Otura Wori

Also called Otura Pompeyo, Otura Iwori

nº 199 of 256 · Edited by Ricco Ledesma

Where the fish did not make ebbó and has been caught ever since: do not accept the first offer. What is good is on its way, if you obey Orunmila.

23 patakíes 6 eewó 9 ebbós and works 11 proverbs

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Otura Wori is Odù number 199 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Otura family. It is also written as Otura Pompeyo or Otura Iwori. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 23 patakíes (3 in full in plain sight, with their teaching, ebbó and chants), its proverbs, 9 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 199 of 256
Composition: Otura over Iwori
Orishas that speak: Yemayá Asezú · Olokun · Elegba · Yewá · Obatalá · Oshún · Oluo Popo (Azojuano) · Oshosi · Egun (the father)

What Ifá says in this sign

Otura Wori, also known as Otura Pompeyo, is the sign of patience. Here is born the guacalote, the seed with which an Ifá is assembled, and here is born the fact that man catches fish, because the fish refused the sacrifice Orunmila indicated. Its ruling is a promise with a condition: good things are already coming toward you, but do not rush or accept the first thing you are offered. Whoever waits calmly and makes their sacrifice receives gain at home and at work without having to pay for it with suffering.

Your danger is your own character. You are stubborn, disobedient and you like to argue, and by arguing you lose. Only Orunmila saves you, and only if you obey him. When you think you are strong and you abuse the weak, the small ones join together and give you what you deserve, like the rooster that was plucked on the street corner. There is danger that several people will attack you in the street and beat you hard, and of tragedies in public places. Do not scorn the ebbó because you feel safe: the eagle refused to make it and the birds left her blind. Whoever sells out their friends or accuses them with lies pays with their life.

«The fish did not make ebbó and man has been catching it ever since: Otura Pompeyo does not wait to learn by the hook.»The pulse of Otura Wori

But it is also a sign of return. It speaks of the queen dethroned by the envy of her own people, whom the people put back on her throne. You will be named head of your household, and your wife, who has favored you greatly, deserves to have the saint made for her. Someone will bring you a dream that will be the salvation of your life: pay attention to it. What looks like harm today ends up being for your good. If you are accused of something serious and you do what Ifá orders, you prove your innocence.

In love it is hard for you to settle down, especially with women. If gossip from your partner's relatives destroys your home and you get back together, do not agree to live with those people again. Do not put business above family, because children who are not raised are lost. With money you live in great urgency: feed your head and you will overcome it. Money has been taken from you somewhere else without your noticing, and it does not suit you to bind someone who has money with spiritual works so as not to pay him.

In health, take care of your eyesight, your memory and your stomach; do not go looking into corners with a light, for you could lose your sight. There are skin rashes, poor circulation and, in women, ailments of the vagina and the ovaries; look after San Lázaro for the skin. The shadow of a dead father can bring you frights, forgetfulness and headaches, and there is a risk of madness. If you ever think about taking your own life, do not stay alone: talk about it with someone you trust, look for a doctor or a professional and make the ebbó that Orunmila marks. Olokun and Elegba give back the head to whoever loses it.

The sign in one line

Do not argue stubbornly, do not abuse and do not accept the first offer. The Queen of Otura Pompeyo returns to the throne when she obeys Orunmila.

The prayer of Otura Wori · Yoruba

Otura Wori Yigui Diyi Pako Pako Adifafún Akukó Lorúbbo, Okó Oda Eyelé Iyá Lesari Otura Kopeku Iwori Kopeya Elegbá Komara Loda Larun Abbó, Ounkó Akukó, Ekú Lorúbbo Kaferefún Obbatalá Atí Olokún.

