Ifa Didaa Ogbe

Ifá Dídá
An Invitation to Ifá
Consultation
Volume TWO
By Ṣọlágbadé Pópóọlá Library, Inc.
ÀṣèfínMedia LLP
London - Toronto - New York - Lagos
© 2012
Ṣọlágbadé Pópóọlá Library, INC
Contributing Authors: Ifá Dídá Volume Two
Fakunle Oyesanya
Gbolahan Okemuyiwa
Abiola Aladesuru
Olaribigbe Bankole
Adesola Benson
Awoyinfa Kori Ifaloju
Chief Solagbade Popoola
Solagbade Popoola Library, INC. is a collective of researchers, writers, cultural

anthropologist and scholars, all of whom practice Ifa tradition as a way of living.
This work is a combined effort of these individuals contributions.
Learn more here:
www.SolagbadePopoola.com
Ifá Dídá
An Invitation to Ifá Consultation
Volume TWO
Copyright © 2012 by : Àṣèfín Media, LLP
Cover designed by: Awóyinfá Kori Ifálójú ( @alawoye )

Cover layout by: Fákúnlé Oyèsànyà
Contributing Editor: Jose Rodriguez (Awo Agboọlá)

Additional contributions by: Awóyinfá Kori Ifálójú (Ifálọmọ)
Publicist: Alawoye Productions - www.Alawoye.com
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Letter from the Publisher
ÀṣèfínMedia wishes to thank the collaborative team of traditional Ifá researchers and
scholars, for their efforts in compiling this magnificent work.
Until now, nothing of this magnitude has ever been written on the subject of Ifá, yet this
work has only 16 Ese Ifá (Ifá poetic stanzas) for the combinations of Ogbè. Which
according to most estimates, contain approximately 1000 - 1,800 Ifá poetic stanzas for
each of the 256 Odù combinations. We are merely sipping a small calabash of an ocean
worth of Ifá knowledge.
Nonetheless, this is a historic masterpiece, Volume Two is the continuation of a full

comprehensive encyclopedic seventeen-volume collection. For this we are very humbled
and proud to serve Ifá by producing works to enhance Ifá wisdom.
Ifá Dídá Volume Two embarks upon the next paradigm, away from the Ojú-Odù (the 16
principal Odù) coded Ifá. Beginning the 240 Àfẹ̀ka-Lẹ̀ka (meaning; Àfi - to take, èka -
one branch, lù - combine/mix with, èka - another branch). Other common terms used to
describe the 240 minor Odù combinations are: Àpólà Odù (meaning, mixture) or Àmúlù
Odù (meaning; Àmú - to take, lù - (and) combine with).
Ifá Dídá with its detailed explanation of the full Ifá literary corpus, it is the first book of its
kind. Bringing deeper Odù Ifá understanding to the Ifá diviners, practitioners, and to the
scholar of African philosophies, packaged as a multi-volume collection.
Once again, ÀṣèfínMedia is pleased to publish this multi-volume collection, and to be an

integral part of promoting a new understanding of the coded messages within the
ancient Ifá oral tradition.
We trust that Ifá Dídá - Volume Two, will become a masterpiece and cherished by Ifá
devotees, researchers and interested persons alike. Ifá Dídá - Volume Two furthers us
toward comprehending of the vast body of knowledge we call Ifá.
Awóyinfá Kori Ifálojú ( @alawoye )

Publisher
ÀṣèfínMedia, LLP
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Dedication
It is with honour that we dedicate this work to Dr. Ògúnwándé Abímbọ́lá, the Àwiṣẹ ni
Àgbáyé (meaning; the “Spokesperson for Ifá in the World”) ọmọ-Odù Ogbè Ọ̀ṣẹ́.
Dr. Abímbọ́lá often times, casually referred to as simply Prof. or Baba ‘Wande, has
made an invaluable contribution to promoting Ifá worldwide.
We Ifá followers remain grateful for your tireless work forwarding Ifá.
Contents:
The Authors
Copyright
Letter from Publisher
Dedication
Chapter 1 ! - Ogbè Ọ̀yẹ̀kú :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1

Chapter 2 - Ogbè Ìwòrì :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 73
Chapter 3 - Ogbè Òdí ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 173
Chapter 4 - Ogbè Ìrosùn :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 247
Chapter 5 - Ogbè Ọ̀wọ́nrín ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 319
Chapter 6 - Ogbè Ọ̀bàrà ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 404
Chapter 7 - Ogbè Ọ̀kànràn ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 478
Chapter 8 - Ogbè Ògúndá ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 548
Chapter 9 - Ogbè Ọsá :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 644
Chapter 10 - Ogbè Ìká :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 723
Chapter 11 - Ogbè Òtúrúpọ̀n ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 788
Chapter 12 - Ogbè Òtúrá :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 860
Chapter 13 - Ogbè Ìrẹtẹ̀ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 946
Chapter 14 - Ogbè Ṣẹ́ ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1040
Chapter 15 - Ogbè Òfún ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1114

Glossary: The glossary for this work, the prior work and all future & past volumes
of Ifá Dídá will be electronic (web-based), accessible via website:
www.glossary.IfaDida.com or by clicking QR code here:
By so doing, we can refine and enhance the glossary more effectively and frequently
thus ensuring the explanations used within this work are the most relevant and current.
This will ensure we meet our objectives of presenting a comprehensive work, yet at the
same time sustaining the environment by; reducing paper usage, paper waste, paper
printing duplication, other environmental cost (carbon) associated with manufacturing/
transporting paper-pulp, printing cost and protecting the environment overall.
We are keen on doing our part, this work like all works on Ifá need to be cognizant of
the environment, as she too is a deity to us, thus needs protecting.
To be kept informed of future new book releases, all our new media content and to join
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NOTE: just a hint, it might be worthwhile to scan that code every so often, as we will
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Note on the use of QR codes; we have deployed QR (Quick Reference) codes, as a

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Chapter 1
Ogbè Ọ̀yẹ̀kú
II I
II I
II I
II I
1
OGBE®-OÙ®YEÙ®KU:
OGBE® - `YE®ÙKU:
AGBI®YE®ÙKU:
A. 1. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed during I®koôseô¾da;ye;
or I®teô¾lo;du¾ is a born organizer and leader. He/she was born with the ability to
organize people and resources and at the same time lead them to achieve
greatness, peace and harmony.
Ifa; says that, with this sense of management and organization, this person shall
rise from obscurity to prominence, from being a nobody to becoming an
important personality and will move from the very bottom of the ladder to the
apex.
Ifa; advises the person for whom Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; is revealed however to lay less
emphasis on his/her rights and to learn how to absorb and deal with in a meek
manner, all kinds of insults, humiliation, opposition and outright
condemnations. He/she shall eventually be rewarded with prestige, honour and
respect. He/she shall be given leadership roles to play. These roles shall expose
His/hers great potentials and He/she shall become a decision maker in the
family, community and/or country where He/she lives.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô of A®ru;kore - two rats, two fish, two hens,
two cocks, two pigeons, two goats and money. He/she should also put it at
the back of his/her mind that he/she is not a lone ranger. He/she cannot do
things all alone. He/she needs others to join him/her in whatever he/she does.
He/she is not expected to float a business and be a sole entrepreneur. He/she
needs to go into partnership with others in order to succeed in life.
On these aspects, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; says:
O®gbo;ju; o¾ teô'raa reô¾ n'i;fa;

I®mo¾ôra¾n o¾ fi'raa re¾ô j'oye¾
OÙ®beô to; mu; ki¾i; gbe;ô e¾e¾ku¾ araa re¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾'Yeô¾ku;
Ti; yo;o; ko; gbogbo A®mu;lu¾ joô o
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
2
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Translation:
A courageous person cannot initiate himself into Ifa;

A wise person cannot award a chieftaincy title to himself
A sharp knife cannot fashion its own handle
These were Ifá’s declarations Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku;
Who shall organize all A®mu;lu¾ in a systematic manner
He was advised to offer eôboô
When all the Oju;-Odu¾ were coming from heaven to earth, Ofu;n-Me;ji¾ led the
group followed by OÙ®sôe;ô-Me;ji¾. E®ji¾¾-Ogbe¾ who was in the 16th position while
OÙyeô¾ku;-Me;ji¾ occupied the 15th position. When the A®mu;lu¾ came into the world,
O®fu;n-OÙ®sôe; was in the 17th position while Ogbe¾-'Ye¾ôku; was given the 256th
position. These positions were maintained for a very long time.
One day however, due to some major acts of misconduct perpetrated by O®fu;n-
Me;ji¾ and O®Ùsôeô;-Me;ji¾, they were removed from their leadership positions and
moved to the 16th and 15th positions respectively. As soon as this happened, it
sent out a serious confusing signal to all the A®mu;lu¾;. Would these changes affect
them too? If so, how? If not, why?
Nobody could proffer any acceptable explanation or answer. It soon got to a

stage where one A®mu;lu¾ was not ready to respect the other because it became
unsure which A®mu;lu was senior to the other. This situation also went on for a
long period until all the A®mu;lu began to think that they would be better off
doing their things on an individual basis. The problem here was that even their
names and existence were derived from the combination of two Odu¾! This
matter became more and more complicated with each passing moment.
One day however, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku;, the very last Odu¾ in the hierarchy took it upon
himself to find a way of arranging and organizing all the A®mu;lu in a systematic
way according to the order of seniority. In order to ensure success in this
assignment, he went to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation:
Will I succeed? If not, what do I need to do to ensure success? If yes, how
should I go about it in order not to face insurmountable obstacles on the way?
The Awo assured him that he would not only succeed, but he would be highly
respected and honoured at the end of the exercise. He was however told to
prepare himself for criticism, humiliation, intimidation and outright
condemnation. He was also informed that others would conspire against him,
3
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
they would try to stop him at all costs and they would create problems for him
in his bid to actualize this assignment. He was advised to persevere, to be
consistent, determined and purposeful. He was also advised to offer eôboô as
stated above. He complied.
With the advice of the group of Awo, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; went home, full of
determination to succeed. The first thing he did was to sample the opinions of
all the 16 principal Odu¾. They all agreed that it was imperative for there to be
reorganization and recording of the hierarchy among the A®mu;lu¾. This would
reduce tension and confusion among the A®mu;lu¾. With their assurance, he sent
message to all the 239 A®mu;lu¾ for them to organize a day for serious
deliberation. What serious deliberation? What could be so serious that the last
A®mu;lu¾ in the hierarchy was summoning all his seniors for deliberation. They
all became very curious. They wanted to know what Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; had to tell
them.
When they all met, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; explained to them that it was very imperative
for them to have a systematic hierarchical order. He explained that it would
make things easier if there was an order of seniority and it would also eliminate
confusion. O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; was the first A®mu;lu¾ to react. He accused Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; of
having the temerity, bothering on effrontery, to summon all his seniors to such a
meeting. He accused Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; of attempting to upstage him. He vowed to
stop Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; by all means. All the efforts of Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; to explain himself
were of no meaning to O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô;. The meeting broke down completely without
any resolution.
As soon as they left, O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; summoned all the other O®fu;n combinations from
O®fu;n-Ogbe¾ to O®fu;n-I®reôte¾ô and instigated them all against Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku;. He
mandated them to try all they knew to work against the interest of Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku;
to ensure that he failed in his mission. They all worked according to how they
were directed by O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô;. Life became very unbearable for Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku;.
In spite of this setback however, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; continued to persuade all the other
A®mu;lu¾ for there to be orderliness. O®fu;n-OÙ®sôeô; did everything he knew to
frustrate his efforts.
All the other A®mu;lu¾ from Ogbe¾-We¾ôyin to O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; would go to O®fu;n-O®Ùsôe’ô; s

home for instructions. They all agreed that there was the need for hierarchy to
have order, but they supported only O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; to be the leader who would lay
4
down the procedure to organize the order of seniority. When O®fu;n -O®Ùsôeô; began
this assignment, he gave all his cronies higher hierarchy positions without any
consideration for the significance of their Odu¾ combinations. In no time, crises
ensued. It later degenerated into full-scale pandemonium.
To make the matter worse, if any A®mu;lu¾ complained that he was not given his
rightful position, O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; would change the person’s position and give the
complainer a higher position. This led to more protests as those whose
positions were hitherto higher than that of the complainer’s Odu¾ would feel
cheated and a new protest would begin. This was going on for a long time
before all the other A®mu;lu¾ got fed up with the administrative style of O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô;.
They invited Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku; to come and re-order and reorganize the whole
hierarchical process. Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku; informed the other A®mu;lu¾ that it would be
easier and more pragmatic to emulate the hierarchical order of the 16 Oju;-Odu¾.
They all agreed. That was how all agitations and protests stopped forthwith.
In the new hierarchy, Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku; was moved from the 256th position to the
17th position. He thus became the leader of all the A®mu;lu¾. He was followed by
Ogbe¾-Iwo¾ri¾, Ogbe¾-O®di;, Ogbe¾-I®rosu¾n and so on. On the contrary, O®fu;n-OÙ®sôeô; was
moved from the 17th position to the 256th position followed by O®fu;n-I®reôte¾ô in the
255th position and O®fu;n-O®tu;ra; in the 254th position, and so on.
When all these arrangements were made, it became very easy to understand and
recognize the hierarchical order. The protests eventually subsided and later
disappeared. All the A®mu;lu¾ knew that the hierarchical order was not arranged
in a haphazard manner. It was, rather, in accordance with the order of seniority
of the Oju;-Odu¾.
O®gbo;ju; o¾ teô`raa reô¾ ni;fa;

I®mo¾ôra¾n o¾ fi`raa re¾ô j`oye¾
O®Ùbeô to; mu; ki¾i; gbe;ô e¾e¾ku¾ araa re¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾'Ye¾ôku;
Ti; yo;o; ko; gbogbo A®mu;lu¾ joô o
O g: b’e¾ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni¾ b’a;yoô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
5
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Translation:
A courageous person cannot initiate himself into Ifa

A wise person cannot award a chieftaincy title to himself
A sharp knife cannot fashion its own handle
These were Ifa;’s declarations Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku;
Who shall organize all A®mu;lu¾ in a systematic manner
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall become great in life.
He/she shall be highly respected. He/she must however not revenge any evil or
injustice done against him/her. Olodumare Himself shall place him/her where
he/she rightly belongs.
2. Ifa; says that if Ikin are used during Ifa; consultation for someone who
is pregnant and Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; is revealed, the officiating Ifa; priest must abandon
the Ikin and change to OÙ®pe¾ôleô¾ immediately. No I®ye¾ôro¾su¾n must be used for this
pregnant woman again until she safely delivers. As a matter of fact, no form of
powdery substance, such as e¾lu¾bo;ô (yam flour), la;fu;n (cassava flour), etc must be
used for the pregnant woman until she delivers.
Furthermore, if this Odu¾ is revealed during I®koôseô¾da;ye; for a new-born baby, the
Ikin and I®ye¾ro¾su¾n must be put away and the OÙ®pe¾ôleô¾ must be used for all the
remaining consultations.
It must be noted that there is nothing wrong with using Ikin, it’s actually the use
of I®yeôô¾ro¾su¾n that is a serious taboo for this consultation because it constitutes a
grave health hazard for the unborn baby in the case of a pregnant woman and
also for the newly-born baby in the case of consultation during I®koôseô¾da;ye;. For
this reason, as soon as the Odu¾ is marked, the rest of the consultation must be
done with the OÙ®pe¾ôleô¾.
6
Ifa; however foresees the Ire of a bouncing baby if this caution can be observed.
Ifa; says that this baby shall live long and accomplish great feats as he/she grows
older. Ifa; recommends eôboô with rats, two fish, one matured he-goat and money.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; on this aspect says:
Ge;ôjeô;-ge;ôje;ô n’ile; wo;

Geô¾je¾ô-geô¾je¾ô n’ile; bale¾ô
Ti; ile; ba; ba'le¾ô l'eô;yi¾n
Etutu ni;i; f'ile; mu o
Di;a; fu;n I®ya;lo;de I®po
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ bi';moô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôôe
Translation
When a wooden house is weak, it will fall

When a building is old, it will collapse
A building that collapses from behind
Such a building will be consumed by termites
These were Ifa;’s messages for I®ya;lo;de I®po
When weeping that she was not blessed with the fruit of the womb
She was advised to offer eôboô
I®ya;lo;de I®po was a very successful woman. She was blessed with intelligence.
She had fantastic business acumen. She loved everyone and all the inhabitants
of I®po land loved her in return. She was happily married. She was always
willing to serve her community in any capacity selflessly. She had single-
handedly bank-rolled several projects in I®po land, all for the progress of the
community. As a reward for all these selfless services to the community, all the
elders unanimously conferred on her the title of I®ya;lo;de of I®po land. That made
her the highest-ranking woman in the land.
With all her achievements in the land, she was supposed to be very happy but
she actually wasn’t. She was very contented alright; but she was not happy.
Why? She had no child of her own. Life without any child of one’s own, she
reasoned, is an incomplete life. Would she live her life and die without her own
child? She was the mother of all the women and children in I®po land alright but
at night, how many of them would enter her own room and sleep? None! Would
7
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
she not experience what other women go through in life, conception, gestation,
labour, child-birth, lactation, nursing, raising and affection? She needed all
these for her to be able to feel like a complete woman. What could she do to be
a happy woman? Would she be able to have her own child that she would strap
on her back and shower with her unalloyed love and affection? Nothing short
of this could make her completely happy and happily complete.
It was in her search to make her dream come true that she went to the Awo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation and assistance. During the consultation
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; was revealed.
The Awo assured I®ya;lo;de that she would be blessed with the fruit of the womb
in a very short time. She would also be a proud mother 10 lunar months after.
She was advised to offer eôboô with two rats, two fish, one matured he-goat and
money. She complied instantly. Money was not her problem. She was
however warned never to use I®ye¾ro¾su¾n to do anything for herself as soon as she
became pregnant or for the baby when it was born. She was warned that failure
to heed the instruction might lead to miscarriage or even lead to the death of the
baby when born. She was fully determined to keep this warning.
Two months after this, I®ya;lo;de became pregnant. No, this cannot be true. It is
too good to be true. She said. All herbal tests confirmed that she was indeed
pregnant. She was overwhelmed with joy and expectations. By the time the
pregnancy became six months old, she was already experiencing the unique
sensation of a foetus kicking and turning in her womb. She then felt totally
complete as a woman- well almost totally complete. She put to bed. She just
could not wait for that day to come. In her boundless joy, she simply forgot
about the warnings of the Awo.
She gave birth to her baby with relative ease. She cuddled her bundle of joy.
She wrapped the baby, a male, very well. She declared that she was now a total
woman! She had her baby to breast feed, love, care for, raise the way she loved
and make into a socially acceptable adult. The whole of I®po land celebrated the
birth of this baby with her. The baby was considered to be the blessing of I®po
land and not just as I®ya;lo;de’s baby.
On the third day of birth it was time to do the I®koôseô¾da;ye;. The Awo she had
invited to perform this rite of passage arrived early. They brought their Opo;ôn
Ifa; (Ifa; tray) and I®ye¾ro¾su¾n, together with other materials necessary for the
8
ceremony. I®ya;lo;de had forgotten the stern instructions of the Awo who had
performed her Ifa; consultation before she became pregnant. The rite was
performed with I®ye¾ro¾su¾n. This powder was used to touch the feet and part of
the body of the baby. The powder entered the baby’s nose. As soon as this
happened, the baby began to sneeze. What was this? The sneezing continued.
Two days after, the baby died!
When people heard that I®ya;lo;de’s baby had died, they concluded that it must be
the work of witches, wizards and evil doers in the community. They
encouraged her to go and find out from Ifa;. She did. Ifa; said that the baby died
because I®ya;lo;de had failed to heed Ifa;’s warning and not as a result of the evil
machination of anyone. After the Awo made this declaration, that was when
I®ya;lo;de remembered that she should not have allowed these Awo who came to
do the Ikoôse¾ôda;ye; to use I®ye¾ro¾su¾n for the ceremony.
Ge;ôjeô;-ge;ôje;ô n’ile; wo;

Geô¾je¾ô-geô¾je¾ô n’ile; ba'le¾ô¾
Ti; ile; ba; ba'le¾ô l'eô;yi¾n
Etutu ni;i; f'ile; mu o
Di;a; fu;n I®ya;lo;de I®po
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ bi';moô
O: gb'e;boô, o; ru'boô
O: ru'boô ta;n, o; gba¾gbe; i¾ki¾lo¾ô Awo
Nje¾ô oômoô to; gb’i¾ye¾ô to; ku;
Ni wo;ôn n;pe¾ ni; Agbi¾ye¾ôku;
Translation
When a wooden house is weak, it will fall

When a building is old, it will collapse
A building that collapses from behind
Such a building will be consumed by termites
These were Ifa;’s messages for I®ya;lo;de I®po
When weeping that she was not blessed with the fruit of the womb
She complied
After offering the eôboô, she however forgot to heed the
warnings of the Awo
9
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Behold, the baby that died after getting in contact with I®ye¾ôroôsu¾n
Such a baby should be called Agbi¾ye¾ôku;
Agbi¾ye¾ôku; is another way of calling Ogbe¾-O®Ùye¾ôku;. In this Odu¾, if it is revealed

during Ikoôse¾ôda;ye;, while Ikin and I®ye¾ro¾su¾n are being used, the use of Ikin must
be stopped forthwith and must be replaced with an OÙ®peô¾le¾ô. This is in a bid to
protect the newborn baby from early death.
Furthermore, if someone is very ill and Ifa; is cast to know what to do, if Ikin is
used, then the use of the Ikin must be stopped immediately and O®Ùpe¾ôleô¾ must
immediately be used to complete the consultation exercise. This is also in order
to prevent the sick person from experiencing untimely death.
3. Ifa; says that it foresees the Ire of a compatible spouse for the person for
whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that the relationship shall be blessed with
children. Ifa; says that the woman involved in the relationship will be very
elegant, homely, and beautiful but will not be a great business-conscious type of
person. Ifa; says that she will however be blessed with great children.
If a man has gone for Ifa; consultation in search of a compatible spouse, Ifa;
advises him to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. Two
rats, two fish and one hen shall be used to feed Ifa; out of these materials after
the ebo is done.
On the other hand, if a woman has gone for Ifa; consultation and this Odu¾ is
revealed, then, Ifa; advises her to offer eôboô with two rats, two fish, one cock and
money. She also needs to feed Ifa; with two rats, two fish, and one hen.
On all of these, Ifa; says:
Pa¾n;ka¾ra¾ ni;i; bo;ô s’o;mi

Ni;i; gba¾’ja; oô¾na¾ doo-do¾o¾-do
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; n;loô re¾e; gbe; Aj;i;nase¾ô ni;ya¾wo;
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
10
Translation:
When a broken calabash falls into a stream

It will meander in an unsteady path along the direction of the stream
This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going to have the hand of Aj;i;nase¾ô as wife
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was in need of a compatible spouse. He was looking for a woman

who would respect him, who would love him and care for him. He wanted a
woman who would be friendly with his numerous clients and customers; not
one who would frown on them and display a bad attitude that would chase them
away. The woman was also expected to be friendly with his extended family
and relatives. She was also to show hospitality to his friends and well wishers.
One day, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ met Aji;nase¾ô and he believed that she had the qualities that
he was looking for in the woman of his choice. The families of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and
Aji;nase¾ô met on the issue and their reactions were very favourable. In order to
put a final touch to the arrangement, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to the group of Awo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will there be mutual gain in this
relationship if it leads all the way to marriage?
The Awo assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that the relationship was good and beneficial for
both families. They told him that Aji;nase¾ô would be able to meet all his
requirements, and what was more, the union would be blessed with fantastic
children. He was however warned not to expect Aj;i;nase¾ô to be commercially
enterprising. She would be very homely and friendly to all;, she would however
not be good in business.
What really made O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ decide in favour of Aji;nase¾ô was that she would give
birth to fantastic children for him. For this very reason, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ensured that
all the marriage formalities were put in place as quickly as possible and before
long the wedding was contracted.
When Aji;nase¾ô moved into O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s home, everything changed. His life
became better organized. His work was moving rapidly and he accomplished
much. His results were better performed, thanks to Aji;nase¾ô. She was a great
domestic chores organizer. She did not lift one finger to do anything; all she
would do was to wake up in the morning, take care of her personal hygiene, put
11
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
on her best dress and look as elegantly as possible. She would then sit gingerly
and stretch her legs. After these ceremonies she would begin to use all the
domestic workers in O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s home to do all the work in the most genial
manner ever possible. Everybody loved the way she spoke and directed them to
do the work. Not only this, she had nicknames for all the kids and young ones
in the household. They simply loved her ways. Her best talent was in the area
of story-telling. She could tell different stories from morning till night and she
would never feel tired. The only work she would do in the house was to cook
for her husband. Everybody loved her. She could not trade or farm but nobody
cared. In spite of her inability to work or trade, she was a disciplinarian of the
highest degree. She did not tolerate any form of indiscipline whatsoever.
She was blessed with many children, both biological and adopted. They were
all well trained. They became the pride of the household and the community in
general. This made Aji;nase¾ô the favourite among the wives in O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s
family. Nobody appeared to remember that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was married to a woman
who was not a good business woman. Those who did were not concerned about
it. What they were laying much emphasis upon was the children and how well-
trained they were. They concluded that only O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was capable of marrying
such a woman as Aji;nase¾ô. One day, the whole community gathered together to
honour Aji;nase¾ô for giving her children the best moral training ever. They came
with I®pe¾ôseô¾, Ifa; drums and Agogo Ifa; (Ifa; gongs), singing and dancing and
saying:
EÙ wa; m’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô o o

EÙ w’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ A®ja¾na¾
Ohun lo; to;o; gbe; Aji;nase¾ô ni';ya¾wo;
EÙ w’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô o
Translation:
Come and behold the great children together by Aji;nase¾ô

Behold Aji;nase¾ô’s well-trained children
Is the only one capable of having Aj;i;nase¾ô as a wife
Behold, the many beautiful children of Aj;i;nase¾ô
12
That day was the happiest day in the life of Aj;i;nase¾ô and all her children. Aj;i;nase¾ô
felt fulfilled and well rewarded. She knew that her activities in O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s
home were recognized and approved by his family members and particularly
the community in general. She lived and died a contented and fulfilled woman.
Pa¾n;ka¾ra¾ ni;i; bo;ô s’o;mi

Ni;i; gba¾’ja; o¾na¾ doo-do¾o¾-do
Ti; n;loô re¾e; gbe; Aj;i;nase¾ô ni;ya¾wo;
O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba';ni b’a;yo¾
EÙ wa; wo’re o
N®je;ô eô wa;a; w’oômoô Aj;i;nase¾ô weôreôreô o o¾
EÙ w’oômoô Aj;i;nase¾ô weôreôreô
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ A®ja¾na
Lo; gbe; Aji;nase¾ô ni;ya¾wo;
EÙ w’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô o
Translation
When a broken calabash falls into a stream

It will meander in an unsteady path along the direction of the stream
When going to have the hand of Aj;i;nase¾ô as wife
He complied
Come and join us in the midst of joy
Come and behold all the Ire of life
Now, come and behold the great children begotten by Aji;nase¾ô
Behold Aji;nase¾ô’s well trained children
Is the only one capable of having Aji;nase¾ô as a wife
Behold the many beautiful children of Aji;nase¾ô
13
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Ifa; says the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall not regret having the
spouse whom he/she has come for during Ifa; consultation. He/she shall live
happily with his/her spouse and both of them shall be blessed with children who
will make them proud and contented. All the children that they train shall be
successful in life.
4. Ifa; says that the doors of death, affliction, contention and loss shall be firmly
shut and put under lock and key for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed.
Ifa; says that the life of this person is being threatened by these four
principalities but Ifa; will protect him/her against them. He/she needs not
entertain any fear whatsoever.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with a mature he-goat and money. He/she
also needs to feed the main door of his/her house with one mature cock, kola
nuts, bitter-kolas and palm-oil. If the house is shared among many tenants, then
he/she needs to feed the door leading to his/her own apartment. The eôboô and Ibo
need to be offered as quickly as possible.
On this aspect of Ogbe¾-OÙÙ®yeôô¾ku;; a stanza in the Odu¾ says:
O®Ùpoô¾lo;ô ga di;e¾ ju amo¾ômoô¾

Di;a; fu;n OÙku¾nrin gba¾ga¾da¾-gbagada
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô Iku;
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n moô; A®ru¾n
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô Ejo;ô
Ti yo;o; se;;’ku¾n mo;ô Ofo
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô gbogbo Alubi¾
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
The toad is a little taller than a lizard

This was Ifa;’s message to the big, wide, and sturdy man
Who shall lock the door against Death
And lock the door against Affliction
And lock the door against Contention
And lock the door against Loss
And lock the door against all Misfortunes
14
OÙku¾nrin gba¾ga¾da¾-gbagada, the big wide and sturdy man was not happy with the
way that Death, Affliction, Contention and Loss were entering into people’s
homes and lives to inflict untold damage with relative ease. He felt that life was
too precious for bad things to be happening in the world without any resistance.
Yet, he realised that there was hardly any home that one could visit without
hearing, seeing or experiencing disastrous occurrences happening to people or
their properties. Why should these be happening? Was there no way to put an
end to all these occurrences? What could be done to stop these problems from
polluting the society and spoiling the joy of the people? Who could do these
things effectively? As a matter of fact what would stop him from preventing
these principalities from disrupting people’s lives? In the end, he vowed to do
something positive about it.
The first step he took was to study how disasters occur. After a lengthy study,
he found out that anything, good or bad, that would ever happen to anyone in
life, before it manifested physically, would first start and conclude in the
spiritual realm. On the other hand, if any problem was to be meliorated
physically, it must be resolved spiritually first before any lasting solution could
be found physically. This knowledge and understanding made him to be even
more determined to volunteer himself to be the one to checkmate all these
disasters from occurring in the lives of people. This determination was what
took him to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I
succeed in my determination to be the barrier preventing disasters from walking
freely into the lives and homes of people, both physically and spiritually? If so,
what do I need to do to succeed in this assignment? During consultation, Ogbe¾-
O®Ùyeô¾ku; was revealed.
The Awo told him that he was about to pursue a very noble course. He was
charged not to relent in his effort. The Awo also assured him that he would
surely succeed. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above in order to ensure
success. He complied. When OÙku¾nrin gba¾ga¾da¾-gbagada returned home, he
positioned himself in the frontage of the house and ensured that nobody or
anything entered or went out of the house without passing through him. In this
position, he was able to lock in anyone he did not want to meet with grief or
disaster outside. He was also able to lock out anything or anyone he did not
want to enter the house to cause grief or disaster.
15
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Iku; (Death) A®ru¾n (Affliction) EÙjoô; (Contention), O®fo¾ (Loss) and other Alubi
(Negativities) decided to visit the home of the Aka;po¾, as they used to do in
order to cause havoc and chaos as usual. Iku; marched majestically but had his
face slammed against the door. He retreated in a hurry. A®ru¾n was not able to
pass through the door at all. EÙjoô; got trapped outside and O®fo¾ was at a loss on
what to do when it became clear that the home of the Aka;po¾ was no longer a
place for them to go and wreck havoc.
In the end, all the Alubi returned to where they were all coming from. As from
that day henceforth, the Aka;po¾ was able to live a trouble-free, crisis-free,
havoc-free and disaster-free life for the rest of his life. In the end, the Aka;po¾
died a contented, accomplished and fulfilled man.
O®Ùpoô¾lo;ô ga di;e¾ ju amo¾ômoô¾

Di;a; fu;n OÙku¾nrin gba¾ga¾da¾-gbagada
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô Iku;
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n moô; A®ru¾n
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô Ejo;ô
Ti yo;o; se;;’ku¾n mo;ô Ofo
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô gbogbo Alubi
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko; pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;ru¾u;se;ô ogun
A®ja¾seô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni le;ôse¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Nje;ô mo se;’ku¾n moô; Iku;
Mo se;’ku¾n mo;ô A®ru¾n
Mo se;’ku¾n mo;ô Ejoô;
Mo se;’ku¾n mo;ô O®fo¾
Mo se;’ku¾n mo;ô gbogbo Alubi
Mo ti¾i; si;ta
Translation
The toad is a little taller than a lizard

This was Ifa;’s message to the big, wide, and sturdy man
Who shall lock the door against Death
And lock the door against Affliction
And lock the door against Contention
16
And lock the door against Loss

And lock the door against all Misfortunes
He complied
Join us where we offer eôboô to overcome adversary
Victory over adversities is what Ifa; guarantees
I have locked the door against Death
I have locked the door against Affliction
I have locked the door against Contention
I have locked the door against Loss
And I have locked the door against all Misfortunes
I have pushed them outside
Ifa; assures that all misfortunes leading to grief, disaster and catastrophe shall be
pushed away from the life of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. He/she
shall never experience any form of misfortune in his/her life.
5. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be victorious
over a friend who has been seriously planning to see him/her fall. Ifa; says that
this enemy is more powerful, more resourceful and more influential than the
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; however assures him/her that with
the appropriate eôboô victory is guaranteed.
Ifa; says that this enemy wants to show that he/she has power, influence and/or
authority over and above the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed; and that is
why the enemy wants to prove that punishment should be meted out without
consideration for fair play and justice. Ifa; does not support any form of blatant
display of power at the expense of justice. For this reason, Ifa; will come to the
aid of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed and he/she shall overcome.
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with one
mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to take one of his complete
dresses to the home of the Awo in order for the Awo to sanctify the dress. The
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is expected to put on this dress when
returning from the home of the Awo. If the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed is threatened over a specific issue or occasion, he/she is expected to put
on the dress to the venue of the occasion.
17
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾ laying emphasis on this particular issue says:
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
Di;a; fu;n Iku;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
Di;a; fu;n EÙ®ri;n
Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloô;fin
A®woôn me;je¾e¾ji¾ joô n;so¾ôre;ô o¾sôeye¾ka¾n-sôolu¾ku¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Iku; (Death)
The son of Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for EÙ®ri;n (Laughter)
The son of OÙloô;fin
Both of them were so close that their friendship could be mistaken
for a consanguineous bond
They were advised to offer eôboô
Both Iku; and EÙ®ri;n were very close friends. Both of them were so close that
many people thought that they were siblings. Iku; was full of wickedness while
EÙ®ri;n was kind-hearted and God-fearing. Any time that Iku; unleashed his
wickedness on people, the only person that they could report him to was his
friend EÙ®ri;n. He would try to pacify the aggrieved and make them laugh. He
would also persuade his friend to show mercy on his victims. In short, EÙ®ri;n was
the only one who could talk Iku; out of any action he was about to take.
Unfortunately for EÙ®ri;n, Ami;, Iku;’s father was always behind his son, giving him
support and encouragement to inflict pain on other people. This made EÙ®ri;n’s
work even more difficult. Anytime that EÙ®ri;n succeeded in persuading Iku; not to
take any action, when Iku; returned home, his father would ask him to go ahead.
Iku; would then go and wreck havoc on the people. This was very frustrating for
18
EÙ®ri;n because most of the people who desperately came to him to intervene on
their behalf were disappointed.
One day, EÙ®ri;n vowed never to have anything to do with Iku; again. He went to
his father OÙloô;fin to inform him of his decision. OÙloô;fin told him that he must
never do so. He explained to his son that even if he was able to save two out of
ten potential victims of Iku;, it was worth celebrating since all of them would
have been dealt with if there was nobody to intercede on their behalf. With this,
E®Ùri;n agreed to continue to move with Iku;.
One day, as these two friends were walking along the road, they met a group of
young children playing in an open field. There were about thirty (30) in the
field. Iku; said that he was not happy with those children because he sensed that
as they were laughing they were making jest of him. E®Ùri;n was taken aback.
How do you know this?, he asked. Iku; explained that he did not need to know
because the way they were expressing their joy was really irritating him and
they must be punished for that! This led to a heated argument between the two
friends. Iku; insisted that all the children would be killed within three days!
Why must you kill 30 innocent children in three days? This was not fair! It
was just an erratic way of displaying power. This argument later degenerated
into an open confrontation between the two friends. They engaged in a serious
fight and E®Ùri;n gave Iku; the beating of his life. Iku; told EÙ®ri;n that he would be his
first victim. E®Ùri;n told Iku; to go and do his worst. That was how both of them
dispersed.
As soon as Iku; got home, he reported what E®Ùri;n had done to him to Ami;, his
father. Ami; was livid with rage! Did I hear you right, E®Ùri;n raised his filthy
hands to beat you? Did I not tell you over and over again that if you want to
inflict pain on people, start with your best friend? You have spared this bastard
for too long! That is why he now has the guts to strike you! He will not get
away with this. I will personally see to that. He must suffer! He must pay for
his temerity.
Have I not told you repeatedly that too much familiarity brings contempt?
Can’t you see what has happened now? Who is he? What is his worth? Who
would even know of his worthless entity if not because of his association with
you? Yes! He is a worthless entity! I shall personally put him in his place. I
shall snuff the life out of him the way, I snuff life out of my wick everyday! He
must die! His death will be very fast and extremely painful. This I assure you
19
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
son. Go and bathe and have your rest. E®Ùri;n is hereby sentenced to deathand he
must die tomorrow unfailingly!
While Ami; was shouting at the top of his voice assuring his son that he would
personally kill E®Ùri;n the next day, OÙlo;ôfin was busy calming his son down to
entertain no fear. OÙloô;fin blamed E®Ùri;n for engaging in a fight with his friend.
He told him never to allow himself to be reduced to the level of losing his
temper or engaging in any form of physical fight with anyone again. You must
always be level-headed, no matter how trying the situation may be OÙloô;fin told
his son.
OÙloô;fin told E®Ùri;n to put his mind at rest. He assured his son that he would not
come into harm’s way because Olodumare would never allow those who were
doing His biddings to meet with grief. You will not meet with disaster son.
Whatever happens, you will come out triumphantly. This I assure you. Do not
entertain any form of fear, because if you do, you are giving your enemies
victory over you. This you must not do. You shall live to narrate this story to
others.
In order to ensure success and victory E®Ùri;n went to the home of the group of
Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be victorious? If yes, how
will I gain such victory?
The Awo assured EÙ®ri;n that as long as Olodumare remains on His seat, there will
always be the victory of goodness over wickedness. For this reason, he, E®Ùri;n
will overcome. They however told him that there was an urgent need for him to
offer eôboô as stated above so as to ensure resounding victory. He was also
advised to bring one of his best dresses along when coming. EÙ®ri;n assured the
Awo that he would come and offer the eôboô first thing the next day. He did and
the eôboô was offered. The Awo sprinkled the remaining I®ye¾ôro¾su¾n that was used
in offering the eôboô on the dress that he brought along with him and he was
asked to put on the dress. He did.
As soon as EÙ®rin offered the eôboô, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ and his lieutenants went into
session. They were aware that physically, E®Ùri;n was stronger than Iku; but
spiritually, he was no match for Iku;. But it was clear as day followed night that
evil must never be allowed to overcome goodness. They considered all the
personalities involved in the matter and E®su¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ concluded that OÙloô;fin must
not be made to suffer any grief because he had toiled to give his son EÙ®ri;n the
20
best of education. In the same vein, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ concluded that Ami; was the
principal culprit for three reasons; one, he failed to give his son, Iku; good
education; two, he encouraged his son to do evil and inflict pain on other
people; and three; he enjoyed the use of power as a form of vendetta. E®sôu¾
OÙ®da¾ra¾ and members of his council concluded that instead of Iku;, Ami; was the
one to be punished. The person who had gone into another person’s pantry to
steal a keg of palm-oil is not the major thief; rather, the person who helps in
keeping and/or selling the loot is the major culprit.
For this reason, Ami; must be made to pay for all his bad educating and deeds.
In the case of Iku;, it was concluded that he would be given another chance to
turn over a new leaf if he wished.
As soon as E®Ùri;n stepped out of the home of the Awo, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to work.
He told Ami; to quickly go out to waylay EÙ®ri;n on his way back home. He told
him to take along with him a powerful spear with which to strike E® Ùri;n down.
When Ami; rushed out, E®sôu¾ directed him where to go to await EÙ®ri;n. E®sôu¾ also
showed him a tall tree to climb in order to wait for his would-be victim. This
tree was so tall that Ami; could see EÙ®ri;n coming along the road towards him
from afar. Ami; was so sure that it was the last journey that E®Ùri;n would ever
make in his life. He planned to jump on E®Ùri;n together with the spear so that the
spear would enter E®Ùri;n’s body through his head and come out wherever pleased
the spear. The important thing was for E®Ùri;n to die a very painful death as he had
promised Iku; his son. When E®Ùri;n was returning home he began to sing as he
had been instructed to do. He said;
Iku; oômoô Ami;

Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
EÙ®rin; oômoô OÙloô;fin
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
Iku; oômoô Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
E®Ùri;n oômoô OÙloô;fin
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾¾ gbongbo
21
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Translation
Iku; the child of Ami;

Gbongbo ji¾ga;;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
EÙ®ri;n, the child of OÙloô;fin
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
Iku; is the son of Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
And EÙ®ri;n is the son of OÙloô;fin
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo!
He was dancing and repeating this song over and over. As he was doing this, he
kept assuring himself that even though a true child of the Iru;nmoôleô¾ who did all
things which please Olodumare at all times was not immune against
tribulations, the child will however overcome. He saw what was happening as
his own trying period and he was prepared to overcome it. That was the
training his father had given him. He could not afford to let his father down.
He could not afford to let himself down.
While he was thinking, dancing and singing, he had no way of knowing that he
was so close to death. He had no way of understanding that the Divinities had
taken up his matter and that they had decreed that he would not be allowed to
suffer. Neither did he know that E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ had been given the mandate to
ensure that wickedness must recoil and return to the wicked. When it remained
just a few steps for him to reach the spot where Ami; was hiding on the tree, E®su¾
made it possible for Ami; to see comedy in the actions of EÙ®ri;n; someone who was
about to die; he put on his best attire, singing and dancing and walking straight
to meet his death. The scenario pleased Ami; to the extent that he burst into
laughter. He missed his grip on the branch of the tree. He fell head on, together
with his spear. When he fell down the spear entered his body from the shoulder
and came out from his back. Before his painful death, he shouted; E®Ùri;n pa mi; o!
meaning EÙ®ri;n, Laughter has killed me! His voice was echoed round the world
for people to know that laughter will always overcome wickedness. Kind-
heartedness will always be triumphant over all evil designs.
22
To make matters worse for Ami; he died right at the feet of EÙ®ri;n, his intended
victim. E®Ùri;n simply stood rigid for several moments, unable to understand what
really went right for him and wrong for Ami;.
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
Di;a; fu;n Iku;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbogbo
Di;a; fu;n EÙ®ri;n
Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloô;fin
A®woôn me;je¾e¾ji¾ joô n;so¾ôre;ô o¾sôeye¾ka¾n-sôolu¾ku¾
E®Ùri;n ni¾kan ni; n¾beô leô;yin ti; n;sôeôboô
N®je;ô EÙ®ri;n pa mi; o!
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙ wa; ba;’ni la;ru¾u;sôeô ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba;’ni leô;se¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sa¾
Translation:
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Iku; (Death)
The son of Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for E®Ùri;n (Laughter)
The son of OÙloô;fin
Both of them were so close that their friendship could be mistaken
for a consanguineous bond
Only E®ri;n complied with the advice
Behold, E®Ùri;n has killed Ami;!
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Join us where we offer eôboô to overcome enemies
Victory over adversity is what Ifa; guarantees
23
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Ifa; assures this person victory over his/her enemies. He/she will never be
allowed to fail. His/her enemies will never have the opportunity of laughing at
his/her expenses.
6. Ifa; asks the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to feed his/her EÙgbe;ô so that
all his/her Ire in life can come within his/her reach. Ifa; says that all these Ire are
presently outside the boundary of his/her place of abode. There is therefore the
need to direct the EÙgbe;ô of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed back to
his/her home in order for them to assist him/her by handing over all his/her Ire
to him/her. Not only this, the EÙgbeô; will also support him/her by creating
opportunities and chances for him/her and ensuring that he/she is able to take
advantage of these opportunities and chances.
In one word, the EÙgbeô; of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will be close
to him/her and will urge him/her to success, accomplishment and elevation.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens, two
cocks, two guinea fowls, two pigeons and money. This eôboô will be placed by
Esu¾ close to his/her house. After this, he/she needs to feed EÙgbeô; with 16 wraps
of eôk¾ oô (corn meal) and 6 a¾ka¾ra¾ (bean cakes) fried with palm-oil.
These items will be placed in a wide container such as a calabash-tray or even
plastic or aluminium tray and placed outside the boundary of the town, city or
village where the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed lives. If these two steps
can be taken, the EÙgbe; of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will surely
move to the town, city or village where he/she lives and trace him/her to his/her
home in order to be close to him/her so as to assist and support him/her at all
times.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Yeôk¾ u¾ in support of all these assertions states thus:
Olo;wo; ni;i; sôe bi;; aja;

I®woô¾fa¾ ni;i; sôe bi; o¾ôboô woô¾’lu;
Di;a; fu;n Aka;sôoôle;ri; (oru;koô eôgbeô;)
Ti;i; sôe Oni;bode¾ OÙloô¾run
Wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôeôboô
Ki ari;si¾ki; i re¾ô o; lee¾ woôle; wa;
24
Translation
The rich is he who behaves like a dog

The one in servitude enters the town like a monkey
These were Ifa;’s declarations for Aka;sôoôle;ri;
The sentry in Heaven
In order for all her prosperity chances to enter her home
Aka;sôoôle;ri; would coordinate the activities of all the EÙleô;gbe;ô people in heaven.
She was always by the gate in heaven in order to remind all EÙle;ôgbeô; babies who
were going from heaven to earth not to forget their promises and for them to
ensure that they all returned to heaven at their appointed periods. That is how
she had been handling things since the time that she had taken up her residence
at the boundary between heaven and earth. She was making a really good job of
her assignment.
One day however, she decided that she too would love to visit the world and
spend some time on the planet. She went to Olo;du¾mare¾ for permission and she
was granted the permission. She moved to the home of SÙensôenti¾so¾ro¾ at the
chamber of A®ja¾la;moô¾pi;n and chose the best Ori; (destiny). Some other things
were given to her to complement what she had chosen. After this exercise she
moved to the home of I®wo¾ri¾-Bogbe¾ OÙlo;ôko;ô and she was handed a hoe with which
to dig a hole in the ground. She dug a very small hole. She moved to the
boundary between heaven and earth and paid her boundary tax before moving
into the world. All other things being equal, she was supposed to live a
relatively easy and enjoyable life, full of joy and contentment.
When she got into the world however, to eat became a problem. She had no
food to eat, she had no good friends, she had no spouse, she had no children,
and no sound health. Why are things like this? Was this the way she would
continue to live her life? She never bargained for a miserable life. Why was it
that she had no relevance in her life, her family, and her compound and in the
community in general? What must she do to right all these wrongs? Who must
she approach for help? How must she approach the person or persons for help?
Meanwhile, as soon as Aka;sôoôle;ri; left heaven, all her EÙgbe;ô in heaven had a quick
deliberation. They said that Aka;sôoôle;ri; had done marvellously for them when
she was a sentry in charge of all the EÙgbeô; in both heaven and earth.
25
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Consequently, it was their duty to ensure that she lived a comfortable and
rewarding life while on earth. They vowed that she must not be made to suffer
in any way. She must not experience any form of want while on earth. They all
gathered all the Ari;si¾ki; of life together to be forwarded to her on earth. The
Ari;si¾ki; that they gathered together for her could not be exhausted in seven
generations. They delegated three of them to go and deliver it to Aka;sôoôle;ri; as
their own show of appreciation.
When these delegates arrived on earth, Aka;sôoôle;ri; was nowhere to be found.

They looked for her everywhere but they could not find her, for several years,
they were looking for her- all to no avail. They vowed never to return to heaven
without delivering the Ari;si¾ki; to her. They considered that the least they could
do for Aka;sôoôle;ri; was to be sincere and dedicated to her now that she was on
earth. The mere thought of the fact that she might be experiencing any form of
need was very painful to these delegates. However, after several years of
searching without success, the delegates decided to stay close to the boundary
of a town and wait patiently for that day when they would be lucky to meet
Aka;sôoôle;ri; and deliver all her Ari;si¾ki; to her.
In the case of Aka;sôoôle;ri;, the situation was moving from bad to worse. One day,
Aka;sôoôle;ri; summoned up courage and went to the home of the group of Awo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I ever succeed in life? During Ifa;
consultation, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku¾ was revealed.
The Awo assured her that she would not only succeed in life, she would also get
all the recognition she deserved. She was advised to put her mind at rest and
continue to think, say and do what was right without ceasing. She was told that
all what she was searching for was so close by and she would be able to get
them in no time at all. She was advised to offer ebo as stated above. She
complied. After this, she was advised to feed EÙgbe;ô with 16 wraps of eô¾koô and 16
balls of a¾ka¾ra¾. She procured all these too. She was asked to go and place the
food at the boundary of the town. She also did.
As soon as she left, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to work. He pointed the attention of the
delegates who had come into the world with all the Ari;siki belonging to
Aka;sôoôle;ri; to the food. He told them that the food was brought to them by
Aka;sôoôle;ri; as a way of welcoming them to her vicinity. He advised the delegates
to eat first in order for him to lead them to Aka;sôoôle;ri;’s home afterwards. They
26
ate. They were so excited that at last, they had seen someone who would take
them to the abode of Aka;sôoôle;ri;.
When they got close to the abode of Aka;sôoôle;ri;, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ bid the delegates
farewell and pointed out the house to them. The three delegates entered
Aka;sôoôle;ri;’s home. She could not see the delegates but she sensed that some
beings were in her home. These delegates delivered the Afi;si¾ki; into her home
and left. They felt happy that they had accomplished their mission. When they
got to heaven, they reported to all the other EÙgbeô; that the Afi;si¾ki; had been
delivered into Aka;sôoôle;ri;’s home successfully. There was a big celebration in
heaven on that day.
Suddenly, Aka;sôoôle;ri; became the toast of everybody in her community.

Everybody scrambled to please her. There was no project or activity that they
did not want her to be involved in. Many suitors were competing for her hand
in marriage. It was as if the whole world had just taken notice of her. Soon, she
met someone she loved and whom she felt loved her and the two families met.
They deliberated and the marriage was contracted. She became pregnant two
months after. She gave birth to many children. Her business progressed, her
health improved and everything about her life changed completely. She became
happy and contented. Her EÙgbeô; in heaven ensured that she was accorded her
deserved respect and honour on earth.
One day, Aka;sôoôle;ri; sat down and ruminated over her journey from nothing to
everything, from poverty to surplus; from agony to joy and anonymity to glory
and prominence.
She could not help but give glory to Olo;du¾mare¾, her Ori;, her Ifa;, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ and
of course, her EÙgbe;ô.
Olo;wo; ni;i; sôe bi;; aja;

I®woô¾fa¾ ni;i; sôe bi; o¾ôboô woô¾’lu;
Di;a; fu;n Aka;sôoôle;ri; (oru;koô eôgbeô;)
Ti;i; sôe Oni;bode¾ OÙloô¾run
Wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôeôboô
Ki ari;si¾ki; i re¾ô o; lee¾ woôle; wa;
EÙ wa; ba; ni; ni; woô¾wo;ô ire gbogbo
27
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Translation
The rich is he who behaves like a dog

The one in servitude enters the town like a monkey
These were Ifa;’s declarations for Aka;sôoôle;ri
The sentry in Heaven
In order for all her prosperity chances to enter her home
She complied
Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall lack nothing in life.
He/she shall be taken care of by his/her EÙgbeô; who will ensure that they cater for
all his/her needs here on earth. He/she shall move from penury to opulence.
He/she shall also be given honour and recognition in life.
7. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô and feed
EÙgbeô; for his/her EÙgbeô; in heaven to row the boat of all the Ire of life to him/her.
He/she has the potential to be great and to accomplish wonderful things at this
moment. This is the reason why he/she needs to offer eôboô and feed EÙgbe;ô so that
these opportunities will not pass him/her by. He/she needs not entertain any
doubt or fear because when coming from heaven, he/she had chosen all the Ire
of life as part of his/her destiny. To manifest all these Ire will not be a problem
for him/her.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô as A®ru;kore with four rats, four fish, two
pigeons, two hens, two cocks, two guinea-fowls and money. He/she also needs
to feed EÙgbe;ô with plenty of e¾¾ôkoô, plenty of a¾ka¾ra¾, honey and fruits.
In Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾ a stanza laying emphasis on this aspect says:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾
Are;e¾su; gba¾’ja;
A ri; ko;o;ko hu;n’ra
Afe¾ji¾gba¾ i¾le¾ôkeô¾ Kan’ru¾n
A®ra¾ ti; Abo;do¾re;ô n da; o¾ lee¾ ba;je;ô
Walami ni; n;jo; geregere lo;ri; oômi
28
Di;a; fu;n OÙla;-Abo;do¾re;ô oômoô Atu¾lo;ôkoô¾

Wo;ôn ni ko; wa; sôeôboô si; oô¾na¾ Ire gbogbo
Translation
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾
He who uses E®e¾su¾ (the wild grass) as loin cloth
He who uses grasses to scratch his body
He who adorns his neck with expensive beads
The wonders being performed by Abo;do¾re;ô (he who is friendly with
the stream) will not be spoilt forever
He uses his paddles to manoeuvre in the waters
These were Ifa;’s declaration for OÙla;-Abo;do¾re;ô, the offspring
of the boat rowers
He was advised to offer eôboô in order to open the path of
all Ire in life
When Abo;do¾reô; was coming from heaven, he chose, as part of his destiny,
boundless opportunity to succeed and excel in all the things he laid his hands
upon. He was also the head of his own EÙgbe;ô group in heaven.
When he arrived on earth, he was born a very innovative and resourceful

person. He tried his hands on many things and he was able to bring forth
several things out of little or nothing. His area of specialization was in the area
of boat construction.
He built many types of fast-moving boats and put some into the streams, some
into the rivers; some into the lagoons and some into the sea. He engaged in
merchandize across several lands the world over. His EÙgbe;ô were bringing many
great people across his path and he was a very successful person.
Many of the things which he did and succeeded in most of his contemporaries
had failed woefully in them. It was his rate of success that actually made him
seek Ifa;’s advice on how he would be able to maintain the level he had
occupied. When he got to the home of the Awo mentioned above, the only
question he asked was “Will I be able to continue to succeed as I have found
myself at the pinnacle of my chosen career?” When Ifa; was consulted, Ogbe¾-
OÙ®ye¾ku¾ was revealed.
29
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
The Awo assured him that nothing would ever stop him from going up and up.
He was told that the sky was just the beginning of his success. To continue to
maintain his level of success and to surpass his position, he was advised to offer
eôboô with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two guinea-fowls, two hens, two
cocks and money. He was also advised to feed his EÙgbe;ô with a lot of E®®ôkoô,
a¾ka¾ra¾, honey and fruits. Abo;do¾re complied
As soon as he returned home, more business opportunities opened for him. His
home became a beehive of activities. He was more successful than the OÙba of
his town. He had more respect and adoration than anyone in the land. His
ability to row his boat to success both figuratively and metaphorically became
legendary. By the time he died, he was the most successful boat constructor and
handler ever known.
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾
Are;e¾su; gba¾’ja;
A ri; ko;o;ko hu;n’ra
Afe¾ji¾gba¾ i¾le¾ôkeô¾ Kan’ru¾n
A®ra¾ ti; Abo;do¾re;ô n da; o¾ lee¾ ba;je;ô
Walami ni; n;jo; geregere lo;ri; oômi
Di;a; fu;n OÙla;-Abo;do¾re;ô oômoô Atu¾lo;ôkoô¾
Wo;ôn ni ko; wa; sôeôboô si; oô¾na¾ Ire gbogbo
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;'ni ni; woô¾woô; ire gbogbo
Woô¾wo; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Translation
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾
He who uses E®e¾su¾ (the wild grass) as loincloth
He who uses grasses to scratch body
He who adorns his neck with expensive beads
The wonders being performed by Abo;do¾re;ô (he who is friendly with
the stream), cannot be spoilt forever
He uses his paddles to manoeuvre in the waters
These were Ifa;’s declaration for OÙla;-Abo;do¾re;ô, the offspring
of the boat rowers
He was advised to offer eôboô in order to open the path of
30
all Ire in life

He complied
All the Ire of life is what Ifa guarantees for all its true devotees
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall excel in his/her
chosen career. He/she will be known and respected from far and near.
8. Ifa; foresees the Ire of prosperity and childbearing for the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa says that this person needs to take more seriously the
need to beget children than the need to succeed financially.
Ifa; says that whether this person offers eôboô for financial success or not he/she
shall succeed; but he/she needs to offer ebo for him/her to have children who
shall continue where he/she has left off when he/she dies.
As a matter of fact, Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed
during I®koôse¾da;ye; or I®teôni;fa; does not bring from heaven the destiny of having
several children. The few they can have however shall be the most
accomplished children in their community. There is therefore the need to offer
eôboô for the children to arrive early in the life of the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and
money.
On this aspect, Ifa; says:
Ka; yeô po;po; bula;bula;

Ka; mu; r’o¾kun loô¾oô; teôfa;
Ka; yeô¾na¾ bula¾bula¾
Ka; mu; r’oô¾sa¾ loô¾o;ô teô’du¾
OÙ®g’eôsôin pi¾i;¾ti-pi;i¾ti l'eô;ba¾a; o¾kun
Di;a; fu;n Abo;do¾re;ô
Ti; woô;n ni; ko; f'eôboô oôla¾ si;leô¾
EÙboô oômoô ni ko; ma;a sôe
31
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Translation
Let us construct a wide avenue

And extend it to the sea for Ifa; initiation
Let us clear a wide path
And direct it to the lagoon for I®teô¾lo;du¾
He who rides his horse and gallops by the seaside
They were the group of Awo who cast Ifa; for Abo;do¾reô
When he was advised to leave the eôboô for prosperity
And offer the one for him to beget children
It was very clear that Abo;do¾re;ô would succeed in life, barring all unforeseen
circumstances; he was very resourceful, he was witty, intelligent and
imaginative. He knew how to convince people to patronize him in the area of
his chosen career. He worked tirelessly to succeed in life. When he realized
that he was going up in the socio-economic ladder, he went for Ifa; consultation
in order to determine what to do for him to continue to succeed in life. During
Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-OÙ®yeô¾ku; was revealed.
The Awo told Abo;do¾re;ô that he had come in order to ensure that he would
continue to go up the ladder of success in life. He was assured that he had no
problem in that area. He was however told that the area of his life that he
needed to offer eôboô for was for him to be able to beget children. He was
advised to offer eôboô in that area and for him to get married as soon as possible.
Abo;do¾re;ô told the Awo that he would not only offer the eôboô, but he would also
love to go for I®teô¾lo;du¾. He got many able-bodied people together to help him
construct a wide road that would lead straight to the sea so that he could do his
initiation close to the sea which was where his business was situated. He also
employed the services of other groups to clear another path to the lagoon for
him. This would make it very easy for his Awo to choose anyone that they
preferred out of the two sites; seaside or lagoon-side. He gave the head of the
group of Awo a strong horse to ride for the inspection of the two sites. In the
end, the Awo chose the sea-side and his initiation was done there. Abo;do¾re;ô also
offered the eôboô as stated above.
32
In the end, Abo;do¾re;ô became the most successful merchant of his time. He was
also blessed with two children who continued where he had stopped when he
died. These two children grew to become more successful than their father.
They built their father’s business empire beyond the wildest imagination of all
those who were in their community. They had business links and contacts all
over the world. When Abo;do¾re;ô died, he died a contented and accomplished
man. When his two children died, they died happily.
Ka; yeô po;po; bula;bula;

Ka; mu; r’o¾kun loô¾oô; teôfa;
Ka; yeô¾na¾ bula¾bula¾
Ka; mu; r’oô¾sa¾ loô¾o;ô teô’du¾
OÙ®g’eôsôin pi¾i;¾ti-pi;i¾ti l'eô;ba¾a; o¾kun
Di;a; fu;n Abo;do¾re;ô
Ti; woô;n ni; ko; f'eôboô oôla¾ si;leô¾
EÙboô oômoô ni ko; ma;a sôe
Ko¾ pe;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa; wo’re o
Translation
Let us construct a wide avenue

And extend it to the sea for Ifa; initiation
Let us clear a wide path
And direct it to the lagoon for I®teô¾lo;du¾
He who rides his horse and gallops by the seaside
They were the group of Awo who cast Ifa; for Abo;do¾reô
When he was advised to leave the eôboô for prosperity
And offer the one for him to beget children
He complied
Before long, too far
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be blessed with
financial success but will have few but great children. When he/she dies he/she
33
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
will be remembered as someone who had left an enduring legacy for his/her
children, group and/or community.
9. Ifa; says that it foresees the blessing of child-birth for the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that this person has been struggling to be blessed
with the fruit of the womb for quite some time now but it is time for him/her to
receive this blessing. Ifa; says that this person did not choose to have many
children as part of his/her destiny from heaven but he/she shall be blessed with
few but great children. These children shall be greater than this person and
he/she will have course to be grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities for these
gifts.
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾¾ is revealed to offer eôôboô with four rats,
four fish, two hens and money. He/she also needs to feed I®beji® (the Twins
Divinity) with cooked black beans, one big cock and other edible items
available at that time. He/she needs to invite children to come and feast on the
provided food items. If these can be done, Ifa assures that this person shall be
blessed with two great children.
An aspect in Ogbe¾-OÙ®ye¾ôku; laying emphasis on this says:
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾

Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan
Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾
Di;a; fu;n A®gba;
Ti; n;mo;ju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; is the father of all combinations

Longevity is the father of EÙdan
"What line of enterprise will I pursue" is the father
of business principles
These were Ifa;’s declarations for A®gba;
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to bear children
34
A®gba; (the O®gbo;ni Drum) had everything going for her in the area of her chosen
career. She was very successful. She had chosen the right business enterprise
and she was making huge profits. She also had the right choice of spouse. Both
of them were very compatible. She had every reason to be grateful to
Olo;du¾mare¾. Anytime she would see her husband, smiles of joy and contentment
enveloped her beautiful face. There was a big snag however, A®gba; had no child
of her own. She was not blessed with the fruit of the womb. Much as she tried,
she was not successful.
One day, she decided to take the bull by the horns and made up her mind to seek
the help of Ifa; in solving her problem. She therefore approached the group of
Babala;wo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be blessed with the fruit
of the womb? Will I have my own children? Who will carry on after I have
passed on? Will I be able to have my own children whom I will love, train, pet,
pamper and adore as other women do with their own children? In short, will I
be prevented from losing out completely? When Ifa; was consulted, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku;
was revealed.
The group of Awo told A®gba; that even though she was very successful
economically, she had no complete joy and contentment because she had no
child of her own. She was however assured that Olo;du¾mare¾ would bless her
with the fruit of the womb.
She was also informed that she had not chosen to have many children from
heaven. Consequent upon this, she needed to offer eôboô as quickly as possible in
order to ensure that she was able to have her children early in her life before it
was too late. She was also advised to offer eôboô and feed I®beji¾ (the Twins
Divinity) as stated above. She complied.
A few months after this, she became pregnant. Ten lunar months after, she gave
birth to a baby. The baby was named EÙdan, the Icon of O®gbo;ni.
As soon as this child was born, everything changed in the life of A®gba; for the
better. When the child started to speak, A®gba; gave him the best training
possible. At a tender age, EÙdan became the Icon representing the O®gbo;ni cult.
Both A®gba; and EÙdan were able to put in place the firm establishment of the
O®gbo;ni cult. This move caught the attention of many people and drew them to
the Ile;di¾, the O®gbo;;ni cult grove and shrine. They were able to attract many
members.
35
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
There arose another snag however: there was no priest to officiate in the Ile;di¾.
Those who trooped there had nobody to take care of their spiritual and
psychological needs. Most of these people were highly disappointed when their
spiritual needs were not satisfied.
It was during this period that A®gba; became pregnant again. She later gave birth
to a baby boy named Ala;wo¾ro¾, the offspring Priest. The boy grew up rapidly
and became the officiating priest in the Grove and Temple.
Between A®gba; and her two children EÙdan and Ala;wo¾ro¾, they were able to
establish and administer the O®gbo;ni cult successfully. Those who became
members of the O®gbo;ni cult were no longer disappointed. Their success grew
in leaps and bounds. In the lifetime of A®gba; her two children had succeeded.
They had reason to be happy and contented. A®gba; was the happiest and
proudest mother of her time.

Di;a; fu;n A®gba;
Ti; n;mo;ju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
I®gba¾ ti; yo;o; bi;
O: bi; EÙdan
O: si¾ bi; Ala;wo¾ro¾
EÙÙ wa; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; in the father of all combinations

“What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of
business principles
These were Ifa;’s declarations for A®gba;
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to bear children
36
She complied
When she delivered
She gave birth to EÙdan
And later gave birth to Ala;wo¾ro¾
Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾
Join us where we are blessed with the fruit of the womb
Ifa; says that this person shall be blessed with great children who shall succeed
and become accomplished in their lifetime. He/she shall be a proud parent of
well trained and well groomed children. Even though he/she shall not have
many children, the few ones he/she will have shall make him/her proud. He/she
shall grow old and go to his/her grave a very proud and contented person.
10. Ifa; says that there is the need for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed
to offer eôboô and feed OÙba¾ta;la; in order to protect his/her life from imminent
danger. Ifa; says that there is a serious threat to his/her life but OÙba¾ta;la; will not
let him/her be involved in any untimely death. OÙba¾ta;la; has been protecting
his/her life from danger and threat, thus this person should become a devout
follower and worshipper of OÙba¾ta;la;. They should adorn the shrine of OÙba¾ta;la;
with his many icons and have regular festivities in honour of him.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she
also needs to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land snails, shea butter, and 16 native chalk.

Di;a; fu;n O®os¾ ôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾er¾ô eô¾ma¾gbo¾
Ti; n; loô re¾e; K’o;wo; r’e¾ômi;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; in the father of all combinations

“What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of business
principles
37
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
These were Ifa;’s declarations for OÙba¾ta;la;

When going pay for EÙ®mi; (Life)
OÙba¾ta;la;, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, O®gu;n and E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ were the four Iru;nmoôleô¾ whom
Olo;du¾mare¾ assigned the task of creating E®ni¾ya¾¾n (human beings) to. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾
was the one who went to I®koô¾le; O®Ùrun to bring the basket of sand which
Olo;du¾mare¾ used to create the universe to use for the creation of E®ni¾ya¾¾n . O®gu;n
moulded the bones of both males and females while OÙba¾ta;la; added the flesh to
the bones before Olo;du¾mare¾ put the final A®sôeô. The assignment of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was
to continuously consult Ifa; in order to ensure that everything was going
according to the plan of Olo;du¾mare¾ and create a systematic order of activities
and processes. In this assignment, OÙba¾ta;la; was put as the head of the group
project. The four Iru;nmoôle¾ô and their subordinates performed splendidly and the
job was completed to the satisfaction of Olo;du¾mare¾, even though there were
several impediments along the way.
All those who participated in this great assignment were aware that EÙ®mi; (Life
force), which Olo;du¾mare¾ put into what they designed and moulded was the
most important and most valuable element that the E®ni¾ya¾n possessed. Without
EÙ®mi;, there would not be any E®ni¾ya¾n. This was the reason why OÙba¾ta;la; made it
his concern to see to it that EÙmi;, which Olo;du¾mare¾ gave E®ni¾ya¾n was well
protected and preserved.
OÙba¾ta;la; however observed that there were so many things threatening the EÙ®mi;
of E®ni¾ya¾n. There was no action or even inaction of E®ni¾ya¾¾n that was not fought
with life-threatening things: eating or refusal to eat, drinking or refusal to drink;
sleeping or walking, sitting or standing; walking or running, crawling or
swimming, working or refusal to work, hard-work or laziness, wickedness or
benevolence; trust or distrust, truthfulness or lies, cleanliness or dirtiness etc. all
were accompanied by life snatching things.
In spite of all these threats, OÙba¾ta;la; vowed that a means must be found to
protect E®ni¾ya¾n from untimely death. That was why he went to the home of the
group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be able to protect the
E®ni¾ya¾n from meeting calamity and untimely death? If yes, what do I need to do
to be able to do this?
38
The Awo told OÙba¾ta;la; that the assignment that he had given to himself was a
noble one. He was however informed that the assignment would only succeed
under three conditions; one, the E®ni¾ya¾n who was given the EÙ®mi; must recognize
that he/she must not engage in any unreasonable risk and expect that his/her
E®Ùmi; be protected; two, he/she must be ready to surrender his/her EÙ®mi; to the
Divinities for them to protect, and three, they must be able to pay the price and
be obedient by listening to the advice, heeding warnings and offering eôboô when
asked to do so. They also advised OÙba¾ta;la; to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat
and money in order for him to succeed in the assignment. He was also asked to
feed his O®ke¾-I®po¾ôri; with 16 snails, shea butter and EÙfun, native chalks. He
complied.
As of that moment, anyone who felt threatened where this Odu¾ was revealed
would be advised to offer eôboô and feed OÙba¾ta;la; as stated above.
As soon as these were done, such a person would be given air-tight protection
which could only come from OÙba¾ta;la; and the other Divinities. As long as this
person follows the instructions above, he/she would never have his/her E®Ùmi; cut
short by anything in this world or beyond. He/she will be guaranteed long life
for him/her to find, follow and fulfil his/her destiny on earth. That is why those
who hand their lives to OÙba¾ta;la; continue to pray that their lives be given to the
Divinity for protection and so their lives won’t be lost for any reason
whatsoever.

Di;a; fu;n O®os¾ ôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾er¾ô eô¾ma¾gbo¾
Ti; n; loô re¾e; K’o;wo; r’e¾ômi;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ko; wa;a; sôe
N®jeô O®o¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôreôm
¾ a¾gbo¾
E®Ùmi; ti; mo fu;n oô du¾
Ma; ma¾ je;ô ko; boô;
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; Kangiri
A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n, o; j’oyin loô o
39
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; in the father of all Odu¾ Ifa; combinations

“What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of business
principles
These were Ifa;’s declarations for OÙba¾ta;la;
When going pay for EÙ®mi; (Life)
He complied
Please O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôreôm
¾ a¾gbo¾
My EÙ®mi; which I give you to protect
Please do not let it be lost
Join us where we enjoy long life
The longevity guaranteed by Ifa is sweeter than honey
Ifa; says that the life of this person shall be protected. He/she shall not die
young. He/she will also live long enough to be able to accomplish those things
that he/she has come into this world to accomplish. Ifa however warns the
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed against taking undue risks or being
reckless with his/her life. Doing so may make it very difficult if not impossible,
for him/her to have the protection of the Divinities. He/she also needs to heed
warnings and follow the advices given to him/her by competent Awo.
11. Ifa; says that it foresees the Ire of long life and sound health for the person
for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that as OÙÙbatala is protecting this person
so also is the Ori; of his/her mother responsible for his/her protection. Even
though there are real threats to his/her life, he/she will not die young. He/she
will manage to escape untimely death and live to his/her old age. He/she will
also be able to accomplish all what he/she has chosen as his/her destiny in
heaven before returning to heaven.
Ifa; advises this person to offer ebo with one mature he-goat and money. There
is also the need to ask Ifa; what the Ori; of his/her mother will take and use these
materials to feed the Ori; accordingly. If the mother is dead, then the chosen
items will be used to feed the spirit of the mother.
40
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; says:

Di;a; fu;n A:a;mi;
Ti;i; sôe I®ya; OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n
Woô;n ni; ko; ru;'boô si; la;i¾ku; oômoô reô
Translation:
Ogbe¾-OÙ®ye¾ôku; is the father of all combinations

all business principles
These were Ifa;’s declarations to A:a;mi;
The mother of OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n
She was advised to offer the eôboô of longevity for her child
A:a;mi; was a very honest, straight-forward, gentle headed, God-fearing and kind-
hearted woman. All the people in her community loved her. She had assisted
many people to succeed in life. She had also saved many people from trouble
and calamity. She did all things in her community with humility. She behaved
as if those whom she was assisting were the ones doing her great favours. She
also had a great sense of humour. She was happily married but she had no
child. She tried all she could, yet she was not blessed with any child.
Her inability to beget any child made A:a;mi; cry every day. She prayed and
begged Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities to give her a child to love and cherish.
Her appeals were given consideration by Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities. Her
good deeds weighed heavily in her favour and it was resolved to bless A®a;mi;
with a baby. A:a;mi; became pregnant afterward. Her pregnancy was like the
whole community was carrying the pregnancy. When she gave birth to the
baby, the whole community named the baby boy O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n (My matter has
succeeded).
O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n developed rapidly. A:a;mi; became a very happy and fulfilled

woman. Her good and benevolent deeds in the community increased in many
folds. By the time O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n grew up to become a teenager, he was known by
41
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
everyone in the community. The way A;a;mi; treated her only child made it clear
to everyone that the boy was her major source of joy.
One day, O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n suddenly took ill. A few moments after, he fainted.
When A;a;mi; was informed that her son had fainted, it was as if the whole world
had come crashing down on her head. She screamed, cried, wailed and gnashed
her teeth, all to no avail. Each moment made the condition of her son worse.
That was when she decided to go to the home of the group of Awo mentioned
above for Ifa; consultation. Will my son survive? If yes, what do I need to do
for my son to be well?
The Awo assured her that her son would be well. They stated that it was her
own Ori; that would help resuscitate her son. They made it known to her that the
Divinities had seen the way she had been performing in her home, her
environment and in the community at large and they were impressed with her.
The Divinities knew that her son was her joy. For that reason, she was assured
that the Divinities would ensure that her son survived.
She was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. She was also asked to feed
OÙba¾ta;la;. She was also told to feed her Ori; regularly. She complied.
A few days after, her son recovered. To her, the weight of the whole world had
just been lifted from her head. She then became the smiling, vibrant and
humorous woman that she used to be again.
One day, A:a;mi; sent O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n her son to go and fetch some wood in the
forest. On his way, he fell down and sprained his left ankle. At the very same
time, a big tree fell just close to his head. Had he not fallen down, he would
certainly have been crushed to death by the fallen tree. The Divinities made
sure that anything that would bring grief to A:a;mi; was averted.
A few months after, O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n went to swim in the river. The tide suddenly
became stronger and faster. He was being washed away and he was totally
helpless to do anything about it. He was slammed against the roots of a mighty
baobab tree which grew close to the river. His dress was entangled in the roots
and debris which the river had washed away with him. He got stuck between
the roots. He was there for several hours. That was how he escaped being
completely washed away to his death. Again, it was not because of his good
42
deeds. It was simply because the Divinities would allow A:a;mi; to grieve over
her source of joy.
On several occasions, O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n was close to death but he would escape

miraculously. It was the Ori; of his mother, A;a;mi;, which continuously would
save him. It got to a stage that people in the community were saying that had it
not been for A;a;mi;, O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n’s mother, Death would have taken O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n
away a long time ago.

