Odù 166 of 256 · Osa family

Osa Fun

«Obeying my prohibitions will be my victory»: here Obatalá rewarded the worm with butterfly wings — and two ebbós are always made.

Osa Fun is Odù number 166 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Osa family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 19 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 10 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 166 of 256
Composition
Osa over Ofun
In the Diloggún
9-10 · Osá tonti Ofún
Orishas that speak
Orishaoko · Osain · Ogún · Obatalá · Olofin · Orunmila · Ikú

What Ifá says in this sign

Osa Fun closes the Osa family with the motto of obedience: «obeying my prohibitions will be my victory» — disobeying the Santo and your elders can cost you your life. And it gives us the loveliest image in the whole treatise: the worm wanted to fly, and Obatalá rewarded him with butterfly wings.

But the butterfly comes with instructions: because of her bright colors, the boys in the city kill her — live in the country, or at least live quietly: the brightness of this odu is protected by keeping a low profile. And your spiritual emptiness — that living with no wish to live — has a remedy on the mat: make ebbó to take that sorrow off you: it is not weakness, it is a weight, and weights get sent away.

«The worm wanted to fly and Obatalá gave him wings — the obedience of Osa Fun is the price of the butterfly.»The pulse of Osa Fun

Its lesson in humility was given by the dog and the turtle: they got into an argument and each of them showed their own cunning and their own strength — do not look down on or humiliate anyone, because the smallest one can give you the fright of your life. And do not argue yourself: the monkey was sold for selling out Obatalá.

Its ritual is doubled out of mercy: here two ebbós are made — otherwise the enemy dies: like Obatalá, who took pity on his gravely ill enemy and made the second one to save him. This odu wins without wiping anyone out. And when you take your ebbó, you leave the clothes you are wearing beside it — take a change of clothes and shoes: the cleaning here is literal.

The fronts at home: unfaithfulness on both sides — do not let it grow into a disaster —, the report that comes over what you did badly (the ebbó saves you), the mass for the dead one and the move you are marked for. Receive Osain, keep your daily doings in order — so nobody calls you mad —, wear your white shirt with purple stripes, and fly: the obedient worm ended up with wings — the disobedient one, with sticks

The sign in one line

Obey your prohibitions, make both ebbós and live quietly like a country butterfly — the victory of Osa Fun is written in its own motto.

The prayer of Osa Fun · Yoruba

Osa Fun maferefun Awo Guayiri osada fun tayire aguegue Osain oguati buru boshe ekute ague gueneri Awo Olofin ashibi Osain mayigue eku masi fun obayire Awo alguesa abati inle Orishaoko.

Súyere
Osa Fun aquiloda Orishaoko, Osa Fun mefun aquiloda.

Ifá says — what Osa Fun tells you

Proverbs of Osa Fun · Òwe

27 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 Osa Fun · Ìbí

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 Osa Fun · The sacrifices that open the road

Pushing death awayThe ebbó for making life longer🔒 Babalawo
Beating enemiesThe ebbó for lifting a war (intori iña)🔒 Babalawo
SpiritualThe ebbó of the upset🔒 Babalawo
LoveThe ebbó for a woman🔒 Babalawo
SpiritualThe ebbó of Awó Obayire🔒 Babalawo
Pushing death awayThe sacrifice of the children of man🔒 Babalawo
Beating enemiesAremon's ebbó🔒 Babalawo
7 ebbós in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes. Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

Works of Osa Fun · The workings of the sign

Pushing death awayFeeding death🔒 Babalawo
MoneyObatalá's sará-ekó🔒 Babalawo
SpiritualThe iyefá of the butterfly🔒 Babalawo
3 works in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes. Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

Patakíes of Osa Fun · The roads of the Odù

1When Osa Fun found work, luck and peace

Awó Obayire, cut off from his brothers by how badly things were going, went out to the country singing to Orishaoko. Osain introduced them, and with a ceremony at the foot of the ceiba — feeding Ikú in a hole — Orishaoko opened his road: on going back to his town he found work, luck and peace.

On this road, Osa Fun was called Awó Obayire; he had five brothers, and each of them practiced his own secret way of living, because Osain protected them from Ikú. But Awó Obayire, because of how badly things were going for him, parted from his brothers and went to live out in the country, in the land of Obatiguele. When he arrived he began to sing: «Osa Fun quilofa Orishaoko, Osa mefun aquiloda».

While he was singing Osain appeared, and asked him what was wrong. When he finished, Osain told him: «I am going to introduce you to a man called Orishaoko, so he can help you», and began calling him with a song: «Komo rigue Orishaoko agua dideo afe Awo aye umbo okumbo». He came before Osain and Obayire, and asked them what they wanted. They gave him moforibale and told him what Obayire was going through. Orishaoko said: «Do not be frightened, I am going to help you; but Ikú goes about with me. I will give you work for a while, nothing more, so that when you get to where your brothers are, they can help you». Obayire kissed Orishaoko's hands, and he in turn gave him his blessing.

