Iroso Di

nº 80 of 256

The 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.

15 patakíes 5 eewó 12 ebbós and works 15 proverbs

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Iroso Di is Odù number 80 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Iroso family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 15 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 12 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 80 of 256
Composition: Iroso over Odi
In the Diloggún: 4-7 · Iroso tonti Odí
Orishas that speak: Orunmila · Elegbara · Yemayá (Ashabá) · Obatalá · Shangó (Alafia) · Oshún · Eggun (the dead woman)

What Ifá says in this sign

Iroso Di is the Ifá that lives in water: love was born here — and here women hold the rule: Yemayá put on a hat and trousers for the first time, and a woman threw the ókpele. If you are a woman, you have more resolve than your husband; if you are a man, learn to honor that rule instead of fighting it.

Your armor is made of scales: you slip away from your enemies like the fish no hand can catch in the river — as slippery as the okra-covered fish the cat could not hold. Praying your head with two fresh fish and making the ebbó at a run destroys the two great enemies; the three persistent ones at work will wear themselves out.

«Like the fish in the river, Iroso Di is never caught by his enemies' hands.»The pulse of Iroso Di

Beware the good-bad one: the brother who wrapped the stone in thorn branches, put his brother senseless in a box and threw him into the sea. In the same house there is cedar that turns things bitter and almond that turns them sweet: do not trust even your own family, do not go out with company, and pay no attention to the tangles — if you listen to them, you are lost.

The children are your treasure and your test: you will have a child called Iré — look after him well, because he will be your happiness —, and to the father who stands in the way of his daughters' relationships this odu gives a warning: all he will manage is to lose them. Go with them instead of forbidding them. And the moments of blacking out, to the doctor — no ladders and no chairs in the meantime.

Your company is guaranteed by the one who opens the roads: Elegba says he is your father, your brother and your friend. With him beside you, with Obatalá kept up and the house clean, the ruling of the water holds true: the love that was born here always finds its channel

The sign in one line

Respect the rule of women, look after the child called Iré and keep Elegba beside you — love was born in the water of this sign, and love knows how to swim.

The prayer of Iroso Di · Yoruba

Iroso Di mandulain ati eintoshe oun omó Orúnmila, adifafun Orúnmila kowaye.

Ifá says — what Iroso Di tells you

The Ifá of the herb gatherer, and of the good one and the bad one. This is the Ifá that lives in water.
Here women hold the rule: if you are a woman, you have more resolve than your husband.
The cedar is bitter and the almond is sweet: in the same house there is someone who sweetens and someone who embitters.
Whoever goes to the city does not come back; the owner of this Ifá does not live in the city.
You have no seat in anything you do and nowhere fixed to be.
You are going to have a child that will be named Iré (good luck), and you will have that child with a person of loose conduct; take good care of the child, because that child will be your happiness.
The father who stands in the way of his daughters' relationships will only manage to turn them loose in their ways.
The good-bad one: the brother who wrapped a stone in thorn branches, threw it at him when he was not looking, put him senseless in a box and threw him into the sea to drown.
Three persistent enemies, and a betrayal: be careful.
People are false with you, and there are tangles: if you listen to them, you will be lost.
Opposition from your family to the woman you live with.
Moments of blacking out: go to a doctor.
The woman who has had more than one husband and left him over his bad ways, and who suffers with heat in the womb.
You slip away from your enemies: just as hands cannot catch fish in the river or in the sea, your enemies will not catch you — a praying with two fresh fish to the head.

Proverbs of Iroso Di · Òwe

“The cedar is bitter and the almond is sweet.”
“You cannot catch fish in the river with your hands.”
“Whoever goes to the city does not come back.”
“Elegbara says: I am your father, your brother and your friend.”
“Do not quarrel with your wife, and listen to her advice.”
“Whoever behaves with intelligence is not insulted by the fool.”
“Blind love is lost the moment the eyes open.”
“Love whoever loves you, not whoever takes your fancy.”
“Whoever corrects you is the wise man's brother and the fool's enemy.”
“Foolishness is the simpleton's sister and the insolent one's cousin.”
“Set yourself goals that match what you can do, and you will shine.”
“Whoever turns on their father and throws out their mother is a child of misfortune.”
“Trials are for offenders and punishments for the disobedient.”
“A wise man never gets drunk on wine, but he does on knowledge.”
“Stolen water is drunk in one gulp and ends up choking us.”

12 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 Iroso Di · Ìbí

Love.
Achondroplasia: dwarfism, with a large head and bone defects in the legs and arms.
Here Orunmila's arms were short and he could not reach.
That Yemayá put on a hat and trousers, and that a woman threw the ókpele for the first time.
While Orunmila was off at parties, Ashabá read and made ebbó for people with great success.
That the cat kills the rat for its food.
The rat refused the payment she had promised for catching the fish, which came of the sacrifice she herself had refused to make.

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

Do not climb ladders or chairs to reach what your hands cannot reach.
You may get dizzy, fall, and suffer a fatal accident.
Do not go out into the street with another person.
And do not walk with anyone, because it is a setback for you.
Do not jump over or step on pipes or hoses.
Your virility weakens and you fall behind.
Never open any guard (resguardo) that you have.
Do not treat anyone with falseness, and do not cry over money or the poverty you are going through.