Di;a; fu;n A:a;mi;
Ti;i; sôe I®ya; OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n
Woô;n ni; ko; ru;'boô si; la;i¾ku; oômoô re
Ti; ko¾ ba; si; ti A;a;mi;
Iku; i¾ba; ma¾ ti pa Oran-anyan
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri
A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n o; j'oyin loô
Translation:
Ogbe¾-OÙ®ye¾ôku; is the father of all combinations

all business principles
These were Ifa;;’s declarations to A:a;mi;
The mother of OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n
She was advised to offer the eôboô of longevity for her child
She complied
Had it not been for A;;a;mi;
Who was O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n’s mother
Death would have snatched OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n away a long time ago
Join us where we enjoy longevity
The longevity guaranteed by Ifa; is sweeter than honey
43
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Ifa; says that this person shall not die young. He/she needs to be feeding the Ori;
of his/her mother if she is alive; or feed her spirit if she is dead. This person
needs to ask Ifa; what the mother’s Ori;/spirit will take every time he/she wants
to do the feeding. By so doing, long life is guaranteed.
12. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô urgently in
order to prevent a fellow human being from being the cog in his/her wheel of
progress. Ifa; says that apart from offering the eôboô he/she also needs to be
offering I®pe¾se¾ for the Elders of the Night on a regular basis.
Ifa; says that he/she is not supposed to be at the level he/she presently is. Ifa;
makes it clear that this person needs to be higher than where he/she is now.
Those who are responsible for his/her lack of progress commensurate to his/her
efforts are, unfortunately, those who are very close to him/her. They are people
he/she trusts and whom he/she shares many things to and who knows a lot about
him/her and his/her life. Ifa; advises this person to be more careful with those
living in his/her home and/or close family or associates than with outsiders.
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with one
mature he-goat for victory. The officiating Awo also needs to inquire from Ifa;,
over what to use as I®pe¾se¾ for the Elders of the Night. This needs to be done
regularly in order to pull this person up the ladder of success and give him/her
the opportunity to actualize his/her full potentials in life.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-OÙ®ye¾ku; on this aspect says:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; o, Iku; yeô¾

Di;a; fu;n E®ni¾ya¾n
Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; Aye;
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku;, Death is shifting forward

This was the Ifa; cast for E®ni¾ya¾n
The sibling of Aye;
44
E®ni¾ya¾n was the sister of Aye;. They were both born by the same parents. They
were very close to each other. They had many things in common, even though
they were not of the same sex. The love they had for each other was so great
that many people envied their relationship in their community. Anytime that
E®ni¾ya¾n purchased anything, Aye; would ensure that he paid part of the money
back to his sister.
One day, E®ni¾ya¾n went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa;
consultation: Will I succeed in life? If so, how will I go about being successful?
The Awo assured E®ni¾ya¾n that she would surely succeed in life. Not only that,
she would be instrumental to lifting other people up in her community. She was
also told that she had a sibling whom she needed to cooperate with at all times.
By so doing, the Awo informed her, both of them would rise up together. Their
fame would shine together and they would succeed beyond their wildest dreams
together.
The Awo advised her to offer eôboô as stated above and to ensure that there was
no form of competition between her and her younger brother. Only cooperation
must exist between the two of them. She offered the eôboô to succeed and
overcome her problems that same day.
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; o, Iku; ye¾ô

Di;a; fu;n Aye;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; E®ni¾ya¾n
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku;, Death is shifting forward

This was the Ifa; cast for Aye;
The sibling of E®ni¾ya¾n
Aye; was the younger brother of E®ni¾ya¾n. He was very fond of his sister. There
was nothing that he was not ready to do for his sister in order to make her
happy. When E®ni¾ya¾n was to get married, Aye; emptied all his savings in life as
his own contribution towards the success of his sister’s marriage. When his
sister gave birth to her first baby, Aye; organized the naming ceremony and
ensured that it was not only successful, but also the talk of the community for a
45
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
long time. When he went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation, his
concern was how he and his sister would succeed in life.
The Awo assured him that they would both succeed. He was advised to ensure
that cooperation existed between the two of them more than ever before. He
was advised to offer eôboôô as stated above. He too complied with the advice that
same day.
As soon as he returned home, he called his sister and informed her about what
the Awo had said. He pledged his unflinching loyalty to his sister. During this
time period, he cleared both his farm together with that of his sister. He worked
tirelessly to ensure that the huge farm succeeded. When the harvest period
came, he shared the proceeds with his sister, her husband, and her three little
children. It never bothered him that her sister, her husband and her children
never lifted a finger on the farm. He took the advice of the Awo seriously.
One day, Aye; met a young lady that he felt would be a nice wife for him. His
sister was the first person he told. He begged his sister to help him investigate
the lady and help put things into motion if she was satisfied with the lady. For
six months, his sister was still investigating. In the end, she told her brother to
look for another lady. She convinced the brother that the lady would never
make a good wife. On hearing this, he dropped the lady instantly.
Five times, he met different ladies and asked his sister to help him investigate
them. Five times his sister rejected them. This went on for a period of eight
years. Unknown to the brother, the sister did not want him to get married at all.
If he must get married it must be delayed for as long as possible. why? She felt
that if her brother were to get married, the wife would not allow him to continue
to serve her the way he had been doing. She also felt that he would begin to
have his own children and this would not allow him to concentrate on her own
children as he had been doing.
In the end, on the ninth year, the sister met a girl whom she considered to be of
low intelligence and whom she would easily intimidate. She told her brother
that the girl was very homely and would make a good wife. The brother,
suspecting nothing agreed with the sister and the marriage was conducted. All
the neighbours were disappointed with the choice of spouse. Only Aye; and
E®ni¾ya¾n were happy with the choice for different reasons.
46
A few months after marriage, the girl became pregnant. E®ni¾ya¾n told the girl to
come to her house everyday as the girl had no experience on pregnancy. She
complied. When the pregnancy became five months old, the young girl began
to complain of stomach trouble. A few days after, the pregnancy was
miscarried. E®ni¾ya¾n blamed the girl for being careless. Unknown to anyone, it
was the concoctions prepared for the girl by E®ni¾ya¾n that caused the miscarriage.
Why would she do this? Simply to ensure that her brother continued to serve her
and her family for as long as possible.
Much as he tried, Aye; found it very difficult to make ends meet. Yet, he was
unrelenting in his bid and vowed to cooperate with his sister. One day, one of
his close friends gave him four hens. He started to rear the fowls and before
long, they began to lay eggs. Within six months, the fowls had increased to
over 40. That was when his sister and her children and husband found chicken
flesh more agreeable to them than any other meat. Before long, they consumed
the last fowl and that put an end to the idea of rearing fowls on commercial
basis. Yet, he saw nothing wrong with what his sister had done.
By the time Aye;’s wife had the fifth miscarriage, her parents came to pack her
bags and baggage from his home, saying that there was the need for Aye; to have
a thorough self-examination. They promised that as soon as this was done and a
solution was found to his numerous problems, his wife would then be returned
to him. This move devastated him greatly. He cried to his sister to help him
find a solution. E®ni¾ya¾n on the other hand promised to go to his in-laws home to
look for an amicable solution to the problem. Aye; was grateful to his sister.
When she got there however, she provoked the in-laws to the extent that they
vowed never to release the wife to Aye; anymore.
As soon as she left, the elders in Aye;’s in-laws home knew something was
terribly wrong. They also felt that what was wrong was totally beyond Aye; ’s
comprehension and power. They decided to help him, if not for his own sake, at
least for the sake of their own daughter, his wife, who had bluntly refused to
leave him. She told her parents that instead of ordering her to leave Aye;, it
would be better to find a way of assisting him because he was a great husband.
One day, the head of the in-laws family sent someone to go and call Aye; to the
farm. He was told that his wife would be returned to him on three conditions:
one, he must go for Ifa; consultation in order to determine exactly what was
wrong with him, two, he must move out of the family compound and three, he
47
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
must not tell his plans to anyone until everything had returned to normal. He
agreed.
First, Aye; went for Ifa; consultation. That was when he was informed that his
own blood was at the root cause of his misfortunes. He was advised to offer
eôboô and feed the Elders of the Night as stated above. He complied. As far as he
was concerned, it must be some of his close relatives who were responsible for
all his misfortunes. He confided his suspicion in his sister who advised him to
steer clear of all his relatives, except her of course.
Secondly, he began to erect another building which he and his wife would live
in outside the family compound. He was doing it secretly. He only told his
sister what he was doing and the location of his new site. Before long, he was
ready to roof the house. He told his beloved sister to come and pray for him the
next day when the roofing would commence. In the dead of the night,
something kept telling him to stand up and go straight to his new site. Initially,
he ignored the urge. But when the urge became too persistent, he decided to go.
What harm would it cause him when he was not able to sleep anyway? He
moved rapidly, then slowly and then rapidly again. He was expecting anything
out of place. When he got there, what he saw made him totally speechless. He
saw his beloved sister, her husband and her three kids with clubs, diggers and
batons breaking the walls and wood he had used to erect the house.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; o, Iku; ye¾ô

Di;a; fu;n Aye;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; E®ni¾ya¾n
Aye; ni¾kan ni; n;beô leô;yi¾n ti; n;sôe¾boô
Nj®e;ô aye; i¾ ba; ti ni; ogu;n eôru;
E®ni¾ya¾n ni o jeô;
EÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n eô jeô; n r’a;a¾ye¾ sôe te¾mi o
EÙÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n
Aye; i¾ ba; ti ni; oôgboô¾n i¾wo¾ôfa¾
E®ni¾ya¾n ni o¾ je;ô
Aye; i¾ ba; ti ni; a¾ad; oô;ta omidan
E®ni¾ya¾n ni o jeô;
48
EÙ wa; ba;; ni la;;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾kô u; (Death) is shifting forward

This was the Ifa; cast for Aye;
The sibling of E®ni¾ya¾n
Only Aye; complied with the eôboô
Behold! Aye; would have been blessed with 20 servants
But E®ni¾ya¾n did not allow it to materialize
You human beings
Please give me the chance to fulfil my destiny
You human beings
Aye; would have been blessed with 30 workers
You human beings
You human beings
Aye; would have been blessed with 50 damsels
You human beings
You human beings
Join us where we offer ebo to have victory
Offering ebo to have victory is what Ifa; guarantees at
the feet of Obarisa
Ifa; says it may be hurtful and agonizing in the end, but this person shall know
those responsible for all his or her woes in life. The enemies shall be exposed
and put to shame and they shall know victory. Ifa; says all one needs to do is
perform all necessary rites and be prayerful and hopeful.
49
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
13. Ifa; says that the person for who this Odu¾ is revealed has an adviser who has
been guiding him/her aright. This adviser may be his/her Awo, spiritualist,
Counsellor, Friend, Confidant or Aide. However, he/she has decided not to
listen to this person’s advice anymore or he/she is no longer listening to his/her
advice. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to do so as
the consequence will be disastrous to him/her. There is the need for this person
to quickly go and reconcile with his/her adviser in order to avoid everlasting
regret and sorrow.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens, two she-
goats and money. Out of these materials, two rats, two fish, one hen and one
she-goat will be used to feed Ifa;. No matter what material is used for eôboô, the
warning must be heeded. This person must listen to their adviser where this
Odu¾ is revealed. It is more important than any other thing.
An aspect of this Odu¾ says:
Agungi o¾ r’eô;yi¾n aye;

Ala¾n¾te¾te; o¾ r’eô;yi¾n osôu¾
Apa¾n¾te¾te; ori; o¾ r’OÙloô;run OÙba
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; n;sôoô¾re;ô Aye;
Translation:
He who climbs a tree will not be able see the other

side of the world
A star gazer will not be able to see the other side of the moon
He who raises his head by stretching his neck will
not see the Heavens
These were Ifa’s declaration for Ogbe¾
The friend of the earth
The living beings were advised to offer eôboô
When the planet earth was created by Olo;du¾mare¾. He sent O®gu;n, OÙba¾ta;la; and
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to make it conducive and habitable for living beings. The assignment
was successfully completed. After this, Olo;du¾mare¾ commissioned that Éníyán
(Beings) be created to occupy and inhabit the earth. They existed on earth for
50
several millennia before they began to destroy themselves and the world. This
prompted Olo;du¾mare¾ to remove them from the earth. Not all of them died, and
those remaining went into hiding.
It was after this that Olo;du¾mare¾ sent OÙba¾ta;la;, E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾, SÙa¾ngo; and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
to mould E®®ni¾ya¾n (human beings) and settle them on earth. This assignment was
successfully completed.
As a result of the events that had earlier taken place on earth, Olo;du¾mare¾
summoned all the 801 Iru;nmoôleô¾ to nominate someone who would be the guard,
guide, adviser, protector and security person for the planet. After due
consideration, the Iru;nmoôleô¾ nominated Ogbe¾, taking into consideration his
antecedent as an astute organizer, coordinator and negotiator.
When Ogbe¾ took up the assignment, it was clear that he was ready for the task.
For several millennia, everything on earth was perfect. Human beings and other
beings living on the earth had no problems whatsoever.
One day, Iku;, Death, thought of visiting the earth in order to perform his
assignment. Before he left heaven however, Ogbe¾ had known that he was
coming. Ogbe¾ quickly summoned all the leaders on earth to a meeting. In the
meeting, he announced to them the mission of Iku; and advised them to offer eôboô
with four rats, four fish, two hens and two female goats. They complied. Ogbe¾
successfully warded off Iku; from entering the earth. Iku; made several attempts
to penetrate the earth but Ogbe¾ was proficient in his duties. In the end, Iku; gave
up temporarily. Soon after this A®ru¾n, Affliction tried to visit the earth. Ogbe¾
informed the inhabitants of the world to offer eôboô as stated above. They did,
Ogbe¾ also successfully blocked A®ru¾n from entering the earth.
After this, EÙjoô;, Contention, I®ja¾, Fight, O®fo¾, Loss, EÙ®gba¾, Paralysis, E®sôe, Harm,
E®te, Intrigue, OÙ®ra¾n, Implication, OÙ®te¾ô, Conspiracy, Ja¾m¾ba;, Disaster, I®ba¾nu;jeô;,
Grief, Owu;, Jealousy, I®lara, Envy, Ma¾da¾ru;, Confusion, Ru;ke¾ru;do¾, Crisis and
A®ko;ba;, Implications, came one after the other. They were all rebuffed by Ogbe¾
after the inhabitants of the earth had offered eôboô as stated above.
One day however, the 17 negative Principalities decided to come into the world
all at once. They began to plan their moves. As soon as they started their
planning, E®®ôsu-OÙ®da¾ra¾ came and reported all their moves to Ogbe¾. This prompted
Ogbe¾ to summon all the leaders of the world to an emergency meeting. In this
51
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
meeting, he explained all the plans of the 17 negative principalities to his

audience. He told them that the negative principalities must be stopped at all
costs because if they were not stopped, it would spell doom, restlessness and
uncertainty for the inhabitants of the planet earth. He stated that the only way to
do this was for them to offer eôboô with 200 rats, 200 fish, 200 birds and 200
beasts. He emphasized that this must be done urgently as there was no time for
delay. The elders left and informed Ogbe¾ that they would get back to him as
soon as possible.
On that same day, the leaders converged somewhere and they began another
round of deliberation. Who does Ogbe¾ think he is asking them to offer eôboôô with
200 rats, 200 fish, 200 birds and 200 beasts each? Whom did he think he was?
They wondered. One of the leaders said that it was high time they called the
bluff of Ogbe¾¾. They must not offer the eôboô. If they did not stop this cheat now,
the leader screamed, he (Ogbe¾) would come up with more eôboô materials in the
future. This leader concluded that they needed to go back to Ogbe¾ and let him
know that they had seen through all his cheap tricks. All the other leaders
present agreed that it was the most reasonable line of action to take. One
woman present pleaded with the leaders to exercise caution because all the
predictions of Ogbe¾ in the past had actually come to pass. The woman was
shouted down and asked to keep quiet for as long as the meeting lasted.
At the end of the meeting, they trooped back to Ogbe¾’s house. When they got
there, they dragged him out of his house and called him all sorts of names. He
tried to explain the urgency of offering this ebo but nobody was ready to listen
to him. They told him to go and do his worst and that they were sick and tired
of all his cheap tricks. They spat on his face and called him a thief. They
accused him of working to line his pocket with money. They then proclaimed
him the enemy of the people. He was so provoked that he could do nothing but
burst into uncontrollable tears. They all left him crying. He had nobody to
console him. At night E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ came and he narrated his ordeal to E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾.
Ogbe¾ was however told by E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ that he (Ogbe¾) had kept up his
responsibilities and he would be absolved of any wrong-doing when the
repercussions came.
A few days later, the 17 negative principalities, led by Iku; came to visit the
planet earth. Ogbe¾ who used to stay at the boundary between heaven and earth
simply left the boundary which gave the 17 principalities the opportunity of
52
visiting the earth. When they got to the earth, they vowed never to leave the
planet again.
As from that day, a series of mishaps, confusion, disasters, death, both timely
and untimely intrigues, conspiracies, pandemonium and all other forms of
negativity began to take place on the planet. These types of events had never
happened before. The inhabitants of the planet earth began to worry greatly.
They all went to plead with Ogbe¾ to please help them chase away all the
negative principalities but alas, it was too late.
Agungi o¾ r’eô;yi¾n aye;

Ala¾n¾te¾te; o¾ r’eô;yi¾n osôu¾
Apa¾n¾te¾te; ori; o¾ r’OÙloô;run OÙba
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; n;sôoô¾re;ô Aye;
Woô;n koô'ti; oôô¾gboônyin s’eô;boô
N®je;ô Ogbe¾ ma; yeô; fu;n Iku;
N®je;ô Ogbe; ma; ye;ô fu;n A®ru¾n
N®jeô; Ogbe; ma; ye;ô fu;n EÙjoô;
N®je;ô Ogbe; ma; ye;ô fu;n I®ja¾
N®jeô; Ogbe; ma; yeô; fu;n O®fo¾
N®je;ô Ogbe; ma; ye;ô fu;n gbogbo Ajogun
K'a;ye; e wa o; le baa¾ da;ra ni
OÙmoô ara;ye; i¾ ba; te¾te¾ moô¾
Woôn o¾ ba; wa; f'owo; sô’a¾ru;fi;;n eôboô
Translation:
He who climbs a tree will not be able see the other side of the
world
A star gazer will not be able to see the other side of the moon
He who raises his head by stretching his neck will not see the
Heavens
These were Ifa;’s declaration for Ogbe¾
The friend of the earth
The living beings were advised to offer eôôboôô
They refused to offer the eôboô
Now Ogbe¾, do not allow Iku; (Death) to come in
53
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Now Ogbe¾, do not allow A®ru¾n (Affliction) to come in

Now Ogbe¾, do not allow EÙjo;ô (Contention) to come in
Now Ogbe¾, do not allow I®ja¾ (fight) to come in
Now Ogbe¾, do not allow O®fo¾ (Loss) to come in
Now Ogbe¾, do not allow any negative Ajogun to come in
So that our lives can have meaning
Had all the living beings known ahead of time
They would have offered the prescribed eôboô
Ifa; says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to come
face to face with disaster, together with his/her loved ones. This is the reason
why he/she needs to take the advice of the person who had been giving him/her
counselling very seriously. Refusal to heed advice can lead to untold calamity
where this Odu¾ is revealed.
14. Ifa; warns that something serious and of calamitous magnitude is about to
happen where this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; recommends that eôboô should be urgently
offered in order to avert this calamity.
Ifa says that four rats, four fish and one mature he-goat are the ebo materials to
avert calamity where this Odu¾ is revealed.
Ifa; equally warns that nobody should rear cocks where this Odu¾ is revealed. By
extension, the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is forbidden from going
into the poultry business. He/she cannot breed cocks and it is not advisable for
him/her to live in a house where they engage in poultry business.
Ifa; says that if there are cocks where this Odu¾ is revealed, all the cocks present
should be used to feed E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ immediately. This is very important if
disaster is to be averted.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; says:
B’o;bi¾nrin ba; f’oju; kan owo;

EÙ®reôk¾ eô; e reô¾ a gb’eô¾ri;n
Di;a; fu;n Oni;gure¾-Agoô¾tu;n
EÙboô Ajogun ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
54
Translation:
If a woman sights money

Her face will dissolve into a huge smile
This was Ifa;’s declaration to Oni;gure¾-Ago¾ôtu;n
When advised to offer eôboô against Ajogun
The inhabitants of I®gure¾ town had everything going for them. Their land was
very fertile. The people were very enterprising. They were blessed with
bountiful harvests. They developed their town to the envy of all their
neighbours. Oni;gure¾-Ago¾ôtu;n, the OÙba of I®go¾ôtu;n land, was the happiest and
proudest OÙba in his area. His reputation as a good leader spread far and wide.
One day, Oni;gure¾ had a terrible and terrifying dream. He could not make any
sense of the dream but he was sure that a disaster of gigantic magnitude was
about to happen in the land. This worried him seriously. He summoned all the
chiefs in the land to a meeting. He explained his premonitions to them. After
much deliberation, it was concluded that there was the need to call an Awo for
Ifa; consultation. That was the reason why they called the Awo mentioned
above for Ifa; consultation: Will there be peace and harmony in the land? What
was the significance of Oni;gure¾’s dream? What did they need to do to avert any
possible disaster? During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; was revealed.
The Awo explained that the dream of Oni;gure¾-Ago¾ôtu;n was loaded with grave
consequences. There was the need for the inhabitants of the land to offer eôboô
against the envy of their neighbours which could lead to these neighbours
overwhelming them. The Awo made it clear to them that their neighbours were
planning to wage a fierce war against them. All their neighbours, they were
told, had ganged up to wage this war. The Awo stated further that it was useless
thinking that they could contain the aggression of these neighbours because they
would be greatly outnumbered. The only way out was for them to offer eôboô.
The Awo therefore advised them to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, and one
mature male goat. They were also advised to slaughter all the cocks in their
town and give them to E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾. It was by so doing that they would overturn
and destroy the military might of their neighbours. The Awo also advised them
to dig trenches and underground tunnels that they would hide into when the
invaders arrived.
55
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
The inhabitants of Igure¾ land put their heads together. They concluded that they
would offer the eôboô. They were also prepared to dig trenches and tunnels in
order to hide themselves when the invaders arrived. They however could not
see why all their cocks should be slaughtered to feed E®sôu¾. What was the
significance of cocks in warfare? Would they bring success or defeat, they
wondered? In the end, they concluded that there was no need for them to
slaughter their cocks for any Divinity, whether it is E®sôu¾ or not. For that reason,
they only offered the eôboô as advised by the Awo. They dug the trenches and
underground tunnels as they were instructed; but they kept all their cocks in
defiance of the advice of the Awo.
A few weeks after the completion of the work, the invaders arrived! Oni;gure¾ -
Ago¾ôtu;n quickly ordered all the inhabitants to go into the trenches and tunnels.
They did. They took with them all their belongings, and live-stock. They took
their goats, sheep, pigs, fowls, cocks, pigeons, guinea fowls, ducks, etc into the
trenches. The invading forces could see nobody. They moved from one house
to the other but they found no one. They searched all the hamlets, farms,
compounds, etc and yet they found nobody. What was this supposed to mean?
To make matters worse, they had nothing to take away as the spoils of war!
Everything and everyone had simply vanished! It was a disappointment of the
highest order. They searched until the middle of the night. The invaders
decided to sleep overnight and leave the town the following morning.
At dawn the next morning, the invaders began to pack their things in order to
leave. Suddenly, all the cocks began to crow. With the first cock crow, the
others would chorus the crowing and the whole place was filled with the noise
of crowing cocks!
Initially, the invaders could not make out where the noise of the crowing cocks
was coming from. Before long, they realized that it was coming from under the
ground! They began to search and they found the entrance to the trenches and
the underground tunnels! They entered and fished out all the inhabitants of
I®gure¾. They were kicked and slapped. They were tied up one after the other.
The invaders commended their ingenuity and said that if not for the crowing
cocks, they would have been deceived.
56
The inhabitants of I®gure¾ were full of lamentations. They then told the invaders
that they had earlier been warned by their Babala;wo to slaughter all the cocks
that they had for E®sôu¾ but they had failed to do so. The invaders then became
very angry at hearing this and they said that even if they had had the intention of
being lenient with them before, they would certainly not do so now, since they
had earlier been warned and they had refused to heed the warning of their Awo.
B’o;bi¾nrin ba; f’oju; kan owo;

EÙ®reôk¾ eô; e reô¾ a gb’eô¾ri;n
Di;a; fu;n Oni;gure¾-Agoô¾tu;n
EÙboô Ajogun ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Woô;n koô'ti; oô¾gboôyin s’eô;boô
EÙ®yin o¾ ri; a¾ku¾koô ga¾ga¾ra¾
To; wa;a; fi ara; I®gure¾ f’o;gun ko;
EÙni gb'eô;boô ni;be¾ô ko; wa;a; sôeôboô o
Translation:
If a woman sights money

Her face will dissolve into a smile
This was Ifa;’s declaration to Oni;gure¾-Ago¾ôtu;n
When advised to offer eôboô against Ajogun
They refused to comply with the advice of the Awo
Can’t you see the matured cocks
Which have made the inhabitants of I®gure¾ become war captives
Let those advised to offer eôboô heed the advice
Ifa; says that it is the best interest of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to
offer eôboô and at the same time follow the advice of the Awo. Furthermore the
urgent need to heed all the warnings of this Ifa;, no matter how stupid or
unrealistic the warnings/advice may seem to him/her.
15. Ifa; warns a woman where this Odu¾ is revealed to desist from showing
arrogance to her husband. Ifa; says that the woman is too cocky and
overbearing. Ifa; warns this woman to turn a new leaf, lest she face disgrace and
humiliation.
57
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Ifa; says that this woman feels that she is superior to her husband and for that
reason, she can maltreat and disrespect her husband as she sees fit. Ifa; cautions
that the woman’s husband holds the key to her failure and success and she may
come face to face with a sanction she never expected from her husband if she
pushes him to use the key to open the door of failure for her.
Ifa; says that the husband of the woman for whom this Odu¾ is revealed deserves
to be given full honour and respect because, even though he may appear to be
lower than the wife on the socio-economic ladder, he nonetheless he is working
tirelessly for his wife to be elevated and be recognized in all spheres of life.
This is the reason why the man must not be disrespected or humiliated. The
man is also someone who cherishes and values his respect and self-esteem and
who is ready to reciprocate in like manner if he is treated well and respected.
Conversely, if he is disrespected or humiliated, he will go to any length to bring
down the woman who does not treat him with respect.
Ifa; advises the woman to offer eôôboô with four rats, four fish, one mature male
goat, one knife and a lot of money. She also needs to feed O®gu;n with one
mature cock, palm oil, roasted maize, raffia palm wine, roasted yam and a dog.
If the woman is in the habit of showing arrogance toward her husband, she must
put an end to such behaviour forthwith. She should serve Na¾na;; Bu¾u¾ku;u¾-Omolu;.
On this, Ifa; says:
OÙ®to¾¾ô l'ohu¾n E®e¾gu¾n

OÙ®toô¾ l'ohu¾n EÙ®yoô¾
Ba;kanna;a¾ ni woô;n n; sunku;n
Di;a; fu;n Bu¾u¾ku;u¾
Ti; n;loô re¾e; f’O®gu;n sô’oôkoô ni; SÙaki;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko;; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The dialect of the E®e¾gu¾n people is different

The dialect of the EÙ®yoô¾ (OÙ®yo;ô) people is different
Nonetheless, all people cry the same way
This was Ifa;’s message to Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ (Omolu;)
When going to pick O®gu;n as her husband in SÙaki; land
58
Bu¾u¾ku;u¾, also known as Na¾na;; Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ or Omolu; was an extremely successful

woman. She was very wealthy. She had a large followership. She was an
O®ri¾sôa¾ whom many women were fond of. She guided, guarded and supported
many women. Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ however did not give women children nor did she take
their children from them either. She simply ensured the protection of women
and their children. She also defended them against all aggression, particularly
from their husbands and neighbours. All drunken and aggressive men who took
pleasure in violating women as a way of letting out their own frustrations would
realize that having the fear of Omolu; was the beginning of having wisdom.
This was because she would go to any length to revenge any violence or
humiliation meted out against the women who were her followers. For this
reason, she had a large group of women following her. Membership into her
group was forever. This made her even more popular. Many old women would
see this as being a sanctuary against their husband’s families who would at
times take pleasure in cheating them or creating problems for them as soon as
their husband’s would die. All her followers were ready to offer any sacrifice
that she asked them to do because they knew that the desired results would
follow as soon as they did the sacrifices.
In spite of this success, Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ was unable to have her own husband. The
reason for this was because her reputation as an O®ri¾sôa¾ who protected and
defended women against humiliation and violation from their husbands was
very intimidating to most men. Many men did not have the courage to ask for
her hand in marriage.
Secondly, she was an extremely proud, arrogant and self-opinionated woman.

Beside the fact that she needed a man to become pregnant and bear children, she
found no other reason why she should be in any relationship with a man. She
considered all men to be too chauvinistic and too self-centred for her liking. To
her, men needed to be put into their place. For this reason, she had no patience
for any man. She would often be found shouting them down and bullying them
at the slightest opportunity. Men who were in their right sense would run away
from her and she would see nothing wrong with this.
All the same, she needed a man to at least give her children but who could this
man be? She did not need to love the man or be loved back because to her, true
love couldn’t possibly occur with any man anyway. She did not need to respect
59
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
the man either because no man, according to her, deserved respect anyway. She
also did not need to follow any advice from a man or listen to any instruction
because as far as she was concerned, all men had no sense of direction anyway.
There were only two criteria that the man must fulfil; one, he must be strong and
healthy enough to father her children and two, he must have popularity and a
large followership. These criteria were what she used before she narrowed her
search down to O®gu;n. By that time, O®gu;n was living in SÙaki; town. O®gu;n had
the reputation and the bearing of a very strong man. He also had the charisma
as someone who could make things happen. This was somewhat pleasing to
Bu¾u¾ku;u¾. Secondly, O®®gu;n had a lot of adherents, both males and females.
Unknown to many, there was nothing that Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ set her mind to achieve
which she would not get. Even though many women looking for compatible
spouses would go to her for a solution to their problems, they never thought that
she would ever have the need for a man as ordinary women did. That was why
they were unmindful of the fact that she needed a spouse of her own. People
believing this suited her very well because she did not want any man or person,
let alone any of her numerous followers, to know what she too desperately
needed a man to at least make her a mother of children.
In order to succeed in her plan, she went to the home of the Babala;wo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation. She wanted the Awo to work on this
personal project so that it would succeed. She was convinced that she would
not be able to live with the shame and humiliation if she were to be turned down
by O®gu;n. How would she be able to face her numerous followers, if this were
to occur? During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; was revealed.
The Awo informed Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ that she planned to marry a very powerful and
important man. She was assured that she would succeed in her mission. She
was however warned never to look down upon her man because doing so would
lead to undesirable consequences. She was advised to respect, love, honour and
listen to her husband when she got married. She was informed that doing so
would be the only way to ensure matrimonial peace, harmony and success. She
was also advised to offer eôboô and feed O®gu;n as stated above.
She considered the statements of the Awo. The Awo said that she would
succeed in her bid to marry O®gu;n. If that was the case, of what use was the eôboô
that the Awo recommended? If she refused to respect her husband, what was the
60
Awo’s concern in that? To rub injury with salt, why should she be asked to go
and feed the O®ke¾-I®poô¾ri; of O®gu;n? Anyway, she concluded, only busy-bodies
like the Awo would insult her with such recommendations; she stood up and
simply walked out without uttering a word, to the amazement of the Awo.
The wedding ceremony between Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ and O®gu;n was the talk of the whole
community and its environment for a very long time. Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ however left
nobody in doubt as to who was calling the shots in the relationship. She made
sure that everyone present realised that she was the person in charge.
Meanwhile, O®gu;n was totally blind to all her schemes and manners. He was
simply in love with her. He was prepared to satisfy her and dance to her tunes.
When he noticed that she had several followers trooping to their house everyday
in order to find solutions to their problems, he would even arrange things so that
she would always have people assisting her. These people would help her offer
the sacrifices required by her clients and devotees. O®gu;n even gave her his steel
knife for her to use in slaughtering the animals that her clients and devotees had
brought for sacrifice.
Nonetheless, everything that O®gu;n was doing for Bu¾u¾ku;;u¾ did not impress her
one bit. She only translated these actions to mean that O®gu;n was simply
performing his duties as a husband. What was his duty? To Bu¾u¾ku;u¾, O®gu;n’s
duty as well as the duty of all men to all women, was just to make her happy
and do all that she wanted. Any man who was not ready to make a woman
happy and do what she wished, had no business in a woman’s life in the first
place. She also believed that there was no reason for any woman to make a man
happy because the man would only end up taking advantage of that and lord it
over the woman.
In spite of all the things that O®gu;n was doing for her, she could not see any
reason why she should cook him food or bring him water to drink or bathe. To
make matters worse, any time that O®gu;n tried to advise her, she would just
shout him down.
It took less than three months before O®gu;n became the laughing stock of
everyone in SÙaki;. The other wives in O®gu;n’s household could not believe what
was happening to their husband. Those who had originally accorded O®gu;n high
regard and respect were so appalled that they lost all respect for him. One day,
O®gu;n called Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ for a discussion in order to straighten things out with her.
She could not be bothered. She asked O®gu;n to come and meet her in her room
61
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
if he felt that there was anything to discuss. She consented to discuss with him
after much pressure from O®gu;n and the only way the discussion could take
place was if he agreed to discuss things with her in her room.
As soon as O®gu;n started the discussion, Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ lost interest. She was so
uninterested in what he was saying that at a stage, O®gu;n became visibly angry.
Noticing this, she simply shouted him down. If O®gu;n was not satisfied with the
treatment she was giving him, he was free to go and hang himself or better yet,
throw himself into a lagoon or a well. She had no time to give him better
treatment. Besides, he had other wives who could satisfy his silly needs. She
then screamed at him to get out of her room. She cursed and abused him. She
ran her mouth upon him any way she liked and in a way that nobody, man or
woman, had ever talked to O®gu;n before. She then topped it off by spitting in his
face!
By this time, everyone in the household and some of the neighbours had
gathered around their home. They could not believe what they were seeing and
hearing. This could not be happening to O®gu;n. This man standing before
Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ cannot be the O®gu;n they know. It cannot be him. It must not be him!
She then began to push O®gu;n to get out of her room.
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. O®gu;n became livid with rage!
He began shaking all over! When he finally spoke, Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ became
overwhelmed with fear! “I will not allow you to disrespect me in my home any
longer! Even if yesterday’s pounded yam does not satisfy one or fill one’s
belly, its mere look is not enough to instil fear into one’s mind. Who are you?
What do you represent? Who gave birth to you? What do you want? What are
you looking for? What has entered into your dumb head? What has turned
your little brain upside down? What gives you this temerity? Don’t you have
any fear? Who do you think you are? Can’t you recognize your mate? What
gives you this bloated impression about yourself and your worth? What are you
thinking about yourself? Where are your manners? Where is your
womanhood? Where is your decency? Where is your decorum? Where is your
self-respect?” He then paused. By this time, the whole room was charged. The
expression on the face of Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ changed from arrogance to anger, from anger
to surprise, from surprise to confusion, from confusion to regret, from regret to
fear, from fear to horror! By the time O®gu;n was done with her, he had shed all
his humanly garment and had adorned himself with those of an Iru;nmoôleô¾!
62
He then told her, “I will spare you my wrath today. Go and remove all your
things and move out of my home now! Leave all my things behind. This
includes the steel knife that I had given to you to use in slaughtering the animals
brought to you. As of today, you will desist from using anything that belongs to
me: knives, blades, axes, cutlasses, hoes, diggers, cudgels, and so on. Get out
now before I change my mind about you!”
As he was speaking, he was shaking all over. Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ was sweating bullets. She
had nobody to plead on her behalf. At that moment, she remembered all the
things that the Babala;wo had told her. It was just too late to do anything about
it now. She blamed herself for over-doing things. She began to pack all her
belongings and some of her followers who were attracted to the scene assisted
her in moving her things out. The shame she did not want to happen to her was
witnessed by everyone around. It was news in the area for a long, long time.
This became a lesson to all arrogant women up till today.
When Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ left, she had no knife to slaughter or skin her animals. She
therefore began using bamboo to skin them instead. From that time, Bu¾u¾ku;u¾
would use only sharpened bamboo to skin her animals since she had been
banned from using any knife or anything made of metal which belongs to O®gu;n.
OÙ®to¾¾ô l'ohu¾n E®e¾gu¾n

OÙ®toô¾ l'ohu¾n EÙ®yoô¾
Ba;kanna;a¾ ni woô;n n; sunku;n
Di;a; fu;n Bu¾u¾ku;u¾
Ti; n;loô re¾e; f’O®gu;n sô’oôkoô ni; SÙaki;
O: koô’ti; oô¾gboônhin s'eô;boô
Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ to; ni; t’O®gu;n ko¾ si;
Bo; ba;a; p’eôran
Ko¾ ni;i r’o;ôbeô kun’ran
EÙni to; gb’e;ôboô ni;be¾ô ko; sôeôboô o
Translation:
The dialect of the E®e¾gu¾n people is different

The dialect of EÙ®yoô¾ (OÙ®yo;ô) people is different
Nonetheless, all people cry the same way
63
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
This was Ifa;’s message to Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ (Omolu;)

When going to pick O®gu;n as her husband in SÙaki; land
She refused to comply
Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ who says that O®gu;n amounts to nothing
If she slaughters an animal
She won’t have any knife to skin the animal
Let those advised to offer eôboô comply with the advice
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to mal treat her man.
She must respect, show love for her man, and she must not humiliate her
husband in any way. That is the only way that she will have peace of mind and
matrimonial comfort. Ifa; says, that if this woman does not change her attitude
toward her husband, the disgrace and humiliation she will bear will be very
great.
16. Ifa; gives a very serious warning here, especially where the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed is planning a party or get-together involving several
children and young ones or where he/she is planning to attend an occasion
involving many children together with his/her own children.
It is in the best interest of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô
with two mature female goats and money in order to avert the loss of the lives
of young ones. If this is not done before the said occasion, it is most likely that
this person will suffer the loss of lives of children and young ones.
If the celebration or ceremony is in the form of a picnic or an outing by the

seaside or a body of water, or is a swimming training or competition, then it is
even more imperative for the eôboô to be offered before the day of the event. If
this eôboô cannot be offered, then it is advisable for the event to be postponed or
put off altogether.
On this, Ifa; says:
Bi; a ba; ri;, a¾a; wi;

A®bi; a ki¾i; wi;
A®i¾wi; n’i¾ka¾
64
Bi; a ba; wi;i la;wi¾i;ju¾

A ma;a d’a¾wo¾ko
Di;a; fu;n oô¾ko¾ôoô¾ka¾n le;ni;ru;n Iru;nmoôleô¾
Woô;n n; loô ba; Olo;kun peô¾sa;n oôdu;n
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Should one see and say something

Or should one not say anything at all?
Refusal to speak out amounts to wickedness
But if one says too much
One will be viewed as a parrot
This was Ifa;’s message for the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾
When going to celebrate the annual festival with Olo;kun
They were all advised to offer eôboô
In terms of financial and asset accumulation, Olo;kun was the most successful
being ever created by Olo;du¾mare¾. She owned four-fifths of all the resources on
the earth. She controlled many more things on the earth than all the other
Iru;nmoôleô¾, O®ri¾sôa¾, and human beings put together. She was a highly honoured and
respected O®ri¾sôa¾. Her annual festival was also the grandest event on earth.
Anytime she invited the Iru;nmoôleô¾, O®ri¾sôa¾, and human beings to her celebration,
they were expected to come with at least one of their children.
When the guests would arrive at the celebration, something would happen that
would affect their children. When it was time to start the ceremony, the children
who accompanied their parents would either be washed away by the sea or they
would lose their lives by drowning in the ocean. Most of those who attended the
ceremony would return home without their children and with a long sad story to
tell others.
The time came again when Olo;kun invited all the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ to her annual
festival. They were all expected to come with at least one of their children. It
was impossible for them to refuse to attend because this was not the way of the
Divinities. That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ finally decided to go for Ifa; consultation:
What must I do to avoid losing my child if I attend Olo;kun’s annual festival?
65
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ebo with two mature she-goats; one would be
for eôboô and the other one to be handed over to Olo;kun instead of his own child.
OÙru;nmi¾la¾ was urged to offer the eôboô before the date of the festival. He was
assured that if he did this, his child would be spared. He was also cautioned not
to go to the ceremony with any of his children. He complied.
On the day of the ceremony, every invitee came with his/her child. Only
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went there with his own she-goat. All those who saw him thought
that he was either insane or being cynical. All of them had been told to invite at
least one of their children, so why did O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ come with a she-goat?! All the
invitees were totally convinced that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would receive the humiliation of
his life that day because Olo;kun would not find this queer sense of humour a
funny affair at all.
When the time came for the children to go and celebrate with Olo;kun, one by
one, all the invitees went forward and handed over their children. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
also went forward but handed over his she-goat. In the presence of the parents,
the children were marched to the sea. Most of them were washed away while
the remaining ones drowned right in the very eyes of their parents! Orunmila’s
she-goat was slaughtered for consumption, also in the presence of all the
invitees.
Before the close of the ceremony, Olo;kun summoned OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and all the other
invitees to her presence. They all waited eagerly to witness how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
would be given the dressing down that he deserved. How dare he bring along
with him a she-goat when all the others had brought with them their children,
they wondered? When they had all assembled, Olo;kun faced OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and
asked; “why is it that you chose to bring along with you a she-goat when you
were supposed to come with one of your children? Can you explain yourself to
everyone here what is behind your action?”
The whole gathering became dead silent. They wanted to hear his reasons for
behaving in such a funny manner before Olo;kun descended on him. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
cleared his throat and with a smile, he responded, “after deliberating deeply
with my Ori;, I concluded that it would bring me much sorrow and agony for my
beloved child to be put to death right before my very eyes. That is why I
decided to instead bring a she-goat along with me. If the she-goat were to be
slaughtered, like you have done, it would not pain me or cause me grief like it
66
would if it were the death of my own child. That is why I could not bring my
child to this ceremony and see my child die before my eyes.
“Is that your reason?”, asked Olo;kun.
“Yes, that is my reason”, responded OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. Olo;kun then turned her attention
to the other guests who had all lost their children. She then asked them”, why is
it that none of you have reasoned the way OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ has? None of you are the
least bit brilliant. Those who are brilliant are not intelligent. Those who are
intelligent lack understanding. Those who have understanding among you do
not know how to couple it with wisdom. Those who have wisdom don’t know
how to apply your hindsight and foresight in any way! You are all fools! You
have all been bringing your children to my festival and every time they have
been dying.
Was that first experience not enough to teach you all a lesson? Can you not
borrow a leaf from hindsight? Why is it that none of you could foresee that this
year, would follow the same pattern as last year and the year before? You have
all continued to bring your children here to be killed! Where have your brains
gone to? Have your brains suddenly leaked out of your ears? Are you the
Iru;nmoôleô¾ whom the affairs of the world rest in their hands? You are all Fools!
Anyway, don’t worry about this any longer. Next year, just bring your children
again and witness them being killed!
She then paused a little. By this time, the faces of all the invited guests had
contorted into huge grimaces of agony. Many of them began wishing the
ground to open up and swallow them. She then asked, “when you all were
invited the first time and you lost your children, why didn’t you use your
hindsight and discretion when you were invited again the following year?
If all of you had decided to leave your children behind at home, what could one
person do against 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ once you had all taken a decision? She then
declared, “when a law is made, as soon as one realizes that the law is not in the
interest of the group, the only reasonable thing is to abrogate such a law! Why
didn’t you all use your common sense? For this reason, all of you need to praise
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ for using discretion, hindsight and foresight. He is the only one who
was spared of agony among you! This is all I have to say to everyone present
here today. I bid you all a good day!”
67
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Bi; a ba; ri;, a¾a; wi;

A®bi; a ki¾i; wi;
A®i¾wi; n’i¾ka¾
Bi; a ba; wi;i la;wi¾i;ju¾
A ma;a d’a¾wo¾ko
Di;a; fu;n oô¾ko¾ôoô¾ka¾n le;ni;ru;n Iru;nmoôleô¾
Woô;n n; loô ba; Olo;kun peô¾sa;n oôdu;n
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ni¾kan ni; n;beô leô;yi¾n to; n; sôeôboô
N®jeô; yo;o; d’i¾i¾ro¾nu; Aka;po¾
Ka; to;o; le¾ ma;a p’oômoô eôni l'o;ju; eôni
Yo;o; d’i¾ba¾nu;je;ô Aka;po¾
EÙni gb’eô;boô ni;beô¾ ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô
Translation:
Should one see and say something

Or should one not say anything at all?
Refusal to speak out amounts to wickedness
But if one says too much
One will be viewed as a parrot
This was Ifa’s message for the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾
Only OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered the eôboô
Behold, it will became a matter of sorrow for the Aka;po¾
If one’s child is killed in one’s presence
It will become a matter of agony for the Aka;po¾
Let those advised to offer eôboô comply with the advice
Ifa; says that it is in the best interest of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed
to do a thorough investigation before he/she allows his/her child to go to any
occasion when this Odu¾ is revealed, especially if the occasion is close to a river,
lagoon, the sea, etc. Ifa; says that this person will be spared the agony and
sorrow of weeping over the death of a loved one. On the other hand, anyone
organizing an event where many children are invited needs to investigate
thoroughly before embarking on it. This is in order for him/her not to have the
68
deaths of children and young ones on his/hers conscience for the rest of his/hers
life. It is very important here for the person to use common sense, discretion,
and hindsight and to speak up when something appears wrong, where this Odu¾
is revealed. If this advice is not taken, the person may experience a serious loss
and may feel sorry and regret for many years to come.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-OÙ®YEÙK ® U: FOR THOSE BORN

BY THE ODU DURING I®KOÙSEÙD
® A:YE: OR I®TEÙ®NI:FA:
By nature, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children are born organizers. They have the uncanny
ability to organize people and materials to achieve set objectives. They are
dogged, unassuming, courageous, tireless and accommodating people. These
qualities more often than not account for the success, greatness and reputation
of those born by this Odu¾ during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;.
Coupled with this is the fact that they believe in doing things correctly, orderly,
with discipline, and doing the right thing at all times. They are good advocates,
campaigners, advertisers and demonstrators. They also grow to become great
labour leaders or political leaders. They however do not progress well in politics
because many people usually find their forthrightness a bitter pill to swallow.
This is why many people end up ganging up against them to make their lives
very difficult. However, they triumph in the end.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children live to their old age because they have the support of the
Divinities who help them to close the doors of death, affliction, litigation, loss
and all other life-threatened principalities. They are also blessed with
compatible spouses who understand, love and appreciate them. Most Ogbe¾-
Yeô¾ku; children do not have many kids of their own but the few they beget end up
making their parents, extended families, community and society at large very
proud. They also have the gift of raising and training children who later grow up
to become useful adults in the society. All Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children however are
warned not to pursue wealth at the expense of childbearing.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children are also very temperamental but they are also very straight-
forward with people. They value true friendship. They however have a way of
picking friends who will later on become their bitter enemies. They however
69
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
overcome these enemies. The cause of the enmity more often than not emanates
from their insistence that their friends must change their bad habits (or
perceived bad habits) to having good conduct. They will repeat this to the extent
that it will irritate these friends and they will end up becoming antagonists and
bitter enemies.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children are also leaders of their various EÙgbeô; in heaven. They
have a lot of respect, reward and support from their EÙgbeô;. This is why those
born by this Odu¾ will never lack anything in life. Anytime they are in acute
want of anything in life, the moment they feed their EÙgbeô; as appropriate and
required, whatever they lacked hitherto will be supplied in surplus.
These children are very lucky to be born and raised by mothers who believe in
proper upbringing for their children. They are often well brought up. Their
mothers also have the qualities of being relevant in the community they find
themselves. The good deeds and behaviour of their mothers always end up
rubbing off on them. The Divinities make it a duty to protect them in order to
prevent their mothers from weeping over them.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children are truly witty and highly intelligent. This is why they
sometimes ignore the advice of others and do their things their own way. Ifa
however warns against this as the result will not be in their favour. They need to
learn to listen to others.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; female children must never look down upon their husbands or
humiliate them. They must treat their husbands with respect. If they don’t, they
will fail.
In summary, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children shall reach the top of their chosen careers.
They must not let anyone or anything intimidate them. On top is where they
have been destined to be. The position is always beckoning to them to come
and occupy it.
70
C. AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA: AND IRU:NMOÙLEÙ® OF OGBE®-‘YEÙ®KU:
1. Ifa; – for overall success, protection and elevation

2. Ori; – for support, victory and overall wellbeing
3. E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ –for victory, support and guidance
4. EÙdan O®gbo;ni – for longevity, children and support
5. Odu¾ – for compatible spouse
6. EÙgbeô; – for success, child-bearing, support and victory
7. Sôa¾ngo; – for victory over adversaries
8. OÙba¾ta;la;– for overall well-being and protection against untimely death
9. O®gu;n – for victory, leadership, success and overall well-being
D. TABOOS OF OGBE®-OÙ®YEÙ®KU:
1. Must never use I®ye¾rosu¾n during Ifa; consultation

especially during the I®koôse¾ôda;ye; of his/her child – to prevent the
premature death of the child
2. Must never go into the poultry business or rear roosters as pets in
his/her home – to avoid misfortunes and calamity.
3. Must never eat bat or use it for anything – to avoid the problem
of childlessness
4. Must never take his/her child to events (especially where water is
near) without proper investigation first – to avoid the child’s
premature death
5. Must never ignore useful advice – to avoid unconsummated fortune
and disaster.
6. Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; women must never be arrogant toward their husbands
– to avoid unconsummated fortune
7. Must never set traps for others – to avoid falling into the trap that
he/she has set for others.
8. Must avoid black, red and hand-painted dresses – to avoid
unconsummated fortune
9. Must avoid going out at night–to avoid being harmed grievously.
10. Must never eat groundnuts – to avoid being implicated in what

he/she knows nothing about and to avoid a situation where his/her
good intentions may turn sour and he/she will be held responsible for
causing harm or death to those he/she intended to help.
71
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE-OYEKU
i. MALES
1. Ifa;feô;mi – Ifa; wants me

2. Ifa;lo;yin – Ifa; has honey
3. Ba;ngba;la¾ – Let OÙba¾ta;la; hand me my purity (white cloth) for me to
carry my baby
4. O®ri¾sôa¾da;yi¾i;si; – O®ri¾sôa¾ spares this from death
ii. FEMALE
1. Odu¾yeômi; – Odu¾ befits me

2. Ifa;lo;yin – Ifa; has honey
3. Ifa;sôeôwa¾ – Ifa; makes things beautiful
4. Aji;nase¾ô – She who sits and stretches her legs early in the morning
72
Chapter 2
Ogbè Ìwòrì
II I
II
II
II I
73
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
OGBE® -W'E®ôYI®N
A.1. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù¾ is revealed during
I®te¾ôlo;du¾ or I®koôseô¾da;ye; shall move from hardship to comfort. He/She
shall rise from grass to grace. He/she shall occupy a leadership position
in life.
The person for whom this Odù¾ is revealed is destined to mould other
people’s character; not just as a teacher, but as someone who shall lead
by example. He/She shall teach people how to think, speak and act in
pragmatic ways.
Ifá says that a very heavy responsibility is placed on his/her shoulders

and he/she cannot afford to fail or let himself/herself down in this divine
assignment. Ifá says that he/she will constantly be confronted with
contentious situations, but he/she should not over-emphasize his/her
rights when dealing with these situations. When cheated, he/she should
not over-react or show that it pains him/her too much. All what he/she
needs to do is put it at the back of his/her mind and know that it shall
be well in the end.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọwith three pigeons, three cocks,
three guinea fowls and money. He/she is also advised to feed Ifa;
with bitter-leaf soup (Vernonia Amygdalina).
The stanza in Ogbe¾ W'eô¾yi¾n, which is in support of these assertions says:
Bi; woô;n ba; j’e¾e¾ru¾ du¾n yi;n

Eô ma; jeô¾e;ô ko; du¾n yi;n ra;ra;
Oun ti; Awo yo;o; jeô
Ki¾i; wo;nô l’eôs; e¾ô Ikin
Di;a; fu;n Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n
Ti;i; sôe A®re¾m
ô oô Ewu;ro
I®gba¾ti; n; beô la;a¾rin i¾po;ônju;
ẹbọni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
74
Translation:
If you are denied of your rightful share

Do not let it perturb you at all
Whatever an Awo will consume
Will never be scarce at the feet of Ifá
This was the declaration of Ifá to Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n
(It-shall-be-sweet-in-the-end)
The first child of Ewu;ro, the Bitter-leaf
When he was in the midst of misery and want
Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n was totally convinced that something was seriously

wrong. He worked himself up to the extent that he believed that
something was amiss in his life. He saw all his colleagues and young
ones succeeding and he could not understand why he had failed to
succeed. He had been initiated into Ifá for over 15 years and he had
been studying and following Ifá for about 10 years before then. Yet, he
had nothing to show for it. He had been hardworking, dedicated, honest
and unassuming. Yet, he had been wallowing in penury. He had never
lied, cheated or usurped other people’s belongings. Yet, he was being
cheated and denied his rights and what belonged to him on a constant
basis. He would work selflessly and tirelessly to achieve a goal only for
others to come from nowhere to enjoy the fruits of his labour. Surely,
he concluded, something was seriously wrong with him.
What was it that was really wrong? He reasoned that it must be one of
two things: he did not choose a good destiny from heaven or he was
being attacked by witches and other negative principalities. Before long,
he began to see himself as someone who did not choose a good destiny
from heaven and who was a victim of the witches and evil people’s
attacks.
One day, Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n went to the home of the Awo mentioned

above for Ifá consultation. He asked: why must I be working for others
to enjoy themselves while I am being denied of my rightful share? Why,
in spite of my dedication, selflessness, honesty and benevolence, do I
have nothing to show in terms of achievement? Why must I be the
target of attacks from the witches, wizards and evil ones? Why did I not
75
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
choose a good and comfortable destiny from heaven? Why is life

treating me so badly? Why? He asked.
The Awo told Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n that his situation in life was pathetic at
that particular point in time but he should however be assured that in
the end, failure would give way to success; sadness to joy; and
hopelessness to boundless opportunities. He was told that his life would
be likened to that of the Ewu;ro, bitter-leaf. When first tasted, it will be
very bitter in the mouth; but in the end, it will bring out sweet tastes
which those who have tasted it will really enjoy.
Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n was told that things were hard and rough for him
now because that was the way it was at the initial stage for the bitter-
leaf. He was advised to persevere and he would be pleasantly surprised
that everything would change for the better for him. The Awo advised
him to offer ẹbọas stated above and to feed Ifá with bitter-leaf soup.
He complied. He was also asked to be patient and hopeful. He was
ready to do those too. The Awo told him that Olo;du¾mare¾, his Ori;, and
Ifá would give him all the support that he needed to wade through the
turbulent period of his life. He was told to continue doing well at all
times; to move closer to Olo;du¾mare and never give up. He equally
complied with all of these directives.
When going, the Awo told him never to think that anyone was after him
or that he had chosen a bad destiny. Rather, he was advised to be
hopeful that his time to succeed was very near. With these assurances,
Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n left the home of the Awo with the determination to
live his life within the ambit of the advice of Ifá. He continued to do
good, please people and work tirelessly for the success and happiness of
others.
At the initial stages, those who had been cheating him continued to do
so, thinking that Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n was simply a fool. Before long,
others who had benefited from his benevolence stood up in his defence.
They did not allow anyone to cheat him any longer. Soon after this, he
no longer slept in hunger or want. His due recognition was given to
him. He continued to pray to Olo;du¾mare¾, his Ori;, and Ifá to make his
life change from bitterness to sweetness, just like the ewu;ro, bitter-
leaf.
76
It did not take him much longer before he began to accumulate wealth.
With this wealth, he secured a good spouse. Together, they had many
children. The children and his spouse joined hands with him to erect a
befitting mansion. He was highly recognized and respected in his
community. At a stage, no decision could be taken in that community
without his knowledge and approval.
One day, Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n sat down quietly in his home to take stock
of his journey from penury to wealth; from failure to success and from
agony to joy. He had no option but to give thanks and praise to
Olo;du¾mare¾, his Ori;, and Ifá.
Bi; wo;ôn ba; j’e¾e¾ru¾ du¾n yi;n

Eô ma; je¾ôeô; ko; du¾n yi;n ra;ra;
Oun ti; Awo yo;o; jeô
Ki¾i; wo;nô l’eôs; e¾ô Ikin
Di;a; fu;n Yo;o;-du¾¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n
Ti;i; sôe A®re¾ômoô Ewu;ro
I®gba¾ti; n;; beô la;a¾rin i¾poô;nju;
ẹbọni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
N®je;ô bo; ba; w’oôla; OÙloô;run
O®Ùroô¾ mi ka¾sô¾a¾i¾ du¾n gbe¾ôyi¾n
Bo¾; ba; w’oôla; Ori; mi
O®Ùroô¾ m¾i ka¾sôa¾i¾ du¾n gbe¾ôyi¾n
Bo; ba; w’oôla; Ifá; mi
O®Ùroô¾ mi ka¾sôa¾i¾ du¾n gbe¾ôyi¾n
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
Eô wa; ba;’ni b’a;yo¾ô
Eôô wa; wo’re o
Translation:
If you are denied of your rightful share

Do not let it perturb you at all
Whatever an Awo will consume
Will never be scarce at the feet of Ifá
This was the declaration of Ifá to Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾¾n
(It shall be sweet in the end)
The first child of ewu;ro, the Bitter-leaf
77
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
When he was in the midst of misery and want

He complied
By the special grace of Olo;du¾mare
My situation shall be sweet in the end
By the special grace of my Ori;
By the special grace of my Ifá
Join us in the midst of endless joy
Come and perceive all Ire
Ifá says that this person shall witness all the Ire of life. He/she shall
have reason to celebrate in life. With perseverance, he/she shall attain
recognition, honour and success.
2. Ifá says that if Ikin are used for Ifá consultation on any issue
whatsoever and Ogbe¾-w'e¾ôyi¾n is revealed and it comes out in A®ye¾ôwo¾,
certain information must be borne in mind: one, although Ifá is not
predicting Ire at this initial stage, this does not necessarily mean that
Ifá does not foresee Ire. What this means particularly is that the spirit
of Ifá is not in the home of this person at this point in time. The
consultation must be stopped as soon as A®ye¾ôwo¾ is revealed. The Awo
in charge will then procure two big kola nuts with four lobes each and
break them open for Ifá in order to summon back the spirit of Ifá into
this person’s home. After this has been done, the Awo will then continue
by asking again if Ifá foresees Ire or A®ye¾ôwo¾. Ifá promises that by so
doing, Ifá will cast its benevolent glance at the Awo and the client(s). If
A®ye¾ôwo¾ is revealed again after feeding the kola nut, the Awo will
continue the casting as usual.
Two, Ifá says that there is equally the need for the person for whom this
Odù¾ is revealed to seek the support of Egu;ngu;n and Oro¾. This is
because the person for whom this Odù¾ is revealed has a close affinity
with these two divinities. There is the need to find out what to use to
feed these divinities and to do so promptly.
78
Three, there is the need to offer ẹbọ of A®ru;kore in order for the client to
be the recipient of all Ire in life. The ẹbọ materials include: two rats,
two fish, two hens, two cocks, two guinea fowls, two ducks,
two pigeons and money.
On these, Ifá says:
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, a¾bi; ko¾ si; ni;le;?

Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oômoô ab'OÙ®sôun lô';e;ôri
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oôômoô ab'OÙô®o¾ôsôa¾ kan ji¾ngbi¾nni¾ lo;tu Ife¾ô
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oômoô oô¾pe¾ô kan n;la; ti; n;fi oju; joô a¾gba; ni;le;
ire;ôgi;-ire;ôgi;;
A®woôn ni woôô;n m'o;bi¾ me;ji¾ ko¾gba¾di¾-kogbadi
Woô;n; fi n;b'e;ôfoô¾n sô’oô¾ta;
O: ni; a;; paa; o
A® la;a pa a;
Woô;n ni; ni;bo la gbe; pa a; si;
Mo la;a paa; si; ori;ta Olu;
O: ni; a; kun-u;n o
A® la;a kun-u;n
Wo;ôn ni; ni;bo la gbe; kun-u;;n si;;?
A ni; a kun-u;n s’o;ôna¾ Di¾ndi¾nri¾n
A®woôn O®ke¾ ni o¾ fibi ri¾nmi¾ri¾nmi¾ teô’leô¾
Di;;a; fu;n Egu;ngu;;n
Ti; woôn o; ma pe¾ e; ni; Baba
Oro¾ ni o¾ r'eô;ni ti; yo;o; pe¾e; mo;ô
Translation:
Is Ifá at home or not?

Ifá is at home, he who propitiates OÙ®sôun inside the river
Ifá is at home, he who propitiates an elegantly
decorated O®ri¾sôa¾ in Ile;-Ife¾ô
Ifá is at home, the holy palm tree that resembles
an a¾gba; drum in its entirety
May two big kola nuts be procured
And let us use them to confront a buffalo
They asked us to break the kola nuts
We responded that the kola nuts have been broken
They wanted to know where the kola nuts were broken
79
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
We responded that they were broken at

the crossroad leading to Olu;’s home
We were asked to cut them into pieces
We responded that they had been cut into pieces
They wanted to know where we had cut them
We responded that it was on the way to Di¾ndi¾nri¾n-Land
A®woôn O®ke¾ ni o¾ fibi ri¾nmi¾ri¾nmi¾ teô’le¾ô (Big hills do
not sit on their tips turned upside down)
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Egu;ngu;n
Who would be known and called “Baba”
But Oro¾ was he who had no one to salute him
In the beginning, Oro¾ and Egu;ngu;n were planning to leave I®ko¾ôle; O®Ùrun
(heaven) for I®ko¾ôle; Aye;, (the Earth) together. Their intention was to
come and settle on earth. When they got to the boundary between
heaven and earth, Oro¾, the Elder divinity instructed Egu;ngu;n his
younger one to go into I®ko¾ôle; Aye;, to find out if I®ko¾ôle; Aye;, would be
conducive for them to stay. Oro¾ also wanted Egu;ngu;n to report back
to him after investigating the earth. Egu;ngu;n came into I®ko¾ôle; Aye;,.
When he arrived, those who saw him realized that he was not an
ordinary human being, especially with his costume. They greeted him
with reverence. Egu;ngu;n responded in like manner and told them that
he would like to be taken to the palace of the Ϙba of I®ko¾ôle; Aye;. He was
taken there accordingly.
On getting to the palace of the Ϙba of I®ko¾ôle; Aye;, the Ϙba asked him
what roles he planned to perform. He responded that he would perform
the roles of blessing the childless with children; blessing the unmarried
with a good spouse; blessing the poor and helpless with success
chances and wealth; and that he would bless people and the community
with prosperity, peace and tranquillity. In summary, he promised to
change the bad aspects of people’s lives to good so that life would be
worthy of living for them. When asked what he would want to be
offered for performing these roles, he responded that he would like to
be offered A®ka¾ra¾ (fried bean cakes), E®koô (cold corn meal), OÙ®o¾ôleô (cooked
bean fritters), Obi¾ (Kola nuts), A®ku¾koô (cocks), Oti; (liquor) and A®gbo¾
(Ram).
80
The Ϙba then instructed that the first person that saw Egu;ngu;n should
take him home and this person should be given the title of A®a¾reô O®je;¾.
Also, that Egu;ngu;n should be propitiated and the ceremony should be
performed by the A®a¾reô O®je;¾., the first person to “see” Egu;ngu;n. Where
Egu;ngu;n was located as his permanent place of abode was known as
I®gba¾le¾ô. Egu;ngu;n could only be seen outside on special occasions when
special ceremonies were to be performed.
For 12 full months, Egu;ngu;n had a field day. People kept trooping into
his I®gba¾le¾ô. He performed as he had promised: the sick got well; the poor
became rich; the debtor paid off his/her debts; the bachelor/spinster
became blessed with a suitable spouse; the barren received the blessing
of the fruit of the womb; the hopeless became hopeful. In short, life
changed for the good for all the inhabitants of Ile;-Aye; who approached
Egu;ngu;n for assistance.
While all this was occurring, Oro¾ was still waiting at the boundary of Aye;
and O®Ùrun. Initially, he felt that there was nothing to worry about. Three
full moons after, he became concerned: Why is Egu;ngu;n taking so long
to come and report to him? Did he meet with calamity when he got to
Ile;-Aye;? Oro¾ quickly removed these thoughts from his mind because he
knew that if Egu;ngu;n was in any type of problem, he (Oro¾) would
notice it instantly. But if Egu;ngu;n was not in any type of trouble, then
what was causing the delay?
By the time it was seven full moons, Oro¾ was getting angry with
Egu;ngu;n. Oro¾ felt that it should not have taken Egu;ngu;n more than
seven days to find out if Ile;-Aye; was conducive for them or not and
report back to him. He began to think some more. Why then was it that
an assignment that was supposed to be performed in seven days has
not been completed in seven months? Why? By the time it was 10
months, Oro¾ had worked himself up into red hot anger. He concluded
that Egu;ngu;n was only being impertinent. He reasoned that Egu;ngu;n
was doing that in order to slight him. He decided that he would not be
bothered. Egu;ngu;n had to come and meet him at the boundary and
purge himself of his impertinence. He promised that he would tongue
lash Egu;ngu;n and tell him things he would never forget in a hurry.
When it became 12 full moons, the inhabitants of Ile;-Aye; put their

heads together and performed a one year ceremony to commemorate
81
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
when Egu;ngu;n arrived into their midst. Everyone had good tales to
tell. It was a grand occasion and all those who participated in the
ceremony were abundantly blessed. There was singing and dancing,
drumming and displays of costumes. The devotees of Egu;ngu;n had
increased in many folds.
On the 13th full moon, a thought occurred to Oro¾: Maybe Egu;ngu;n has
been living so good in Ile;-Aye; that he has simply forgotten his own elder
who had sent him on a very simple errand? The thought looked so
preposterous to Oro¾ that he quickly dismissed it from his mind. But
what could make Egu;ngu;n refuse to come and report back to him? It
had been 13 months and him being in any form of trouble had been
ruled out; but then what other reason could there be? None! It must
be that Egu;ngu;n has been really enjoying himself at the expense of his
elder! No, it can’t be so; it really is so! Yes, it is so! It has to be so!
But why? Egu;ngu;n must be taught a lesson for this! He must be
punished for this! He must be rubbished for this! It must be done right
in the presence of the people of Ile;-Aye; so that they will know that
Egu;ngu;n has broken a great oath and has betrayed the trust reposed
on him! Egu;ngu;n has cheated his Elder and he must be punished! Yes,
he must be punished! With this resolved, Oro¾ angrily left the boundary
between Aye; andOÙ®run and stormed into Ile;-Aye;.
As soon as he got to Ile;-Aye;, he was asking for Egu;ngu;n. In his blind

fury he was a very awful spectacle. The first person who saw him was
so terrified that he did not know what to do. In the end, he decided to
take Oro¾ to the palace of the Ϙba of Aye;.
While at the palace, Oro¾ was demanding for Egu;ngu;n. His anger was
totally uncontrollable.
As soon as the Ϙba of Aye; saw this, he summoned his chiefs and had a
quick meeting with them. Meanwhile, Oro¾ was made comfortable but
he could not be comforted completely. He could not wait to set his eyes
on Egu;ngu;n..
However, during their deliberation, the Ϙba and his chiefs concluded
that Oro¾ must never be allowed to set his eyes on Egu;ngu;n. They
reasoned that in the past 13 full moons, their lives had changed for the
better and the quality of their very existence had greatly improved; all
82
due to the activities of Egu;ngu;n. For this reason, they would have to
defend Egu;ngu;n at all costs. The only way to do this, they reasoned,
was to ensure that where Egu;ngu;n was living must remain hidden from
Oro¾.
The chiefs also felt that they could equally take advantage of the
presence of Oro¾ in Ile;-Aye;, and make use of his abilities too. They
approached Oro¾ and demanded from him what roles he could perform
while in their midst. He explained what he could do for them. They
realized that his roles were similar to those of Egu;ngu;n. They also
discovered that Egu;ngu;n and Oro¾ both represented the Ancestors even
though Oro¾ was the Elder Divinity. They demanded from Oro¾ to tell
them what he would love people to give him as propitiation material for
all the good things he would be doing for them. He explained to them
what the items were and most of them were similar to those of
Egu;ngu;n.
Ϙba-Aye;, then directed that the first person who saw Oro¾ should take
him home and put him in a grove. The grove was known as Igbo;ro¾. He
also directed that Egu;ngu;n must be coming out in the day time while
Oro¾ should be coming out during the dead of the night. This was to
avoid confrontation and friction between the two. Since that time up till
today, Egu;ngu;n and Oro¾ are still not in good terms. Even their
devotees are not the best of friends.
Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to send anyone
on any errand that is known to be very important to his/her life. Ifá
says that he/she will not be in any position to blame the person sent on
that errand if that person decides to go and exhibit his/her own
potentials where he/she has been sent. When anything is very important
to the person for whom this Odù is revealed, it is in his/her best interest
to perform that assignment by himself/herself. That is the only way
he/she will not have everlasting regret.
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, a¾bi; ko¾ si; ni;le;?

Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oômoô ab'OÙ®sôun lô';e;ôri
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oôômoô ab'OÙô®o¾ôsôa¾ kan ji¾ngbi¾nni¾ lo;tu Ife¾ô
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oômoô oô¾pe¾ô kan n;la; ti; n;fi oju; joô
a¾gba; ni;le; ire;ôgi;-ire;ôgi;;
A®woôn ni woôô;n m'o;bi¾ me;ji¾ ko¾gba¾di¾-kogbadi
83
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Woô;n; fi n;b'e;ôfoô¾n sô’oô¾ta;

O: ni; a;; paa; o
A® la;a pa a;
Woô;n ni; ni;bo la gbe; pa a; si;
Mo la;a paa; si; ori;ta Olu;
O: ni; a; kun-u;n o
A® la;a kun-u;n
Wo;ôn ni; ni;bo la gbe; kun-u;;n si;;?
A ni; a kun-u;n s’o;ôna Di¾ndi¾nri¾n
A®woôn O®ke¾ ni o¾ fibi ri¾nmi¾ri¾nmi¾ teô’leô¾
Di;;a; fu;n Egu;ngu;;n
Ti; woôn o; ma pe¾ e; ni; Baba
Oro¾ ni o¾ r'eô;ni ti; yo;o; pe¾e; mo;ô
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki;; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Egu;ngu;n ni¾kan lo; n;beô l’eôy ; i¾n to; n;s’ô e¾boô
N®je;ô Olu;yoôku¾n Baba ni o
Ifá; Olu;yoôku¾n Baba ni
EÙ®yin o¾ mo¾ô ‘pe; Olu;yoôku¾n ni Baba n;je;ô
A®seô ; Olu;yoôku¾n Baba ni o
Translation:
Is Ifá at home or not?

