Ofun Wori

Also called Ofún Gándo, Ofún Iwóri

nº 244 of 256 · Edited by Ricco Ledesma

The one who saved the people of Gándo and proclaimed himself King: here hierarchy is born, and whoever tells how he reached the top loses everything.

20 patakíes 9 eewó 8 ebbós and works 17 proverbs

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Ofun Wori is Odù number 244 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Ofun family. It is also written as Ofún Gándo or Ofún Iwóri. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 20 patakíes (3 in full in plain sight, with their teaching, ebbó and chants), its proverbs, 8 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 244 of 256
Composition: Ofun over Iwori
Orishas that speak: Shangó · Elegbá · Odduduwa y Babá · Orunmila · Egun · Oshósi

What Ifá says in this sign

Ofun Wori, also known as Ofún Gándo, is the sign of the awó who freed the whole people of Gándo from death and was crowned king. Here were born hierarchy, because in any trade, worship or household someone has to be in charge, respect for the disabled and the truth that storehouses fill up and empty out. Its ruling: after much hardship you can reach fame and wealth, but you lose them the day you tell how you got them.

The hunter of this sign received from Olofin a powder that made him rich, told the secret to a friend and fell back into poverty while the other prospered. That is what happens to you: the secret of your luck is told to no one, not even your family. False friends envy your position, and gifts that come from dishonest hands bring you losses and even death. If you become a boss, organize your people well, because your subordinates want to take your post and even your life.

«Olofin put power in the hands of Ofún Gándo, with a silk glove, and the one who tells how he reached the top loses it.»The pulse of Ofun Wori

You have power in your hands: your fine work yields more than force, and you have a talent for the arts. But when you doubt what Ifá decides, your effort yields nothing and someone else takes what you sowed. Among the awós there is envy, and they may give you witchcraft hidden in what you eat or drink, which harms your stomach and even your mind. Raise your children to think and decide for themselves, because here the bad example of the elder costs the younger one his life. Attend to Elegba, who helps you find a child or hear news of him.

In love, women seek you out, and that stirs up envy and witchcraft against you. A woman with reddish skin harmed you because she believed you left her for another. Because you struck a woman, a great war fell upon you: do not repeat it. In this sign women are in danger of being attacked and even murdered, with a knife or with witchcraft; be careful. The woman who has not been able to have children can give birth, above all to girls, if she does the works of Ifá and asks Olofin with constancy.

In health, your kidneys ache and your body feels weak. Take great care of your eyes, because you could go blind, and cover your head from the sun. Men tend toward impotence, and a poorly cured venereal disease can cause you serious harm. Beware of the law, be grateful and attend to your Egun with offerings and music.

The sign in one line

Keep the secret of your rise, organize your people with a hierarchy and perform ebbó like the machete that cuts, so that no one else reaps your fruit.

The prayer of Ofun Wori · Yoruba

Rezo arará: Fuñi Gagbo Woli Kañi Gara Azofuwe Jebu Busifa Tajua.

Ifá says — what Ofun Wori tells you

The person acts without judgment: loss of mental faculties through inshé ogú.
The person goes through many hardships and needs; when the blessing arrives, already with fame and wealth, the person himself fashions his own misfortune: he disobeys and tells the secrets of how he rose to the top.
Here someone nurses other people's children, although the treatment they receive is usually not good and can even make them ill. The woman may be attacked, killed or enslaved with a knife, a bow or a stick.
The talk of common people has her in disgrace: those who seem to be friends seek her ruin, because they envy her position and place.
The woman cannot have children: she must carry out the works that Ifá indicates, trusting that she will be able to give birth (usually to girls), and plead a great deal with Olofin.
The kidneys suffer, there is weakness in the body and the eyesight is damaged, to such a degree that the person may go blind if not already blind; in men, the tendency is toward impotence.
It is an Odù of several women, and this brings about envy, ogú upon the person and spells.
The person must build a career in the field of art.
One works in vain and someone else takes what you produce, because you doubt what Ifá has decided, like the machete Kañiké.
He had a woman with reddish skin who harmed him, believing he had left her for another: she put candles on him upside down.
She had or has an illness proper to women: treat it well until it is cured, because it could do her great harm; at times she feels powerless.
You may have twins; bet on the numbers 5 and 3.
Here speaks the silk glove: the power of the hands and acupressure.
Here speaks the machete: because it made ebbó, the adá cuts; Kañiké, the spirit of the machete, did not make ebbó, and someone else reaps the fruit of his work.
Here speaks the parrot, with a strong, hooked beak, which talks and sings songs; the ashen gray one with a red tail is the most intelligent.
Here speaks the forum eagle (the little eagle), inside of which Orunmila played the violin.
Here speaks the white bird that exchanged its clothes of two colors for white and was not recognized: it sang and danced, becoming the pride of the party.
The Trojan War speaks: apparently the cause was a woman, but the deeper reason was position; the supposed agreements (the Horse Ship of Odysseus) hide the trick.
The ewé of the Odù are: melon, frijol caballero and basil.

