Osa Bara

nº 158 of 256

Osa Shepe, the Ifá of curses: the sick person is saved, intelligence rules over strength — and the bee, for not making ebbó, dies when it stings.

15 patakíes 5 eewó 10 ebbós and works 16 proverbs

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Osa Bara is Odù number 158 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Osa family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 15 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 10 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 158 of 256
Composition
Osa over Obara
In the Diloggún
9-6 · Osá tonti Obara
Orishas that speak
Shangó · Ogún · Oyá · Yemayá · Agayú · Olokun · Orishaoko · Egun · Eshu

What Ifá says in this sign

Osa Bara is Osa Shepe — the Ifá of curses — with its great exception written into it: the illness is on this person, but the sick one is saved and cured. And its law of war was born here: intelligence rules over strength — Ogún's children were strong but had no head, and they lost.

What saves in this odu is Egun: you are a spiritist and two spirits speak in you — develop them; and if there is a child in the house with half a spiritual unit whom the dead one mounts: listen to what they say. Your ancestors may be Chinese — the land of Filaní — and you were not raised by your father: your roots explain more than you think.

«The illness is on this person, but the sick one of Osa Bara is saved — and intelligence beats strength.»The pulse of Osa Bara

The sting teaches what war costs: the bee, for not making ebbó, dies when it uses hers — do not attack without doing the work, because the blow you strike bleeds you too. Your great war looks over and will start up again stronger: do not disarm; and the Babalawo living nearby who envies you and treats you falsely can go on waiting for you to stumble.

Your public face is at stake: they are watching you to shame you — wear clothes with crosswise stripes to come out on top — and when you are poor they will look down on you and when you have money they will flatter you: believe neither. Drink is treacherous: drunk you can do what sober you condemn, and there are two people holding sway over you — the ebbó cuts those threads.

Your hands have a trade in them: shoemaker, leatherworker, tailor — skill with hides and cloth: use it, because it is a road to prosperity. The dream about Saints and money is true: make ebbó so it arrives whole; the pregnant woman of the house should do the work for her delivery — the child comes with a mark —, and do not throw anyone out of your house: the aleyos are what lift you. Shepe's curse fell on the ungrateful — the grateful one is out of its reach

The sign in one line

Develop your two spirits, wear your stripes and win with your head — the curse of Osa Shepe does not reach the grateful.

The prayer of Osa Bara · Yoruba

Osa Shepe Obara Obara Osa yerekun obani Shangó obayire Awo obani laye sheregun Osa niba shepe oba lara Obara lara Osa beyekun keyerun loye lokun oba shepe Osa Shepe Ogún mayire oba yeri Ogún oma owo laye Shangó oba Osa Shepe.

Súyere
Ogún belekun leri aye belekun yere eje belekun yere.

Ifá says — what Osa Bara tells you

Proverbs of Osa Bara · Òwe

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

Iré and Osogbo

5 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 Osa Bara · Ìbí

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

Ebbós of Osa Bara · The sacrifices that open the road

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

Works of Osa Bara · The workings of the sign

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

Patakíes of Osa Bara · The roads of the Odù

1Shangó's curse on the land of Osa Shepe

Ogún ruled the land of Awa Nilaye through his son Awo Obarayiré: with frightening songs at nightfall and heavy footsteps before dawn, the people worked without rest, eating nothing but meat and fish, until they fell ill. Osain cured them in secret with herbs and sticks, and told Shangó, who summoned Ogún through a crowd of eguns and made him swear on the machete to share his strength with everyone. Once the people were cured by Osain, they all gave moforibale to Shangó — and then told him they no longer wanted them there. Shangó, furious, turned three ram's turns and threw the curse (shepe): Ogún went out to kill his own, and Shangó stopped him: «your son will go on ruling this land, because he is the only one who understands these people — but you are coming with us». And he put ashé in Awo Obarayiré's mouth: «you will have the power to call this land Osa Bara, so that everyone lives under your ashé: Osa Shepe».

Ogún was held to be the greatest force in the world, and his rule reached the land of Awa Nilaye, which he had placed in the hands of an Awó who was a son of his, named Obarayiré, who enjoyed those enormous powers of his father. With such backing he ruled the place as he pleased, and when the day was well along, at the hour when it was already getting dark, he would sing: "Obalayekun laye mo beyelekun laye kayere gbogbo oni omo kayere gbogbo oni". Out of fright, the people of Awa Nilaye went out to work instead of going to bed, and so they never rested. The father backed up what the son did with his own drive: on his feet from four in the morning, he beat the ground with his feet, stamped hard, called all the people and sang: "Omo ladire dide omo ladire owa keun omo abadishe omo ladire". Those who were still asleep got up to work.

