother).
The sounding of Obatalá's agogó.
With it Shangó made him hand over the command of Ogo in the land of Irete Untelu Bemore.
That husbands strangle the wives who are unfaithful to them.
From the path of the jutía and the majá: the greatest warning against deceit in marriage.
The bejucos berraco and garañón, which prevent the impotence of the Awó of this Odù.
That to take leave of Olofin, he is buried in the mud of the river.
Why Elegbá has 21 shells (dilogunes).
With cunning he won the 3 cowries that were left over from the division among the three brothers.
The offices of watching: ashelú, the political man (awon olopa), the policeman (oyé) and the watcher or informer.
The great virtue of the slug and also its curse.
That is why the children of Oshún with this Odù cannot do the head offering with igbín.
The phenomena of the sea, for example the swell or the ground swell.
Olokun grew in a single night and from time to time advances over the land to collect payment for the harm done to him.
The immense power of Egun and Ifá.
The prohibition on eating obí (coconut).
Through the obí one divines, and thanks to it the person is saved when the enemy sets a trap.
That an otá (stone) appears in Orunmila as his presence.
The ewé tete nifá (for the head).
The lash of the Iyoyé.
That Elegbá carries a mouth, eyes and a nose.
From the three arrows that Orunmila shot at him for living with his wife: he spared his life, but the marks remained.
That the godfather, at the Atefá or Awofakán, take 5 new ikines and exchange them for the godchild's, placing them in his Ogún.
So that luck is not stolen from you, nor by aleyos.
That Oluó Popó made smallpox, Abitá the bat (adán) and Obatalá the dove (eyelé).

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

Do not eat guava paste.
Because of the blessing of Oluó Popó on the wasp: as long as the world is the world, Irete Untelu will not taste guava.
Do not eat sugar cane, or coconut, or yellow rice.
Through the obí one divines and one is saved; the bug in the rice damages your liver.
Do not drink alcoholic beverages.
The land of Obatalá was lost through the otí, and in the prostate the secretions get stirred up.
Do not step on ashes or on blood.
Do not kill ants.
The ants fed Orunmila during his five days of captivity.
Do not do favors.
Do not accept anything given to you to keep nor allow strangers to stay in your home: a fourth person ruins the household.
Do not eat spicy food, salty food, sausages, or heavily seasoned food.
You suffer, or you will suffer, from hemorrhoids.
Maidens must not sleep in their underwear in your home.
You may lose your reason and commit a terrible act.
Do not argue stubbornly with your wife.
If you argue, you lose.

Ebbós of Irete Ogbe · The sacrifices that open the road

Keeping death awayChief ebbó of this Odù🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesEbbó of Shakuata (against the fourth person)🔒 The Notebook LossEbbó so you are not tied up and do not go to prison🔒 The Notebook MoneyEbbó of the wedding (the road of Obalita)🔒 The Notebook Keeping death awayEbbó of Olokun (to be great and well thought of)🔒 The Notebook

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

Works of Irete Ogbe · The workings of the sign

LoveWork for someone to come back🔒 The Notebook LossTo Yemayá, to settle something difficult🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesThe six stones of Shangó🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesTo get someone out of prison (the salt and the tongue)🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesAgainst the law (ashelú)🔒 The Notebook SpiritualInshé Osanyin of the two snails🔒 The Notebook MoneyWork to get things moving (the buried gourd)🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesTo keep the law and everything bad from arriving🔒 The Notebook HealthWork for health (Obatalá's cow)🔒 The Notebook SpiritualWorks for Egun, for the ancestor and for Oshún🔒 The Notebook MoneySo that the corners are not blocked for you🔒 The Notebook SpiritualEshu Ogongo (the Eshu of this Odù)🔒 The Notebook

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

Patakíes of Irete Ogbe · The roads of the Odù

1The slug that drank Obatalá’s liquor

Obatalá’s otí, his liquor, kept running out, and the one drinking it was a slug.

Babá performed an ebbó. From then on the slug began to give off slime, and that slime marked every place she stepped. She fled to the wild to hide, but by following the trail she left, they found her. Obatalá cursed her.

What it teaches

What is done in secret leaves traces, and sooner or later it comes to light. Whoever abuses the trust of his protector exposes himself to that protector’s curse.

Ebbó of this path

2 hens, 2 roosters, 2 doves, a slug, ash, salt, a strip of leather, a chain and a lot of money.

Ebbó with plants

Purslane, white amaranth (bledo blanco) and pata de gallina.

2Olofin's Wife Could Not Give Birth

A woman married to Olofin wanted to be a mother, but no children came. She consulted Orunmila, and he prescribed an ebbó of goat and dove. He also asked her for something more: when she lay with Olofin, she had to do something with her husband's body.

What she did was take the ring he wore on his hand and keep it. Soon afterward she was expecting a child. When the baby was born, comments began: people said that its father was not Olofin but Orunmila. But both were already old men, and neither gave any credit to those voices.

What it teaches

When Ifá points to a gesture, it must be done as it was said, however small it seems; here a ring that was put away came with the arrival of the child. Rumors tend to surround good news, but they do no harm when those who know the truth do not take them seriously.

