Iroso Di

nº 80 of 256 · Edited by Ricco Ledesma

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 in full in plain sight, with their teaching, ebbó and chants), its proverbs, 12 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 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 sign that lives in the water, and love was born in it. Also born here were achondroplasia, which gives small bodies with short bones in the arms and legs, and the day a woman cast the ókpele for the first time: Yemayá, dressed in Orunmila's hat and trousers, read and healed so well that people sought her more than him. Since then women rule here. Its ruling is clear: the love born here opens your life if you respect it and listen to the one who loves you.

Your great fortune is companionship. Elegba offers himself as your father, brother and friend, and with him beside you life straightens out. You can count on three loyal friends, and you slip away from your enemies like a fish between the fingers. Ifá also announces a child who will bring joy to your home; raise that child with care, because your happiness lies there. If you accept Orunmila, happiness reaches the whole family.

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

But this sign also speaks of the good bad one: the two faced brother who smiles on the outside and inside prepares the blow. Be wary even of your own blood and keep your secrets, because handing them to someone you do not know well can cost you everything you have. There are three stubborn enemies, almost always at work, who live on gossip and intrigue, and if you listen to the tangles, you are lost. Avoid going out into the street with company and watch carefully where you step.

In love, do not fight with your partner and follow their advice: in this sign, the man who complained about his luck got out of poverty when he finally listened to his wife. The woman of Iroso Di has more drive than her husband, and she may have left more than one because of her harsh manner. At times the family rejects the person you live with. And the sign warns the father: opposing his daughters' suitors only serves to lose them.

With money, you may go through need and live without a fixed place, but do not weep over poverty: with steadiness you will master your trade and prosper. In health, beware of dizzy spells and sudden fainting; see a doctor and do not climb ladders or chairs. The woman must guard against fire in the womb. Fulfill your duty to Obatalá, keep your house and your bed clean, and the love born here will keep flowing like water.

The sign in one line

Respect the authority of women, take care of the child named Iré and walk with Elegba; because in the water of this sign love was born, 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

Here women rule: a woman has more determination than her husband.
The cedar is bitter and the almond tree is sweet: in the same home there is one who brings sweetness and one who brings bitterness.
Whoever goes to the city does not return; the owner of this Ifá does not live in the city.
The person has no foothold in any of their affairs and no fixed whereabouts.
You will have a son who will be named Iré (luck), and you will have him with a person of frivolous conduct; take good care of him, because that son will be your happiness.
A father who forbids his daughters to have romances will only succeed in making them end up living a loose life.
Of the good one and the bad one: the brother who covered a stone with marabú and threw it at the other when he was off guard, left him unconscious, shut him in a crate and threw him into the sea so that he would drown.
About three persistent enemies and a betrayal: be careful.
That they treat you with falseness, and entanglements: if you pay attention to them, you will be lost.
Of the family's rejection of the partner you live with.
About momentary fainting spells: go to the doctor.
Of the woman who has had several husbands and has left them because of bad manners, and who suffers from uterine fire.
That you get free of your enemies: just as hands cannot catch the fish of the river or the sea, they will not manage to catch up with you; the head is attended to with an offering of two fresh fish.

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

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

Iré · what the sign brings

In this sign love is born.
A child of theirs, if well cared for, will bring them luck and joy.
Elegba accompanies them as father, brother and friend, and with him at their side life straightens out.

Osogbo · what the sign warns

A double dealing brother, good on the outside and bad on the inside, does them almost deadly harm.
They cannot trust anyone, not even their own family, and a betrayal is near.
They have three enemies who will not leave them, almost always at work, with gossip, intrigues and plots.

37 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 Iroso Di · Ìbí

Love.
Achondroplasia: dwarfism, with a large head and bone defects in the legs and arms.
In this Odù, Orunmila could not reach with his hands, because they fell short.
That Yemayá put on a hat and trousers, and that a woman threw the ókpele for the first time.
While Orunmila was out at parties, Ashabá watched and did ebbó for the people with great success.
That the cat kills the rat for its food.
The rat denied him the promised payment for catching the fish, a result of the sacrifice that she 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 take what your hands cannot reach.
You may get dizzy, fall, and suffer a fatal accident.
Do not go out into the street in the company of another person.
Do not go about with anyone, since this causes you delay.
Do not jump over or step on pipes or hoses.
Your virility weakens and falls 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

Overcoming 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 Overcoming 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 Overcoming 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 Tortoise and the Serpent Against Orunmila

Orunmila had enemies, and they turned to the tortoise and the serpent to ask them to end his life. Both agreed. The tortoise went to hide underneath the mat.

Orunmila knew the number of his enemies. He did an Osode, saw this Ifá and carried out the cleansing offering it called for. Then he boiled the yam, placed the mortar on top of the mat and began to pound. The blows killed the tortoise, which was hidden underneath. Orunmila noticed it and distributed the tortoise's iñales among the saints. Afterward he stretched out on the mat, but before that he opened the scissors and left them on the mortar. The serpent thought Orunmila was sleeping and tried to go in to finish him; in that attempt it ran into the scissors and lost its head. In this way Orunmila overcame his enemies.