Ifá is at home, he who propitiates O®Ùsun inside the river
Ifá is at home, he who propitiates an elegantly
decorated O®ri¾sôa¾ in Ile;-Ife¾ô
Ifá is at home, the holy palm tree that resembles
an a¾gba; drum in its entirety
May two big kola nuts be procured
And let us use them to confront a buffalo
They asked us to break the kola nuts
We responded that the kola nuts have been broken
They wanted to know where the kola nuts were broken
We responded that they were broken at the crossroad
leading to Olu’s home
We were asked to cut them into pieces
We responded that they had been cut into pieces
They wanted to know where we had cut them
We responded that it was on the way to Di¾ndi¾nri¾n-Land
A®woôn O®ke® ni o¾ fibi ri¾nmi¾ri¾nmi¾ teôle¾ô
84
(Big-hills-do-not-sit-on-their-tips-turned-upside-down)
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Egu;ngu;n
Who would be known and called “Baba”
But Oro¾ was he who had no one to salute him
They were advised to offer ẹbọ
Only Egu;ngu;n complied
Behold! Olu;yoôku¾n is Baba
Ifá Olu;yoôku¾n is truly Baba
Don’t you know that Olu;yoôku¾n is the name of Baba
So, Baba is known and called Olu;yoôku¾n
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be known
and called Baba, the Father. There is however the need for this person
to make himself/herself relevant to his/her family, group, community
and the whole society at large, at all times. Where maturity is expected
to be applied, he/she needs not display anger.
3. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom
this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person shall be counted among
the movers and the shakers of his/her groups, family or community. Ifá
says that this person shall come across something or someone who shall
turn him/her into a highly influential person in his/her community. No
serious decision can or will be taken outside his/her knowledge.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to procure two
dogs for ẹbọ. One of the dogs shall be returned to him/her to keep as
a pet while the second one shall be retained by the Awo. He/she also
needs to feed his/her Ifá with Iku;n (Squirrel). If these two steps can
be taken, success is guaranteed. Leadership is assured.
On these, Ogbe¾-'We¾ôyi¾n says:
Ogbe¾-'Weô¾yi¾n b’a;ja; reô o; baa¾ pa Iku;n

Dia fun O®Ùru;nmi;la¾¾
T’I:fa; yo;o; woô;n’ja;
Ti; yo;o; soôoô; ni; Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe;
EÙboô ni wo;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
85
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Translation:
Ogbe, look back, maybe your dog will kill a squirrel

This was Ifá’s message to Orunmila
Who would procure a dog
And name it Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe (Benevolence is not in vain)
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was farming and doing Ifá business simultaneously. He

cultivated a large farm. He primarily planted yams. He was very sure of
a bountiful harvest that year. In spite of this hope, he went to the
home of the Awo mentioned above, who incidentally was one of his
former students, for Ifá consultation. Will I succeed this year?
The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would succeed beyond his

expectations. He was told that he would come across something that
would elevate him financially. He was assured that he would become
very influential in his community.
The Awo also advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with two dogs. He
complied. One of the dogs was returned to him. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was advised
to name the dog “Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe”–meaning “Benevolence-is-not-in-vain”.
He did. He was also advised to ensure that he fed his Ifá with squirrel
on a regular basis.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ returned home with his dog and with the determination to
ensure that his Ifá was fed with a squirrel at least once every 17 days.
Anywhere he went, it was with Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe his dog. The dog soon
became his favourite pet. The dog was also very good in hunting. As a
matter of fact, Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe’s training was thorough and intense. The
dog would kill rabbits, big rats, grass cutters, antelopes, brown rats,
grey rats, squirrels, etc. All of these were very easy kills for the dog.
One day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went to his farm together with Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe. As

soon as they got to the farm, they saw a squirrel. Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe sited the
squirrel first, even before OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. The dog needed no prompting
before giving the squirrel a hot chase. The squirrel entered a hole in an
anthill close by. Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe began to dig the hole with his hands and
legs. Before long, the dog fell into a big hole, saw and killed the squirrel
86
but at the same time, it saw two big loads of expensive jewellery, coral
beads, elephant tusks, enamels, etc in the big hole.
Unknown to anyone, about 20 years back, a group of armed bandits had

gone on robbery operations. They had robbed and killed the high and
mighty in several towns and villages and dispossessed them of their
goods. While they were carting these goods away, common sense told
them to hide the goods somewhere for sometime in order to allow public
outcry to subside. They dug a large hole at the particular site and buried
all their loot there.
The next day, there was heavy rainfall. All the signs they made in order
for them to easily identify the spot where the loot was buried were
obliterated. A week or so after, they came to the spot to retrieve their
loot but they could not spot the place where all the jewellery, enamels
and ivories were buried. They were able to retrieve the clothes, shoes
and leather materials only. They promised to come back at a later date
to comb the site more thoroughly.
The following week, they went on another robbery operation. This time
around, the public was ready for them. The robbery gang was wiped
out mercilessly.
Soon after this, ants made the site where the loot was buried their
home. They moulded their hill on the very spot. About 10 years or so,
they left the spot. The anthill became the home of rodents, rabbits, big
rats, snakes, etc. That was how the squirrel ran into the anthill when
Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe was in pursuit.
Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe called the attention of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to the jewellery. As

soon as he saw the jewels, he remembered what his Awo had told him.
He packed all the jewellery, enamels, ivory, etc and took them to his
home. He also used the squirrel to feed Ifá.
That was how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ became the richest man in his community in
one day. He invited the leader of the community to his home. He
showed them what he had found. They deliberated together on what to
do with them. In the end, they shared them among the inhabitants. A
part of the materials were sold and the proceeds were used to execute
public projects. They however ensured that the biggest share went to
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ who brought their attention to his change of status. Everyone
87
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
gave OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ respect because they knew that not all people would
agree to share their wealth with others.
Ogbe¾-'Weô¾yi¾n b’a;ja; reô o; baa¾ pa Iku;n

Dia fun O®Ùru;nmi;la¾¾
T’I:fa; yo;o; woô;n’ja;
Ti; yo;o; soôoô; ni; Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe;
EÙ® ba; ba;’ni b’a;yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
Ogbe, look back, maybe your dog will kill a squirrel

This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Who would procure a dog
And name it Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe; (Benevolence is not in vain)
He complied
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have cause
to celebrate. He/she shall be highly honoured and respected in his/her
family, community and the society at large.
4. Ifá says that the person for whom Ogbe¾-We¾ôyi¾n is revealed shall make
huge profits in his/her chosen career. If his/her profession has to do
with farming or agriculture in general, he/she shall succeed very well.
He/she shall not regret his/her chosen career.
Ifá, at the same time, says that he/she shall also make huge profit in
his/her marriage, especially with regards to the resultant children that
he/she will produce and raise from the marriage. His/her children will
bring him/her huge profits, joy, pride, peace of mind, contentment and
88
satisfaction. He/she shall be very proud of these children. In fact, these

children shall be greater than him/her in the future.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons, four guinea
fowls and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with one mature
she-goat.
Ako;’gi-l’a;pa;, t’e¾ôyi¾n lo; po¾ô ju t’iwa;ju; loô o

Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; Baba yo;o; f’oko la¾
Ti; yo;o; si¾ f’oko; la¾
Translation:
In order to carry a bundle of firewood in one’s arm

successfully, the part extending to the back needs
to be longer than the part extending to the front
Who would succeed on the farm
And would also succeed while raising a family
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was contemplating going into full-scale farming. He planned

to cultivate yams, maize, okra, sweet potato, melon and plantain. He
secured very fertile land for his intended project. Before embarking on
anything further, he went for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed? Is farming
in line with my destiny?
The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would be very successful in his

chosen career. He was told that he would make a huge profit that
would turn him into a very wealthy man. He was advised not to
entertain any fear whatsoever.
The Awo also told him that his real profit in life depended on him getting
married and producing his own children. He was told that his children
would give him more profit and joy than any financial success could ever
do for him. The Awo informed him that raising his own family was his
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
real gain in life. He urged OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to go ahead and get married and
have his own children as soon as possible. After this, he advised
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ and feed Ifá as stated above. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied.
As soon as he got home, he embarked on the two projects - cultivating

his farm and finding a suitable spouse. He soon cleared the land and at
the same time cleared the way for marriage. He made heaps for
planting and at the same time, he got married. He planted yams on the
farm and planted babies at home, when his yams germinated on the
farm, his wife delivered a baby at home. His joy knew no bounds. He
became very wealthy on the farm and became a proud father in the
home. Many years after, his wealth on the farm helped him to train his
children in the home. The children soon became richer than him. They
became his greatest source of joy.
Ako;’gi-l’a;pa;, t’e¾ôyi¾n lo; po¾ô ju t’iwa;ju; loô o

Ti; Baba yo;o; f’oko la¾
Ti; yo;o; si¾ f’oko; la¾
N®je;ô mo r’e;re¾ l’o;ko;
Mo r’e;re¾ l’o;ko
E®re¾ ti; mo ri; l’o;ko ko¾ to; t’oko;
Translation:
In order to carry a bundle of firewood in one’s arms

successfully, the part extending to the back needs
to be longer than the part extending to the front
Who would succeed on the farm
And would also succeed while raising a family
He complied
Behold, I have profited while raising a family
I have also profited on my farm
The profit I have made on the farm is nothing
compared to the one I have made with my genitals
90
Ifá says that this person shall have no regrets in his/her business and
family undertakings.
5. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be
blessed with a bouncing baby boy. When this baby arrives, the name of
the baby should be Ifá;wuyi¾.
If a pregnant woman is where this Odù is revealed, the woman is to be

assured that she will have a safe delivery. Not only this, the coming
baby shall be a male and the name to be given to the baby is Ifá;wuyi¾.
Ifá says that if this Odù is cast during the I®koôse¾ôda;ye of a male baby,
the name of the baby is Ifá;wuyi¾.
Ifá also says that this baby shall enjoy the special protection of Ifá. The
baby shall not die young. He shall live to his old age. The baby shall
also accomplish many things in his life. Ifá however advises this person
to be very close to Ifá. He must never contemplate leaving the path of
Ifá as there lays his protection and sanctuary.
On all these, Ifá says:
A® n; ki; oômoô eku

OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju;
Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;n lo; de;
Ti; o; fi n; wo iwa;ju;
O: ni; iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju;
Lo; pa ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-ideô
A® n; ki oômoô eôja
OÙmoô eôja n; w’e¾ôyi¾n wo¾
Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja ki;n lo; de;
Ti; o; fi n; wo eô¾yi¾n wo¾
O: ni; iku; ala;i¾ we¾ôyi¾n wo¾
Mo wa; wo iwa;ju;
E®mi wo e¾ôyi¾n
E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifá;
Ti;i yo;o; bi¾i; Ifá;wuyi¾ l’o;ômoô
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko;o wa;a; sôe
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Translation:
While greeting Eku (the Rat)

The rat continued to look forward
They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred
that you are continuously looking forward?”
The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was
what led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ”
While greeting EÙja (the Fish)
The fish continued to look backward
They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that
you are continuously glancing backward?”
The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward
was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô ”
I looked forward
And I even glanced backward
I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá
These were Ifá’s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Who would give birth to a baby called Ifá;wuyi¾
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was very successful in his calling as a Babaláwo. His clients

had cause to rejoice any time they went to him for solutions to their
numerous problems. In the end, they usually showed him their
appreciation by showering him with gifts. For this reason, money was
not OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s problem.
He was also blessed with a nice and beautiful spouse. His wife was
totally devoted to him. She also believed absolutely in him. In spite of
this, there was a problem however. There was no fruit of the womb to
show for the love and belief they had for each other.
One day, his wife called him and told him that she found it difficult to
believe how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ could be looking after her for all these years that
they had been married without helping her to solve her infertility
problem. After all, there had been several people who had come for the
same problem whom OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had helped and these women were
already proud mothers many times over! She said that a woman’s child
92
is her pride and wealth in her matrimonial home. What love does
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ profess to have for her when he has failed to help her solve
her infertility problem? In the end, she accused OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ of being
insensitive to her plight and by extension, just paying lip service to his
love for her.
In his response, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ assured her that he was also suffering from
the same problem of childlessness. He told her that he too yearned to
have his own child that he could love, cherish, send on errands and
confide in. He said that he had tried to find a solution to this problem
but Ifá told him that with a little more patience, they would soon
become proud parents. With this assurance, she calmed down.
Six months after, they were still having patience and hoping that the
baby would soon come. The wife could wait no longer. She called
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ again and screamed at him that he could afford to wait until
his old age because as a man, he could still father a baby when he was
very, very old but in her own case, her time was limited. “You are
callous!” she screamed. “You are a wicked man! You have not tried
hard enough!” If it had been other people, you would have found a
solution! What offence have I committed against you that has made
you not to take my matter seriously? Why?!” In the end, she pleaded
with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to let her go if he felt that he was no longer in love with
her.
In his response, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told his wife that he was still in love with her
and that he would do anything for her to make her happy. He assured
her that Ifá said that she was just at the verge of getting pregnant.
Consequently, she had no cause to leave her matrimonial home or be
angry. He explained to her that he had even gone to meet the group of
Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation on the issue. The Awo had
assured him that whether he offered ẹbọ or not, his wife would become
pregnant. What he needed to take more seriously was for the baby not
to be snatched away from them by the cold hands of Ikú (Death). He
informed his wife that he had been advised to offer ẹbọ with four rats,
four fish, two hens and money in order for his wife to become
pregnant. He was also advised to add a mature he-goat to the ẹbọ so
that his baby would not die young. After this, Ifá had advised him to
feed Ifá with a mature she-goat. It was on the morning of that very
day that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered all the ẹbọ.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her all of these, she was somewhat pacified. She
felt that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was really concerned about their welfare. That was
when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her that the coming baby would be a male and its
name should be Ifá;wuyi¾-Ifá is prestigious. In the end, apologies were
offered and accepted on both sides. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ apologised to his wife
even though he was doing everything for her. The problem was that he
was not keeping her in the picture of what he was doing to help. In the
case of the wife, she apologised for the use of intemperate language
against him.
That very month, she became pregnant. Every OÙ®se¾ô Ifá;, they cast Ifá to
ensure that nothing happened to the pregnancy. In the end, she gave
birth to a bouncing baby boy. The baby was named Ifá;wuyi as Ifá had
advised.
From that day, they began to shower their love and affection on the
baby. At the same time, they began to do everything and anything to
protect the life of Ifá;wuyi, their jewel of inestimable value.
A® n; ki; oômoô eku

Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;n lo; de;
Ti; o; fi n; wo iwa;ju;
O: ni; iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju;
A® n; ki oômoô eôja
OÙmoô eôja n; w’e¾ôyi¾n wo¾
Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja ki;n lo; de;
Ti; o; fi n; wo eô¾yi¾n wo¾
O: ni; iku; ala;i¾ we¾ôyi¾n wo¾
Mo wa; wo iwa;ju;
E®mi wo e¾ôyi¾n
E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifá;
Ti;i yo;o; bi¾i; Ifá;wuyi¾ l’o;ômoô
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko;o wa;a; sôe
Ifá;wuyi¾ oômoô oô¾ mi o
Ifá;wuyi¾ o¾ gboôdoô¾ ku; ni; ke;kere;
Ifá;wuyi¾ oômoô oô¾ mi o
94
Translation:

was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô”
I looked forward
These were Ifá’s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Who would give birth to a baby called Ifá;wuyi¾
He complied
Ifá;wuyi¾ is my beloved child
May Ifá;wuyi¾ not die young
Ifá;wuyi¾ is my beloved child
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will be blessed
with a baby boy and the baby will be protected from dying young or
meeting with any calamity.
6. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed had hitherto
used his/her mouth to create problems for himself/herself. Ifá says
however that it is the same mouth that he/she will use to pull
himself/herself out of the problems.
Ifá says that this person has a keen sense of observation. His/her sense
of observation will eventually exalt him/her. He/she shall become a
leader and shall be found in the midst of royalty.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Ifá also says that there is a pregnant woman where this Odù is revealed.
The woman will give birth to a male baby.
Ifá equally warns a man who is having a disagreement with his spouse
where this Odù is revealed to act with levelheadedness. He must not
behave like a bastard! Ifá says that a bastard is he who encounters
something that angers him (because something bad has been done to
him) but who shies away by not showing any anger; also, it is a bastard
who is begged for forgiveness and refuses to accept the plea.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with
one mature she-goat and 30 bags of money.
OÙgboô;n inu; u woôn ni;i; ra;n woôn lo;gun

OÙ®fun i¾mo¾ôra¾n ni;i; ro i¾mo¾ôra¾n l’e;;ro¾
Bi; woô;n ba; gboô;n l’a;gbo¾ôn-o;ônju¾
Oko aje ni;i; mu; woôn-oô;n loô
Di;a; fu;n Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾
Ti; n;ba; Olo;wo; o re¾ô loô sa;la¾de OÙ®yoô;
Translation:
Their wisdom is it that sends them to the war front

And their voice is it that haunts them
If they claim to be too intelligent
They will be forced to face trial by ordeal
These were Ifá’s declarations to Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾
(He-who-uses-his-mouth-to-offset-his-debts)
When following his lord to OÙ®yo;ô land
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was a man with a very keen sense of observation. He

could accurately read any situation and make a perfect deduction from
his observations. He was also a very ambitious man. His intention was
to make it big in life, no matter the odds. People would often tell him
that if there is a will, there is surely a way. He was convinced that he
had the will to succeed; therefore, there must be a way to do just that.
96
One day, the Baa;le; of a family close to him died. Instead of leaving
behind any fruitful legacy for his family, he left huge amounts of debt,
amounting to hundreds of bags of cowries. This became a very serious
embarrassment to the whole family. In this wise, an emergency meeting
was quickly summoned in order for the family to address this problem
and find a quick solution to it.
When all the various representatives of the extended family had

assembled, the convener of the meeting, who incidentally was the next
Baa;le; of the family, stood up to address those present at the meeting.
He stated thus: “I greet you all in the name of our ancestors. May
Olo;du¾mare¾ grant all of us the grace to live to our old age before we
pass on to the great beyond. Our Baa;le; who has just joined our
ancestors lived to his old age. He witnessed the birth and growth of his
children, grand-children and even great grand-children. He was a father
to all. He was also fair to everyone”. He paused to let the words sink
into their heads before he resumed his speech. By this time, the
gba¾gede that they all sat in was dead silent.
When he resumed, his voice was a little higher than before. He

declared; “There is nobody here who our dead father had not assisted
one way or the other. We are no longer seeing him, but I can assure
you that he is seeing each and every one of us here. If anyone here
feels that he had not assisted him/her in any way, that person is free to
speak out now”. After saying this, the Baa;le; designate sat down.
One after the other, all those present started extolling the virtue of the
dead Baa;le;. The general consensus was that the deceased was a
likeable person when he was alive. He was a man who would go to any
length to help other people; especially members of his extended family.
As soon as this fact was settled, the Baa;le; designate stood up again to
speak. He said; “it is clear that our late Baa;le; would receive merciful
consideration from Olo;du¾mare¾ because he had made this family better
than how he met it. May the ancestors continue to bless and pamper
him in the realm of the Dead”. As he said this, all those present
responded with a resounding “A®sôeô”.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
When the Baa;le; designate knew that he already had all those in
attendance in his pocket, he decided to drop the bombshell of the real
reason why the meeting was called. He then said, "In spite of these
great qualities of our late father and Baa;le;, something however is amiss.
There is a big patch of palm-oil that has stained his otherwise
immaculately white garment. Our Baa;le; has left a huge debt, running
into the hundreds if not thousands of bags of cowries for us to offset. If
he had left a huge legacy for us, I am sure that we would all have gladly
shared it. Now that he has left a debt for us, it is equally our duty to
share it. That is what we can do to save this noble family from disgrace
and embarrassment. It is the least we can do to remove the stain in our
late Baa;le;’s immaculately white garment. Are there any objections to
this? Do we have anyone with a different viewpoint? Let the person
stand up and speak out now if they do."
This time, he did not sit down. Instead, he began to look round the
gba¾gede to see if anyone would stand up to speak against what he had
just said. Nobody did. “I now realise that we are all in agreement that
what I have said is the noble thing to do to save the face of a noble
family and pull out a noble man from ignoble embarrassment. Is that
not correct”? All those present shouted that it was certainly the correct
thing to do under that circumstance. The Baa;le; designate continued, ”I
do not intend to take too much of your time. All of you have one thing
or the other to do. You are all busy and serious-minded people. I will
soon ask you to go. Before that however, there is the need for us to
share the debt among ourselves according to our capabilities. All this
has been put into consideration.” He paused again to let his words and
its implications sink into their heads before he continued.
Then he pointed to the first man directly in front of him and said; “You,
your own money is 40 bags of cowries. He then pointed to another
person and said yours is 30 bags of cowries. The man next to you,
yours is 25 bags of cowries. And you, it is 55 bags of cowries. As for
me I will take 100 bags of cowries. You next to me, yours is 25 bags of
cowries....”. That was how he began to share the debt for everyone
present. There was no objection from any quarter.
As the money to be paid back was being shared, that was precisely the
time that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾¾ passed behind the house. What he heard
was “you, yours is 25 bags of cowries and you, yours is 35 bags of
cowries...”. He quickly gathered that the Baa;le; had just died; a family
98
meeting had been summoned; money was being shared; definitely, it

must be the legacy of the man that was being shared among his
brethren. This was an ample opportunity for him to partake in the
sharing of the legacy. Truly, if there is the will, there is a way. He must
let the family know that he had 30 bags of cowries to collect from their
late Baa;le;. With that amount he could start life anew as a rich man. He
was truly in luck; he concluded. Before thinking any further, he shouted
at the top of his voice, “mine is 30 bags of cowries! Please let me in”.
When those present at the meeting heard this from Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾,

they were all taken aback: who was this transparent, honest person who
would declare that he had 30 bags of cowries to pay back to a dead
man, when nobody even knew that he owed the dead man any money
at all? The Baa;le; designate quickly summoned him inside.
When he entered, he greeted all those present at the meeting. The

Baa;le;, who had been standing all the while, addressed him and said;
“Young man, I am pleasantly surprised that youth like you can still be
found in this community. Youths of your type are very rare to come by
nowadays. With your transparent honesty, I am convinced that there is
still hope for this community and the future is very bright for this
generation”.
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ responded that since he was born, he had never told

any lie because his parents insisted that he must never lie, no matter
how difficult the situation may be. The Baa;le; said,” You do not need to
tell us that; you have really demonstrated that you were well trained
and that you actually imbibed all the advice and instructions of your
parents. If not so, how many people could ever come out and declare
that they owed a dead man money when there was no witness? It is
only an honest person like you who can do that. On behalf of the
family, I thank you for your honesty and at the same time, I will like to
inform you that we need this money in two days' time”.
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ could not believe his ears. What was this supposed to
mean? Had he inadvertently put himself into trouble? Where would he
come by 30 bags of cowries? He was looking for cheap money, had he
cheaply organised himself into debt and embarrassment? His head was
spinning and planning. He must get himself out of this problem one
way or the other. He quickly thought of an appropriate response to pull
him out of the trouble. When he felt that he had articulated the
99
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
appropriate sentences to get him free of the trouble, he said,” Thank

you everyone. As I had earlier told you, I have never lied in my life.
There is no reason for me to lie. My parents gave me that training and
it was well imbibed by all the children. Besides this, I am a living
witness of the virtues of honesty and truthfulness everyday and every
time. For these reasons, falsehood can never be a part of my life.
“What really happened was that the late Baa;le; was actually owing me 30
bags of cowries. The late Baa;le; planned to assist some people but he
had no money to execute his plan. He therefore approached me for
assistance. I gave him the 30 bags of cowries in order to ensure that he
was able to actualize his plans. That was how the late Baa;le;, may his
soul rest in peace, came to owe me the money. Even if I were to tell
lies, would I lie against someone who is dead?” He paused to let his
statement sink in. After a while, he continued; “What I will really
appreciate now is for this family to look for a way to avoid being
embarrassed. It will not be appropriate for you to be dragged to the
authorities simply because your late Baa;le; owed me money. Please
arrange for my money now and let me leave you in peace so that you
can continue with your deliberation.
The whole gba¾gede was dead silent when he finished his speech. He
was very sure that he had confused and outwitted the whole family. For
a long while, nobody said or could say anything.
In the end, the Baa;le; designate responded. Before speaking, he cleared

his throat. He said; “Young man, you have really convinced all of us
present here today that our late father actually borrowed money from
you. It is a good thing that you said it was not more than 30 bags of
cowries. Somehow though, I do not believe you. Our father gave us all
the names of those he owed money to and your name was not
mentioned. We shall pay your money first however. In fact, we shall
pay your money today”.
When Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ heard this he silently congratulated himself. He

praised his intelligence. He promised himself a big bowl of pounded
yam and a keg of palm-wine when he received the money.
The Baa;le; designate resumed his speech, “Here are the 30 bags of
cowries. Young man, here is the money you claim our father owed you.
But before you take the money however, we are going to place the bags
100
of money on our father’s grave for you to pick up. Not only this, you are
going to take a bath with the sponge with which the corpse of our father
was given his last bath before he was buried. We will put a little sand in
a calabash. This sand will be taken from our father’s grave and a little
water will be added to it. You will drink the water. After this, you are
free to take the money and depart in peace. I can assure you that if
you have taken a false oath, you will not last seven days on earth before
you join our father in the spirit world”.
When Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ saw that the money had been brought out, he
was full of contentment. He was even happier when the Baa;le; designate
told him that the money was for him. However, his face changed from
contentment to utter consternation when the Baa;le; designate threw the
bombshell that he must swear to an oath before he went away with the
money. He desperately needed the money; he however did not want to
die young. How was he going to extricate himself from this problem
now? He must not take the oath; that was certain. At the same time,
he must not lose face in the presence of the whole family. What must
he do now?
In the end, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ decided to bluff his way out of the

problem. He looked at the Baa;le; designate in the face and thundered,
“So, it is now an offense for me to show kindness to your late father
when he was in dire need of money? Where were you all when he came
to me to borrow money? Because I had pitied your late father, you think
that you will now question my integrity and spoil the name I have
laboured to build since I was young? So, you think that you will not pay
back my money unless and until I swear to an oath? I will never do
that! You are all ingrates! Pay me my money and let me go now! Was
it because I did not ask for interest? You now have the temerity to
impugn upon my integrity! I will deal with all of you! There will not be
peace in this family until you pay me my money! Thieves!”
The Baa;le; designate looked at him for a long time and said, ”Young
man, we shall pay your money today; but if you do not swear, you will
not collect the money. What is more, you will not be allowed to leave.
The Ϙba of this land will hear about this. I was totally convinced that
you had spoken the truth the very first time when you said that you
owed our father 30 bags of cowries. I do not know what entered into
your head to lie afterward. Young man, you have two options now; you
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
either take the 30 bags of cowries after swearing, or you pay the 30
bags of cowries you are owing our father!”
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ then realised that the more he tried to bluff himself out
of trouble, the more he entangled himself deeper into the crisis. He
decided to give it a last trial. He said,”In all my life, I have never met a
family who was so insensitive. I lent your late father money without
conditions and now that it is time for this family to pay me back my
money, you begin to bring conditions! You even go to the extent of
insisting that I should swear to an oath! In any case, it is not in my
character to do that. I will rather prefer to forgo the money and leave
everything to Olo;du¾mare¾ to judge. It will however be on record that
this family owes me 30 bags of cowries! That is all I have to say. Good
day!”
As soon as he finished, he made to go out of the gba¾gede. He was

however accosted. He was thoroughly roughened up. In the end,
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was dragged before the Ϙba. The Ϙba heard both
arguments and ordered that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ must swear to an oath if
truly he was not the one owing the late Baa;le some money. He could
not. He later confessed that he was lying.
The Ϙba ordered the palace guards to give him 20 strokes of the cane
for lying against a dead person, trying to cheat and planning to cause
chaos and confusion in the community.
He was also ordered to pay the family the 30 bags of cowries he owed
their late father. All his pleadings that he made about not owing any
money fell on deaf ears. He pleaded that he could not get the money.
As a matter of fact; his newly married wife had just dressed him down
because he could not provide any money for the family upkeep before
he left home.
After much deliberation, it was agreed that the 30 bags of cowries would
be paid by the Ϙba. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was then ordered to be serving
the Ϙba as one of his domestic servants until he could pay back the
money. This was done. For six months, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was still
serving the Ϙba. He would resume duty very early in the morning and
leave late at night. He had no time to work for himself and look for the
money that he owed. He was in grief and melancholy.
102
One day, the Ϙba summoned him to his presence and told him that he,
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, would accompany the Ϙba to OÙ®yo town the next day.
He was allowed to go home early in order to prepare himself for the
journey.
When he was going home, he began to ruminate over his plight: was
this the way he would live for the rest of his life? Would any miracle
happen to him that would enable him to regain his freedom? Would he
not be able to fulfil his destiny as a result of perpetual servitude? These
and many more related questions were what dragged Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾
to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation.
In the home of the Awo, he was informed that it was his mouth that had
landed him into trouble in the first place. The Awo however assured him
that the same mouth would also pull him out of the trouble. The Awo
said that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was a highly intelligent man with a keen
sense of observation. He had however chosen to apply his intelligence in
a fraudulent way. It was his wisdom that sent him to war where he
found himself in servitude. When he felt that he was too intelligent, that
was the time that he was asked to come and swear to an oath. Because
he was truly intelligent, he quickly realized that swearing a false oath
would cut short his life, he refused to do so. That he refused to do so
was what made all those listening to him to disbelieve him. That was
how he ended up incurring a huge debt. He was advised to offer ẹbọ as
stated above. He complied. After the ẹbọ, he was counselled to use his
intelligence in positive ways at all times. With this, he left the home of
the Awo fully determined to succeed in life.
The next day, he was the person who woke everyone up in the Ϙba’s
palace. Soon after, they set out on their journey; the Ϙba rode on a
horse while Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ trekked.
Shortly after they passed through the town and moved into the road
that led to OÙ®yo town, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ shouted; “Ka;bi;ye¾si, please halt!”
confused, the Ϙba drew the rein of the horse. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ said; “a
horse has passed through this same path a short while ago. The horse
has only the right eye that is working while the left eye is blind”.
“How do you know this?”, the Ϙba inquired.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
“Let us move more quickly so as to meet the horse on the way. But
Ka;bi;ye¾si, let’s make a deal, if we eventually meet the horse and we find
it to have only one eye, then 10 bags of cowries must be deducted from
my debt,” Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ declared.
“Ok. I agree. But if we cannot not find any horse that has only the right
eye without the left, then 10 bags of cowries will be added to your
debt,” said the Ϙba.
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ also agreed and they moved quicker than before.

Before long, they came across the O®gu¾n River and they crossed it. As
soon as they did so, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ shouted again; “Ka;bi;ye¾si, please
halt”.
“What is it this time?”, the Ϙba asked.
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ declared; “a woman has just urinated here. The

woman is pregnant and she is carrying a male baby in her womb”.
“How do you know this”, the Ϙba inquired.
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ responded thus; “let us move even faster than before.

If we meet the woman and she says that she is the one who urinated
here, close to this Iya; tree, then 10 bags of cowries must be deducted
from my debt. If the woman is pregnant, another 10 bags of cowries
must be deducted. If the woman eventually gives birth to a baby boy,
then I should be the one to ride your horse back home.
The Ϙba considered all these things and said,”Ok. I agree. But if these
assertions of yours are not found to be so, you shall be serving me
perpetually until you die”. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ also agreed.
What continued to baffle the Ϙba was the fact that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾
was absolutely unperturbed. His level of confidence was unbelievable.
He was totally sure of himself. The Ϙba could just not understand
where such confidence came from. In the end, the Ϙba concluded that
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was totally fed up with life and was just looking for
somewhere to stay to spend the rest of his miserable life.
104
They moved faster and faster. Before long, they met a man with a
horse. They were both resting under the shade of a mighty Baobab
tree. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ approached the man and asked;” Baba were you
by any chance coming from O®ke¾-O®gu¾n region?” The man responded
that he was. The horse he was riding was examined. It was found out
that the horse had an eye on the right side of its head but the eye on
the left was not there!
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ invited the Ϙba to come and take a look at what he

had seen. When the Ϙba had satisfied himself that the horse indeed
had only one eye, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ said; “Ka;bi;ye¾si, my debt remains
only 20 bags of cowries”. The Ϙba agreed.
When the Ϙba realised that what Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ said had been
confirmed, he began to want to change his mind on the deal he had
made. Who was this person? Did it mean that he had special means for
knowing things which others did not? Was he specially blessed by the
divinities? Or, was this an extension of his numerous tricks which had
landed him into trouble in the first place? Who exactly was he?
The Ϙba was still ruminating over this when they met a woman who was
eating eô¾koô, cold corn meal, and a¾ka¾ra¾¾, bean cake, under the shade of a
tree along the road. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ approached the woman
immediately and asked; “woman, were you by any chance coming from
O®ke¾-O®gu¾n region?”
“Yes, I was”, responded the woman.
“Did you cross the O®ogu¾n River close to the Iya;; tree?”
“Yes, I did. But why do you ask?”
“Nothing in particular, I just wanted to know if you were the one who
urinated by the foot of the tree. That is all.”
“Yes, I was the one. You know, since I’m heavy with pregnancy, I
urinate more frequently than ever before. This is my first pregnancy and
people say that it is normal for me to urinate the way I am doing at this
stage. Is there anything particularly wrong with my urinating?”
105
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
“There is nothing wrong with your urinating. What you will never realize
is that your urine has just set me free of all debts. However, how
advanced is your pregnancy?”
The woman was totally confused. How did her urine set this strange
man free of all his debts? She however responded thus, “Any moment
from today, I will give birth to my baby. I am going to O®Ùyoô; town to meet
my husband’s relations so that they will take proper care of me”. “Which
compound are you going to?” Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ asked.
“The name of my husband’s family compound is the Pa¾ra¾ko¾yi;

Compound. It is well known in the whole of O®Ùyoô; town”.
With this, they bid the woman farewell and promised to come and check
on her at O®Ùyoô;. On the way, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ told the Ϙba that he no
longer owed him any money. The Ϙba agreed. He told the Ϙba that
they needed to stay behind in O®Ùyoô; for the woman to deliver her baby,
so as to determine who would ride the horse back home. The Ϙba also
agreed, adding that if the woman gave birth to a female, then Asoô¾ro¾ô-
san-gbe¾se¾ would resume serving him perpetually.
Three days after their encounter with the woman, she went into labour.
She gave birth to a baby boy! When they went to see the woman in her
husband’s family compound, they were greeted with the news. As soon
as they heard this, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ told the Ϙba that, “we can now
return to O®ke¾-O®gu¾n. But remember Ka;bi;ye¾si, I am the person who will
ride your horse back home. We have just confirmed what I have already
known”. The Ϙba dismounted and Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ mounted the horse
and rode on it to O®ke¾-O®gu¾n while the Ϙba trekked all the way.
By the time they returned to their land, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ had no more

debt to pay. He had used his mouth to offset all his debt. He was
however in constant touch with the Ϙba. Many times when the Ϙba
wished to go anywhere, he would invite Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ to accompany
him and he would oblige the Ϙba.
One day, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was invited by the Ϙba to come and

accompany him to a ceremony the next morning. He was urged to
arrive very early in the morning. He agreed to come.
106
The next day, he woke up very early and headed for the Ϙba’s palace.
When he got there, he met the Ϙba and one of his wives engaged in a
serious physical confrontation. Everybody around tried to pacify the Ϙba
but he just refused to listen. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ also tried, but the Ϙba
refused to be pacified. In the evening Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ returned to his
own house while the fight was still raging.
The following day Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ returned to the palace to see the

Ϙba. He asked him why he was so angry. The Ϙba responded that the
woman had really infuriated him. As the Ϙba was narrating his
experience with the woman he became livid with anger, and once again,
another round of fighting ensued. They begged the Ϙba to calm down,
all to no avail. When the situation was getting out of hand, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-
gbe¾se¾ sneaked out of the palace and rushed back to his house.
About one week after, the Ϙba invited Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ to follow him to
the farm in order to go and inspect the progress his slaves and servants
had made on the farm with the work that they were doing for him there.
They went together that same day. When they got to the farm, the Ϙba
was so angry with the slow pace of work that he jumped down off his
horse and began to beat up the workers. They pleaded, shouted,
begged and appealed- all to no avail. “You good-for-nothing slaves and
servants! May SÙa¾ngo; send his thunder and strike you all down! So, this
is all the work you have done on this farm! You have been eating my
food for nothing! My God, what have I spent my money to purchase in
the market? I have gotten for myself a bunch of fools whose bones
have suddenly turned to cartilage! May SÙa¾npo¾ônna; strike all of you dead!”
He continued to beat them with canes, clubs, whips and anything he

could lay his hands upon. All their pleading did not have any effect on
him. At a stage the Ϙba began to scream at the top of his voice,
slapping, kicking and biting the slaves and servants.
All the while, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ stood aside watching the macabre scene
with complete detachment. He did not stop the Ϙba anymore. When
the Ϙba became truly tired and exhausted, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ simply told
him to let them go back to the palace. He sheepishly obliged him.
On their way to the palace however, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ threw him a life-

changing bomb-shell. He said; “Ka;bi;ye¾si; with all due respect, you do not
107
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
have one drop of royal blood in your veins. The late Ϙba who joined his
ancestors before you, who stepped on the thrown, was not your real
biological father. The person who actually impregnated your mother that
led to your birth was at best, a half-crazy and never-do-well fool.
Everything about you shows that you hail from a social refuse site and
not from a home of royalty!"
“How dare you talk to me like that"? said the Ϙba! "This is the reason
why it is not advisable to allow commoners like you to move too close to
me! Because I have condescended so low as to call you to accompany
me to places, it has now given you the license to abuse me! I will not
take this lightly with you. I will put you in your proper place! I assure
you of that. You must prove that the circumstances of my birth are
anything short of what they are supposed to be. If you cannot prove
this, I will make sure that you die in my palace as my horse-keeper!
Everyone in the land knows that I am the first son of the late Ϙba. That
was why I was made their Ϙba when my father joined his ancestors”.
The Ϙba thundered. He continued on and on, for several moments.
“Ka;bi;ye¾si;, it is true that everybody in the land believes that you are the
first son of the late Ϙba but your mother knows whose son you really
are. Fortunately for you and for me, your mother is still alive. You have
given me your own condition and it is alright with me. But if it is found
out that you are indeed the son of a good-for-nothing man, then you
must abdicate the throne and make me the Ϙba. Do not forget this land
cannot afford to have the son of a half-insane person as their Ϙba”.
That was the response of Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ to the Ϙba.
Until they got home, both of them did not utter one word to each other.
As soon as they got home, the Ϙba went straight to his mother and
said; “mother, I beg you in the name of I®ku;nle¾ô-Abiyamoô. What I want
to ask you now, please tell me nothing but the truth...”. He wanted to
continue but Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ stopped him, “No Ka;bi;ye¾si;! This is not the
way to handle this. What will drive you out of the palace is not
something that you will handle with your mother alone. You need to
summon the whole land to the market square by breakfast time
tomorrow, and then ask your mother your question in the presence of
the whole town. If I am wrong, then the whole land will know about it.
If I am right on the other hand, the whole land will know why you are
leaving the throne for me to become the Ϙba”.
108
By breakfast time the following day, the whole of the village square was
filled up with people. Those who were unable to walk employed the
services of able-bodied men to carry them there. The atmosphere was
charged. The tension in the air was almost touchable. As soon as the
Ϙba came out, together with his mother on one hand, and Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-
gbe¾se¾ on the other, the village square went dead silent.
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ cleared his throat and, in a dramatic manner declared

thus; “Today will determine many things in this village. First, today will
determine whether or not our Ϙba will continue to be our Ϙba. Second,
if he cannot continue to be the Ϙba, then I, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ will
assume the throne.
As he was speaking, everyone kept wondering what he was really

heading for, and what could lead to such a statement? After what
looked like a very long pause, he continued, “What will bring about all
the changes in the life of this village is simply the circumstances
surrounding the birth of the person we all know and believe as our Ϙba.
I have told him, and by extension, I am telling the whole village that he
is not of a royal birth. I told him that he had no royal blood flowing in
his veins. I declared to him that the person who fathered him was at
best a half-sane person. The Ϙba disputed my claim. We have said
that if my assertions are incorrect, then I will return to his palace and
serve him for the rest of my life. This is alright with me. On the other
hand, if my assertions are found to be correct, then he will have to leave
the throne and I will become the Ϙba. He has also agreed to this”. He
paused again for good effect.
The Elders present could not believe what they had just heard. Was this
true? They all believed that the Ϙba was the first son of the immediate
past Ϙba. Were they all wrong to have chosen this Ϙba to assume the
throne? No! They were right! The person who was wrong and who
ought to be wrong must be Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ ! If he was found guilty of
false accusation, he must be severely punished, apart from making him
serve the Ϙba for the rest of his life. That would teach other jokers like
him a lesson. But what if he was right and his allegations were found to
be true? No, he could not be right! He must not be right! In fact he is
not right! He has no right to be right!
109
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
As they were deliberating on this issue, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ resumed his

speech; “The Ϙba and I have agreed that this is not enough. The whole
town also needs to agree with what we have said. Is anyone present
here in any disagreement?”
Yes, this was the opportunity the village needed to severely deal with
this joker. He would never in his life level any false allegation against
anyone again. Without thinking any further, the town shouted in unison
that they were all in agreement!
That was when Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ turned to the Ϙba’s mother and

declared, “Mother, you are the only one here who can shed light on
what we are saying now. What we need from you is the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth. Yesterday, your son, the Ϙba
begged you to tell him the truth. He invoked the spirit of I®ku;nle¾ô-
Abiyamoô to plead with you. I am using the same I®ku;nle¾ô-Abiyamoô to
beg you to tell us the truth here and now, so that the wrath of I®ku;nle¾ô-
Abiyamoô will not be on your head for the rest of your life. Please, tell
the whole town the circumstances of the birth of your son, our Ϙba”.
The Ϙba’s mother looked at her son and asked, “Why have you brought
it to this level? Why did you not ask me before making it an open
debate?” The Ϙba simply said, “Mother, this matter started yesterday
when we were returning from my farm. What I am really interested in
now is the truth. I am more interested in knowing the truth than in
retaining my crown. Please mother, in the name of I®ku;nle¾ô-Abiyamoô
tell the world the truth of the matter”.
The old woman looked round the whole crowd and burst into
uncontrollable tears. Meanwhile, the people remained silent and were
full of expectation. After a while, she said, “I knew no man before I was
married to your father, the Ϙba. We were living happily together for
eight months. Throughout this period, I was not blessed with the fruit
of the womb. Your father and I began arguing incessantly over this
issue. One day, he got angry with me and I got angry too. I packed my
things and left the palace. My thinking then was that the
misunderstanding would be resolved within a few days. I was convinced
that the Ϙba would come and beg me to come back home but he never
did. For six months, the matter remained unresolved”. She burst into
tears again. The whole of the village square was charged, electrically
charged. Everyone held his/her breath. What would come out next?
110
With a huge sob, she continued, “while in my parent’s home, people

would barely look at me. Being married to the Ϙba did not reduce my
appetite to satisfy my emotional needs. It was unfortunate that nobody
in his right sense would ever move close to an Ϙba’s wife. I was given
food because your father regularly sent abundant food to my family and
I was also sent clothing materials of all kinds but I was feeling very
lonely and lacked physical and emotional affection. This, nobody could,
or was ready to satisfy since the misunderstanding was yet to be
settled”.
She looked up to assess the mood of the crowd. She felt that the
women pitied her condition while the men showed understanding.
When she looked at her son, she realised that his face was contorted
into a grimace of pain, grief and frustration. She also saw that her son
had resigned himself to his fate. She could also see satisfaction in the
face of Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾.
She continued; “One day, I saw a drunkard in our area. He looked

young and handsome. When I enquired about him, I was informed that
he was always drunk. One day, he got drunk and fell down close to our
backyard. I drew him close to me and took him home. Ostensibly I took
care of him. I cleaned him up and gave him a mat to sleep on.
Eventually, one thing led to another and I decided to satisfy my sexual
needs with him. This happened four times over a period of two weeks.
When it was time for my menstruation to come, I realised that I had

missed my period. That same week, the misunderstanding between the
Ϙba and I was finally settled. Who was I to tell him that a drunkard had
impregnated me?! So, I decided to keep this secret and take it to my
grave. That was how you were born and that is why everyone believes
that you are the true son of the Ϙba.
“In order to keep my great secret, I ensured that this drunkard was
banished from our community. He was sent far away. I later learned
that he fell into a ditch four months after. He died even before you
were born, when I was still carrying your pregnancy in my womb.”
There were mixed feelings among the crowd. Some felt disappointed;
some were outraged; some angry; while some could just not be
bothered. For the Ϙba, he felt pain and anguish.
111
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
In the case of Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, he felt contentment. Soon after, the

crowd went dead silent again.
The Ϙba stood up from his stool. He surveyed the whole crowd and
saw pity on their faces. He cleared his throat to speak but no words
came out of his mouth. Instead of speaking, hot tears were just rolling
down off his cheeks. In the end, he said, “Well, I have accepted my
fate. Sometimes in our lives, our own mothers are our nemesis. The
actions and inactions of our mothers affect our destiny and change the
course of our lives. My mother has dug the grave which I have fallen
into today. This grave was dug ever before I was born”.
He paused. After a while, he continued; “What my mother did before I

was born has come to visit me today. I have no regrets. If the truth
had been said earlier, I would have had no right to the throne in the first
place. I am going to vacate the throne today because it does not belong
to me in the first place. Before I leave however, I have three questions
to ask Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾. If he answers my questions to my satisfaction,
I will go. I do not want to know whether or not you install Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-
gbe¾se¾ as your next Ϙba. What really concerns me is that I am not
entitled to the throne in the first place. One, when we went to OÙ®yo;
town, on our way, you said that a horse had earlier passed through the
same path and that the horse had only one eye. And it was so. How
did you know this? Two, when we crossed the Oo®gu¾n River, you said
that a woman had just urinated by the foot of an Iya; tree, that the
woman was pregnant, and that she would deliver a male baby. It was
found to be so. How did you know this? Three, when we were
returning from my farm yesterday, you declared that my actual father
was at best a half-insane man. It was so. How did you know this?”
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ instantly became the focus of all eyes. Everyone was

interested in knowing how he was able to accurately predict all these
events. Was he using special means? Curiosity engulfed the whole
village square. It was indeed Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾’s day.
He stepped into the middle of the village square. He took his time
before he began to speak. “First of all, I have no special means to know
anything. The difference between you and I is that while you see things,
I go beyond that by observing what others see. It is lack of observation
112
that usually prevents people from making accurate deductions from

what they have seen.
“When we went to OÙ®yo;ô town, on our way, I observed the print of horse
hooves on the ground. That made me realise that one horse had earlier
passed through that path. I also noticed the biting of the horse’s mouth
on the grasses on the right side but there was no such thing on the left.
That made me realize that the horse was eating grass that it saw. That
gave me the conclusion that the horse could only see the grass on its
right and it had no eye to see what was on its left side. That was why I
declared that the horse had the right eye and did not have the left eye.
It was only through observation that I knew this and nothing more”. He
looked round the crowd to see whether they were following his analysis
or not. They were.
“The second question: it is very simple as well. When a man urinates,

the urine will first go forward away from the person urinating and will
gradually move towards the person as his bladder is becoming empty.
In the case of a woman, the whole bladder is emptied on the same spot.
When I moved close to the Iyá tree, I observed that someone had
urinated there. The mark of the urine was in the same spot. This made
me realise that the person who urinated there was a woman. Also,
when a woman is pregnant, the womb will put heavier pressure on her
bladder and the force of the urine will be more than that of a woman
who is not pregnant, especially if the pregnancy has reached an
advanced stage. That was why the hole that the force of the urine will
make on the soil will be deeper than that of a woman who is not
pregnant. I observed this and I knew that the woman who urinated
there was pregnant.
Furthermore, there is something called La¾n¾ko¾ri¾ which our elders usually

observe in the urine mark of a pregnant woman in order to determine
the sex of the foetus. If it was a female foetus the La¾n¾ko¾ri¾ would
make a deep round hole in middle of the soil where the woman had just
urinated. If it was a male foetus, the mark would make a linear hole. I
observed that it was a linear hole that the urine of the woman made in
the middle of the soil where she urinated. That was how I knew that
the woman would give birth to a male baby.”
113
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
At this point, the crowd became flabbergasted at such an informative

utterance coming out of Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾’s mouth. They exchanged
glances and could not believe this man to be so knowledgeable and
observant to that level. The crowd then started moving even closer to
him. As a result, it was so difficult to control the excitement of the
crowd.
“Now back to the third question,” continued Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾. “Royalty

is synonymous with decorum, maturity, understanding, protocol and
orderliness. That is the blood that runs through the veins of those with
royal birth. When I came into the palace to see the Ϙba, I saw him
engaging in physical combat with his wife. Those who were there
begged him to stop but he refused to listen. This shows lack of any
form of maturity, decorum or orderliness.
Yesterday when we went to his farm, he jumped down from his horse
and began to beat up his slaves and servants. These were the same set
of people who had done the work to the stage that he found it. They
begged him and he refused to listen. He did not show any
understanding, protocol, maturity or orderliness. If it is true that these
are characteristics of royalty, then he has no such blood in his veins. It
is only a bastard who will see something that’s annoying and not be
annoyed by it; in the same vein, only a bastard is he who will be begged
and will not listen to appeals.
There are more mature ways that those who have royal blood in their
veins handle anger and dissatisfaction. His own father, the former Ϙba
handled issues with maturity and understanding. That was how I
concluded that the person he claimed to be his father was not his real
father. His erratic behaviour made me assert that his real father was, at
best, a half-insane person. I rest my submission.”
For what looked like an eternity, nobody spoke or moved. They all stood
rigid in one spot. Suddenly, they rushed toward Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾. They
carried him shoulder-high and began to sing, thus:
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re o o¾

Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re
OÙba na;a¾ i¾ ba; ru; o
A: pe;ô l’o;ye¾ e re¾ô o
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re
114
Translation:
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you have been vindicated

Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you are really correct
Had the Ϙba heeded the warnings
He would have stayed longer on the throne
They all danced round and round the village square until evening time
when everyone finally returned home.
OÙgbo;ôn inu; u woôn ni;i; ra;n woôn l’o;gun

OÙ®fun i¾mo¾ôra¾n ni;i; ro i¾moô¾ra¾n l’e;ro¾
Bi; wo;ôn ba; gbo;n ô la;gbo¾ôn-oô¾nju¾
Oko aje ni;i; mu; woôn-oô;n loô
Di;a; fu;n Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾
Ti; n;ba; Olo;wo; o re¾ô loô sa;la¾de OÙ®yo;ô
EÙboô ni woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
N®je;ô Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re o o¾
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re
OÙba na;a¾ i¾ ba; ru; o
A pe;ô l’o;ye¾ e re¾ô
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re
Translation:
Their wisdom is it that sends them to the war front

And their voice is it that haunts them
If they claim to be too intelligent
They will be forced to face trial by ordeal
These were Ifá’s declarations to Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾
When following his lord to O®Ùyo;ô land
He complied
Now, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you have been vindicated
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you are really correct
Had the Ϙba heeded the warnings
115
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
He would have stayed longer on the throne

Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be elevated
from grass to grace. He/she shall move from disgrace to respect and
honour. That is the message of Ifá for this person.
7. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed has the full
backing of the Divinities. Ifá says that he/she shall also be protected
against problems and untimely death. This person shall not be rejected
by Ifá.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature ram and 20
blades. He/she also needs to feed Ifá. There is the need to find out
from Ifá the exact materials needed to feed Ifá. When the ẹbọ is to be
offered, this person needs to shave all the hair on his/her body and
use it as part of the ẹbọ.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n on this aspect says:
OÙ®pe¾ i¾ha;ha;, abi¾jin re¾ôreô¾e¾rô eô¾

Di;a; fu;n A®ja¾sa;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Odu¾duwa¾
Woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôeôboô si; la;i¾ku; ara reô
Translation:
The forest palm tree with its broad shade

This was the Awo who cast Ifá for A®ja¾sa
The child of Odu¾duwa¾
He was advised to offer ẹbọ against untimely death
A®ja¾sa was one of the children of Odu¾duwa¾. He was also a favourite of

the Divinities. He was well-behaved, level-headed and truthful. He was
always found in projects that would bring development to the
community. He assisted many people without expecting any reward
from them.
116
One day, A®ja¾sa fell ill. The illness became serious. He was doubtful of
whether he would survive or not. He began to wonder whether Ifá had
rejected him. After all, he reasoned, a true child of Ifá is not expected
to die in his/her prime. What then has gone wrong in my own case?
These were the questions at the back of his mind when he approached
O®Ùpe¾ô i¾ha;ha; abi¾jin reô¾re¾ôeôr¾ e¾, a veteran Babaláwo of that time for Ifá
consultation: Will I survive? If yes, what do I need to do to survive? If
not, what have I done wrong?
The Awo assured A®ja¾sa that he would not only survive, he would also
live to his old age. He was assured that Ifá was solidly behind him. He
was counselled that a child of the Divinities might face problems, but
he/she surely will overcome them. "There is nowhere that Ifá says that
you will not have problems; what is sure however is that you will
overcome your problems." This is what the Awo told him. He was then
told that he still had a lot of good work to do for the Divinities.
He was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. One of the

blades was used to shave all the hair on his body. After the ẹbọ, Ifá
was fed with a mature ram as advised.
When he returned home, he began to notice an improvement in his

health, life and family. He regained his strength and his family became
stronger than ever before. He was able to help more people than he
had done before. He gained self-fulfilment more than ever before. He
then realised that Ifá had never at any time, abandoned or rejected him.
OÙ®pe¾ i¾ha;ha;, abi¾jin re¾ôreô¾e¾rô eô¾

Di;a; fu;n A®ja¾sa;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Odu¾duwa¾
Woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôeôboô si; la;i¾ku; ara reô
O: gb’eô;boô, O: ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, Ko¾ ji¾nna¾
N®je;ô abeô o¾ koô’ri;; o
A®gbo¾ o¾ koô¾’ja¾
Ifa; o¾ koô¾ mi; ‘Moôdeô I®reôsa¾
117
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Translation:
The forest palm tree with its broad shade

This was the Awo who cast Ifá for A®ja¾sa;
The child of Odu¾duwa¾
He was advised to offer ẹbọ against untimely death
He complied
Behold, the blade cannot reject shaving hair
And the ram cannot reject a fight
Ifá does not reject me, M’oôdeô I®reôsa¾ offspring of the
hunter of I®reôsa¾ land
Ifá says that this person will never be rejected by Ifá for any reason.
He/she has done well; therefore, he/she has the backing of Ifá at all
times.
8. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is suffering
from back problems. Ifá says that these problems will soon disappear.
With appropriate ẹbọ, they shall soon become things of the past.
On the other hand, Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is
revealed shall be the instrument to the finding of solutions to the
ailments of the back being suffered by an important person. Ifá says
that with the solution, this person shall be handsomely rewarded for a
job well done.
If the person for whom this Odù is revealed is the victim of back
ailments, there is the need for him/her to offer ẹbọ with one mature
he-goat.
If on the other hand, the person for whom this Odù is revealed is the
one trying to proffer a solution to the back ailments of another person,
then he/she needs to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea fowls
and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with one hen and plenty
of palm-oil.
On these, Ogbe¾-We¾ôyi¾n says:
A n; ki; oômoô eku

Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;nlo; de;
118
Ti; o fi n; wo iwa;ju;
O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju;
Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-Ideô
A n; ki; oômoô eôja
OÙmoôô eôja n; weôy ¾ i¾n
Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja Ki;nlo; de;
Ti; o fi n; weô¾yi¾n
O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾ weôy ¾ i¾n
Mo wa; wo iwa;ju;
E®mi wo eô¾yi¾n
E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifa;
Baba n;loô re¾e; wo a¾ru¾n e¾ôyi¾n sa¾n
Ni;le; Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;
EÙboô ni woôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:

They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred that
you are continuously looking forward?”
The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was what
led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ”
They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that you
are continuously glancing backward?”
The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward was
what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô”
I looked forward
These were Ifá’s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la
When going to solve the problem of the back ache
In the home of Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;
119
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; was the wealthiest person Olo;du¾mare¾ had ever created.
She had influence, command and respect all over the world. She was
also known everywhere. Whatever she said was law for both men and
women. She also controlled more than three-quarters of all the world’s
resources.
In spite of her enormous wealth and power, she was humble, graceful
and respectful. These qualities made her to be loved by all. Anytime she
showed anger, it was believed that she had been greatly provoked.
However, she was known to be ever-returning to mercy.
One day, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; woke up with a slight leg pain. She thought
nothing of it. A few days later, the pain moved to her lower back. Yet,
she considered it a minor inconvenience. The pain persisted. It
however reached a stage where it became unbearable. She could
neither stand nor sit. She was forced to support her back with many
pillows, yet the pain refused to subside. Several herbs and roots were
recommended, all to no avail.
When the pain became unbearable, she asked her domestic staff to look
for a competent Ifá priests who would help solve her problems. They
invited Kogu;n-Kogu;n, Awo ile; Ala;ra;,, He-who-recites-20-stanzas-in-each-
Odù, the resident Awo of Alárá’s palace. He tried all he knew but the
backache persisted. Next they invited Koôgboô¾n-koôgboô¾n, Awo O®ke¾ I®reôji¾,
He-who-recites-30-stanzas-in-each-Odù, the Awo of O®ke¾-I®reôji. He tried
all he knew and failed. The back-ache even became worse. Next, they
invited Ka¾a;doô;ta-ka¾a;doôô;ta, Awo Epa To¾o;¾ro¾mo¾fe;, He-who-recites-50-
stanzas-in-each-Odù, the Awo of E®pa-To¾o¾ro¾mo¾fe; land, He was full of
promises and assurances but tried and failed. They went to invite many
more prominent Awo and these Awo also tried all they could but they all
failed.
That was when they decided to invite OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ himself to come and
solve the problem of Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;. As soon as OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received
Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;’s message, he approached the group of Awo mentioned
above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed on this mission? If yes, what
do I need to do to ensure success? On the other hand, if the chance of
success is slim, what do I need to do to turn the impediments in the way
of success to opportunity?
120
The group of Awo, who were his former students, assured him that he
would surely succeed. He was told that he would not only succeed in
finding a solution to the problem of Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;, he would equally
be handsomely rewarded for doing so. He was advised to offer ẹbọ with
two pigeons, two guinea fowls and money. He was also advised
to feed Ifá with plenty of palm oil. He complied. Soon after this, he
set out on his journey to Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;’s home.
When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ got to Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;;s palace, she summoned him to

come straight into her innermost room where she laid down, resting her
back on some soft pillows. She asked OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to consult Ifá for her.
He did. During Ifá; consultation, Ogbe¾-We¾ôyi¾n was revealed.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ assured Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;, that her back ailment would soon be
a thing of the past. He told her that all the other Awo who had visited
Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; before him had prescribed the right herbal remedies for
her, but they were not enough. They should have offered appropriate
ẹbọ first before administering those remedies. The ẹbọ would have
assisted to attack the ailment spiritually so as to accelerate the process
of healing. He therefore advised Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; to offer ẹbọ with a
mature he-goat and money. She was also advised to feed Ifá with
a big she-goat. She complied. After these processes had been
completed, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ began to apply herbal medications on her.
Within three days, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; could sit un-aided. In a week, she
could stand up on her own. Soon after this, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; could move
about in her palace. Three weeks after the medication began she had all
but forgotten about the backache. Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; could not believe the
rate of recovery. She pleaded with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to stay two weeks extra
with her. He did. By the time OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was to leave, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;
had recovered her health completely.
As a token of her appreciation, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; gave OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ several

coral beads, plenty of money, different types of clothing material, and
several able-bodied servants to help him carry all the goods back home.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ became fabulously rich.
Anyone who asked him how he came about his wealth, he would inform
them that his success came from his ability to find a solution to back-
ache problems.
121
OGBE® I®WO®RI®

Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere ideô
Mo wa; wo iwa;ju;
E®mi wo eô¾yi¾n
Baba n;loô re¾e; wo a¾ru¾n eô¾yi¾n Seô¾ni;ade;
Ni;le; Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;
O: gb'e;ôboô, O: ru;'boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, Ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; jeôb ¾ u;tu; ire gbogbo
Jeô¾bu;tu; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni leô;se¾ô oô¾pe¾ô
N®je;ô a¾ru¾n eôy
¾ i¾n l’E®Ùdu; wo¾ sa¾n o
A®ru¾n eô¾yi¾n l’EÙ®du; wo¾ sa¾n
Mo si;n’de¾ s’o;ôwoô;
Mo la’de¾ b’oôru¾n
A®run e¾ôyi¾n l’EÙ®du; wo¾ sa¾n o
Translation:

122

I looked forward
These were Ifá’s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la
When going to solve the problem of the back ache
In the home of Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;
He complied
Now, It was the back ache ailment that EÙ®du; had resolved
It was the back ache ailment that EÙ®du; had resolved
I have adorned my wrist with ide¾, Ifa; beads
I have also adorned my neck with ide¾
It was the back ache ailment that EÙ®du; had resolved
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be very
happy in life. He/she shall be honoured and respected.
On the other hand, the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have
course to be grateful. He/she shall have his/her health restored to
normal and shall enjoy sound health as soon as the ẹbọ in this stanza is
complied with.
9. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom
this Odù is revealed. Ifá promises that this person shall be very
successful in life.
Ifá advises him/her to offer ẹbọ with one mature ram and a lot of
money. He/she is also advised to feed I®ya;-Aje;, the icon of the Divinity
of Wealth with snails, honey and e¾kuru (bean fritters) that are
cooked without salt, palm-oil or pepper. He/she is also expected
to sprinkle the e¾kuru round his/her compound, house and/or room as
the case may be, depending on how spacious his/her apartment, house
or compound is.
123
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Ifá also advises this person to show hospitality to visitors, especially

total strangers. His/her success will come from visitors and those who
he/she may normally overlook and/or discountenance. To those for
whom this Odù is revealed, showing courtesy to visitors and strangers is
the most important ẹbọ than all the ẹbọ materials in the world. This is
why he/she needs to be very careful when dealing with visitors,
strangers and people who look like they belong to the lower socio-
economic ladder.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-'Weô¾yi¾n laying emphasis on this aspect says:
EÙÙ®eô¾kan e¾ôba; oôn

¾ a¾ ni;i; hu¾ le;ôba¾a; oô¾na¾
Ni;i; sô’eônu ganngan s'i;ta
Di;a; fu;n Aje;
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni;’bu¾do;
Translation:
The blade grass by the roadside is it that

grows by the roadside
And shoots outside the road
This was the Ifá cast for Aje;
When weeping in lamentation for her
inability to secure a suitable home of her choice
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
In spite of the enormous wealth controlled by Aje;, she was avoided by

all prospective suitors. In fact, as a result of her wealth, many suitors
believed that it was not advisable to marry her because they felt that
her stupendous wealth had definitely gotten to her head and she was
not a woman that could easily be handled. For this reason, no man in
his right sense wanted to have anything to do with Aje;. They believed
that she would only bring them grief because there was no point in
marrying a woman they could not easily handle.
124
Aje; was looking for was a man who would respect her, treat her well,
and understand her. She vowed that if she could find such a man in her
life, she would turn herself into that man’s slave.
However, she was not in search of just any man. She had certain
qualities she was looking for and she would not settle for less. These
qualities were: the man who would win her heart must be kind, honest,
considerate, benevolent, accommodating, brilliant and intelligent. She
could not find this quality in any man who had approached her thus far.
Her inability to find a man who met her standards however was a cause
of concern and sadness for her. She would cry almost daily.
Tired of this, she approached the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá
consultation: Will I be able to find the man of my dreams? Will I be
loved and will I be able to share my love with someone of my choice?
Will I find someone intelligent enough that could help in advising me on
how to manage my wealth to the best advantage of the world? Will I be
able to have my own kids who will love and respect me and my
husband? These and many more were the questions she asked Ifá in
the home of the Awo.
The group of Awo told Aje; that she was actually looking for a spouse
who would be everything to her. They assured her that she would be
blessed with such a spouse and the time that she would receive this
blessing was very near. She was advised to offer ẹbọ with one big
ram and plenty of money. After this, she was advised to feed her
O®ke¾ I®po¾ôri; with E®kuru mixed with honey and snail juice. She
complied.
E®e¾kan e¾ôba; oô¾na¾ ni;i; hu¾ le;ôba¾a; oô¾na¾

Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾
Baba n; sunku;n ala;i¾lo;bi¾nrin
Translation:
The blade grass by the roadside is it

that grows by the roadside
125
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
This was the Ifá cast for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾

When weeping in lamentation for his
inability to secure a compatible wife of his choice
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had everything going for him in his work. He had a lot of
clients. He had the most impressive record ever. He was able to proffer
solutions to the problems of all his clients. His clients trooped into his
home morning, afternoon and night. He had no time to rest, he had no
time to go to the market to procure the materials needed to do ẹbọ or
other rituals for his clients.
Two reasons were responsible for this: one, all his students had
graduated at that particular point in time; and two, he had no wife in his
home that could assist him in any way. He soon realised that his clients
began to complain that their work was being delayed. This brought
frustration for both O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and his numerous clients.
While he was ruminating over this problem, it occurred to him that with
his own wife at home a substantial part of the problems would be
solved. His wife could help him by going to the market and procuring
materials while he was busy attending to clients; his wife could also help
him pound, grind and/or mix various remedies for his clients, his wife
could prepare meals for him while he was with his clients; and his wife
could help him wash his dirty dresses, fetch him water to take his bath
and clean up the house and the environment. All these O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had to
do by himself when he had nobody with him.
That was how he decided that, instead of lamenting over his inability to
secure a compatible wife, he needed to take practical steps to get one.
For this reason, he approached the group of Awo mentioned above for
Ifá consultation: Will I be able to secure a compatible spouse who will
be my wife, helper, supporter, confidant and life partner? Will I be able
to find a woman who will understand me enough to work hard hand-in-
hand with me to solve the problems of the world? Will I be lucky
enough to find someone who will have my interest at the back of her
mind and assist me in the household chores and other assignments and
therefore relieve me of most of my burdens and prevent me from
working myself to death? All these and many more were the questions
at the back of his mind when he approached the group of Awo for Ifá
consultation.
126
The Awo made it clear to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that who he needed was not just any
woman, but rather, an understanding, passionate, selfless, considerate,
loving and supportive woman. The woman he needed must be able to
adore and assist him without giving any conditions. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was
assured that he would be able to find and marry such a woman. He was
told that as he was lamenting his inability to find a compassionate and
compatible woman who would support him in every way so also the
woman he would marry was lamenting for her inability to meet a man
who was intelligent, loving, accommodating, considerate, respectful, and
who could complement her own efforts and make her happy and proud
in all ways.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to offer ẹbọ with one mature ram and plenty
of money. He was also advised to feed his O®ke¾-I®po¾ôri; with one mature
she-goat and a lot of palm-oil. He complied.
A few days after this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to the market. On the same day,
Aje; went to the same market. They met. One thing led to the other.
They both developed interest in each other almost immediately. Aje;
went back to her Awo to find out if O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was the man that Ifá was
referring to. Ifá confirmed that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was the man of her dreams.
She returned home a happy woman.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ also went to his Awo to find out if Aje was the compassionate
and compatible woman who would support him in life. He was told that
she was the woman being referred to by Ifá. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ returned home a
happy man. All arrangements were made and the marriage was the talk
of the whole community.
When they began to live together, Aje; was very happy because
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was able to consult for her and help her plan all her financial
endeavours. He stood firmly beside her as her pillar of support not only
by guiding her but in every other way as well. She never regretted one
day that she got married to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. She was also blessed with many
children whose conduct and upbringing made her proud and happy all
the time.
In the case of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, he realised that his work load suddenly reduced
drastically. Many of the regularly used materials were being sold in the
house by Ajé so he had no reason to leave his work and go to the
127
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
market to look for such things anymore. If there were items that were
not readily available at home, Ajé would volunteer to go and get them
for him in the market. When his children grew up, the pounding,
grinding, holding of the I®bo¾ determinants, breaking of bitter kola and
kola nut were done by them. This made his work-load even lighter.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s family soon became more prosperous, united, happier and

better organized than the families of all his neighbours. Anytime
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, passed along the road, other people who recognised him
would greet him thus,”O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ peô¾le,;ô oôkoô Aje;-meaning “gently
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, the husband of Aje;, the Divinity of Wealth and Prosperity”.
On the other hand, when they would see Aje; they would greet her
thus; “Aje; peô¾le;ô, oni;soô¾ ibo¾o¾ji”–Meaning “gently Aje;, the owner of the
shaded market stall”.
EÙÙ®eô¾kan e¾ôba; oôn

¾ a¾ ni;i; hu¾ l'e;ôba¾a; oô¾na¾
Di;a; fu;n Aje;
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni;’bu¾do;
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
E®®Ùe¾ôkan e¾ôba; oôn
¾ a¾ ni;i; hu¾ l'e;ôba¾a; oô¾na¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾
Baba n; sunku;n ala;i¾lo;bi¾nrin
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®je;ô OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ peô¾le;ô o
OÙkoô Aje;;
Aje; pe¾ôleô; o
Oni;so¾ô ibo¾o¾ji
Translation:

128
This was the Ifá cast for Aje;

When weeping in lamentation for her
inability to secure a suitable home of her choice
She complied
This was the Ifá cast for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When weeping in lamentation for his
inability to secure a compatible wife of his choice
He complied
Come and perceive all the Ire in life
Now, gently, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
The husband of Ajé
And gently, Ajé
The owner of the shaded market
Ifá says that prosperity, happiness, elevation and contentment shall be

the lot of the person for whom this Odù is revealed.
10. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is about to
be robbed. There is the need for him/her to offer ẹbọ urgently for this
not to happen. He/she also needs to be extra vigilant. The person
planning to steal his/her things is very close to him/her. This is the
reason why there is the need for extra vigilance on his/her part.
Ifá says also that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is not only
well-trained, he/she is also very intelligent. He/she however needs to
offer ẹbọ regularly in order for his/her intelligence to shine through at all
times. It would not be good for him/her to be made a fool of by those
who are not as intelligent as he/she is.
one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with
129
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
two rats, two fish, one hen and a lot of palm-oil. All of these need
to be done as urgently as possible.
Bi; OÙdeô me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn

Woôn a jo; Mi¾koro-mi¾koro
Bi; a¾gbeô¾ me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn
Woôn a si¾ jo; mi¾wo¾ôya¾-mi¾wo¾ôya¾
Bi; Babala;wo me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn
Woôn a da¾bi; iye¾kan
Woôn a sôe i¾roô;ke;ô gbon¾dori¾gi¾-gbon¾dori¾gi¾
Woôn a sôe i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ tieômi¾-tieômi¾
Di;a; fu;n A®le;n¾gba¾
Ti; yo;o; ma;a ra;n’Fa; koko
Ti; yo;o si¾ ra;n o¾o¾gu¾n koko
Translation:
If two hunters meet each other

They will dance with their hunting tools in their hands
If two farmers meet each other
They will hold their hoes while embracing each other
If two Babaláwo meet each other
They will be like children from the same mother
They will waive their I®roô;ke;ô tappers at each other
They will also greet each other with their I®ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ in their hands
These were Ifá’s messages for A®le;n¾gba¾
Who would study Ifá extensively
And study medicine extensively
A®le;n¾gba¾ was a serious-minded person. Right from his youth, he had

planned to become the best Babaláwo and herbalist of his time. He had
studied extensively and had also travelled wide to fulfil his dream and he
was on his way to become the very best. Anyone who was lucky to
meet him at home for either Ifá consultation or healing of any kind of
ailment would never be disappointed. He was so good that he was in
130
high demand. He was sought after by the movers and shakers of

different societies. This made him very successful. His success gave him
the drive to study more. And he did. All the other Awo and Herbalists
of his time knew that he was not in the same league with them. All of
them respectfully admitted that he was far ahead of them in terms of
wit, knowledge acquisition and success in resolving problems for clients.
At a stage, there was a general belief that some extra-terrestrial beings

were responsible for A®le;n¾gba¾’s vast knowledge. They also believed that
he was being taught Ifá and medicine in his sleep, if not, they reasoned,
how could any normal human being be that versatile? The fact of the
matter, however, was that A®le;n¾gba¾ was very serious, determined, and
he studied hard.
In spite of all these achievements however, A®le;n¾gba¾ could not explain

how his hard-earned money and materials would disappear in his house.
Several Ifá consultations confirmed to him that his things were being
stolen by someone very close to him. Who was this person? A®le;n¾gba¾
was advised to offer ẹbọ and be very vigilant. His studies had always
precluded him from having the chance to be more vigilant therefore, the
stealing continued unabated.
¾ ba¾ summoned up the courage to put his studies aside

One day, A®le;ng
and deal with this problem decisively. He went to the home of the Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I be able to catch this thief?
The Awo assured him that yes, he would catch the person stealing his
things. He was advised to offer ẹbọ as prescribed above. He complied.
He was also advised to be extra vigilant. He was also determined to do
so.When he got back home, he went straight into his room and began to
take more interest in his environment. Two days after, what did he see?
While he was going outside, he suddenly turned back and behold, he
saw I®wo¾ri¾, his own sibling packing his belongings to the backyard
through the window! So, it had been I®wo¾ri¾ stealing his things all along!
Oh, what a shame.
Bi; OÙdeô me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn

Woôn a jo; Mi¾koro-mi¾koro
Bi; a¾gbeô¾ me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn
Woôn a si¾ jo; mi¾wo¾ôya¾-mi¾wo¾ôya¾
131
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Bi; Babala;wo me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn

Woôn a da¾bi; iye¾kan
Woôn a sôe i¾roô;ke;ô gbondori¾gi¾-gbondori¾gi¾
Woôn a sôe i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ tieômi¾-tieômi¾
Di;a; fu;n A®le;n¾gba¾
Ti; yo;o; ma;a ra;n’Fa; Koko
Ti; yo;o si¾ ra;n oo¾gu¾n koko
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba;’ni le;ôseô¾ OÙp
® eô¾
Ogbe¾ o o¾ we¾ôyi¾n
I®wo¾ri¾ n; ko; oô le;ôru¾ u; loô o
Translation:
If two hunters meet each other

They will dance with their hunting tools in their hands
If two farmers meet each other
They will hold their hoes while embracing each other
If two Babaláwo meet each other
They will be like children from the same mother
They will waive their I®roô;ke;ô tappers at each other
They will also greet each other with their I®ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ in their hands
These were Ifá’s messages for A®le;n¾gba¾
Who would study Ifá extensively
And study medicine extensively
He complied
Join us where we overcome adversity
Victory is what Ifá guarantees for its devotees
Ogbe¾ look at your back
I®wo¾ri¾ is packing your things away!
Ifá says that those who hide in the dark to kill and consume the hens
incubating eggs in the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed,
shall be exposed and put to shame.
132
Conversely, if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is the culprit,
he/she must put an end to his/her nefarious activity forthwith, lest
he/she is exposed and put to public odium and ridicule. The shame will
stay with him/her for the rest of his/her life.
11. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall succeed
where others have failed. He/she shall be blessed and accepted where
others have been confronted and chased away.
If the person for whom this Odù is revealed is a man, he shall be

accepted and even assisted by women. They will find him very
agreeable and for this reason, they will not confront him for any reason.
The man must always be careful not to be in contention or confrontation
with women for any reason. He must never dream of taking advantage
of any women for any reason because if he does, the women will resist
and fight him to the end.
30 fowls and 30 bags of cowries. He/she also needs to make
himself/herself agreeable with women so as to succeed in his/her
endeavours.
On these issues, Ogbe¾-Weô¾yi¾n says:
E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n

Di;a; fu;n woôn ni; I®lu; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n
Ni;'jo;ô ogun run akoô ni;nu; woôn bi; isôu
Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The clustering of ants

And the movement of ants
That was Ifá’s message for the inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land
When war had eliminated all the males
The inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land were very enterprising. They

developed their land to the envy of all the neighbouring communities.
Their businesses thrived. They made a lot of profit and they would use
133
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
their gains for the progress of their community. Unfortunately they

never planned for war so they never had any protection.
When war came to them, it had devastating consequences for the

inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. All the males in the land were killed. Not
only this, all the pregnant women were also slaughtered in case they
gave birth to male children. The land was therefore left with only
women. In spite of this, life continued. They made the I®ya;lo;de the head
of all the women in the land.
One day, they went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation:
What can we do now that we have not a single man in our midst? How
will we survive all the vagaries of life without men?
The Awo told them that they must always do all their things as a group.
They must behave as the ants do in their kingdom. The ants do all their
things as a group. That is why it is impossible for anyone to take
advantage of ants as small and as seemingly powerless as they appear.
The Awo assured them that if they did their things as a group, nobody,
man or woman would be able to take them for a ride. They were
advised to offer ẹbọ with a mature He-goat. They complied.
As soon as they got back home, they called everyone together and had
a meeting. In this gathering, everybody pledged to work together and
treat any man they saw as a potential enemy. They vowed never to
trust any man again, as men were the ones who had reduced their land
and had snuffed out the joy from their hearts. They promised each
other that they would battle any man who felt that he could take
advantage of their vulnerability. They said that such a man would meet
with the shock of his life.
A few days after this, O®gu;n heard that there were no men in I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n
land. He was told that they had all been killed. O®gu;n and his men
planned to go to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land to have a nice time there. What with all
the men in the land killed, surely the women would be longing for the
company of able-bodied men by now. Those who did not want to
cooperate could be roughened up a little and made to cooperate.
When O®gu;n and his group arrived in I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n, because of the

confidence they had that the women could not put up much resistance
and that if they did, before long, they would cave in. What they met
134
was far from what they bargained for. The women put up an
unbelievable resistance and were very resilient. They simply
overwhelmed O®gu;n and his men. They swarmed over them like ants.
In the end, O®gu;n and his men were chased out of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land with
ignominy.
Next came OÙ®sôoô;o¾ôsôi¾ and his men; they were overwhelmed and chased
out. I®ja, O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko, SÙa¾ngo;, OÙbalu;waye;, OÙba¾ta;la;, Erinle¾ô, Ko;ri¾, etc came
and they were all disgraced and chased out of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. In the
end, 399 Iru;nmoôleô¾ had tried to enter I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n but they were all chased
away. They simply could not understand how and why these weak
women were able to overpower the strong and mighty Iru;nmoôleô¾. Where
did they acquire this power to overcome the Iru;nmoôleô¾, they wondered.
All the 399 Iru;nmoôleô¾ ended up going home to nurse their disgrace and
humiliation.
E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n

Baba n;sôawo loô si;lu¾u; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n
Translation:
The clustering of ants

And the movement of ants
That was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going on an Ifá mission to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land
O®Ùru;nmi¾la was the only Iru;nmoôleô¾ who had not gone to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land to
force the women into submission. He heard of the attempts made by all
the other Iru;nmoôleô¾ and their consequent failures.
One day, O®Ùru;nmi¾la made up his mind to go to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. His

reason for going there was however different from that of the other
Iru;nmoôleô¾ who had been there before. The reason for him going was
that even though the women had the full right to protect themselves
and uphold their dignity from aggressive men, he felt that they were
being too extreme in not allowing any man at all to enter their land. He
135
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
reasoned that the stance taken by the women would not be favourable
to them in the long run. If care was not taken, he reasoned, they would
all die off without leaving behind anyone to continue their legacies.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la resolved that the women needed to understand that they
needed men just as much as men needed them, and of course, not as
tools to be trampled upon or taken advantage of, but as partners who
had specific roles to play that were in accordance to the design of
Olo;du¾mare¾.
The women must understand this, but how? Because these women had
experienced severe pain and trauma by men, they had all taken the
extreme stance to suspect, hate, resist, and not have anything to do
with any man ever again. To succeed in this mission O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ decided
to approach the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I
succeed? How should I approach these women? What do I need to do
for these women to soften their stance toward men and allow me to
speak with them? These were the questions that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ asked Ifá
during consultation.
The Awo in his response, told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he was about to undertake
a very delicate task. He was assured that he would succeed if he
approached the issue with wisdom, caution and great understanding.
He was also told that he needed to behave like a fool if he was to
succeed. The Awo made it clear to him that only a wise person can
pretend to be a fool; but a fool had no power or capability to pretend
like a wise person. He was told that his assignment was such that any
confrontation would never work. If he went there and he began to
behave like someone who had come to teach them something or to tell
them that they were wrong in how they were behaving, he would
definitely fail. What he needed to do was to work himself into their
minds. He must convince them that he meant no harm firstly before he
could even begin to tell them anything. He also needed to show them
evidence that he had no hidden agendas. This was the only thing he
could do that would make the women lower their guard so that he could
commence to talk to them. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that the women he was
going to meet at I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n had experienced intimidation, cheating,
bullying, deceit, victimization, abuse of all types, and chauvinism by
men, and that none of those things would ever work anymore.
136
The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with 30 fowls, two I®ru¾keô¾re¾ô,
and 30 bags of cowries. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ did. At the end of the ẹbọexercise,
the Awo gave him one I®roô;ke;ô and one I®ru¾keô¾re¾ô. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that
instead of bows and arrows, spears, javelins, clubs and blades, he
needed to go to the land with an I®roô;ke;ô and one I®ru¾keô¾re¾ô. He was advised
to go there alone. He was also told to go with fowls and pretend to be a
trader among them. He agreed.
The 30 fowls were put in a cage and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ carried the cage and set
out on his journey to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. It took him several days to get
there. In the end, he got to the land and went straight to the market
place. As soon as the women saw him, they put up their guard.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ extended his greetings to them, but none of them answered.
They quickly averted to report the presence of a man to the Iyalode and
the other chieftains of the land. When they heard that he was alone,
they became suspicious. They sent out scouts to comb the whole area
in order to ascertain whether or not, he had other people hidden nearby.
In the end, they discovered that he was the only one who had entered
I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n. Still, they decided to put him at arms length.
During the evening time, as O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was hawking his fowls, they all
escaped from the cage and ran everywhere. He became confused as to
what to do. That was when E®su ô ¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ whispered into his ears that the
opportunity he needed to take advantage of had just happened. E®sôu¾
O®Ùda¾ra¾ told him to seek the assistance of the women to help him catch
his fowls and put them back into the cage; and while doing this, he
needed to let them know that he was harmless.
Taking the cue from what E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ told him, he cleared his throat and
began to sing thus:
Ara; ilu I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;;nni mo wa; sôe o

O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
I®ya;lo;de i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi I®ro;ôkeô; jagun
137
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ eô¾ tu;’lu¾u;
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
O®Ùtu;n i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o
O®si¾ i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
Ki;nni mo wa; sôe o o?
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
Translation:
Inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land, what have I come to do?

Trading
That is what I have come to do
Trading
I®ya;lo;de, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
Trading
Nobody uses an I®roô;ke; to wage war
Trading
Trading
Nobody uses an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾ to sack a town
Trading
Trading
OÙ®tu;n, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
138
That is what I have come here to do

Trading
O®si¾, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
What have I come to do?
Trading
Trading
Hearing this song, the women became confused as to who was this
man? Truly, who could wage war with an I®roô;ke; or an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾ as a
weapon? What did this man want? Was it safe to come close to him
and allow him to come close to us? Was it advisable to listen to him?
Was this mission truly for commerce and trading as he was saying?
Looking at OÙ®ru;nmi¾la, the women realized that truly, instead of a bow

and arrow, he was holding an I®roô;ke;ô, instead of a javelin or a spear, he
was holding an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾. Did this man come for war or peace? Surely,
nobody wages war with an I®roô;ke;ô and an I®ru¾keô¾reô. Consequently, this
man must have come in peace but what did he stand to gain? The
women decided that they would wait to see.
They resolved to help him catch his fowls. By the time that they finished
catching them up, it was night time. He was then invited to stay in the
I®ya;lo;de’s house for the night. While in the I®ya;lo;de’s house he was able
to discuss many things with her and converse with her over the virtue of
living harmoniously and in complementary relationships with men once
again. After much discussion they both agreed that it was the right
thing to do provided that both parties would not have the intention of
taking the other party for a ride.
The next day, the I®ya;lo;de explained her discussion with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la with
the other women. After much discussion, they eventually agreed that
they needed to reduce their suspicion and hatred toward men and give
them another chance. They did and they never had cause to regret this
decision ever again.
139
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n

Baba n;sôawo loô si;lu¾u; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n
EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;yo¾ô, eô wa;a wore o
N®je;ô ara; i¾lu; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;nni mo wa; sôe
Ara; i¾lu; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;nni mo wa; sôe o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
I®ya;lo;de i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi I®ro;ôkeô; jagun
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾¾
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ eô¾ tu;’lu¾u;
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
O®Ùtu;n i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o
O®si¾ i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
Ki;nni mo wa; sôe o o?
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
140
Translation:
The clustering of ants and the movement of ants

That was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going on an Ifá mission to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land
He complied
Now, Inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land,
what have I come to do?
Trading
Trading
I®ya;lo;de, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
Trading
Nobody uses an I®roô;ke; to wage war
Trading
Trading
Nobody uses an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾ to sack a town
Trading
Trading
OÙ®tu;n, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
Trading
O®si¾, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
What have I come to do?
Trading
Trading
141
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
to celebrate in life. He/she shall be happy and contented.
On the other hand, the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to
be careful never to plan to take anyone for a ride or take undue
advantage of anybody. Anyone who plans to do so shall be humiliated.
12. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to
under-estimate any child or young one. Ifá says that as elders have
their wisdom, young ones also have their own areas where they excel.
For this reason, as youths love to learn a lot from elders, so also should
elders have some things to learn from youths and young ones.
Ifá says that for the person for whom this Odù is revealed, he/she must
endeavour to hear all sides of any matter before making any
pronouncement or taking any action. This, Ifá says, is the noble course
he/she must always take. If this is not done, he/she will end up being
blamed for taking action without proper deliberation first.
Ifá also says that if there is any form of contention where this Odù is
revealed there is the need to resolve these issues as soon as possible.
This is because, if left unsolved, the consequences will be grave for all
those involved. In order to enjoy peace of mind therefore, all
misunderstandings, altercations, contention, suspicions, hostilities
and/or brickbats must be amicably resolved urgently and permanently.
In this same stanza, Ifá enjoins all elders where this Odù is revealed to
ensure that a good and enduring legacy is left behind for future
generations. Any action that can lead to controversy or crisis after an
elder has joined their ancestors must be resolved amicably before they
pass on to the great beyond.
Ifá equally says that there is a pregnant woman where this Odù is
revealed, that needs to offer ẹbọ so that she will have a safe delivery.
Ifá advises the following ẹbọ to be offered:
i. To benefit from the knowledge of youths and other young ones;

there is the need to offer ẹbọ with three hens and money.
There is also the need to feed Ifá with two kola nuts and
liquor.
142
ii. Not to be blamed for acting without seeking and understanding all
sides of a story; one mature he-goat and money.
iii. To be able to resolve all contentious issues before they get out of
hand; one mature he-goat and money.
iv. For elders to leave behind an enduring legacy for future

generations; one big she-goat, one he-goat and money.
v. For a pregnant woman to have a safe delivery; two rats, two

fish, one hen and money.
After all these have been done, there is the need to feed OÙba¾ta;la;. The
Awo needs to find out what OÙba¾ta;la; will like to take and use it to feed
the Deity accordingly.
On all these, Ogbe¾-'Weô¾yi¾n says:
Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾

E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n
Translation:
Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from

those behind us
I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us
This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la;
When going to learn wisdom from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la every five days
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la and OÙba¾ta;la; were good friends. They had been together for a
long time. One day, OÙba¾ta;la; told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la that he wanted to study Ifá
philosophy, esoteric language and in-depth understanding of life with
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la. After some deliberation, they concluded that OÙba¾ta;la; needed
to come to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la’s house every five days to learn new things.
143
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
The first OÙru;n came and OÙba¾ta;la; went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la house. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la was
not home. He however met his child, a seven-year old at home. After
both of them exchanged greetings, OÙba¾ta;la; asked the boy where exactly
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la had gone to. The boy responded thus, “Baba mi¾ ra;n asôoô aweô;
kan loô ni” meaning “my father has gone to sew one strand of clothing
material and has left behind the other strand un sewn”.
OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of what the boy was saying. “What is that
supposed to mean child?” The boy said, “Baba, if you want me to tell
you the meaning, then you have to pay me two kola nuts with four lobes
each and a bottle of liquor”. Out of curiosity, OÙba¾ta;la; paid the boy. The
boy then explained thus, “Baba, as you are aware, my father has two
wives, OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ and my mother. When my father went out very
early this morning there was a little misunderstanding between the two
wives. As soon as my father returned, my mother, the younger wife,
complained bitterly to my father about what had happened in his
absence. She was crying and wailing as she was narrating her story,
giving my father the impression that she had been abused and
maltreated by Iya OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾, the senior wife. Instead of
investigating fully by listening to the other side of the story and if
possible interviewing those present when the quarrel had taken place,
my father descended on his senior wife. She wanted to explain, but he
shouted her down without giving her any chance to speak. If one
inquires what has occurred from the first party, is it not wise to ask from
the other when two parties are involved in any issue? That was why I
told you that my father had sewn one strand of clothing material but
had left behind the other strand un-sewn”.
When OÙba¾ta;la; heard this, he knew that there was a lot of sense in what
the child had just said. He thanked the child and turned back to go
home. The boy declared, “Baba, before saying anything or taking any
action on any issue always endeavour to hear all sides of a matter. This
will make you an impartial and a level-headed judge”.

144
Translation:

those behind us
When going to learn wisdom from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la every five days
On the next OÙru;n, OÙba¾ta;la; went again to learn from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la. When he
got there, he met his child outside the house. “Good morning son, is
your father at home?” he asked. Good morning Baba. My father has
gone out”. Where exactly has he gone?” The child responded thus,
"Oku¾n aye; feô; ja; o; loô tu;n-un so" meaning, “the rope of the world is about
to break. My father has gone to tie it back together.”
Again, OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of it. He asked the child to explain.
Again, the child asked him to bring two kola nuts and bottle of liquor.
OÙba¾ta;la; did. The boy then explained thus, “Baba, there is a serious
disagreement between OÙba A®ja¾la;ye; and OÙba A®ja¾loô;run which my father
has gone to settle. If this misunderstanding is left unsolved and allowed
to degenerate into full-scale war, the very fabric of this world will have
its foundation shaken and existence on earth will cease or at the very
least be seriously threatened. In order to ensure that the rope which
Olo;du¾mare¾ uses to tie the world is not broken, my father has gone to
bring peace among these two Divinities. Baba, don’t you know that any
fight between OÙba A®ja¾la;ye; and OÙba A®ja¾loô;run will certainly break the
rope used to hang this world in balance if things are not mended
between them?”
OÙba¾ta;la; thought about this statement and concluded that what the child
had said made a lot of sense. He told the child to extend his greetings to
his father when he returned. “Baba, please remember, the rope of the
world must never be allowed to break. Any time you find two very
important people engaged in a quarrel, any time you find two or more
major groups engaging in a misunderstanding or any time you find two
societies, communities, regions or countries engaged in any quarrel,
ensure that you bring peace before it leads to a full-scale crisis or war.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
If you fail to do so, then you may end up witnessing the rope of the
world being broken.”
“Thank you, son. Greet your father for me; I will be back on the next
OÙru;n.

Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Translation:

those behind us
This was Ifá’s message for O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
When going to learn wisdom from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ every five days
Again on the next OÙru;n, OÙba¾ta;la;; went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house to study.

And again OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had gone out of the house. He again met the child
at home. He again asked where OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had gone to? The child
replied by saying, “Baba mi loô tu;n e¾ôhi¾n aye; sôe ni” meaning “my father
has gone to mend the world in preparation for the time he will no longer
be around”.
What does this mean? The child asked OÙba¾ta;la; to procure the usual two
kola nuts and liquor. He did. The child said, “my father has been
receiving signals that he is about to be summoned by Olo;du¾mare¾ to
return to I®koô¾le; OÙ®run in due course time. He knew that some of the
elders in his family were not in good terms. He was convinced that if he
should depart the world while this altercation was still going on, these
elders would surely tear each other apart when he was no longer around
to serve as a control for them. That is why my father has gone to the
family compound to settle all the rifts and return life in the family to
normalcy. Don’t you know that when there are unresolved rifts in any
family, before the head of the family departs, such a family stands the
146
chance of disintegrating at the slightest chance? The head of that family

will then stand condemned forever and ever”.
When OÙba¾ta;la; ruminated over what the child had just said he agreed
with him completely. He asked the child to extend his greetings to his
father and turned left to go. "Baba, please ensure that all unresolved
crises in your household is resolved amicably before you return to the
great beyond. You have all worked hard and done well while on earth;
do not let that rubbish all your good works. You need to leave a great
legacy behind; it is equally important for you to leave behind those who
will continue where you have left off. This can be done only when there
is love, understanding, and cooperation”.

Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Translation:

those behind us
This was Ifá’s message for O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
When going to learn wisdom from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ every five days
On the next OÙru;n day, OÙba¾ta;la; again went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house to learn.
He had vowed that he would become one of the most knowledgeable
Iru;nmoôle¾ô of all time. When he got there again, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was not at
home. “Where has your father gone this time?” OÙba¾ta;la; asked
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s child, who was always at home. In his response the child
said “I®ya; mi loô fa oku¾n aye; a¾ti t’oô¾run. Bo;ya; t’aye; lo; ma;a ja; mo;ôoô l'oô;wo;ô ni
ta¾bi; t’oô¾run ni eôni¾kan ko¾ mo¾ô. Baba mi¾ loô la;ti m’o;ju; to;o”. Meaning “my
mother is pulling the chord of Ayé (earth) and OÙ®run (heaven) with her
hands right now. Whether the chord of Ayé is the one that will
eventually remain in her hands or that of heaven, nobody can say for
certain. My father has gone to take care of this matter“.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of this statement. In order to get the full
explanation of what the child had said, OÙba¾ta;la; himself, without any
prompting, gave the child two kola nuts and a bottle of liquor. The child
said, “My mother, right now, has gone into labour. Nobody can predict
the outcome. If she has a safe delivery, then the chord of Ayé is the one
that has remained in her hands. On the other hand, if she dies in the
process, then the chord of OÙ®run is the one that has remained in her
hands. To ensure that it is the chord of Ayé that remains in her hands,
my father has gone to where she is to oversee things for himself."
When OÙba¾ta;la; heard the explanation of this child, it occurred to him that
even if he had met OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ every time he had been coming, he would
not have learnt something different. He concluded that as elders have
their wisdom, youths are not totally bereft of wisdom and
understanding. “Ok child, tell your father that I am no longer coming.
You have given me enough wisdom for a lifetime”.
As he turned to go back home, the child said; “Baba, any time your wife
is pregnant, ensure that you give her all the things that will make the
day of delivery relatively easy and convenient for her. Do so for all the
wives of your loved ones and clients as well. By so doing, people will
have cause to come and thank you for a job well done. This is what my
father does all the time”.

O: de;'le; O®rÙ u;nmi¾la¾
Baba ko¾ si; ni;le;.
Ni;bo ni Baba loô?
OÙmoô reô¾ ni; Baba o¾un ra;n asôoô aweô; kan loô ni
148

Ni;bo ni Baba loô?
OÙmoô reô¾ ni; oku¾n aye; feô; ja;
Baba o¾un lo¾ôoô; tu;n-u;n so
Ni;bo ni Baba loô?
OÙmoô reô ni; Baba o¾un loô t'eô;yi¾n aye; sôe ni
Ni;bo ni Baba loô?
OÙmoô reô¾ ni; i¾ya; o¾un loô fa oku¾n aye;
A®ti oô¾run
Bo;ya; t'aye; lo; ma;a ja; moô;ôoô loôw ; o;ô ni
Ta¾bi; t'oô¾run ni
EÙni¾kan ko¾ mo¾ô
Baba o¾un loô re¾e; m’o;ju; to;o
E®ro¾ I®po, E®ro¾ OÙ®fa
EÙ®yin o¾ moô¾ wi;pe; oômoôde; gbo;ôn
A®gba¾ na;a¾ gboô;n
La fi mu;'le; aye; ro; ni ndan?
Translation:

those behind us
I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
those behind us
When going to learn wisdom from Oru¾nmi¾la¾
every five days
He complied
When he got to Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s home
Oru¾nmi¾la¾ was not at home
Where has he gone to?
Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s child responded that his father
went to sew one strand of clothing material
but left behind the other strand un-sewn
those behind us
those behind us
every five days
He complied
Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s child responded that the rope of
the world was about to break
And his father had gone to tie it back together
those behind us
those behind us
every five days
He complied
Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s child responded that his father had
150
gone to mend the world

In preparation for the time that he would
no longer be around
those behind us
those behind us
every five days
He complied
Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s son responded that his mother
was pulling the chord of Ayé (earth) and OÙ®run
(heaven) with her hands right now
If the chord of Ayé is the one that will
eventually remain in her hands or that of heaven
Nobody can say for certain
My father has gone to take care of this matter
Don’t you know that the wisdom of both youths
and elders is what Olo;du¾mare¾ has combined
to establish governance in this world?
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed need not over-
rely on the fact that only elders will or can share their knowledge with
him/her. He/she needs to make use of wisdom, wise counselling, advice
or guidance from anyone who can share it with him/her - whether that
person is an elder or a youth does not really matter. What is important
is for him/her to use the idea shared with him/her in a very positive
way.
13. Ifá says that it foresees victory over an untimely death for the
person for whom this Odù is revealed. He/she will be spared where
people will be dying in multitude. He/she will not be at home if the
building where he/she stays is going to collapse. He/she will not be
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
involved in any boat, ship or motor mishap that will snuff out his/her
life. He/she will not be allowed to fall off a tall tree or building which
may result in his/her death. He/she will not be mistakenly poisoned. No
stray bullet will hit and kill him/her. Assassins will fail if they intend to
eliminate him/her. He/she will not slip on a wet floor and break his/her
skull. Fire will not burn him/her to death. He/she will not lose his/her
life during times of war and uprising. When there is pestilence in the
community, he/she shall be spared.
Ifá says that with the exception of suicide, either intentional or

inadvertent, the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be spared
from any violent death. He/she shall live long. He/she shall not
experience any group death. He/she shall witness his/her old age, the
birth and growth of his/her children, grand children and even great
grand children.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with three mature he-goats and
money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with a mature she-goat and
plenty of palm-oil. After these have been done, he/she needs to
handle life with care and caution. That he/she has offered ẹbọ is not
enough reason to be reckless in life.
A®da¾ba¾ ga;n ba;yi¾i;

A®da¾ba¾ fo¾ ba;yi¾i;
Di;a; fu;n Ori;sôa;nku;
Ti;i; sô'eô¾gbo;ôn Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n
Iku; o¾ lee¾ pa o¾un lo; n;da;'fa; si;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The dove landed here

The dove took off from here
This was Ifá’s message to Ori;sôa;nku;
The elder brother of Ogbe¾-I®wo¾ri¾
He had consulted Ifá to escape untimely death
152
Ori;sôa;nku; was Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n’s elder brother. He had witnessed many

people dying in their prime. Many people had died violent deaths.
Many more were living in fear of dying through violence. He was one of
the people nursing this fear. As a result of this, Ori;sôa;nku; went to the
home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. Will I live long?
If so, what do I need to do to ensure that nothing cuts short my life as I

have witnessed many youths whose lives have been cut short while in
their prime. He had witnessed the inexplicable deaths of people who
had everything going for them. Surely, he did not want to be one of
these people. What then could he do to make him live to his old age?
Will I be able to escape all these problems and grow old?
The Awo assured Ori;sôa;nku; that he would live long. He was told that
outside outright suicide, he would surely grow old. This was because Ifá
would protect him and ensure that he would be spared the agony of
experiencing untimely or violent death.
He was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. The Awo

however warned him that he needed to do all things with care and
caution. That, according to the Awo, this advice was a more important
ẹbọ than all the materials he had procured. As long as he followed the
advice and he refused to dare death when it threatened, then long life
was guaranteed for him.
When Ori;sôa;nku; got home, he began to do everything with care and

caution. He was in turn protected by Ifá. If there was any mishap, it
would happen immediately before or after Ori;sôa;nku; had left the scene,
when people asked him why he was always lucky to escape death, he
simply responded that he did not follow anyone into the world, he
therefore would not follow anyone to heaven.
He came into the world at the very end when all those who would be
unlucky to meet with violent deaths had already departed.
A®da¾ba¾ ga;n ba;yi¾i;

A®da¾ba¾ fo¾ ba;yi¾i;
Di;a; fu;n Ori;sôa;nku;
Ti;i; sô'eô¾gbo;ôn Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n
Iku; o¾ lee¾ pa o¾un lo; n;da;'fa; si;
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®

O gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
A®i¾ku;; Ifa; du¾n o; j’oyin loô
N®je;ô n o¾ ba; woôn wa;
Ti; n o; ba; woôn loô o
Ni;tori; ni; 'keôyi¾n-keôyi¾n ni mo to;o; de; o
Translation:
The dove landed here

The dove took off from here
This was Ifá’s message to Ori;sôa;nku;
The elder brother of Ogbe¾-I®wo¾ri¾
He had consulted Ifá to escape untimely death
He complied
The longevity guaranteed by Ifá is sweeter than honey
I did not follow them into this world
Therefore, I will not follow them to heaven
This is because I came into this world very, very late
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be given
long life. He/she shall be spared the agony of dying violently. He/she
shall not die together with others during mishaps, crises, uprising, or
even disasters.
14. Ifá says that for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to live
long and die peacefully, meekness and I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô are the watchwords.
Without these, it will be very difficult, if not totally impossible for
him/her to live long and attain his/her old age.
Ifá says that longevity has no special panacea; I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô is the only
known medicine for long life. Ifá says that the person for whom this
Odù is revealed must never be in the forefront of any uprising. He/she
154
must never organize, coordinate, or direct mass unrest; he/she must

also not try to be a hero; he/she must not try to show that he/she is
bolder than others. If there is the need to retreat when death threatens,
especially when it is possible to do so, he/she must do just that
immediately.
Apart from these, the person for whom this Odù is revealed must have
deep respect for elders and those in authority over him/her. He/she
must avoid being cursed by elders or incur their wrath. Curses from
elders or their wrath do not allow one to live long.
three items, I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô, I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô and more I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô. Ifá says that this
person can never have too much I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô . There is no such thing as
excessive I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô but there can be I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô in short supply.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n on this aspect says:

Mo wa; wo iwa;ju;
E®mi wo eô¾yi¾n
Di;a; fu;n Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo;
Ti; n; raye; e re¾ô la;i¾ ni;i; ku
155
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Translation:

I looked forward
That was the message of Ifá for Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo;
(Meekness brings longevity)
When coming to enjoy long-lasting life on earth
Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; had witnessed several people dying, especially youths who

had died violent deaths. He had seen the remains of those who died
when their boats capsized in the middle of the sea; he had witnessed
the burial of those who were burnt beyond recognition when they were
asleep and the lamp which they lighted overturned and the ensuing fire
burnt down the whole building, including those who were occupants of
the house. There were no survivors.
He had seen people who had gone to rescue a child who had fallen into
a well and in the process they drowned along with the child because
they did not understand how to get out of a deep well. He had been
called upon when members of his family got killed when their mud
house suddenly collapsed, killing all occupants; he had heard the story
of those who died when they went to rescue those whose boats
capsized and they were not good swimmers.
The instances of sudden, violent and multiple deaths were simply

endless. These incidents made Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; and all those around him
live in constant fear of death. This was why one day, Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo;
156
decided to approach the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá

consultation: What do I need to do in order to live long, avoid a violent
death, and also avoid being part of those who die in groups or in
multitude?
The group of Awo told Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; that he had justifiable reason to fear
for his life, nonetheless, he had been destined to live long and die in
peace. They however cautioned him that because he had been destined
to live long did not give him the license to live a rough life or take
unreasonable risks.
They made it clear to him that if he did not handle life with caution and
I®wa¾ Pe¾ôleô;, he would just rubbish the promises of his destiny. What must
I do and what must I avoid? Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; asked the group of Awo.
i. If a stream is full and too swift, especially when rain has just
fallen, do not attempt to cross it.
ii. If you do not know how to swim, do not jump into a river.
iii. When fire is raging on the farm or inside a house, do not

enter the fire to salvage any goods. Your life is more
precious than material wealth.
iv. Do not use banana leaves to climb a palm-tree.
v. Do not prove any point by eating or drinking contaminated

or poisoned food or drink.
vi. Do not develop the habit of moving about in the dead of the
night.
vii. Do not challenge a multitude of people to a fight.
viii. Do not under-estimate the capability of anyone especially

women and youths.
ix. Do not fail to save your life when death threatens, especially
when it is possible to do so.
x. Do not be disrespectful or rude to elders.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
xi. Do not defecate in public utilities.
xii. Do not conspire against anyone or plan evil against innocent

ones.
xiii. Do not set traps against innocent people.
xiv. Do not steal or take what belongs to other people.
xv. Do not reap where you have not sown.
xvi. Do not harbour evil thoughts in your mind against yourself or

other people.
xvii. Whatever people do to you that causes you pain, do not do

unto others. Do not dash the hopes of others.
xviii. Do not be prideful and/or arrogant in all the things you do.
Humility is your watchword.
xix. Do not use or do anything that can affect or alter the

normal functioning of your brain. That is the seat of your
destiny.
xx. Do not ignore the advice of Ifá; on any issue. Do not delay
the offering of ẹbọ unduly.
xxi. Do not attempt to be what you are not. Be yourself. Be true

and honest to yourself. Don’t love others more than yourself.
All these, Je;ôeô;je;ô-Logbo memorized and determined to comply with. He

actually complied with all of them. It soon dawned on him that
longevity had a special panacea, meekness and I®wa¾ Pe¾ôleô;, were the only
known panacea for long life.

158

Ti; o fi n; w'eô¾yi¾n
Mo wa; wo iwa;ju;
E®mi wo eô¾yi¾n
Di;a; fu;n Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo;
Ti; n; raye; e re¾ô la;i¾ ni;i; ku;
O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;'boô
N®je;ô jeô;e;ôjeô; logbo; o
Ogbo; o¾ lo;o¾gu¾n kankan
I®wa¾ pe¾ôle;ô logbo; o
Ogbo; o¾ lo;o¾gu¾n kankan
Translation:

They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred
that you are continuously glancing backward?”
I looked forward
That was the message of Ifá for Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo;
(Meekness brings longevity)
When coming to enjoy long-lasting life on earth
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
He complied
Behold, meekness enhances longevity
I®wa¾-pe¾ôle;ô ensures longevity
Longevity has no other panacea
Ifá says that with meekness and I®wa¾-pe¾ôle;ô, longevity for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed is guaranteed. Jeô;e;ôjeô; and I®wa¾-peô¾le;ô work
together and together they ensure and enhance longevity. That is the
message of Ifá for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Even if
he/she is destined to live long in heaven, if he/she has Jeô;e;ôjeô; and I®wa¾-
peô¾le;ô in short supply, he/she will surely die young in a sorry way and
manner.
15. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed to take care of
himself/herself first before thinking of helping others. Ifá says that there
is the need for this person to ensure that he/she pulls himself out of the
waters before attempting to pull other people out. If this is not done,
Ifá says that he/she will not have the capacity to help him/herself and
others when the time comes.
Ifá also advises this person to take care of his/her health before ever
contemplating any form of help for other people. If this is not done, the
ailment will incapacitate him/her and he/she will no longer be in the
position to help him/herself and those he intends to assist.
Ifá recommends for this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat
and 30 bags of cowries. After this, he/she needs to take care of
himself/herself first before rendering any help to other people.
On these aspects, Ogbe¾-W'e¾ôyi¾n says:
A ri; t'eôni moô¾oô; wi;

A f’a¾pa;a¾di¾ ba¾ra¾mu¾ bo tire¾ô mo;ôleô¾
Baba n;sô'awo re’le; oni;hann¾han
160
Translation:
He who is preoccupied with analyzing other

people’s problems
But uses a big potsherd to cover his own inadequacies
This was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going on an Ifá mission to the home of Oni;hann¾han
Oni;hann¾han was a very generous and benevolent man. He loved to

help other people. In fact, he enjoyed rendering help to people. Several
people, men and women, had been elevated financially through the help
of Oni;hann¾han. Not only that, he usually made it a point of duty to find
an amicable solution to any rift. There was no way one could count the
number of domestic problems he had resolved. People had lost count of
the number of intra and inter communal clashes he had found lasting
solutions to. He had footed the bills for many ill people and they had
regained their health. Several people in the community and even
outside the community had complementary comments on Oni;hann¾han .
One day, Oni;hann¾han woke up with a slight head-ache. He thought

nothing of it. He believed that the head-ache would go away on its
own. Why should he bother about a slight head-ache when he had
people who were on the verge of death who needed his urgent
assistance? He simply ignored the head-ache.
Three days after, the head-ache had become more severe and
persistent. Yet, he could not be bothered because many people needed
his help. By the time he felt that something must be done, he could no
longer sleep. He could not eat, drink, sit upright or do anything again.
He could not help anyone again. In fact, he did not have the strength to
help himself. He relied on his children to do everything for him. He
could not wash his mouth, take his bath, or empty his bowels without
assistance.
What gave him the greatest worry of his life was that he was no longer
in a position to help those who needed his assistance. His worry added
to his problems. He became weaker and sadder.
That was when the family of Oni;hann¾han invited O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to their home
to come and consult Ifá for Oni;hann¾han. Before going, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
the Awo mentioned above to determine how his journey to

Oni;hann¾han’s home would be: Will I succeed?
The Awo assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would surely succeed. His degree of
success however depended entirely on whether or not the person on
behalf of whom he was invited was ready to heed the advice. How?
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was told that this person loved other people more than
himself. He had been working hard to help others and put smiles on
their faces at the expense of his own health and well-being. It had then
reached a stage that he was no longer in a position to help himself, not
to talk of others.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la was asked to advise him to offer ẹbọ as stated above. If he

agrees to offer the ẹbọ, he will also need to take care of his health first
before he can think of rendering any form of assistance to other people.
It was only when this advice was complied with, that he could ever
succeed. If the person on behalf of whom O®Ùru;nmi¾la was invited is not
ready to heed this advice, then O®Ùru;nmi¾la’s journey to his home would
amount to a sheer waste of effort.
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la got to Oni;hann¾han’s house, the man was in a sorry

state. O®Ùru;nmi¾la explained to him that he would get well and regain his
strength in no time at all if only he could concentrate all his effort now
on how to take care of his health and regain his strength and health first
before thinking about how to assist others. O®Ùru;nmi¾la told him that he
had been loving other people more than himself and that this attitude
was what brought him into the sorry state he had found himself.
He was also advised to offer ẹbọ with one bearded he-goat and 30
bags of cowries. He complied. After this, he was advised to purge his
mind of any worry, use his medication which O®Ùru;nmi¾la had prepared for
him and allow the healing process to take place. He agreed and
complied with the advice. In no time, he began to regain his health and
strength. That was when he realized that there was nothing wrong with
caring for other people; but when this was carried to the extreme when
he/she cared for others more than himself/herself, then the result would
be disastrous for him/her because he/she would drive himself/herself to
a stage where it would be impossible to help himself/herself and others
he/she intended to assist. This realization made him to rearrange his
priorities accordingly.
162
A ri; t'eôni moô¾oô; wi;

A f’a¾pa;a¾di¾ ba¾ra¾mu¾ bo tire¾ô mo;ôleô¾
Baba n;sô'awo re’le; oni;hann¾han
Ko¾ pe;ô, oô¾na¾ o¾ ji¾n
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;to¾le; ire gbogbo
A®to¾le; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'e;s
ô eô¾ O®Ùpe¾ô
Translation:
He who is preoccupied with analyzing

other people’s problems
But uses a big potsherd to cover his own inadequacies
When going on an Ifá mission to the home of Oni;hann¾han
He complied
Join us in the midst of all Ire
This is what Ifá guarantees for all its followers
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall surely be
blessed with all the Ire in life. His/her heart is pure, he/she is benevolent
but he/she cannot do everything at his/her own expense. There is
nothing wrong with caring for others but it must not be carried to the
stage where he/she will be caring for other people more than
himself/herself.
16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to engage
in any fruitless exercises. Not only this, Ifá says that this person must
never seek glory for their own vanity, must not exercise in vanity or
even perdition. However, if he/she has already engaged in such a
venture, then there is the need for him/her to stop forthwith.
Ifá says that this person needs to not stress himself/herself too much to
talk to anyone who has made up his/her mind not to listen or see reason
with him/her. Such an exercise will not yield any fruitful results.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Ifá says also that people hear what they want to hear; they see what
they want to see. Trying to convince those who have intentionally closed
their eyes and ears to see or hear the other side of an issue is an
exercise in vanity.
Ifá also warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to have
extra-marital relationships of any kind; be it casual or serious, especially
if this illicit partner is also married to someone else. If this has already
been going on, he/she needs to put an end to such a relationship
forthwith. This is because the result will be very disastrous.
Ifá equally advises this person never to close his/her ears, eyes and
brain to reason and logic. If anyone or any situation presents another
side of an already held opinion, such an alternative view must be
carefully considered before any decision can be taken to reject or accept
it. In other words, all what the person for whom this Odù is revealed
thinks, says or does must be based on rationale thinking and logic.
Ifá says that if this person has been guilty of holding any rigid view on
anything before or he/she has been involved in an extra-marital affair of
any kind then he/she needs to offer ẹbọ with three mature he-goats,
30 bags of cowries and then stop such an attitude immediately.
On all these, an aspect of Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n says:
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni

Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; orin ti; a koô lo;ju; aditi; n;ko;ô?
Ki;n lo; ti ri;?
Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;poô ju¾
Translation:
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity

I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “a song sung in the presence
of a deaf person, How will it be received?”
They said that it would be a fantastic song
164
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ summoned all his Aka;po¾ who were living close to him in order
to teach them some life lessons. He asked them that if a melodious song
were to be rendered in the presence of a deaf person, how do you all
think the song will be received by the person? All those present
concluded that the fact that the person was deaf would not stop the
song from being melodious. They told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the song would
remain melodious.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told them that to the deaf person, any singing in his/her
presence amounted to an exercise in futility. This is because be it
melodious or otherwise, this person will not hear it and it will be of no
effect to him/her. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ warned all his Aka;po¾ never to bother
singing for any deaf person because he/she would not hear it or make
any good use of the song.

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ijo; ti; a jo; l'oôd
; o¾ô afoô;ju; n;ko;ô?
Ki;n lo; ti ri;?
Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;poô¾ ju¾
Translation:

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “the dance steps taken in the
presence of a blind person, How will they be received ?”
They said that they would be fantastic dance steps
Again, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked his Aka;po¾, if we were to dance in the presence of

a blind person would he/she love it or not? Again after much
deliberation all the Aka;po¾ present agreed that the blind person would
love it because dancing would be an expression of joy.
Again OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made it clear to them that dancing in the presence of a

blind person would be an exercise in futility. This was because good or
not, he/she would have no way of knowing if they were good or not. He
therefore warned all his Aka;po¾ never to bother dancing for any blind
person because it would amount to a sheer waste of time and effort.
165
OGBE® I®WO®RI®

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ere; ti; a ba; aya ala;ya sôe n;ko;ô?
Ki;n lo; ti ri;?
Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;po¾ô ju¾
Translation:

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “what if we were to make-
love to another person’s spouse, How would that be?”
They responded that it would be very enjoyable
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ then asked his Aka;po¾, what can be gained by making-love to

another man’s wife? All of them answered that it would at least be
enjoyable while it lasted.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made it clear to his Aka;po¾ that making love to another man’s
wife was an exercise in perdition. He said that before love-making could
be said to be a completely enjoyable exercise, three conditions must be
fulfilled:
One, it must have legitimacy. This can only come after all marriage rites
have been performed. Love-making when rites are not yet performed
cannot be said to be legitimate. Also pre-marital sex in itself can cause
many problems that otherwise could have been avoided.
Two, love-making must be done with a clear conscience. Any man

making love to another man’s wife, or a married woman making love to
another woman’s husband cannot be said to be an exercise done with a
clear conscience. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ stated further that anything we do under
cover is wrong and unacceptable to Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾.
Three, if pregnancy were to occur with someone else’s wife, the baby
would not belong to the man who had made love to the other man’s
wife. The reason for this is that Ifá does not support such relationships
in the first place. The only things that could result from such a union are
anger, conflicts, public condemnation, disgrace or even death.
166
For these three reasons, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ warned all his Aka;po¾ never to make
love to other people’s wives as the results would never be favourable.
All the Aka;po¾ present agreed with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ on the first two reasons he
gave but they did not understand why the resultant pregnancy and baby
from the relationship would not belong to the man who actually
impregnated the woman.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ then explained by giving the following illustration: If a thief

breaks into a house and steals expensive jewellery from the house, and
the thief then sells the jewellery and uses the money from the sale to
build a house for himself; if eventually the thief is caught, who can we
say is the rightful owner of the house built by the thief with the money
he realized from the sale of the stolen jewellery? Of course we cannot
say that the house rightfully belongs to the thief. It belongs to the
original owner of the jewellery.
In this same vein, Ifá does not agree that the baby produced as a result
of an illicit relationship with another man’s wife belongs to the man who
engaged in the adultery. The child born from the illicit affair will stay in
the husband’s family to bring benefit to his family and not to the man
who impregnated his wife.

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; orin ti; a koô lo;ju; aditi; n;ko;ô?
Ki;n lo; ti ri;?
Ni;tori; ko¾ gboô;
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ijo; ti; a jo; l'oôd
; o¾ô afoô;ju; n;ko;ô?
Ki;n lo; ti ri;?
Orunmila ni egbe ni
Ni;tori; ko¾ ri;i
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ere; ti; a ba; aya ala;ya sôe n;ko;ô?
Ki;n lo; ti ri;?
Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;po¾ô ju¾
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®

Ni;tori; Iku; lo; wa¾ ni;be¾ô
OÙmoô to; ja;de ni;be¾ô ki¾i; si¾i; sôe t'eôni
Translation:

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “a song sung in the presence
of a deaf person, How will it be received?”
They said that it would be a fantastic song
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ replied that it would simply be an
exercise in vanity
Because he would not hear the song
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “the dance steps taken in the presence
of a blind person, How will they be received ?”
They said that they would be fantastic dance steps
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ replied that it would simply be an
exercise in vanity
Because he would not see the dance steps
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “what if we were to make
love to another person’s spouse, How would that be?”
They responded that it would be very enjoyable
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ replied that it would simply be an exercise in vanity
Because the only gain would be death and humiliation
The resultant pregnancy and baby would not belong to us
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to be
careful and not engage in any non-productive or vain activities which
could lead to regrets, pain, loss, or death. If this person has already
involved himself/herself in it, then he/she needs to offer ẹbọ with three
mature he-goats. He/she also needs to put a stop to such an exercise
immediately.
168
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-'WEÙ®YI®N FOR THOSE BORN

BY THE ODU® DURING I®TE®ÙNI:FA:: OR I®KOÙSEÙD
® A:YE:
Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children are generally lovable people. They possess the

ability to make those around them happy when they too are happy. On
the other hand, they also infect their loved ones with grief and pain
whenever they are sad or dejected. It is therefore advisable for those
close to them to insist that they must not brood over trivial issues since
their moods, more often than not, dictate the mood of the group they
move with.
Again, because these people have the tendency to be loved by all,

including the high and mighty, males and females, those who love them
are also usually very jealous and they crave for the attention of Ogbe¾-
'W'eô¾yi¾n children. The challenging part is that they do not always know
how to strike an acceptable balance among all those who love them.
More often they create crises among their admirers and they appear not
to bother about the possible implications of their actions and/or
inactions.
For Ogbe¾-'W'eôy¾ i¾n children, success comes from two major areas- their
work and their family, especially their family of procreation. They are
usually blessed with fine work whether they are on their own or they
work with/for others.
Their intelligence is superb and they quickly get to the zenith of their
chosen career. Their families also show them love and deep
understanding. However, no matter how great they are in their work
their real satisfaction usually comes from the success of their family as a
whole. They take more pride and accolade in the achievements of their
children than any other thing in life.
Many times, Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children talk too much and end up putting
themselves on the spot with what they say. This is not surprising in the
sense that they are acutely aware that they are very intelligent. They
also feel strongly that others are not, and cannot be, as intelligent as
they are. For this reason, they always end up putting themselves in
huge trouble. The interesting part however is that as soon as they enter
into this trouble, they have an unbelievable way of talking themselves
out of trouble. Not only this, they end up attaining higher positions and
169
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
social status through their words. This is why it is not in the best interest
of anyone to compare themselves with Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children in this
aspect! This is due to the fact that Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children are always
protected by the Divinities, sometimes even against themselves.
For Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children, their main physiological problems are back

troubles, internal organ problems, and heart and respiratory challenges.
With appropriate ẹbọand constant monitoring however, the problems
can be put in check.
It is not advisable for Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children to get themselves

involved in two relationships at the same time. This is because of the
fact that they usually find it tough to maintain equality on emotional
issues, instead of being diplomatic they either end up being glaringly
one-sided or being totally cold and un-emotional. This usually brings
pain and frustration to those who love them passionately. As an
adjustment to this, Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children must never engage in extra
marital activities of any kind. This will only reduce their spiritual and
economic gains to the barest minimum. Sometimes these relationships
can even lead to their death!
On the whole, Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children succeed where others have

failed. They gain acceptance where others have been rejected. They
are respected and honoured where others have been humiliated and
ridiculed. To Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children, life usually has extra meaning
that must be explored and put to good use.
C. TABOOS OF OGBE®-'WEÙ®YI®N
1. Must never eat beef or use any part of cattle – to

avoid suffering, where there is supposed to be honour.
2. Must not ignore his/her health condition – to avoid

incapacitating himself/herself.
3. Must never maltreat dogs – to avoid losing spiritual support.
4. Must not marry anyone who hails from his/her place of

birth – to avoid a matrimonial breakup and failure
170
5. Must not attempt to outwit anyone or take undue

advantage of anybody or any situation – to avoid being
ridiculed and humiliated.
6. For Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n women: they must investigate fully all

social organizations before joining them - to avoid putting
the lives of their children on the line.
7. Must not engage in extra marital affairs – to avoid putting

himself/herself in destructive or perditious circumstances.
8. Must not eat squirell (but can use them to feed Ifá) – to avoid
losing success chances.
9. Must never use dove for anything whatsoever, must never

eat it, use it for medicine or keep it in bondage as a pet –
to avoid unconsummated fortunes and constant agony and
misfortune.
10. Must never care for others more than himself/herself – to

avoid incapacitating himself/herself.
11. Must never under-estimate anyone– to avoid disappointments

in life.
12. Must never kill ants of any kind - to avoid contentious issues
in his/her life.
D. AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA®/IRU:NMOÙLE® OF OGBE®-W'E®ÙYI®N
1. Ifá – For guidance, direction, protection, success and

general well-being
2. Orí – For elevation, success and spiritual harmony
3. E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ – For success, victory and fortune
4. Egu;ngu;n – For overall success, protection and ancestral support
171
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
5. Oró – For overall success and protection
6. SÙa¾ngo; – For victory and protection
7. OÙba¾ta;la; – For spiritual elevation
8. Ajé– For prosperity and financial success
9. O®gu;n– For victory over all adversity
10. O®ke¾ – For victory, success and spiritual elevation
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE®-'WEÙ®YI®N
i. MALES
1. Ifa;ti¾mi;le;ôyi¾n – Ifa; gives me backing

2. Ifa;o¾koô¾mi; – Ifa; does not reject me
3. Ifa;wuyi¾ – Ifa; is prestigious
4. Olu;sôeô;gun – The Lord is victorious
5. Aye;gbaje;ôje;ô – The world needs meekness
6. Adi¾mu; – Hold onto the tenets of the Divinities
7. Yo;o¾du¾ngbeô¾yi¾n – It shall be sweet in the end
ii. FEMALES
1. Teô;woô;gbade; – Spread your hands to receive your

crown of honour
2. Adi¾mu; – Hold unto the tenets of the Divinities
3. Yo;o;du¾ngbeô¾yi¾n – It shall be sweet in the end
4. Jeô;eô;je;ô-L’ogbo; – Meekness guarantees longevity
5. Ifa;wu¾mi; – I love Ifa;
172
Chapter 3
Ogbè Òdí
I I
II I
II I
I I
173
OGBE®-O®DI:
OGBE®’DI:
OGBE® E TI®DI:
OGBE® DINDI
A.1. Ifa; says that all the good things of life that people strive for shall be
given unto the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. He/she shall be blessed
with wealth, compatible spouse, good children, happiness, victory, sound
health, while long life shall be added to these desirable gifts as bonus. Ifa;
says that this person was not created to come into this world to experience
want or to suffering. He/she shall be elevated.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats and four fish for child-
birth; two hens for spouse, if a man; two cocks for spouse, if a woman; two
pigeons for wealth; two guinea fowls for peace of mind; two mature cocks
for victory, sound health and long life; two ducks for elevation; and money.
On these, Ifa; says:
Poro n;la;nl; a; aboju; gbaragada

Di;a; fu;n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Ti; n;;’toô¾run boô¾ w'a;ye;
Translation:
The broad farm ridge with a clear view

This was the Ifa; cast for Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
When coming from heaven to earth
When Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n was coming from heaven to earth, she pleaded for,
and was granted, the Ire of prosperity, compatible spouse, well-behaved
children, sound health, victory over adversary, peace of mind, mental, social
and spiritual elevation, long life and all the Ire of life.
When she arrived on earth, she began to receive the bounties of Olo;du¾mare¾
and the Iru;nmoôleô¾ which no human being could give or take away from her.
174
Her youthful life was challenging and interesting; she got married at the right
time, and to the right man; she got her children at the right time; the children
were well brought up; they became the envy of the community they lived in;
and they were very useful to the community; she was blessed with sound
health; she was looking and acting younger than her age; she carried herself
very well; and she was not involved in any form of scandal in her community.
She was blessed with an opulent mansion which she insisted on its
construction together with her husband and children; she turned the bush
around her parents home into living apartments; she converted the refuse
dump-site in her community into a daily market-place; she was fond of
coming up with brilliant, well articulated and well implemented ideas and she
was highly honoured and respected in the society. There was no good project
in the community that would be implemented without her input.
In spite of all these good attributes, Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n did not allow her
achievements to enter into her head. She was very humble, respectful and
unassuming. She never ignored or overlooked anyone in the community. To
her, nobody was useless, everyone deserved love, and everyone had a
contribution to make to the society.
Even though she tried to make everyone important, she was still hated and
envied by a pocket of people who could not understand why she should be so
blessed by Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities. Her antagonists were never noticed
in the community and they had no relevance in the community of important
people. The sheer force of the goodwill of Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n drove these
detractors to the ground. They remained on the ground. They lived with their
sorrow. They died with their sorrow.
As a bonus for all the good deeds which Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n did for herself, her
immediate family, her extended family and the community at large,
Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities gave her long life. She became the historian in
the community. Young ones also went to her for advice and counselling. She
never disappointed any of them.
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n lived happily. She died a contented and fulfilled woman.
Poro n;la;nl; a; aboju; gbaragada

Di;a; fu;n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Ti; n;t'oô¾run boô¾ w'a;ye;
175
OGBE®’DI:
OÙ®wo;ô Aje; n; wo;ô joô l'eô;yi¾n mi boô¾ wa;
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
OÙ®woô; joô
OÙ®woô; joô
OÙ®woô; aya n; wo;ô joô l'eô;yin mi bo¾ô wa;
O®®Ùwo;ô joô
O®Ùwoô; joô
O®Ùwoô; oômoô rere n; woô; joô l'eô;yi¾n mi boô¾ wa
O®Ùwo;ô joô
O®Ùwoô; joô
O®Ùwoô; ile; n; wo;ô joô l'eô;yi¾n mi bo¾ô wa;
Ù o;ô joô
O®w
O®Ùwoô; joô
O®Ùwoô; Ire gbogbo n; woô; joô l'eô;yi¾n mi boô¾ wa;
O®Ùwoô; joô
O®Ùwoô; joô
EÙ wa; ba; ni ba';yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
The broad farm ridge with clear view

This was the Ifa cast for Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
She complied
The benefit of prosperity is coming to me
176
Let them gather together and come

Let them arrive
The benefit of compatible spouses are coming to me
Let them arrive
The benefit of well trained children are coming to me
Let them arrive
The benefit of comfortable homes are coming to me
Let them arrive
The benefit of all the Ire in life is coming to me
Let them arrive
Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she shall be
relevant in his/her home and community at large. He/she shall be in high
demand. He/she shall live happily. In his/her old age, he/she shall recline
comfortably and watch his/her handiwork grow steadily. He/she shall die with
a smile on his/her face. That is the message of Ifa;.
2. Ifa; says that there are five issues which the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed needs to address as soon as possible in order for him/her to enjoy
his/her life to the fullest. These issues are:
i. His/her Ori; is not strong enough. This is the reason why many evil plans
against him/her, both physical and preternatural, readily affect him/her.
ii. His/her health is not sound. He/she has health issues that require urgent
attention. He/she cannot continue to live his/her life with ill health.
iii. His/her life is not free of contentious issues. This is why he/she is easily
implicated in issues which he/she knows about and those he/she knows
nothing about.
177
OGBE®’DI:
iv. He/she is not enjoying the fullness of his/her life. This is why he/she
always feels that something is always missing in his/her life.
v. Most of the Ire he/she is expecting are not yet within his/her reach. This is
the reason why he/she ends up toiling so much before he/she can make ends
meet.
Ifa; recommends for this person to offer the following items as eôboô and to use
them to feed his/her Ori; in order to redress the issues stated above:
i. Two coconuts to make his/her Orí strong enough to ward off the evil plans
against him/her.
ii. Two dry EÙda; (grey rats) to boost his/her health so that he/she will stop
living his/her life in ill-health.
iii. Two dry eômoô; (brown rats) to make his/her live his/her life free of
contention.
iv. Two dry iku;n (type of squirrels) to make him/her enjoy the fullness of
his/her life.
v. Plenty of brown shrimp for his/her Ire to come within reach.
One of each item will be used as eôboô while the remaining material will be
used to feed his/her Ori.
On these aspects, a stanza in Ogbe¾‟Di; states:
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
Baba n;sunku;n Ori; o¾un o¾ gbo;
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la;
Baba n;sunku;n ara o¾hun o¾ da;
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la
178
Baba n;sunku;n ara o¾hun o¾ moô;

Baba n;sunku;n ile; o¾hun o¾ ku;n
Baba n;sunku;n Ire o¾hun o¾ de;
Translation:
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting that his Ori; was not strong enough
They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting that his health was not sound
When lamenting that his life was not free of contention
When lamenting that he could not enjoy the fullness of his life
Ti;ni¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
When lamenting that the Ire he was expecting was not
manifesting
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was a very sad man indeed. He could not understand why all the
evil plans of his antagonists, both physical and preternatural, continued to
affect him adversely in spite of all his efforts to put an end to them; he failed
to comprehend why his bad health had failed to improve despite all the
179
OGBE®’DI:
remedies he had applied; he continued to wonder why people loved to

implicate him and drag his reputation through the mud over what he knew
nothing about, in spite of all his efforts to put a stop to these problems; he was
at a loss as to why he could not enjoy the fullness of his home and life, even
though he had put in all efforts to enjoy his life to the fullest. He could also
not understand why he needed to toil so much before he could make ends
meet. He was unhappy that all the Ire in life that he was expecting eluded
him. Why must I continue to live this type of life, he wondered?
What must I do to improve my life? He asked himself repeatedly. These

were the problems that took him to the home of the two Awo mentioned
above for Ifa; consultation: Will my life improve and change for the better?
Will I be able to actualise my destiny? If yes, what do I need to do to make
this happen?
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that even though he had chosen all the good things of
life from heaven, he was nonetheless facing the problem of unconsummated
fortune as listed above. He assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that all these problems would be
things of the past because they were not supposed to be his portion in the first
place. He was told that he needed to offer ẹbọ and feed his Orí in order to
right all these wrongs.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to procure two coconuts, two eômoô;, two eôda;, two iku;n,
plenty of ede; (brown shrimp) and money. He was told that one coconut,
one eômoô;, one eôda;, one iku;n and half the quantity of the edé would be used
to offer the eôboô while the remaining materials would be cooked well and use
to feed his Ori;. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ provided the items as soon as he could lay his hands
on them, and the eôboô was done. After this, he fed his Ori; as instructed by the
Awo.
The transformation was magical. The result were miraculous. As soon as

these rituals were performed, the life of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ changed completely for the
better. His Ori; became very strong; his health improved and all his health
issues became things of the past; all the contention in his life became a matter
of history, he was no longer implicated in matters he knew nothing about; he
began to enjoy the fullness of his home and life, the feeling that something
was missing in his home and life disappeared; he was able to realise all the
things he had been expecting.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was overwhelmed with joy that he rolled out the drums, singing and
dancing, saying:
180
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’a¾gboôn boô’ri; mi o
Ori; mi; i ma¾ ma¾ gbo; o
Mo f’eôda; boô'ri; mi o
Ara mi ma¾ ma¾ da; o
Mo f’eômoô; boô’ri; mi o
Ara mi ma¾ ma¾ moô; o
Ti;n--i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’iku;n boô’ri; mi o
Ile; mi ma¾ ma¾ ku;n o
Mo f’ede; boô’ri; mi o
Ire mi ma¾ ma¾ de; o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;ndin o
Translation:
I have used coconut to feed my Ori;
And my Ori; has become strong
I have used eôda; (grey rat) to feed my Ori;
And my health has improved tremendously
I have used eômoô; (brown rat) to feed my Ori;
And my life has become free of contention
181
OGBE®’DI:
I have used iku;n (squirrel) to feed my Ori;
And I enjoy the fullness of my home and life
I have used ede; (brown shrimp) to feed my Ori;
And all my fortune has been consummated
That was how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ moved from sadness to joy; he moved from anxiety
to peace of mind; and from uncertainty to confidence and comfort.
Baba n;sunku;n Ori; o¾un o¾ gbo;
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la;
Baba n;sunku;n ara o¾hun o¾ da;
Baba n;sunku;n ara o¾hun o¾ moô;
Baba n;sunku;n ile; o¾hun o¾ ku;n
Baba n;sunku;n Ire o¾hun o¾ de;
Ire gbogbo wa; ya de; tuturu
O: wa; sôi;hu¾n Ifeô¾
182
Ala;do; wa; f'orin si;i leô;nu

O: ke;’jasa¾
Orin Ikin ni; n;koô
O: n; pe; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;;n o
Mo f’a¾gboôn boô’ri; mi o
Ori; mi; i ma¾ ma¾ gbo; o
Mo f’eôda; boô'ri; mi o
Ara mi ma¾ ma¾ da; o
Mo f’eômoô; boô’ri; mi o
Ara mi ma¾ ma¾ moô; o
Ti;n--i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’iku;n boô’ri; mi o
Ile; mi ma¾ ma¾ ku;n o
Mo f’ede; boô’ri; mi o
Ire mi ma¾ ma¾ de; o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;ndin o
EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; Ire gbogbo
Woô¾woô; Ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Translation:
When lamenting that his Ori; was not strong enough
183
OGBE®’DI:
When lamenting that his health was not sound

When lamenting that his life was not free of contention
When lamenting that he could not enjoy the fullness of his life
Ti;ni¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
When lamenting that the Ire he was expecting was not
manifesting
He complied
All Ire trooped in abundantly
He opened his mouth to speak
Ifa; put a song into his mouth
He called his musical group together
It was Ifa;‟s song he raised
He sang: Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o
I have used coconut to feed my Ori;
And my Ori; has become strong
I have used eôda; (grey rat) to feed my Ori;
And my health has improved tremendously
I have used eômoô; (brown rat) to feed my Ori;
And my life has become free of contention
I have used iku;n (squirrel) to feed my Ori;
And I enjoy the fullness of my home and life
184
I have used ede; (brown shrimp) to feed my Ori;

And all my fortune has been consummated
All the Ire of life is what Ifa; guarantees for all its devotees
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall have course to
celebrate in life. He/she shall live a fulfilled life and overcome his/her
challenges in life.
3. Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she shall
surely be blessed with all the Ire of life that he/she needs. Ifa; says that this
person needs to work in conjunction with his/her Ori; and Ifa;. If he/she has
any problem now, it is simply because he/she has not been in close alliance
with his/her Ori;. This, he/she needs to do in order for the Ire to stay with
him/her for the rest of his/her life.
Ifa; advises this person to provide the following materials as a matter of

urgency: six coconuts, six wa¾ra¾ (goat-milk cheese lumps) and plenty of
brown shrimp. Two coconuts, two cheese (wa¾ra¾), shrimp and money will
be used to offer eôboô. Two coconuts, two wa¾ra¾, shrimp, and money will be
used to feed Ifa;; while the remaining two coconuts, two wa¾ra¾ and shrimp
will be used to feed his/her Ori;. Ifa; says that as soon as these are done, all
the Ire of life shall come trooping in to him/her.
On this aspect, a stanza in Ogbe¾‟Di; says:
Eruku to;o;ro; abeô apata

I®ja¾ n;la; ni;i; seô¾’gboro keô¾ke¾ôeô¾ke¾ô
O®si¾fi¾ aba¾ ni;i; ya¾’ka
A®wo¾ra;n mo ko¾ n’isa¾n awo ‘La;gbe;nro;
Di;a; fu;n Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i;
OÙmoô ar’a;gboôn sôoô¾run
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ ntoôla¾
185
OGBE®’DI:
Translation:
The dust that passes under a masquerade‟s Apata costume

A serious uprising is it that shakes a city to its foundation
An oversized barn is it that caves in from the centre
A®wo¾ra;n-mo-ko¾, (different images are carved for
different masquerades) the Awo of „La;gbe;nro;
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ori;-ni;-n-sôe-ba;yi¾i;
(Ori;-instructs-me-to-do-my-things-this-way)
He who uses coconuts to feed his Ori;
To acquire prosperity quickly
Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i; had great potentials. He was very resourceful. Yet, he found it

difficult to consummate his fortunes. Why? He could not understand. He tried
many things and yet he could not consummate his fortunes. Tired of what
was happening in his life, he decided to go for Ifa; consultation: What can I do
to right this wrong?
The Awo assured Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i; that he had come into this world to succeed.
They assured him that he would not only succeed, the whole world would also
bow to him and celebrate with him on his fortunes. He was however told that
he was having all sorts of problems which were leading to his unconsummated
fortunes because he was not in alignment with his Ori;. He was urged to find
out what he must do on a regular basis in order to be in alignment with his
Ori;.
The Awo then gave him the following analogy: There were certain Egu;ngu;n
that used to parade the town with Apata. (This Apata was a specially carved
image which one of the high-ranking officials of the Egu;ngu;n cult would
carry for the masquerader). It was not a masquerade per se, but it would be
used to pray by passers-bys). Rapid movements of people and passers-bys
would often raise dust that would pass under the Apata. The dust however
never had the power to affect the Apata in any way. But anytime there was an
uprising, the uprising would raise up a huge dust cloud and create crises and
anxiety. The whole community would be shaken to its very foundation. There
would also be several costumes carried for different masquerades which
would enhance the beauty, dignity and respect of their appearance. One
costume was not expected to be the same as the other.
186
The Awo basically likened his case to that of the small dust that moves under
the Apata and has no effect on the Apata. Basically, his prayers were like the
dust which, were not having any effect on his life whatsoever. The Awo
stated further that when his wishes were not manifesting, it was like the dust
raised by an uprising which would bring a lot of anxiety, pain, anguish, agony
and frustration.
The Awo concluded that all these things were happening in his life because
his Ori; was not in harmony with him and he was not in alignment with his
Ori;. Different things place different people in alignment with one‟s Ori;, just as
different costumes make different masquerades appeal to their spectators. In
his own case, the Awo said that the usage of coconuts, wa¾ra¾ (cheese), and
brown shrimp would place him in alignment with his Ori;. He was therefore
advised to procure six wa¾ra¾ and plenty of brown shrimp to be used as EÙboô
and to feed his Ori; and Ifa;.
Fully determined to be in alignment with his Ori; Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i; quickly

complied.
True to the prediction of the Awo, his transformation from poverty to riches:
his conversion from hopelessness to boundless opportunities and his elevation
from the dregs to the zenith happened in a very sudden manner.
He too could not believe his good fortune. Initially, he had to convince
himself over and over that he was not dreaming. He would prick himself,
look at himself in the water that he had fetched which acted as his mirror and
he would ask neighbours if truly he was awake or deep in slumber and in
dream to convince himself that he was really wide awake.
Everything came to him very quickly and like a torrent. He became

stupendously rich. He was blessed with a compatible spouse. That same
month that the spouse got to his home, she became pregnant and gave birth to
a beautiful baby 10 lunar months after.
Within seven years, he was blessed with four children. He had several
properties scattered in many choice locations. His health never failed him
again. He was always full of life and was looking and feeling much younger
than his age. He was indeed a well fulfilled man. He was able to look back at
the trend and movement of his life and beat his chest that he had truly and
permanently parted ways with unconsummated fortune.
187
OGBE®’DI:
Eruku to;o;ro; abeô apata

I®ja¾ n;la; ni;i; seô¾’gboro keô¾ke¾ôeô¾ke¾ô
O®si¾fi¾ aba¾ ni;i; ya¾’ka
A®wo¾ra;n mo ko n’isa¾n awo ‘La;gbe;nro;
Di;a; fu;n Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i;
OÙmoô ar’a;gboôn sôoô¾run
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ ntoôla¾
Ori; ni; n l’a;je;
Mo l’a;je;
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a nt'oôla¾
Ire aje; ti; mo feô; ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri;
Ede; lo; ni; ko; de;
Ori; ni; n l’a;ya
Mo la;ya
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a t’aya
Ire aya ti; mo feô; ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri;
Ori; ni; n bi;'moô
Mo bi;'moô
Ni wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a t’oômoô
Ire oômoô ti; mo feô; ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri;
Ori; ni; n koô;’le;
Mo koô;'le;
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a t'ile;
Ire ile; ti; mo fe;ô ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri;
Ori; ni; n l’e;ôsôin
Mo l’eô;sôin
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a teôsôin
Ire eôsôin ti; mo fe;ô ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri;
Ori; ni; n ni;’re gbogbo
Mo ni;’re gbogbo
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a toôla¾
Ire gbogbo ti; mo feô; ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri;
188

EÙ wa;a; ba; wa b’a;yo¾ô
EÙ wa; wo’re gbogbo o
Translation:
The dust that passes under a masquerade‟s Apata costume

A serious uprising is it that shakes a city to its foundation
An oversized barn is it that caves in from the centre
A®wo¾ra;n-mo-ko¾, (different images are carved for
different masquerades) the Awo of „La;gbe;nro;
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ori;-ni;-n-sôe-ba;yi¾i;
(Ori;-instructs-me-to-do-my-things-this-way)
He who uses coconuts to feed his Ori;
To acquire prosperity quickly
He complied
My Ori; says that I will be blessed with prosperity
I will be prosperous
I will acquire the blessing of prosperity quickly
The Ire of prosperity which I have not yet acquired
It is ede; (the shrimp) that decrees for it to come now
My Ori; says that I will be blessed with a spouse
I will be a married person
I will acquire the blessing of a compatible spouse quickly
The blessing of a spouse which I have not yet acquired
It is ede; that decrees for it to come now
My Ori; says that I will be blessed with children
I will become a proud parent
I will acquire the blessing of beautiful children quickly
The blessing of children which I have not yet acquired
My Ori; says that I will be blessed with property
I will have many properties
I will acquire the blessing of properties quickly
The Ire of properties which I have not yet acquired
My Ori; says that I will be blessed with many horses
I will have many horses
I will acquire the blessing of horses quickly
The blessing of horses which I have not yet acquired
189
OGBE®’DI:

My Ori; says that I will be blessed with all the Ire of life
I will have all the Ire of life
I will acquire the blessing of all Ire quickly
The Ire that I have not yet acquired
It is ede; that decrees for them to come now
Come and perceive all the Ire in life
Ifa; promises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she shall be
blessed with all the Ire in life. He/she shall lack nothing in life. He/she shall
be denied nothing. He/she has come into the world to achieve greatness. As
long as he/she stays in alignment with his/her Ori;, the sky is just the beginning
of his/her achievements in life.
4. Ifa; foresees the Ire of prosperity and boundless opportunities for the person
for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; advises this person never to forget the
person who had made it possible for him/her to succeed in life.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three pigeons and money. He/she is
also advised to feed SÙa¾ngo; and Baa;ya¾nni¾. There is the need to ask Ifa; what
these two Divinities will take from the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed
and feed them accordingly.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-E-Ti¾di; laying emphasis on this aspect says:
Koô;la;wu¾mi; Awo abeô; ata

Ejo¾ ni;i; ko; na¾ng¾ bo¾ôn na¾ng¾ bo¾ôn woô’sa¾
OÙjoô; oore e; pe;ô
Asôi¾we¾re¾ e; gba¾gbe;
Di;a; fu;n Baa;ya¾nni¾
Ti; n;sôawo re’ju¾ I®seô¾leô¾
Translation:
Koô;la;wu¾mi;, the Awo under the pepper plantation

The snake is it that enters the hole with its entire length
Because the day a favour had been extended to one
had long passed by
190
The foolish person who was the recipient of the favour

totally forgot
These were Ifa;‟s messages for Baa;ya¾nni¾
When going on spiritual mission to the wilderness of I®seô¾leô¾
Baa;ya¾nni¾ was an elder brother of SÙa¾ngo;. Both of them also had another
sibling who was older than them. His name was Da¾da. Da¾da was living in the
wilderness of I®seô¾le¾ô. He was known to be a very physically weak Iru;nmoôleô¾.
His hair was also always in locks. Unlike him, his two brothers, Baa;ya¾nni¾ and
SÙa¾ngo; were very strong, fearless and forceful personalities. There was
nothing that they would not confront and battle to the very end. The two of
them were very fond of their elder brother who was a weakling and they were
ready to defend him to the very last. Anyone who planned to cheat Da¾da
would always have the two brothers to contend with. That was why people
would say; “Dada ko¾ le¾ ja¾, sôu¾gboôn; o; l’a;bu¾u;ro¾ to; gbo;ju;”, meaning that;
“Even though Da¾da has no strength to engage anyone in a fight, he
nonetheless has brave brothers”.
One day, Baa;ya¾nni¾ planned to go on spiritual mission to I®seô¾leô¾ wilderness. He

went for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed where I am going? The Awo cast Ifa;
for him and Ogbe¾-Di;i; was revealed.
The Awo assured him that he would surely succeed where he was going. He
was however, told that he needed to assist all those he met there so that
everyone would be happy. He said that those assisted would owe him the
duty of being grateful and would show their gratitude. He was advised to offer
eôboô as stated above. He complied.
When he got to I®se¾ôleô¾ wilderness, he met his elder brother, Da¾da. He realised
that trying to make Da¾da a strong and brave person might not work. He
therefore offered eôboô and made Ifa; preparations for him to succeed
financially. Before long, Da¾da become a financially successful man. While
Baa;ya¾nni¾ concentrated on ensuring financial success for him, SÙa¾ngo; continued
to protect and defend him against all forms of aggression.
When Da¾da realised that his success and security were coming from his two
younger siblings, he decided to show his own gratitude to them by making the
whole world know that these two great Iru;nmoôleô¾ were the ones who assisted
him in succeeding. He tied plenty of cowries to the hair locks on his head.
Anyone who saw him would call him thus, “Da¾da A®wu;ru; oô¾yale¾ô yagi oko.
191
OGBE®’DI:
Da¾da olo;wo; eôyoô. Bu¾nmi lo;o;kan n so moôri;. Olo;wo; ori; la moô¾ ni; Da¾da”
meaning “Da¾da the brave, he who tears both the ground and the forest trees
apart (reference to SÙa¾ngo¾) Da¾da, owner of the cowries (money). Please give
me some cowries to tie to my hair. Those who have money tied to their heads
are the ones recognised as Da¾da". It never occurred to him for one day that
those two Iru;nmoôleô¾ were younger than him and therefore, he need not
advertise to the world that they were the ones who had made him great.
Koô;la;wu¾mi; Awo abeô; ata

Ejo¾ ni;i; ko; na¾ng¾ bo¾ôn na¾ng¾ bo¾ôn woô’sa¾
OÙjoô; oore e; pe;ô
Asôi¾we¾re¾ e; gba¾gbe;
Di;a; fu;n Baa;ya¾nni¾
Ti; n;sôawo re’ju¾ I®seô¾leô¾
N®je;ô Da¾da A®wu;ru;
O®Ùyale¾ô ya'gi oko
E®ro¾ I®seô¾leô¾ n; bo¾ô lo;ôna¾
Da¾da, Olo;wo; eyoô
Fu;n mi lo;o;kan n so mo;;ôri;
Da¾da Olo;wo; eyoô
Olo;wo; ori; la mo¾ô ni; Da¾da
Translation:
Koôl; a;wu¾mi;, the Awo under the pepper plantation

The snake is it that enters the hole with its entire length
Because the day a favour had been extended to one
had long passed by
The foolish person who was the recipient of the favour
totally forgot
These were Ifa;‟s messages for Baa;ya¾nni¾
When going on spiritual mission to the wilderness of I®seô¾leô¾
He complied
Behold Da¾da the Brave
He who tears both the ground and the forest trees apart
Travelers to I®se¾¾ôle¾ô land are coming along the road
Da¾da, the owner of plentiful cowries
192
Please give me some cowries to tie to the hair of my head

Da¾da, the owner of plentiful cowries
Those who have money tied to their heads are
the ones recognised as Da¾da
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall succeed in life.
Not only this, he/she shall also be given adequate protection by the Divinities.
He/she must however not forget those who have assisted him/her one way or
the other to succeed in life. By showing gratitude to those who have assisted
him/her, he/she shall continue to receive elevation and security for the rest of
his/her life.
5. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall succeed this
very year. His/her success shall be so sudden that he/she too will find it
difficult to understand how the success has happened.
Ifa; advises this person to always respond personally anytime he/she is invited
to any occasion or when asked to go anywhere. He/she should not send
anyone to go on his/her behalf, especially if where he/she was asked to come
is very crucial or important.
Ifa; recommends for this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons and one she-
goat. ¾H;e/she also needs to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land snails, shea butter and
native chalks. Even though the eôbo materials are important, the more
important aspect of the eôbọ is for him/her to heed the advice of the Awo by
ensuring that he/she attends where he/she is invited personally.
On this aspect, Ogbe®-„Di¾i; states thus:
O®n®peni ni;i; f’oôla;

O®n¾jeôpe¾ ki;i; f’oôla;
Di;a; fu;n Erin
Ti; n; lo¾ôoô; f’ara sô’oôfa¾ l'o;ôdo¾ô EÙtu
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Privilege is for the person who calls someone

The person who is called has no such privilege
This was Ifa;‟s message for Erin (the Elephant)
193
OGBE®’DI:
When going to serve under Eôtu (the Antelope)

EÙtu, the Antelope was very close to OÙba¾ta;la;. He was well loved by OÙba¾ta;la;.
Why OÙba¾ta;la; loved him that much was unknown to anyone. OÙba¾ta;la; too
could not explain why, in spite of EÙtu‟s many inadequacies, he was still loved.
The privilege given to EÙtu by O®ba¾ta;la; made many people respect him. By this
time, Erin (the Elephant) was serving under EÙtu. Erin was not bigger than a
rodent during this time period. Erin was looking for money but could not get
any. For this reason, he went to EÙtu to borrow money and he gave money to
him. When it was time to pay back the money, he had no money to pay.
Consequent upon this, he decided to serve EÙtu until he could get the money to
pay him back.
As soon as he got to EÙtu‟s home, he had no peace of mind. He was given no

freedom whatsoever. EÙtu was working him to death. Unfortunately for Erin,
he had nobody to complain to. Everyone feared OÙba¾ta;la;. Unknown to many
however, OÙba¾ta;la; had been warning EÙtu against being too high handed but he
simply would not listen. Erin would work on the farm for EÙtu from dawn to
night time. He would only be allowed to rest when it was complete darkness.
Erin was fed only once a day, just to make sure that he did not die of
starvation. He would not be given more than this one meal.
One day, Erin stole some time to go for Ifa; consultation in order to determine
his fate in life: Will ever regain my freedom? Will I ever became successful
in life? Will I be able to assert my own authority and influence in life? If yes,
What do I need to do?
The Awo assured him that he would surely succeed in life. He was told that
his success would be so sudden that he would never believe what had
happened to him. He was told to ensure that anywhere he was sent, he should
not avoid that errand or skip that job. He was advised to persevere and that it
would be well in the end. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He
had no money to do it. For this reason, he went to borrow money from EÙtu.
EÙtu gave him the money, believing that he would never be able to pay it back.
He made Erin toil harder than ever before. Erin did everything without
complaining, believing that it would truly be well in the end as the Awo had
told him.
One day, OÙba¾ta;la; decided to transform EÙtu into a great person. EÙtu must be
turned into a giant, Oôba¾ta;la; boasted. He began to make many preparations for
194
EÙtu. When it was time for OÙba¾ta;la; to administer it on EÙtu, he sent a message
for EÙtu to come immediately. When Eôtu got the message, he felt that he was
too important for anyone, OÙba¾ta;la; inclusive, to just summon him without
notice. He decided that he would not go. Instead, he sent Erin to go and tell
OÙba¾ta;la; that he had no time to come that day and that OÙba¾ta;la; was free to give
the message to Erin.
When Oôba¾ta;la; saw Erin and heard what EÙtu had told Erin to inform him, he
was totally disappointed. Out of anger, OÙba¾ta;la; decided to make Erin a giant
instead of EÙtu. That was exactly what OÙba¾ta;la; did. Within a few moments,
Erin was transformed from a rodent to a mountain. The front door of
OÙba¾ta;la;‟s house was broken in order to allow Erin to pass through because of
his massive size. This was unbelievable! Erin told himself repeatedly.
OÙba¾ta;la; blessed him and ask him to return home.
On his way home, everyone gave him way to pass. The branches, creeping
plants and trees which stood in his way were all uprooted by his sheer might,
size and force. When EÙtu saw Erin, he simply took to his heels! Those who
saw Erin when he was going to OÙba¾ta;la;‟s house and when he was returning
exclaimed thus: I¾si¾nyi; la r‟Erin, ni;gba¾wo lo wa do¾ke¾!? - meaning, we have
just seen Erin, when did you turn into a mountain?! Erin just responded that
the work of the Divinities was beyond comprehension.
O®n®peni ni;i; f’oôla;

O®n¾jeô¾pe¾ ki;i; f’oôla;
Di;a; fu;n Erin
Ti; n; lo¾ôoô; f’ara sô’oôfa¾ lo;ôdo¾ô EÙtu
Fi¾ri;fi¾ri; la r’Erin
Erin ni;gba¾wo lo wa d’o¾ke¾
Translation:
Privilege is for the person who calls someone

The person who is called has no such privilege
This was Ifa;‟s message for Erin (the Elephant)
When going to serve under Eôtu (the Antelope)
He complied
195
OGBE®’DI:
We barely noticed Erin (on his way to OÙba¾ta;la;‟s house)

When did you become a mountain?
Ifa; says that this person shall move from insignificance to
prominence within the twinkling of an eye.
6. Ifa; says that it foresees victory for the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed. Ifa ;says that this person is being worked upon by enemies in order
for him/her to fail, misbehave, disappear or simply die altogether. Ifa; assures
him/her that the negative designs of his/her enemies shall fail. Those planning
to tie down his/her progress, freedom, reasoning or life shall be put to shame.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôbo with one hen whose legs are tied with
rope, salt wrapped in a leaf and tied with rope, locust beans wrapped in a
leaf and tied with rope, pepper wrapped in a leaf and tied with rope,
melon wrapped in a leaf and tied with rope, and three yams tied together
with rope. These ropes will be untied and added to the eôboô as well and after
the eôbo, the hen will be slaughtered to feed Ifa;. The same hen will be cooked
with the same pepper, salt, locust beans and melon. The three yams will be
prepared into pounded yam. All these will again be used to feed Ifa; while all
Awo present will consume the rest.
A stanza in Ogbe¾‟Di¾i; on this aspect says:
Ta wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ ta
O®® ta si;gbo; ele;gbe¾e;
Ni;bi; ti; wo;ôn gbe; n; di; oômoô A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:
To jump with agility

To jump into the woeful forest
Where they were tying down the essence of
Agbonni;re¾gu;n‟s child
A®gboônni¾¾re¾gu;n‟s child had everything wrong with him. He could not make
ends meet. His colleagues were at work against him. They were planning to
run him down completely. They were sure that it was just a matter of time
before he would lose everything he had ever laid his hands upon in his life.
196
His clients had all disappeared. He was spending the money he had made
before his crisis began. He had almost run through all his savings. His health
was failing as a result of sorrow and regret. He had taken to excessive alcohol
consumption in order to quell his sorrow. As soon as his brain settled a little,
his sorrows would multiply. He was using the alcohol in order to sedate
himself to sleep.
One day, he got drunk to the extent that he collapsed. He regained his
consciousness four days later. That was when he began to think about his ill
luck and illness and he burst into tears. He realised that within a short period,
he had lost everything he had ever acquired in his life, his wealth had almost
gone completely; his wife and children had abandoned him; his family
members had vowed never to come to him anymore; his community had
already seen him as a classical example of a failed man; and children in the
community made jest of him as a compulsive drunkard. He cried and cried.
In the end, he began to console himself that no amount of weeping would ever
change his condition. He assured himself that since he was still alive, he
should not lose any hope. He told himself that once there is life, there is hope
and opportunity. He decided to visit a Babala;wo for a lasting solution to his
problems. It occurred to him that he had just been proving his enemies right
when he took to excessive drinking. He told himself that he must not give his
enemies the pleasure of coming to shed crocodile tears over his dead body.
That evening, he decided to go to the home of the Awo mentioned above for
Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in life, in spite of all the misfortune that has
befallen me? What do I need to do to right all the wrongs in my life? In fact,
what is responsible for my misfortunes in the first place? Are they man-made
or natural?
The Awo told him that he had come into the world full of opportunities and
success chances. He was told that he had actually begun to exhibit his
potentials before things began to go wrong for him. The Awo told him that
his situation did not worsen naturally; but rather, there were people who had
taken it upon themselves to tie down his success and opportunities. These
people saw nothing wrong in tying him to death, both figuratively and
metaphysically. The Awo however assured him that the negative designs of
his enemies would collapse and fail. He was told that even though these
enemies had succeeded in tying him down, Ifá would nonetheless untie him
completely and set him free of all negative machinations and designs.
The Awo then advised him to offer eôboô with all the items listed above, and
explained that when these items were to be brought from the market, the mere
fact that they were tied with strings would make them safe and secured but at
197
OGBE®’DI:
the same time, they were not usable until they were untied. Consequent upon
this, anyone who brings these items tied from the market to the house would
need to untie them before they can be used. The Awo assured him that those
who had tied him figuratively and metaphorically were bound to untie him,
unless if those who bought salt wrapped in a leaf and tied with string could
use it to cook without untying the string before using it; unless if those who
bought locust beans wrapped with leaf and tied with string could use it to cook
without untying the string before using it; unless if those who bought melon
wrapped with leaf and tied with string could use the melon for cooking with
the string attached to it; unless if those who bought a fowl whose legs were
tied could cook the fowl together with the feathers and the string that was used
to tie its legs; unless if those who brought three yams from the market tied
with string could use them to prepare pounded yam without first untying the
string from the yams. If all these strings must be untied before these items can
be used, then, all the physical, spiritual, economical, social, psychological,
mental and emotional strings used to tie him down would be untied
unconditionally as soon as the eôboô was offered.
Agboônni¾re¾gu;n‟s child (Ogbe;-Di;i;‟s child) was so impressed with the analysis

of the Awo that he returned home instantly, took the remaining money he had
left with him and headed straight for the market to purchase all the items
mentioned by the Awo for eôboô. He returned to the Awo‟s house shortly after
and the eôboô was offered accordingly.
Ogbe¾-Di;‟s child returned home with hope. And true to the prediction of Ifa;,
he began to feel that all the things used to tie him and his potentials began to
loosen up. He began to feel relieved. His self confidence returned. And just
as his problems had begun they all disappeared in like manner. He was able
to consummate his fortunes. He also forgot that he had once been a
compulsive drunkard. Once more, he became very wealthy and successful.
He lived the rest of his life a happy and contented man.
Ta wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ ta
O¾ ta s'i;gbo; ele;gbe¾e;
Ni;bi; ti; wo;ôn gbe; n; di; oômoô A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
Ifa; ni; eô ma d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®e¾wo¾
Ifa; ni; eô ma d 'oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®e¾wo¾
A ki;i; di;rru; ka; ma; le e¾ tu o
E®e¾wo¾ô
198
Ifa; ni eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o

E®e¾wo¾ô
A ki¾i; d’ata ka; ma; le e¾ tu o
E®e¾woô¾
Ifa; ni; eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®¾e¾wo¾ô
A ki¾i; d’eô¾gu;si; ka; ma; leô e¾ tu o
E®e¾wo¾ô
E®e¾wo¾ô
A ki¾i; d’i¾yo¾ô ka; ma; l¾e e¾ tu o
E®e¾wo¾ô
Ifa; ni; eô ma d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®e¾wo¾ô
A ki¾i; d’isôu ka; ma; le e¾ tu o
E®e¾wo¾ô
Ifa; ni eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®e¾wo¾ô
A ki¾i; di; adi¾eô ka; ma; le e¾ tu o
E®e¾wo¾ô
E®e¾wo¾ô
Translation:
To jump with agility

To jump into the woeful forest
Where they were tying down the essence of
Agbonni;re¾gu;n‟s child
He complied
Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di;
It is a taboo
It is taboo
We will never tie locust bean without untying it
It is a taboo
It is taboo
We will never tie pepper without untying it
199
OGBE®’DI:
It is a taboo
It is taboo
We will never tie melon without untying it
It is a taboo
It is taboo
We will never tie salt without untying it
It is a taboo
It is taboo
We will never tie yam tubers without untying them
It is a taboo
It is taboo
We will never tie a fowl without untying it
It is a taboo
It is taboo
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is reveled will not be incapacitated
spiritually, mentally, psychologically, emotionally, economically, socially or
physically. He/she shall be freed from any form of bondage. Ifa; assures this
person that his/her fortunes shall be consummated.
7. Ifa; says that it foresees the blessing of a baby for the person who is
seriously in need of the fruit of the womb. Ifa; says that very soon, this person
shall become a proud father/mother. Not only this, he/she shall showcase
his/her joy for everyone to see.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and
money. Out of these items, two rats, two fish and one hen will also be used
to feed Ifa;. By so doing, Ifa; will ensure that this person is blessed accordingly.
O®ni; wiriwiri Ogbe¾ Di;

O®ôla wiriwiri Ogbe¾ Di;
Di;a; fu;n Po;ônn;ge;le;
Eku;n oômoô lo; n; sun
200
Translation:
Today, all things point to Ogbe¾ „Di;

Tomorrow, all things point to Ogbe¾‟Di;
This was the Ifa; cast for Poô;nn;ge;le;
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a child
Po;ônn;gele; loved children and young ones to a fault. She was always found in
their midst. She would play with them and tell them different stories. She
would take them to places and organize outings for them. Many times, she
would be the one who would stand sure for the young ones acting as their
mother when these young ones were about to do great things in life. She used
to sponsor many events which would elevate the children and young ones.
They all loved her and respected her like their own mother.
Unfortunately for Po;ônn;gele; however, she had no child of her own. Much as
she tried, she could not get a baby of her own. Many times, she would be on
her bed and cry for hours. Sometimes, she would cry and cry from night till
day break. She prayed to Olodumare and the Divinities to bless her with the
fruit of the womb, but her prayers were yet to be answered. After more than
18 years of prayers, she became desperate. She began to move from one
healing home to another, all to no avail.
One day, she decided to give Ifa; a trial, consequent upon this, she went to the
home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I receive the
blessing of Olodumare by receiving the fruit of the womb? Will I become a
mother of my own biological child? Will I continue being the „mother‟ of
others young ones and children, without being a mother of my own biological
children? If this is the case, how would this happen? What do I need to do
for the good things to happen?
The Awo assured her that she would surely become a mother of many
children of her own. She was told not to lose hope or despair. She was told
not to entertain any fear or doubt. The Awo advised her to offer eôboô and feed
Ifa; as prescribed above. She complied. After this, she went home, full of
hope and expectations.
201
OGBE®’DI:
One lunar month after, Po;ônn;ge;le; discovered to her surprise that she missed
her period. She refused to believe that she was really pregnant. No, it could
not be true. It must be a delay. As time passed, she began to vomit, feel early
morning sickness, weakness of the body and drowsiness. She still refused to
believe that those were symptoms of early pregnancy. She rather considered
them as signs of illness and nothing more.
Four months after this, her breasts had developed and her stomach was
bulging out. People began to greet her the way pregnant women are greeted.
She realised then that she was indeed pregnant. There was no mistake about
that anymore. When the foetus began to kick inside her, she began to imagine
herself talking to her baby, singing for her and sending her on errands.
She imagined herself sitting as the mother when the baby was old enough to
be betrothed to a man. She vowed to herself that the marriage ceremony
would be the talk of the whole community for a very long time to come. In
her soliloquy, she imagined herself cruising into a contented smile as she
proudly handed over the hand of her beloved daughter to her husband who
would in turn hand over the bride to the most senior man in the groom‟s
family.
It would certainly be a grand occasion, she boasted to herself. But wait, what
if the baby turned out to be a male? Well, the difference in sex would make
no difference in the way the baby would be treated by her. But it is said that a
male child is more difficult for a woman to raise on her own unless a father is
present. But anyway, the father was there. She vowed to ensure that the
father, played an active part in the raising and upbringing her boy. He would
be beside her to ensure that her baby was given the best training. She almost
swore that the boy would take after his father in stature, likeness, strength and
character.
She smiled with satisfaction at the thought of her boy growing up to become
the best farmer, wrestler and administrator in the community, just as his father
had proven over and over. With those thoughts, she slept off. That was the
way she used to tease herself to sleep every single night during her pregnancy.
On the 10th lunar month, Po;ônn;ge;le; gave birth to a baby. She was
overwhelmed with joy that she never bothered to know the sex of the baby.
When she got to know it however, it made no difference to her. The next
thing she did was to start singing and dancing saying:
Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; di¾ o

Po;ônn;ge;le;
202
Emi; ti; d’oôlo;ômoô o

Po;ônn;ge;le;
Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; di; o
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Translation:
Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; Di;

Po;ônn¾ge¾le;
I have become a proud mother
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; Di;
Po;ônn;ge;le;
I am now a mother
Po;ônn;ge;le;
The whole community rejoiced with her on the occasion of her blessing. It
was a big celebration in the community. For three days, people from far and
near kept trooping to Poô;n;nge;le;‟s home to look at her bundle of joy and to
celebrate with her.
O®ni; wiriwiri Ogbe¾ Di;

O®ôla wiriwiri Ogbe¾ Di;
Di;a; fu;n Po;ônn;ge;le;
O; gb’e;ôboô, o; ru’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna
EÙ wa; ba; ni; ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô
Nje Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; di¾ o
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; di; o
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Po;ônn;ge;le;
203
OGBE®’DI:
Translation:
Today, all things point to Ogbe¾ „Di;

Tomorrow, all things point to Ogbe¾‟Di;
This was the Ifa; cast for Poô;nn;ge;le;
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a child
She complied
Join us in the celebration of a new baby
Now, Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; Di;
Po;ônn¾ge¾le;
I have become a proud mother
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; Di;
Po;ônn;ge;le;
I am now a mother
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she will be
blessed with a new baby. With Ifa;, it is never too late for anyone to receive
the blessing that would change his/her life from sadness to joy and from
desperation to contentment.
8. Ifa; advises a woman who has only one child to offer eôboô so as to avoid a
situation where this will be her only child in her life. Ifá warns this person to
work on having more children now when it is not yet too late for her to do so.
If this is not done as quickly as possible, it will be difficult for her to give
birth to more children and in her later years of life, she will end up having
many pains and regrets for the rest of her life.
Ifa; recommends for her to offer eôboô with a completely black mature female
goat and money. After the eôboô, she will need to make herself positively
disposed towards having more children.
On this, Ogbe;-„Di; says:
Ogbe; di;ndi; ko¾ ya;a; bu¾ ku¾

Di;a¾ fu;n E®Ùki¾ri¾
Ti; yo;o¾ bi; o¾ôkan na;a¾
204
Ti; yo;o; pa¾’di; moôô;

