Odù 26 of 256 · Ogbe family

Ogbe Ka

The ring of Shangó and Oshosi, which makes the straight man unbeatable and breaks if he takes what is not his: an Ifá of slander and false witness.

Ogbe Ka is Odù number 26 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Ogbe family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 18 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 26 of 256
Composition: Ogbe over Ika
Orishas that speak: Orunmila · Shangó y Oshosi · Eshú / Elegba · Oggún · Olofin · Osain

What Ifá says in this sign

Ogbe Ka lives inside a miracle: a ring of power that Shangó and Oshosi placed around him to beat his enemies. But the ring comes with one condition, and that condition is the whole odu: do not touch what is not yours — or the ring breaks.

This is an Ifá of slander and false witness: someone will bear false witness against you, and it can reach the courts — as it did with Orunmila, accused of theft in the land of Ika and saved because he had never taken what was not his. That is why the rules sound strict: do not pick anything up off the floor (they will say you stole it), do not sleep in other people's houses, do not get into conversations that are not yours, and have nothing to do with criminals — here the law holds the winning hand.

«Shangó and Oshosi put a ring of power around you — and it only breaks if you touch what is not yours.»The pulse of Ogbe Ka

Curiously, property deeds were born here: keep legal documents for everything you own — the best defense this sign has against a tangle is a signed paper. And to pass judgement you have to hear both sides; if you cannot hear both, stay out of the tangle.

Humility is your wealth: living like humble people is how you live well — showing off draws the envy of those who would like to see you poor and ruined. Guard yourself too against binding work: there are women who will try to control you through food. And attend to the dead one who is upsetting your affairs: ask what it wants.

You were born with luck and with the ashé of Olofin: you are a diviner by birth. A rooster to Elegbara, Oggún and Oshosi, receive Ifá — and the ring will do its work: Maferefún Shangó and Elegba: no enemy can reach the humble Ogbe Ka.

The sign in one line

Do not take what is not yours, live humbly and put everything you own on paper — the ring of Shangó and Oshosi makes the straight Ogbe Ka unbeatable.

The prayer of Ogbe Ka · Yoruba

Ogbe Ka adifayoko kanfun ashe berébere omo Olofin orugbó euré, Akukó, Eyele, yarako, asho pupua, Orunmila lorubo.

Ifá says — what Ogbe Ka tells you

An Ifá of slander, of public shame and of false witness.
The small trades and the market stalls.
Guard yourself against the law, because here people go to jail.
A ring of power around the Awó to beat his enemies, given to him by Shangó and Oshosi; that is why he must not take what is not his, so the ring does not break.
A child's curse reaches the father.
Living like humble people is how you live well.
A woman can bind you.
A person born lucky and born to be a diviner, with the ashé of Olofin.
False witness will be borne against you and take you before the courts.
You yourself are to blame for what is happening to you.
There is a dead one upsetting your affairs; find out what it wants.
Guard yourself against dealings with criminals, and against the envy of those who want to see you poor and ruined.

Proverbs of Ogbe Ka · Òwe

“It is uncovered.”
“The elder who goes too far loses all respect and standing.”
“If you want to help another person, do it completely.”
“To pass judgement you have to hear both sides; if not, stay out of the tangle.”
“When two rams fight, one of them has to lose.”
“Two rams do not drink water at the same spring.”
“The slanderer is a man with a dagger in his forehead.”
“Trusting people never see the trap before they fall into it.”
“Respect has no age at which it is shown.”
“A lazy man is rarely dressed clean.”
“The only one who beats the epidemic is the one who uses their skill and does not get infected.”

11 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 Ogbe Ka · Ìbí

The lines of the hands.
Land ownership, where the property deed was first drawn up.
Altars.

What is forbidden · Eewó

6 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 Ogbe Ka · The sacrifices that open the road

UnbindingWork to unbind them🔒 Babalawo

Beating enemiesSo the arayé go away🔒 Babalawo

IréBath so the good comes (Iré umbo)🔒 Babalawo

Offering to OlofinThe secret of this Ifá🔒 Babalawo

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

Works of Ogbe Ka · The workings of the sign

OsainInshé of Osain of the two corners🔒 Babalawo

Eshú of the signElegba's cap (Fila)🔒 Babalawo

Protection of the AwóThe flag ileke of Orunmila🔒 Babalawo

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

Patakíes of Ogbe Ka · The roads of the Odù

1Buy the hen, do not steal it

Four birds were competing for two titles and had to sacrifice a hen that was bought, not stolen. The hawk and Akala stole theirs and the hunter killed them; the vulture and Awodi bought theirs and received the titles.

