Odù 61 of 256 · Iwori family

Iwori Bofun

The Godfather who baptizes and makes life be born again: one of the three greatest Odù in the consecration of Ifá — you must adapt or perish.

Iwori Bofun is Odù number 61 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Iwori family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 21 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 7 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.

The sign at a glance

Order in Ifá: Odù 61 of 256
Composition: Iwori over Ofun
Orishas that speak: Olokun · Yemayá · Obatalá (Oshanla / Alaliyamo) · Oggún · Oduduwa · Shangó · Eshú

What Ifá says in this sign

Iwori Bofun is the Ifá of the Godfather: the one who baptizes, cleanses and makes life be born again — one of the three greatest Odù in the consecration of Ifá. Its tension is an old one: here the power for women to give birth was born… and so was the proverb raise crows and they will peck your eyes out.

Because whoever raises and helps takes a risk: there is someone you lift up who will make war on you — and yet the law of this sign is not to give up: do not grow tired of doing good. The balance is given by another child of this odu: a godchild will save you from something bad. Sow all the same: some will be crows, and one will be your salvation.

«Raise crows and they will peck your eyes out — but Iwori Bofun goes on raising them, because one of them will save him.»The pulse of Iwori Bofun

Its lesson in survival was given by the dinosaurs, who were born here and died here: by not adapting to a changing climate, they perished. Adapt to your circumstances — of work, of home, of country — without losing your center: whoever clings to what no longer exists dies out.

The care to take: someone is after you — keep your eyes open —, the father of this odu dies in a brawl or an accident (look after him and do a work for him), do not move to another land without ebbó, and the law is circling: three pieces of luck are coming to you — do not end up in jail before they arrive. And ask pardon for the false witness you bore: that falling-out can be settled with one word from you.

To the woman who cannot conceive, this odu gives her remedy with Yemayá — the turkey at the seashore — because this sign carries the power to give birth. And the general promise is a daybreak: everything in your house is going badly, but from here on it will turn good and better than good — the Godfather of Ifá baptizes, and what is baptized is born again.

The sign in one line

Adapt as the dinosaurs did not, go on doing good and wait for your three pieces of luck — the Godfather of Ifá makes everything he touches be born again.

The prayer of Iwori Bofun · Yoruba

Iwori Bofun Iwori Towofun Iwori Tesefun oba Iwori fara inle rere gbogbo fun shoru sheru adifafun obini oboñu Tiroko kodun Adenipate omo Olokun lodafun Orunmila.

Súyere
Mosibo mosito Irole · Iya laye komo yokoyo.

Ifá says — what Iwori Bofun tells you

Adifafun Olokun, Yemayá, Oduduwa, Shangó, Eshu ati Olofin. Kaferefún Orunmila.
It stands for the Godfather: the one who baptizes, cleanses and makes life be born again; without that baptism, men are not consecrated.
An Ifá of tests: they are going to test what you know.
Oshanla killed for the first time in the world.
The power of the yellow Aroma, the trouble-seeking wood, brings discord.
The woman, when she is badly off, would rather end the pregnancy, and even die, than watch her children go through hardship.
The godchild saves the godfather from something bad; he also goes to jail while innocent.
Your father dies in a brawl or a tragic accident.
You may kill someone and never pay for it.
Take care when changing a child's destiny, so the child is not lost.
The children do the opposite of what their parents tell them.
The ant grew wings and died.
The woman falls in love with a man of lower standing who, once she helps him, repays her badly.
Guard yourself against slander, and do not grow tired of doing good.
You may end up paying for someone else's guilt.

Proverbs of Iwori Bofun · Òwe

“Raise crows and they will peck your eyes out.”
“What is bad turns good, and what is good turns better than good.”
“When ants grow wings, they die.”
“Whoever does not adapt perishes.”
“Grief and pain never come without a lesson.”
“A world with no foundation is a mad world.”
“Intentions are worth more than the act.”
“Good and evil are neighbors with adjoining doors.”
“Sweetness puts an end to the bitter drink.”
“The flower that does not open hardly ever bears fruit.”
“Blood passes the good and the bad on to the children.”
“A good child, a good father; a bad child, a bad father.”
“Whoever cannot be just with themselves cannot do justice.”

13 proverb interpretations in this Odù, locked.Every proverb explained: which road it comes from and how it applies. Written in Spanish for now.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… Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

What is born in Iwori Bofun · Ìbí

The power for women to give birth.
From the road of Adenipate, who before dying threw his daughter into the sea and Olokun took her in.
The dinosaurs, who perished for not adapting to a changing climate.
You must adapt to whatever circumstances fall to you, so as not to perish.
Bitterness and hatred of children toward their parents over things done in the past.
The cudgel, the shroud of Egun, and the defense of Olofin's children.
Iwori Bofun is one of the three most important Odù in the consecration of Ifá.