So in Awa Nilaye nobody had any rest, and everyone was worried, because they barely had time to eat what father and son handed out, which was nothing but beef and fish, measured out so they could stand more work. That food ended up harming them: they were left weak, poisoned, and there was no one who did not fall ill.

One day Osain came to Awa Nilaye, to visit Ogún and his son and to look closely at that rule. The first thing he ran into was a sick people who, even so, were still forced to work. He went straight to tell the two of them, and they heard him and got annoyed with him. Osain did not answer back; he kept quiet, and since he was carrying two baskets loaded with herbs and sticks, he began going around the houses and handing them out so the people would get well, with the order that they do it in hiding. Awo Obarayiré went out on his rounds and noticed what the people were doing and taking, and he asked them; they answered that these were things found around there. Meanwhile, the people were getting their strength back.

Seeing how things stood, Osain went off to Awa Tilaye, home of Shangó, and gave him the whole account. Shangó did not like the matter, and with Osain himself he sent word for Ogún to come. The two of them left Awa Nilaye, and Osain came singing along the way, and with that he announced to Shangó that Ogún was arriving: "Ogún baranire Awo alele Ogún lokun lorun". With no warning eguns sprang up everywhere; Ogún could not see anything else, and fear had him beaten. Once in front of Shangó, he began to beg him to take that off him, that he could not stand it. And Shangó explained to him: "All that you have on you is caused by the harm your son Obarayiré is doing in your land, leaning on you and on your strength. If you want me to take off what you have on you, you have to swear to me that you will go with me to take away the rule you gave your son". Ogún answered: "I promise you", and he took the machete (agada) in his hand and passed it over his head. Then came Shangó's curse, and he added: "From today you have to keep your promise and do what I say: the strength you have given only to your son, you have to share it with all the children of the land of Awa Nilaye".

Ogún set out back to Awa Nilaye together with Shangó. As soon as he came in he called his son, and Shangó stopped him: "Wait a moment: the one who has to look for him is me; the one who has to punish him is you — but we have to give time for Osain to work". Osain set to handing out herbs to drink, and sticks too, and with that the people got back the health they were missing. By the seventh day there was no one left weak and everyone was happy; at midday they all went down on their knees to give moforibale to Shangó and to Osain for so much good received. Shangó, meanwhile, kept the son, Awo Obarayiré, hidden.

After a while, the children of that land called Shangó and Osain to tell them that, happy and grateful as they were with them, they no longer wanted them there. Shangó, not believing it, asked: "What is it you are saying?", and they repeated the same thing. Shangó flared up, turned three somersaults, broke into cursing (shepe) and sang out loud: "Ogún belekun leri eje belekun yere". When Ogún heard what they were saying, he went out machete in hand to kill his own people. Shangó and Osain threw themselves on him to stop it and warned him: "Stay still, because your son Obarayiré will go on governing this land, since he is the only one who understands these people — but you are leaving with us".

Afterwards Shangó went for Awo Obarayiré, called him and ordered him: "Open your mouth". He emptied the ashé inside him and finished: "You will have the power to call this land Osa Bara, so that everyone lives under your ashé: Osa Shepe".

Note: that song of the angry Shangó is sung during the ebbó; it is the person concerned himself who kills the chicken and smears its blood on the ebbó, while the Awó taps the board without stopping with the irofá. The head of the chicken also goes into the ebbó.

2Where Shangó ran for the first time

Two Chinese towns were at war to the death. Shangó, bored, wanted to travel: Orunmila saw this Odù for him and marked him ebbó — an odu-ará in a gourd, a quail, a turtle and a glass ball in a bag —, warning him that once he left the place he arrived at, he was not to turn back. He reached the town of Filaní; seeing he was not Chinese, they feasted him with ram and sent him off with bows. When the fighting resumed, the Chinese cooked ram during the truce, and Shangó, catching the smell of the dish he loved so much, forgot Orunmila's words and went back: he tied on the braids of a dead Chinese man so as not to be recognized — but the fighting had started again, they took him for the enemy and seized him by the braids to cut off his head. He ran, leaving the braids in their hands: this is where Shangó ran for the first time.