Proverbs of Ofun Wori · Òwe

“When two Kings get into the same boat, one of them does not reach the goal.”
“When you do not know the ground, you look first before you step on it.”
“A man brings his own downfall by telling his secrets.”
“Someone who was not allowed to gather the harvest of his own work.”
“Every single thing he does fails to end well.”
“They blame the blind man before the judge.”
“Whoever has money does whatever he pleases.”
“If we are kind, children will love us.”
“When the doctor cannot cure the illness of the body, the cure is looked for in the spirit.”
“A woman in love saves; a woman scorned kills.”
“Whoever carries weapons means to use them.”
“Truth is more needed than air.”
“A smile costs nothing, but it is worth a great deal.”
“Calling on the Orisha is the key that opens every door.”
“You never know who you are working for.”
“The thief's partner does not confess, even when he hears curses.”
“When two kings get into the same boat, one of them does not reach the shore.”

14 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

Money opens every door for them, and their fortune comes to be greater than a king's.
They can save a whole people from death and come to be crowned king.
They reach positions of leadership, whether in their job, in worship or in daily life.

Osogbo · what the sign warns

Storehouses fill and empty: what is plentiful today may be lacking tomorrow, and food reserves run out.
The person acts without good judgment.
The father kills the son, and the bad upbringing an older person gives a younger one can cost the younger one's life.

36 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 Ofun Wori · Ìbí

That warehouses fill up just as they empty out.
Ofún Shokú did not make the sacrifice of the ewe to Egun in the kingdom's warehouse, and the drought used up every reserve: Igando was left barren land.
Hierarchy among work positions, in religious matters and in worldly matters.
The two chiefs with no rowers drowned in the boat: Olofin ordered that chiefs be given servants; there always has to be someone in charge.
That money makes everything possible.
With the beggar woman's eagle and the violin, Orunmila proved his sign true and won the hand of the King's daughter.
That the elder, by twisting the upbringing of the younger one, causes the death of the younger one.
The King's pitiless son put his hand into the bag with the snake his own father had given the beggar.
Respect for people with disabilities.
They blamed the blind man before the judge, and the Awó showed who was really guilty: do not meddle with people who have disabilities.
The parrot.
It is born in this Odù: the bird with the hooked beak that talks and sings.
Fermentation in the stomach from the ogú that is drunk, and mental decline caused by an inshé ogú.
From the road of the white bird, whose head they tried to blow powders on so he would forget the sign.
That when this Odù comes out in an Atefá, in the middle of the yard an akukó is given to Elegbá without delay.
A rule of this Ifá: the head goes in the ebbó (umbeboro).

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

You cannot eat melon, and you cannot wear clothes with ovals on them.
From the road of the blind man who gathered melons; you must dress in white.
Do not put your hands into anything dark or anything that raises doubts for you.
The King's son put his hand into the bag with the snake and died.
Do not carry weapons on you.
Rule of this Ifá.
Do not do harm to anyone.
It can fall back on you, like the King who poisoned the beggar's bag.
Do not bother people with disabilities, and this includes your relatives.
Here is born respect for people with disabilities: the blind man was blamed unjustly and was set free.
Do not raise your hand against a woman again.
For that reason you face an enormous war.
Do not put obstacles with money, and do not argue stubbornly.
Remember that with a single real not many things can be achieved.
Avoid letting the Sun beat directly on your head.
Put on a white handkerchief or a cap.
Do not tell the secrets of how you got your good luck.
You lost your good luck by going around telling how you got it, like the hunter of the little pods.