Translation:
Ogbe¾ dindi; is not easy to reduce

This was the Ifa; cast for EÙ®ki¾ri¾ (The bush Goat)
Who would give birth to only one child
And who would stop child bearing
EÙ¾®ki¾ri¾, the Bush Goat was blessed with a baby very early on in her life. She
was really proud of her God-given gift. As soon as she had the baby, she felt
that there was the need for her to take a long break from making any more
babies. She wanted to achieve all the good things she needed in life. She
however began to struggle to succeed in life. Any mention of child-bearing to
her was out of it. She took good care of her only child all right, but she did
not want to hear of having more. She was only interested in material
acquisition and social elevation.
In order to acquire more success and recognition, she went to the home of the
Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in life? Will I be
accorded more recognition? Will I make a lot of profit that will enable me to
purchase dresses, jewellery and ornaments? Will I be able to go to places to
enjoy myself? During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-O¾di; was revealed.
The Awo assured her that she would certainly succeed in life. She was told
that all her heart‟s desires would be accomplished. The Awo made it clear to
her that whether she offered eôboô or not, she would reach the apex of her
chosen career in life.
She was however advised that there was the need for her to offer eôboô and to
work seriously on ensuring that she gave birth to more children before it was
too late to do so. She was also warned against concentrating all her efforts on
the pursuit of mundane things at the expense of having more children. Her
eôboô materials, the Awo said, were one giant black she-goat and money.
When E®ôki¾ri¾ heard all these statements from her Awo, she became livid with
rage. If she disrupted her quest to reach the top of her career in life with the
silly idea of becoming pregnant at this particular point in her lifetime when
she had everything going for her, what type of gains would she be able to
205
OGBE®’DI:
make? No, this Awo must be either drunk, ignorant, or mischievous. Either
way, she will not allow anyone to truncate her goals and ideals, her Awo
inclusive. Instead of arguing with her Awo, she simply stood up, took back
the five cowries she paid for the Ifá consultation and left the house of the
Awo. The Awo looked at her in utter disbelief. He could not understand what
was wrong with her. As she left, she vowed never to return to the Awo again
in her life.
Truly, she was making progress in her chosen career. Truly, she became the
envy of all her colleagues. And truly, she was recognised as a truly successful
woman. The thought of having more children never crossed her mind again.
One day however, she was greeted with the sad news that her only daughter
was seriously ill. All medications administered on her simply failed to work.
For three long years, EÙ¾ki¾ri¾ was moving from one health home to the other, in
search of a solution to her daughter‟s health problems. Yet, she could not find
any. She began to live in constant fear for the life of her daughter.
She soon realised that she could not do any work again, as she had nobody to
help her stay with her daughter where she was receiving medical attention.
She also realised that had she had another child, then the other child would
have been of help to her during this period. Her business began to go down
since there was nobody to look after her business.
She concluded that she must work on having another child but two things
worked against her: one, her age, and two, she simply did not have the time to
work on having a child since there was nobody to look after her child or
business. In a nutshell, it was too late for her to have any more children. She
constantly remembered the advice of the Awo that she needed to have more
children before it was too late. She lived and died with her regret.
Ogbe; di;ndi; ko¾ ya;a; bu¾ ku¾

Di;a¾ fu;n E®Ùki¾ri¾
Ti; yo;o¾ bi; o¾ôkan na;a¾
Ti; yo;o; pa¾’di; moôô;
EÙ¾ki¾ri¾ i¾ ba; te¾te¾ mo¾
I® ba; wa; f’owo; sô’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô
I®ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô
Gbogbo i¾sôo¾wo¾ O®pe¾ô
EÙni gb’eôboô ni;’beô, ko; sô’eôboô o
206
Translation:
Ogbe¾ dindi; is not easy to reduce

This was the Ifa; cast for EÙ®ki¾ri¾ (The bush Goat)
Who would give birth to only one child
And who would stop child bearing
Had EÙ¾ki¾ri¾ known ahead of time
She would have spent her money on offering the eôboô
If only she had known ahead of time
All adherents of the Holy Palm tree
Let those who are advised to offer eôboô do so
Ifa; says that it shall not allow this person to live and die with avoidable
regrets. This person also needs to ensure that he/she does not pursue wealth at
the expense of children. If children are pursued before it is too late, then
everlasting regrets will be avoided.
9. Ifa; says that it foresees decisive victory over adversaries for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that his/her colleagues, relatives and/or
close friends are behind his/her travails. Ifa; assures this person that victory is
certain, no matter how strong the opposition may be.
Ifa; says that this person may have cause to travel outside his/her normal place
of abode on business together with many people. Ifa; says that he/she will face
serious opposition where they are going. Ifa; however assures him/her not to
entertain any fear as he/she shall overcome all oppositions. Ifa; assures this
person that he/she will not only overcome, he/she will also return home with
honour, prestige and success. He/she shall be accorded well deserved respect
where he/she will go to.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with two cocks, two sharp knives and
money. There is also the need to feed Ifa; with one mature hen.
On all these, Ogbe¾-O®di; says:
A®ro¾ôni¾ lo; ni; mo pa akoôgun i¾ya; o¾hun j¾eô o

Di;a; fu;n Gbogbo I®wo¾ro¾
Wo;ôn n; sôawo loô ibi oô¾na¾ to; j¾i¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôj;o;ô
Eôboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
207
OGBE®’DI:
Translation:
A®ro¾ôni¾ was he who accused me of killing his mother‟s warrior

This was Ifa;‟s message to all the A¾wo¾ro¾
When going on a spiritual mission to a far distant place
Out of the over 400 A¾wo¾ro¾, EÙse¾ô kan sôosôo Ogbe¾ had left no one in doubt that
he was the most competent and the most gifted among them. He had the
record to show for it. He could not count the number of debtors whom he had
turned into financially buoyant people. There were countless invalid people
who had regained their health and vitality. Several barren people had been
turned into proud mothers. Many more impotent men had become sexually
active again. Those who were destined to die young had been able to live up
to their old age. Whenever there was crisis in the community, he knew
exactly what to do to return the community to normal. He had also helped the
community to develop financially, economically, socially and spiritually.
On this particular trip, it was generally assumed that Ogbe¾ would excel where
all others had failed. That was precisely what the other I®wo¾ro¾ would never
tolerate, not to mention accept. They were prepared to do anything and
everything to stop him from out-shinning them, even if it meant killing him.
When all the I®wo¾ro¾ planned to proceed on this spiritual journey, they went for
Ifa; consultation in the home of the Awo mentioned above: Would they
succeed in their mission? Would every one of them return home safely and
happily? Would they gain recognition and fame? Would they also be
spiritually elevated? Was there anything for them to do in order to bring
accomplishment to the group?
The Awo assured them that they would all succeed in their spiritual mission
and sojourn. He told them that their lives would have meaning. They were
told that there was the need for them to cooperate with each other in order for
them to achieve resounding success and recognition. They must not conspire
against anyone among them or plan evil against any member of the group.
They were warned that this must never occur. They were all advised to offer
eôboô as stated above.
Meanwhile, all the I®wo¾ro¾ who planned to go on that mission were determined
to ensure that Ogbe¾ did not out-shine them. Consequent upon this, they saw
208
no reason why they should offer the eôboô since they knew that they needed to
plan against him in order to make him fail. There was therefore no reason
whatsoever to offer eôboô. For this reason, they simply ignored the advice of
the Awo to offer eôboô and not to conspire against anyone.
A®ro¾ôni¾ lo; ni; mo pa akoôgun i¾ya; ohun jeô o

Di;a; fu;n EÙsôe¾ kan sôosôo Ogbe¾
Ti; n; sôawo loô ibi oô¾na¾ to; jin gboôoôroô bi; oj;o;ô
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:

This was Ifa;‟s message for one leg of Ogbe¾
EÙse¾ô kan Sôosôo Ogbe¾ was having the sensation that he was not safe. He felt that
a grand conspiracy was being planned against him. From where, he was not
sure. He did not suspect his fellow I®wo¾ro¾ O®ri¾sôa¾ in any way whatsoever. He
continued to have bad dreams and terrible premonitions. Unable to stand it
any longer, he decided to visit the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation:
Am I safe? Will I overcome all the problems I have been feeling? The feeling
of uncertainty and intrigue he was having had become very palpable. Will I
succeed and be victorious? What will I do to survive, overcome and succeed
where I am going along with all the other A®wo¾ro¾?
The Awo made it clear to Ogbe¾ that he was not safe. He told Ogbe¾ that he
was right in the midst of conspiracy and treachery. He was told that his
colleagues were the ones planning evil against him. He was however assured
that he would certainly overcome and succeed. The Awo advised Ogbe¾ to
offer eôboô with two cocks, two sharp knives and money. He was also
advised to feed Ifa; with a big hen. He complied. After the eôboô and ibọ the
Awo gave Ogbe¾ one of the two knives to keep with him all the time. He was
told to take it along with him on his journey. With this assurance, Ogbe¾ left.
Very early on the day of their departure, all the I®wo¾ro¾, with the exception of
Ogbe¾, had a quick meeting. In their deliberation, they concluded that the only
way to stop Ogbe¾ from doing better than all of them was to eliminate him.
They stated that in order not to make anyone suspect any form of foul play, it
209
OGBE®’DI:
was advisable for them to do so in such a way that no tell-tale evidence would
be left behind. His corpse must not be left anywhere for anyone to discover,
so that no embarrassing questions would be asked. Consequently, it was
concluded that Erin, the Elephant, would be made to swallow him completely.
By so doing, they reasoned, nobody would be able to trace any part of him at
all. This plan was unanimously endorsed by these conspirators.
When they set out on their journey, Erin was the most friendly to Ogbe¾. For
this reason, Ogbe¾ relied on him as a friend who would defend and protect him
with his huge frame and power. Unknown to him, Erin was supposed to be
his executioner. When they were almost approaching their destination, Erin
moved close to his unsuspecting prey and before Ogbe¾ could realise what was
actually happening, Erin gripped him from behind and swallowed him from
head to toe! Why is this happening? Ogbe¾ was totally confused.
He was engulfed in total darkness and unbearable heat: Why was this
happening? He had offered all the eôboô and ibo that the Awo prescribed for
him. Why must he meet with this type of calamity? Why must it be Erin, his
confidant and friend who would end up being his killer? Why must he end up
as food for his erstwhile friend who turned out to be his betrayer? Why must
Erin betray the trust and confidence he had in him? Why? Why? Why?
There were so many other whys that he had in mind to ask but there was
nobody to talk to. Why was their nobody to talk to? That was another why in
itself.
As these thoughts entered into Ogbe¾‟s mind inside the belly of Eri;n, he began
to feel unbearable pain. He became more confused. Suddenly, it occurred to
him that the mere fact that he was feeling pain and discomfort indicated that
he was still alive. It also showed that he was still breathing. How come that
he was still breathing in the midst of the offal, excrement and half-digested
food? The truth was E®sôu¾ was responsible for keeping him alive. E®ôsôu¾ then
appeared to Ogbe¾ and said: “Have no fear, Ogbe¾. You have offered the eôboô
and iboô prescribed for you. Those who offer their eôboô are always my friends.
I will support you and you shall overcome all the conspiracies hatched against
you?
“Who are you? I do not know you”, Ogbe¾ said. Funny enough Ogbe¾ was able
to see this being inside the belly of Eri;n. “I am E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra. I am your friend. I
will get you out of this trouble. Just do as i tell you. It shall be well with
you”. With this assurance Ogbe¾ relaxed a little. After a while, E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra
said, bring out the knife that the Awo gave to you, use the knife to cut the
intestine of Eri;n”. Ogbe¾ did as he was instructed. As soon as he did this, Eri;n
210
felt a terrible pain inside his gut, he staggered but kept going. Now, use your
knife to cut the liver, I shall show you where the liver is located.” E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra
said. Ogbe¾ did as instructed. Eri;n felt like fainting. He shouted at the top of
his voice! The other conspirators urged him to keep going on. They told him
that it would be a shame if he succumbed to fatigue at this juncture. Eri;n kept
going on. Next E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra told Ogbe¾; “Use your knife to pierce through the
heart. This is where the heart is located”.
E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra pointed out the heart to Ogbe¾. With all his might, Ogbe¾ then
pierced through the heart. Blood gushed out of the organ. Eri;n coughed out
blood from his mouth. His steps became more unsteady. By this time
however, they were by the boundary of their destination. They continuously
urged Eri;n to move on. He did. It was clear that it was raw will-power that
kept him going. He continued to find each step extremely difficult to take.
E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra then told Ogbe¾. “Look at this. It is the large intestine. It leads to
the anus of your enemy. Cut it into two and then enter there. It will lead you
out”. Ogbe¾ cut the intestine into two. Eri;n fell down.
A few moments after, he bided the world good night. Just before his death, it
occurred to him that there was no gain in conspiring against anyone. Ogbe¾
entered through the large intestine and moved downwards. He came out
through the anus of Eri;n. It was a surprise to everyone present, both friends
and foes alike. They all concluded that since Ogbe¾ had come out of the
Elephant‟s anus. He should be known and called Ogbe¾-Ti¾di;i;.

Di;a; fu;n Gbogbo I®wo¾ro¾
Wo;ôn n; sôawo loô o¾ôna¾ to; j¾i¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôjo;ô
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Di;a¾ fu;n EÙse¾ô kan sôosôo Ogbe¾
O: n; sôawo loô o¾ôna¾ to; j¾i¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôjo;ô
EÙse¾ô kan sôosôo Ogbe¾ ni¾kan ni¾ n;beô le;ôyi¾n ti; n;;sôeôboô o
N®®je;ô Ogbe¾ to; ti¾di; Erin bo;ô
Ka; ma;a pe¾e; mi; Ogbe¾-Ti¾di;
E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾ O®ôfa¾
Ogun lo; n; sôe;ô fu;n’ni ni;beôô¾
To; ba; bi; ni; o
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OGBE®’DI:
Translation:
A®ron¾ô i¾ was he who accused me of killing his mother‟s warrior

This was Ifa;‟s message to all the A¾wo¾ro¾
This was Ifa;‟s message for one leg of Ogbe¾
Only Ogbe¾ complied with the advice of the Awo
Now, the Ogbe¾ who comes out of the Elephant‟s anus
Let him be known as, and be called Ogbe¾-Ti¾di;i;
Travellers to Ìpo and Ofa;
The ability to overcome adversity is guaranteed
If this Odu¾ is one's birth Odu¾
Ifa; assures this person not to entertain any fear whatsoever. He/she shall
overcome all the evil designs fashioned against him/her. In the same breadth,
he/she must never be part of any conspiracy or evil design against anyone. If
this warning is not heeded, it will lead to only one destination-disaster.
10.Ifa; assures the person for whom Ogbe¾-Ti¾di;i; is revealed that he/she shall
overcome. Ifa; says that there is a plan to dispose this person of his/her hard-
earned money, goods or prosperity. Ifa; says that those planning to cheat
him/her shall fail woefully.
Ifa; says that the diabolical plans of some tricksters, fraudulent people or/and
con men/women shall be exposed and they shall be put to ridicule. The
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed needs to put his/her faith in Ifa;. He/she
needs not entertain any doubt, no matter how bad the situation may be.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with two cocks and money. He/she also
needs to feed Ifa; with one very big smoked catfish.
O®gu;n ni;i; deô Ifo;ôn

O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsi¾ ni;i; boô i¾ge¾re¾
Yemo¾o; ni;i; sôe oni;po¾ôn'ti; O®ri¾sôa¾
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Di;a¾ fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾

Ti; woôô;n o; j’ogu;n du¾n
Ti; woôn o; ni; pi;n l’o;;gu;n
Translation:
O®gu;n hunts with arrows

O®ôsôoô;o¾ôsôi¾ propitiates the fishing net
Yemo¾o; is the one in charge of the O®ri¾sôa¾ brewery
These were Ifa;‟s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾
When he was denied his own share of their ancestral legacy
And was not given any share
OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ and seven others were beneficiaries of the will of a very influential
woman in the community. When this woman was alive, she took O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ as
her son because she had no child in life. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ took care of her and made
her happy. Whenever she fell ill, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ was always available to take care
of her. She trusted O®ôru;nmi¾la¾¾ more than any other person in the world. This
woman was very wealthy. She was the most successful woman in her
community. As a matter of fact, this woman owned nearly half of all the
property in the community. Everybody in the community respected her for
her luck, business sense and ability to read economic trends correctly. She
had seven relatives but she relied on O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ for everything. She would tell
whoever cared to listen that her properties must be divided into two parts, one
part must be given to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ while the remaining half was to be shared
equally among her seven relatives whenever she died.
The seven relatives however saw no reason why O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ should be given
any part of the woman‟s property, not to mention him being given the lion‟s
share. They did not complain while the woman was alive but as soon as the
woman died, they sprang into action. They blocked every avenue for
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to claim any part of the property bequeathed to him. As if that was
not bad enough they confiscated all the personal properties of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
claiming that he tricked other people before he could acquire them. Any
attempt by O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to explain himself was met with rebuff. They would
shout him down and call him names.
To make matters worse, the seven relatives were very influential in the
community. Those who knew them as being related to the departed woman
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OGBE®’DI:
respected them and were ready to do their bidding. Together with others, they
stripped O®Ùru;nmi¾la; completely naked. To eat became a problem for him. He
was ridiculed and victimized on top of him being stripped of his hard-earned
possessions.
One day, O®ôru;nmi¾la¾¾ decided to go to the home of the group of Babala;wo

mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be able to regain all my lost
possessions? Will I overcome this grand conspiracy? Will my enemies be put
into their proper places? Will I be victorious in the end? Would the
community be able to see the truth at the end of the day?
The group of Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ that he had been treated unjustly. He had
suffered unduly. He was told to put his mind at rest. He was told that all his
lost possessions would be recovered. Not only this, those who had usurped
his possessions would suffer terribly. The group of Awo advised him to offer
eôboô as prescribed above. He complied. After this, he was told to go about his
day to day business.
Meanwhile, the seven conspirators, two women and five men had a meeting
on how to share the proceeds from their loot. They concluded that it would
not be wise to share the loot; but rather, each person should be given money
from time to time according to each individual‟s needs. All of them saw this
as the most realistic thing to do under the circumstances. What they never
bargained for was the surprise that E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ would pull on them.
As soon as OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered the eôboô, E®sôu¾ gave one of the two women the gift
of yaws and gave one of the men the gift of being a hunchback. They all
began to look for solutions from several healing homes but there was no relief.
They kept spending the money from the joint loot. The remaining
conspirators began to complain after about six months that the two infected
members were spending too much money on themselves at the expense of the
others. Before long, one of the remaining men developed elephantiasis of the
scrotum. Two months after, the other woman developed goitre. Three weeks
after this, one of the three remaining men developed epilepsy; the second went
totally blind while the third and last conspirator developed palsy. Why is all
this happening to us? They concluded that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ must be responsible for
all their woes. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ must be dealt with by all of us and by any means. It
got to a stage that none of them had time nor paid attention to the much
cherished loot.
It did not take long before people began to insinuate that they were suffering
from greed. People began saying that they had cheated and they were paying
214
for their misconduct. The talk of the people was even more painful to the
conspirators than their actual ailments.
One day, the seven conspirators went to the group of Awo mentioned above
for Ifa; consultation; they wanted the Awo to do two things for them; one, find
solutions to their ailments; and two, to punish O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ for their woes. Were
these possible?
The Awo told them that they encountered their misfortunes simply because
they lacked honesty. They were told to go home and change their attitudes.
They must be honest. They must not cheat others. They must not conspire
against anybody. If they had done so already, they must change and right the
wrong. They were also told that they must forget about punishing O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
because he had never wronged them or planned evil against them. To plan
against him would only bring more woes on them. The group of Awo asked
the conspirators to go and apologize to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ and ensure that anything
they had done wrong against him was corrected accordingly.
The seven conspirators left the home of the Awo totally disappointed. Why
must they go and apologize to someone who has inflicted so much pain and
agony on them? They wondered. The conspirators concluded that it was a
mistake to go to the home of the Awo to find a solution to their problems in
the first place. They said that the Awo were all OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾‟s ex-students and
they were bound to support him. Maybe they were the ones O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ used to
inflict pain on them. For that reason, they were bound to support their master.
If he had used the Awo to punish them, then they were no longer safe. The
Awo had touched all of them; they sat down on their mats; they had used the
consultation instruments to touch their hands, foreheads and chests! What if
they had poisoned the instruments? Yes, they must have poisoned the
instruments! What a mistake! They were going to be in more trouble! God!
Why did they not think well and properly before they approached the Awo?
They had dug their own graves by themselves! All of them began to panic. In
their state of confusion, they began to make more and more mistakes. In the
end, they heaped all the blames on the one among them who suggested that
they should go to the Awo for Ifá consultation. That was the one with the
elephantiasis of the scrotum.
He got angry and began to rain curses on those blaming him. Before long, a
big fight ensued. They were beating, cursing and tearing each other apart.
Soon after this, a huge crowd gathered to watch the macabre scene. They
began to expose each other and to explain to the watching crowd the role each
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OGBE®’DI:
and every one of them played in the grand conspiracy. They were so busy
exposing each other that none of them wanted the others to outplay him or her
in the revelation.
In the end, they were all marched to the OÙba‟s palace. They narrated their
stories to the OÙba. The whole community was in shock when they heard the
story. In the end, the council of Chiefs ordered that the seven of them should
be banished from the community. All of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾‟s possessions which they
had unjustly usurped were returned to him. The community apologised to
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ for not finding out the truth earlier when the matter first came up.
O®gu;n ni;i; deô Ifo;ôn

O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsi¾ ni;i; boô i¾ge¾re¾
Yemo¾o; ni;i; sôe oni;po¾ôn'ti; O®ri¾sôa¾
Di;a¾ fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; woôô;n o; j’ogu;n du¾n
Ti; woôn o; ni; pi;n l’o;;gu;n
Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ j¾i¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba¾ni¾ la;ru¾us; ôe;ô o¾gu;n
OÙ®ru;nmi;la¾ si¾ ru;boô ni;be¾ô
O:: sôe;ôgun
Translation:
O®gu;n hunts with arrows

O®ôsôoô;o¾ôsôi¾ propitiates the fishing net
Yemo¾o; is the one in charge of the O®ri¾sôa¾ brewery
These were Ifa;‟s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾
When he was denied his own share of their ancestral legacy
And was not given any share
Join us where we enjoy victory
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; offered eôboô there
And he had victory
Ifa; says that this person shall surely be victorious over conspirators. In the
same vein, Ifa; warns this person never to conspire with others to cheat
anyone. This is because their victim shall be victorious in the end.
216
11. Ifa; promises that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall
succeed and be prosperous in life. Ifa; advises this person to continuously offer
the eôboô of victory over adversity together with that of prosperity. Ifa; says that
in the life of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed, there is going to be
success coupled with contention. After the success of this person, those close
to him/her shall begin to raised inquiry on his/her source of prosperity. They
will want to know how and from where he/she has made his/her wealth and
prosperity.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, two pigeons
and money. After this, he/she needs to procure kola nuts which have only
one lobe, beads which have been broken into two and which no longer have
holes that can be used to string them together, the leather used to cover the
gu;du;gu;du; drum and amu;ni¾mu;ye¾ leaves. All these shall be pounded together
by the Awo and this Odu¾ will be recited into it and be given to the person for
whom this Odù is revealed to bathe with.
On this, a stanza in Ogbe¾ „Di¾i; says:
SÙa;ka; bale¾ô, sôa;ka; ro; yagbayagba

I®sôu¾ o¾ôro¾ô bale¾ô ko; ra¾ti¾ra¾ti¾
E®Ùe¾ôru¾n lo; de;, loômoôde; ‘Ku¾nrin d’o¾ri; Ifa;
Di;a¾ fu;n O®ôru;nmi¾la;
Baba n¾sôawo loô si;le; A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾
Ni;gba¾ti; o; n;fojooju;mo;ô sun-unrun i¾su¾nku;su¾n
To; n;fojooju;mo;ô la; a¾la;ka;la¾a;
Translation:
SÙa;ka; bale¾ô sôa;ka; ro; yagbayagba

I®sôu¾ o¾ôro¾ô bale¾ô ko; ra¾ti¾ra¾ti¾
E®Ùe¾ôru¾n lo; de;, loômoôde; „Ku¾nrin d‟o¾ri; Ifa;
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
When going on an Ifa; mission to the home of A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾
When A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was having sleepless nights
And was having nightmares
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to offer eôboô
The life of A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was in complete disarray. He had lost almost all what
he had made in his life. His business was in ruins.
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OGBE®’DI:
His problems were compounded when his wives and children abandoned him
unceremoniously. He found it impossible to believe that his beloved wives
and children would abandon him at this time that he needed their support the
most. He cried and cried. Weeping only compounded his problems instead of
solving them. Before long after his family left him, he began to have terrible
and terrifying dreams. Sometimes, he would see himself being tied to a stake
by some fierce-looking men and before he could shout for help, he would be
doused with oil and fire would be set on him. Sometimes, he would be
thrown into a swamp infested with giant open mouthed crocodiles and
alligators. Within the twinkling of an eye, these amphibians would be feasting
on his body. He would then scream out only to realise that he was dreaming.
Sometimes, he would see himself being pursued with clubs, knives, sticks,
cutlasses, swords and machetes. He would run and run only to see his
pursuers overpowering him. Just as his attackers were about to deliver their
deadly blows on him, he would wake up startled and have a terrible headache.
Tired of all of this, he approached many medicine men and women for
solutions to his problems. There was none. He tried many seers. There was
no solution. Somebody told him about O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾. He decided to give him a
trial. He therefore sent some people to go and invite O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to his house,
telling OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ that his assistance was urgently needed.
When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ saw A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s delegates, he decided to approach the

group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed at
A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s house? Will I be able to proffer solutions to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s
numerous problems? Will it be possible to move A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s present state
of poverty to one of affluence? Will his family members who have
abandoned him return to him again? If it is possible for me to do accomplish
these things, what do I need to do? What eôboô do I need to offer? What advice
do I need to give A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾@
The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ that whether he offered the eôboô of success or not,
he would surely succeed in finding solutions to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s problems. He
was however told that the main eôboô which he really needed to offer was that
of victory over oppositions. He was advised to offer eôboô with one mature he-
goat for victory and two pigeons for success. He complied. After this, the
Awo prepared the Ifa; work for him as listed above. He was advised to use the
herbal soap to bathe with until it was exhausted. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ also complied.
The following day, he set out on his journey to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s house.
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la; got there, he set out on his mission to improve his client‟s life
immediately. All the advice of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ was carried out by A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾.
218
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ explained to him that the main reason why the problems were
occurring in the first place was that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was out of tune with the
Irunmoôle¾ who were guiding and protecting him. Because A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ had
chosen to abandon these Iru;nmoôleôô¾ they too had abandoned him. When he was
facing all the problems and tribulations, there was no guiding Iru;nmoôleôô¾ who
was prepared to raise a finger to protect or defend him. A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was
advised to offer eôboô and feed all the Iru;nmoôleôô¾ and O®ri¾sa¾ that he was affiliated
to. He complied. He decided to embrace them all and feed them on a regular
basis.
Before long, A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s businesses, which had hitherto collapsed began to

pick up. Soon after, he was back in the serious and profit-making businesses.
He began to control huge amounts of money as he used to do before. When
the wives heard that their husband had met with fortune once more and that
success had begun to smile on him again, they too decided to return home
together with their children to be part of the aspects of his life where smiles
would light up his face.
Within 15 lunar months, A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ had become stupendously wealthy. He

began to control vast business estates. He was sought after by the high and
the mighty. His wealth surpassed what he had before. He became the most
successful man in his community.
One day, A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ sat down and took stock of his journey so far. He
realised that within 16 lunar months, he had moved from poverty to opulence.
He had moved from severe want to surplus. All the members of his family
who had abandoned him had returned to him. His nightmarish dreams had
become things of the past. He had become happier, more influential, more
respected and more honourable than ever before. He also noted that, but for
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ all these would never have happened. He was very moved that
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had stood by him when he had nothing and he did not work for him
with monetary consideration. He concluded that the only right thing for him
to do was to show his gratitude to him. How would he do this? He decided to
reward O®Ùru;nmi¾la; with one quarter of his vast business estates. This amounted
to more than enough for seven families to spend throughout their lifetimes.
As soon as people found out that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had been given that much, envy
set in. How could he be given such an amount of money and assets? What
had he done which others had never done before? They concluded that
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ must have used undue influence to twist the arms of A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ for
him to part with such a huge amount of money and assets. These antagonists
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OGBE®’DI:
went to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ to convince him to change his mind and withdraw all the
money and assets from O®Ùru;nmi¾la;. They told him that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was a
fraudster, a cheat and wicked man who had used diabolical means to get all
the things which A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ had given him. A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was however not
impressed with their submissions. He chased them away and told them never
to return to his house again.
When they failed to persuade A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, the antagonists decided to deal

with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ in their own way. They began to prepare potent charms to
destroy O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. They failed. The charms had no effect on him whatsoever.
They began to conspire against him. They did this for several months. It had
no effect on him in any way. That was when one of them said that someone
among them must be going to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ to reveal their plans. This led to
mutual suspicion among the conspirators.
One day, things blew up into an open confrontation. They fought for several
hours. That was when someone went to call O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to come and see what
was happening among the group of conspirators. When he got there, the
conspirators shamelessly began to reveal all their diabolical plans against
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to him.
As they were exposing each other O®Ùru;nmi¾la; kept smiling knowingly. When
he was asked why he was smiling, he stated thus:
EÙÙ®yin o¾ mo¾ô wi;pe; la;ki;ri;boto kan ki¾¾i; lo;ju; aweôô;

E®ôla¾ i¾le¾ôke¾ô kan ki¾i; lo;ju; a¾toku¾nbo
Bi; a ba; n; fu;n gu;du;gu;du;
N®sôe lara re¾ô ma;a; n; le
OÙwoô; o¾ô mi; wa; b’ewe; amu;ni;mu;ye¾ e te¾mi;
Po¾ro¾ ti; mo ba; de;
Ifa; Ka¾sa¾i¾ ba; mi; mu; wo;ôn ni;ye¾ i¾ku;n
Translation:
Don‟t you know that the la;ki;ri;boto kola nut has no lobe
A split bead has nowhere to put string through
If we pull on the leather used to make the gu;du;gu;du; drum
It‟s sound will become more audible
I have now gotten a hold of my own amu;ni;mu;ye¾ leaves
As soon as i arrive
Ifá will becloud their consicousiness
220
O®ôru;nmi¾la¾ explained that since la;ki;ri;boto kola nut has no value because it
cannot be split into pieces, all of them could not design anything that would
affect him adversely. He said that since a bead that is split into two cannot be
strung together again, no malicious designs of his enemies would have any
adverse effect on him. He said that when the gu;du;gu;du; drum was tightened, it
only made the drum stronger, all their conspiracies would only make him
stronger; and it was Amu;ni;mu;ye¾ leaves that had ordered that all his enemies
would lose concentration and cohesion. That was why all their diabolic plans
had not been able to affect him in any way.
When the conspirators heard these statements they simply disposed in

disarray, OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ was given free hand to enjoy his hard-earned wealth.
SÙa;ka; bale;ô, sôa;ka; ro; yagbayagba

Is¾ôu¾ o¾ôro¾ô bale¾ô ko; ra¾ti¾ra¾ti¾
E®Ùe¾ôru¾n lo; de;, loômoôde; ‘Ku¾nrin d’o¾ri; Ifa;
Di;a; fu;n O®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sôawo loô si;le; A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾
I®igba¾ti; o; n;fojooju;mo;ô sun-unrun i¾su¾nkusun
To; n;fojooju;mo;ô la; a¾la;ka;la¾a;
O® gb’e¾ôboô, o; ru’boô
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; de;le; A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾
O: tu;n aye; A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ sôe
O: wa; gba;gu;n owo;
O: gba;gu;n ola;
O: gba;gu;n ola;
O: gba;gu;n oôlo;ôgi¾nni¾ng¾ i¾nni¾ asôoô I®ra¾da¾
Wo;ôn wa; ni; ni;bo ni; yo;o; gbe;e gba¾?
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; ni; e¾ôyi¾n o; mo;ô wi;pe; la;ki;ri;boto ki¾i; loj;u; awe;ô
E®ôla¾ i¾le;ôke;ô kan ki¾i; lo;ju¾ a¾toku¾nbo¾ô
Bi; a ba; n; fu;n gu;du;gu;du;
Nsôe lara re¾ô ma;a n; le
OÙwo;ô o¾ô mi; wa; b’ewe; amu;nimu;ye¾ e te¾mi¾
Po¾ro¾ ti; mo ba; de;
Ifa; Ka¾sôa¾i¾ ba; mi; mu; wo;ôn ni;ye¾ i;ku¾n
EÙ wa; ba; ni; ni; a¾ru;se;ô ogun
Aj¾a¾sôe;ô ogun l¾a¾a; ba; ni; le;ôse¾ô OÙba;ri¾sôa;
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OGBE®’DI:
Translation:
SÙa;ka; bale;ô, sôa;ka; ro; yagbayagba

Is¾ôu¾ o¾ôro¾ô bale¾ô ko; ra¾ti¾ra¾ti¾
E®Ùe¾ôru¾n lo; de;, loômoôde; „Ku¾nrin d‟o¾ri; Ifa;
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for O®ôru;nmi¾la;
When going on an Ifa; mission to the home of A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾
When A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was having sleepless nights
And was having nightmares
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
When he arrived at A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ home
He received gifts of cash
He received gifts of clothing
And received gifts of land and ornaments
His antagonists threatened that he would not be able to
consummate these fortunes
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; declared, Don‟t you know that the la;ki;ri;boto kola nut
has no lobe
A split bead has nowhere to put string through
If we pull on the leather used to make the gu;du;gu;du; drum
It‟s sound will become more audible
I have now gotten a hold of my own amu;nimu;ye¾ leaves
As soon as i arrive
Ifa; will becloud their consciousness
Victory over adversity is what Ifa; guarantees for its followers
Ifa; assures this person victory over all those who plan to block his/her
fortunes and ensure that he/she fails to actualise his/her dreams and enjoy the
fruit of his/her labour.
12.Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô urgently in
order to prevent himself/herself from experiencing untimely death. Ifá says
that the ground that will consume him/her is already open. The ground must
be covered (propitiated) as quickly as possible. To do this, Ifa; recommends
this person to procure one mature he-goat, plenty of idi; leaves and money.
After the eôboô, a hole will be dug in the ground; the same he-goat from the eôbo
will be sacrificed into the hole and the head of the he-goat will be placed
222
inside the hole; the leaves will be placed on top of the goat‟s head. The Odu¾
(Ogbe¾-Odi;) will need to be imprinted on I®yer¾ô o¾su¾n in an OÙpon;ô Ifa; and this
stanza will be recited. After this, the I®yer¾ô o¾su¾n will be poured on top of the
leaves and the ground will then be covered with soil. That is when the threat
of death will be eliminated for this person.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾ Odi; says:
Iku; du;du; ni;i; k’osu¾n du;du;

Iku; pupa ni;i; k’osu¾n pupa
Ai¾ri;ku¾n a ku¾n’le¾ôpa do¾do¾o¾do¾
Ti; n;beô l’a;la¾de O®®Ùrun
Ni;jo;ô oô wo;ôn ni; ile¾¾ô la'nu ni';le; e Baba
Translation:
Black death is it that paints itself with charcoal

Red death is it that paints itself with camwood
That which has nothing to use will rub on itself dug-up soil
That resides in heaven above
These were Ifa;‟s declarations for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
On the day that the ground opened in his home
To sleep was a serious issue. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ considered sleeping, even taking a

nap as an ordeal that he was better off without. Why? The dreams that he
was having were more than enough to drive anyone crazy. The dreams
created serious fears and unbelievable premonitions in him. Yet, to sleep was
sometimes inevitable. He dreaded the time that he would close his eyes. He
used to see himself in the midst of wild animals being torn into shreds and
scattered everywhere. Sometimes, he would see himself being buried alive,
only for him to realise that he was just sleeping. Anytime that he slept, he
would wake up with startled because of his terrible dreams.
For how long would he continue to endure this discomfort? That was why,
one day, he made up his mind to consult Ifá in order to put an end to these
undesirable experiences. What did he need to do to get rid of these
premonitions? He asked.
223
OGBE®’DI:
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; that the ground had opened in order to consume him.
He was however assured that it would not happen. He was told that what he
needed to do was to perform the necessary eôboô to fill up the hole that was
meant to be his grave. He was advised to offer the eôboô as stated above.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ procured the eôboô materials immediately. The Awo performed the
ceremony for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ that same day. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ returned home, full of hope
and confidence.
In the evening on that day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ fell asleep and woke up without any
untoward incident. He even had a sweet dream! From that day onward,
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ slept and woke up as normally as other people. He was so happy
that his premonitions had all disappeared. He was able to concentrate on his
assignments throughout his sojourn on earth.
Iku; du;du; ni;i; k’osu¾n du;du;

Iku; pupa ni;i; k’osu¾n pupa
Ai¾ri;ku¾n a ku¾n’le¾ôpa do¾do¾o¾do¾
Ti; n;beô l’a;la¾de O®®Ùrun
Ni;jo;ô oô wo;ôn ni; ile¾¾ô la'nu ni';le; e Baba
O: gb’e;;ôboô, o; ru;boô
A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n, o; j’oyin loô
Translation:
Black death is it that paints itself with charcoal

Red death is it that paints itself with camwood
That which has nothing to use will rub on itself dug-up soil
That resides in heaven above
These were Ifa;‟s declarations for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
On the day that the ground opened in his home
He complied
224
Ifa; says that this person shall not experience any untimely death. He/she shall
live long, grow old and die peacefully.
13.Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô against untimely death. This person is
being threatened by death and there is the urgent need to address the problem.
Ifa; warns this person never to keep fowls in his/her home or engage in poultry
business. This is indeed a very serious taboo for those born by this Odu¾¾. If it
is revealed during routine Ifa; consultation, the person needs to stay away from
where fowls are kept or reared. It is not in his/her best interest to be close to
these birds.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one he-goat, plenty of idi; leaves, a
long strip of fu;u¾ cloth and money.
On this, Ifa; says:
Ogbe¾ di;
Ogbe¾ sôin
SÙangiliti o¾ôpe¾ô sôinsôi¾nsôin
Di;a; fu;n OÙloômoô A-gbo;ô-ha¾a¾-adi¾¾eô-ku;
E®yi; ti; wo;ôn ni; ko; ru;’boô si; lai¾ku; araa reô
Translation:
Ogbe¾ di;
Ogbe¾ sôin
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙloômoô-A-gbo;ô-ha¾a¾-adi¾eô-ku;
(He-who-hears-the-sound-of-a-fowl-and-dies)
Who was advised to offer the eôboô against untimely death
OÙloômoô A-gbo-;ô ha¾a¾-adi¾eô-ku; was seriously ill. Most of her family members had
almost lost hope of her ability to survive the illness. They did not even know
what the illness was in the first place. They had spent a lot of money. Yet,
there was no improvement on her state of health. At a certain stage, many of
her family members no longer came to visit her. They felt that no amount of
money could help her regain her health.
225
OGBE®’DI:
Her husband and two immediate family members however stood firmly by
her. They did not hesitate to continue spending any amount on her in order to
make her regain her health and vitality. They were prepared to go to anyone
who claimed to have the knowledge or remedy for her ailment. One day, they
heard about the group of Ifá priests mentioned above and off they went to seek
a solution to A-gbo;ô-ha;a¾-adi¾eô-ku;‟s problem. When they got there, Ifa;; was
consulted on her behalf and Ogbe-„Di was revealed.
The group of Awo explained to them that A-gbo;ô-ha;a¾-adi¾eô-ku; was suffering

from ailments caused by breaking taboos. They were told that she was the
victim of a spiritual allergy which was caused by her close contact with fowls.
The Awo told them that she might lose her life if she did not move away from
where there were fowls and other birds. They were also advised to offer eôboô
as stated above. They offered the eôboô instantly.
When they returned home, they moved away all the fowls in the compound.
They ensured that no animal with feathers gained entrance into their
compound. Before two weeks, they noticed a slight improvement in the
condition of her health. Could it be true that her close contact with birds was
really what was responsible for her ill-health? They continued to apply the
medication given to them by the Awo on her. Five weeks after, she was able
to stand and walk by herself. Her appetite improved.
Eight weeks after the eôboô was offered, they noticed a little smile on her face.
This was too good to be true. They also noticed that some of her family
members who had hitherto stayed away from her returned, giving all sorts of
excuses for their long absence. Three months after, A-gbo;ô-ha;a-¾ adi¾eô-ku;
regained her health. She returned to her normal business. She was full of
gratitude to OÙlodumare, Ifa;, the Awo and her family members who stood by
her during her health ordeal.
Ogbe¾ di;
Ogbe¾ sôi;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙloômoô- A-gboô;-ha¾a¾-;adi;eô-ku;
E®yi; ti; wo;ôn ni; ko; ru;'boô si; lai¾ku; araa reô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ j¾i¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba¾ ni; la;i¾ku; kangiri
Ai¾ku; Ifa; du¾n o; j'oyin loô
226
Translation:
Ogbe¾ di;
Ogbe¾ sôi;n
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙloômoô-A-gbo;ô-ha¾a¾-adi¾eô-ku;
(He-who-hears-the-sound-of-a-fowl-and-dies)
Who was advised to offer eôboô against untimely death
He complied
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall enjoy his/her life
to the fullest, he/she shall live long without any health challenges which may
cut short his/her life.
14.Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to deliberate carefully
before taking any major decisions in life. He/she needs to ensure that he/she
does not take any decision that may bounce back on him/her in the end. In
other words, this person is advised not to inadvertantly set traps against
himself/herself.
Ifa; equally warns this person not to be too rigid in any pronouncement that
he/she makes. He/she needs to be cautious when enacting any law or rule that
is expected to be followed strictly by all and sundry.
On the other hand, it is possible that this person has already made some
pronouncements or laws which have backfired on them. He/she has
sanctioned others with the pronouncement but right now, he/she has become a
victim of his/her own pronouncements.
Ifa; therefore advises this person to offer eôboô in order to pull himself/herself
out of the dilemma.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks, two fresh fowl eggs,
shea butter and money. After this, Ifa; says that there is the urgent need to
review some enactments where this Odu¾ is revealed. Any law or enactment
which has become unrealistic must be reviewed accordingly.
227
OGBE®’DI:
On these aspects, Ogbe¾‟Di¾i; says:
Ee;wo n;la; ni;i; soô i¾mo¾ôra¾n l’e;ônu

Ti; n;;lo¾ôoô; jeô ol’o;ri; asôo¾fin i¾lu;;
Translation:
A big boil exasperates an understanding person

This was Ifa;‟s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la;
When going to become the head of the law-makers in the
community
There were too many criminals in town. Consequent upon this, there was
general consensus that such drastic problems required even more drastic
solutions. It was therefore decided that all those who committed crimes, big
or small, must be put to death on the very day that the crime was committed.
Nobody was above the law; nobody should be treated as being above the law.
All criminals must be executed the day that they were caught, even for small
offenses.
One day, Ala;ra;‟s son was caught eating a morsel of meat that he took from his
mother‟s pot of soup without first asking for permission from his mother.
Before he could explain himself to those who had caught him, he was
beheaded in broad daylight! This made Ala;ra; grieve uncontrollably. He could
do nothing about it because he was one of the people who had decreed this
punitive law.
Three weeks after this, Ajero¾‟s daughter, his only female child was caught
rubbing her mother‟s coconut oil into her hair. She had gone inside her
mother‟s room to pick the oil when her mother was not at home. Why was
she using her mother‟s oil without asking for permission? What belongs to
her mother also belongs to her impressed none of the prosecutors. She
however was adjudged guilty and was beheaded instantly.
There was a serious disagreement between two families over land issues. One
of the two warring families set fire on the disputed land. They were caught.
The whole family was arrested, arraigned and executed that same day.
228
In the estimation of the community, that was the best way to curb any form of
crime. Petty larceny, adultery, promiscuity, rudeness, public assault, and any
other small or big offense deserved capital punishment..
It was at this period that O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was conferred with a chieftaincy title. As
an additional responsibility, he was told to be the head of the law makers. It
was pronounced that all criminals must be brought before him. He would have
to listen to the case and pronounce the suspect guilty or innocent. The moment
the culprit was pronounced guilty, he/she would be executed instantly. There
was no room for postponement of any case. It must be concluded on the very
day that the crime was committed.
When these explanations were given to O®Ùru;nmi¾la;, he knew instantly that this
was not wise. Why must all offences carry the same punishment? Why must
the punishment be capital punishment? Why must someone who used his/her
parents' things without permission be killed because of that? Why must
someone who eats two pieces of stolen bananas be killed for that? Why must
there be capital punishment for people who were found guilty of rudeness?
What kind of society were they trying to build? O®Ùru;nmi¾la; concluded that there
was an urgent need to review this law. It was clear to O®Ùru;nmi¾la; that those who
promulgated these laws did so without proper deliberation and wisdom. They
failed to think about the future and the consequences of the laws they were
making. That was why many of the lawmakers had become victims of the
same laws they had promulgated. Instead of regulating anything in the society,
they had actually set traps for themselves and many of them had fallen into
these traps.
These laws must be reviewed, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; vowed. But how? He had no idea.
That was why he went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will
I do well as the head of the law makers in the community? What do I need to
do in order to succeed in my new assignment?
The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He was also assured
that there would be an opportunity to effect the much needed change because
it is highly imperative to ensure that the changes took place, and very urgently
too.
Four days after he became the head of the law makers, something serious
happened; his son, the child of OÙlo;ôfin, the daughter of Ala;ra;, two of the
children of Ajero¾, two of the children of OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n-A®ga and the daughter of
Olo;jom¾bo; were caught eating coconuts that were assumed not to be theirs.
Their explanations did not impress those who accosted them. They were
229
OGBE®’DI:
beaten to a pulp. Those who beat them up decided to take them to O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s
house that same evening in order for them to be summarily executed.
While they were on their way, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ rushed ahead of them to go and leak
out their plans to O®Ùru;nmi¾la;. Why must eight young ones be executed simply
because they were caught eating coconuts that were not theirs? Who will
benefit from this law? What must he do to avert the death of these children?
He asked himself. Eṣu however assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la; that the young ones would
not die that day. He said that he would ensure that O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was not in any
position to make any pronouncements that day. He then proceeded by rubbing
the body of O®Ùru;nmi¾la; with the shea butter that he used as part of his eôboô
materials. He also deposited the two fresh eggs into his mouth. He told
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to feign illness when the people arrived in his house.
Soon after this, both the accusers and the accused arrived. They were
prevented from entering O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s room by E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾. He told them that
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was very ill. They insisted that there was the need for O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to
make a pronouncement on the eight culprits this very day. That was the law
and the law must be obeyed. E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ said that it was not possible for
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to make any pronouncement because he was very ill. The accusers
would have none of that, they insisted that he must do so. E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ then told
them to choose two people among them to enter the room to see O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s
condition. They did. When they entered the room, E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ hit O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s
left cheek with his elbow. One of the two eggs lodged in his mouth broke. He
threw everything down, it looked like vomit. E®sôu¾ O®®Ùda¾ra¾ told the accusers that
it was because they were trying to force O®ôru;nmi¾la¾¾ to speak that he vomited.
Before they could say anything, E®sôu¾ O®®Ùda¾ra¾ hit O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s right cheek with his
elbow and the second egg broke. He "vomited" again. E®sôu¾ O®®Ùda¾ra¾ then chased
them away from O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s house. As soon as they left, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; and E®sôu®
O®®Ùda¾ra¾ had a good laugh. The trick was perfectly executed. It also brought the
desired result.
Very early the next day, the accusers returned. They met E®sôu¾ O®®Ùda¾ra¾ again. He
asked them what their mission was. They told him. E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ then shouted at
the top of his voice and called them names. He said, "You are all fools!" He
shouted; "you have all spoilt this law! This judgement should have occurred
yesterday! You all are stupid people! Why are you all coming now? What
have you found out now that was different from what you discovered
yesterday? Fools! Idiots! Why didn‟t you use your brains yesterday? Have
you idiots found new information now? If yes, what did you find out"?
230
That was when one of them responded that they had since found out that the
young ones actually bought the coconuts from the owner and didn‟t steal
them. They were assured that the coconuts were not stolen. It was an error of
judgement in the first place to accuse the young ones of stealing.
"When did you find this out?" E®sôu¾ OÙda¾ra¾ asked. "We discovered this just this
morning", they responded. "Why did you rush here yesterday when you had
not done your investigations properly?" E®sôu¾ asked them. They had no answers
to that. After this E®sôu¾ said, "If O®Ùru;nmi¾la; had been well yesterday, you all
would have taken the lives of these innocent children!" They kept quiet.
"Nitwits! Fools! Murderers! Blood suckers! Wicked souls! Why are you
taking delight in taking innocent lives? Olodumare will punish you all for
killing innocent people." The accusers were totally confused to open up this
time. They wished for the ground to open up and swallow them.
This was when O®Ùru;nmi¾la; came out of his house and declared that the laws
were supposed to be made for the benefit of mankind. Any law serving no
benefit to mankind must be reviewed further. He declared that all laws
promulgated in the land must be reviewed and amended as required. He then
set the eight young ones free.
Ee;wo n;la; ni;i; soô i¾mo¾ôra¾n l’e;ônu

Ti; n;lo¾ôoô; jeô ol’o;ri; asôo¾fin i¾lu;
O: gbe;ô'boô o; ru';boô
Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni; ba;yo¾ô
EÙ wa; wo're o
Translation:
A big boil exasperates an understanding person

This was Ifa‟s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la;
When going to become the head of the law-makers
in the community
He complied
231
OGBE®’DI:
Ifa; says that this person shall not be allowed to make a law that will backfire
against him/her in the end. This is the reason why he/she needs to weigh any
pronouncement and really think about its impact and effectiveness before
declaring something as law.
15. Ifa; says that if conditions are unfavourable for the person for whom this
Odu¾ is revealed and if this condition has failed to improve after much effort,
the reason for this is that the person has made a solemn promise that he/she
has failed to fulfil.
Ifa; says that this person has paid the good deeds of his/her benefactors with
evil. He/she has bitten the hand that feeds him/her. This is the reason why
his/her situation had deteriorated and defied all solutions.
Ifa; also says that if this person borrows any money, he/she will attempt to
delay the time they need to pay back the money. If care is not taken, he/she
may even look for means and ways of ensuring that the money is never paid
back and may even intend on inflicting pain on his/her benefactor.
Ifa; stresses the fact that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is actually
suffering from a curse placed on his/her head by someone who he/she had
wronged. Until and unless this curse is removed, this person shall continue to
live a life of sorrow, agony, and regrets.
Ifa; advises someone whose situation has gone from bad to worse to go and be
initiated into Ifá. This person has no money to do the initiation right now.
He/she may be assisted by the Awo but the Awo should know that this person
may not honour any pledge that he/she makes to the Awo. Ifá however warns
this person to ensure that he/she does not forget or maltreat his/her
benefactors.
No matter what this person offers as ẹbọ, the most important thing is for
him/her to never repay good with evil and to always honour his/her pledges.
On these aspects, Ogbe¾-O®di; says:
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; ni; bo;ô ba; ka¾n ni;'pa;

EÙ je;ô ko; ka¾n ni;'pa;
Bo; ba; ka¾n ni; ja¾ge¾de¾
Ki; a ka¾n-a;n ni; ja¾ge¾de¾
Ta ti¾le¾ô ni ko¾ mo¾ô wi;pe; ja¾de¾ge¾ ni; yo;o; ti; le¾ô ko;ôko;ô d 'a;ye;?
232
Baba n; loô re¾e; teô A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ ni;'fa;

Translation:
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ declares that if it requires physical force

Let us use physical force
If it requires the use of preternatural force
Let us use preternatural force
Who does not know that preternatural forces manifest
before any other force
These were Ifa;'s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
When going to initiate A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ into Ifa;
By the time that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, the master of strong charms and preternatural
manifestations, came to O®Ùru;nmi¾la; for Ifa; consultation, he was simply fed up
with life. He could not understand why despite his mastery of vast esoteric
knowledge, everything good just refused to move into his life. He had the
knowledge on how to conjure things and yet he had nothing to show for it. For
instance, he could turn stones into meat, sand into grains and water into blood
but he had failed woefully to turn his own life around from the situation where
he had run it aground. He prepared several good luck and success potions
which worked perfectly for others but which simply failed to work for him.
What was this supposed to mean, he asked himself repeatedly. He could not
come up with any concrete answer. He could only guess why his life had not
improved.
His enemies must be responsible for his woes, he concluded. If not, what else
could it be? He began to convince himself that this must be the case. Before
long, he began to believe that it was simply the case. He convinced himself
that it was the case. He began to use several potions against his enemies and
adversaries. There was no solution. As a matter of fact, his case went from
bad to worse. He soon concluded that the best thing was to confront these
enemies. But who were they? He could not be so certain of who to confront.
Before long, all his strong charms failed to work anymore. He could not use
his hands to do anything effective for anyone. His two hands became spiritual
and esoterically dead. What was this? Hunger and frustration set in. Soon
after, desperation joined his woes. He concluded that he was better off dead
than being alive. Before he died however, he decided to go to O®Ùru;nmi¾lá to
find out why his life had failed so badly. He had worked himself up so much
that his mind was not thinking of any turn-around in his life. He believed that
233
OGBE®’DI:
if there was any chance of improvement in his life, his strong charms would
have done it. He only wanted to know why his life had collapsed before he
committed suicide.
In O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s home, A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was informed that even though his success
chances had run down considerably, nobody was responsible for his failure.
He was assured that his situation would improve and he would be able to
actualize his potentials. He was advised to go and get himself initiated into Ifá
immediately, as that was the only thing lacking in his life and was the only
thing that could break the yoke of failure and poverty for him.
It was with amazement and utter disbelieve that A®roôô¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ heard what
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; said. So, it was because he had not been initiated into Ifá that his
life had gone down completely? So, there was nobody trying to put him
down? So, his life could still improve and his things go up again? So, joy and
contentment could still return into his life? So, his hands could be resurrected
to make his charms work again? Well, he reasoned, if that is the case, then he
had better give it a trial and if there is no improvement, especially after about
six full moons, he would then go ahead and terminate his life.
There was another problem however; where would he get all the money and
materials to use for his initiation when he knew for certain that he was worth
nothing as he sat before O®Ùru;nmi¾la;?He knew of nobody who would take the
risk of lending him money, when they knew that he had no means of paying
back the loan.
Well may be his lot was not to succeed in life. If not, what could explain what
had been happening to him. The advice of O®Ùru;nmi¾la; which he wanted to give
a trial had become impossible because he had nobody to lend him the money.
In pain, agony and disillusion he stood up to go. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; asked him what
was amiss. He responded that much as he would have loved to comply with
O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s recommendation for him, he did not have the money or materials
to do the initiation. He concluded that he had come into the world to fail and
be frustrated. He had therefore decided to return to his house to die.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; took pity on A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji¾a¾ when he heard what he said. He decided to

help him out. Consequently, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; got all the materials for A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji¾a¾ and
the initiation was performed. It was a comprehensive affair. All the money
spent for the initiation was calculated and A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ promised to refund
everything if his life improved as O®Ùru;nmi¾la; had assured him that it would.
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The day A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾ ¾left the Igbo;du¾, he had not reached his own house before
he knew that his life and condition had actually improved. All his clients who
had hitherto abandoned him were looking for him. He even gained more
customers. Seven days after he completed his initiation and left the Igbo;du¾,
his main problem was how to satisfy his numerous clients. He employed more
hands and got more students who were to study under him. By the time it was
six months since he had left the Igbo;du¾, he had success stories to tell.
He had however forgotten about O®Ùru;nmi¾la; and the money he was owing him.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; gave A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾ two years before he decided to ask for the money
that he was owing him. By this time, A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji;;a¾ had become the most
successful person in the community. He was held in awe because of his
numerous charms. Nobody dared to confront him on anything he did. That
was why O®Ùru;nmi¾la; could not understand why A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji;a¾ failed to redeem the
pledge he made on paying back the money. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; concluded that
A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji;a¾ must have forgotten about the money. All he needed to do was to
remind him and he (A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji;a¾) would send over the money immediately.
The amount that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was owing O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was like a drop of water in
a deep well. Consequently O®Ùru;nmi¾la; sent one of his students to A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia to
inform him not to forget his pledge.
When the student returned home, he had been beaten black and blue. One of
his legs was broken. Blood was flowing all over his body. What went wrong?
O®Ùru;nm¾ila¾¾ was informed that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ considered it an insult for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
to remind him of such money. A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾ told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾„s student that such
money would never be paid back. He also warned O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ never to send
anyone to ask for the money again. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la; heard this, he felt strongly
that it must have been the manner in which his student approached A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾
that had infuriated him. He asked the student if visitors were present when the
message was being relayed. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was not satisfied with his students
explanation.
Two days after, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; sent another student to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾. This student
was senior to the first one and was also older in age. He told the student to go
and apologise to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji¾a¾ if the former student had embarrassed him in any
way and for A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ to use his discretion on when the money would be
refunded. The older student returned with a broken arm. He lost two of his
fingers and five of his teeth. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; asked his student what had happened.
The student said that A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia was angry that he was sent to come and
demand for money. The student was also hit with a rod and the rod broke his
arm. When he narrated his ordeal to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, he was totally at a loss as to
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OGBE®’DI:
why the youths were finding it so difficult to show humility and respect to an
elder. He was still of the opinion that his students were the ones who
provoked A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia. He restrained himself from blaming the two students
because he realised that they were in deep pain. Still he wanted to prove to
them that their approach was wrong. He wanted to show them that A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia
was a responsible person who would not pay good with evil or display
wickedness where kindness had been shown to him.
Five days after the second incident, he sent the eldest of all his students to
A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia with the instruction that he should apologise for the misconduct of
his two students and after that, he could then ask A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia about the money.
He was warned to ensure that he was very diplomatic in his approach. He
must not be rude in any way to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾. He left for A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾'s house. As
soon as he left, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; told all his students that they would see that the
eldest student would bring good results back from A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾'s house. He
lectured them on the virtues of respect for elders, humility and diplomacy.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ vouched for A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾'s good character. He stated further that
those who lacked humility, respect, diplomacy and meekness would be
appropriately sanctioned.
They were still on this lecture session when the Awo returned missing one
eye. He was also accompanied by one of A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾'s aides. The aide told
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ just pitied the student sent to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ and that
was why his (the student's) life was spared. The aide also warned O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
never to send any other person to A®Ùro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a's¾ house again, stating that the
money should be forgotten as it would not be paid back. If anyone was sent to
A®Ùro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a's¾ house again, the aide emphasised, that person would be dealt
with without mercy as force and strong charms would be liberally used to
attack the person.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; could not believe his ears when he heard all that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾'s aide
had finished saying. He spoke with utter arrogance and disrespect. He
slammed shut the door when he left the house. All of them kept looking at the
Aide as he walked down the street until he disappeared from sight.
After some time had passed that seemed like an eternity, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ told his
Awo that it was time for him to go there and see things for himself. He
however waited for another five days before he went to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾'s house.
When he got there, he met A®Ùro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ in the frontage of his house. He greeted
A®Ùro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ but the greeting was not returned. He began by apologising to
A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ on behalf of the three students whom he claimed had been rude
236
and disrespectful to him (Aroni). Before he could finish, A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ gave him
a heavy blow to the eye. This shook O®Ùru;nmi¾la; and dazed him. He picked a
long cane and began to whip O®Ùru;nmi¾la; with the cane. He beat him until he
(A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾) was exhausted. He then kicked O®Ùru;nmi¾la; with his right leg and
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; fell down.
As O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was on the ground, A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ started kicking him with both
legs. That was when O®Ùru;nmi¾la; made his weeping the weeping of shouting, he
made is i¾ye¾ôre¾¾, the i¾ye¾ôre¾ô of lamentation, and declared thus:
A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko;ô eô ni;'po

O ma¾we; mi
Apa; reô kan a; loô si
A®roô¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo koô; eô ni;'po
O ma¾we; mi
Esôe¾ô reô kan a; loô si
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko;ô eô ni';po
O ma¾we; mi;
Oju; reô kan a; loô si
A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko; eô ni;po
O ma¾we; mi; o!
Translation:
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, I initiated you and made you great

But you pay me back with ingratitude
One of your arms shall be lost because of this
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, I initiated you and opened the doors
of opportunity for you
But you pay me back with wickedness
One of your legs shall be lost because of this
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a,¾ I initiated you and ensured that you
would become great in life
But you pay me back with malevolence
One of your eyes shall be lost because of this
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a,¾ I initiated you and made you relevant and
important in life
But you pay me back with inconsideration
As soon as O®ru;nmi¾la¾ finished this i¾ye¾¾ôre¾¾ô, it turned into a curse and all the Awo
in heaven and earth, those under the sea, ground, rivers, lakes, mountains and
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OGBE®’DI:
hills upheld the curse. A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ began to experience strange feelings around
him; they cut his right arm off, then his left leg, and removed his right eye.
That was how A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ became an entity with one arm, one leg and one eye
up until today.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; ni; bo;ô ba; ka¾n ni;'pa;

EÙ je;ô ko; ka¾n ni;'pa;
Bo; ba; ka¾n ni; ja¾ge¾de¾
Ki; a ka¾n-a;n ni; ja¾ge¾de¾
Ta ti¾le¾ô ni ko¾ mo¾ô wi;pe; ja¾de¾ge¾ ni; yo;o; ti; le¾ô ko;ôko;ô d 'a;ye;?
Baba n; loô re¾e; teô A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ ni;'fa;
O gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko;ô eô ni;'po
O ma¾we; mi
Apa; reô kan a; loô si
A®roô¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo koô; eô ni;'po
O ma¾we; mi
Esôe¾ô reô kan a; loô si
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko;ô eô ni';po
O ma¾we; mi;
Oju; reô kan a; loô si
A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko; eô ni;po
O ma¾we; mi; o!
E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾ o¾fa¾
Eni¾ gb' eô¾boô ni; be;ô ko; wa;a; sôeboô o
Translation:
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ declares that if it requires physical force

Let us use physical force
If it requires the use of preternatural force
Let us use preternatural force
Who does not know that preternatural forces manifest
before any other force
These were Ifa;'s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
When going to initiate A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ into Ifa;
He complied
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A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, I initiated you and made you great

But you pay me back with ingratitude
One of your arms shall be lost because of this
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, I initiated you and opened the doors of
opportunity for you
But you pay me back with wickedness
One of your legs shall be lost because of this
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a,¾ I initiated you and ensured that you
would become great in life
But you pay me back with malevolence
One of your eyes shall be lost because of this
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a,¾ I initiated you and made you relevant and
important in life
But you pay me back with inconsideration
Travellers to Ìpo and o¾fa¾
Let those advised to offer eôboô comply accordingly
Ifa; says that it shall not let the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed live with
a curse for the rest of his/her life. This person however needs to appreciate the
value of paying back goodness with goodness.
Ifa; also advises one Babala;wo/Iyanifa to be very careful before using his/her
own money to procure eôboô materials (or other form of financial assistance) for
a client. This client may not be inclined to refund the money when it is due.
16. Ifa; says that where this Odu¾ is revealed, someone has recently been
initiated into Ifa;. This initiate has used the lkin of a dead person to do his/her
Iteôni;fa;. The dead person may be the parent, relative, family member or close
acquaintance of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed.
Ifa; says that this dead person whose lkin was used to perform the Iteôni;fa; for
the person for whom this Odù is revealed was also initiated into Ifa; but the
final burial rites were not performed according to Ifa;; specifications. The dead
person is waiting impatiently for the rite to be performed and if it is not done,
the consequences will be very grave for the person who has used the dead
person‟s lkin to perform iteôni;fa;.
Ifa; says that there is the urgent need to bury all the lkin at the back of the
house where the water from the bathroom, kitchen and restroom normally
passes outside the house. A hole will be dug, cocoyam leaves will be spread
at the bottom of the shallow hole, the lkin will be emptied in the hole, and a
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OGBE®’DI:
mature pig will be slaughtered and the blood drained into the hole where the
lkin have been placed. An Ifa; tray will be procured and Iyerosun will be used
to imprint Ogbe¾-O®®di; on the tray. The Odù will be recited and the Iyerosun will
be poured into the hole. The hole will then be covered back with sand. After
this, a new set of lkin will be prepared for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. Once all these have been performed, this person‟s life will be full of
life.
On this aspect, Ifa; states thus:
A®gba; n; sôubu; l' a¾gba;

Ogi¾dan n; sôubu; lu ogidan
I®pe¾se¾ n; sôubu; lu i¾pe¾se¾
Di;a; fu;n Ewu;
Ti; yo;o; gba lkin O®Ùro¾¾ôroôô¾ te¾ô
Translation:
A®gba;; drums are falling on other A®gba;; drums

Ogidan drums are falling on other Ogidan drums
Ìpe¾se¾ drums are falling on other Ìpe¾se¾ drums
This was the message of Ifa; for Ewu;
Who was initiated with Ikin that were earlier used by
O¾ô®roôô¾ro¾¾ô for initiation
OÙ®ro¾ôroôô¾ was a fantastic Ifa; priest and practitioner when he was alive. He abided
by all the rules and regulations of Ifa;. Not only this, he was well trained, very
efficient, effective, honest, humble and hopeful. He was benevolent to a fault.
He was always looking for ways and means of assisting others. Any time there
was any problem, OÙÙ®roôô¾ro¾¾ô would be one of the people who would find a lasting
solution to the problem. Anyone who went to him for help would never be
disappointed.
When OÙÙ®roôô¾roôô¾ died, it was a big loss to the whole community. The family had a
quick meeting and decided to ensure that at least one of his children continued
where he had left off. It was unanimously decided that Ewu; must be the one to
continue the good work of his father.
240
O®Ùro¾ro¾ died during breakfast time and he was buried at dinner time. The same
Ikin that he used while he was alive were used to initiate Ewu; into Ifa; three
days after. Ewu; spent 17 days inside the Igbodu¾ and all the rites were
comprehensively performed.
When O®®Ùroôô¾ro¾¾ô arrived in heaven, his good character eminently qualified him for
oôgba¾ i¾ter;ô o¾ô, the garden of eternal peace. He was welcomed to the gate of ogba¾
ite;rô oô¾ with pomp and pageantry. The sentries in heaven asked him questions on
how he lived on earth with respect. He responded with humility. The sentries
in heaven told him that his good character was his passport to enter oôgba¾
ite;rô o¾ô. He was assured that he was more than qualified to be in oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô.
They then demanded for his Ikin which were supposed to be buried with him
after all necessary rituals had been performed on him and his Ikin. (The
normal practice is for one hand of Ifa; (16 lkin) to be buried with the dead in
order to serve as his/her visa to oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô). None were buried with him.
O®Ùro¾ôro¾ô simply told the sentries in heaven that his children and loved ones
would soon perform the remaining rites and his Ikin would soon be buried
with him inside his grave. The sentries then told him that even though he had
the passport to be in oôgba¾- ite;rô o¾ô, his visa (the Ikin) to enter the innermost
chamber of oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô were not available. For this reason, OÙÙ®ro¾¾ôroôô¾ was told that
he was not allowed to enter the main garden of oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô. He was therefore
told to stay outside the garden. Even though the outside garden was peaceful
and comfortable, OÙÙ®ro¾¾ôroôô¾ was not satisfied, but there was nothing he could do
about it. The only thing he could do was wait for his loved ones on earth to
perform the rituals to qualify him to gain entrance into the innermost garden.
For seven years, he waited. Ewu; simply continued to use his father‟s Ikin to
perform as his father OÙÙ®ro¾¾ôroôô¾ was doing while on earth. In the end, O®Ùroôô¾ro¾¾ô
became restless and uncomfortable. He decided to pay a visit to earth and
bring back his Ikin by himself. Ewu; began to have frightening dreams and
terrible premonitions. That was why they took him to the home of the Awo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: What is the meaning of the dreams I am
having?
The Awo told him that the owner of the Ikin that he was initiated with wanted
the Ikin back and they must be returned to the owner. Ewu; was advised to do
it as explained above. When Ewu; got home, he was totally convinced that the
Awo was being mischievous. How could he go and bury the Ikin that his
father had used successfully and which was also giving him success? No.
That would not be done. If he had been told to bury a new set of Ikin, he
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OGBE®’DI:
could do that; but to give away his father‟s Ikin, this was totally out of the
question. For this reason, he did not offer the eôboô.
Before the end of the year, O®Ùro¾¾ôroôô¾ finally arrived on earth. He went straight to
Ewu;'s house. He grabbed his Ikin together with Ewu; and pulled both Ewu; and
the Ikin to heaven!
A®gba; n; sôubu; l' a¾gba;
Ogidan n; sôubu; lu ogidan
I®pe¾se¾ n; sôubu; lu i¾pe¾se¾
Di;a; fu;n Ewu;
Ti; yo;o; gba lkin O®Ùro¾¾ôroôô¾ te¾ô
O;: ko'ôti; oôô¾gboônhin s'ôe;ôboô
N®je;ô o; n;gbe; ikin re¾ôe;ô loô o
O: n; gbe; ikin re¾ôe;ô loô o
E®Ùyin o¾ ri; O®®Ùro¾¾ôroôô¾
Ti; n¾gbe; ikin re¾ôe;ô loô
Pe¾ôlu; Ewu;
O: n¾gbe; ikin re¾ôe;ô loô o
Translation:
A®gba; drums are falling on other A®gba; drums
Ogidan drums are falling on other Ogidan drums
Ìpe¾se¾ drums are falling on other Ìpe¾se¾ drums
This was the message of Ifa; for Ewu;
Who was initiated with Ikin that were earlier used by O¾ô®roôô¾ro¾¾ô for
initiation
He simply ignored the eôboô
Behold, he is carrying away his Ikin
He is taking away his Ikin
Can't you see OÙ®ro¾¾ôroôô¾
Who is taking away his Ikin
Together with Ewu;
He is taking away his Ikin
Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to ignore this
warning. Doing so can only lead to grief and gnashing of the teeth.
242
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® O®DI: FOR THOSE BORN BY

THIS ODU DURING I®KOÙSEÙD
® A:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA:
When Ogbe¾ O®di; children were coming from heaven, the Ire of financial
success, compatible spouse, great children, sound health, several properties,
longlife, and self actualization were specifically loaded into their Ori as part
of their destinies on earth. Consequent upon this, there is no aspect of Ire that
they will not achieve. Not only this, Ogbe¾ O®di; children also have the luck of
being elevated over and above their contemporaries.
For all Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, they usually contend with five
major issues in their lives. These issues are i) There Ori appears not to be
strong enough to withstand the evil plans and activities of their detractors. ii)
They also have health challenges that usually take them to healing homes on a
regular basis. iii) They are always implicated on issues which they know little
or nothing about. iv) They find it a challenge to enjoy the fullness of their
lives, this is because they are always having feelings that something important
is missing in their lives. And v) They find it difficult to actualise their
expectations in life. With appropriate eôboô however, all these shall become
things of the past. This is the reason why it is advisable for all Ogbe¾ O®di;
children, males and females, to feed their Ifa; and Ori; regularly.
For Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, it is imperative for them to note
that anytime that they want to undertake any project or assignment that is very
important to their lives, they must never send other people. It is in their own
interest to personally attend to such assignments. The reason for this is that if
they send someone to do for them what is very crucial to their lives, there
exists the tendency that the person sent on this errand will end up taking the
glory and the profit of the assignment.
Ogbe¾ O®di; children are always threatened by death. There is therefore the
need for them to ensure that they offer appropriate eôboô on a regular basis.
There is therefore the need for Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, to
regularly consult Ifa; and offer eôboô on their health issues. As long as this can
be done regularly, Ogbe¾ O®di; children have nothing to fear.
In the day to day activities of Ogbe¾-O®di; children, they end up gathering a lot
of opposition and enemies. The good thing is that they also have the good
243
OGBE®’DI:
luck of overcoming all their enemies. Also, people love to cheat Ogbe¾ O®di;
children and dispossess them of their hard earned money and belongings.
Again, Ifa; says that with appropriate eôboô, they will be victorious over their
detractors.
Ogbe¾ O®di; children have the tendency of forgetting those who assist them to
get to the top as soon as they feel comfortable in life. This is something that
they need to take into serious consideration and prevent from happening.
Failure to recognise those who do good to them and refusal to honour such
good deeds are major things that may lead to the downfall of Ogbe¾ O®di;
children.
For Ogbe¾ O®di; female children, they appear to be trouble mongers, especially
if they are of short stature. They love to create problems and when confronted,
they simply burst into uncontrollable tears that can last for several hours.
Many times, this is the behaviour that leads to separation or divorce for this
woman. For Ogbe¾ O®di; male children, they appear to be quick tempered and
they easily jump into conclusions. This makes them to act first and regret
later. There is the need for them to review this character in order to live in
harmony with others.
In general, Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, have come into this world
to live rewarding, contented and profitable lives. They will have cause to
celebrate their success in life. They are also blessed with great children who
will carry on their names when they have departed from this world.
C. AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA/¾ AND IRU;NMOÙLEÙ® OF OGBE® O®DI:
1. Ifa; - for progress, direction, victory, long life, elevation, protection,

contentment, and overall wellbeing.
2. Ori; - for fulfilment of destiny, victory, support, sanctuary, elevation,
direction, contentment, and self actualization
3. E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ - For victory, sanctuary, protection, support, long life, elevation,
and overall success
4. O®gu;n - For victory, leadership, success, elevation, and general wellbeing
5. O®Ùna¾ - For achievement, direction, success, elevation, and general wellbeing
244
6. OÙ®sôun - For compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing, protection, and

general wellbeing
7. OÙba¾ta;la; - For leadership, success, comfort, support, elevation, and general
wellbeing
8. EÙgbeô; - For comradeship, leadership, elevation, support, success, victory,
and general wellbeing
9. Baa;ya¾nni¾ - For financial success, elevation, progress, direction,
contentment and overall wellbeing
10. I®beji¾ - For childbearing, childrearing, support, financial success, and
general wellbeing
11. SÙa¾ngo; - for victory, leadership, success, elevation and general wellbeing
12. Egu;ngu;n - for ancestral support, leadership, progress, victory and general
wellbeing
D. TABOOS OF OGBE® O®DI: CHILDREN
1. Must never produce, consume or sell alcohol - to avoid unconsummated

fortune, failure, regrets and disaster
2. Must never draw money with force from debtors - to avoid disaster, threat
to life and calamity
3. Must never repay good deeds with evil - to avoid unconsummated fortune,
failure, disaster and regrets
4. Must never engage in usury - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure,
calamity, and regret
5. Must never accompany anyone going to draw money with force from a
debtor - to avoid calamity, and regrets
6. Must never send another person on an errand that is very important to
his/her life - to avoid losing his/her success opportunities to others
7. Must never use any Ikin that was used for the initiation of a deceased
person - to avoid untimely death and calamity
8. Must never use any part of the elephant for anything - to avoid dwindling
success chances, failure and regrets
9. Must never act before proper deliberation is performed on any issue - to
avoid unconsummated fortune, ridicule, humiliation, and regret
10. Must never engage in poultry business or consume fowl - to avoid threat
to life and disaster
245
OGBE®’DI:
E. POSSBILE NAMES OF OGBE® O®DI: CHILDREN
i. MALES
1. OÙla;gbe;nro; - Honour elevates and sustains me

2. OÙla;n;rewa;ju; - Honour is progressing
3. Ifa;korede; - Ifa; brings all the Ire of life
4. Ifa;la¾na¾ - Ifa paves the way
5. Ifa;di;ya¾ - Ifa; blocks the paths against suffering
ii. FEMALES
1. Olu;ko;yin - The Lord brings honour to my life

2. Ifa;sôee;ke;ô - Ifa; is worthy of pampering
3. Ifa;da;mila;re - Ifa; absorbs me
4. Ifa;pami;le;ôrin - Ifa; makes me smile
5. Ifa;peô¾ro¾ô - Ifa; brings peace into my life
246
Chapter 4
Ogbè Ìrosùn
II
II
II I
II I
247
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
OGBE® DO®SU®MU:
OGBE® DA:’WO:Ù O®SU® TEÙ’LEÙ®
A.1.Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed during
I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa; shall live a fulfilled life. He/she shall be given
space to exhibit his/her full potentials. Ifá says that this person shall
succeed more in the rural environment than in an urban centre.
This is not to say that he/she cannot succeed in the urban centre, what
it means is that he/she will have better chances in a rural setting, or try
to consider getting involved in urban agriculture. In this way the
connection with the Earth and agricultural land use is established and
maintained.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea
fowls and money. A handful of red peppers (hot) should also be
added as part of the ẹbọ materials. They should also serve O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko
as appropriate and indicated by Ifá.
On this, a stanza in Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; says:

Ogbe¾ d’o;ko, n lo; f’eôseô¾ OÙsi¾n teô’leô¾ l’oô;da¾n
Di;a; fu;n Ata Pupa
Ti; n;loô oko a¾lero¾ l’oô;du;n
Translation:
Ogbe¾ got to the farm and stretched her legs of
royalty to the grass-field
This was Ifá‟s message for Ata-Pupa, the Hot-Red Pepper
When going to the farm for the annual cultivation
Ata Pupa was full of potential and promise. She planned to multiply in
order to satisfy the common good. For this reason, she wanted to
248
know which location would make her exhibit her full potentials best.
After much deliberation, she decided to go to the farm to stay and
multiply. After she had taken this decision, she decided to go to the
home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. Will I make it
as expected if I and stay on the farm? Will I be able to multiply and
come up in surplus if I invest myself on the farm or if I do this in any
other place? Will I be able to satisfy the common good? These and
many more were the questions on the mind of Ata Pupa when she
approached the Awo for Ifá consultation.
The Awo informed Ata Pupa that she had come to determine her
success chances where she was going to establish herself. He informed
her that she would succeed where she was going because she had a
better success chances in a rural area than in the city.
When she said that she was actually going to the farm, the Awo told
her that no location could be better than that for her. She was informed
that her investment would succeed and multiply. She was advised to
offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied.
A few days after, she headed for the farm. She buried herself in the
ground. Five days after, she began to come out of the ground with
leaves. A month after this, she had bloomed splendidly.
Three months after, she had multiplied herself in several hundreds.