Ifá says — what Otura Wori tells you

Difficulties with memory, vision and the stomach.
The person is stubborn, disobedient and boastful: only Orunmila saves him if he obeys him.
There are skin eruptions, circulatory disorders and conditions of the vagina and the ovaries.
Beware of madness: the person has no settling.
The person must not attempt to take their own life, since they could be left deformed. If you have thoughts of ending your life, talk to someone you trust, seek help and do not stay alone.
If this Odù appears in the atefá, a clay head with eyes of snail shells is modeled, guacalotes are scattered on the floor and a parrot feather is placed on it; when the iyoyé is finished, it is given to the Awó for his first ebbó.
The Awó who has this Odù uses in his Ifá a lion's fang and a tiger's fang, and wears an idefá made from a bundle of Orunmila's beads; ground sea sand is added to the iyefá.
The herbs of the sign: guacalote (ewe ayo), white amaranth, mignonette and white vicaria.
You like to argue stubbornly, and you should not, because you lose.
That you tend to shine a light into corners to see what is in them; give up that habit, since you could lose your sight.
That you are thinking about money you want to request or that was offered to you, but your heart is not in any of it.
That you want a work to be done for you to bind the man who has the money, but without wanting to pay for that work.
You are in a very great hurry: to overcome it, feed your head.
That you should pay attention to the person who will bring you a dream that will turn out to be your salvation, and to another person who likes to drink.
That you will be made head of your household, and that you must consecrate your wife in the saint, since she has been of great help to you.
That, if your home is broken up by gossip from your spouse's relatives and those relatives later return, you must not agree to live with them if you want to be happy.
That you should be careful that a group does not assault you in the street and beat you hard.
The illness you have is from God: if you want to get well, make ebbó.
That money was taken from you somewhere else without you noticing, and that you lost an animal.
That you must guard against a falsehood and a distrust, and against something you believe is impossible but that will happen.
That you must not let yourself be influenced by people of more limited intelligence than yours, and that you should protect yourself from powders and spells.

Proverbs of Otura Wori · Òwe

“Words are carried off by the wind.”
“When a man is stubborn, he loses in life.”
“Whoever sells out his friends pays with his head.”
“Keep the king away from the wicked man and his throne will rest on justice.”
“Using someone else's money for your own benefit is a form of theft.”
“Exposing your eyes to the sun too long can bring on blindness.”
“Not all diviners are honest.”
“There is no greatness greater than the dust of the earth.”
“Whoever spreads another man's secret will be shunned as an informer.”
“To swim you have to get into the water.”
“Whoever claims great powers will be humbled by the rulers.”

8 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

All good things are on their way to the person, if they know how to wait without acting on impulse.
Orunmila saves them if they obey him.
Even if weak, if they do the ebbó they defeat the strong one who trusts himself too much and does not do it.

Osogbo · what the sign warns

They are stubborn, disobedient and boastful, and for that reason they lose.
Only Orunmila can save them, and only if they obey him; if not, they are lost.
They believe themselves strong and powerful and abuse the weak, who may unite to give them what they deserve.

39 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 Otura Wori · Ìbí

The guacalote (ewe ayo) and the making of an Ifá with them.
Awó Alayo Otá assembled the Ifá of 40 guacalotes in the land Omó Ayo, where those seeds were the greatest wealth and the pastime of Olofin on earth.
That man catches the fish.
The fish refused to make ebbó because it trusted in how enormous the sea is; the fishermen, on the other hand, did make it, and since then they are able to catch fish.

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

Do not argue.
It loses: the stubborn person ends up losing in life.
Do not eat meat or eggs, and do not go to the market.
Do not look into the corners with a light.
You can lose your sight.
Do not accept the first offer they make you.
Everything good is on its way, so do not rush.
Do not go back to living with the relatives of the spouse who destroyed your home.
So that you can be happy.
Do not try to take your own life.
You can be left deformed.

Ebbós of Otura Wori · The sacrifices that open the road

HealthEbbó so you do not go blind🔒 The Notebook HealthEbbó for the eyes (the five little pots)🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesThe ebbó of the fishing net🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesThe ebbó of the cap🔒 The Notebook Keeping death awayThe ebbó of the memory (the duck to the river)🔒 The Notebook

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

Works of Otura Wori · The workings of the sign

Keeping death awayThe work of the wild cane (against death by disaster)🔒 The Notebook SpiritualThe Ifá of guacalotes (when it comes up in Untefá)🔒 The Notebook SpiritualThe oparaldo of the plantain stem (the father's shadow)🔒 The Notebook HealthThe omiero of the tumbos🔒 The Notebook

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

Patakíes of Otura Wori · The roads of the Odù

1The Loss of Memory (Yemayá Asezú)

Yemayá Asezú lived from party to party and neglected the orishas. When she felt ill, she went to have Orunmila read for her. On seeing this odu, he revealed that the orishas had left her alone: none of them answered for her, and only Olokun faced her. To recover, she needed an ebbó and great ceremonies.

Orunmila carried out that whole ritual for her, and as it proceeded, Asezú kept forgetting her past until she lost her memory. In this way she could go to meet Olokun in order to come to an understanding with him and settle forever in his world.

From then on her existence was transformed: she became Olokun's favorite daughter and did not leave his side. Because she was always next to him, an egun of enormous power also came to accompany her.

From then on, she undertook nothing without consulting her father, since she had cut the pacts and obligations that tied her to the earthly world, and all her work in the saint on this earth had been erased. Through the ritual work done for her, she lost her memory.