What it teaches

Consulting in time and doing what the Ifá marks makes it possible to get ahead of those who prepare a trap. With cleverness and a well carried out offering, the harm that was planned falls on the enemies themselves.

Orunmila's cleansing offering

This offering required boiled yam, a piece of mat, a small mortar, a pair of scissors, two hens with honey for Oshún and a rooster for Elegba.

When this Ifá comes out and takes the road

The offering must be made in a hurry. With it, two great enemies fall. There are usually strong adversaries at work, as well as gossip, intrigues and plots.

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

2Why the Cat Hunts Rats

The cat, the fish and the rat went for a consultation. The cat was told to make a sacrifice to be free of carrying another person’s problems, and to dedicate it to three recipients: his own head, the Guardian Angel and Eshu. He took care of his head and his Angel, but forgot Eshu. The rat was advised something similar and did nothing.

The rat went to see the cat to ask for help with the fish in the river. The cat answered that he did not know how to swim. But when the rat promised him a good piece of meat if he managed to catch the fish, he decided to try.

The fish had also consulted Orunmila, and he warned him that his enemies were preparing something against him. Orunmila told him to offer okra, soap and a hen, and the fish did it at once. Orunmila added white bleo, irowa and odondon; with the okra a soap for bathing was prepared. From then on the fish lived in the water and his body became slippery and scaly.

When the cat went to look for him in the river, he found him dancing and threw himself at him. But the okra that covered the fish’s body did not let him grab it. The fish swam into the deep part of the river and was safe. The cat went home angry; before leaving the water he had swallowed a great deal of it, and it took him a long time to get it out of his stomach.

Then he visited the rat to collect the promised meat. In fact he asked for a goat, as thanks to his head, because in the river he escaped death. The rat answered that, since the cat failed with the fish, he could demand nothing. Then the cat threw himself on her and killed her, while her young escaped. From that day the cat hunts rats to eat, as a consequence of the sacrifice she did not want to make.

What it teaches

A complete ebbó protects from enemies, and leaving out Eshu or doing nothing leaves the danger open. Whoever does not pay what he promised makes an enemy, sometimes for good.

The fish’s ebbó

Okra, soap and a hen. In addition Orunmila put white bleo, irowa and odondon, and a bath soap was made with the okra.

What the cat and the rat were advised

An offering for Eshu, the head and the Guardian Angel. It serves to avoid carrying another person’s problems. The cat failed with Eshu and the rat did nothing.

When it comes out in the Igbodu

For the person, the special ebbó prepared for the fish is made, to shelter him from powerful enemies.

When it comes out in an ordinary consultation

Eshu receives a male goat from the person; his head, a rooster; Ifá, a hen. All of it is so as not to carry the weight of another person’s problems.

3When Yemayá Cast the Ókpele

Yemayá was the wife of Orunmila. He was drawn to women and parties, so he did not look after his godchildren or those who visited his house as he should. The hours he had for study went to amusements. Yemayá saw that people were leaving unhappy and complained to him, but he ignored her.

At night, with nothing to do, Yemayá secretly read her husband’s books.

One day Orunmila went out to the countryside, where there would be a party lasting several days. He wore his big hat. The days passed without his returning, and people who wanted to consult kept arriving at the house. Then Yemayá began to divine and to perform ebbó and works for them. Everything she did was very well received and turned out well. More than a month went by this way.

When he came back, Orunmila found the house fuller than ever. He asked one of those waiting what they were waiting for, and the man said that now Yemayá was the one who divined, that nobody was going to consult with him, since she knew more. Ashamed, he went into the room, and there was Yemayá, wearing trousers and a hat, performing an ebbó for one of those present. With anger and shame upon him, he drove her out of the home and promised that he would no longer live with her. From that day on he set himself to study and to fulfill his duties as a awó.

That was the first time Yemayá wore a hat and trousers and a woman cast the ókpele. For this reason, the awó of this sign does not live with daughters of Yemayá: sooner or later they try to take his position.

What it teaches

Neglecting one’s own duty leaves the place free for someone else to take it. Wounded pride proved stronger than living together, even though she had ability. For whoever has this sign, the warning remains not to live with daughters of Yemayá.

Warning for the awó of this sign

He must not live with daughters of Yemayá, because sooner or later they try to take his position.

4Mandulain and Wintoshe🔒 The Notebook 5The woman who got her husband out of poverty🔒 The Notebook 6The cotton harvester🔒 The Notebook 7Why the Ceiba never dies🔒 The Notebook 8The one who forgot to fulfill his duty to Alafia🔒 The Notebook 9Jika Jiku, who revived the dead🔒 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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