The outcome was beyond her expectations. She was very glad and
grateful to Olo;du¾mare for the blessings of multiplying.
Ogbe¾ d’o;ko, n lo; f’eôseô¾ OÙsi¾n teô’leô¾ l’o;ôda¾n

Di;a; fu;n Ata Pupa
Ti; n;loô oko a¾lero¾ l’oô;du;n
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
Ifa; ma; je¾ôeô; k’a;ye; e¾ mi o; le¾ p’e¾ôdi;n o
Ata Pupa, ki¾i; p’e¾ôdi;n oôr’oô;be¾ô
Ata Pupa
Ifa; ma; je¾ôeô; k’i;re mi o; le¾ p’e¾ôdi;n o
Ata Pupa, ki¾i; p’e¾ôdi;n oôr’o;ôbeô¾
Ata Pupa
249
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Translation:
Ogbe¾ got to the farm and stretched her legs of
royalty to the grass-field
This was Ifá‟s message for Ata-Pupa, the Red Pepper
When going to the farm for the annual cultivation
She complied
Ifá please do not let my life reduce
Ata Pupa (the red pepper) will never have its life
reduced in any soup
The Red Pepper
Ifá please do not let my Ire reduce
Ata Pupa will never have its Ire reduced in any soup
The Red Pepper
Ifá says the person for whom this Ifá is cast will receive the support of
Ifá, and have success in his/her choosen field. What he/she needs to do
is hold Ifá close and follow the advises of Ifá, while also appeasing the
O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko (deity of the Farm). Furthermore they should not abuse the
Earth and plant pepper seeds close to their place of abode.
2. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of boundless prosperity for the
person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person shall
return home from where he/she is going with abundant Ire. This
person has a very good chance of succeeding in rural areas compared
to urban centres. This person may set up his/her home in the city but
he/she will do better by setting up his/her workplace in the rural area.
By so doing, he/she shall become influential and honourable.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea
fowls, two hens, two cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed
Odù deity as Ifá specifies.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾nmu on this says:
Ogbe¾ da;’wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾

O: sô’oju; sôorosôoro
Di;a; fu;n Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
Ti; n; re’nu; i¾gbeô; lo¾ôoô; k’a;je; wa;’le;
250
Translations:
Ogbe¾ used O®su¾ as a walking stick

And its tip left a deep narrow hole (eye) in the ground
This was Ifá‟s message for Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
When going into the forest to bring home wealth
Odu¾-Kek ¾ô eô¾ was the container in which the 256 Odu¾-Ifa; resided. Nobody
could go for initiation without picking one of the Odu¾-Ifa; from her.
When she wanted to start the business of initiating people, she thought
about where to set up her business that would be the most convenient
and most profitable. After much thought, she decided to use the
forest for her business.
(This is why Babaláwo call the forest of initiation Igbo;du¾ - the forest of
Odù). Before starting her business however, she went for Ifá
consultation to know for sure how successful her business would be:
Will I be able to impact the initiates positively from the forest? Will my
business strive in the forest?
The Awo told her that the most convenient place to set up her business
was in the forest. She would make profit beyond her wildest dreams.
She would also be able to transact her business without much
distraction in the forest. She was reminded that her business was not
the type that allowed for much interference or interruptions. She was
dealing with the esoteric aspect of people‟s lives. Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ was told
that she could live in the city but her business was best transacted in
the forest where there would be peace and space.
Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied.

Soon after, she went to the forest to look for the most conducive area
which would be close to a stream for her business. If anyone planned
to go for Ifá initiation, the person would be advised to procure 16
fowls, 16 pigeons, guinea-fowls, part of an antelope, part of a
bush-goat, giant rats, plenty of kola nuts, bitter kolas, alligator
peppers, palm-oil and so on. The person would then be taken to
the forest to meet Odù. During the process of initiation, the person
would undergo a spiritual rebirth and one of the Odù-Ifá would give
birth to the new initiate. At the end of the exercise, people would know
which Odù-Ifá gave birth to the initiate and that would become the
symbol of his/her full destiny.
251
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
The more the initiates came for initiation in the forest, the more
successful Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ became. She was so successful that she had
nothing to say but to give thanks and praise to Olo;du¾mare and Ifá for
all the days of her life from that period until today. Odù promised to
continue to give thanks and praise till the end of life and existence on
this planet earth. This was because as long as life remained on earth,
initiations would continue to take place and she would continue to
make profit during the initiations.
Ogbe¾¾ da;’wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾

Ti; n; re’nu; i¾gbe;ô loô¾o;ô k’a;je; wa;’le;
Ko¾ pe;,ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾
Ire gbogbo wa; ya de; tu¾tu;ru
N®je;ô i¾woô Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
Ifa; n;ko;’re e; bo¾ô wa; ba; oô o
I®woô Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
Translation:
Ogbe¾ used O®su¾ as a walking stick

And its tip left a deep narrow hole (eye) in the ground
This was Ifá‟s message for Odu¾-Kek¾ô eô¾
When going into the forest to bring home wealth
She complied
All the Ire of life came trooping in
Behold, Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
Ifá is ushering in all the Ire of life to you
Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
Ifá says that all the good and beneficial things of life shall be brought to
the person for whom this Odù is revealed wherever he/she stays.
252
He/she does not need to struggle or scramble for great things before
they are giving to him/her.
3. Ifá says that there is the need for many people to be initiated into
Ifá when this Odù revealed. Ifá advises the person for whom this
Odù is revealed to be initiated into Ifá and at the same time,
for his/her siblings to be initiated too. If they cannot do the
initiation together, Ifá advises them to do so one after the other in
quick succession.
Ifá says that if this can be done, everyone will have cause to be
grateful to Olo;du¾mare for the rest of their lives. Going for initiation will
make their luck shine. They will all be able to achieve all their heart‟s
desires. The whole household will succeed together in their various
fields of endeavour.
On this particular aspect, Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾nmu; says:

Ti; n; re’nu; i¾gbeô; lo¾ôoô; k’a;je; wa;’le;
Translation:
The small hill here and now

The ditch here and now
These were Ifá‟s declarations to E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ (the shoulders)
When carrying O®su¾ to Igbo;du to be initiated into Ifá
O®su¾ was very ill. All medications administered on him proved

ineffective. He was even dying. He did not want to die. He was
determined to live, but his ailments were tearing his body and soul
apart.
While he was battling with his life, his immediate younger brother was
in deep trouble with the state. He was being accused of planning
253
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
against the state. All efforts to prove his innocence fell on deaf ears.
The fact that he was not in the vicinity when the offence took place did
not seem to impress anyone at all.
The one next to this one was unhappily married. She had been turned
into a punching bag in her husband‟s house. All of his family was asking
her to leave but she would refuse to leave. Where would she go when
she already had five children for her husband? They promised to make
life unbearable if she did not leave. They accused her of many things
she knew nothing about. It even got to a stage where they began
calling her the head of the Red Witches and accused her of running her
husband‟s fortunes to the ground. The fact that she had been made to
swear on ordeals two times to prove her innocence and she survived
the two ordeals impressed nobody. She must be kicked out of the
husband‟s house, they vowed.
The last brother in the house was running away from his creditors. He
had no peace of mind whatsoever. His business had collapsed and he
was being pursued by both creditors and by those who stood sure for
him. To make matters worse, his father-in-law was one of the people
who had stood sure for him. His creditors had been pestering the life
of his father-in-law who in turn had been putting pressure on his wife
to ensure that the loan was paid forthwith. At a stage, nobody believed
him anymore. They were all of the opinion that he had diverted all the
money into something else and was pretending that the business had
collapsed. His father-in-law was already considering taking steps to
take his daughter from him. There was crisis and confrontation in his
house. He didn‟t even have respect among his neighbours. He was
being looked down upon and scorned anywhere he went.
When O®su¾ had exhausted all avenues to get himself healed and all
proved abortive, he called on his bosom friend E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ to help
him. That same day, E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ went to the home of the two
Babaláwo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will my friend get the
much needed healing that he is looking for? Will he survive this
ailment?
The Awo told E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ that his friend was in deep trouble at that
particular point in time. The Awo said that it was not only him that was
in trouble. All his other siblings were equally in trouble. The Awo
254
explained to E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ that O®su¾ and all his other siblings came into
the world with great destinies, but there is negative interference which
must be cleared up and straightened out. To do this, all of them need
to be initiated into Ifá as quickly as possible. That was the most
realistic step to take. The Awo however implored E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ to
assist his friend during the initiation process. They told him that he
would have to carry O®su¾ to the Igbo;du¾ for the initiation. He agreed to
inform him and to carry him into the Igbo;du¾.
When E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ returned home, he discussed the messages of Ifá

with O®su¾ and all the other members of his family. The family
concluded that O®su¾ should be taken to Igbo;du¾ for initiation first before
any decision could be taken on other family members. The family had
no money to finance the I®teô¾ni;fa; ceremony. That was when E®ji¾ka;-
Go¾go¾ro¾ volunteered to pay the bill of his friend‟s initiation. Three days
after, O®su¾ was taken to Igbo;du¾ with the help of his friend E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾
both financially, physically and morally.
Three weeks after the initiation, O®su¾ bounced back to his normal self.
He had returned to his boisterous and lively self. Except for the fact
that he had not yet fully regained his weight, it was difficult for anyone
who was seeing him for the first time after a while to believe that he
had just recovered from a very serious illness.
The result that they got from O®su¾‟s initiation prompted the family to sell
a part of the family land to finance the initiation of the brother who was
having problems with the state. Again, E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ was there to
assist in the initiation process. When he came out of the Igbo;du¾ after
the initiation, he was summoned to the Ϙba‟s Palace. He was informed
that after a thorough investigation, it was discovered that he had no
hand in the plot against the state. Consequently, he was discharged
and acquitted.
The day of his discharge and acquittal was the day his immediate
younger sister was sent out of her matrimonial home in an
unceremonial manner. The woman cried and cried. The family decided
to take her to the Igbo;du¾ for initiation. They looked for money and sold
more part of the family land to raise money. The woman went for
initiation; E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ also played a vital role in her initiation. The day
she came out of the Igbo;du¾, she met her husband and his family by her
255
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
family‟s compound‟s doorstep. They were begging for her to return

home. The family discussed everything fully and it was agreed that she
would return to her husband‟s house as long as the abuses ceased and
never occurred again. Her husband then said that he too would like to
undergo Ifá initiation together with the last brother in her family.
One week after, the woman‟s husband and the man who was in debt
went into the Igbo;du¾ together. E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ was there with them. They
performed all the rituals for them together. When they came out of the
Igbo;du¾, it was clear to them that all their problems were over. The
husband began to see his wife in a very loving and positive way.
He then began to take proper care of her and give her all the attention
and respect she deserved. On the other hand, those who her brother
owed ended up giving him space to find their money. Before long, he
was back on his feet and was doing very well in his business. His
father-in-law even became his business partner. They both succeeded
together.
Gegele ba;yi¾i;-ba;yi¾¾i;
Ko¾to¾-ko¾to¾ ba;yi¾i; ba;yi¾i;
Di;a; fu;n E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾
To; n; gbe; O®su¾ re Igbo;du¾ loô teô¾ ni;fa;
Ire gbogob wa; ya de; tu¾tu;ru
N®jeô; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ la¾ n; ka'se¾ô Odu¾
Ti; a ba;; teô eô¾gboôn
; ta;n o
Ka; tu;n teô a¾bu;ro¾
Wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ la¾ n; ka'seô¾ Odu¾
Translation:
The small hill here and now

The ditch here and now
These were Ifá‟s declarations to E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ (the shoulders)
When carrying O®su¾ to Igbo;du to be initiated into Ifá
He complied
256

All Ire came trooping in
In quick succession do we do initiation
After initiating the elder sibling
Let us initiate the younger ones too
In quick succession do we do initiation
Ifá says that it shall be well for all the people that Ifá speaks about
where this Odù is revealed. As soon as they undergo Ifá initiation, all
their problems shall become things of the past.
4. Ifá says that if anything is lost where this Odù is revealed, the thing
shall be found, no matter what it is that is missing. Once the person
offers the ẹbọ the missing item shall be found.
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is Ifá's child. As
soon as he/she undergoes I®ten ¾ô i;fa;, all his/her problems shall disappear.
Ifá says that if this person is suffering from illness, no matter how
grave the illness may be, it will disappear as soon as he/she undergoes
Ifá initiation.
Ifá says that the problems and tribulations of the person for whom this
Odù is revealed shall become joy and fulfilled dreams very soon. They
should offer ẹbọ with three cocks and money. They should also
serve Ifá and O®su¾ as indicated while feeding the ground.

A®te;’ô woô; Awo ni
A®te;’ô seô¾ Awo ni
E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ Awo ni
O®su¾ Ga¾ga¾ag ¾ a¾ ni;i; sô'oômoô i¾keôyi¾n woôn le;n;je-le;n;je
A®woôn meô;re¾ôeô¾rin n; sô’awo loô si;’le;; OÙloô;fin
A®wo¾ro¾ Aja; OÙloô;fin lo; soônu¾
O®un le¾ ri; aja; o¾un lo; da;’fa; si;
257
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Translation:
A®teô;’wo;ô, the Palm is an Awo

A®te;ô’seô¾, the Foot is an Awo
E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾, the Shoulders is an Awo
O®su¾ Ga¾¾ga¾ag ¾ a¾ is the youngest among them
The four of them went on an Ifá mission to OÙloô;fin’s Palace
A®wo¾ro,OÙloô;fin’s dog, got lost
How to get his dog back was the reason why he summoned
the Awo for Ifá consultation
A®wo¾ro was the name of OÙloô;fin’s favourite dog. A®wo¾ro used to sleep in
OÙloô;fin’s Palace. The dog was of the opinion that she was actually a
human being. She would stay in the palace without going anywhere if
the Ϙba was around. If there was any important meeting in the Palace,
A®wo¾ro would definitely be there. If she was chased out of the meeting
venue, she would act as if her rights had been infringed upon! The
next thing would be for OÙloô;fin to bring her back into the fold! That was
the extent of OÙloô;fin’s love for A®wo¾ro.
One day however, it was discovered that A®wo¾ro had disappear! Where
had she gone to? Nobody knew. A search party was organized to find
the dog. The party returned empty-handed. That was when OÙloô;fin
summoned the four Babaláwo mentioned above to come and cast Ifá
for him on how to find the dog.
The Awo told OÙloô;fin’s that something was missing in his household and
that he would surely find it. They asked OÙloô;fin to offer ẹbọ with three
cocks and money. OÙloô;fin did.
The Awo told O®su¾ who was the youngest of the four of them to go and
place the ẹbọ that they just offered at the E®sôu¾ shrine. On his way to
the shrine, a big rainfall started. The flood of the rainfall washed O®su¾
off his feet and he fell down and was unable to stand up again. He was
just rolling and crawling on the ground by the E®sôu¾ shrine.
Meanwhile, the rainfall also washed A®wo¾ro, OÙloô;fin’s dog into the palace.
There was a big celebration in the palace. But when they realized that
O®su¾ who had gone to place the ẹbọ by the E®sôu¾ shrine had not yet
returned, they thought that he was still looking for the dog. The three
other Babaláwo went out, saying:
258
Wa;’le;, O®su¾ wa;’le;

A r’A:wo¾ro¾ he o
O®su¾ wa;’le; o
A ti r’A:wo¾ro¾ he o
Translation:
Return, O®su¾ please return home

We have found A®wo¾ro¾
O®su¾ please return home
We have found A®wo¾ro¾
While they were singing this song, they were moving towards the E®sôu
shrine. When they got there, they saw O®su¾ still crawling and rolling on
the ground! What went wrong? O®su¾ told them that the flood had
washed him off his feet and much as he tried, he could not stand up on
his feet again. When they wanted to help him to his feet, he said:
“A®teôl; eôwoô; gbe; mi, E®ji®k¾ a; Go¾go¾ro¾, gba¾ mi; l'o;w
ô oô; oô reô,¾ A®tel;ô esô e,ô¾ o; ya; ma;a
gbe; mi ni¾sôo;; meaning; “A®te;ôleôwoô;, the Palm, please lift me up, E®ji¾ka;
Go¾go¾ro¾, the Shoulders, pull me up from the Palm; and A®te;ôleôseô¾, the
Foot, move on and take me back home”.
As they were going back home, the three Awo were singing, saying:
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’o;ri;
EÙÙ gb’O:su¾ l’eô;se¾ô o o¾
L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’o;ri; o
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’e;ôseô¾
L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ Awo
Translation:
Lift O®su¾ on your head

Move O®su¾ with your legs
Straight and erect does one find O®su¾
And move O®su¾ with your legs
Straight and erect does one find the O®su¾ of an Awo
259
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Note: O®su¾ must never lie prostrate in the presence of an Awo.

Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will not fall ill
and if he/she is ill, he/she will rise up and recover his/her health. They
should be inviting Awo to be serving O®su¾ on their behalf.
A®te;’ô woô; Awo ni

A®te;’ô seô¾ Awo ni
E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ Awo ni
O®®su¾ Ga¾ga¾ag ¾ a¾ ni;i; sô'oômoô i¾keôyi¾n woôn le;n;je-le;n;je
A®woôn meô;re¾ôeô¾rin n; sô’awo loô si;’le; OÙloô;fin
A®wo¾ro¾ Aja; OÙloô;fin lo; soônu¾
O®un le¾ ri; aja; o¾un lo; da;’fa; si;
O; gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’o;ri;
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’eôô;se¾ô o o¾
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’o;ri; o
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’e;ôseô¾
L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ Awo
EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;i¾ku; kangiri
N®je;ô eô gb’O:su¾ l’O:ri;
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’e;ôseô¾ o o¾
O®su¾ ki¾i; do;ôgbaleô¾ l'o;ju; Awo
Translation:
A®teô;’wo;ô, the Palm is an Awo
A®te;ô’seô¾, the Foot is an Awo
E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾, the Shoulders is an Awo
O®su¾ Ga¾¾ga¾ag ¾ a¾ is the youngest among them
The four of them went on an Ifá mission to OÙloô;fin’s Palace
A®wo¾ro,OÙloô;fin’s dog, got lost
How to get his dog back was the reason why he summoned
the Awo for Ifá consultation
He complied
260

Straight and erect does one find the O®su¾ of an Awo
Before long, no too far
Now, lift O®su¾ on your head
Straight and erect do one find O®su¾
O®su¾ will never lie prostrate in the presence of an Awo
Ifá says that all shall be well for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. He/she needs to be initiated into Ifá where the O®su¾ will
be carried into the Igbo;du¾ for him/her when the initiation takes
place.
5. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a new baby where this Odù is
revealed. Ifá says that the person who needs the Ire of a new baby
needs to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens and money.
Ifá also says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to
offer ẹbọ in order to be blessed with sound health and vitality. He/she
needs to offer ẹbọ against ill-health. For this to happen, he/she needs
to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. The he-goat
must not be slaughtered. He/she also needs to feed O®su¾ with whatever
material that Ifá recommends to be used.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Da;wo;ô-O®su¾-teô'leô¾ on this aspect says:
I®ri¾ wo¾ôoô¾wo¾ôoô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô l’eô;yi¾n

Di;a; fu;n O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾
Ti; n;s’ô awo loô s’o;de I®se ô rô i
Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô
Translation:
261
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
The dew is it that wets the back of a farmer

This was Ifá‟s message for O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾
When going on an Ifá mission to I®sôerô i land
He was advised to offer ẹbọ of long life and vitality
O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ was an accomplished Babaláwo. He had consulted Ifá for

the high and mighty and his predictions had come to pass. He was
held in high esteem by all and sundry. When any serious Ifá
consultation was about to be made, O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ was everyone‟s first
choice; it was only when he was not available that any alternative
Babaláwo would be approached with some measure of reluctance.
When the inhabitants of I®sôerô i felt the urgent need to do Ifá
consultation, it was O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ they approached.
When he received the message of the inhabitants of I®sôerô i for him to

come and consult Ifá for them, O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ went to I®ri¾ woo¾ô w
ô¾ oo
¾ô ô¾ ni;i;
p’a¾gbe¾ô ley
ô; i¾n, another Babaláwo, for Ifá consultation: How will his
sojourn to I®sôeôri land be? Will I be able to solve the problems of the
people who called upon him for Ifá consultation? Will I succeed in I®sôerô i
land? These were the questions which O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ asked his Awo
when he did the consultation.
The Awo told O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ that he was called to I®sôerô i land because
many of the women in that land were suffering from infertility. The Awo
said that he would be able to solve the problems that would be brought
to his attention in the land. He was told that he would be highly
honoured and respected because of the level of success that he would
record in the land.
O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ was however warned that he should not overwork himself
in the land, even though he would be in very high demand. He was
cautioned to take things easy because if the warning was not heeded,
he stood the chance of ruining his health and losing his life in the
process.
The Awo advised O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat
and money. He was informed that the he-goat was not to be
slaughtered. O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ complied with the advice of the Awo and
offered the ẹbọ before he set out on his journey to I®sôerô i.
262
O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, Awo woôn l’o;;de I®se ô rô i

Di;a; fu;n woôn l’o;de I®seô rô i
EÙku;n oômoô ni woô;n n; sun
Translation:
O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, their Awo in I®sôerô i land

He cast Ifá for the inhabitants of I®sôerô i land
When they were weeping in lamentation for their inability
to bear children
The inhabitants of I®sôerô i land were eagerly awaiting the arrival of O®su¾
Go¾go¾ro¾. When he eventually arrived in the land, they took him directly
to the Palace of the Oni;sôerô i,, the Ϙba of the land. Oni;sôerô i, was an old
kind-hearted man who took the overall interest of the land to heart. He
could not bear to hear the cry of pain and grief of the women who had
not been blessed with the fruit of the womb who had been married for
several years.
When O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, arrived, the Ϙba ordered that he should be settled
in his palace and that the consultation must be made as soon as O®su¾
Go¾go¾ro¾, settled down. He also instructed that the consultation must be
made in the presence of all his chiefs who would act as witnesses and
would be able to relay the messages of Ifá to all those concerned in
their various wards.
When O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, consulted Ifá for the inhabitants of I®sôerô i land,
Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; was revealed. He informed all those present that the
main problem in the land which warranted Ifá consultation was that of
infertility. He explained that the problem of infertility in the land was
actually divided into three parts but the inhabitants had been looking at
only one part all along; the three parts were: (i) male infertility; (ii)
female infertility; and (iii) infertility of both male and female. He said
that the problem was evenly distributed in the land but efforts had been
concentrated on only female infertility because they expected the
woman to produce the evidence of pregnancy but if it did not come,
they assumed that the problem was from the woman. How would a
263
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
woman become pregnant if her husband‟s semen was not viable? He

asked.
He explained to them that he would have to make Ifá preparations for
them to use. One of the preparations would be for the man to use
separately; one for the woman to use separately and the third for the
couple to use jointly. He also advised each couple looking for the
blessing of the womb to offer Ϙba with four rats, four fish, two
hens and money. All the chiefs went to their respective wards to
inform all the affected couples of what O®su¾ had just said and what they
needed to do in terms of solution to their problems.
The next day, as early as dawn, there was a long line made from the
couples who had come to O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, with their ẹbọ materials. When
he saw the people, he quickly took care of his personal hygiene and set
out to work. He offered ẹbọ from morning till late at night. He
promised those who he offered ẹbọ for to come and collect their Ifá
preparations three days after.
Before sunrise the next day, he was already on his way to the forest,
looking for the herbs, roots, barks, leaves and animals to use in
preparing the remedies for the people. He could hardly sleep.
Two months after the arrival of O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, in I®sôerô i land, many
couples had begun to congratulate each other and thank their Orí
secretly for the blessing of Olo;du¾mare¾ in their lives but could not
announce openly because it was not the custom to do so. The ẹbọ and
remedies which O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, gave to them had worked! This made the
demand for him to be even higher. The success story had left nobody
in doubt that O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, held the key to their joy in I®sôerô i land.
For one full year, O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, could not go back home. Many women
had delivered safely. He was the one they continued to call upon to
take charge of the deliveries. He was a very busy man. He was also a
very successful man.
After two years from his arrival in I®sôerô i land, Oni;sôerô i, died. He was
given a befitting burial. The Chiefs and other elders in the land put
their heads together and proposed O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, as the next Oni;sôerô i, on
the premise that he had brought so much joy to the land than they
could ever imagine. The honour they could give him was to make him
the Ϙba. He remembered that his Awo, I®ri¾ wo¾o ô ôw
¾ oo
¾ô ô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô l'eyô; i¾n had
once predicted that he would be highly honoured in the land. He
264
accepted the honour on the condition that it would not affect his work
as a Babaláwo. His installation was grand. He still continued as a
Babaláwo.
One day, the strain and pressure of his work took its toll on O®su¾
Go¾go¾ro¾. He collapsed while attending to some of his subjects. He had
not slept for three days. Pandemonium erupted. The news spread like
wild fire. What could they do? O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, could not afford to fall ill,
not to mention die! There were several people waiting for him to take
care of them.
The next morning, he quickly sent for his Awo, I®ri¾ woo ¾ô ô¾woo
¾ô ô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô
l'eôy; i¾n to come quickly and help his friend and colleague. I®ri¾ woo ¾ô w
ô¾ oo
¾ô ô¾
dropped everything he was doing and set out on the journey as soon as
he heard that O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, was ill. When he got to I®sôerô i land, he
began serious Ifá work for Oni;sôerô i, also known as O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾. He
instructed all the inhabitants to come and sing Ifá songs for O®su¾
Go¾go¾ro¾, every day until he recovered and became hale and hearty
again. He taught them to continuously sing thus:
Oni;se ô rô i m’o;ri; ro; o

Ko; o ma; du¾bu;le¾ô eô
I®du;ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾
O®su¾ o¾ ba; ma¾ m’o;ri; ro; o
Ko; o ma; du¾bu;le¾ô
L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ o
Translation:
Oni;sôerô i, please raise up your head

Do not lie prostrate
O®su¾, please rise up and stand
Do not lie down
After 17 days of intensive Ifá preparation and continuous singing of the

I®ye¾ôreô¾, O®su¾ regained his health. Nobody preached to him after that time
before he knew that he needed to take all things easy.
265
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
I®ri¾ ¾wo¾ôoô¾wo¾ôoô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô l’eô;yi¾n

Di;a; fu;n O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾¾
Ti; n;s’ô awo loô s’o;de I®se ô rô i
Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô¾
O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, Awo woôn l’o;de I®se ô rô i
Di;a; fu;n woôn l’o;de I®se ô rô i
EÙku;n oômoô ni woô;n n; sun
Woô;n gbe;ô’boô, woô;n ru;’boô
Ko¾¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾¾nna¾¾
N®jeô; Oni;se ô rô i m’o;ri; ro; oKo; o ma; du¾bu;le¾ô
I®du;ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾
O®su¾ o¾ ba; ma¾ m’o;ri; ro; o
Ko; o ma; du¾bu;le¾ô
L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ o
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®ôÙfa¾
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
The dew is it that wets the back of a farmer

This was Ifá‟s message for O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾
When going on an Ifá mission to I®sôerô i land
He was advised to offer ẹbọ for long life and vitality
He complied
O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, their Awo in I®sôerô i land
He cast Ifá for the inhabitants of I®sôerô i land
When they were weeping in lamentation for their inability
to bear children
They complied
Oni;sôerô i, please raise up your head
Do not lie prostrate
266
Straight and erect does one find O®su¾¾

O®su¾, please rise up and stand
Do not lie down
Straight and erect does one find O®su¾¾
Ifá says that this person shall enjoy his/her life in good health. He/she
shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. However, he/she needs to take
things slow and easy in order to enjoy the fruit of his/her labour.
6. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to persevere.
Only a little time remains for all his/her efforts to materialize and for
him/her to actualize his/her destiny. Ifá assures this person that all
his/her struggles, sufferings and toiling in life are about to end. These
then will be replaced with contentment, peace and accomplishment.
two pigeons, two guinea fowls, two hens, two cocks and
money. He/she also needs to feed O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko as appropriate.
On this aspect, Ifá has this to say:
I®ya¾ la¾a; jeô teô;’le¾ô iku¾n

Ka; to;o; j’oore o
Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko;-Irin
Ti; n; sô’awo o; loô s’o;de I®ra¾wo¾ô
Translation:
There is the need to experience suffering and tribulations

Before experiencing favour and benevolence
This was Ifá‟s declaration to Kok; o;-Irin, the Iron
Knob Collection
When going on spiritual mission to I®ra¾wo¾ô land
267
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Kok; o;-Irin, was the collection of Iron knobs. He was known by nobody
important and he was also a nobody. He was suffering and facing a
series of tribulations. To feed himself was a very serious problem, not
to mention to cloth himself. He continued to persevere.
One day, Kok ; o;-Irin, planned to go on a spiritual mission to I®ra¾wo¾ô land.
That was why he decided to go for Ifá consultation in the home of the
Awo mentioned above in order to determine his success chances in
I®ra¾wo¾ô land where he was going: Will I succeed in I®ra¾wo¾ô land? Will my
sufferings and tribulations end when I get to the land? Will I be
recognized where I am going? Will I become someone important and
be given reverence over there?
The Awo told Kok ; o;-Irin, that even though he had been suffering
throughout his lifetime, only a little period remained for all his
sufferings and tribulations to end. He was advised to persevere. The
Awo told him that it is better to face suffering and tribulation before
entering into enjoyment, favours and benevolence than to enjoy first
and then enter into sufferings and pains. He was told that his sufferings
remained just a little; and after that, he would become a very important
personality in life.
The Awo advised Kok ; o;-Irin, to offer ẹbọ as stated above and at the
same time, be ready to face the remaining hardship in his life with
courage and perseverance. Kok; o;-Irin, complied. A few days after, he
set out on his journey to I®ra¾wo¾ô land.
As soon as Kok ; o;-Irin, got to I®ra¾wo¾ô he was recognized as fit and proper
to be moulded into an O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko staff. They gathered all the Kok; o;-Irin,
and placed it into an iron container. They placed it on fire, real red-hot
fire! Ko;ko;-Irin, screamed. “But you all told me that I would become
somebody important. What then is the reason why you should set me
on fire!? The Blacksmiths who were working on Ko;ko;-Irin, responded;
“Patience please. Your suffering is about to end. Just persevere”.
Before long, Ko;ko;-Irin, was moulded into a hoe. They placed the hoe
on an anvil and used a big sledge hammer to pound him into shape.
The pain was unbearable and Ko;ko;-Irin, screamed in agony. He was
counselled to exercise patience and to have persevere.
268
A few days after this, Kok; o;-Irin, was again placed on fire and melted
again. He screamed and cried. He was told to persevere. He was
moulded into a long Iron staff. He was placed on the anvil again and
hammered into shape once more. When the Blacksmiths had become
satisfied with what they had turned Ko;ko;-Irin, into, they looked for an
iron sponge and started to scrub Ko;ko;-Irin, with it. He screamed. He
was advised to persevere. He did.
After this, they began to put ornaments and other decorations on Kok; o;-
Irin,. In the end, he became an O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko staff. He was fed with one
she-goat per day for 16 consecutive days. He became the most
expensive O®ri¾sôa¾ to acquire. He found out that everyone came to pay
respect to him, saying; “O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko pe¾lô eô; o, A®gba¾ I®ra¾wo¾ô” – meaning;
greetings to O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko, the Elder in I®ra¾wo¾ô land.
From that day onwards, his sufferings ended and he became the most
important personality in I®ra¾wo¾ô land.
I®ya¾ la¾a; jeô teô’leô¾ iku¾n

Ka; to;o; j’oore o
Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko; Irin
E®yi; ti; n;s’ô awo loô s’o;de I®ra¾wo¾ô
Ti yo;o; loô k’oô;ro¾ô wa;’le;
Ti; yo;o; j’oye¾ Ajori;-Iwin
N®jeô; O®ri¾sa ô -¾ Oko peô¾le;ô o
A®gba¾ I®ra¾wo¾ô
O: wa;a; d’eôni a¾pe;si¾n
Translation:
There is the need to experience suffering and tribulations

Before experiencing favour and benevolence
This was Ifá‟s declaration to Kok; o;-Irin, the Iron
Knob Collection
When going on spiritual mission to I®ra¾wo¾ô land
He complied
269
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Greetings, O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko
The Elder in I®ra¾wo¾ land
You have now become someone that
is collectively venerated
Ifá says that this person shall be honoured and respected. He/she shall
be placed in the highest position among his colleagues. He/she only
needs to persevere as his/her time to succeed and prosper is close at
hand.
NOTE: Ajori;-Iwin or Olo;ri;-Iwin is the highest title among the O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko
devotees.
7. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of resounding victory for the person
for whom Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; is revealed. He/she shall overcome all his/her
antagonists and enemies. None of his/her enemies will be able to inflict
any harm on him/her. In fact, the enemies will disperse with tales of
woe to tell, which would have happened to them.
Ifá also advises a woman where this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ of
victory for her child in order to enable the child to overcome all his/her
enemies. Ifá says that there are many people who are after her child
but they shall all fail in their evil designs.
Ifá advises those involved here to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat
and money. As usual, the he-goat must not be slaughtered. There is
also the need to feed O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko with whatever Ifá recommends.
On this, Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; says:
Ogbe¾ du;ro; ni;nu; igbo;

O: fi¾’di; O®su¾ la’le¾ô ga¾ar¾ a¾ga¾ ja;’na¾¾
Di;a; fu;n Gboônna¾
Ti;i; sôe’¾ ya; O®ke¾
Ni;gba¾ti; O®ke¾ n;beô l’a;ar¾ in E®di¾di¾
Ti; n;beô l’a;ar¾ in o¾ôta;
Ti; n;f’ojooju;mo;ô koôminu; ogun
Awo;, oô¾ta; O®ke¾ ni
Olo;bu¾ro;, o¾ôta; O®ke¾ ni
A®paro¾, oô¾ta; O®ke¾ ni
270
Translation:
Ogbe¾ stood in the forest

And used the O®su¾ staff to draw a line from the forest
to the main road
This was Ifá‟s declaration to Gboônna¾
The-mother-of-O®ke¾
When O®ke¾ was in the midst of enemies
And living with the anticipation of an uprising
Awo;, (the Guinea-fowl) was O®ke¾‟s enemy
Olo;bu¾ro; was O®ke¾‟s enemy
A®paro¾, (the Partridge) was O®ke¾‟s enemy
She (Gboônna¾) was advised to offer ẹbọ
Gboônna¾ was the mother of O®ke¾. O®ke¾ was her only child. It took
Gboônna¾ several years before she could be blessed with O®ke¾. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
was the Awo that she cried to for help when she was unable to become
pregnant and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ prepared several Ifá works and ẹbọ for her
before Olo;du¾mare¾ answered her prayers and gave her O®ke¾. When she
gave birth to O®ke¾ and the I®koôseôda;ye; rite was performed on the third
day of the baby‟s birth, it was clear that O®ke¾ was much more than 20
children put together. She was a very special child!
When O®ke¾ was growing up into her adolescent age, her rising profile
was very daunting. She instantly became the enemy of some people
who could not handle her high profile. These people were: Awo; (the
Guinea fowl) Olo;bu¾ro,; and A®paro (the Patridge). These three hated
O®ke¾, the daughter of Gboônna¾ with passion. Why should this child with
such a magnificent personality come from Gboônna¾, and not from any of
the three of them? They queried. This was what they could not
handle. Consequent upon this, they planned to eliminate O®ke¾ by any
means available to them. Instead of Gboônna¾ receiving blessings from
her child, which would give her additional popularity in the community,
it was better for all of them to get rid of the child and so neither of
them would have popularity or prominence. They decided to sneak into
Gboônna¾‟s home at night, strike O®ke¾ to death with their beaks and
consume her remains or part at least part of her.
This arrangement suited the three conspirators and they congratulated
each other. To them, it was a fool-proof plot. They would execute
271
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
their plot whenever Gboônna¾ was not at home. Gboônna¾ was a big time
trader who travelled from place to place at regular intervals. To make
the plot easy to execute, any time that Gboônna¾ was about to travel,
she would call her three “friends” and put her home and only daughter
into their care.
A few days after this, Gboônna¾ was preparing to travel on business as
usual. She planned to spend two weeks before she returned. She
went to inform her three „friends‟ that she would be leaving her only
daughter in their care. The „friends‟ willingly agreed to help her look
after her house and daughter. Gboônna¾ however did what they did not
expect her to do - she went for Ifá consultation before going on her
trip. Primarily, her intention was to find out how her journey would be
and the chance of her making huge profit on her journey and business
transaction. These were the only things on her mind.
When the Awo consulted Ifá for her, they informed her that there was
no problem whatsoever with her business. They equally told her that
death was dangling precariously over the head of her only child. They
said that the death was coming as a result of the evil plans of envious
and treacherous people in the community. They warned her that her
daughter must not die, that if she died, there would be a terrible chain
of events which would bring disaster upon disaster to the world and to
all those living in it.
The Awo advised her to offer ẹbọ to save the life of her daughter as
stated above. She offered the ẹbọ that same day. They told her to go
and bring O®ke¾. She did. The Awo prepared some potent Ifá works for
O®ke¾ and made her use them all that same day. After that, they asked
both mother and child to return home with the assurance that nothing
evil would happen to the child anymore.
As soon as they got home, O®ke¾ transformed into a mighty hill. Her
sheer size and structure became very daunting and intimidating. Those
who saw O®ke¾ the next moment marvelled at her from a distance.
The size of O®ke¾ however did not intimidate A®paro, Olo;bu¾ro;, or Awó in
any way. If anything, it only increased their envy and their
determination to eliminate her. As soon as Gboônna¾ travelled to
transact her business, the three conspirators went to work. Awó flew
upward to strike her on the head. As she did so with all her might, her
beak broke into pieces! Not only this, she tasted sour dust in her
272
mouth. She cried out in agony saying: O®ke¾ kan go;go;o;go;!!! - meaning;
“O®ke¾ is very acidic and sour!!!
Unknown to Olo;bu¾ro; that A®paro was already in trouble, she too flew up
in order to strike O®ke¾ her own deadly blow. She planned to strike her
on the neck. She did. Her beak also broke and her lower jaw bent
sideways. She screamed saying “O®ke¾ La;kir;;a”!!! meaning “O®ke¾ is very
sturdy”!!! She returned home in pain, holding her broken lower jaw
with her two hands.
When A®paro saw Olo;bu¾ro; holding her lower jaw with her hands, E®sôu¾
appeared and said she had struck O®ke¾ and had eaten her flesh to her
satisfaction and was only taking part of O®ke¾‟s flesh home to be
consumed later! A®paro then rushed out of her house to go and have a
piece of the action herself. She flew up in order to strike O®ke¾ in the
mouth. She did so mightily. She lost her beak and broke her neck. She
wailed in agony, saying; “EÙnu reô¾ ku¾ra¾mi¾”!!! meaning “her mouth is solid
rock”!!!
When the three conspirators met, they only had tales of woe to tell
each other. O®ke¾ became unmovable, untouchable and beyond the
scope of their evil designs. They however learnt to live with O®ke¾ and
used her as their sanctuary when there was heavy heat as a result of
intense sunlight or when they were being attacked by other people.
Ogbe¾ du;ro; ni;’nu; igbo;

O: f'i¾di; O®su¾ la’le¾ô ga¾ar¾ a¾ga¾ ja;’na¾
Di;a; fu;n Gboônna¾
Ti;i; sôe’¾ ya; O®ke¾
Ni;gba¾ti; O®ke¾ n;beô l’a;ar¾ in E®di¾di¾
Ti; n;beô l’a;ar¾ in o¾ôta;
Ti; n;fojooju;mo;ô koôminu; ogun
Awo;, o¾ôta; O®ke¾ ni
Olo;bu¾r¾o;, o¾ôta; O®ke¾ ni
A®paro¾, o¾¾ôta; O®ke¾ ni
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ;ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'e;ôboô, ru;’boô
EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;se ô ô; ogun
273
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
ô ô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ O®Ùpe¾ô

A®ja¾se
Awo; ni;; O®ke¾ kan go;go;o;go;
Olo;bu¾ro; ni; O®ke¾ l'a;ki;ra o
A®paro¾ ni; eônu reô¾ ku¾ra¾mu¾
Translation:
Ogbe¾ stood in the forest

And used the O®su¾ staff to draw a line from the forest
to the main road
This was Ifá‟s declaration to Gboônna¾
The mother of O®ke¾
When O®ke¾ was in the midst of enemies
And living with the anticipation of an uprising
Awo;, (the Guinea-fowl) was O®ke¾‟s enemy
Olo;bu¾ro; was O®ke¾‟s enemy
A®paro¾, (the Partridge) was O®ke¾‟s enemy
She (Gboônna¾) was advised to offer ẹbọ
She complied
Victory over enemies is what Ifá guarantees
for all its devotees
Awó declared that O®ke¾ is very acidic and sour
Olo;bu¾ro; screamed that O®ke¾ is just very sturdy
And A®paro¾, wailed that O®ke¾‟s mouth is solid rock
Ifá declares that the enemies of the person for whom this Odù is
revealed will have tales of woe to tell if they ever make any attempt to
harm him/her. It is better to leave him/her alone as he/she has not
offended them at all.
Conversely, Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed never
to conspire against anyone. If he/she does so, he/she will also have
tales of woe to tell at the end of the day. There will be weeping,
moaning and gnashing of teeth for him/her to contend with for the rest
of his/her life.
274
8. Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she will
never be disgraced or humiliated. Ifá says that this person is about to
be given an impossible task to perform. He/she needs not refuse to do
it. Ifá says that it will make the impossible possible. Ifá advises this
person to leave all things in the hands of Ifá and Ifá will make him/her
shine.
Ifá also advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one big container filled
with guinea corn, one mature she-goat, a lot of palm-oil and
money.
On this, Ifá says:
E®Ùseô n¾gbi¾n
EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùri¾ndi;nlo;gu;n Oju; Odu¾
Woô;n n;; re’le; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
Translation:
EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n (The legs plant)

EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô (The legs step on)
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for the 16 major Odù
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace for Ifá business
OÙloô;fin could be very mischievous and funny sometimes. He was in a

mischievous mood when he called the 16 principal Odù to his palace to
come and consult Ifá for him. Prior to the time that he summoned the
16 Awo, he called his domestic servants and told them to get him a
container filled with guinea-corn grains. When this was procured, he
asked them to go and boil the guinea-corn. When it had been well
boiled, he instructed the domestic servants to go and plant the corn in
his farm. After this had been done, he asked one of the servants to go
and call the 16 principal Odù for him. What he wanted to know from
them was whether or not the boiled guinea corn grains that he had just
ordered to be planted would germinate and grow.
275
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
When the 16 Odù received his message they went to EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n and
EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô for Ifá consultation: Will we succeed where we are going? Will
we be able to satisfy OÙloô;fin this time around? Will we be given respect
and honour?
The two Awo told the 16 principal Odù that it was something impossible
that OÙloô;fin wanted them to make possible. They told the 16 Odù that
Ifá would make it possible. They only needed to inform OÙloô;fin that Ifá
said that even though he had asked them for the impossible, Ifá would
make it possible in five days‟ time. They then warned the 16 Odù never
to refuse to do OÙloô;fin‟s bidding.
They also recommended for them to offer ẹbọ with a container filled
with fresh guinea-corn, one she-goat (which must not be
slaughtered), plenty of palm-oil, and money. They complied.
After this, they headed for OÙloô;fin‟s palace.
When the 16 principal Odù got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace, they cast Ifá for him
and the Odù that was revealed was Ogbe¾-Da;wo;ô-O®su¾-teôleô¾. They told
OÙloô;fin that he had done something that he felt he would use to test the
efficacy of the Awo. They said that Ifá assured him that what he had
done would germinate and bring forth good fruits.
That was when OÙloô;fin told them that what he had done was to boil
guinea-corn grains and then instructed his servants to plant them in his
farm. He had asked if it was possible for the boiled grains to germinate
and grow. The Awo responded that they would sprout forth leaves in
five days' time. OÙloô;fin declared that the 16 Principal Odù were the most
incredulous Awo he had ever come across in his life. How could they
tell him that the grains would germinate when they had been boiled
already before they were planted. He said that they must tell him what
they wanted him to do against them if the planted grains failed to
germinate. The Awo responded that the grains would surely germinate
in five days‟ time and that if they failed to do so, OÙloô;fin was free to do
whatever pleased him against them. When OÙloô;fin heard this, he asked
the 16 Awo to state their ẹbọ. They did. OÙloô;fin offered the ẹbọ.
The 16 principal Odù returned to EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n and EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô to explain to
them what they encountered in OÙloô;fin‟s palace. They explained to the
two Awo that OÙloô;fin had planted boiled guinea-corn grains in his farm
276
and expected the grains to germinate. The Awo told the 16 Odù that
the grains would surely germinate since that was what Ifá had said.
E®sôu¾ then appeared and brought out the container of the guinea-corn
used as ẹbọ and they fed SÙan ¾ go; with one big cock. Ϙya was also fed
with one hen. Ϙya started with her strong wind and SÙan ¾ go; opened the
door of rainfall and the rain fell from evening till the next day.
Meanwhile, the farm owned by OÙloô;fin was highly fortified and guarded
by many skilled soldiers. To circumvent this, E®sôu¾ employed the services
of Iku;n (the squirrels) to carry the guinea-corn grains to OÙloô;fin‟s farm
for planting. Iku;n went to work. They however had problems knowing
which areas to plant the grains and which ones to leave out because
there was no light. When E®sôu¾ realized this, he informed the 16 principal
Odù. That was when they started to chant I®ye¾rô eô¾ for lightening to strike
at regular intervals in order to allow the squirrels to see what they were
doing and where to plant the grains.
The I®ye¾ôreô¾ went thus:
O® ba; sa;n n ri;’ran o

I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô sa;;n, n ri;’ran
I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô o
O®jo¾ n;la; ni; n; bo’se¾ô OÙloô¾run
I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;’;ran
I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùri¾ndi;nlo;gu;n Oro;du¾
I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;’ran
I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô
Ti; wo;ôn n; sô'awo loô si;’le; OÙloô;fin
I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô
We¾re;we¾re; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; Iku;n
I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô
Sa;n n ri;’ran o
I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;'ran
I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô
277
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Translation:
Strike for me to see

I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾ (lightning), please strike for me to see
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾ (lightning)
Heavy rain is it that covers the legs of the high heavens
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾, please strike for me to see
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾
They cast Ifá for the 16 principal Odù
I®moô¾nm
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾
When going on an Ifá mission to OÙloô;fin’s Palace
I®moô¾nm
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾
Quietly is how squirrels work
I®moô¾nm
¾ m
I®moôn ¾ o¾
That was the way the 16 principal Odù chanted the I®yer¾ô eô¾ from dusk till
dawn and the squirrels planted the fresh guinea-corn grains from dusk
till dawn, until the whole farm was touched. For the five days, SÙan ¾ go;
continuously opened the door of rainfall in very moderate proportions
for the grains, and the grains were doing very well.
Very early on the fifth day, OÙloô;fin summoned the 16 Principal Odù to
his palace. He asked them to cast Ifá for him. They did. Again, Ogbe¾-
Da;'wo;ô-O®su¾-teô'leô¾ was revealed. The Awo told OÙloô;fin that what he
planted five days ago was what he wanted to know about. They
assured him that it had germinated and had come out very well. They
told him that he thought that it was not possible but Ifá and E®sôu¾
O®Ùda¾ra, together with SÙan ¾ go; and Ϙya had made the impossible
possible. OÙloô;fin asked his domestic servants to lock all the doors in
order to prevent the 16 Awo from running away. They however assured
OÙloô;fin that they would go nowhere. The doors were securely locked
anyway.
OÙloô;fin asked the O®ro¾reô; bird to go out to his farm and check what had
happened on the farm. He went. When he returned, he told OÙloô;fin
“Baba, O: ku;n Si;nmu;-si;nmu;”” meaning, “father, it is filled up to the
278
edge of the farm”. What? It‟s the germinated grains. OÙloô;fin said that
O®ro¾reô; must have consumed too much alcohol to be saying such
nonsense. OÙloô;fin sent the Eg ®Ù a¾, bird (the Palm-bird), to go and check
his farm and report back to him. Eg ®Ù a¾, went. When he came back, he
declared; “o; ga sôoôr¾ o¾sô ôoôr¾ o¾ô” meaning “they have all grown tall for
everyone to see”. OÙloô;fin stood up by himself and opened the door that
led to his farm; Behold, all the grains have filled the farm! He could not
believe what he was seeing.
When he returned to his seat, he declared that the Babaláwo were

really great. He said that he witnessed the boiling and cooking of the
grains before they were planted. How was it possible? The Babaláwo
responded that they too did not know but he needed to not forget that
Ifá had promised to make what was impossible possible.
With this, OÙloô;fin went inside his chambers and honoured the 16
principal Odù. They all became an instant success.
EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n
EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùri¾ndi;nlo;gu;;n Oju; Odu¾
Woô;n n; re’le; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe
Woô;n gbe;ô’boô, woô;n ru;’boô
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô, eô wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n (The legs plant)

EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô (The legs step on)
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for the 16 major Odù
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace for Ifá business
They complied
279
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Ifá says that the person(s) for whom this Odù is revealed must never
plan to humiliate or disgrace anyone. If he/she plans this, he/she shall
fail. The Divinities shall find a way of protecting his/her/their would-be
victim(s).
9. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ in
order for his/her secrets not to be exposed to those who are not
supposed to know the secrets. Ifá however assures this person that
his/her secrets will remain unexposed.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat, strong
rope or twine and money. He/she also needs to feed Oro¾ with
whatever Ifá recommends.
On this aspect, Ifá has this to say:
Ogbe¾ d’a;wo;ô O®su¾ teô’leô¾

Di;a; fu;n La¾ka¾la¾ka¾
Ti; n; sô’awo re’gbo; EÙ®gba;
Translation:
Ogbe¾ stuck the tip of the O®su¾ in the ground

This was Ifá‟s message for La¾ka¾la¾ka¾, the Oro¾ blade
When going on spiritual mission to the EÙ®gba; grove
La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ also known as Abeô Oro¾ was the Oro¾ blade. He had to have a
rope attached to him to make him work as expected. (This cannot be
explained beyond this point because of the secrets surrounding this
cult).
When La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ planned to go to the E®Ùgba; grove on a spiritual mission,

he went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation.
The Awo told him that the only thing he needed to do was to offer eôboô
so that his secrets would not be exposed to the un-initiated, especially
women.
280
He was told that his secrets might be exposed during that particular
journey. He was advised that in order to prevent that from happening,
he needed to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, a long strong
rope or twine. He also needed to add money to it. After this, he
needed to feed I®ta; and I®re¾ôleô,¾ the Oro¾ Divinity icons, for them to make
his secrets remain intact. La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ complied.
When they got to the E®ôÙgba; grove and the ceremony was about to
begin, they called on La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ to send everyone a note of warning that
the Oro¾ ceremony was about to start. He did. When the ceremony
began, La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ was making the Oro¾ sound as expected. Suddenly, it
was discovered that the rope that La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ was attached to was about
to break. That was when E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ came into the scene and began to
sing I®ye¾rô eô¾ song;
E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ sung:
EÙ ba; wa w’o;ku¾n to; yigbe¾ e¾

EÙ ba; wa w’o;ku¾n to; yigbe¾
La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ ki¾i; gbe¾ e; ja; o
Translation:
Please look for a strong rope for us

Please fetch us a strong rope
It won't take long for La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ to break off
Please look for a strong rope
Those present knew that if La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ should break, he would just fling
away and would certainly fall into the hands of the uninitiated ones, in
particular, women. If that were to happen the secrets of La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ and
those of Oro¾ would be exposed for the world to see. They quickly
looked for stronger rope. They could not find any. E®sôu¾ however
supplied the rope that was added to the ẹbọ. They attached it to
La¾ka¾la¾ka¾. It was strong enough to sustain La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ throughout the
ceremony. This was how the secrets of La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ remained unexposed.
281
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Ogbe¾ da;’wo;ô O®su¾ teô’leô¾

Di;a; fu;n La¾ka¾la¾ka¾
Ti; n; sô’awo re’gbo; E®Ùgba;
N®je;ô eô ba; wa w’o;ku¾n yigbe¾ e¾
La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ ki¾i; gbe¾ e; ja; o
EÙ ba; wa w’o;kun to; yigbe¾ o
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
Ogbe¾ stuck the tip of the O®su¾ in the ground

This was Ifá‟s message for La¾ka¾la¾ka¾, the Oro¾ blade
When going on spiritual mission to the EÙ®gba; grove
He complied
Now, please look for a strong rope for us
Please fetch us a strong rope
It won't take long for La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ to break off
Please look for a strong rope for us
Before long, and not too far
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have
his/her secrets kept intact. This however does not suggest that he/she
is at liberty to take undue risks with his/her secrets.
Conversely, this person must never be a party to the unjustifiable

exposure of other people‟s secrets. He/she must never plan to do so.
If he/she does, Olo;du¾mare will protect his/her would-be victim and
he/she will be put to well deserved shame. Protection is granted to
those whom adhere to this advice.
282
10. Ifá says that if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is not a
practicing Babaláwo/I®ya;ni;fa;, then two great things are coming his/her
way during the coming dry season or summer time. Ifá says that a third
Ire will come but that one is for his/her Awo. It is not for him/her. If
the third Ire comes, he/she needs to refer it to his/her Awo
immediately.
On the other hand, if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is a
practising Babaláwo/I®ya;ni;fa, then he/she needs to understand that the
first two great things that will come during the coming dry/summer
season (or change of season) do not belong to him/her. It is the third
great thing that is really his/hers. He/she must not be avaricious on
this matter.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with a mature she-goat. This
animal is not to be slaughtered. It must be taken away to live by the
Awo. After this, he/she needs to feed his Orí with a very big catfish.
Ifá says that two of the ancestors of the person for whom this Odù is
revealed were very prominent personalities when they were alive. Both
of them are in the same location in heaven. They are both looking
after the person for whom this Odù is revealed together with other
members of his/her extended family. Ifá recommends that a big live
catfish needs to be used; to feed Odù so that all these great things will
come as predicted.
On these aspects, Ifá states thus:
O®gbo;lo;gbo¾o; Oni;sôe¾gu¾n lo; su¾n l’e;ji¾gbo¾ôn

Lo; fi o;n;de¾ e re¾ô roô’ri; poônpoôn-oônpoôn
Di;a; fu;n Ma¾ga¾la;ja;
Ti; n;loô ile; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
Translation:
A great Herbalist was sleeping in the corner of a room

And was resting his head firmly on his leather charm belt
This was Ifá‟s message for Ma¾ga¾la;ja;
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace for on an Ifá mission
283
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
There was chaos and tension in the land. Something urgent had to be
done to bring the land back to normal. OÙloô;fin was concerned. That was
why he sent for this great Babaláwo called Ma¾ga¾la;ja; to come and
consult Ifá for him in order to know what to do to ward off all the evil
principalities in the land.
When Ma¾ga¾la;ja; heard the news that OÙloô;fin was looking for him to come
and consult Ifá in his palace, he went to the home of the Awo
mentioned above for his own consultation: Will I succeed in OÙloô;fin‟s
palace? Will I be able to solve OÙloô;fin‟s problems?
The Awo told Ma¾ga¾la;ja; that Ile;-Ife was in chaos. There was the need
to do high-level e¾tu¾tu¾ for the land in order to ward off all the
negativities there. He was assured that he was capable of doing it. He
was however warned to be very careful and watch his tongue while
there, so as not to say something that would put himself into deep
trouble while performing his duty. Ma¾ga¾la;ja; thanked the Awo and left.
He could see no way how he would land himself into trouble while
performing his duty.
When he got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace, he consulted Ifá for the Ϙba and Ogbe¾-
Do¾su¾-mu; was revealed. He told OÙloô;fin that there was crises in the land
and that he was capable of warding off the evil. He told OÙloô;fin that all
what he needed to bring were four she-goats, one man suffering from
elephantiasis of the scrotum, four sacks of cowries and four large kegs
of palm oil. He insisted that the ẹbọ must be performed on that same
day.
OÙloô;fin sent all his domestic servants out to go and look for the
materials. They combed everywhere and were able to procure the four
she-goats, four kegs of palm-oil, four sacks of cowries but they could
not find a man afflicted with elephantiasis of the scrotum. Time was of
paramount importance. OÙloô;fin instructed Ma¾ga¾la;ja; to commence with
the e¾tu¾tu¾. He did. When he completed the preparation, he told OÙloô;fin
that the only item remaining was the man afflicted with swollen
testicles. He said that they needed to slice the man open and pour
plenty of palm-oil on his intestines and the e¾tu¾tu¾ would be completed.
Where would this e¾tu¾tu¾ be placed? OÙloô;fin asked Ma¾ga¾la;ja;.
284
He responded that each goat would be buried in each corner of the

town while the man with elephantiasis of the scrotum would be thrown
into the middle of a flowing river.
OÙloô;fin then whispered to one of his domestic servants to hit Ma¾ga¾la;ja;‟s

head with a pestle. The servant did, and Ma¾ga¾la;ja; died instantly. He
was stripped naked. That was when they discovered that he was
suffering from elephantiasis of the scrotum. OÙloô;fin told them that he
had noticed this as soon as Ma¾ga¾la;ja; had entered his palace. They
sliced the chest of Ma¾ga¾la;ja; open and completed the e¾tu¾tu¾ as he had
instructed them to do. They buried the e¾tu¾tu¾ in the areas that Ma¾ga¾la;ja;
had earlier specified. His corpse was then thrown into a river.
With the e¾tu¾tu¾ done, there was no improvement in the land. The
situation was simply getting worse. What did they need to do now?
Bi; Babala;wo ba; gbo;ô’f;a; l’a;gboô¾o;ôju¾

Araa woôn ni woô;n n; ya¾n m’eô;boô
Di;a; fu;n Se¾kunda;
Ti; n; loô ile; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
Translation:
If a Babaláwo understands Ifá too excessively

He will end up recommending himself as ẹbọ material
This was Ifá‟s message for Se¾kunda;
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace on an Ifá mission
When there was no solution yet to the problems plaguing Ile;-Ife, OÙloô;fin
summoned Se¾kunda; for Ifá consultation: What is to be done to put a
permanent stop to all the crises in the land?
When Se¾kunda got OÙloô;fin‟s message, he went to the home of the Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed in OÙloô;fin‟s palace?
Will I be able to solve the problems in the land? Will I be adequately
rewarded?
285
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
The Awo informed Se¾kunda; that there was a series of problems in Ile;-
Ife. They told him that he would be capable of solving all the problems
there. They however warned him against being over-zealous or showing
that he could analyze Ifá better than O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ himself. He was advised
to watch his utterances and weigh every statement that he would
pronounce before voicing it out, lest he put himself into trouble by his
statements. Se¾kunda; thanked the Awo and left. He could not see how
he would analyze and put himself in trouble. As a matter of fact, he
reasoned, it was his in-depth knowledge and accurate analysis of Ifá
that made the high and the mighty to come looking for him any time
that there were problems in their lands. He had analyzed Ifá for Ala;ra;,
Ajero¾, Oni;sôerô i, Oni;mia, and so on and all his analyses had been found
to be very accurate. He concluded within himself that the group of
Babaláwo were just envious of his chain of achievements. He refused
to offer their ẹbọ. How could he, when they were just a bunch of
jealous fools? The next day, he set out on his journey to OÙloô;fin‟s
palace.
When Se¾kunda got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace, he consulted Ifá and Ogbe¾-

Do¾su¾mu; was revealed. He told OÙloô;fin that there was an urgent need to
offer ẹbọ in order to chase away all the evil spirits causing problems in
the land. He said that the ẹbọ must be performed that same day. The
ẹbọ materials were four mature she-goats, 16 sacks of cowries, four
kegs of palm-oil and one bald headed man. He had totally forgotten
that he was a bald headed man before he pronounced the ẹbọ
materials. OÙloô;fin instructed his domestic servants to go and fetch all the
items. They went and got all the materials - minus the bald-headed
man. OÙloô;fin told Se¾kunda to proceed with the ẹbọ. When he finished,
he told OÙloô;fin that it was only the bald-headed man that was delaying
the ẹbọ. How can that be done? OÙloô;fin asked. Se¾kunda responded that
the bald-headed man needed to be sliced open and the I®yeôr¾ o¾su¾n used
for the ẹbọ would be poured over the intestines, together with plenty of
palm-oil. The ẹbọ was to be deposited inside the river while the four
she-goats were to be buried in the four corners of the town.
OÙloô;fin gave his domestic servants the signal. They understood. They
got the pestle and hit it heavily on Se¾kunda‟s head. In the split
moment before his death, he remembered the warning of the Awo that
he had gone to meet, he remembered that he was indeed a bald-
headed man, and realized to his everlasting regret that he was the one
286
who had actually pronounced himself to be used as part of the ẹbọ

materials. His corpse was sliced open, the I®yerô¾ o¾su¾n and palm-oil were
poured inside and he was deposited inside the river.
As soon as this was done, the situation in Ile;-Ife worsened. On that

very day, many evil things happened to the inhabitants of the land. Life
became very unbearable for the inhabitants. Many of them began to
contemplate leaving the land for other places altogether.
What is it that I need to do? OÙloô;fin questioned himself. He concluded

that he would continue to look for competent Ifá priests to come and
help him solve the problems until he got an Awo or group of Awo who
would find him a lasting solution and chase away the evil spirits
plaguing the land.
Iku;; to; pa e¾bu¾ e¾siô ;n n;beô l’oô;ru¾n ebe¾

Iku; to; pa baba oômoô
O: n; wa; oômoô kiri
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùwoô¾nni-we¾re¾
Ti; n; re;’le OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
Translation:
What killed the yam piece that was planted last year
is still on the farm heap
What killed the father is still looking everywhere
for the child
These were Ifá‟s declarations to O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾
When OÙloô;fin heard that O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ was a very competent Babaláwo,

he sent for him to come and help him solve the problems in his land.
When O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ received the message of OÙloô;fin, he went to the
group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed
where two other great Babaláwo have failed?
The Awo told O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ to be very careful with where he was

going. He was told that there was the need for him to procure a lot of
287
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
beef, cook it well, and use it to feed O®Ùsu ô n in the river. By so

doing, he was told, he would understand exactly what to do when he
got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace. He thanked the Awo and left.
When he got home, he went straight to the market to procure the beef.
He cooked the meat and took the soup to the river. As soon as he got
to the river, I®ya; O®Ùsôun appeared to him. O®Ùsôun asked him, why have you
come to feed me? He explained to O®Ùsôun that he was summoned by
OÙloô;fin to come and consult Ifá for him. Two other Babaláwo had earlier
gone to OÙloô;fin‟s palace but they never returned home. He said that that
was the reason why he was concerned. He had gone to his Awo and
they were the ones who advised him to come and feed O®Ùsôun before
going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace.
O®Ùsôun then told O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ that when he got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace and
after the Ifá consultation, he must not recommend more than four
pigeons and four sacks of cowries as ebo. He must also not
slaughter any of the pigeons. If OÙloô;fin asked him what remained to
do done, he must tell OÙloô;fin that what remained was the benefits which
OÙloô;fin would receive during the coming dry season. O®Ùsôun told O®Ùwoô¾nni-
We¾re¾ to inform OÙloô;fin that before the end of the following dry season,
three great things would come to OÙloô;fin. The first two of these things
belonged to OÙloô;fin while the third and last one belonged to O®Ùwoô¾nni-
We¾re¾, the Awo. She informed O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ that the third one that was
his would come from the river and must be taken directly to his
(O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾) house. When it had been taken it to his house, he
must lock all the doors and windows of his house before he began to
examine it. O®Ùwoôn ¾ ni-We¾re¾ thanked O®Ùsôun and left. The next day, he
headed for OÙloô;fin‟s palace.
When he got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace, he cast Ifá for OÙloô;fin, and again, Ogbe¾-
Do¾su¾mu; was revealed. He told OÙloô;fin that there was a series of
problems and crises in the land. Evil spirits had taken over the land. He
however assured OÙloô;fin that all the problems would soon disappear. He
said that there was no need to slaughter any animal, as doing so would
only invite more evil spirits to the land. He therefore recommended
four pigeons and four sacks of money as ẹbọ material. Are you
sure these are all the materials we need for the ẹbọ? OÙloô;fin asked.
O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ assured OÙloô;fin that he did not need more than those
items. He offered the ẹbọ for OÙloô;fin.
288
As soon as the ẹbọ was offered, the crises and tension in the land
cooled down. Life returned to normal. Debtors in the land were able to
pay off their debts; the invalid became well and happy; the barren
became pregnant; the pregnant ones had safe deliveries; the farmers
recorded bountiful harvests. Everyone in the land became happy.
When the dry season arrived, a giant elephant left a forest and headed
for OÙloô;fin‟s palace. The elephant fell in front of OÙloô;fin‟s palace and
rested its trunk on the veranda of OÙloô;fin‟s house. The news spread like
wild fire and soon came to the notice of OÙloô;fin. People said it must be
one of the great gifts which O®Ùwoôn ¾ ni-We¾re¾ had predicted for OÙloô;fin.
OÙloô;fin summoned all able-bodied men around to help him dissect the
animal and bring the meat into his innermost chamber. They did so and
the whole town rejoiced with OÙloô;fin.
About three market days after (that is 13 days), a giant buffalo left the
grass-land and headed for OÙloô;fin‟s palace. When it got there, it fell and
rested its two horns on OÙloô;fin‟s veranda. The citizens proclaimed that
O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ had predicted this. They knew that it was the second free
gift that was predicted that had come OÙloô;fin‟s way. They helped him to
dissect the animal and took the parts into his palace‟s innermost
chamber.
Three market days later, early in the morning on the fourth market day,
women who went to the river to fetch water rushed back home to
announce that they saw a fish whose size they had never seen before.
The fish was twice the height and about four times the weight of a tall
human being! Where did this come from? They quickly went to report
their finding to OÙloô;fin.
When he heard this, OÙloô;fin told them that the fish belonged to O®Ùwoô¾nni-
We¾re¾. He ordered that it must be taken to O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾‟s house. They
took the fish there. When O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ saw the fish, he knew that the
gift which I®ya; O®Ùsôun had told him had come his way and had just
arrived.
He locked the doors and windows as instructed by O®Ùsôun. He got his

knife ready. He began to slice the fish open. When he got to the belly
of the fish, he heard some voices telling him, “Gently, great Awo.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Please be careful. Do not cut us with your knife”! Fear gripped him.
What was this supposed to mean? Those inside the fish said; “Great
Awo, please continue with what you are doing. It is well”.
When he sliced open the fish‟s belly Ma¾ga¾la;ja;; was the first to come out.
After that, Se¾kunda; came out. They thanked him profusely. They asked
him to go and bring four knotted calabashes, known as “igba;du¾”. He
brought them. Ma¾ga¾la;ja;; and Se¾kunda; converted themselves into part
of the essences of Igba; Odu¾. They filled the four igba;du¾ and became
Igba; Odu¾. O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ then fed them accordingly.
Those planning to undergo igba;du¾ ceremony began to visit O®Ùwoô¾nni-

We¾re¾ and he began to use the Igba; Odu¾ for them. People then began
to feed them. (more cannot be explained beyond this point because we
need to preserve the secrets of Odù). Those who came to feed Odù or
undergo the igba;du¾ ceremony began to sing thus:
Igba; d'igba; a wa a¾joôboôô wa ni o

Igba; di'gba;; a wa a¾joôboô wa ni
Igba; I®re¾se; o, ti Gbe;ôna¾lo;ko¾
Igba; d'igba; a wa, a¾joôboô wa ni
Translation:
These calabashes have become our joint property that

we need to feed jointly
The calabashes of I®re¾se and those of Gbe;ôna¾lo;ko
NOTE: That was how everyone who needed to feed Igba; Odu¾ ensured
that they were done jointly. One set of Igba; Odu¾ is enough for one or
two whole towns to own and use together collectively. It is not
necessary for every Babaláwo to think of possessing Igba; Odu¾
individually.
290
O®gbo;lo;gbo¾o; Oni;sôe¾gu¾n lo; su¾n l’e;ji¾gbo¾ôn

Lo; fi¾ o;n;de¾ e re¾ô roô’ri; poônpoôn-oônpoôn
Di;a; fu;n Ma¾ga¾la;ja;
Ti; n;loô ile; OÙlofô;in lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
EÙboô ni woôô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: f’eti; o¾ôtu;n gb’e;ôboôô
O: fi t’o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾
Bi; Babala;wo ba; gboô;’fa; l’a;gbo¾ôoô;ju¾
Ara a woôn ni woô;n n; ya¾n m’e;ôboô
Di;a; fu;n Se¾kunda;
Ti; n; re’le; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
O: koô’ti; o¾ôgboônyin s’eô;boô
Iku; to; p’e¾eb ¾ u¾ e¾siô ;n n;beô l’oô;ru¾n ebe¾
Iku; to; pa baba oômoô
O: n;wa; oômoô kiri
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®woô¾nni-We¾re¾
Ti; n;re’le; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e::ôboô,ô o; ru;’boô
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®je;ô igba; d'igba; a wa a¾joôboôô wa ni o
Igba; di'gba;; a wa a¾joôboô wa ni
Igba; I®re¾se; o, ti Gbe;ôna¾lo;ko¾
Igba; d'igba; a wa, a¾joôboô wa ni
Translation:
A great Herbalist was sleeping in the corner of a room

And was resting his head firmly on his leather charm belt
This was Ifá‟s message for Ma¾ga¾la;ja;
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace for on an Ifá mission
He heard the advice with his right ear
But threw the advice out with his left ear
If a Babaláwo understands Ifá too excessively
He will end up recommending himself as ẹbọ material
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
This was Ifá‟s message for Se¾kunda;

He paid no attention to the advice
What killed the yam piece that was planted last year
is still on the farm heap
What killed the father is still looking everywhere
for the child
These were Ifá‟s declarations to O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾
He complied
Now, these calabashes have become our joint property
that we need to feed jointly
The calabashes of I®re¾se and those of Gbe;ôna¾lo;ko¾
Ifá says that it shall be well where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says also
that if there is any serious problem or crisis where this Odù is revealed,
the ẹbọ materials should not exceed four pigeons and four sacks of
money. If this is done, then normalcy will return to the place very
quickly. There should not be any slaughtering of any animal, lest
the presiding Awo put his/her life on the line. These are the messages
of Ifá on that matter.
11. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of wealth and accomplishment for
the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she shall
succeed.
Ifá advises this person never to sleep in total darkness. This is just to
enable Ajé the divinity of Wealth to see him/her wherever he/she sleeps
so that the Divinity can come and stay with him/her for the rest of
his/her life.
292
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons and money.
After the ebo, feed E®sôu¾ with one mature cock and feed Ajé with
E®kuru, honey, and land snails.
On these aspects, Ifá says:
A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
To; ji; l’o;ro¾o¾ru Ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾
Ti; ko¾ ri; oo;kan a¾a; yoô oô; na;
Translation:
A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni
He was the Awo who cast Ifá for Ogbe¾
Who woke up early in the morning
But had no money to spend
Ogbe¾ could not understand why he would work so hard without seeing
anything to justify all his hard work. He worked more than his
contemporaries, yet he was not as successful as any of them. True, he
was told that there was reward in working hard, but all what he got for
his own hard work, however, was starvation, want and hunger. When
would these end? He wondered. If he had no money to feed himself,
how could he even talk about marriage and children? Where would he
find the means to feed his wife and children? If he had no wife and
children, how could he ever dream of seeking permission from the head
of his family to erect his own personal building? What would he do with
it? Who would help him to do it? Who would live there with him even
if there was a miraculous development which made it possible for him
to erect his own personal structure? Without his own building, how
could he even dream about buying a horse? Where would he keep it?
Olo;du¾mare¾, is my life on earth a mere waste? Nobody really had faith
or belief in him at all. That was why he had no serious customers. Will
all these things change? Will I turn out to become a great person in my
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
life? These were the thoughts at the back of his mind when he
approached his Awo, A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni for Ifá consultation.
The Awo told Ogbè that he was fretting over his present condition in
life. A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni told him that it was totally unnecessary for him,
Ogbè, to work himself up because his success was just around the
corner. Ogbè was assured that he would certainly attain all the Ire of
life which he had chosen in O®rÙ un. He told Ogbè to be a little more
patient.
A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni explained to Ogbè that his destiny did not like to be in

total darkness. He said that he had remained poor because Ajé, the
Goddess of wealth, could not stay in his house because he loved to
sleep in total darkness. He was advised to ensure that he always put
on light in his room any time he wanted to sleep. He said that on
several occasions, Ajé had made attempts to come and stay with him
but she could not come because Ajé loved to move at night but she
always found his room in total darkness. This had always made Ajé turn
back and go elsewhere. Ogbè was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated
above. He complied. He also ensured that he put on light in his room
every time.
As soon as Ogbè offered the ẹbọ and started to put light in his room
every night, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ went to work, whispering into the ears of all the
people in the community that Ogbè was a very competent Ifá priest
who specialized in all matters of Ifá consultation. He informed the
people that whenever they needed any medical or spiritual service,
Ogbè‟s home must be their first port of call. That was exactly what the
people began to do.
Ogbè woke up one day and found a long line of people waiting to
consult Ifá from him. He quickly dressed up and began to consult Ifá
for all the people. The number of people trooping into his house was
so many that it was obvious that he needed assistants within a few
days that this started. Ogbè got two more hands as students.
As this was going on, some of his clients suggested to him that he
would need a wife who could be taking care of his domestic needs,
someone who he could have conversations with, have children with,
and raise his family with. He had the means to do this at that point in
294
time. These clients and his family put their heads together. They found
Ogbè a compatible wife.
He loved the wife very much and the wife loved him too. In between
the two of them, they raised several children, both biological and
adopted.
Within a few years, it was obvious that the house he was using had
become very inadequate for the present size of his family. Ogbè, his
wife and children, together with many well-wishers erected a big
mansion. It was the talk of the whole community. Everyone in the
community came to rejoice with Ogbè on the achievement. To crown
the gain, Ogbè was presented with a horse by the Ϙba of the town. He
became an honourable man in his community. He was loved and
respected by all. When Ogbè looked at the way his life had changed
within a short period of time, he began to give many thanks and praises
to Olo;du¾mare.
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
To; ji; l’o;ro¾o¾ru Ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾
Ti; ko¾ ri; oo;kan a¾a; yoô oô; na;
N®je;ô Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n
Owo; fe;ôreô¾e;ô de; na; o
Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n
Aya fe;rô eô¾eô; de; na; o
OÙmoô feô;reô¾eô; de; na;
Ile; fe;ôreô¾eô; de; na;
EÙsôin feô;re¾ôeô; de; na;
295
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Ire gbogbo fe;ôre¾ôeô; de; na;
EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
He was the Awo who cast Ifá for Ogbè
Who woke up early in the morning
But had no money to spend
He complied
Ogbè, please do not fall asleep
Wealth is coming soon
A spouse is coming soon
Children are coming soon
Ogbè please do not fall asleep
Property is coming soon
Horses are coming soon
All the good things of life are coming soon
296
Ifá assures this person that he/she shall be blessed with all the Ire of
life. There is nothing that he/she fervently wishes for which will not be
given to him/her. He/she needs not despair or lose hope.
12. Ifá warns that there is a fair-skinned woman where this Odù is
revealed. This woman is Ifá‟s daughter and wife from heaven. No man
who has not undergone I®te¾ôni;fa; ceremony can marry her and have a
successful relationship. If anyone wishes to marry her, then the person
must be advised to go for initiation as soon as possible.
On the other hand, if a man is already initiated into Ifá and wishes to
marry this woman, a thorough investigation must be made to ensure
that this woman is not with an Awo already. If this woman is not with
anyone already, then further steps can be taken.
Ifá advises the man planning to marry this woman to offer ẹbọ with
four rats, four fish, two hens and money. The woman needs to
offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two cocks and money. She also
needs to feed Ifá as recommended.
A su;re; ni;’nu; e¾ôeô¾kan

Ko¾ sôe l’o;ri; asa;n
Bi; ko¾ ba; le; nn¾kan
Nn¾kan lo; n; le; e
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Teô;e;ôreô;
Ti; yo;o; sô’oôkoô I®rosu¾n pupa
Translation:
He who runs inside the blade grass

It cannot be for nothing
If he is not pursuing something
Then something is pursuing him
This was Ifá‟s message for the Slender Ogbè
When planning to marry the light skinned I®rosu¾n
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Since the time that I®rosu¾n was born, her parents had been told that she
could not marry any man who was not initiated into Ifá. This was
because she had certain characteristics that only someone who was
initiated into Ifá, casted Ifá, and offered ẹbọ regularly could handle her.
For this reason, she had resisted all proposals from all men who had
approached her to be their wife, especially if they informed her that
they were not initiated into Ifá.
One day, Ogbè met I®rosu¾n on the road and became attracted to her.
Ogbè was a slim tall man while I®rosu¾n was a fair skinned woman. He
could not concentrate any longer. He longed to see her and stay close
to her all day. When this was becoming very unbearable to him, he
informed his relatives. That was when they went to the home of the
Awo stated above for Ifá consultation: Will Ogbè be able to marry
I®rosu¾n? Will the relationship be peaceful and will it be blessed with
children? Will both of them live long and enjoy the fruits of their
labour? Will there be no regrets from both families?
The Awo informed them that the woman in question was an Apet¾ô eb ô¾ i;
from heaven therefore, she had to marry an initiated man. Since Ogbè
had already been initiated into Ifá, the relationship stood a good chance
of succeeding. The Awo however informed them that they needed to
investigate in order to ensure that I®rosu¾n was not involved with another
man already.
The Awo advised them to offer ẹbọ as stated above. They complied
and left the home of the Awo to go and investigate I®rosu¾n.
Their investigation revealed that I®rosu¾n had no man. They also
discovered that she was a very kind-hearted and attentive person.
When they discovered this, the family of Ogbè was very happy. They
sent people to the family of I®rosu¾n in order to inform them of their
interest to have I®rosu¾n be a part of their family.
The family of I®rosu¾n did their own investigations, both physical and
spiritual. They found that both of them stood a good chance of living
happily as husband and wife. Before long, the marriage was
contracted. Both of them lived happily ever after. They were equally
blessed with children, long life and sound health.
298
A su;re; ni;nu; e¾ek ¾ an

Ki¾i; sôe l’o;ri; asa;n
Bi; ko¾ ba; le; nn¾kan
Nn¾kan n; le;e
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Te;ôeô;re;ô
Ti; yo;o; sôô’oôkoô I®rosu¾n Pupa
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
He who runs inside the blade-grass
It cannot be for nothing
If he is not pursuing something
Then something is pursuing him
This was Ifá‟s message for the Slender Ogbè
When planning to marry the light-skinned I®rosu¾n
He complied
Ifá says that it shall be well for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. Ifá says that the relationship shall be blessed and rewarded
for both the man and the woman.
13. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of pregnancy and bouncing baby for
a woman who is desperately in need of the fruit of the womb. Ifá says
that this woman has toiled and cried endlessly to receive this blessing
for a long time and all to no avail.
Ifá advises this woman to continue to be positive as her time to receive

her own blessing is at hand. She must not think about how much she
has spent to receive help as Ifá will answer her prayers.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Ifá also advises her to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens
and a lot of money. She also needs to feed Ajé with whatever Ifá
recommends for feeding the Divinity.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ da;'wo;ô O®su¾ teô’leô¾ jinngi;nni