This path explains why this Yemayá is the one closest to Olokun. She lives inside a large clay jar, carries an Osain, and only to her, among the Yemayá, is duck offered.

What it teaches

Giving oneself only to amusement and abandoning the orishas leaves a person without shelter, except that of the one who still welcomes her. Starting anew requires leaving old commitments behind, and the new relationship needs care.

Ebbó of the path

Smoked hutia and fish, 9 addimú and palm oil (manteca de corojo). Money in abundance, coconuts, candles and liquor. Honey, cascarilla and indigo water. A doll and blue cloth. Also sea water and river water. From Oparaldó: ritual cloths and herbs. Animals: 1 duck, 1 guinea fowl, 1 rooster and 1 large chick (pollón).

How the ebbó is distributed

Part of the ebbó goes into a head cleansing beside the river, another part goes to Olokun and Yemayá at the sea, and another to Oparaldó. How it is distributed is in the full treatise.

When this odu comes out

Whoever has it must receive Olokun from a babalawo; in this way the person overcomes difficulties and gains the power he or she lacks. If Olokun was already received, the person offers him a white ram and so gets out of the problems.

The prayer that opens the path

Otura Iwori Adifafún Iyá Moeya Yemayá Asezú Ofó Orisha Imole Orugbó Baba Olokún Yemi Deregbe Eggún Olona Okun Mayewe Lele Ofó Lerí Ofó Eledá Maferefún Olokún Loddafún Orunmila.

The song sung when the duck's blood is given in the head cleansing

Lerí Foré Eye Kukueye.

This path keeps 2 awó secrets in the complete treatise.🔒 The Notebook

2The Trap for Odideo, the Eagle

Odideo was a very daring eagle, and the other birds respected her out of fear. Orunmila summoned her and warned her that others were planning to bring her down: a trap had been set for her. If she made a sacrifice, she would come out ahead. But the eagle rejected the advice, because she believed no one would ever stop respecting her.

Later the other birds came together before Orunmila and begged him for an ebbó. At first he hesitated. Then Eshu stepped in and urged him to do it, and Orunmila agreed. He prepared the ebbó for all of them.

When the birds finished and were leaving, they saw the eagle approaching. They had already gathered sand and cotton. Just as she arrived, a very strong wind began to blow, and the birds threw the cotton mixed with the sand at her. In a moment the eagle lost her sight and collapsed. So the birds took advantage of her fall and defeated her.

What it teaches

Too much trust in one's own power blinds before any enemy does. A warning that is heeded protects, and the small, united and with their ebbó done, can overcome a careless strong one.

3Asezú and Yewá's Guacalotes

Yemayá Asezú and Yewá sailed together on the sea in a great boat made of jocuma wood. They followed the whole shore and gave ayo herb to the men who liked to play with them. The two had agreed to dominate men with that game, because whoever falls into a vice gives up everything.

In this way they took over the wealth of that region, with Elegba as chief. The guacalotes, seeds of the ayo plant that came in every color, came from Omó Ayo, a prosperous place facing the sea. The people of Omó Ayo lived dissatisfied with their situation, even though those seeds were their greatest treasure.

Alayo Otá lived there, an awó of Orunmila, much loved and very wise, who kept advising those stubborn people.

The townspeople went to him. Alayo Otá examined them and in the consultation this Odù appeared. His plan was this: to wait for the arrival of the boat of Asezú and Yewá, who came for the guacalotes, and offer them a ewe and a banana to eat. While the two were eating, the men were to seize the boat, put on it all those who were waiting for the two women and for the seeds, and take them to Omó Ayo so that the awó could make Ifá for them. They carried it out.

In the middle of the ceremony, Alayo Otá made an Ifá with the seeds, fed it beside the other Ifá he was preparing, and also fed Yewá. When the Odù toyale came out, Otura Iwori appeared.

Elegba found out and became angry. He began to torment the heads and the eyesight of the children of Omó Ayo. Alayo Otá washed them with Alayonifa and explained to Yewá and Asezú that they had to bring Elegba to that land in order to consecrate him.

The two traveled in the boat to Oni Okun, the land of Elegba, and sang there to call him. He climbed aboard and, during the trip, they dedicated another song to him. Elegba was very grateful to them, calmed down and went with them to Omó Ayo.

With everything ready, the awó made Ifá for Elegba and Otura Iwori came out again. He gave him Alayonifa and Adelenifa. Asezú received a rooster, and for Yewá there was a young female goat, together with her Ifá. They also prepared a head made of ilekán and gave it to Elegba with this charge: to keep it always beside his Ifá, because it would give him great powers and secrets in that land, and to revere Asezú, Yewá and their godfather, the awó Alayo.