Two Chinese towns were fighting a war with no quarter; the atrocities came from one side and from the other, and none of the warriors was willing to give up the battle. Around that time Shangó was fed up and wanted to go on a trip, so he went to get a reading from Orunmila. Orunmila did osode for him, this Odù came out, and through it Ifá spoke to him: if he wanted to travel, first the ebbó — an odu-ará in a gourd, a quail, a turtle and a glass ball, all put into a bag that he would carry on him. He also told him that he would come upon a town caught in a big war, and warned him that from the place he reached, once he left it, he should not go back.

With the ebbó done, Shangó got himself a horse and set off, until he came to the town of Filaní. The warriors, on seeing him, noticed at once that he was not Chinese, since he had no braids; they took him into the camp and warned him that they did not want anyone getting into that fight. To honor him they prepared a banquet: by order of the chief of the Chinese they cooked ram for him. At the table, Shangó ate with desperation and savored it. When the meal was over they gave him another horse and saw him off with lights and bows.

Shangó took his road again, and the Chinese went back to the fighting. After many hours of battle they asked for a truce, to see to the wounded and to make the meal that was due them, which was ram. Shangó was near; the smell of that dish he liked reached him and, Orunmila's words already wiped away, he decided to go back. So the Chinese would not recognize him, he pulled the braids off a man lying dead there and tied them on — without noticing that the fight had started again. Just as he was about to cross to the other side they spotted him, took him for one of the enemy side and cut him off, holding him by the braids meaning to cut off his head. He ran, and the braids were left in the hands of the Chinese, who, when they recognized him, paid him no mind.

That was the first time Shangó ran.

3The proud man

Osa Bara was proud of his luck in business and with women, and paid no attention to his elders: «what God gave me nobody can take from me». He took up with a daughter of Oyá, whom he mistreated and was jealous of. One night he dreamed the wind was carrying him off to another, unknown world, and he cried out in terror. His mother — who had been asking her Guardian Angel, Yemayá, for her disobedient son — took him to the house of Ogbani-Isin, who turned out to be Orunmila: «you are a son of Shangó, sheltered by Yemayá and Obatalá, but your luck is in the hands of a daughter of Oyá. Shangó's children can never mistreat Oyá's daughters: it goes badly for them and they can even lose their lives, because Oyá is the wind itself — she can leave you deaf, with cramps or rheumatism in your legs, or paralyzed. Pray to Oyá and to Shangó so you have luck in everything».

The luck Osa Bara had in business and with women had made him a proud man. He paid no attention to the elders: he held that what God had given him, no one could take away from him.

One day he ran into a daughter of Oyá, and with her he wanted to do as he pleased, to abuse her and mistreat her badly. Jealous as he was, Osa Bara picked fights for no reason, and sometimes he hit the woman.

One night a dream came to him: he saw himself out in space, and the wind was dragging him toward another unknown world; there, very frightened, he shouted. His mother heard her son in that fit and went to see what was wrong with him. She had a feeling something strange was happening to him, and she had asked her Guardian Angel that nothing happen to her son, knowing how disobedient he was — and that Guardian Angel turned out to be Yemayá. She then called him by another name; he woke from the nightmare and told his mother everything he had seen in the dream.

The mother said to him: "Son, grant me one thing: to go to the house of Ogbani-Isin". Very frightened, he answered: "Yes, mother, let's go". They came to that gentleman, who was none other than Orunmila. As soon as the osode began this Odù appeared, and he told him: "You are a son of Shangó, but Yemayá protects you a lot, and Obatalá too; but your luck is in the hands of a daughter of Oyá. You know that Shangó respects Oyá very much, since she is his lady and watches over her son; but the sons of Shangó, as you are, can never mistreat the daughters of Oyá, because they bring ruin on themselves and can even lose their own life — for Oyá is the wind itself, and she can leave you deaf or even crippled with a bad draft, which can come back on you as cramps or rheumatism in the legs and leave you paralyzed. Pray to Oyá and to Shangó so that you have luck in everything".

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 Osa Bara in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Osa Bara

What does the Odù Osa Bara mean in Ifá?

Osa Shepe, the Ifá of curses: the sick person is saved, intelligence rules over strength — and the bee, for not making ebbó, dies when it stings.

What number is Osa Bara among the 256 Odù of Ifá?

Osa Bara is Odù number 158 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Osa family.

Which orishas speak in Osa Bara?

In the Odù Osa Bara these orishas speak: Shangó, Ogún, Oyá, Yemayá, Agayú, Olokun, Orishaoko, Egun, Eshu.

What is a proverb of the Odù Osa Bara?

One of the proverbs of Osa Bara says: «Two rams do not drink water at the same spring.».

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