When Obayire worked, he did not rest, and he always sang: «Orishaoko dideo Awo Baba dideo obanire Awo Orishaoko». Orishaoko, hearing him, was glad and said to himself: «I have to help Awó Obayire». One day, Orishaoko told him: «Tomorrow, before the sun comes up, you have to find me a large gourd; clean yourself with siempreviva and white bleo, put the shreds inside the gourd and call Olokun; pour in cow's milk, cascarilla, cocoa butter and aguardiente; take osun naború, mark Osa Fun and put it inside the gourd. Besides that, you have to bring me sixteen candles, eight pigeons and a jio jio — the rest I will provide».

Obayire went out at once, found everything, and before dawn went to meet Orishaoko, who was at the foot of a ceiba tree. He had set his secret at the foot of the ceiba and had painted Osa Fun with cascarilla and sand; he put the coconut in the middle of the gourd, set the sixteen candles on a branch of the ceiba, cleaned Obayire with the young rooster and gave it to Ikú in a hole; he cleaned him with the pigeons and killed them one by one while singing: «Baba Olofin ereliye Baba Ejiogbe ereliye…», all the way through the sixteen Meyis. He gave blood to Awó Obayire's head and told him: «You have to wait for the candles to burn out before burying it all».

With the ceremony over, Orishaoko told him: «You can go back to your land: you will find work, peace and things moving». Right away, Orishaoko gave him clothes, with this direction: «Take this road, which will lead you to your town». He handed him a small bell to ring along the way, a jug of aguardiente and two hens to take to Orunmila.

When he reached his town, he found everything Orishaoko had told him: work, luck and peace.

2The reading made for the children of man

The children of man lived running — from the snake, from the elephant, from fire, from their creditors — without knowing what they were running from. Ifá marked them a sacrifice so they would know: that is called eewó. Those who sacrificed gained long life on the Earth.

Orunmila said: Osa Fun. I said: Osa Fun.

«We are running from the snake's bite. We are running so the elephant does not crush us. We are running so the buffalo (efún) does not crush us. We are running so the fire does not burn us. We are running from our creditors, so the people of the earth do not mock us. We are running from other people's property, so they do not think we are thieves, and so people cannot suddenly abuse us and shout at us one day. We are running from the talisman, so its wicked word does not touch us. There is no pleasure for those who say they run about on the earth for nothing: they cannot live long on the earth».

That was what was read for the children of man, who were told to make sacrifice so they would know what they were running from — that is called eewó (a forbidden act).

Sacrifice: 16 snails, omo leaves, palm oil, salt and 30,200 cowries. Some of them sacrificed.

They said: «Those of you who sacrificed will have long life on the Earth, and the Earth will be good to you».

3When Ogún married Olofin's daughter

Six men failed to marry Olofin's daughter. Ogún arrived in rags, with his gourd rattle loaded with fruit, and she chose him. «I will marry in the time it takes this fruit to grow»: he sowed Olofin's seeds, the harvest was good and he married her.

There was a daughter of Olofin who had to marry, and six men came and could not marry her. Then Ogún came, very badly turned out and in torn clothes, and he carried in his hand a gourd rattle with potatoes hanging from it, yams, sweet potatoes and fruit.

He came to Olofin's house and knocked at the door, and Olofin, thinking he was a beggar, asked him what he had come for. Ogún told him he had come to ask for his daughter's hand, and Olofin was taken aback; but Olofin's daughter came out and told him: «That is the man who suits me». Then Olofin asked Ogún how long he needed in order to marry his daughter; Ogún shook the gourd rattle several times and said: «The time it takes this fruit to grow».

Then Olofin gave Ogún various seeds, cotton among them; he sowed them, the harvest was very good, and he married Olofin's daughter.

Note: when ebbó has to be made, it is asked which serves for winning — seeds, root vegetables or fruit.

4When the worm wanted to fly🔒 Babalawo
5When the reading was made for the monkey (Alalekun)🔒 Babalawo
6Respect for elders🔒 Babalawo
7Obatalá's enemy🔒 Babalawo
8The butterflies🔒 Babalawo
9The dog and the turtle got into an argument🔒 Babalawo
10The spiritual emptiness🔒 Babalawo
11How Aremon beat the eguns🔒 Babalawo
12Evil breeds evil🔒 Babalawo
13The Babalawo's prosperity🔒 Babalawo
14The omo Ifá and the omo Iku🔒 Babalawo
15Poverty and old age🔒 Babalawo
16The kick in the forehead🔒 Babalawo
17The loss of rebirth🔒 Babalawo
18The conversation of the ceibas🔒 Babalawo
19The dog and the tortoise🔒 Babalawo
16 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 Osa Fun in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Osa Fun

What does the Odù Osa Fun mean in Ifá?

«Obeying my prohibitions will be my victory»: here Obatalá rewarded the worm with butterfly wings — and two ebbós are always made.

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

Osa Fun is Odù number 166 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Osa family.

Which orishas speak in Osa Fun?

In the Odù Osa Fun these orishas speak: Orishaoko, Osain, Ogún, Obatalá, Olofin, Orunmila, Ikú.

What is a proverb of the Odù Osa Fun?

One of the proverbs of Osa Fun says: «The danger lies in trusting.».

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