Ebbó marked by Orunmila

Goat and dove.

Ebbó for a pregnant woman

Rope and beef.

Ebbó of this path

Fish, jutía, white bleo (amaranth) and 2 ekó; 2 doves; a broody hen, and also her chicks if she has them; 3 bundles of firewood, arrows, salt, ashes, cane liquor and a lot of money.

3Alaboche Asks for Olofin's Daughter and Fails to Keep His Word

Alaboche is a bird similar to the arriero. A young woman, Olofin's daughter, wanted him as her husband. Her father demanded something before giving his consent: Alaboche had to bring food.

The bird promised to do it, but he brought nothing. Because of that failure, at dawn a song of his is heard that sounds like a complaint.

If this path comes out in the consultation, Ifá warns that the person is competing with another man for a woman. Her father has money and the young woman loves the person being consulted.

What it teaches

A commitment that is not kept closes the road one was seeking, and only the complaint remains. Promising lightly costs the trust of others.

Ebbó of this path

This path has its own ebbó; the full list is in the complete treatise.

What Alaboche sang in the mornings

Olobuchen Eye Olokun Y Lulu Eye Osa Al Mar Elenun Yo Meye Elulu Eye Oicheman Leche Casa Ma Fornido Nidosa Sasa Olocuche Eye Osa Ofo Nide Sasa.

This path keeps 1 awó secret in the complete treatise.🔒 The Notebook

4The song of Olegueche brought the hunters🔒 The Notebook 5The fourth person in the house of Shakuata🔒 The Notebook 6Orunmila imprisoned by Ikú🔒 The Notebook 7The snail reached the summit before the eagle🔒 The Notebook 8From the pus of Oluó Popó were born the jía brava and the wasp🔒 The Notebook 9The man who could not walk, Obatalá and the parrots🔒 The Notebook 10The shell was Igbín's trail🔒 The Notebook 11Ologoshe, the rejected suitor🔒 The Notebook 12Yemayá left Oyá at the cemetery🔒 The Notebook 13Obatalá leaves a land given over to drink🔒 The Notebook 14The house where Elegba did not fit🔒 The Notebook 15Ewé Tete is born even if the others do not want it🔒 The Notebook 16The false testimonies against the serpent🔒 The Notebook 17The harassed bee receives its stinger🔒 The Notebook 18Orunmila hidden in the cemetery and the son of Oyá🔒 The Notebook 19Shakuata is cured and her brothers are lost🔒 The Notebook 20The three coconuts that saved Olofin🔒 The Notebook 21Shangó brings down Iroko's wall🔒 The Notebook 22Why Elegba has 21 dilogunes🔒 The Notebook 23The jutía and the snake🔒 The Notebook 24Olofin marries Irete Untelu to his daughter Obalita🔒 The Notebook 25Olofin curses Obalita Obakere, his wife🔒 The Notebook 26The ashé of Obalita Obakere🔒 The Notebook 27Olofin's wife could not give birth (the ring)🔒 The Notebook 28Elegba commits adultery with the wife of Orunmila🔒 The Notebook 29Oshún and the snail are enemies🔒 The Notebook 30The marriage of convenience that filled the house with hatred🔒 The Notebook 31The childhood of Irete Untelu🔒 The Notebook 32Olokun was small and nobody thought much of him (the swell)🔒 The Notebook 33The lost son of Orunmila and the wind of Osain🔒 The Notebook 34Obatalá Yeku Yeku hands the command to Eshu🔒 The Notebook 35The bolting grey horse🔒 The Notebook 36Ategbe, Olokun's diviner🔒 The Notebook 37The white clothes sweeten their Ifá with honey🔒 The Notebook 38Alatisa, the blanket, is freed from traps and nets🔒 The Notebook 39Orunmila divines for the grown-ups🔒 The Notebook 40Olokun gets back what he lost🔒 The Notebook 41The bird that drops money🔒 The Notebook 42The women who saved Olokun from slander🔒 The Notebook 43The three lashes to Orunmila🔒 The Notebook 44The suitor fed by the ants🔒 The Notebook 45Ifá Yobi feeds Ikú🔒 The Notebook 46Why Orunmila has only one ota🔒 The Notebook 47The wedding of the hawksbill with the daughter of the tortoise🔒 The Notebook 48The rose and the princess🔒 The Notebook

45 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 Ogbe in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Irete Ogbe

What does the Odù Irete Ogbe mean in Ifá?

The scarcity that Olofin fixed with his wisdom: a just Odù where the great power of Egun is born, and Elegba received his 21 cowries.

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

Irete Ogbe is Odù number 212 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Irete family.

Which orishas speak in Irete Ogbe?

In the Odù Irete Ogbe these orishas speak: Obatalá, Shangó, Olofin, Elegbá, Oshún, Oshosi, Oyá (Iyanzán), Olokun, Orún y Egun, Oluó Popó (Azojuano).

What is a proverb of the Odù Irete Ogbe?

One of the proverbs of Irete Ogbe says: «You cannot pick up the trail of salt in water, or find the tracks of the deer on the stone hills.».

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