Ebbós of Ofun Wori · The sacrifices that open the road

Overcoming enemiesEbbó of the Atefá (akukó for Elegbá in the yard)🔒 The Notebook MoneyEbbó of the two little pods🔒 The Notebook LossEbbó of the machete (Kañiké)🔒 The Notebook LoveEbbó of the white bird🔒 The Notebook SpiritualEbbó of rank🔒 The Notebook

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

Works of Ofun Wori · The workings of the sign

SpiritualEshu Añakí (Añaguí Olokun) and Eshu Karugwó🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesThe little gourd of the seven birds🔒 The Notebook SpiritualThe Ozain of the broom🔒 The Notebook

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

Patakíes of Ofun Wori · The roads of the Odù

1The king's serpent bit his own son

A certain region was ruled by a merciless King, and the prince had turned out just like him.

One day a beggar approached the palace to ask for alms. The King gave him a sack inside of which he had locked a venomous viper. The beggar, grateful, went away without checking what he had received.

Farther on he met the prince, who was out with other young men. The young man suggested to the others that they fill the beggar's saddlebags with stones, and all of them refused. Alone, he gathered stones by hand and put them into the sack his father had given away. Then the viper bit him, and the prince died soon after.

The King could not demand accounts from anyone: his guilt was double, because he had given a poisoned gift and had educated his son badly. When he learned what had happened, the beggar wanted to help and brought the King back the same sack, convinced that this would save the prince.

A warning remains: one must pay attention to where one puts one's hands. In this path, the father ended up killing his son.

What it teaches

The harm prepared against another can reach those one loves most. Cruelty and bad upbringing return to the one who sows them, and then there is no right left to complain.

2The Sign, the Little Eagle and the King's Daughter

A stranger settled in a town and nailed a sign beside the entrance of his house: whoever has money does as he pleases. The King learned of the sign and summoned him. He doubted that the man had written it, and wished to test his boldness. Orunmila assured him that he would prove it. The monarch then spoke to him of his daughter, aged eighteen: after about a year, give or take, he would have to return her with a family.

Orunmila went home and sat on the doorstep to look for a way out of such a commitment. Then a beggar woman passed by, one he helped every day; this time he turned her away, saying he was in no mood to give anything. She sensed that something was wrong and asked him again and again what was happening. Orunmila thought a beggar woman could not solve that for him, but faced with so much insistence he ended up telling her everything. The woman reassured him: the matter already had a solution. She asked him for a thousand pesos and he gave them to her, since he did not lack money.

With that money the beggar woman visited a blacksmith and ordered a little eagle, like the stage eagle, the scenery at the back of a stage. She also bought a violin. She returned to Orunmila and explained that this was the key to the little eagle: he was to get inside it when going to the palace and play the violin from within.

Daily, the beggar woman walked in front of the palace with the little eagle, and from inside came the sound of Orunmila's violin. The princess lived locked up on an eighth floor, with nothing to distract her, and listened to that melody. After three days she asked her father to get her that object that played. The King tried to buy it, but the beggar woman refused to sell it and only offered to lend it to the girl. So the little eagle, with Orunmila inside and playing, reached the eighth floor.

At night, with the girl asleep, Orunmila came out of his hiding place and spoke to her tenderly, asking her not to be frightened because he had not come to harm her. He won her heart, and they were together until dawn. In the morning he went back to his hiding place. The second night was the same. That day the beggar woman came for her little eagle and the King wanted to take it from his daughter, who begged him for one more day: it was her only amusement. The King agreed. The next day the beggar woman came back and the King handed her the little eagle with Orunmila inside. At home, Orunmila gave the woman another thousand pesos.

Nine months later, the King had the author of the sign called and admitted that, indeed, with money one obtains whatever one desires. He also asked him to marry his daughter. In this way Orunmila gained a wealth greater than the King's: that of having a child.