Di;a; fu;n Are;bu¾jo;
E®yi; to; ji; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾
To; n;f’omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
Translation:
Ogbe¾ used O®su¾ as a walking stick and stepped gingerly
This was Ifá‟s message for Are;bu¾jo;
She who was waking up early in the morning
And weeping profusely in lamentation for her inability
to bear any child
Every morning of her marital life, she would weep. Why? She was yet
to be blessed with the fruit of the womb. Imagine this, she would say,
a fowl which has nobody to take care of her medically or spiritually is
able to lay several eggs and hatch them without any form of assistance.
Yet, she has moved from one herbal home to the other for several
years and has not had any pregnancy at all! A small she-goat was
given to her neighbour just a year ago. This she-goat had delivered two
small kids of her own and was again pregnant! If the deities could
answer the prayers of birds and beast, why were her own prayers
remaining unanswered? Why? She cried.
When would her sorrow end? She searched for solutions in far distant
places and found none. She looked for solutions around her, there was
also none. That was when she was advised by a neighbour to try Ogbè
and see if Olo;du¾mare¾ would answer her prayer. This prompted her to
go to the home of the Awo for Ifá consultation. Will I be blessed with
the fruit of the womb? Will I have a baby of my own? Will I be a
mother who has given birth to her own baby and quit the league of
barren women? Will my wailing stop? Will I have my own children that
300
I will be able to send on errands? She remembered vividly one incident

which made her feel depressed for a very long time. She remembered
when she sent her neighbour‟s son out to buy something for her in the
market. The boy went eagerly. As soon as the boy left, the mother
marched into her house, complaining that she did not like her son being
sent on such errands. What if his father was to return home and did not
meet his son at home? She gave Are;bu¾jo; a piece of advice though:
why don‟t you pray to Olo;du¾mare¾ to give you your own child, instead
of sending other people‟s children on errands?
Well, it was not the woman‟s fault. It was her own Ori; destiny who
allowed such an insult to be passed on to her. That was what she
thought about until she got to Ogbè‟s home. She asked Ogbè to consult
Ifá for her. Ogbè did. Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; was revealed during Ifá
consultation. The Awo told her that Ifá foresaw two Ire for her: The Ire
of wealth and the Ire of a baby. Ogbè said that she would be very
happy and would have cause to celebrate. She was told that she would
be able to bear babies who would grow up in one day and she would
bear babies who she would give her own breast milk to and train to her
satisfaction. The children she would bear who would grow up in one
day were not the ones who would suck her breast milk; they were the
ones who would be weaned and trained by other women. The two sets
of children would make her happy and fulfilled. The Awo advised her to
continue to do good and to spend her money on the right courses and
projects. She must also assist people in the community and ensure that
her presence is always felt in all community projects. The Awo also
advised her to offer ẹbọ with the materials stated above. She
complied.
As soon as she returned home, she intensified her good deeds in her
home, her environment and in the whole neighbourhood. She
extended her good will to all.
About five days after, Are;bu¾jo; carried her keg to go and fetch water in
the stream. One of her neighbours saw her. She rushed out of her
home and said: “No! You should not do that. Let my daughter fetch
the water for you. She is your daughter too. Remember, anytime you
want to fetch water, call her and she will do it for you. The girl is your
daughter”. Are;bu¾jo; thanked the woman profusely. The water was
fetched for her. Every day, the girl would come to her to ask for what
she needed to do in the house. Before long, the girl packed her things
and moved into Are;bu¾jo;‟s house to live.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
At another time, Are;bu¾jo; grabbed her cutlass to go into the forest to

look for firewood. A man saw her and stopped her from going. “Why
are you going into the forest to cut wood? My son can do that for you.
He is equally your son. Anytime you need to do something like that,
call him and he will do it for you”.
Before long, the boy packed his things and moved into Are;bu¾jo;‟s house.
Within six months, Are;bu¾jo; had five children living with her. That was
when she remembered what the Awo told her that she would bear
children in one day and the children would grow up in one day. She
also remembered that the Awo said that she would not be the person
who had breast fed the children.
Two months after the ẹbọ was offered, Are;bu¾jo; became pregnant.
She needed a lot of rest. The children in her house were doing all the
domestic chores that she would hitherto have been doing. They
washed the clothes, the dishes and the floor for her. They swept the
ground, they fetched water, they cut firewood, they went to the market
and would do all other work that made life easier for Are;bu¾jo;.
By the time Are;bu¾jo; gave birth to her first child, she already had five
other children. Her joy knew no bound. The whole community rejoiced
with her. She later gave birth to many more children. She lived and
died a very contented woman. She agreed that money put into the
right use could make one give birth to a child in one day and the child
would be able to go on errands for one on that very day!
Ogbe¾ da;’wo;;ô O®su¾ teô’leô¾ jinngi;;nni

Di;a; fu;n Are;bu¾jo;
E®yi; to; ji; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾
To; n;f’omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; wo¾ôwoô; oômoô rere
Woô¾wo;ô oômoô rere la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙ®pe¾ô
N®je;ô Are;bu¾jo; O®ôÙja¾ja¾
Owo; ni;i; bi;’moô l’o;o¾jo;ô
T’o¾un ti¾’kooro l’eô;nu o
302
Translation:
Ogbe¾ used O®su¾ as a walking stick and stepped gingerly

This was Ifá‟s message for Are;bu¾jo;
She who was waking up early in the morning
And weeping profusely in lamentation for her inability to
bear any child
She complied
Join us in the midst of good children
Good children are what Ifá guarantees
Behold Are;bu¾jo; O®Ùja¾ja¾
Money is it that gives birth to a child in one day
And the child will have all his teeth complete
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have her
dreams fulfilled. She will live happily and die content.
14. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed has a friend
who is very dear to him/her. This friend also thinks high of him/her and
is ready to do anything he/she can to improve the quality ofhis/her
friend‟s life. Unfortunately however, this friend finds it difficult to be
present any time his/her friend is doing something.
This is either due to the fact that the friend has problems with his/her
legs or his/her work schedule is such that it is difficult for him/her to be
present.
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to take
the patience of ensuring that this friend is present anytime he/she is
doing anything. The friend‟s presence will add quality to whatever
he/she is doing. Ifá says that both of them will help each other.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two hens, two
cocks, two guinea fowls and money. He/she also needs to move
close to his/her parents all the time.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
On this, Ifá; says:
Ogbe¾ da;'wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾

O: du;ro; jinngi;nni
Di;a; fu;n E®®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾
Ti; yo;o; gbe; O®su¾ de;’gbo;
Translation:
Ogbe¾ struck O®su¾ down

It stood gingerly
This was Ifá‟s message for ®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ (the Shoulders)
Who would help carry O®su¾ to the Igbo;du¾
O®su¾ was the best friend of E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro. They loved each other dearly.
Unfortunately, anytime that E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro had anything to do, O®su¾ was
never present. This was because O®su¾ could not walk. Anytime that
E®ji¾ka; was doing anything, he would have to contend with missing the
energy of his best friend. This gave him much concern. That was why
E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation:
What can I do to help my best friend?
The Awo told E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro that O®su¾ was very important to have in
anything that he was doing. His absence in all rituals and initiations
which E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro was doing was a big minus. Consequent upon this,
E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro was advised to ensure that O®su¾ was carried by him to the
Igbo;du¾ anytime that an initiation rite was to be performed. By so doing,
E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro was assured, it would be beneficial to both friends.
The Awo also advised E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He

complied. The next time that initiation was to be performed, E®ji¾ka;-
Go¾go¾ro made it a point of duty to carry O®su¾ to the Igbo;du¾. It was a
grand performance that the two friends recorded.
Before long, E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro ensured that O®su¾ was not too far away from
the Igbo;du¾. This made it more convenient for both friends. They both
recorded more successes than ever before.
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O: du;ro; jinngi;nni
Di;a; fu;n E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾
Ti; yo;o; gbe; O®su¾ de;’gbo;
N®jeô; eôni eôni l’oni;ra¾nwo;ô eôni o
EÙniô eôni l’oni;ra¾nwoô; eôni
E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ ni yo;o; gb’O:su¾ de;’gbo;
EÙni eôni l’oni;ra¾nwo;ô eôni o
EÙ wa;;a; ba; ni ni; wo¾ôwoô; ire gbogbo
Translation:
Ogbe¾ struck O®su¾ down

It stood gingerly
This was Ifá‟s message for E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro (the Shoulders)
Who will help carry O®su¾ to the Igbo;du¾
He complied
One‟s person is one‟s helper
One‟s person is one‟s supporter
E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro is the one to carry O®su¾ to Igbo;du¾
One‟s person is one‟s helper
Ifá says that it shall be well for two friends who genuinely love each
other. Their relationship shall be mutually beneficial to the two of
them.
15. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed loves
children beyond description. Ifá says that for this reason, he/she shall
enjoy the benefits of children and young ones. He/she shall also be
loved, honoured and respected by the children. They will not live to do
anything to hurt him/her because they know that he/she has suffered
for them.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two rats, two fish, two
hens and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá as appropriate.
On this, Ifá says:
I®lu; ke;re;je, ki¾ki¾ ohu¾n gooro

Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; ko¾ ni; le¾ su¾n
Ni;tori; oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;;a; sôe
Translation:
A small town with loud voices

This was Ifá‟s message for Ogbè
Who was not able to sleep
Because of children
Ogbè could not sleep because of his children. How could he sleep? He
had suffered a lot before he could give birth to these children. He
suffered even more when he was raising them. He suffered to ensure
that they became useful children to him and to themselves. How could
he sleep, when there were many fearful and fearsome things happening
everyday out there? He could not sleep because he feared for his
children. He could not sleep because he loved his children very much.
He could not sleep because his children had not reached the height that
he prayed Olo;du¾mare¾ and all the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ to let them be. He could
not sleep because there was still a very long way to go. This was the
reason why he went for Ifá consultation: Will my children be useful to
me, to themselves and to the society at large? Will they be protected
against all the dangers of life? Will they live long enough to succeed?
These and many more were the questions that he asked Ifá during the
consultation.
The Awo informed Ogbè that even though he had every reason to be
apprehensive on the welfare and well-being of his children, he however
needed to take things easy because only Olo;du¾mare¾ could take care of
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children. If not for Olo;du¾mare¾, he, Ogbè, too would be totally

powerless to do anything about his children. This was not to suggest
that he needed not perform his parental roles on the children though.
Ogbè was assured that these children would turn out to be great
children who would all make his life easy, who would make him proud
and happy, and who would became great ambassadors of their family,
their community and the whole society at large.
The Awo advised Ogbè to offer ẹbọ as stated above, ensure that the
children were given the necessary parental guidance and leave the rest
in the hands of Olo;du¾mare¾. That was exactly what Ogbè did. In turn,
the children turned out to be exactly whom Ogbè wanted them to be.
I®lu; ke;re;je, ki¾ki¾ ohu¾n gooro

Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; ko¾ ni; le su¾n
Ni;tori; oômoô
EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;to¾le; ire
A®to¾le; Ire la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ O®Ùpeô¾
N®jeô; i¾lu; ke;re;je o
Translation:
A small town with loud voices
Who was not able to sleep
Because of children
He complied
Piling up all the Ire of life is what Ifá guarantees
its devotees
Now, The small town
Ogbè, please do not sleep
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Ifá says that all shall be well for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. The must ensure to socialize their children well and be a role
model for them and others.
16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to be a
doubter. If he/she fails to heed this warning, it may spell doom for
him/her.
Ifá advises this person not to go out when it is dark for 17 days.
Heeding this warning will help him/her ward off any impending disaster
coming his/her way.
Ifá also advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature she-goat,
his/her coverlet and money. The she-goat must not be slaughtered.
All that the Awo needs to do is cut a tiny part of the goat‟s ear in such a
way that blood will not come out of the cut part, cut a part of the rope
used to tie the goat, and cut tiny parts off the four edges of the
coverlet and put all these into the ẹbọ. The ẹbọ is to then be buried by
the E®®sôu¾ shrine. The Awo is then to take the goat away live. The Awo is
free to do whatever pleases him/her with the goat when he/she takes it
to his/her own house.
This is what Ifá says on this aspect:
Aa;ya;n ile; ni;i; fe;ô’raa woôn l’e;ti;-l’e;ti

O®Ùoô¾ku¾n gi¾di¾gba¾ ni¾;i; ri¾n t’araare¾ô-t’araareô¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙÙloô;fin ade;ôja¾a;
Wo;ôn ni; ko; f’asôoô ru;’boô ni;tori; iku;
Translation:
Cockroaches are insects which blow air into each other ears
The millipede is the animal that walks alone on the road
This was Ifá‟s message for doubting OÙloô;fin
Who was advised to offer his coverlet as ẹbọ in order
to avert untimely death
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What kind of dream was this? OÙloô;fin wondered. Why must he see
himself being pierced with arrows, spears and javelins in his dream? To
make matters worse, all those who came to his rescue just stood by
watching the massacre scene. Certainly, his enemies were at work, he
concluded.
But wait a moment; the weapons which were used were actually
brought out from the palace. Not only this, he was the one who
handed over the weapons to them before they turned them against
him! What was this supposed to mean? Surely, there is conspiracy
against him by those close to him. Well, he knew how to deal with
that, he assured himself.
As soon as he woke up in the morning, he rounded up all the palace
guards and locked them up. Not only this, he ensured that a new set
of palace guards were put in their places immediately. Those who
planned to use the guards against him would be surprised and
disappointed, he assured himself with a deep sense of satisfaction.
He went to sleep in the evening of that day with a high sense of relief.
At night, however, he had the same dream, this time around, with more
people hitting and striking him with weapons. He saw his blood flowing
freely with nobody to come to his aid!
When he woke up, he realized with a deep sense of urgency that this
was more than the conspiracy of his enemies. He concluded that there
was the need for him to consult Ifá as quickly as possible. He therefore
summoned the Awo mentioned above to come and consult Ifá for him
urgently. What is the meaning of these dreams that I have had? Who
are these enemies planning against him? What must I do to overcome
them? After overcoming these enemies, what punishment must be
meted out to them to serve as a deterrent to others?
The Awo consulted Ifá and informed OÙloô;fin that even though death was
hovering round his head, it was not as a result of anyone or any group
conspiring against him. He was informed that a bad omen was around
him at that particular point in time. Not only that, life-threatening spirits
were surrounding him. They had settled down with him in preparation
to snuffing out his life.
The Awo advised OÙloô;fin to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He was also
advised not to go out at night for 17 days. He was assured that if
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
these advices could be kept, then the evil spirits would pack up and
leave him alone.
OÙloô;fin was very skeptical of the fact that nobody was responsible for
the threat to his life. Nonetheless, he offered the ẹbọ as advised. He
began to plan frantically to ensure that his enemies were dealt with
ruthlessly. He ordered four of his guards to be on the alert every night.
These guards were:
O®ri;si;nsi;n-tasi;n oôdeô OÙlo;ôfin

O®ri;si¾nsi¾n-tasi¾n oôdeô OÙloô;fin
Atama;ta¾se; oôdeô OÙloô;fin
O®ri;yii-ta¾ri;-o¾yi¾i¾yi oôdeô OÙloô;fin
Translation:
O®ri;nsi;nsi;n-tasi;n OÙloô;fin‟s guard

O®ri;si¾nsi¾n-tasi¾n another guard of OÙloô;fin
The-Expert-Whose-Shot-Never-Misses-its-Target,
OÙloô;fin‟s guard
O®ri;yi ta¾ri; o¾yi¾i¾yi, OÙloô;fin‟s guard
OÙloô;fin instructed them that if they saw any movement around his main
chamber in the palace any time at any night henceforth, they must
shoot first and ask questions later. He went inside and brought out
more bows and arrows, spears and javelins for the guards. He felt
secured after this.
In the evening when he went to bed, his favourite wife came to his
room and told OÙloô;fin that she would like to have a word with him.
OÙloô;fin let her in. As soon as she sat down, she said, “Ka;bi;es¾ i;, is it wise
for fraudsters to come inside this palace to dupe you? Can‟t you see
that these people no longer fear or respect your Royal Majesty? Why
do you allow tricksters to be close to this palace in the first place?”
OÙloô;fin looked at his favourite wife, but he could not understand what
exactly she meant. “What are you trying to tell me, dear? Let me
know who has come to dupe me in this palace.”
“Your so-called Babaláwo have come to dupe you! They were the ones
who have come to cheat you! They are liars and cheats! Those bunch
of incompetent fools! They must be dealt with ruthlessly!”
310
“What exactly did they do? I must know before I take any action.”
“You want to know? Surely, you shall know. Did those thieves who call
themselves Babaláwo not tell you that they were going to bury the goat
and your coverlet by the E®sôu¾ shrine? I was watching the bastards
when they were offering the ẹbọ for you. They didn‟t know that I was
watching them. What did I see? They cut the rope on the neck of the
goat, the skin of the ear of the goat, bits of cloth from the four edges of
your coverlet and buried all these things together with the ẹbọ. They
took away the goat and your coverlet right in my presence! I swear!
Those Babaláwo are thieves!
“Is that so?” OÙloô;fin asked incredulously. "Ok, don‟t worry my dear, I
shall take appropriate action. Those Awo will be taught a lesson that
will serve as a deterrent to others. Go and have your well-deserved
sleep”.
As soon as his favourite wife left, OÙloô;fin began to roll over what he had
just heard in his mind. “So, these Awo are thieves. So they were the
ones who put imprecations on me to have such terrible and terrifying
dreams in order for them to come and dupe me of my she goat and
coverlet. Anyway, they will suffer. I swear by the spirit of my
forefathers. They will suffer!” OÙloô;fin declared repeatedly.
As he was doing this, he was also planning the type of punishment for
them. After much deliberation, he concluded that the most appropriate
punishment for the two Babaláwo was for them to be burnt alive.
When he settled this in his mind, he settled down to sleep.
Even though he had settled the punishment of the two Babaláwo in his
mind when he settled down to sleep, his mind could not settle. Why?
Something kept nagging him that he had not investigated the allegation
to be sure that what his favourite wife was telling him was the truth.
How could his wife lie to him? He queried in his mind, yet the nagging
did not stop. That was when he stood up in the middle of the night to
go and investigate. Truly, if he investigated, his assurance would be
double and all doubts would be removed completely.
As he moved to go, he toyed with the idea of going with a lamp. What
for? Something told him. There was no need to take a lamp. There was
no point in disturbing other people in the palace. As he was going, he
smiled to himself: he was a very good investigator who his subjects
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
ought to praise and respect. If not for his royal calling, he would have
been a full-time spy or investigator, he mused.
When he got to the E®sôu¾ shrine, he saw freshly dug and covered sand
beside the shrine. He knew that it must be the site where the thieves
who called themselves Babaláwo had buried his ẹbọ. He used his hand
to dig the soil. As he did so, his hand touched the rope that was used
to tie the she goat. He pulled the rope; and behold, the full goat was
pulled out, together with his coverlet! The goat began to bleat loudly!
As the goat began to bleat, this attracted OÙloô;fin‟s four hunters/guards.
They wasted no time in unleashing their poisoned weapons in the
direction of the sound. After all, they had the standing order of OÙloô;fin
himself to shoot first and ask questions later.
The arrow struck OÙloô;fin in the throat and came out the other side of his
neck; the spear struck him in the chest and pierced through his heart
and came out at his back; the javelin struck him in the stomach, tore
open his liver and came out from his back; and the boomerangs sliced
his bowels open. Blood flowed everywhere. In the split second before
his death, he remembered his two dreams and recollected that he was
the one who had given the guards the weapons with which he was
struck dead. He died by the E®sôu¾ shrine.
A:a;yan ile; ni;i; fe;ô’raa woôn l’e;ti;-l’e;ti;

O®Ùoô¾ku¾n gi¾di¾gba¾ ni;i; ri¾n t’araare¾ô-t’araareô¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙloô;fin ade;ôja¾¾a;
Wo;ôn ni; ko; f’asôoô ru;’boô ni;tori; iku;
O: gb'e;ôboô, o ru;’boô
SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moô;
A®woôn O®ri;si;nsi;n-tasi;n oôdeô OÙlo;ôfin
O®ri;si¾nsi¾n-tasi¾n oôdeô OÙloô;fin
Atama;ta¾se; oôdeô OÙloô;fin
O®ri;yii-ta¾ri;-o¾yi¾i¾yi oôdeô OÙloô;fin
OÙlo;ôfin o¾ ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô
I®® ba; wa;a; f’owo; sôô’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô
E®ro¾ I®po e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾
EÙni gb’eô;boô ni;’be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô o
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Translation:
Cockroaches are insects which blow air into each other ears
The millipede is the animal that walks alone on the road
This was Ifá‟s message for doubting OÙloô;fin
Who was advised to offer his coverlet as ẹbọ in order to avert
untimely death
He offered the eôboô
But he refused to respect the warning
O®ri;nsi;nsi;n-tasi;n, OÙloô;fin‟s guard
O®ri;si¾nsi¾n-tasi¾n, another guard of OÙloô;fin
The expert whose shot never misses its target,
OÙloô;fin‟s guard
O®ri;yi ta¾ri; o¾yi¾i¾yi, OÙloô;fin‟s guard
Had OÙloô;fin known the implication
He would have offered the prescribed eôboô
Let those warned to offer eôboô do so
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will not be
allowed to die a violent death. He/she however MUST heed the
warnings of Ifá. He/she must NEVER doubt his/her Awo.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® DO®SU®MU: FOR THOSE

BORN BY THIS ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA:
Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, have the potential to

succeed in life. They are also blessed with the ability to live a fulfilled
life and achieve self realization in their various fields of endeavour.
They tend to succeed more in rural areas than in urban centres.
This is not to suggest that they cannot succeed in urban centres as

well; but the point is that their success chances are brighter in rural
settings than in urban settings. This is the reason why it is very good
for Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, to set up their work
places in the rural areas. They may live in urban centres but they
should work in rural areas. They may also live and work in rural areas
in order to double their success chances.
Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, will do much better if they
and all their siblings are initiated together or one after the other. Doing
so will make their luck and success potentials rise together and they will
all be able to realise their hearts' desires together.
For Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, their ability to survive serious ailments is

incredible. No matter how serious ailments may be, they have the
tendency of overcoming such ailments and bouncing back to normalcy
and sound health. The moment that Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children undergo
Ifá initiation, that is when miracles begin to enter into their lives. The
importance of this is that Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females,
live their lives with the blessing of sound health and vitality.
At the initial stage, Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, may
experience some hardship in their lives. All what they need to do is to
persevere. With perseverance and resilience, all their sufferings,
struggles, toiling and hardships in their lives will disappear. They will in
turn be blessed with peace of mind, comfort, contentment, and
accomplishment.
It is not a wise thing for anyone to antagonise Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children

unjustly. Anyone who attempts this will be crushed because the
children of Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; have the support of Ifá, Orí, E®sôu-¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾¾, and
O®ri¾sôa¾ Oko. These four Iru;nmoôleô¾ are solidly behind them and they
314
always assist them in crushing all their antagonists. As an adjunct to

this, Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children always make impossible things possible.
They have the blessing of Ifá, E®sôu-¾ O®Ùda¾ra, SÙan
¾ go; and OÙya and they will
never allow this person to be disgraced or humiliated in any venture
that they set their minds on. Their secrets can never be exposed to
those who are not supposed to know them.
When offering the ẹbọ of Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu;, on no condition must there

be slaughtering of any animal. Also the Ikin of Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children
must never be fed with blood of any kind. This is very important to
note in order to avoid a situation where blood spilling will lead to more
complications instead of solving any problem.
Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; male and female children are generally very inquisitive,
they love to see and know what are behind closed doors. They are
never satisfied with accepting that there is something or anything that
they are not supposed to see or touch. They want to know everything
and see everything. Many times, when Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children are in
deep trouble, their curiosity and inquisitiveness are responsible for the
trouble.
For all Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; female children it is advisable for them to marry
people who are either Ifá practitioners or those who are initiated into
Ifá. It is a taboo for all Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; female children to be involved in
adultery or promiscuity. Doing so may make their Orí turn against
them and refuse to support them in any of their undertakings in life.
For Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; male children, they must never be dishonest or

cheat in their businesses and in their love lives. They must also
investigate extensively before they get involved in any business
transaction or any love relationship. Doing this will help them avoid
suffering, gnashing of teeth and regrets.
Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, love their children deeply,
both biological and adopted, with passion. This is the reason why
Olo;du¾mare¾ makes it possible for them to enjoy the benefits of children
and young ones. The children that they give birth to and raise have the
potential to be useful to themselves, to their parents, to their
contemporaries, to their communities and to their countries at large.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
On the overall, Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children live their lives in such a way
that they leave their marks on the sand of time that it becomes very
difficult to forget them in a haste.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾.
C. AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ/® O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® DO®SU®MU:
1. Ifá - For success, victory, direction, leadership, elevation, sanctuary,

protection, security, support, contentment, fulfilment, and self
actualisation
2. Orí - For fulfilment of destiny, guidance, protection, leadership,
support, sanctuary, elevation, protection, contentment and self
realisation
3. E®suô ¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ - For support, sanctuary, protection, victory, leadership,
elevation, achievement, direction, protection, and overall wellbeing.
4. O®gu;n (especially that of the Blacksmiths) - For success, victory,
inspiration, guidance, direction, support, leadership, and overall
wellbeing
5. O®ri¾sa ô -¾ Oko- For financial success, victory, support, leadership,
elevation, and general wellbeing
6. SÙan ¾ go;- For victory, support, achievement, leadership, protection,
sanctuary, and general wellbeing
7. O®su¾- For sanctuary, support, sound health, success, and general
wellbeing
8. EÙgbeô;- For success, leadership, victory, comradeship, direction, and
general wellbeing
9. O®Ùsu ô n- For childbearing, childrearing, success, victory, compatible
spouse selection, direction, guidance and general success
10. O®ri¾sa ô ¾ O®ke¾- For leadership, victory over enemies, sanctuary,
protection and general wellbeing
11. Odu¾¾- For financial success, leadership, general acceptance,
elevation, protection, and general wellbeing
12. Aje; - For financial success, elevation, contentment, leadership, self
realization and general wellbeing
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D. TABOOS OF OGBE DO®SU®MU:
1. Must never eat Okra - To avoid a threat to the lives of his/her

children, unconsummated fortune and failure
2. Must not go out at night - To avoid a threat to one‟s life,

unconsummated fortune, failure, regrets and disaster
3. Must never put blood on his/her Ikin - To avoid

unconsummated fortune, threat to life, failure, regrets and disaster
4. Must never be avaricious - To avoid unconsummated fortune,

failure, humiliation, and regrets
5. Must never engage in secret love affairs/promiscuity - To

avoid unconsummated fortune, dwindling resources, failure, regrets and
disappointment
6. Must never ignore his/her dreams - To avoid regrets, and

disappointments
7. Must never plan to disgrace or humiliate anyone - To avoid

unconsummated fortune, failure, disappointment, regrets and disaster
8. Must never be in a hurry to achieve success - To avoid failed

opportunities, disappointments and regrets
9. Must not walk bare footed, especially on farms - To avoid

serious injury that may lead to a threat to one‟s life
10. Must never abandon his wife when she is ill - To avoid losing
her to the healer who treats her.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® DO®SU®MU:
i. MALE
1. Do¾su¾mu; - I hold onto the O®su¾ staff for support

ô ôla; - Ifa; brings me honour
2. Ifa;so
3. Ifa;gbe;miga - Ifa; elevates me
ô yoô¾ - Ifa; brings joy
4. Ifa;sa
ô ô;gun - Ifa; gives me victory
5. Ifa;se
6. Ifa;ra¾nmi;lo;ôwoô; - Ifa; comes to my aid
7. O®ke¾se ô ô;gun - O®ke¾ brings me victory
ii. FEMALE
1. Ala;la¾at; a¾ - She who turns her dreams into money making ventures
2. Ifa;da;ra¾ - Ifa; performs wonders in my life
ô yoô¾ - Ifa; brings me joy
3. Ifa;sa
4. O®ke¾gba¾mi;la¾ - O®ke¾ comes to my rescue
5. Odu¾so ô ôla; - Odu¾ brings me honour and prosperity
6. Ayo¾m ô i;de; - My joy has arrived
318
Chapter 5
Ogbè Ọ̀wọ́nrín
II I
II I
II
II
319
OGBE® OÙ®WOÙ:NRI:N
OGBE® WU:N’LE:
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
A.1. Ifá says that, for a person born by this Odù during I®te¾ôni;fa; or
I®koôseô¾da;ye;, at least six different kinds of Ire are coming for him/her
within four days. If this person does not have these Ire in his/her
hands, the foundation of all the Ire will be laid within the four days.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with six pigeons and money.
There is also the need to feed Ifá with whatever Ifá prescribes for this
person.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ hu;n’le;
Ile; la¾a; hu;n
Di;a; fu;n O®ôru;nmi¾la¾
Baba yo;o; ri; ire me;ôfa¾ ni;’re¾ni;
Translation:
Ogbè, please mind your home

It is one’s home that one should mind was the declaration
of Ifá to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When going to be the recipient of six Ire in four days
The dream convinced him that some things of great significance were
about to take place in his life. But what were they? OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ could not
readily put his fingers to it. Much as he tried to understand the
dream, he realized that there were too many possible explanations to
the dream. To be very sure of what the dream was all about,
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ summoned his Awo who incidentally was one of his former
students to come and consult Ifá for him. During Ifá consultation,
Ogbe¾ OÙ®woôô;nri;n was revealed.
320
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he was approaching six different Ire of
life which would change his life forever. Not only that, these Ire would
also make all those who came in contact with him to view him with
more honour and respect. The Awo advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ
with six pigeons and money. He was also advised to feed his Ifá as
appropriate. The Awo explained further that Olo;du¾mare¾ had placed
him under close observation and the report which Olo;du¾mare¾ got on
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had been very satisfactory. For this reason, Olo;du¾mare¾ had
decided to reward him with the six Ire as stipulated above. All the Ire
would however arrive and be in the reach of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ within four
days. The Awo congratulated OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in advance.
On that very day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied by offering the ẹbọ. He even
found out what exactly Ifá wanted for him to use as the feeding
material. After verification, he feed Ifá accordingly. When all these
had been done, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was full of hope that his life would change
for the better.
The first thing that he noticed very early on the next day was that
there was an unusually large number of people who were at his house
entrance waiting for him to wake up in order to consult Ifá for them.
He quickly took care of his personal hygiene, prayed together with all
the members of his household and set to work. Before evening he
had realized in one day what he could not make in six months! Even
at night time, people kept trooping into his house! All of them told
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that they were asked to come to his house by one short
man. They stated that the man told them that the only person who
had the capability to turn their lives from bad to good was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾.
Who then was this short man?
How could OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ know that the short man who kept referring
everybody to his house was E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾? How could he know that
immediately after OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered the ẹbọ, Olo;du¾mare¾ had
summoned E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ to carry the ẹbọ to I®wa¾run where all ẹbọ are
deposited in the spirit world. From there, Olo;du¾mare¾ ordered the ẹbọ
to be transferred to Ibu¾da¾ where all ẹbọ are accepted in the spirit
world. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ was also ordered to point his A®sôeô to the ẹbọ for all
the Ire of life which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was craving for to manifest. All these
happened in quick succession.
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
After these had been done, Olo;du¾mare¾ mandated E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ to

ensure that all the six Ire that Ifá promised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ got to him
within four days as specified. What OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was experiencing in his
home was the manifestation of financial success in his life. It was a
big surprise to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he was making so much money that had
transformed him into an instant success. This was no surprise to E®sôu¾
O®Ùda¾ra¾ and Olo;du¾mare¾. They knew that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was reaping the
profit of what he had sowed.
People kept coming to his house.
Those whose crops had failed, they could not understand why their
own crops could fail in spite of the fact that they were blessed with
fertile soil. Why should their own crops fail when all their colleagues
who had their farms adjacent to theirs recorded bountiful harvest?
How could anyone explain to them that their farms were destroyed by
pests when the farms of all their neighbours were left unaffected?
Why should pests single out their own farms for destruction? Why?
Why? Why?
Those whose health had failed, they could not understand why they
should be suffering from malaria when all their colleagues who were
living in the same environment with them were enjoying sound
health? Some of them were vomiting and defecating at the same
time. The disease was called Oni;gba;-Me;ji¾ the ailment which makes
victims use two containers (one for defecating and the other for
vomiting)'. Why should this happen to them? They were told that
the water they drank had venoms of OÙbalu;aye; which caused them to
stool and vomit at the same time. Nonsense! Were they the only
people who drank the water? Why must they be the ones afflicted by
this disease? Why must OÙbalu;aye; single them out for punishment?
Even if OÙbalu;aye; wanted to punish them, why this particular type of
disease and not other water-borne diseases? There must be an
explanation for what was happening to them.
Those whose brother, father, son or relative fell from a tall palm-tree
and broke their backs, or lost their lives in the process; those whose
family members or relatives were struck to death by poisonous
snakes; those whose family members or relatives were killed by wild
322
animals; those whose relatives or family members were victims in a

canoe mishap; those whose family members or relatives were victims
of fire outbreak; those whose family members or relatives lost their
ways in the wilderness and were not found. The list was endless.
They all came to find out from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ two things? One, why is this
happening to their own relatives and not someone else's? Two, what
could they do to either find a solution to the problem or put an end to
such problems?
Those whose lives had begun to look brighter; those whose economic
outlook had begun to improve; those who have course to celebrate
one thing or the other in their lives; those who had just met the
partners of their dreams; those looking for the blessings of the fruits
of the womb; those going on a journey; those who were about to
start a business undertaking; those whose spouses were pregnant
and were praying for safe delivery; those whose spouses had just
delivered and were looking for the best for their bundle of joy; those
who just wanted routine Ifá consultation in order to have something
to guide their lives so as not to make any mistakes. They came to
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in order to receive appropriate Ifá guidance.
All of these people who came to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house returned to their
homes, satisfied that if anyone could assist them, it was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾.
E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ ensured that all what OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told them met their
satisfaction. They were also prepared to offer all the ẹbọ which
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ recommended for them.
The second Ire that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received was for him to be able to give
satisfactory answers to all the questions and inquiries of all his clients.
It was this ability that kept convincing the clients to offer the ẹbọ. It
also gave them the hope that once the ẹbọ was offered the solutions
to their problems would come. It also convinced them that
improvement and stability would come to their lives. This ability is
called A®soôgba¾ – The ability to give a acceptable explanations to
questions.
The third Ire that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received within four days was known as
A®sôegba¾. This was the ability to embark on what will meet the
acceptance of the Divinities and Olo;du¾mare¾. All the ẹbọ, i¾boô and
a¾ko;sôe that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ performed for all these clients were accepted by
323
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
the Divinities and they all had positive impacts on the lives of his
clients. This alone convinced them beyond all doubts that the most
sensible thing for them to do was to stick to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and invite all
members of their household to make OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ their personal doctor.
This made OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s popularity skyrocket beyond his wildest
imagination.
The fourth Ire which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was blessed with was that the whole
community began to see him with genuine love, honour and respect.
They saw him as indispensable to the community. They felt that they
needed to consult him before any major decision was taken in the
community.
The fifth Ire that came to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was that he found himself more
and more relevant in the community. He was regarded as an
intelligent and understanding elder in the community whose opinion
on any issue counted very much. He became the crises resolution
elder, a progressive member of the society and the right hand man of
the Ϙba of the community.
The sixth Ire that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received was contentment. He was
satisfied with the blessings of Olo;du¾mare¾ in his life. He was
reasonable and realistic enough to understand that Olo;du¾mare¾
showered His blessings on whosoever He pleased and that the
decision of Olo;du¾mare¾ could not be questioned or challenged. He was
always grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾ over what Olo;du¾mare¾ gave him. He did
not envy the blessings of others.
Instead of that, he was always prepared to rejoice with those that
Olo;du¾mare¾ had chosen to shower blessings upon.
Ogbe¾ hu;n’le;
Ile; la¾a; hu;n
Di;a; fu;n O®ôru;nmi¾la¾
Baba yo;o; ri; ire me;ôfa¾ ni;’re¾ni;
OÙ®runmi¾la¾ EÙri¾gi¾ I®ya¾nda¾
Ifa; ma; je¾ôeô; ki; ire me;ôfa¾ o; se;; mi o
Translation:
324
Ogbè, please mind your home

It is one’s home that one should mind
This was the declaration of Ifá to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When going to be the recipient of six Ire in four days
He complied
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ also known as EÙri¾gi¾ I®ya¾nda¾
Ifá please do not let my six Ire of life skip me by
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed must not miss
the six Ire that is coming his/her way within four days. These six Ire
will also not be allowed to skip him/her by. This is the message of Ifá
for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. He/she needs to
prepare his/her mind for the acceptance of these six Ire.
2. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed together with another person who is living
far away from the place of abode of this person. Ifá says that both of
them shall succeed together in their different localities.
Ifá advises each of these people to offer ẹbọ with four white
pigeons and money.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Hu;nl'e; says:
Hun’le;
Hu;n’de
Di;a; fu;n Akeôsôeô
A bu¾ fu;n O®go¾do¾
EÙboô aje; ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn sôe
Translation:
Mind your home

Mind what’s outside
This was Ifá’s message for Akeôôsôeô (the silk cotton)
And for O®go¾do¾ (the cotton wool)
They were both advised to offer ẹbọ for prosperity
325
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Akeôôsôeô, the Silk Cotton and O®go¾do¾, the Cotton wool were bosom
friends. They had been friends from youth. They loved each other
and they loved to do things together. Many people would often
mistake one for the other.
One day, the two friends decided to pursue their professional careers
and were determined to reach the zenith of their chosen professions.
Both of them went for Ifá consultation. The Awo told Akeôôsôeô that he
would succeed in the home while O®go¾do¾ would succeed in the farm.
Both of them agreed and Akeôôsôeô stayed at home while O®go¾do¾ moved
to the farm. They maintained close contact with each other though.
About six months after this, Akeôôsôeô went for another round of Ifá
consultation; this time to determine his success chance in life. During
Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾ Hunle; was revealed.
The Awo assured Akeôôsôeô that he would be very successful. Not only
this, he would also become a very prominent person in life. He was
informed that he had another friend who was not living in the same
locality with him who would also succeed like him. The Awo told
Akeôôsôeô that both he and O®go¾¾do¾ would have achievement and they
would be prominent in their communities. They would also have
course to showcase their achievement in life. The Awo advised each
of them to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons and money.
That very day, Akeôôsôeô sent a message to O®go¾¾do¾ to inform him of what
the Awo had said. Both friends procured the ẹbọ materials and
returned to the Awo in order to offer the ẹbọ for them.
It did not take long before they were convinced that their ẹbọ had
been accepted. Both of them blossomed in majestic splendour.
Everyone began to seek them. Their products became precious and
invaluable to those who were lucky to acquire them. The products
were being converted to dresses and garments. Both Akeôôsôeô and
O®go¾¾do¾ were being treated with honour and respect. Their lives
changed for the better and they moved up in the social-economic
cadre of their society.
When asked how they became so successful in a short time, they
responded that it was simply because they were children of Ogbe¾-
Hunle;! It is therefore not a surprise to see children of Ogbe¾-Hunle;
succeeding beyond their wildest dreams.
326
Hun’le;
Hu;n’de
Di;a; fu;n Akeôsôeô
A bu¾ fu;n O®go¾do¾
EÙboô aje; ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn sôe
Woô;n gb’eô;boô, woôn ru;’boô
Akeôsôeô la¾ nile¾ô
O®go¾do la¾ lo;ko
Gbogbo wa la o; je;ô’woô; oômoô Ogbe¾-Hu;nle;
Translation:
Mind your home

Mind what’s outside
This was Ifá’s message for Akeôsôeô (the silk cotton)
And for O®go¾do¾ (the cotton wool)
They were both advised to offer ẹbọ for prosperity
They both complied
Akeôsôeô succeeded at home
And O®go¾do¾ succeeded on the farm
We shall all display the success potentials of Ogbè-Hu;nle;
children
Ifá says that those who have come for Ifá consultation where this
Odù is revealed shall succeed in their various localities. Their success
will turn them to prominent and highly respected personalities in their
localities. They need to follow the advice of Ifá, be hopeful and
hardworking. Success is very close to them.
3. Ifá says that there is the need for this person to go and receive
prayers from his/her mother. The prayers from his/her mother will
change his/her life from bad to good and from good to better. The
solemn prayers from this person’s mother are more potent and more
efficacious than any strong charm or ẹbọ material in the world. If this
person’s mother is dead he/she needs to visit the burial site of his/her
mother and pray solemnly for all what he/she wants in life. If the
burial site of the mother is not accessible due to one reason or the
327
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
other, the person needs to summon the spirit of his/her mother either
through Ifá or Ile¾,ô the mother Earth.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four guinea-fowls and
money. After this, he/she needs to ask for the solemn prayers of
his/her mother.
EÙtu ko; k'a;ra ki;ri; l’aje;

O®o¾ri¾ ko; k’a;ra ki;;ri; l’agbe¾
A®ri¾jo¾ ti; yo;o; ba; jo;
Ko; m’e;ôse¾ô eô re¾ô ko; le kokooko
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾re¾ô Se¾ôgi¾
Ti;i; sô'oômoô EÙleô;ku¾re;ô
EÙbo a¾sôeyoôri; ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a sôe
Translation:
Let the antelope prepare himself for financial success

Let the O®o¾ri¾ bird get ready to play the Agbè
(the calabash drum) music
Those who will dance to the music
Let them have strong legs for manoeuvring
These were Ifá’s declarations to O®o¾reôô¾ Se¾¾ôgi (the porcupine)
The offspring of EÙleô;ku¾re;ô
He was advised to offer the ẹbọ of accomplishment
O®o¾re¾-Se¾ôgi¾, the Porcupine, the offspring of EÙleô;ku¾re; was a very

hardworking person. He was very ambitious. His eyes were always on
the zenith of the socio-economic ladder. He dreamt of being there all
the time. For this reason, he worked hard, he sweated, and he toiled
and stressed himself to the limit. Yet, he had very little to show for all
his efforts.
He changed his line of work many times. He started as a farmer. No

success. He changed to being a sculptor. No success. He changed
to being a trader, yet there was no success! That was why he
decided to go for Ifá consultation in order to determine what exactly
328
was wrong with him that made him fail in all his chosen careers. He
also wanted to know what he must do to convert his failure to
success. During Ifá consultation Ogbe¾-Hun'le; was revealed.
The Awo told O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ that he had come into this world to succeed
in life. He was told that he had no business with failure in any way
whatsoever. The Awo told him that he had been experiencing failure
in his life simply because he needed to receive the solemn prayer of
his mother and he had not done so yet. He was told that changing his
profession was not the solution to this problem. He only needed to
offer ẹbọ and go to his mother for comprehensive prayer that only a
mother can give her child. The Awo advised O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ to offer ẹbọ
with four guinea-fowls and money.
After this, he needed to go to his mother for prayer. The Awo told
O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ that his mother needed to raise her voice aloud to
screaming level when giving him the prayer in order for all the
Divinities in heaven to hear her voice. This was because whenever
the guinea-fowl summons her children, it is always with a loud voice.
The next day, O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ procured all the ẹbọ materials and the ẹbọ
was offered. As soon as this was completed, he headed for the home
of his mother. He pleaded with her to give her a solemn prayer as
prescribed by his Awo. The mother raised her voice as loud as she
could and gave her son a prayer from the very bottom of her heart.
A few days after this, those who had hitherto failed to notice O®o¾re¾ô-
Seô¾gi¾ as a trader who dealt in clothes sales began to notice and
patronize him. Within a short time, O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ was able to support
himself and fend for his family financially. Soon after this, he was
able to save enough money to start thinking of erecting his own
personal property. Life became comfortable for O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾, the
offspring of Eleôku¾re;. He had course to be grateful to Olodumare and
his mother. He saw no reason why he should not celebrate his
success.
EÙtu ko; k'a;ra ki;ri; l’aje;

O®o¾ri¾ ko; k’a;ra ki;;ri; l’agbe;
A®ri¾jo¾ ti; yo;o; ba; jo;
Ko; m’e;ôse¾ô eô re¾ ko; le kokooko
329
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾re¾ Se¾ôgi¾

Ti;i; sô'oômoô EÙleô;ku¾re;ô
EÙboô a¾sôeyoôri; ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a sôe
N®je;ô I®ya; a; mi ni yo;o; gbe¾ mi; o
Igbe Kankan
L’eôtu¾ n; ke; p’oômo reô¾
Igbe kanka¾n
Translation:
Let the antelope prepare himself for financial success

Let the O®o¾ri¾ bird get ready to play the Agbè
(the calabash drum) music
Those who will dance to the music
Let them have strong legs for manoeuvring
These were Ifá’s declarations to O®o¾reôô¾ Se¾¾ôgi (the porcupine)
The offspring of EÙleô;ku¾re;ô
He was advised to offer the ẹbọ of accomplishment
He complied
My mother is the one to give me support
With a very loud voice
The guinea-fowl summons her children
With a very loud voice
Ifá says that this person shall succeed through the support of his/her
mother. Ifá says that this person needs the spiritual support and
prayer of his/her mother more than any other thing in life. If these
steps can be taken, success is assured.
4. Ifá says that it foresees all the Ire of life for the person for whom
this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person shall accomplish all
his/her hearts desires in life. Ifá assures this person that Ifá will
personally direct all the Ire of life that he/she is craving for to his/her
direction.
This is because all the things that have been making him sad and
dejected are also making Ifá sad and dejected. For this reason, Ifá
will ensure that this person is happy and contented so as to make Ifá
330
happy and contented. Ifá says that it cannot afford seeing this
person in a sad and uncomfortable mood.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons, four hens,
four guinea-fowls, four roosters, six bananas, and money.
He/she also needs to feed Ifá with one pigeon, one guinea-fowl,
one hen and plenty of bananas.
Ala;ba¾n¾toto¾-o mi eô¾lu¾ju¾
Ifa; n; sunkun Aka;po¾ o re¾ô kiri
Eôboô ni; woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
My unripe banana tree of the wilderness

This was Ifá’s declaration to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When weeping in lamentation for his Aka;po¾’s pitiful
condition
The Aka;po¾ was well trained. He was versatile in his chosen career.
He served OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ with undivided loyalty for a very long period. He
was truthful, honest, pious, hopeful, dedicated, steadfast, humble and
unassuming. In spite of all these noble qualities, the Aka;po¾ had very
little to show in terms of achievement. The Aka;po¾ had no money. He
could not afford to eat two times in a day. He had been due for a wife
for over ten years, yet he remained a chronic bachelor because he
had no money to have a wife. How could he even think of having his
own children when he had no wife of his own? A person who has no
money, no wife, and no child cannot dream of erecting a personal
property of his own, and if he dreams of it, such will remain a mere
dream that can never become a reality.
The Aka;po¾ knew within himself that he had abided by all Ifá’s
injunctions; and yet he remained unknown and unsuccessful. He also
knew without being told that he was a failure in all aspects of life. He
had no money, no spouse, no children, and no personal property. It
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
got to a stage that his health began to deteriorate as a result of

constant sorrow. Sadness and weeping became his regular
companions.
It was for this reason that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ took it upon himself to consult Ifá
on behalf of his Aka;po¾. How could an Aka;po¾ score so many high
points in terms of moral and ethics and yet score so low in the areas
of achievement? OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was convinced that people would soon
begin to make jest of his Aka;po¾ as a result of his failure and by
extension make jest of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ too. The failure of the Aka;po¾ became
very worrisome to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. The sadness of the Aka;po¾ became
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s constant source of worry. That was why OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ decided
to go for Ifá consultation on behalf of his Aka;po¾ in order to find a
lasting solution to the problem that the Aka;po¾ was facing. During Ifá
consultation Ogbe¾-hu;n'le; was revealed.
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the pains of his Aka;po¾ were also his
pains. The failures of the Aka;po¾ were also his failures because people
assess others through their products. The Aka;po¾ was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s
product and if he remained unsuccessful, then by extension OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
was also unsuccessful. He however assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the
situation of the Aka;po¾ would improve and that he would soon have
course to smile and celebrate his success and achievements. The
Awo advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons, four hens,
four guinea-fowls, four roosters, six bananas and money on
behalf of his Aka;po¾. He was also advised to feed Ifá as stated above.
On that very day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied with the advice of the Awo. He
invited the Aka;po¾ and his (Aka;po¾’s) Ifá was propitiated as advised by
the Awo.
Four days after the ẹbọ was offered the wife of the Basôoôrun of the
land was very ill, all medications proved ineffective. That was the
reason why they came to the house of the Aka;po¾ for Ifá consultation:
Will there be relief for his wife? Will she regain her health and
vitality? These and many more were the questions which the Basôoôrun
asked Ifá.
The Aka;po¾ told Basôoôrun that his wife would regain her health and
vitality in no time. He prescribed ẹbọ for Basôoôrun and all the ẹbọ
332
materials were procured immediately for the ẹbọ to be offered. The

Aka;po¾ prepared all the necessary medication remedies for the wife of
Basôoôrun and within five days, she was already attending to all her
personal business. There and then, the Basôoôrun turned the Aka;po¾
into his household Babaláwo. He showered the Aka;po¾ with money
and other gifts. He also introduced his friends to the Aka;po¾. Before
long, the Aka;po¾’s name became a household name in the community.
The elders in the community who had benefitted from the efficacy of
the Aka;po¾’s work gathered their heads together one day and decided
that the Aka;po¾ must not be allowed to remain a bachelor. They
reasoned that he alone could not continue to attend to the needs of
all his clients, which had grown tremendously and at the same time
attended to his own personal needs all by himself. The Aka;po¾ needed
an assistant and the best assistant for him was a wife. They arranged
for this and got the Aka;po¾ a very nice woman. Both the Aka;po¾ and
the woman were compatible and grew to be very fond of each other.
The marriage was considered to be the marriage of the whole
community. All the nobilities including OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ attended the
ceremony. It was the talk of the whole community for a long time.
Less than one year after the marriage, the whole community gathered
once again to celebrate the naming of the couple’s bouncing baby.
Many more children came after this. The community gave the Aka;po¾
a parcel of land to erect his personal property. He did. Many people
assisted him to do this. He became a highly respected member of the
community. He was very happy. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ his mentor also became
very happy.
Ala;ba¾n¾toto¾-o mi eô¾lu¾ju¾
Ifa; n; sunkun Aka;po¾ o re¾ô kiri
Eôboô ni; woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O gb’ebo, o ru’bo
Ire Aje; ti; mi¾ o¾ ni;
Ni’fa; n; sunku;n-u¾n mi to¾ o; si;
OÙÙ®ge¾ôde¾ô oôm
¾ i¾ni¾ ma¾ de; o¾
Abomi¾ oju; su¾u¾ru¾su¾
Ire aya ti; mi; o¾ ni;
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Ni;’fa; n; sunku;n-u¾n mi to¾ o; si;

O®ôge¾ôde¾ oô¾mi¾ni¾ ma¾ de; o¾
Ire oômoô ti; mi; o¾ ni;
Ni;’fa; n; sunku;n-u¾n mi to¾ o; si;
O®Ùge¾ôdeô¾ o¾ômi¾ni¾ ma¾ de; o¾
Ire i¾le;ô gbogbo ti; mi; o¾ ni;
Ni’fa; n; sunku;n-u¾n mi to¾ o; si;
O®®Ùgeô¾de¾ô oôm
¾ i¾ni¾ ma¾ de;; o¾
Ire gbogbo ti; mi; o¾ ni;
Ni’fa; n; sunkun-u¾n mi to¾ o; si;;
O®Ùgeô¾de¾ô o¾ômi¾ni¾ ma¾ de; o¾
Translation:
My unripe banana tree of the wilderness

This was Ifá’s declaration to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When weeping in lamentation for his Aka;po¾’s pitiful
condition
He complied
The blessing of financial success that I lacked
Was the reason why Ifá was crying profusely
over my predicament
Here comes the banana
The owner of profuse tears
The blessing of spouse that I lacked
over my predicament
The blessing of children that I lacked
over my predicament
The blessing of property that I lacked
334

over my predicament
The blessing of all the Ire of life that I lacked
over my predicament
Ifá says that the tears in the eyes of the person for whom this Odù is
revealed shall be wiped off and be replaced with smiles and
contentment. Ifá assures this person that he/she shall soon have
course to be happy and celebrate his/her success and achievements
in life.
5. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a compatible spouse for a

woman for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that her Orí has
brought her to the person and place where her life will experience
peace, comfort and contentment. She will be very happy in the
relationship. The man will cater to all her needs and treat her very
nicely. She only needs to be careful of not being misled by others.
She must not allow people to talk her into leaving her matrimonial
home for any reason whatsoever.
Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two
hens and money. She also needs to feed her Orí with one hen.
On this, Ifá says:
Ori;san Awo ko;ko¾

Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko¾¾
Ti n; loô¾oô; s’obi¾nrin A®ku¾ro¾ô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; se
Translation:
Ori;san, the Awo of Ko;ko® (Cocoyam)

He cast Ifa; for Ko;ko¾
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
When going to become the wife of A®ku¾ro¾ô (the Swamp)

Right from her adolescent age, her ambition in life was to become a
successful married woman in order to enjoy matrimonial bliss. She
watched all the wives in her area very closely in order to determine
what a woman needed to do to make her man happy. She
understood and perfected those little gestures which made men run
crazy with love and adoration. Before long, she convinced herself that
she was ready and fully prepared for the marriage market. She was
sure that she would spoil her man with love.
The first person she met who wanted her hand in marriage was
A®pa;ta, the Rock. It did not take long before she realized that she
could not find the much deserved contentment and comfort that she
craved for in the relationship. Next came O®Ùda¾n, the Savannah. She
also realized that the relationship was bound to fail. She continued to
pray for a compatible man. When she met A®ku¾ro¾, the swamp,
something told her that she had just met the right man in her life. In
order to be very certain, she went to the home of Ori;san for Ifá
consultation: Will the relationship be good if I marry A®ku¾ro¾? Will I live
with peace, satisfaction and comfort? Will I be able to satisfy my man
when I get married? Will my man appreciate what I do for him and
will he love me in return? Will my man’s family members treat me
with respect and honour? Will I be able to beget nice children with
A®ku¾ro¾?
All these formed part of the questions which she posed to Ifá during
Ifá consultation. The Odù that was revealed was Ogbe¾-Hu;'nle.
The Awo assured Ko;ko¾ that her Orí had just directed her to the right
person who would turn her dreams into reality. The Awo told her that
she would be loved, adored, honoured, respected and appreciated by
all if she agreed to marry A®ku¾ro. She was also told that she would
give birth to, and raise, all her babies in relative comfort. She was
told that she would not experience any want or lack anything in her
life
336
The Awo advised Ko;ko¾ to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two
hens and money. She was also advised to feed her Orí with one
hen. She complied.
Her marriage ceremony was simple but eventful. All the predictions
of Ifá on her relationship with A®ku¾ro¾ came to pass. Her children were
also blessed with all what it takes for children to be great in the
future. She was so happy that her Orí made it possible for her to
meet a man like A®ku¾ro¾ in her life.
Ori;san Awo ko;ko¾

Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko¾¾
Ti n; loô¾oô; s’obi¾nrin A®ku¾ro¾ô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; se
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’bo
N®je;ô Ori; san Ko;ko¾
O: ba; A®ku¾roô¾ pa¾de;
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
Ori;san, the Awo of Ko;ko® (Cocoyam)

He cast Ifa; for Ko;ko¾
When going to become the wife of A®ku¾ro¾ô (the Swamp)
She complied
Orí favours Ko;ko¾
She met A®ku¾ro¾ô
Ifá says that the woman for whom this Odù is revealed shall live a
very happy and comfortable life in her matrimonial home. She will be
loved, adored, respected, honoured and pampered. Her children shall
be well trained in the right direction.
337
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
6. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of victory, success and

accomplishment for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá
says that this person and someone else are in competition but that
he/she shall be victorious over his/her co-contestant.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea-
fowls, two roosters and money. He/she also needs to feed
his/her Orí with one pigeon and one guinea-fowl and feed
OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 snails, shea butter and chalk.
On this, Ifá says:
Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾, Awo Oyi¾nbo;

Te¾mi;-le;ke¾ Awo Ori¾sa¾ (OÙba¾ta;la)
Di;a; fu;n Ori¾sa¾n;la; O®Ùsôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾
T'o;un Oyi¾nbo; jo¾ô n;le;re; oôna¾ oôô; po¾¾ô
EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni;; ko; sôe
Translation:
Te¾mi¾-le;kè (mine is triumphant), the Awo of Oyi¾nbo;

Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾, the Awo of O¾ri¾sa¾
He cast Ifa; for Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾
When he was in competition with Oyi¾nbo; over who was
the better designer
It was an established fact that Oyi¾nbo; had a lot of designs to his

credit. There was nothing to think of that Oyi¾nbo; had not designed.
All the designs were working and were very relevant to human beings
in order to bring comfort and to make their day-to-day activities very
easy to perform. All these designs were imitations of the original
designs of Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾. The problem however was that
Oyi¾nbo; had used a lot of Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ publicity to promote
his own designs to the extent that many people believed that the
designs of Oyi¾nbo; were the original ones while those of Ori¾sa¾nla;
O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ were the imitations. This situation swelled up the head
of Oyi¾nbo; to a point where he challenged Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ to a
338
contest in order to determine who was a better designer among the

two of them. A date was fixed for the competition. OÙba¾ta;la; was not
too keen on the contest but everyone around did not want to hear
that OÙba¾ta;la; would not contest. If he did not contest, they considered
that to mean the admission of his inferiority.
When only nine days remained for the contest to occur, Oyi¾nbo; went
to the home of Te¾mi;-le;kè for Ifá consultation in order to determine
his success chances. He was advised to offer ẹbọ. He saw no reason
why he should do that, especially when all evidence pointed to the
fact that he would be triumphant in the contest. He simply left the
home of the Awo and promised himself never to return until he had
been declared the winner of the contest.
OÙba¾ta;la; also went to the home of the same Awo for Ifá consultation.
The Awo told him to offer ẹbọ in order to come out triumphant. He
complied. He was also told to feed his Orí and his Oke-Ipori¾ as stated
above. He also complied.
On the day of the contest, it was evident that Oyi¾nbo; had prepared
himself fully. He came out to talk. As soon as he stepped out, the
whole arena went dead silent. His presence was intimidating. He
talked with confidence and authority. He cleared his throat and
declared; “the white dress worn by Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ was my
design. If it wasn’t for me, what would he be wearing today?" The
audience remained silent. “The sandals on his feet, the A®ja¾ in his
hands, all the Seôseô-Efun beads round his neck and wrist were all my
designs! If not for me, OÙba¾ta;la; would be here now completely
naked!" Oyi¾nbo; allowed the information to sink in very well before he
turned to the spectators. He declared; "If not for me, what would all
of you be using? I designed everything that you are wearing or using
in your homes. I even designed your various homes, your streets,
your kitchens and even made sure that I designed what you use to
improve the quantities and qualities of your farm products. If not for
me, you all would be starving to death!” He cleared his throat again
and continued, ”Where was OÙba¾ta;la; when I was designing all these
things? Who is he to now come here and contest superiority over
me? I expect him to bury his head in shame and go back to his home
which I designed quietly.”
339
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Some of those present knew that not everything said by Oyi¾nbo; was
true and correct. They knew that most of the things which he
claimed to have designed had been in use even before the advent of
Oyi¾nbo; man himself. He however sounded so sure and so convincing
that most of the people present had began to accept his statements
for a fact. The whole place still remained silent. Many were convinced
that Ori®sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ would have nothing to say. Some were
looking at him with pity. They felt that instead of saying anything
that would bring him further humiliation, he ought to do as Oyi¾nbo;
had said and return to his home quietly.
To their surprise Ori®sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ came out to speak. He was

even smiling. He started by thanking everybody present and wished
them well in all their undertakings in life. He continued thus; "Even
though you have heard all what Oyi¾nbo; has said and what he claims
to have designed, I am not here to contest the validity of his
statements. I am here to congratulate him for all his achievements.
He paused a little. He then continued and said, “In spite of all these
achievements, he cannot deny the fact that I, Ori®sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾
am the one who designed him. If not for me, he would not be alive
today to design all the things that he claims to have rightly and falsely
designed.” He then simply bowed his head and went back to his seat.
After this statement, the whole place busted into a tumultuous shout
in praise and honour of OÙba¾ta;la;. Even Oyi¾nbo; rose from his seat and
came to prostrate flat for Ori®sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾. Without being told,
it became clear to everyone present that Ori®sa¾n;la; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ was
far superior than Oyi¾nbo;. Instead of Ori®sa¾nl; a; returning home in
shame, it was Oyi¾nbo; who did so.
Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾, Awo Oyi¾nbo;

Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾ Awo Ori¾sa¾
Di;a; fu;n Ori¾sa¾n;la; Osôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
T'o;un Oyi¾nbo; joô¾ n;le;ri; oôna¾ o;ô poô¾
Eôboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ko; sôe
Ori¾sa¾n;la; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ ni¾kan ni; n;beô l'e;ôyi¾n ti¾ n;s'ô eôboô
N®je; te¾mi ni¾ yo;o; sôeô;'te¾ô eô ti¾ woôn o
Ori¾sa¾nla; Osôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ ni¾ yo;o; sôe'ô;te¾ô eôô t’Oyi¾nbo;
T'awo ni® yo;o; sôeô;’te¾ô eô ti ¾won o
340
Translation:
Te¾mi¾-le;kè (mine is triumphant), the Awo of Oyi¾nbo;

Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾, the Awo of O¾ri¾sa¾
He cast Ifa; for Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾
When he was in competition with Oyi¾nbo; over who was
the better designer
Only Ori¾sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾re¾ôeô¾ma¾gbo¾ complied
Now, mine will always overcome theirs
The designs of Ori¾sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾re¾ôeô¾ma¾gbo¾ will always
overcome those of Oyi¾nbo;
An Awo will always overcome theirs
Ifá assures this person that he/she will always overcome those
contesting with him/her. Ifá says that he/she will always have cause
to celebrate his/her success over competitors and antagonists. As
long as he/she hands over all his/her activities to Ifá, OÙba¾ta;la; and
Olo;du¾mare¾, he/she will always be victorious.
7. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of longevity for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá assures this person that he/she will
not experience any form of premature death. He/she will live to
his/her old age. He/she will also live a contented life. Ifá however
says that this person has been experiencing life-threatening issues
and has been having dreams that were not making him/her
comfortable. Ifá says that it is not as a result of any negative design
of enemies or evil people. It is coming from heaven. He/she shall
however overcome the situation.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature ram and lots
of money. He/she will need to mount a ram several times and allow
his/her weight to make the ram collapse. This will be done as many
times as practicable. After this, the ram will be used as ẹbọ. The ram
should not be slaughtered on that day. The next day Ifá will be asked
whether or not to ram should be slaughtered or not. This person also
needs to feed Ifá as specified.
341
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
On this, Ifá says:
Oro;gbo;
Osôu¾gbo;
A®ja¾na¾-on ma¾ gbo; ti¾e¾ô-ti¾e¾ô
Woôô;n n; ra;n’ni¾i; p’e¾ôdu; l’o;;ôrun
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
Oro;gbo;
And Osôu¾gbo;
A®ja¾na¾ who will become old and feeble with age
They cast Ifá for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When delegates were sent to bring him back to heaven
He woke up with a start. He was sweating in all parts of his body.

He was even shivering a little. The dream was terrible. Why was he
seeing himself being carried away and being dragged from inside the
safety of his home outside to be loaded onto a heavenly horse back to
O®ôrun in an unceremonious manner? True, he had never been afraid
of returning to O®ôrun but the point was that he had not completed his
assignment that he was given yet. He needed to complete this
assignment before returning to O®ôrun. This was what was giving
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ cause for concern. He realized, without being told that he
was being summoned to return to O®ôrun. He also knew that going to
O®ôrun at this point in time was not in his best interest; neither was it in
the best interest of the assignment which Olo;du¾mare¾ gave him to
come and perform on earth. What must he do then? The best and
most realistic option left to him was to go for Ifá consultation. He
knew that he would find a solution on how best to deal with the
situation when Ifá was consulted. Incidentally, the three Awo were
his former students whom he had given intensive training and who
had proved their competence before they became independent. The
only question which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked Ifá was what he needed to do in
order to avoid going to O®ôrun at that particular point in time. During
Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Wu;n’le; was revealed.
342
The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that even though all arrangements had
been completed to drag OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to heaven if need be, he would not
go to O®ôrun at that particular point in time. He told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to go and
procure a mature ram instead of a horse and announce that he was
prepared to ride on this ram to O®ôrun. It was clear that the ram would
not be able to carry his weight and it would collapse as soon as he
mounted it. After many trials, he would tell the delegates from O®ôrun
that he was not opposed to following them back to heaven, but that
the ram that he had procured to ride to O®ôrun had simply and bluntly
refused to move!
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied with all the instructions and advice of the Awo. He
offered the ẹbọ as stated above and also fed his OÙ®ke¾ô-Ipoô¾ri;. He
returned to his home full of confidence that the threat of death was
all over.
On the day that the delegates arrived to take him to O®ôrun, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
was fully prepared for them. He welcomed them with respect and
friendliness which was totally strange to give from anyone who was
about to bid the world farewell. He told the delegates that he had
been expecting them earlier. He told them that he had already
procured his ram that he would ride to O®ôrun. He saddled the ram and
mounted it. As soon as he did this, his massive weight was too much
for the ram. It collapsed instantly. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ stood up and picked up
the ram. He mounted the ram once again and the ram collapsed and
fell down again. This exercise went on over and over, and again and
again, and the ram would always collapse and fall down. When it was
getting late, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told the delegates from O®ôrun to inform those
who sent them that it was not as if he did not want to go, but that his
ram was refusing to carry him there. He told them that he needed to
feed the ram very well and make him strong so he could make the
journey some other time when the ram was strong enough to make
the journey. The delegates left OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house with regrets.
For several years, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ would keep feeding the ram to make it
strong enough for the journey to O®ôrun. For several years, the ram
was still unable to support the weight of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. That was how
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was able to stay on earth to accomplish all his major
assignments on earth.
343
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Oro;gbo;
O®sôu¾gbo;
A®ja¾na¾-on ma¾ gbo; ti¾e¾ô-ti¾e¾
Woôô;n n; ra;n’ni¾i; p’e¾ôdu; l’oô¾run
EÙ wi; fu;n woôn l’o¾¾ôrun
Eô ni; n o¾ wa; mo;ô o
A®gbo¾ E®Ùdu; ma¾ ko¾ô’ri¾n
E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾¾ O®Ùfa¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni¾ la;i¾ku; kangiri¾
A®i¾ku; kangiri la¾ a; ba;’ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sa
ô ¾
Translation:
Oro;gbo;
And Osôu¾gbo;
A®ja¾na¾ who will become old and feeble with age
They cast Ifá for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When delegates were sent to bring him back to heaven
He complied
Please inform them in OÙ®run
That I am no longer coming
The ram procured by E®du; has refused to move
Travellers to Ìpo and O®Ùfa¾
Join us where we enjoy the blessing of longevity
In the midst of longevity does one find Ifá devotees
Ifá says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odù is revealed
to experience untimely death. Instead he/she will be blessed with the
opportunity to accomplish all his/her major assignments in life before
returning to heaven a fulfilled man/woman.
In the same vein, those planning the premature death of this person
will fail woefully. It is also not advisable for this person to plan against
others. If he/she does so he/she will fail woefully too. That is the
message of Ifá.
344
8. Ifá says that this person has someone who he/she considers to be
his/her friend but who is actually his/her enemy. This so-called friend
had been busy planning to humiliate, and cause harm to the person
for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that there is the need for the
person for whom this Odù is revealed to identify this so-called friend
and give him/her social and physical distance.
On the other hand, Ifá says that there is a particular ailment that is
afflicting the person for whom this Odù is revealed on a periodic
basis. This ailment has been making it difficult if not totally
impossible for this person to exercise his/her full potentials in all the
things that he/she is doing. There is the need to identify this ailment
and find a lasting solution to it.
Ifá however promises that the bad friend and/or the ailment will
disappear from the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed
that very season. Ifá assures him/her that his/her problems will not
extend to the next season.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one matured he-goat and
money. After this, a special soap will be prepared for him/her
with the head of a male lizard, the head of a female lizard,
and plenty of re¾k ô u¾re¾k
ô u¾ leaves (cassia rotundifolia). They will
then be pounded together into a paste and mixed with soap
for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to bathe with.
On this aspect, Ifá says:
A®ta¾n¾pa¾ko¾ ni;i; f’ori;i; ‘la;am

¾ u¾ so;ôoô¾oÙ;ka;n
Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko; Orí
Ti; n; ba; Orí sô’oô¾re;ô iku;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
The thumb of the hand makes the head of the

lizard appear to be looking straight forward
This was Ifá’s message for Ko;ko; Ori; (the lump on
the head)
That was involved in a fatal friendship with Orí (the Head)
345
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Ko;ko; Ori; was the closest friend that Orí had. Orí was very proud of
his friend and was ready to allow Ko;ko; Orí to accompany him to
anywhere he went. Anywhere and anytime one found Orí, one could
be certain that Ko;ko; Ori; would be there. It got to a stage where
both of them had become inseparable.
Unknown to Orí however, Ko;ko; Ori; had been nursing a deep hatred
for his friend for a very long time. He could not understand why
everyone would give Orí more attention than him. The loath became
so intense that he concluded that the only thing that would satisfy
him was to ensure that Orí was eliminated. Ko;ko; Ori; was prepared to
die too, as long as Orí died with him. He could no longer tolerate
seeing Orí taking all the glory and honour. If anyone wanted to
propitiate his/her Orí, he/she would propitiate only Orí and he/she
would totally ignore him and this was not acceptable! He could never
allow this to happen again. If anyone had a narrow escape from
danger, the person would be advised to give thanks to Orí and he/she
would ignore him! This brought Ko;ko; Ori; a lot of serious frustration
and he vowed to do something drastic about it, and do it fast too! If
someone had made a good choice of a spouse or a business
opportunity, such a person would be advised to give thanks and
praise to his Orí while he, Ko;ko; Ori; would not be noticed or
recognized at all! No! This simply could not be allowed to continue! To
make the matter worse, Orí had never for once cautioned the people
and asked them to pay him, Ko;ko; Ori; respect and honour at all. Ko;ko;
Ori; vowed that Orí must be made to pay for it. He must suffer for
making him go through all this humiliation without effecting any
correction.
That was the reason why Ko;ko; Ori; went to the home of the Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation. All he wanted to know was
how and what he needed to do to inflict maximum punishment on Orí
and at the same time ensure that his death was extremely painful but
very slow. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe;-Wu;nle; revealed.
The Awo told Ko;ko; Ori; that he was about to inflict pain and
undeserved punishment on an innocent friend who not only loved
him, but equally trusted him deeply. He was blamed for allowing such
negative thoughts to cross his mind at all. The Awo then warned him
346
to desist from taking any further steps as it would only backfire and
end up destroying him. He was also advised to offer ẹbọ with one
mature he-goat and money.
Ko;ko; Ori; left the home of the Awo, livid with anger. Instead of
desisting, he was more determined to destroy his friend. He believed
that the Awo was supporting his friend against him and that the Awo
was only interested in the he-goat for the ẹbọ and not in giving him
necessary spiritual support with which to deal with and damage his
friend. Ko;ko; Ori; was prepared to destroy himself as long as his
friend was also destroyed in the process. He decided to plan his
strategy all by himself.
One day, Ori; woke up with a slight headache. He thought nothing of

it. Four days later, the headache had become worse. There were
lumps and swelling all over his face. He touched his face and felt
serious pain and discomfort. He complained to his friend Ko;ko; Ori;
and he was told that the lumps and swelling were put on his face and
head in order to help combat the problem of the headache. Ori;
instantly believed what his friend told him. This made Ko;ko; Ori; to
secretly congratulate himself that his plans were working effectively.
About 15 days after, Orí;’s neck had become very stiff. Every part of
his face was swollen. His head had developed various lumps, bumps
and contours of different sizes and shapes. He could no longer go
out. His condition was getting worse by the minute. On the 21st day
of the affliction, it was obvious that Ori; was on his way to his grave if
nothing drastic was done to arrest the situation.
However, the past 21 days were the happiest days in the life of Ko;ko;
Ori;. He was sure that it was just a question of time before his friend
breathed his last breath. He was already making burial preparations.
He promised himself a large keg of palm wine on the day that the
death of his friend was announced.
Everybody in Ori;’s household was worried. What could have brought

about this ailment? They were even more concerned that all the
efforts of Koko Ori; to help solve Ori;’s health problem had only made
the matter worse. The family members called for an emergency
meeting and Ko;ko; Ori; was also invited. In the meeting, Orí’s health
347
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
condition was reviewed and most of those present at the meeting

agreed that there was the need to go for Ifá consultation on the
matter. Ko;ko; Ori; told the family that it was not necessary as he was
sure that all the medications he had administered for Orí would soon
begin to work. The family agreed but still felt that there was the need
to seek extra support from a Babaláwo in order to accelerate the
improvement rate of Orí’s health. Off they went, but Ko;ko; Ori; gave
an excuse and he did not accompany them to the home of the Awo.
A®ta¾n¾pa¾ko¾ ni;i; f’ori;i; ‘la;am

¾ u¾ so;ôoô¾oÙ;ka;n
Di;a; fu;n Orí
Ti; Ko;ko; Ori; n; ba; sô’oôô®re; iku;
Translation:
The thumb of the hand makes the head of the lizard

appear to be looking straight forward
This was Ifá’s message for Orí
Who Ko;ko; Ori; was in fatal friendship with
When they got to the home of the Awo, Orí and his family members
wanted to know what could have caused such serious health problems
for Orí and what could be done for him to get relief from such an
ailment. When the Odù was revealed, it was Ogbe¾-Hu;nle;.
The Awo told them that the ailment being suffered by Orí was not a
natural one. He made it clear to them that it was inflicted on Orí by a
friend of his who was envious of his profile and achievements in life.
He stated further that this friend was very close to him and had
vowed that he would stop at nothing in ensuring that he saw the
demise of Orí.
At this stage, the whole family was in a state of alarm. Who could this
friend be? They decided to find out. The Awo agreed to find out who
this friend was. After much question and investigation through Ifá,
the person was identified. That person was, of all people, Ko;ko; Ori;!
This was a further alarm and shock to the whole family. The Awo
warned them never to allow Ko;ko; Ori; to bring any more medicine for
348
Orí. He must never be allowed to move close to him again. All the
lumps, bumps and swelling must be pressed and the contents
expelled from Orí’s body as quickly as practicable.
The Awo also advised the family to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-
goat and money. This was offered immediately. The Awo prepared
a special soap for Orí with which to take his bath regularly. He also
prepared other medications for him to use. With this, the family
returned home in a state of utter disbelief. How could Ko;ko; Ori; do
this to his bosom friend? What did he stand to gain? What offence
had Orí committed against Ko;ko; Ori; to warrant this punishment?
How could they know that everything was out of envy and jealousy?
The family was however determined never to allow Ko;ko; Ori; to be too
close to Orí any longer.
Meanwhile, Ko;ko; Orí began to panic. He did not know what the
Babaláwo had told Orí and members of his family. They had not
come to him to inform him of the outcome of their investigations in
the home of the Awo. He regretted not killing Orí instantly. He would
have used a potent poison which would have killed Orí immediately.
His desire to enjoy watching Orí die a slow but painful death had
backfired! What must he do now before it was too late to do
anything? He decided to go to Orí’s house and finish him off, if
possible with force. When going; he armed himself with a bow and
arrow, spear, dagger and machete. He decided that we would use
tricks to gain access to Orí, and after that he would just stab him to
death with his dagger. If the family refused to allow him in
peacefully, he would force his way into Orí’s room and finish the job.
Off he set out on his wicked journey.
As Ko;ko; Orí was going to Orí’s house, one short man was already in
the house, telling the whole family to be fully prepared for any form
of eventuality. He told them to arm themselves against any attack
since they had just been able to identify their enemy. The enemy
might come to put up an unexpected fight against the family. The
family saw this as a realistic precaution. They got themselves armed
immediately! They didn’t know that the short person who had
approached the family was actually E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ himself. Because the
family had offered all the ẹbọ, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ had become the friend of
the family and was ready to give the family all the necessary support.
349
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
When Ko;ko; Ori; arrived at Orí’s house, he met more than his match.
They were all more than ready for him. He was beaten mercilessly
and he broke his back in the process. He screamed, cursed and
fretted, all to no avail. He was not allowed to be close to Orí again.
It however took the family three full lunar months to affect a total
cure for Orí. This was because the slow poison injected into his body
by Ko;ko; Ori; was also very slow in getting out of his body. In the end
Orí regained his health. As from that day forward, people ensured
that they do did not allow Ko;ko; Ori; any chance to be close to or even
associate with Orí. When Ko;ko; Ori; is noticed, it is removed with
ignominy.
A®ta¾n¾pa¾ko¾ ni;i; f’ori;i; ‘la;am ¾ u¾ so;ôoo¾ô k

;Ù a;n
Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko; Ori;
Ti; n; ba; Ori; sô’oôr¾ e;ô iku;
EÙboô ni wo;n ô ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O: koôti; oô¾gboônyin seô;boô
A®ta¾npa¾ko¾ ni;i; f’ori;i ‘La;am ¾ u¾ so;oô ¾ôok ô; a;n
Di;a; fu;n Ori;
Ti; Ko;ko; Ori; n; ba; sô’oôr¾ e;ô iku;
EÙboô ni wo;n ô ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;b ô oô, o; ru;’boô
Ko;ko; Ori; to; l'o;un o; p’Ori;
Ko¾ lee¾ p’Ori; mo;ô o
I®gba¾ eôe¾ ¾rô u¾¾n yi¾i; ni yo;o; loô o
I®gba¾ o¾jo¾ yi¾i; ni yo;o; loô o
Akoô ala;a¾mu¾ ki¾i; la eô¾erô¾ u¾n me;ji¾ ja;
Abo ala;am ¾ u¾ ki¾i; la eô¾erô¾ u¾n me;ji¾ ja;
OÙwo;ô o¾ô mi wa; ba ewe; e sôe’;ô gun-sôôe’;ô te¾ô eô te¾mi
Reôk¾ô u¾re¾k
ô u¾¾ oko
N:se ô ni ma¾a; sôe;ô woôn l'o;gun
N:se ô ni ma¾a; sôe;ô woôn l'oô;te¾ô
Translation:
The thumb of the hand makes the head of the lizard

appear to be looking straight forward
This was Ifá’s message for Ko;ko; Ori; (the lump on
the head)
That was involved in a fatal friendship with Orí (the Head)
350
He was advised to offer eôbọ

He refused to comply
The thumb of the hand makes the head of the
lizard appear to be looking straight forward
This was Ifá’s message for Orí
Who Ko;ko; Ori; was in fatal friendship with
He complied
Ko;ko; Ori; boasted that he would kill Orí
He could not kill Orí anymore
It is during this dry season that he will disappear
It is during this rainy season that he will disappear
A male lizard will not survive two dry seasons
A female lizard will not survive two dry seasons
I’ve now gotten a hold of my leaves which overcome
both uprising and conspiracies
Re¾kô u¾re¾kô u¾ leaves
I will surely overcome their uprising
And I will overcome their conspiracies
Ifá says that this person shall live long and shall overcome all those
who pose to be friends but who are working secretly to see his/her
downfall. Ifá says that his/her enemies shall be exposed and be put
to shame.
Conversely, this person must never plan to destroy another person or

subject anyone to ridicule or embarrassment. Ifá warns that if he/she
attempts to do so, he/she will end up carrying all the negative designs
that he had planned for others.
9. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is literally
and figuratively bereft of all the Ire of life. Ifá says that he/she is
going about nakedly. Ifá however promises that he/she shall be
blessed with all the Ire of life that he/she is craving for in no time.
Ifá advises this person to go and procure six bottles of alcohol on

credit and purchase two mats and pay for the mats.
351
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
These items will then be offered as eôboô for him/her and his/her life
will improve for the better.
Ifá also says that there is a barren woman close to the person for
whom this Odù is revealed or that the woman for whom this Odù is
revealed is praying fervently for the blessing of the fruit of the womb.
Ifá says that this woman shall be blessed with her own child very
soon. Ifá says also that the woman is someone who likes to show
gratitude for any favour that is extended to her.
Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with two hens, four rats, four
fish and money. The Awo also needs to prepare a¾ko;sôe for her to
use in order for her womb to open and for her to receive the blessing
of the fruit of the womb as soon as possible.
On these two aspects, Ifá says:
Bi; Ifa; eôni¾ yo;o; ba; gbe’ni¾

ô ku;se
I®se ô ni;i; ko;ôoô; sôe’ni¾
Di;a; fu;n E®er¾ e¾ô-Seô¾gi¾
Ti; n; re’le; Oni;ju¾mu; lo¾ôoô; sôu;’ti;
Translation:
When one’s Ifá is about to support one

It will first make one go through tribulation
This was the message of Ifá for E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ (the porcupine)
When going to Oni;ju¾mu;’s house to procure liquor on credit
E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾, the Porcupine was one of the most proficient Awo who
ever lived on earth. He was so versatile in all aspects of Ifá to the
extent that those who were close to him felt that he was using other
means to analyze and explain all the reasons why people were coming
for Ifá consultation. He was always so accurate that he regularly left
his clients dumbfounded. Nobody had ever said that E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ had
missed the point on the reason why he/she had come for Ifá
consultation.
352
Ironically, E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ was one of the most unsuccessful Awo who ever
lived on earth. It was so ironical that for E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ to eat once in a
day was a big problem. In spite of his huge knowledge, anytime
people came for Ifá consultation and he analyzed all their problems
for them, somehow, they would never return to offer the ẹbọ.
Instead, they would go to the home of other less competent Awo to
offer the ẹbọ. Some of them complained that they did not feel
comfortable with E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾. Others would say that he seemed to be
penetrating their eyes and skull with his gaze. Some others said that
they simply did not trust their lives into the care of someone who
knew so much about them through just one Ifá consultation. The
result of this was that E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ was always hungry and he had no
dress to wear. He was completely naked! His nakedness was the
reason which other people gave for not going to his home to offer
their ẹbọ. If he was that versatile, why had he not found a solution to
his chronic poverty problem, they queried.
What kind of irony is this? E®e¾re¾-Se¾ôgi¾ asked himself over and over.
Tired of living a life of want, inadequacy and frustration, he decided to
approach the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: What do I
need to do to improve the quality of my life? That was the major
question that he asked Ifá when he got to the home of the Awo. The
curious aspect of it was that he went there nakedly because he had
no clothes or dress that he could wear to cover himself. Someone
who had no clothes or dress, how could one expect such a person to
have a wife or child at home? The fact of the matter was that he had
nothing! When he got to the home of the Awo and Ifá was consulted,
Ogbe¾-Wu;n’le; was the Odù that was revealed.
The Awo informed E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ that he had been experiencing hardship,
deprivation and frustration most of his life in spite of the fact that he
was a very competent Ifá priest. He assured E®e¾re¾-Se¾ôgi¾ that all these
would soon disappear and his proficiency would be recognized and
rewarded. The Awo advised him to go and procure six bottles of
liquor and money for ẹbọ.
That was when E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ burst into tears. He explained to the Awo
that he could not boast of even one cowry shell, not to mention
money to buy six bottles of liquor! He cried profusely. That was
353
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
when the idea of going to procure the items on credit was mentioned.
He agreed to approach Oni;ju¾mu;, a very successful business woman
and liquor merchant and solicit her assistance in that regard.
When he got to the shop of Oni;ju¾mu;, he explained to her the reason

why he had come for her assistance. “Please, I really need your
assistance. If you help me, I will come and pay you your money at
the earliest opportunity. Please assist me so that I may get out of
this life of deprivation”.
Oni;ju¾mu;, looked at E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ with disdain. In her response, it was

obvious that she was not prepared to help; “what makes you think
that I will help you? If I had been giving out my things to people in
an indiscriminate manner, do you think that I would still be in
business today? Look at yourself! The only thing that you have in
this world that I can see is your name and the name is worth nothing!
Where will you get the money to pay me back? Tell me! You are
worth nothing and you are nothing”!
When E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ heard this, instead of getting angry, he simply smiled
an innocent and accommodating smile. He responded thus: “it is
certainly not your fault. The way I appear to you without any clothes
on gives you that impression. You are probably right. Outwardly I
am worth nothing and I am indeed nothing. Inwardly however,
Olo;du¾mare¾ has endowed me with the intelligence that is totally
uncommon to find in an average human being. It is in my bid to
improve my outward appearance with my natural endowment that I
have come to you for assistance. For example, my Ifá told me before
I left home that you, Oni;ju¾mu;, had never experienced the pain and
pleasure of being called a mother by your own baby in your life. You
have never been blessed with the fruit of the womb. If you can offer
my ẹbọ you will receive this blessing in no time. There is also the
need to prepare a special Ifá work, a¾ko;sôe for you in order for your
womb to open and carry your own baby. If you are interested your
ẹbọ materials are two hens and money.
This threw Oni;ju¾mu; totally off her guard. She had never heard
anyone speak to her like that before. Not only that, what this naked
man had said was the biggest problem of her life. She had hidden it
from everyone, except her husband who knew of the problem. There
were many children in her house who people believed to be her
354
children but none of them were. Now, this naked man has come from
nowhere to strip her closely-guarded secret! She felt more naked
than the man in front of her. She simply closed her shop and asked
E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi; to follow her to her home. On that very day, the ẹbọ was
offered. The following day, the a¾ko;sôe was given to her to use. She
gave the six bottles of liquor to E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi; on credit.
The following month, Oni;ju¾mu; noticed that she had missed her
period. It was later confirmed that it was pregnancy. On the tenth
month, she gave birth to a bouncing baby.
The whole household of Oni;ju¾mu; erupted into a big celebration. They

announced to the whole world that the naming ceremony would be
the grandest event the whole community had ever witnessed.
Everybody began to prepare for the big day and the big event.
While all these were going on, Oni;ju¾mu;’s mind was filled with worry
and anxiety. How could she celebrate the naming ceremony of her
bundle of joy without the presence of the Awo who made it possible
for her to have the baby in the first place? How could this Awo
appear for the ceremony naked? What could she do to show her own
appreciation to this mighty Awo? This Awo had covered her
barrenness' nakedness with a baby; it was therefore imperative for
her to cover his own nakedness with dresses. How would she do
this? Who would help her to do this? Where would she go to get this
help?
As she was thinking of all these in her mind, the thought for her to
approach the Awo who asked E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ to procure six bottles of
liquor came to her mind. Without any delay, off she went. She told
the Awo that it was E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ who made it possible for her to become
a proud mother of her own baby.
The naming ceremony of the baby was about to be celebrated in a

grand style. She felt that it would be totally unfair for the celebration
to take place in the absence of E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾. She had come for the help
of the Awo to find a way of ensuring that E®e¾reô¾-Seô¾gi¾ was properly
clothed for the occasion. When Ifá was consulted, again, Ogbe¾-
Wu;nle; was revealed.
355
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
The Awo told Oni;ju¾mu; to procure two big O®o¾re; mats and money.
They were procured immediately. After this, E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ was invited by
the Awo. When he arrived, he was still naked. He was asked to lie
down on the mat. He did. The ẹbọ was offered for him. The
surprising thing was that as soon as the Awo finished offering the
ẹbọ, all the O®o¾re; mats stuck to the body of E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ and they
became the spikes which covered all his body! His nakedness no
longer showed. He was looking glorious and majestic! The
transformation was totally unbelievable! E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ entered the home
of the Awo completely naked and came out of the house completely
clothed, from head to toe!
The day of the naming ceremony was magnificent. All roads led to
Oni;ju¾mu;’s compound. Food and drinks were in excess. E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ was
placed on the High Table. There was singing, dancing and merriment
galore.
When it was time for Oni;ju¾mu; and her husband to come to the dance
floor to dance, Oni;ju¾mu; insisted that she would be the one to sing
and the musical band would only chorus her songs. Everybody was
delightfully surprised. As she stepped out, she busted into a song of
joy saying to the amazement of the attendants.
She sang:
Ta lo; soô mi; d’oôloô;moô o?