The guacalote held the secret of the place, since the wellbeing and the health of its children depended on it. It was also Olofin's entertainment in the world.

What it teaches

Whoever subdues others through a vice can be stopped if the guidance of Ifá is heeded. The anger of someone who feels left aside calms down when he receives respect and a place of his own. What looks like a simple pastime can hold the secret of a people's wellbeing.

What is offered in the story

A ewe and a banana to feed Asezú and Yewá while the boat is taken. Later, a rooster for Asezú and a young female goat for Yewá, with her Ifá. An Ifá is prepared with the guacalotes and Yewá is fed.

Ebbó of this Odù

A ewe and a rooster; hutia and smoked fish; banana, toasted corn and coconuts; ilekán, parrot feather and ewé ayo; ashes, red ochre and añarí; many saint beads, many sticks and much ashé; candles; and a lot of money.

Ceremonies reserved for the awó

This path has an Ifá made of guacalotes and a head of ilekán, which are prepared with ceremonies reserved for the awó, among them that of the Kuanardo. These matters belong to awó and their detail is in the full treatise. It is advised that an awó who does not have Yewá receive her soon.

The prayer that opens this path in the treatise

Adifafún Otura Awó Asezú Abaya Ayo Nire Oyo Yewá Ayaba Awó Alayota Okuní Elegbá Awó Agba Bogbo Nowa Okun Olojun Omó Teribawa Bi Ale Elegbá Bale Afi Omó Ayo Fumayo Otura Wo Mun Ayodun Moki Otá Adelenifa Moki Okue Awó Alayo Otá Ere Lerí Omó Ayioshe Kaniwaye Lerí Akani Bawa Ayo Adele Bawa Loddafún Yewá Ifá Ni Kaferefún Orunmila.

What is sung when the ewe is given, calling on Orún

Eggún Aloyota Ilé Eyewa Nifa Orún Adele Nifa

What is said when the young female goat is strangled, calling on Yewá

Euré Ake Olorún Yewá Isa Isoro

What is sung when the young female goat is given

Eyenifa Euré Ake Yenye Reniye Alafo Otá Yewá Ilé

What is sung when the blood is poured over the awó's Ifá

Eyenifa Euré Ake Yenye Reniye Adelenifa Yewá Ilé

What is sung when the guinea fowl is given beside the kutú, calling on Yewá

Ifá Alawo Karile Yewá Yewá Iré Adelenifa Ifá Alawo Karile Yewá Yewá Iré Adelenifa

The song with which Yewá and Asezú called Elegba

Elegbá Mota Bi Ayé Omó Ayo Obani Sokun Iré Alayo Yewá Kaniwaye Alayonifa Asezú Moki Otá.

The song Yewá and Asezú sang to Elegba in the boat

Yewá Yewá Omó Ayo Yewá Yewá Yewá Yewá Oyu Elese Yewá Omó Ayo Asezú

This path keeps 6 awó secrets in the complete treatise.🔒 The Notebook

4The tiger and the lion🔒 The Notebook 5When the fish did not make ebbó🔒 The Notebook 6The awó's flag and the king's three gourds🔒 The Notebook 7When Otura Iwori was stumbling🔒 The Notebook 8Yemayá Asezú and Olokun🔒 The Notebook 9Olofin's three servants🔒 The Notebook 10The father's shadow and the suit kept away🔒 The Notebook 11Free of burden🔒 The Notebook 12Prosperity🔒 The Notebook 13The dethroned Queen🔒 The Notebook 14The plucked rooster🔒 The Notebook 15The mangy dog🔒 The Notebook 16The children of the snail🔒 The Notebook 17The blindness of Idi Efun🔒 The Notebook 18The king's two baskets🔒 The Notebook 19The king of the city and the king of the countryside🔒 The Notebook 20The necklace that Shapana gave to Eshu🔒 The Notebook 21The test that exposed the thief dog🔒 The Notebook 22The law of aid🔒 The Notebook 23Spiritual wealth🔒 The Notebook

20 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 Otura Wori in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Otura Wori

What does the Odù Otura Wori mean in Ifá?

Where the fish did not make ebbó and has been caught ever since: do not accept the first offer. What is good is on its way, if you obey Orunmila.

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

Otura Wori is Odù number 199 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Otura family.

Which orishas speak in Otura Wori?

In the Odù Otura Wori these orishas speak: Yemayá Asezú, Olokun, Elegba, Yewá, Obatalá, Oshún, Oluo Popo (Azojuano), Oshosi, Egun (the father).

What is a proverb of the Odù Otura Wori?

One of the proverbs of Otura Wori says: «Words are carried off by the wind.».

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