What it teaches

A bold claim is proven with facts, and cleverness, together with help from whoever is least expected, can achieve what seemed impossible. Accepting a challenge with calm and a good plan brings the recognition that was sought.

What is advised with this path

It is advised to wear iridescent cloth, like Orunmila in this story, and to give alms at the door of the house.

3The Hunter Who Gave Away Olofin's Secret

An awó lived weighed down by needs. He went hunting to remedy them little by little, but there were too many and he never finished with them.

One day he ran into Olofin, who wanted to know what was wrong. The awó explained that he suffered hardship and that, however much he strove, nothing improved. Olofin then offered him two little pods. The first held the virtue: he was to take a little and scatter it each day in the corners of his house. The second he had to keep, without disclosing its secret to anyone.

He followed these instructions and soon he was the wealthiest and most renowned person in the place. A friend in the same trade noticed the change and asked how he had managed to rise so fast. Ofún Gándo broke the promise made to Olofin and confessed everything. Since the friend doubted, or pretended to doubt, the awó told him that he still had the second pod and, to convince him, gave it to him.

Soon afterward the friend's business began to improve. Ofún Gándo's, on the other hand, got worse every day, until he had to return to the bush to hunt, in difficulty once more.

Olofin was walking in the bush and saw him. Surprised, he asked: “Hunting again?” The hunter admitted that things had not gone well for him. “Then use the pod you still have,” Olofin said. “I gave it to a friend,” he answered. Olofin then passed his sentence: “You yourself caused your misfortune. You disobeyed me by revealing the secret, and until you handed over the pod you had no trouble. Since you did what was forbidden, you will keep hunting and suffering hardship.” The story closes with a greeting to Eshu.

What it teaches

A secret that brings fame and wealth is protected with silence. By telling it and handing it over, the awó lost everything he had gained, and the responsibility was his alone. Breaking the word given to Olofin costs prosperity.

Ebbó of the path

These are needed: an akukó, two eyelé that are for Obatalá, 16 itaná, iyefá placed inside the two little pods, a trap, an arrow and a slingshot that is set before Oshosi, and also ekú, eyá, epó and awadó, a woman's or a man's malaguidí as appropriate, and opolopo owó.

Work for Obatalá

Ikordié is placed before Obatalá, and three balls of yam, ekrú, orí and efún are prepared for him.

The greeting to Eshu that closes the tale

To iban Eshú.

4The charm of the hands🔒 The Notebook 5Igando, the barren land🔒 The Notebook 6Kañiké, the machete🔒 The Notebook 7The adá fulfilled the sacrifice and keeps its edge🔒 The Notebook 8The blind man who gathered melons🔒 The Notebook 9Ewegbemí, the name of Shangó who knows the herbs🔒 The Notebook 10When the chiefs had no servants🔒 The Notebook 11Rank (Orunmila, Ekun and Amokisitekun)🔒 The Notebook 12The white bird🔒 The Notebook 13The firefly that found the stone🔒 The Notebook 14The firefly and the hare🔒 The Notebook 15The enemies of Ofún Gando🔒 The Notebook 16The drummer's son🔒 The Notebook 17The two dogs who were friends🔒 The Notebook 18The rabbit and the jutía🔒 The Notebook 19The rider who did not keep the secret🔒 The Notebook 20The wise son's revenge🔒 The Notebook

17 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 Ofun Wori in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Ofun Wori

What does the Odù Ofun Wori mean in Ifá?

The one who saved the people of Gándo and proclaimed himself King: here hierarchy is born, and whoever tells how he reached the top loses everything.

What number is Ofun Wori among the 256 Odù of Ifá?

Ofun Wori is Odù number 244 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Ofun family.

Which orishas speak in Ofun Wori?

In the Odù Ofun Wori these orishas speak: Shangó, Elegbá, Odduduwa y Babá, Orunmila, Egun, Oshósi.

What is a proverb of the Odù Ofun Wori?

One of the proverbs of Ofun Wori says: «When two Kings get into the same boat, one of them does not reach the goal.».

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