Ebbós of Iroso Di · The sacrifices that open the road

Beating enemiesOrunmila's mortar and scissors🔒 The Notebook MoneyThe iyé of the guabina fish🔒 The Notebook MoneyThe harvester's three young roosters🔒 The Notebook LoveAgainst deadly rivalry🔒 The Notebook Keeping death awayThe sacrifice of the fish (Ono-Ifá)🔒 The Notebook LossEbbó of the keepsake🔒 The Notebook Beating enemiesThe ebbó of Alakaso🔒 The Notebook HealthTwo fish to the head🔒 The Notebook

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

Works of Iroso Di · The workings of the sign

MoneyAlmond sweets for Orunmila🔒 The Notebook SpiritualMass for the dead woman🔒 The Notebook HealthInshé-Osanyin of the sign🔒 The Notebook Beating enemiesA rooster at the Ceiba🔒 The Notebook

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

Patakíes of Iroso Di · The roads of the Odù

1The turtle and the serpent

Orunmila's enemies sent the turtle and the serpent to kill him. The turtle hid under the mat; Orunmila, warned by his Osode, set about pounding yam on top of the mat and killed her with the pestle. He left the scissors open on the mortar, and the serpent, coming in at night, cut its own throat on them.

Orunmila did not lack enemies, and they went to the turtle and the snake so they would finish him off. The two of them accepted, and the turtle got under the mat. Since he knew how many enemies he had, Orunmila made himself Osode, this Ifá came out and he did the rogación that was marked: a rooster for Elegba, two hens with honey for Oshún, a pair of scissors, a small mortar, a piece of mat and boiled yam.

He boiled the yam, set the mortar on the mat and started to pound. The blows killed the turtle; when he noticed it, he shared out its iñales among all the Santos. Then he lay down on the mat, but not before leaving the scissors open on top of the mortar. The snake thought he was asleep and tried to come in to kill him, but it ran into the scissors and was left with no head. That is how Orunmila beat his enemies. When this Ifá comes out and takes a road, the rogación is done in a hurry, and with it two great enemies are destroyed; usually there are strong enemies at work, gossip, scheming and plots.

2The cat, the rat and the fish

The cat served his head but not Eshú; the rat sacrificed nothing; the fish made his ebbó of okra and soap. When the rat hired the cat to catch the fish, the fish slipped out of his claws and made the deep water. The rat refused to pay, and the cat killed her: ever since, the cat hunts rats.

The cat, the rat and the fish went for divination. The cat was told to sacrifice to Eshú, to his head and to his Guardian Angel so as not to end up carrying the yoke of someone else's troubles; he served his head and his Angel, but failed with Eshú. The rat was given the same advice and did nothing. The fish, warned that his enemies were scheming against him, sacrificed without wasting time — okra, soap and a hen — and Orunmila added white amaranth, irowa and odondon to prepare him a bathing soap. After that, the fish set up his home in the water, and his body turned slippery and scaled.

The rat talked the cat into catching the fish in exchange for a good piece of meat. The cat found him dancing in the river and struck, but the okra on the fish's body made him impossible to hold; the fish swam down to the deep and was saved, and the cat came out of the water having swallowed a great deal of it, and was a long time bringing it up. He went to the rat for his payment — he was asking for a she-goat to thank his head for not having died in the river — but the rat argued that with no success there was no payment. Then the cat set on her and killed her while her children fled; and ever since, the cat kills the rat for its food, which came of the sacrifice she refused to make.

3When Yemayá threw the ókpele

Orunmila, fond of parties and women, was neglecting his godchildren. Yemayá read his books in secret, and one day when he was slow coming back from the country, she put on his hat and trousers and began reading and making ebbó with great success. On his return, Orunmila threw her out in shame and swore never to live with her again.

Yemayá was Orunmila's wife, and he, in his fondness for women and for parties, was not seeing to his godchildren or to the people who came to his house as he should; the time he ought to have spent studying he spent at parties. Yemayá spoke to him about it and he paid no attention. At night, with nothing to do, she took to reading Orunmila's books in secret.

One day Orunmila went off to the country to a feast lasting several days. Yemayá, seeing that he did not come back and how many people were arriving to be read, began reading and making ebbó and works, which were very well received and very successful; more than a month went by like that. When Orunmila came back, he found his house fuller than ever, and someone told him that Yemayá was reading now, and knew more than he did. Ashamed, he went into the room and saw Yemayá in trousers and a hat making ebbó for someone. Full of anger and shame, he threw her out of his house and swore never to live with her again; and from then on he studied and saw to his duties as an Awó. This was where Yemayá first put on a hat and trousers, and a woman first threw the ókpele; that is why the Awoses of this sign do not live with daughters of Yemayá, since sooner or later they will want to take their place.

4Mandulain and Wintoshe🔒 The Notebook 5Do not quarrel with your wife, and listen to her advice🔒 The Notebook 6The cotton harvester🔒 The Notebook 7The Ceiba is queen, and she does not die🔒 The Notebook 8Ruin comes through disobedience and willfulness🔒 The Notebook 9Jika-Jiku, the one who brought the dead back🔒 The Notebook 10Awele, who killed with her private parts🔒 The Notebook 11Onijama Akoko and the vain wife🔒 The Notebook 12Alakaso and the little Tojosa dove🔒 The Notebook 13The mission of Azowano🔒 The Notebook 14The kind lie🔒 The Notebook 15The boa and the man with a twisted body🔒 The Notebook

12 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 Iroso Di in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Iroso Di

What does the Odù Iroso Di mean in Ifá?

The 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.

What number is Iroso Di among the 256 Odù of Ifá?

Iroso Di is Odù number 80 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Iroso family.

Which orishas speak in Iroso Di?

In the Odù Iroso Di these orishas speak: Orunmila, Elegbara, Yemayá (Ashabá), Obatalá, Shangó (Alafia), Oshún, Eggun (the dead woman).

What is a proverb of the Odù Iroso Di?

One of the proverbs of Iroso Di says: «The cedar is bitter and the almond is sweet.».

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