What is forbidden · Eewó

5 eewó (taboos) in this Odù, locked.What the child of this sign must not eat, do or wear. Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

Ebbós of Iwori Bofun · The sacrifices that open the road

So the woman gives birthOffering to Yemayá to conceive🔒 Babalawo

Beating enemiesEbbó of the crow (raise crows)🔒 Babalawo

OduduwaEbbó of the shroud of Egun🔒 Babalawo

GodfatherEbbó of the okpuele of the Rosary🔒 Babalawo

4 ebbós in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes. Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

Works of Iwori Bofun · The workings of the sign

OlokunIroko of Iwori Bofun🔒 Babalawo

ObataláThe okra batter🔒 Babalawo

OggúnWork for the war🔒 Babalawo

3 works in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes. Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

Patakíes of Iwori Bofun · The roads of the Odù

1The okpuele of the Rosary was born

A babalawo chased by his enemies took refuge in a church without his okpuele. He improvised one with the Rosary from the altar; Ifá told him Oggún was telling him to pray to his mother, and he was saved by Oggún and the Virgin of the Rosary.

There was a babalawo who had to flee from his enemies, who wanted to kill him. The only open door he found was a church's, and he went in; in his haste he had forgotten his okpuele and could not speak with Ifá. So he took the Rosary from the altar and, with other things, turned it into an okpuele; he read for himself and Ifá told him that Oggún was telling him to pray to his mother. He asked again, surprised that the Virgin of the Rosary, the patroness of that church, should be his mother. So he was saved, by the protection of Oggún and the Virgin of the Rosary. Here the Rosary speaks, which is the Awó's mother.

2Raise crows, and they will peck your eyes out

Oggún raised the crow Erawo, who made war on him and ran his name down until he fell ill. His brother Ogunda Kete gave him the key: white cloth, ebbó and an account to Olofin; with his machete he finished off Erawo and all the traitors.

Oggún had raised the crow Awo Erawo, who afterward began to make war on him and to run his name down; everyone, envious of Oggún, betrayed him, saying Erawo was better than he was. From the upset, Oggún fell ill and was left wrapped up and lying in his bed. His brother Awo Awan Ogunda Kete found him like that, saw Iwori Bofun for him and told him to put white cloth on his head, make ebbó, give a rooster to Eshú with plenty of pulses, and then give an account to Olofin with yam, a rooster and his machete. Oggún did it, challenged Erawo and the traitors with his machete and the white cloth on his head, singing; Erawo and all the traitors fled and dropped dead. So Oggún won the war. The proverb «raise crows and they will peck your eyes out» was born.

3The shroud of Egun

Oduduwa Oshaogo kept his dealings with the dead hidden under a shroud. With the first ebbó he settled and prospered; with the second, an emblem of Olofin, all the barren and the sick came to him and he healed them, and he always had people to serve him.

Oduduwa Oshaogo was the chief of the Agbado and never wanted his dealings with the dead to be known. He went to Orunmila, who saw Iwori Bofun for him and marked him an ebbó; with the first one he settled in that land, hiding his Egun under a shroud, and prospered greatly in gold and ivory. One day he asked what he needed in order to have many people serving him, and Orunmila told him to make the second ebbó, an emblem of his father Olofin on earth. When he did it, all the barren women, the men who wanted wisdom, the women who lost their children and those afflicted by illness began to arrive; he healed them all with his secret and so he had people to serve him. In this Odù the shroud of Egun and the worship of Oduduwa are born.

4The power for women to give birth🔒 Babalawo

5The cudgel was born (the godfather is saved by the godchild)🔒 Babalawo

6Where Oshanla killed for the first time in the world🔒 Babalawo

7The defense of Olofin's children🔒 Babalawo

8The fisherman and the pact with Yemayá🔒 Babalawo

9The Ifá bath of Ori Nifa🔒 Babalawo

10The trouble-seeking wood🔒 Babalawo

11The spider🔒 Babalawo

12Tolerance🔒 Babalawo

13The hawk and the eagle🔒 Babalawo

14Flying Osain🔒 Babalawo

15The nightingale🔒 Babalawo

16The string and the spinning top🔒 Babalawo

17The great swindler of the town🔒 Babalawo

18The seven crows and the seven doves🔒 Babalawo

19The hunger to be the center of attention🔒 Babalawo

20The poisoned soup of Owan🔒 Babalawo

21When they plotted against Olofin🔒 Babalawo

18 more patakíes in this Odù, locked.Read every road in full with the Babalawo plan. Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

Before you subscribe: everything you read on this page is in English, but the locked part of the treatise — the full text of the other patakíes, the recipes for the ebbós and works, the iré and osogbo readings and the eewó — is still written in Spanish. We are translating it. · This page is also available in Spanish: See Iwori Bofun in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Iwori Bofun

What does the Odù Iwori Bofun mean in Ifá?

The Godfather who baptizes and makes life be born again: one of the three greatest Odù in the consecration of Ifá — you must adapt or perish.

What number is Iwori Bofun among the 256 Odù of Ifá?

Iwori Bofun is Odù number 61 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Iwori family.

Which orishas speak in Iwori Bofun?

In the Odù Iwori Bofun these orishas speak: Olokun, Yemayá, Obatalá (Oshanla / Alaliyamo), Oggún, Oduduwa, Shangó, Eshú.

What is a proverb of the Odù Iwori Bofun?

One of the proverbs of Iwori Bofun says: «Raise crows and they will peck your eyes out.».

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