The titles of Oloori and Jogboloro were vacant in heaven. The vulture and the hawk were competing for one; Akala and Awodi for the other. Orunmila told them to sacrifice a hen, on the condition that they buy it and not steal it.

The hawk could not resist the temptation: he caught a bird to eat and a hunter killed him. The same happened to Akala, killed while stealing a hen.

The vulture gathered his money and bought his, and was given the title of Oloori; Awodi also bought his and received the title of Jogboloro. Whoever steals dies in the theft, unless they hold back and serve their Ifá with a hen.

2Udi and the tortoise

The hunter Udi laughed at the sacrifice. Eshú turned himself into an upturned tortoise; Udi stuck his beak into its rear to catch it, and the tortoise held him fast all day, leaving him hungry. Only after doubling the sacrifice did he hunt again.

Udi, a hunting bird, laughed at Orunmila when he was told to give a goat to Eshú, boasting that no animal could stand against his skill, and he went off hunting without sacrificing.

To punish him, Eshú turned himself into a giant tortoise lying on its back, waving its legs as if it could not move. Udi, thinking it easy prey, stuck his beak into the tortoise's rear, and it clamped shut at once and held him all day.

At nightfall the tortoise let him go, and Udi went home hungry and miserable, having caught nothing. In the morning he begged Orunmila, but the sacrifice had doubled: two goats. After that he began to hunt successfully. A sacrifice should never be put off.

3Oggún catches a thief stronger than himself

Oggún did not sacrifice against the danger of catching a thief stronger than he was. When he fenced off his kolá tree, it was Orisha-Nla who stole from it and was hurt; Oggún accused him, but Eshú washed away the evidence and Oggún was condemned to be the servant of every deity.

Oggún was warned to sacrifice against the danger of catching a thief stronger than himself, but, trusting his strength, he refused. On earth, his kolá tree was the only one that bore fruit, and he fenced it with traps.

Orisha-Nla, with no kolá to open the divine council, went at night to steal one fruit and cut his hand, leaving a trail of blood all the way home. Oggún followed the trail, accused him and showed the bandaged hand as proof.

But the other deities raised their hands, saying that if that was the only proof, then they were all guilty; and Eshú washed the trail of blood away with a downpour. For slandering his leader, Oggún was condemned: Orisha-Nla took away his strength and decreed that he would serve every deity forever. That is why Oggún serves everyone today — as machete, as hoe, as vehicle — and gets no thanks for it. Do not trust your strength too much, and do not challenge higher authority.

4How Oggún won his crown by fighting🔒 Babalawo

5The masked dance (Ogbe Alayoka)🔒 Babalawo

6Orunmila accused in the land of Ika🔒 Babalawo

7The she-goat and the elephant🔒 Babalawo

8The fish thief🔒 Babalawo

9Elegba's cap and the borrowed razor🔒 Babalawo

10The parrot and the hen🔒 Babalawo

11When Elegba saved Bana Petu (Orunmila)🔒 Babalawo

12Asherebere, the son of Olofin🔒 Babalawo

13The lines of the hands were born🔒 Babalawo

14Where the debt could not be paid🔒 Babalawo

15The three hooked sticks🔒 Babalawo

16Olofin's fish (the thief who repented)🔒 Babalawo

17The magnetic vulture (Olofin's jackal)🔒 Babalawo

18When man and woman were parted🔒 Babalawo

15 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 Ogbe Ka in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Ogbe Ka

What does the Odù Ogbe Ka mean in Ifá?

The ring of Shangó and Oshosi, which makes the straight man unbeatable and breaks if he takes what is not his: an Ifá of slander and false witness.

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

Ogbe Ka is Odù number 26 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Ogbe family.

Which orishas speak in Ogbe Ka?

In the Odù Ogbe Ka these orishas speak: Orunmila, Shangó y Oshosi, Eshú / Elegba, Oggún, Olofin, Osain.

What is a proverb of the Odù Ogbe Ka?

One of the proverbs of Ogbe Ka says: «It is uncovered.».

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