O®o¾re;-Seô¾gi¾
Lo; soÙÙ mi d’oôlo;ômoô
E®e¾re¾¾ô-Seôgi¾
Lo; soô mi d’onílé
To; soô mi; d’ala;so ô ô
O®o¾reô¾-seô¾gi¾
Lo; soô mi; d’oôloô;moô
O®o¾reô¾ o o¾! Awo ile; Oni;ju¾mu; o
O®o¾reô¾-se¾gi¾
Lo; soô mi d’oôloô;moô
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
356
Translation:
Who turned me into a mother?

He was the one who turned me into a mother
He turned me into a property owner
He turned me into an owner of garments
O®o¾reô¾ o ò, the resident Awo of Oni;ju¾mu; o
On and on, the song continued. All eyes were on O®or¾ eô¾-se¾ôgi¾. He
became an instant celebrity. Everyone wanted to know where he had
been hiding himself all these years. Everybody wanted to try his/her
luck with him. All the chiefs, Ϙbas, market leaders and influential
personalities in the society became his clients instantly. It was the
time for O®or¾ eô¾-se¾ôgi¾ to manifest and fulfil his destiny. He did. None of
the clients were disappointed.
Bi; Ifa; eôni o¾ ba; gbe’ni

ô ku;se
I®se ô ni;i; ko;o; sôe’ni
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾reô-Seô¾gi¾
Ti; n; re’le; Oni;ju¾mu; loô¾o;ô sôu’ti;
O®o¾reô-Seô¾gi¾, Awo ile; Oni;ju¾mu;
Di;a; fu;n Oni;ju¾mu;
To; f'eô¾yi¾nti¾ mo;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®jeô; talo; soô mi; d’oôloô;moô?
O®o¾re;-Seô¾gi¾
Lo; soÙÙ mi d’oôlo;ômoô
357
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
E®e¾re¾¾ô-Seôgi¾
Lo; soô mi d’onílé
To; soô mi; d’ala;so ô ô
O®o¾reô¾-seô¾gi¾
Lo; soô mi; d’oôloô;moô
O®o¾reô¾ o o¾! Awo ile; Oni;ju¾mu; o
O®o¾reô¾-se¾gi¾
Lo; soô mi d’oôloô;moô
Translation:
When one’s Ifá is about to support one

It will first make one go through tribulation
This was the message of Ifá for E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ (the porcupine)
When going to Oni;ju¾mu;’s house to procure liquor on credit
He complied
E®e¾re¾-Se¾ôgi¾, the resident Awo of Oni;ju¾mu;
He cast Ifá for Oni;ju¾mu;
When she was weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget
her own child
She complied
Now, who turned me into a mother?
He turned me into a property owner
He turned me into an owner of garments
O®o¾reô¾ o ò, the resident Awo of Oni;ju¾mu; o
358
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed only needs to
persevere for a little more time as his/her Ire is about to reach his/her
hands. Once he/she gets the Ire, his/her life will never be the same
again.
Ifá also urges somebody here to render a helping hand to the person
who has approached him/her for assistance. Through this person,
his/her own problems will also be solved. There is nothing that this
person lacks in this world that Ifá will not give him/her. Ifá also says
that once he/she gets his/her heart’s desires, he/she will remain
fulfilled for the remaining part of his/her life.
10. Ifá says that the life of this person for whom this Odù is revealed
shall change for the better. This person shall move from obscurity to
prominence. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity, compatible
spouse, great children, befitting property, longevity and all the Ire of
life for this person. All he/she needs to do is offer ẹbọ and be
hopeful. Ifá advises him/her to persevere. Ifá says that his/her
success will be so sudden that it will baffle those who are close to
him/her.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four white pigeons, a keg
of honey and money. He/she also needs to feed Aje; (Wealth deity)
with e¾kuru, bean pudding that is prepared without salt, oil or
pepper. Honey however can be added to the e¾kuru.
A®gba¾ra; o¾jo¾ ni;i; f’a¾ya¾ roô ko;o;ko di';na¾

Di;a; fu;n O®o¾reô¾-Se¾ôgi¾
Ti; yo;o; sôi;’gba; Aje; pi¾ri;
Translation:
The rain flood is it that drags debris and blocks the

main road
This was Ifá’s message for O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ (the Porcupine)
Who would open the calabash of wealth suddenly
359
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾, the Porcupine, was a well trained Babaláwo. He was

extremely proficient in his work. As good as he was; he had nothing
to show for it. He had no money. He had no wife. He had no
children. He was living in an abandoned family house. Anytime there
was rainfall, he would have to stay awake overnight because the roof
would leak. He had no good dresses that he could wear to anywhere.
All his family members had abandoned him because they felt that he
could never amount to anything in life ever.
There were only two things left for him in his life as his assets: his
extensive knowledge of Ifá and his hope. Those were the only two
assets that kept him going. He was very sure that the future would
be brighter for him. How? He could not tell. Still, he did not lose
hope for one day. He was ready to persevere until his own time of
success arrived. He knew for sure that his own sun would soon shine.
He slept and woke up in hunger and with inadequacy every time. Yet,
his hope and belief in Ifá was unquestionable.
In his bid to know for sure what the future had in stock for him, O®or¾ eô¾-
Se¾ôgi¾ went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá
consultation: Will I succeed in life? Will I be blessed with my own
wife and children? Will I be among those who are destined to have
their own personal properties in life? Will I be accorded with due
honour and respect in life? Will my family members who had hitherto
abandoned me return to me again? Will I stop living a lonely life, full
of despair and disappointments? During Ifá consultation Ogbe¾-Wu;n’le;
was revealed.
The Awo assured O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ that his sun would soon shine for all to
see and appreciate. He was urged to persevere as he was almost
touching his success and opportunities. He was told not to lose hope
or give in to despair. The Awo also advised him to offer ẹbọ with four
white pigeons, and a keg of honey. He was also advised to feed
Ajé as stated above. It took him a lot of effort and self deprivation to
procure the materials. In the end, he got them and the ẹbọ was
offered.
For three full moons, nothing happened. Nothing changed. He was

still living in abject poverty and want. Instead of any improvement,
the situation was deteriorating further. To eat was getting tougher.
360
It got to a stage that he could no longer afford the money to buy

soap to bathe! Yet, O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ was hopeful that his sun would soon
shine. For three full lunar months, his sun had failed to shine. His life
remained in total darkness.
One day, a young girl of about 15 years of age came crying into his
house. This girl was covered with scabies all over her body. There
was almost no space on her body that scabies had not covered. She
was thrown out of her home because of the fear that she would infect
others with her ailment. It was believed that she had done something
wrong and O¾Ùbalu;aye; was angry with her. The family believed that the
scabies were a punishment from O¾Ùbalu;aye;. That was why they felt
that it was best to throw her out of the family for her to deal with her
problem alone. When she got to O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾‘s house, she collapsed
and sobbed uncontrollably. She was hungry and totally disoriented.
She was also confused and the pain of being wickedly thrown out by
her own family was too much for her to cope with.
When O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ asked her to explain how it all happened, she could
only cry and cry. She kept repeating "they threw me out” several
times. O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ knew that the ailment that had afflicted the girl had
absolutely nothing to do with O¾Ùbalu;aye;. It was something that he
could cure. The only snag was that there was no money to buy the
materials that he needed to use to cure the girl. There was no food in
the house, and there was no soap to bathe with! He was fully
determined to assist the girl in spite of his condition. The only way
was for him to assure the girl that there was no problem between her
and O¾Ùbalu;aye;. With appropriate medical attention, all the ailments
would disappear from her body. After this, he went to cut down some
dry wood so that he could sell it. He had never done this for himself
before but for this girl, he was ready to do anything within his
capacity to assist her. He only made a little money from this effort.
He spent the money to get some food for the girl.
The next day, he went out on an empty stomach to fetch more wood.
He took the wood to the market for sale. He repeated the trip to the
forest and the market four times that day. He got more money from
the sale. He bought soap and some of the materials needed for the
medication and some food. He did this for three days before all what
he needed to cure the ailment was complete. He prepared the
medicine and administered it on the girl. About 20 days after, the girl
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
was totally cured! During the time he had been spending with her he
realized that she was a very lovely person. The girl also felt very
much at home with him. While he would go out to work, the girl
would stay at his home and sweep the ground and fetch water. For
the first time in many years, he saw someone who was ready to assist
him without any consideration.
Now, the next task in helping her out was in how to reconcile the
problem with her parents and the entire household. At first, the girl
felt reluctant to go. After much talk and persuasion however, she
agreed to follow him to her parents’ house.
When they got there, they discovered, to their chagrin, that there was
nobody in the household who was not afflicted with scabies. The only
difference was that they had not thrown anyone else out of the
house. When they saw her, they were surprised that she was looking
fresh without any affliction. O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ explained to the family that
what they were suffering from had nothing to do with O¾Ùbalu;aye;. He
also assured them that it could be cured. They all agreed for him to
cure them of their ailments since they had seen their girl who had
already been cured of the same ailment. They discussed further.
They gave O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ an amount of money he had never seen before.
The money transformed him immediately from a poverty-stricken man
to a man of affluence and opulence. He already had an assistant.
The girl returned with him to prepare the remedy for her household
members.
Three days later, the medicine was ready. About 20 days after, they
were all cured of their ailment. Other families who had been afflicted
approached O®o¾reô¾-Se¾ôgi¾. They paid huge sums of money and they were
all cured. That was how O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ became an instant celebrity. He
also became an instant success story. He became wealthier far
beyond his wildest dreams.
When members of his family who had hitherto abandoned him heard
of his success, they began to look for him. They appealed to him to
forgive them. He did.
Two years after this, O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ woke up one morning only to find the
family members of the girl who had been working with him in front of
his house. They had come to discuss something very important with
362
him. Their discussion centred on their girl. Since O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ had
proved to be useful in the community and had assisted all those who
needed his help, the family felt that they could only show their
appreciation by giving him the hand of their daughter in marriage.
When he heard this, he was overwhelmed with joy. He informed his
own family members. They approved of the relationship. Ifá was
consulted on the matter and Ifá gave its go ahead.
The marriage ceremony was a huge spectacle and success.

Everybody was happy. The bride was even happier. The woman
gave him several children after. Their home was transformed from a
leaky abandoned house to a magnificent home befitting an influential
family in the community. He extended his wealth to both his and his
in-laws' family members. Everybody around him was happy.
One day, O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ planned to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his
transformation from poverty to affluence. He also intended it to be a
solemn thanksgiving ceremony. He invited many people to the
occasion. He was pleasantly surprised to see his own family members
and those of his in-laws singing, drumming and dancing together.
They were saying:
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o

Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o o
Awo l’O®o¾reô¾-Se¾g ô i¾ o
O®o¾re¾ô lo sôi'; gba; aje; pi¾ri;
Aje; poô¾ ni;’ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o o¾
O®o¾reô¾ lo; sôi’; gba; Aya pi¾ri;
Aya po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa
O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba; OÙmoô pi¾ri;
OÙmoô poô¾ ni;'ran a¾wa
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba; Ile; pi¾ri;

Ile; po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa
O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba ire gbogbo pi¾ri;
Ire gbogbo po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾re¾ô Seôg ¾ i¾ o
Translation:
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a competent Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a prominent Awo
O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened the
calabash of wealth
Wealth abounds in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
calabash of spouse
Spouses abound in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
calabash of children
Children abound in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened
the calabash of property
Property abounds in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
calabash of all Ire
All the Ire of life abounds in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
364
That was how the celebration went with O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ and his woman
feeling on top of the world. They were grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾, their
Orí their Ifá, and all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ too.
A®gba¾ra; o¾jo¾ ni;i; f’a¾ya¾ roô ko;o;ko di;na¾

Di;a; fu;n O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾ôgi¾
Ti; yo;o; sôi;’gba; Aje; pi¾ri;
EÙboô ni woôn ; ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;b ô oô, o; ru;’boô
Nj®eô; Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g ô i¾ o o
O®o¾re¾ô lo sôi'; gba; aje; pi¾ri;
Aje; poô¾ ni;’ran a¾wa
O®o¾reô¾ lo; sôi’; gba; Aya pi¾ri;
Aya po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa
O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba; OÙmoô pi¾ri;
OÙmoô poô¾ ni;'ran a¾wa
O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba; Ile; pi¾ri;
Ile; po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa
O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba ire gbogbo pi¾ri;
Ire gbogbo po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾re¾ô Seôg ¾ i¾ o
Translation:
The rain flood is it that drags debris and blocks the main road
This was Ifá’s message for O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ (the Porcupine)
Who would open the calabash of wealth suddenly
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:

He complied
Now, O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
calabash of wealth
Wealth abounds in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾gô i¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
calabash of spouse
Spouses abound in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
calabash of children
Children abound in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
calabash of property
Property abounds in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
calabash of all Ire
All the Ire of life abounds in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall move
from grass to grace; from nothing to abundance; and from despair to
boundless opportunities. Ifá enjoins this person never to lose hope.
Ifá says that his/her sun shall shine and when this happens, the sun
shall never set for the rest of his/her life.
366
11. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a compatible spouse for the
person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that the woman in
question is a fair skinned woman. The relationship will be beneficial
to both of them and it will be blessed with children.
Ifá says that it is advisable for the couple to never sleep in total
darkness. Their success and child-bearing chances are more
enhanced if they sleep with at least a little light present. Ifá also
advises the man to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens
and money. He also needs to feed Ifá with two rats, two fish,
and one hen.
On this, Ifá says:
Aroô ni o¾ roô; gi¾di¾ l’a;;ja¾

Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
Ti; yo;o; sô’oôôkoô Amoô;ye¾ye¾
Translation:
A cripple cannot jump up onto the ceiling of a house

This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾
When going to become the husband of Amoô;ye¾ye¾
(the fair skinned woman)
OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ needed a woman who would be his wife. He consulted Ifá

on the matter. Ifá said that the woman that would be compatible to
his life at that; point in time would be a fair skinned woman. He was
also told that the woman would give birth to many fine children for
him.
The revelation was very pleasing to OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ and he therefore

decided to exercise patience for the right woman to come into his life.
One day, OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ met Amoô;ye¾ye¾. Her body features matched the
descriptions of the woman that Ifá had earlier told him that would be
compatible to his life. To make sure however, OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ consulted Ifá
again and Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; was revealed.
367
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
In this Odù, Ifá explained that Amo;;ôye¾ye¾ would make OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ happy
and fulfilled. He was also told that the woman would bear him the
children of his dreams who would make him a proud father. These
children would be useful to themselves, their parents, their siblings,
their friends, their extended family members, their community and the
larger society in general.
The Awo advised OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish,
two hens and money. He was also told to feed his O®ke¾-I®po¾ôri; (Ifá)
with two rats, two fish and one hen. OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ complied.
It was after the ẹbọ and I®boô had been offered that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s family
members went to Amo;;ôye¾ye¾’s family to ask for her hand in marriage.
The family also went for Ifá consultation and it was revealed that the
relationship would be of mutual benefit to everyone.
A short while after this, the wedding ceremony was conducted. In

spite of the fact that all the necessary rites were performed, the
expected gains were not realized. What went wrong? What could
have caused this? Was there anything that they were expected to do
which they had left undone? Was there something they were not
supposed to do which they had been doing? Why was it that the joy,
satisfaction, contentment, self-actualization and babies which Ifá
promised had not materialized? Seven years of marriage had passed
already and still no progress; no satisfaction; not even one single
baby, and no achievement. What could they do now? The only option
left was for them to approach Ifá and demand for an explanation as
to what was amiss. They returned to the home of the Awo mentioned
above for Ifá consultation. In the process, Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; was revealed.
Ifá repeated that the marriage would be blessed with joy, satisfaction,
contentment, elevation, progress, many children and self-
actualization. The Awo told them that they would have no cause for
regret in any way whatsoever.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ trusted this Awo. He was one of his former students who
was well trained in all the departments of Ifá pedagogy. In spite of
this, his predictions on this issue had not come to pass. Why?
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ explained the situation to the Awo. They asked Ifá to
368
explain to them what actually was going wrong? That was when they
came to realize that there was something that they ought to be doing
which they had left undone. Better put, there was something which
they had ought not to do which they had been doing. What was that?
After much investigation, it was discovered that the delegates of
Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Iru;nmoôleô¾ô who were responsible for bringing all the
Ire of life that the coupled craved for could not operate in total
darkness. They performed their functions in the middle of the night
but some light had to be present. This was new information to them.
Amo;ôye¾ye¾ was mandated by the Awo to ensure that there was light in
the room they slept in every night. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ left the house of the Awo
full of pride for his former student. All appropriate ẹbọ was offered.
Four days after this revelation, things began to change positively for
the couple. They began to feel joy and satisfaction in their lives.
There was this inexplicable comfort and tranquillity that enveloped
their lives. The next month, Amo;ôye¾ye¾ realized that she had become
pregnant! On the tenth month, she gave birth to a baby girl. Their
joy multiplied. Everything in their lives changed for the good. Their
only regret was that they ought to have had light in their room since
the first night of their marriage!
Aroô ni¾ o¾ ro;ô gi¾di¾ l’a;ja¾

Ti; yo;o; sô’oôkoô Amo;ôye¾ye¾
Ko¾ pe¾ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yoô¾
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Nje Amoô;ye¾ye¾ tan’na; si;'le;
ô ô; Iru;nmoôleô¾ n; bo¾ô wa o
O®ji;se
Amo;ôye¾ye¾ tan’na; si;’le;
Translation:
A cripple cannot jump up onto the ceiling of a house

This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾
When going to become the husband of Amoô;ye¾ye¾
(the fair skinned woman)
369
OGBE® HU:N’LE:

He complied
Now, Amoô;ye¾ye¾ light up your room
The delegates of the Iru;nmoôleô¾ are coming
Amoô;ye¾ye¾ light up your room
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will have cause
to celebrate his/her achievements and good luck. The couple for
whom this Odù is revealed will also live satisfied and fulfilled lives.
They will also be blessed with many wonderful children who will be
useful to themselves and to the society at large. The couple will live
for the rest of their lives as contented and self-actualized people as
long as they do not allow anything or anyone to mislead them.
12. Ifá says that a woman has separated from her husband where
this Odù is revealed. The separation may lead to divorce. Ifá says
that it is not in the best interest of the woman to separate from her
husband let alone divorce him. If a woman is contemplating
separation or divorce where this Odù is revealed, it is not advisable
for her to take such steps, it is in her best overall interest to stay in
her matrimonial home and find a means of resolving whatever the
problems were that had brought separation or divorce into her mind.
If the woman has already separated from her husband, she is urged
to return back to her husband.
Ifá also advises a man whose wife has left him to allow her back if the
woman takes steps to return to her matrimonial home. If the woman
does not return, she will undergo further physical and emotional
hardship. There is the need for forgiveness, peace and to give
reconciliation a chance.
Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat, two
guinea-fowls and money. She also needs to feed Ifá with one
mature she-goat. After this, there is the need for her to ensure
that she does not allow anything and anyone to mislead her into
taking wrong and unprofitable decisions.
370
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ wu;n’le;
Ile; la¾a; wu;n
OÙ®na¾ eôni la¾a; toô¾
OÙ®na¾ ti; a o¾ toô¾ ri;
O®Ùna¾ ti; a o¾ loô ri;
Ni;i; sôe’ni sôi¾ba;la;-sôi¾bolo
Di;a; fu;n Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
Ti;i; sô’aya A®ba¾ta¾ l’O:do¾
Translation:
Ogbè remain in your home

It is preferable to stay in one’s home
The path that one has ever taken before
The path that one has ever trekked before
Such a path usually brings confusion
This was Ifa;’s message for Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
(the Giant Cocoyam)
The wife of A®ba¾ta¾ (the Swamp)
Before she got married, Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ had many suitors. They all
promised to take very good care of her. In the end, she went for Ifá
consultation. Ifá advised her to marry A®ba¾ta¾ and if she did, she
would be able to live her life to the fullest. She offered all the
necessary ẹbọ and finally settled for A®ba¾ta¾. In a matter of 10 years
after marriage, she had become a phenomenon. She had realized
most of her desires in life. She was a happy and fulfilled woman. She
also had several children who were well taken care of and these
children all looked like her. There really was nothing that she
fervently desired which Olo;du¾mare¾ would not bless her with.
One day however her friends began to whisper into her ears that
maybe, she would have been happier with another man. Maybe, she
could have had more children for another man. Maybe, she could
have been more fulfilled in the home of another man. Maybe, she
371
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
could have become a more prominent woman in the home of another

man. Maybe, she could have been accorded more regard and honour
by another man. Maybe, their children could have been taken care of
in a better way by another man. Maybe, her children could have
become more prominent if she had given birth to them for another
man. Maybe, maybe, maybe...
At the initial stage, she took no notice of what her friends were telling
her. The situation got so bad however with her friends, that almost
every time her husband would caution her against doing something,
her friends would scream at her and say,” If you had been married to
Pa;pa; the Savannah) one of your former suitors, he would never had
even thought about ever cautioning you or curtailing any action you
wished to take.”
They vouched that her husband was simply too jealous and envied
how much prominence she had. They would also warn her that if she
failed to take appropriate action, a time would come that her husband
would completely cover up all her talents and potentials! Gradually,
she began to think about what her friends were telling her.
The more she thought about what they would tell her, the more she
convinced herself that her friends were right after all. She convinced
herself that she must take appropriate action. That was what she
must do! She then began to view all the actions and activities of
A®ba¾ta¾ with suspicion. The funny thing was that she had once admired
how her husband would always look out for her and worry about her.
What must she do? What was the appropriate action that she must
take? How must she take the step? Her friends were handy to teach
her what to do. The action that was most appropriate was to divorce
A®ba¾ta¾! Divorce? Oh yes! That was the appropriate action to take!
But, how do you divorce a man who has never offended you in any
way? How do you separate yourself from a man simply because you
suspect that he is trying to control and minimize your full potentials?
How would I explain to my children that my reason for divorcing their
father was based completely on suspicion? True, she had convinced
herself that she would divorce A®ba¾ta¾ but how would she explain this
to her children and family members?
372
Apart from this, there were two other things to consider: How would
she move out of her matrimonial home without incurring the odium of
the larger society? And two, if she left, where would she go? It was
obvious that her family members would never take her back because
they could not see any offence that A®ba¾ta¾ had committed against her.
Furthermore, she had never before gone to her family house for one
day to report any misdeed perpetrated by A®ba¾ta¾.
Then again, her friends were handy to tell her what to do and to give
answers to all her questions. First, if there was no evidence against
her husband to warrant a divorce, it could be invented. She could
also provoke him into taking drastic actions against her and that
would be used as evidence against him. She could push his patience
to the limit and ensure that he misbehaved. All her friends promised
to be nearby so that they would be her witnesses.
Second, why must she be concerned about what other people say
anyway? After all, none of them were experiencing the deprivation
and curtailment which A®ba¾ta¾ was subjecting her to. She was the
person facing the problem not them. The best all these people could
be was just sympathizers. She must never allow the opinion of others
to deter her from taking her decision. She could simply walk out of
the relationship and that would be none of anybody’s business.
As for her parents and children, they would forget their anger after
sometime and they would embrace her back. After all, the children
could not substitute another mother for her and her parents could not
have another woman to replace her as their daughter.
Third, where she would go to was obvious: to the home of Pa;pa; of

course! He had promised to take better care of her. He would make
her happier and more fulfilled. He had even promised that he would
take responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of all her children.
She would feel on top of the world if she moved into his home!
With this assurance, the plan began in earnest. Her attitude changed
completely. She became a stubborn, nagging and snappy woman.
Nothing her husband did ever satisfied her anymore. She would
constantly jump at him and rain curses and abuses on him. She
would provoke him at every opportunity even for very small things.
The husband was totally confused. He was however certain of one
373
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
thing: this was not the natural attitude of his beloved wife.
Something must be wrong. He resolved to talk it over with her.
He called his wife for a talk. As soon as he called her “my darling
wife”, all became pandemonium. She slapped him repeatedly. She
screamed, kicked and panted. She cursed him for daring to call her
his darling wife. She used her nails to cut him all over his face. Blood
gushed out from the wounds. Yet, A®ba¾ta¾ remained calm. Her friends
rushed in to see what was happening in order to serve as witnesses to
the fact of her being abused. They were all surprised to see that
A®ba¾ta¾ did not even lift one finger to defend himself; let alone raise his
hand against her. He absorbed everything as if nothing had
happened.
This type of provocation became a common occurrence in their home

but A®ba¾ta¾ would not react in any aggressive way. One day she even
hit him on the head and blood gushed out. He still refused to react.
This brought her more frustration.
Meanwhile, she had been meeting Pa;pa; in a secret location. Pa;pa;

was urging her to pack her things and move into his home as quickly
as possible. He told her that he could not wait to see her in his home.
He promised to do everything that she wanted for her. He also
promised that he would not restrict her from doing whatever she
wished to do.
One day, A®ba¾ta¾ was resting outside his house. He saw his wife
coming along the road with two bundles, one on her head and the
other on her shoulder. He quickly rushed to meet her and help her
with one of the bundles. The wife flared into an uncontrollable rage.
“Who needs your help?" She screamed. She went on and on. When
A®ba¾ta¾ refused to talk, she rushed at him and ripped his clothes off his
body. At this particular moment, members of her own family were
coming to visit her.
When they saw what she had done, they all questioned her and asked
her why she was humiliating her husband in public in such a manner.
This made her very angry. She charged at them and told them to
convert him to their own family member if they wished. She rushed
in and began to pack her things. Her friends were nowhere to be
seen and no one helped her pack her things. All appeals from her
374
husband and her own family members fell on deaf ears. She left that
day. All her things were packed into the home of Pa;pa;.
For three to four months, it was enjoyment for her and her new found
lover. Her friends visited her every day. They brought news of the
sorrow of her former husband to her. It was the rainy season.
Everything was in abundance for her. She hardly thought of her
children and family members.
As soon as the rain stopped however, trouble began. The lack of

water, coupled with intense sun and her exposure to it made her
suffer and she felt uncomfortable. She grew lean and ugly steadily.
Soon after, she fell seriously ill. She called on her friends but they
would not come. They then began to tell her that she left her
husband’s home because she was too greedy.
What else could she have wanted in her life which was not already
given to her? They then made jest of her. She soon realized that she
was all alone. Her behaviours soon began to put Pa;pa; off. He
prayed for her to go away from his home. She was alone and lonely.
She had nobody to console her. That was when she decided to go to
the home of the Awo stated above for Ifá consultation. Her main
question was what she needed to do to get herself out of her present
predicament. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Hu;nle; was revealed.
The Awo blamed her for listening to bad advice and for taking a bad
and unjustifiable decision. The Awo told her that her husband from
heaven was A®ba¾ta¾ but she deceived herself by moving in with another
man. If she had stayed with her man, she was told, she would have
never faced the predicament she found herself in. The Awo told her
that the only solution was for her to find a way of returning to her
husband’s home. She was advised to go and look for people who
would help her appeal to her husband to accept her back into his life.
She was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied.
She went to plead with her friends and family members to help her
appeal to her husband to accept her back. The same friends blamed
her for not listening to good advice when they were telling her not to
leave her husband and she refused to listen. She could not argue at
all. She was not in any position to argue. She only wanted them to
help her plead with her husband.
375
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Her friends and family members went to A®ba¾ta¾. They pleaded with
him to forgive Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ and overlook all the bad decisions she had
made. Surprisingly, A®ba¾ta¾ responded that he knew all along that how
she was acting was not the usual character of his wife. He assured
them that he had forgiven her and she was free to return to her
home.
When Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ heard this news, she was overwhelmed with joy.
She returned to her husband’s home that same evening. As she was
going, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ began singing, saying:
Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ de; o
Aya A®ba¾ta¾
Obi¾nrin n; re’le; oôkoô reô¾ a¾ar; o¾ô o
Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ ma¾ ma¾ de; o
Aya A®ba¾ta¾
Obi¾nrin ma¾ n;re’le; oôkoô reô a¾ar; oô¾ o
Translation
Here comes Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾

The wife of A®ba¾ta¾
The woman is returning to her first husband’s home
Here come Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
The wife of A®ba¾¾ta¾
The woman is truly returning to her first husband’s home
That was how Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ returned to the home of A®ba¾ta¾. The

following day, A®ba¾ta¾ called her very early in the morning for a serious
discussion. They both discussed for a long long time.
She tendered her unreserved apology to him and although everything

that had happened had hurt him deeply, A®ba¾ta¾ forgave her. Since that
day henceforth, Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ returned to comfort, joy and opulence.
She reunited with her children and family members. She never
listened to bad advice or contemplated taking any nasty steps again.
376
Ogbe¾ wu;n’le;
Ile; la¾a; wu;n
OÙ®na¾ eôni la¾a; toô¾
OÙ®na¾ ti; a o¾ toô¾ ri;
O®Ùna¾ ti; a o¾ loô ri;
Ni;i; sôe’ni sôi¾ba;la;-sôi¾bolo
Di;a; fu;n Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
Ti;i; sô’aya A®ba¾ta¾ l’O:do¾
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’bo;ô
N®je;ô Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ o; de; o
Aya A®ba¾ta¾
Obi¾nrin n; re’le; oôkoô reô¾ a¾ar; oô o
Translation:
Ogbè remain in your home

It is preferable to stay in one’s home
The path that one has ever taken before
The path that one has ever trekked before
Such a path usually brings confusion
This was Ifa;’s message for Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
(the Giant Cocoyam)
The wife of A®ba¾ta¾ (the Swamp)
She complied
Here comes Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
The wife of A®ba¾ta¾
The woman is returning to her first husband’s home
Ifá says that if a woman is facing major tribulation, frustration, or

illness where this Odù is revealed, it is because she has left her
matrimonial home and it was not in her interest to do so. She needs
to find the means and way to return to her matrimonial in order for
normalcy to return to her life. Her man also needs to forgive her. If
the couple can mend the relationship things will go very well for both
of them.
377
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
13. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of many children for the person
for whom Ogbe¾-Hu;nle; is revealed. Ifá says that this person will not
experience the problem of child-bearing in his/her life. Ifá says that if
this person is already experiencing this problem however, it will
become a thing of the past in no time. Ifá says that the coming baby
has come into the world with its own name. The name of the baby is
Ifa;re¾ômi;le;ôku;n or Reô¾mi;le;ôku;n for short. This name means: Ifá puts an
end to my crying and lamentation.
Ifá says that the coming of the baby will be accompanied with
prosperity, property, success, joy, contentment, sound health,
longevity and all the Ire of life. This person will not lack any Ire in
life, but his/her biggest asset in life will be his/her children.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature she-goat and
money. There is also the need for him/her to feed Ifá with another
mature she-goat.
On this, Ifá says:
O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran

O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾
Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe;
Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti;
Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾re¾ô
Ti;i; n;f'omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
Translation:
Black thread is not easy to spin

It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove
The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away
Sooner or later
The termites will consume it
378
Something ran across the road

And swerved to this side
And swerved to that side
These were Ifá’s messages for O®or¾ e¾ô (the Porcupine)
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to
beget her own baby
She was advised to offer eôôboô
How could she not cry? Why must she not cry? What is so amusing
in seeing one’s colleagues become pregnant and carrying their own
babies when one’s own womb has remained flat without any seed of
the womb germinating therein? Who could ever advise her not to
cry? She had the right to cry! She was tired of counting the time, the
days, weeks, months and years of her wedding without having any
baby to crown her marital life.
One day, O®or¾ e¾ô cried and cried and cried some more. She slept off.
She had a dream where someone told her that crying would never
solve her problem. She needed to find a solution to her problems
instead of engaging in perpetual weeping. When she woke up, she
headed straight for the home of the group of Awo mentioned above
for Ifá consultation: Will I receive the blessing of the fruit of the
womb in my life? Will my tears be wiped off and be replaced with
laughter? Will I have my own babies and children to shower my love
and attention on? Will I be blessed with my own children to send on
errands? Will I become a mother in my own lifetime before it
becomes too late for me to bear children? These and many more
were the questions which O®or¾ e¾ô asked Ifá during the consultation.
When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾-Hu;nle; was revealed.
The Awo told O®or¾ e¾ô that through Ifá, Olo;du¾mare¾ was about to wipe off
her tears and replace them with laughter. She was told that
Olo;du¾mare¾ would give her several children to make her happy. The
first baby, she was advised, should be named Reô¾mi;le;ôku;n, she was
also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied. She also
propitiated Ifá as she had been advised.
379
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Two months after, O®or¾ e¾ô became pregnant. Because she had been
told that her children would be her biggest blessings in life, she
stopped working altogether for fear of losing the pregnancy. In spite
of this, people kept bringing businesses to her at home. She was
coordinating all her business from home and was making huge profit.
She gave birth to the baby in opulence. The baby was named
Ifa;re¾ômi;le;ôku;n- Ifá puts an end to my crying and lamentation.

Di;a; fu;n O®o¾re¾ô
Ti;i; n;f'omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
O® ba; re¾ômi; leô;ku;n n da;boô¾
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;boô¾ Aje;
O®ri¾reô¾
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;boô¾ aya
O®ri¾reô¾
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;boô¾ oômoô
O®ri¾reô¾
380
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô ile;
O®ri¾reô¾
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;boô¾ ire gbogbo
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ômi; leôô;ku;n n da;boô¾
O®ri¾re¾ô
Translation:

Sooner or later
These were Ifá’s messages for O®or¾ e¾ô/O®ri¾reô¾ (the Porcupine)
beget her own baby
She was advised to offer eôôboô
She complied
Please replace my tears and make me happy
O®ri¾reô¾
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears and make me happy with
financial success
O®ri¾reô¾
O®ri¾reô¾
with a compatible spouse
381
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
O®ri¾reô¾
O®ri¾reô¾
with children
O®ri¾reô¾
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears and make me
happy with properties
O®ri¾reô¾
O®ri¾reô¾
with all the Ire of life
O®ri¾reô¾
O®ri¾reô¾
Ifá says that the tears of this person shall be wiped off and in their
place will be the blessings of prosperity, spouse, children, properties,
longevity etc. All the blessings of life shall come, one just needs to
hold on to Ifá and be prayerful and dedicated.
14. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to
offer the ẹbọ of childbearing. This is not only for him/her to be able
to beget his/her own children, but also because children are his/her
biggest support and blessing in life. His/her pride and achievements
are in the number of children he/she has and how well-trained the
children are.
The number of children that this person intends to beget in life will
determine the number of hens that he/she will offer as ẹbọ. But if the
number of his/her own children, together with those of his/her own
grand-children and the children of his/her beloved ones are put into
consideration. It is advisable for this person to offer ẹbọ with 50
hens and money. Doing this will guarantee the success and
elevation of his/her own children, grand-children, loved ones and
followers in his/her life time.
382
On this, Ifá says:

Di;a; fu;n Olo;gu;n EÙru; O®de I®bi;ni;
EÙru; o¾un le¾ po¾ô si lo; n;da;fa; si;
Translation:

Sooner or later
These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of the
20 servants of I®bi;ni; land
When preoccupied with how the number of his
servants would increase
Olo;gu;n-EÙru; the owner of 20 servants was a native of I®bi;ni; city. He

was born and raised there. His own idea of wealth and success was
in the accumulation of several servants who would serve him for the
rest of his life. Consequent upon this, his major preoccupation was
how to get more servants. It was for this reason that he went to the
group of Awo stated above for Ifá consultation: Will I be able to
383
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
acquire more slaves? Will I be successful in my life? During Ifá

consultation, Ogbe¾-Wu;nle; was revealed.
The Awo told Olo;gu;n-EÙru; that he would become a very successful

person in life. He would have people to serve him on earth but he
would have no person to carry on his name and lineage after his
death. He was advised to offer ẹbọ with 20 hens so he could have
more servants and 20 more hens so that he could have his own
children and continue his lineage after his death.
Olo;gu;n-EÙru; thought about this for a long time. He concluded that as

long as he was able to find servants who would serve him and follow
all his directives without argument or questioning there was no way
they would not continue doing so after his death. He therefore
offered ẹbọ for him to have more servants only. He there procured
only 20 hens and the Awo offered the ẹbọ for him.

Di;a; fu;n OÙÙlo;ôgboô¾n i¾wo¾ôfa¾ O®de I®ja;moô¾
I®woô¾fa¾ o¾un le¾ po¾ô si lo; n;da';fa; si;
Translation:

Sooner or later
384

30 serfs of I®ja;mo¾ô land
When preoccupied with how the number of
his serfs would increase
He was advised to offer
Just like Olo;gu;n-EÙru;, OÙloô;gbo¾ôn I®woô¾fa¾ was also preoccupied with what
to do to increase the number of his serfs so that they would be able
to serve him well and by so doing increase his success and prosperity.
Consequent upon this, he decided to go to the home of the group of
Awo stated above for Ifá consultation: Will it be possible for me to
continue to multiply my wealth through the acquisition of many more
serfs? Will they work for me unquestioningly? When Ifá was
consulted, like Olo;gu;n-EÙru;, Ogbe¾-Wu;nle; was revealed.
The Awo told OÙlo;ôgboôn I®woô¾fa¾ that he too would be very successful in
his lifetime but that the success would go into ruins as soon as he
died. He advised him to offer ẹbọ with 30 hens in order to succeed
and with another 30 hens in order for his success not to perish as
soon as he died.
OÙlo;ôgboôn I®woôf¾ a¾ also thought over what the Awo said and felt that
there was no point offering any ẹbọ whose manifestation would take
place after his death. How would he be certain that the ẹbọ was
really necessary when he would not be alive to know? He decided to
procure only 30 hens and money. The Awo offered the ẹbọ for him
with the 30 hens.

Di;a; fu;n Ala;aa ¾ ;do;tô a I®ya¾wo; O®de I®ra¾wo¾ô
385
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
EÙku;n oômoô lo; n; sun

Translation:

Sooner or later
These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of
the 50 wives of I®ra¾woô¾ land
When weeping in lamentation of his inability
to beget his own children
His major concern was how to beget as many children as possible.

He believed that children were his own prosperity. The more he had,
the more prosperous he would become. For that reason, he married
50 wives. None of these women however were able to become
pregnant. This made him very sad. Consequent upon this, he went
to the home of the same Awo who Olo;gu;n-EÙru; of I®bi;ni; land and
OÙlo;ôgboô¾n I®wo¾ôfa¾ of I®ja;moô¾ land had earlier gone to. Will I be able to
have many children in my life? Will these children be able to carry on
after my demise? What do I need to do to ensure that this happens?
These and more were the questions at the back of his mind when he
went for Ifá consultation. When Ifá was cast for him, Ogbe¾-Hu;nle;
was also revealed.
The Awo told him that he was preoccupied with how he would
determine his success chances in life. He was told that children were
truly the measure of his success. The more well-trained children he
had, the more his success chances in his life. The Awo told him to
offer ẹbọ with 50 hens and money so that he would beget children
who would carry on his lineage after his death. He procured the
materials and offered the ẹbọ that same day.
386
Olo;gu;n-EÙru; was able to accumulate more slaves. His business thrived.

He set up a massive trading enterprise. He sat on top of a big
business organization. Money was not his problem. His profit-making
skills were the envy and admiration of those around him. He had a
firm grip on all his business ventures.
As he was getting older however, problems began to rear their ugly

heads up. He was no longer as active as he used to be. He found it
difficult to monitor all his trading activities as he used to do. He had
no child of his own to help him in coordinating all his business
activities. He had earlier felt that it was not necessary. Now he knew
that it was.
However, he realized that it was just too late for him to begin to think
of marriage and child-bearing at his old age. He began to live the rest
of his life with regrets. Before he died, most of his business activities
had gone into the hands of others. His profits were being enjoyed by
his numerous slaves. He had no energy to effect any correction.
When he died, all his slaves shared his remaining belongings and
returned to their various family homes. Olo;gu;n-EÙru; died and lost
everything.
OÙloô;gbo¾ôn-I®woô¾fa¾ began as a farmer. Before long, his farming enterprise

had become very large. In fact, they were larger than anything which
anyone had ever seen before in that community. As he continued to
amass more serfs, so did his farmlands expand where the serfs would
work. He made more money than anybody had ever made before.
He felt that he was on the very top of the world.
When he began to grow older, he too started to lose grip of his

command and authority. He had no child to assist him and his
siblings were just after their own selfish interests. His serfs began to
misbehave but he no longer had the strength to call them to order.
His business enterprises began to reduce right in his lifetime. When
he died, he too lost everything to other people just like Olo;gu;n-EÙru;
his counterpart.
¾ d
On the day that Ala;aa ; o;ôta-I®ya¾wo; went to offer his own ẹbọ, the Awo
told him that the ẹbọ must be placed by the road-side in the dead of
the night. He was told that he would meet a creature by the road-
387
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
side but he must not entertain any fear. He was to place his ẹbọ by
the side of this creature and then pray fervently for all his heart's
desires. He was assured that all his prayers would be accepted and
answered by Olo;du¾mare¾.
That night, he went out with his ẹbọ. When he got to the spot where
he was to place his ẹbọ by the road-side, he met this creature. All its
body was covered with spikes. As he had earlier been told not to
fear, he didn’t. He prayed for all what he wanted in his life. His
prayers centred primarily on begetting children who would continue
his lineage and would carry on his legacy whenever he died.
As he was praying the creature approached him and asked “what are
the things that you need in your life that impelled you to offer this
ẹbọ?” He responded that he wanted to have well-trained and well-
behaved children who would carry on his lineage and legacy after his
death. “Your prayers are answered. Go home. Please do not look
back until you get home. My name is O®or¾ e¾ô, the Porcupine. I was
created by Olo;du¾mare¾ to put an end to the suffering and lamentation
of human beings. Go and meet your Babaláwo first thing tomorrow
morning and they will tell you more about me. Good night”.
Ala;a¾ad
; oô;ta I®ya¾wo; returned home totally amazed by what he had seen
and heard. The next morning, he went to his group of Awo and
explained to them all what he had experienced. They told him that
his prayers had truly been accepted by Olo;du¾mare¾. He was told to go
home and continue his business. He did.
Three years after, Ala;aa ¾ d

; o;ôta I®ya¾wo; had more than 100 children.
Twenty years after this, his numerous children were the ones in
charge of all his business enterprises. He did not need to exert any
energy in order to ensure that his various businesses moved the way
he wanted. His children were the ones doing that. He was only
coordinating all the activities of his children. As he grew older, he
was sure that his children would not need him so much again as they
were capable of handling the businesses on their own. He made his
first son and his first daughter the head of his business enterprise.
He lived the rest of his life a contented man. He died a fulfilled
person, old in age but young at heart.
388

Di;a; fu;n Olo;gu;n EÙru; O®de I®bi;ni;
EÙru; o¾un le¾ po¾ô si lo; n;da;fa; si;
Di;a; fu;n OÙÙlo;ôgboô¾n i¾wo¾ôfa¾ O®de I®ja;moô¾
I®woôf¾ a¾ o¾un le¾ po¾ô si lo; n;da;fa; si;
Di;a; fu;n Ala;aa ¾ ;do;tô a I®ya¾wo; O®de I®ra¾wo¾ô
Ala;aa ¾ d
; oô;ta I®ya¾wo; ni¾kan ni; n;beô leô;yi¾n to; n; sôeboô
Olo;gu;n-EÙru; ku;
EÙru; re’le;
389
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
OÙlo;ôgboô¾n I®woô¾fa¾ ku;

I®woô¾fa¾ gba ibo¾mi;ra¾n loô
EÙ®yin o¾¾ mo¾ô wi;pe;; oômoô ni i¾gbe¾ôyi¾n oôla¾ ni;pe¾ôkun
N®je;ô ki;nlo; reô ni l'eô;ku;n o
Ti;; mo fi d’e;ôbe¾ô o
O®o¾re¾ô
Lo; re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n o
Ti; mo fi d’e;ôbeôô
O®o¾re¾ô
Translation:

Sooner or later
These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of
the 20 servants of I®bi;ni; land
servants would increase
Sooner or later
30 serfs of I®ja;mo¾ô land
serfs would increase
390

Sooner or later
50 wives of I®ra¾woô¾ land
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to
beget his own children
Only Ala;ad¾ o;ôta I®ya¾wo; complied
When Olo;gun-EÙru; died
All his slaves returned to their various homes
When OÙlo;ôgbo¾ôn-Iwoôfa¾ died
All his serfs dispersed to different destinations
Travellers to Ìpo and OÙ®fa¾
Can’t you see that it is the legacy of the owner of
well-trained children that cannot go into ruin?
Who was it that wiped off my tears for me to be
blessed with achievement?
O®o¾re¾ô
He was the one that wiped off my tears
And gave me the blessing of achievement
O®o¾re¾ô
Ifá says that this person's tears and melancholy will be wiped off and
be replaced with joy, achievements and self-actualization. Ifá advises
the person for whom this Odù is revealed to take the matter of child-
bearing, childrearing and child training very seriously because his/hers
biggest blessings and profits will come from his/hers children.
15. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is in the
habit of doing good for, and pleasing, outsiders at the expense of
his/her own immediate family members. Ifá says that this is a very
391
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
bad and unacceptable habit. There is the need for him/her to change
this habit forthwith. This is because a time is coming when he/she will
suffer and receive serious punishment from outside and he/she will
end up needing the assistance and support of his/her own relatives
but they will never give him the support if he is not helpful to them.
This is the reason why he/she needs to assist his/her relatives in
order for them to rise up in his/her support whenever he/she needs
them.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and
money. There is also the need for him/her to have a change of
attitude and render support and help for his/her immediate family
more so than for strangers or outsiders.
On this, Ifá says:
Ile; n'ile; ire
O®de l’o¾de i¾re¾
Baba yo;o; s’a¾se¾ boô; o¾ôka¾nle;nu; Irunmoôle¾ô l’oô;du;n
Wo;ôn o; tu;n ko; pa¾sa;n ti¾i;
Translation:
Home is the place where ire of life lives

And outside is where ire of life is displayed
This was Ifa;’s message for O®ru;nmi¾la¾
When feasting the 401 Irunmoôleô¾ during his annual festival
And would be thoroughly beaten in the process
True, O®ru;nmi¾la¾ was in the world to satisfy everybody, both his

immediate family and outside. In the spiritual sense, everyone in the
world is like his children. That was why he simply could not
understand why the members of his immediate household and
relatives were always complaining that he was making outsiders
happier than them. He called them together and explained to them
that he needed to be fair to all in his dealings. He stated further that
he could not be seen to lean towards his own family and relatives
more than others.
392
In their response, the family members agreed that he ought to be fair

to all. At the same time however they pointed out that he should not
neglect his fundamental responsibilities to his own family and relatives
simply because he wanted to be seen to be fair to everyone. The
discussion went back and forth for a long time. In the end, it
degenerated into a heated argument where both sides stuck to their
points of view. They left the meeting in anger. O®ru;nmi¾la¾ vowed not
to have anything to do with his relatives again. His relatives vowed
not to approach him for assistance again. They were all living in the
same compound but they cut off all form of communication with each
other.
O®ru;nmi¾la¾ surrounded himself with outsiders and did all his things with
them. His relatives were mere onlookers. This went on until the time
for O®ru;nmi¾la¾ to celebrate his annual festival approached. He went for
Ifá consultation in the home of one of his former students. Ogbe¾-
Hu;n’le; was revealed.
The Awo told O®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he had leaned towards outsiders more
than his own relatives in all his dealings. He told O®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the
outcome of such an action would not be in his best interest. The Awo
urged his former boss to have a change of attitude toward his family
and relatives. He also advised him to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-
goat and money.
O®ru;nmi¾la¾ agreed to offer the ẹbọ and he did. He however felt that it
was not yet time for him to reconcile with his relatives. What really
angered him was that he perceived them hoping for his annual
festival to flop! For that reason, he must prove to them that their
refusal to participate would not make his festival to be unsuccessful.
All the pleadings of this Awo fell on O®ru;nmi¾la¾’s deaf ears.
Four days to the festival time, O®ru;nmi¾la¾ house was a beehive of
activities. Everyone was doing everything to ensure the success of
the festival. All the people were total strangers in the house. None of
O®ru;nmi¾la¾’s relatives participated in any of the planning or activities.
O®ru;nmi¾la¾ was moving up and down. He was sweating and toiling
more than he had ever done before when all his relatives participated
in the preparations.
On the day of the festival, there was more than enough food and
drinks for all the 401 invited Irunmole and their companions. He also
393
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
ensured that all the taboos of each Irunmole and devotees were
carefully avoided. Musicians were on the standby. The guests began
to eat and drink. O®ru;nmi¾la¾'s relatives were merely looking at what
was happening from afar. The musicians were the best around. It was
a great occasion. Before long, most of the invited guests got drunk.
Some Egu;ngu;n devotees grouped themselves together in a place and
they began to beat each other with switches. This added glamour to
the occasion. O®ru;nmi¾la¾ was very glad to see that his festival was a
huge success. Towards the end of the festival, O®ru;nmi¾la¾ drew close
to the Egu;ngu;n devotees in order to spend some money on them. In
their state of drunkenness, they mistook his actions for something
else. One of them grabbed O®ru;nmi¾la¾ by the neck, right in front of
O®ru;nmi¾la¾’s relatives. They were just looking at what was happening.
Before he could explain himself, the other Egu;ngu;n devotees
descended on him. He was beaten black and blue. They rolled him on
the ground. All those who rushed to the scene joined in beating
O®ru;nmi¾la¾. He eventually passed out. He was kicked into
consciousness. They said that he was merely pretending. They
rained another set of beatings on him. He passed out again. He was
kicked back into consciousness again.
That was what was happening when Eṣu OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to meet his
relatives. He told them that if they continued to stand aloof and
watch, O®ru;nmi¾la¾ would be beaten to death. It was going to be the
loss of the whole family. It was in their best interest to intervene and
rescue him from further punishment. He told them that if someone in
your family is so blessed to the extent of procuring a horse for his
personal use, for whatever reason, if they failed to take care of the
horse and the horse died, their family would cease to be known as the
family of horse riders.
When they heard what Eṣu OÙ®da¾ra¾ said, they rose in unison and
stopped the people from inflicting further punishment on O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾.
They took him inside the house. They cleaned his wounds and cuts
and they dressed him up. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ could not believe that it was the
same relatives whom he had ignored in all the things he was doing
that eventually rallied round him and came to his rescue.
Three days after the incident, Eṣu OÙ®da¾ra¾ returned to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s
house. He blamed O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ for his failure to heed the advice of Ifá.
He resolved the problem for the family. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ readily accepted his
394
fault. All the family members embraced one another. They also
mandated O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to prepare their own feast for them as a sign of
total reconciliation. He did. As from that period henceforth, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
started to put his relatives first in all his considerations.
Ile; n'ile; ire

O®de l’o¾de i¾re¾
Baba yo;o; s’a¾se¾ bo;ô o¾ôka¾nle;nu; Irunmoôleô¾ l’oô;du;n
Wo;n o; tu;n k;o pa¾sa;n ti¾i;
Ebo ni won ni ko waa se
E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾ O®fa¾
Eni¾ gb’eô;boô ni;be¾ô ko; wa;a; seôboô o
Translation:
Home is the place where ire of life lives

And outside is where ire of life is displayed
This was Ifa;’s message for O®ru;nmi¾la¾
When feasting the 401 Irunmoôleô¾ during his annual festival
And would be thoroughly beaten in the process
He complied
Travellers to Ìpo and OÙ®fa¾
Let those advised to offer ẹbọ do so accordingly
Ifá says that it is in the best interest of the person for whom this Odù
is revealed to take good care of his/her household and relatives more
than those who are outsiders. Ifá says that from time to time, he/she
will be needing the help and support of his/her relatives. This may not
be forthcoming if he has not been putting their family’s welfare at the
top of his/her consideration.
16. Ifá says that the problem that the person for whom this Odù is
revealed is having at the present time is caused by the Elders of the
Night. There is therefore the need for him/her to appease the Elders
in order for them to stop their anger against him/her. In order for the
Elders to stop spoiling his/her things, there is the need for him/her to
395
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
procure one mature hen. The hen is to be slaughtered and

dressed. It is also to be cooked well while all necessary condiments
are to be added. The soup is to be poured into a clay plate and be
given as I®pe®se® to the Elders of the Night.
On this, Ifá says:

Ba; mi m’a;dele o¾ sô’apa; ire
Di;a; fu;n Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-sôe
Ti;i; sôe’¾ ya; OÙ®fa¾fa¾
E®yi; ti; yo;o; maa fi; gbogbo owo; oôwoô; oô re¾ô f’e;leôyeô
Translation:
Help chase my fowl is not with good intention

This was Ifa's; message for Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-sôee
(That-is-the-way-she-behaves)
The mother of OÙ®fa¾fa¾ (the Tree Hyrax)
Who would lose all her money to the Elders of the Night
She was a very consistent woman. She never liked being advised or
counselled against doing anything that was on her mind. If anyone
tried to correct her, she would turn everything into a fight or serious
argument. That was the way she would behave. Most people knew
her by her attitude. Those who never knew her who ended up
getting into trouble with her were usually told by those who already
knew her that; “don’t you know that woman? That is the way she
behaves”. That was where she got her nickname “that is the way she
behaves”.
Nobody can advise her on her attitude. Neither can she be made to
accept any advice on her child OÙ®fa¾fa¾ (the Tree hyrax). It was this
attitude of hers that put her into trouble with the Elders of the Night.
Nothing that she laid her hands upon ever turned right. When she
would go to the market to buy a bag of grain, she would ensure that
she got the freshest ones, but the next day, the grains would simply
turn bad and be filled with insects and rodents. Anytime she would
buy fresh palm-oil for sale, two days later, the palm-oil would be filled
396
with dead ants, gad flies, cockroaches and maggots. Anytime she
would buy clothes and dresses, it would not take three days before
the clothes and dresses would be filled with holes from rodents and
cockroach bites. One day she decided to travel out of her locality in
order to buy things for sale. She borrowed a lot of money for the trip.
She was waylaid on the trip, beaten to a pulp and the money was
snatched away from her. When she returned home empty handed, all
her creditors descended on her and demanded for their money. That
was what dragged her to the home of the Awo stated above for Ifá
consultation. During the process, Ogbe¾-hu;n’le; was revealed
The Awo informed her that the Elders of the Night were responsible
for all her predicaments. She was however assured that the problems
would become things of the past if she could offer I®pe¾se¾ as stated
above. She was also counselled to have a change of attitude.
She told the Awo that she had not offended anyone. She therefore
saw no reason why she should offer I®pe¾se¾ to any Elder. She also told
the Babaláwo that if he was not pleased with the way she was
conducting herself, he was free to jump into and drown himself inside
a lagoon!
She then demanded for a refund of the money she gave the Awo for
Ifá consultation, and the Awo returned it to her. She then stormed out
of the Awo’s house and forcefully banged the door.
From that day onwards, Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-se lived a sad and fruitless life and
died an unfulfilled woman because no one could handle her attitude
let alone be around her.
Ba; mi m’a;dele o¾ sô’apa; ire
Di;a; fu;n Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-sôe
Ti;i; sôe’¾ ya; OÙ®fa¾fa¾
E®yi; ti; yo;o; maa fi; Gbogbo owo; oôwoô; oô reô¾ f'eô;leôyeô
EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O: koôti; oôgboônyin s'eôboô
Nje; Aagba fe;ef¾ e;e¾
Be;e¾ ni;i; sôe o
EÙni¾ gb’e;ôboô ni;be¾ ko; wa;a; sôeb
ô oô o
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Translation:
Help chase my fowl is not with good intention

This was Ifa's; message for Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-sôee
(That-is-the-way-she-behaves)
The mother of OÙ®fa¾fa¾ (the Tree Hyrax)
Who would lose all her money to the Elders of the Night
She refused to comply
What a pity
That is the way she behaves
Travellers to Ìpo and O®ôfa¾
Let those advised to offer ẹbọ comply accordingly
to die a sorrowful and unfulfilled life. This person however needs to
comply with the advice of Ifá, perform all specified rituals and rites,
and have a change of attitude.
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B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-OÙW ® OÙN

: RI:N FOR THOSE
BORN BY THIS ODU: DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:Y:E OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA::
For those born by Ogbe¾-O®Ùwoô;nri;n during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;, they

normally move from obscurity to prominence, from inadequacy to
surplus and from the bottom to the apex of the ladder in a very short
space of time. Their progress and acceleration are always matters of
surprise, admiration and even envy for those who are close to them.
Before Ogbe¾-O®Ùwoô;nri;n children succeed, they will first face a lot of

tribulations and hardship. The moment that any Ogbe¾-O®Ùwoô;nri;n child
is facing serious hardship, there is the need for him/her to persevere
and hang on, because his/her success period is very close at hand. If
possible, he/she needs to roll out the drums in celebration because
the progress and elevation coming is bound to come very shortly after
the tribulations.
Ogbe¾-O®Ùwoô;nri;n children are blessed with multiple Ire at the same

time. It is therefore not a surprise to see these children celebrating
several achievements together at the same time. It is in their destiny
to do so.
The success and elevation of all Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; children rest on

Olo;du¾mare¾, their Ori;, the Irunmoôleô¾ and their mothers. The closer they
are to their mothers, the more their mothers are happy with them.
The more they receive the blessings and prayers from their mothers,
the more their chances of success. In the same vein, Ifá will also
ensures the success and progress of Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; children because
whatever makes them sad will also make Ifá sad. In order for Ifá not
to become sad, Ifá ensures that Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; children remain happy
throughout their whole lives.
For Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; male children, it is advisable for them to go for fair-

skinned women because their success and matrimonial life chances
will be enhanced. For Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; female children, it is advisable
for them to marry someone who is initiated into Ifá. The couple also
needs to ensure that there is always light in the room where they
sleep because the delegates of the Irunmoôleô¾ responsible for bringing
399
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Ire to them prefer to do so in the middle of the night when there is

light in the room.
It is forbidden for Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; male children to contemplate divorce

or separation. It is also forbidden for Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; female children to
do so. If however, divorce or separation has taken place, there is the
need for the woman to return to her husband home. All steps must be
taken to ensure that she returns without further delay. The husband
too needs to accept her back and work out the problems. If the
woman does seek forgiveness from her husband, she will experience
continued hardship in her life.
All Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children must beware of treacherous friends who

plan secretly to destroy them or who plan to make life miserable and
unbearable for them. At any point in the life of Ogbe¾-wu;n’le;
children, males and females, they are bound to encounter these types
of friends and only Ifá and a keen sense of observation can protect
them against these “friends”.
Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children, males and females are fond of taking good

care of outsiders at the expense of their own family members and
relatives. This is an attitude that they need to change in order for
them not to be ignored by those family members who can assist them
when they need the assistance the most. It is advisable for all Ogbe¾-
wu;n’le; children to take proper care of their relatives first, before they
venture to render any assistance to outsiders.
It is also noted that most Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children do not like to be

corrected when they are wrong. They do not handle instruction well.
They are very recalcitrant and they do not hesitate in engaging in
serious quarrels against anyone who tries to correct them or tell them
what they need to do.
On the whole, Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children, males and females, live

relatively peaceful lives. They move rapidly and steadily to the top.
They live very contented lives and they die feeling fulfilled and self-
actualized.
400
C. AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA AND IRU:NMOÙLEÙ® OF OGBE®-

WU:NLE:
1. Ifá – for direction, success, elevation, victory, sanctuary, progress,

contentment and overall wellbeing.
2. Orí – for fulfilment of destiny, direction, progress, success, victory,
elevation, contentment and self actualization
3. E®suô ¾-O®ôda¾ra¾-for victory, sanctuary, support, direction, protection,
elevation and general success
4. EÙgbe;ô– for comradeship, leadership, support, progress, elevation
5. Aje; -for financial success, leadership, elevation and general
success
6. SÙan¾ go;– for victory, progress, leadership, elevation and overall
success
7. Egu;ngu;n (A®gan)– for ancestral support, progress, leadership and
general success
8. OÙba¾ta;la;– for leadership, progress, success, elevation,
contentment and overall success
9. O®Ùsuô n – for compatible spouse, child-bearing, child-rearing and
general success
10. O®gu;n - for victory, progress, success, protection and general
wellbeing
® O:N
D. TABOOS OF OGBE® OÙW Ù RI;N
:
1. Must never sleep in complete darkness - to avoid

unconsummated fortune, failure, regrets and sorrow
2. Must never conspire against others - to avoid failure, regrets,

melancholy, crisis and disaster
3. Must never kill, maltreat, consume or use the porcupine for

anything-to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure, regrets,
retrogression, disaster and calamity
401
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
4. Must never lose hope over any issue - to avoid losing his/her
success opportunities
5. Must never cater to outsiders more than his/her own
relatives - to avoid losing the support of his/her relatives, suffering
and disappointment
6. Must never fight over a woman and for a woman, must
never allow two men to fight over her - to avoid crisis,
tribulation, regrets, failure and calamity
7. Must never wear red caps or red head gear - to avoid
unconsummated fortune, calamity, failure and shame
8. Must never contemplate separation or divorce - to avoid
failure, regrets, disaster and unconsummated fortunes
9. Must never refuse to heed good advice given to them - to
avoid failure, disaster, regrets and calamity
10. Must never refuse to take to good correction - to avoid
negative public opinion, unconsummated fortune, failure and regrets.
11. Must never love material things at the expense of children
- to avoid failure, disaster, calamity and lack of continuity.
12. Must never consume alcohol - to avoid failure, disaster,
regrets and calamity
402
® O:N
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® OÙW Ù RI;N
:
i. MALE
1. Ifa;re¾ômi;le;ôku;n- Ifa;; puts an end to my crying and lamentation.
2. Ifa;la¾mi;- Ifa; turns me to a prosperous person
3. Ifa;to;o;yi¾nbo;- Ifa; is worthy of praising until one's lips peel off
4. Ifa;gbe¾mi;- Ifa; gives me support
5. Te¾mile;ke¾- Mine is exalted and victorious
6. Ifa;fimi;ha¾n- Ifa; brings me to the forefront
ô ô;gun -Ifa; brings me victory
7. Ifa;se
ii. FEMALES
1. Ifa;reô¾mi;le;ôku;n - Ifa; puts an end to my crying and lamentation
2. Mori;re - I have seen all the Ire of life
3. Ifa;to;o;yo¾s
ô i; - Ifa; is worthy of rejoicing over
4. Ori;sanmi; - My Ori; supports me
5. Ifa;ko;rede; - Ifa; brings all the Ire of life
6. Ifa;gba¾mi;la¾ - Ifa; comes to my rescue
403
Chapter 6
Ogbè Ọ̀bàrà
II
II I
II I
II I
404
OGBE®-OÙ®BA®RA®
OGBE® GBA®RA®DA:
OGBE BA®A®RA®-BAARA
OGBE¾® ONI:WA®A:RA:
A. 1. Ifa; says that the person for whom Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; is revealed during
I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I¾teô¾lo;du¾ shall perform wonders in his/her lifetime. Ifa; says that this
person shall ride very high on the tide of his/her life. Life shall be very
interesting and highly rewarding to him/her. All what he/she needs to do are:
offer eôboô, feed his/her Ori;, live well and carefully and work really hard.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two
hens, two cocks, two guinea-fowls, two ducks and money. He/she also needs to
feed his/her Ori; with a one pure white pigeon and one live catfish.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da; says:
Ogbe¾ Gb'a¾ra¾ da; ta;n
T'eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾
Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n
O:: ku t’eôleô;nu
Di;a; fu;n A®ra¾
Ti;i; s'ôoômoô Olo;du¾mare¾
I®gba¾ti; o; n; t'oô¾run boô¾ wa;';ye;
Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ had performed wonders

Only the slanderers remained to be pleased
After Ifa; had successfully accomplished all things
Only the foul-tongued despisers remained
This was Ifa;’s message for A®ra¾ (the Marvellous Feat)
The son of Olo;dumare¾
405
Ar®a¾, the Marvellous Feat, was one of the favourites of Olo;du¾mare¾. He was
always referred to as the child of Olo;du¾mare¾ because he really and truly had
space and privilege with the Almighty. While in OÙ®run, all beings there, be they
Iru;nmoôleô¾, O®ri¾sôa¾, Egu;ngu;n, I®sôeô¾sôe, ancestors and so on, sought to be his friend at
all times. Those who he accepted as friends and companions would
automatically be given space and privilege just like him. Those beings would
then be able to do marvellously wonderful things and perform highly impressive
feats that would be marvelled at by all.
On the other hand, those who could not perform any feat which others would
marvel at were considered not to be favoured by A®ra¾. Such was the profile of
A®ra¾ when he was in OÙ®run.
One day however, A®ra¾ made up his mind to move from OÙ®run to Ile; -Aye; to live
for some time. He went to the domain of A®ja¾la;moô¾pi;n to choose his destiny.
Because he was a favourite of Olo;du¾mare¾, and because A®ra¾ had favoured
A®ja¾la;moô¾pi;n on several occasions before, his destiny was a gloriously
marvellous one.
When A®ra¾ was about to leave OÙ®run for Aye;, all the Divinities in OÙ®run gathered
together to pray for him. In their collective prayer, they declared that everyone
in the world would be looking for him to be his/her friend and close associate,
but only a few would be accepted and favoured. All those who were lucky to be
accepted as his friends would be the ones who would end up becoming the
pillars in the various families, communities, cities, groups, regions, countries or
even continents that they belonged to. Those people would become the movers
and shakers of their communities and they would be favoured, honoured and
respected.
A®ra¾ was advised to offer eôboô and feed his Ori; as stated above. He complied.
As soon as these were done, A®ra¾ proceeded to Aye; to follow and fulfil his
destiny.
When he arrived in Aye;, only those who were favoured where the ones who
ended up becoming A®ra¾’s friends. They were the lucky ones who performed
marvellous feats in the world. They were the ones whose names went down in
history as great men and women who were honoured and even elevated to the
status of O®ri¾sôa¾ or as national heroes and heroines.
406
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Ogbe¾-Gb'a¾ra¾ da; ta;n

Teôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾
O; ku t’eôleô;nu
Di;a; fu;n A®ra¾
Ti;i; s'ôoômoô Olo;du¾mare¾
I®gba¾ti; o; n; t'oô¾run boô¾ wa;';ye;
O: gbeô;’boô, o; ru;’boô
A®ra¾ wa;a¾ de;, oômoô Olo;du¾mare¾
EÙ®yin o¾ moô¾ wi;pe; t’a;ye; ba; yeô’ni
O®un la¾a; da;’ra¾ ire ni?
Translation:

After Ifa had successfully accomplished all things
This was Ifa;’s message for A®ra¾, (the Marvellous feat)
The son of Olo;du¾mare¾
He complied
Here comes A®ra¾, the child of Olo;du¾mare¾
Don’t you know that it is when life is agreeable to one
That one performs marvellous feats?
Ifa; says that this person shall live an agreeable life and he/she will be one of the
lucky and very few people who will perform marvellous feats on earth. The Ori;
of this person will surely support them. He/she shall be given space and
opportunity to perform and actualize his/her destiny.
407
2. Ifa; says that it foresees the Ire of accomplishment for the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that this person shall achieve great feats on earth.
Not only this, Ifa; also promises that all his/her achievements shall never be
ruined or be spoilt while he/she is on this earth or even when he/she has passed
on.
Ifa; advises this person to offer ebo of A®ru;kore - that is, an all-encompassing eôboô
with two rats, two fish, two pigeons, two hens, two cocks, two guinea-fowls,
two ducks and money. Ifa; says that this person will excel in all spheres of life.
He/she shall lack nothing on earth.
On this, Ifa; says:
Ogbe¾ gba¾ra¾ da; ta;n

T’eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾
O: ku t’eôleô;nu
Di;a; fu;n I®sôa¾ga;
OÙmoô af’o¾kun sô’e¾re
OÙmoô af’oô¾sa¾ sôe’yoô¾
Translation:

This was Ifa;’s message for I®sôa¾ga;
Offspring of those who worship the High Seas
And get their table salt from the Lagoon
I®sôa¾g¾a; came from a family of ship/boat builders - from both his father’s and
mother’s lineages. He was born into the business. He knew of no other trade.
Well, the only other venture he could handle a little bit was fishing. Ship and
boat building and fishing went together on many occasions. Farming, black-
smithery, cloth-weaving, carving, dye-making, pottery, music and so on were
408
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
definitely not for him. Not only were they not for him, he was simply not
interested in them.
In his innermost mind, I®sôa¾ga; planned to succeed in all spheres of life, he wanted
his social, economic, family, religious, cultural and sentimental life to be a huge
success. He also worked so hard toward achieving the goal. It was as a result
of this fervent desire to succeed that he was pushed to go to the home of the
Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I live in good health throughout
my life? Will I be happily married? Will I be blessed with children? Will my
children become great law-abiding children who will be useful to themselves
and the society in which they live? Will my business be successful? Will I be
credited with new innovations and inventions in my ship-building business?
Would I be able to make huge profits that I can use to develop myself, my
family, my community, the whole society, and then lay a good foundation for
the future generation? Will I live and be a happy and contented man? Will I
die a satisfied and accomplished man? These were the questions at the back of
I®sôa¾ga;’s mind when he approached his Awo for Ifa; consultation.
The Awo assured I®sôa¾ga; that he had nothing to worry about. He said that I®sôa¾ga;
would be blessed with sound health throughout his life; he would grow up to be
a good husband to his spouses; he would be a wonderful father to his children,
both biological and adopted; he would be a gentleman to his neighbours; he
would be a useful and respected man among his in-laws; he would be a
successful man among his business associates; he would be a genius in his
work; he would be blessed with children who would live and work within the
boundaries of the laws of the land and make him proud and fulfilled; he would
be honoured for all his good and exemplary activities in the land; and in short, he
would be a very lucky and accomplished man overall.
The Awo advised I®sôa¾ga; to offer eôboô of A¾ru;kore as stated above. He complied.
After this, he counselled I®sôa¾ga to be transparent in all his activities. He told him
never to show anger or impatience toward anyone or anything, and must never
allow anything, anybody or even any development to frustrate him at all. I®sôa¾ga;
was warned that many people would attempt to pull him down because attaining
success and accomplishment did not come cheap or easy; he however needed to
remain focused and Ifa; would take care of the rest for him. He was assured that
his detractors and despisers would be the ones to pursue him to where he would
record more success and achievement than his original anticipation. With these
409
done, I®sôa¾ga; returned to his home, full of determination to succeed than ever
before.
When he returned home, I®sôa¾ga; followed the advice of his Awo to the minute
details in all his dealings. He harboured no ill-feelings against anyone. Nothing
that anyone thought, spoke or did against him annoyed or frustrated him in any
way. He never lied, cheated or planned any evil against anyone. He never
demanded for what did not belong to him. He was very hard-working and he
concentrated on his ship-building work. He had no time for idle gossip. He
worked with his spouses and trained his children to do the same. He was
always looking for ways and means to improve the lot of himself, his immediate
and extended families, and his society and community at large. He succeeded
considerably.
His ship-building styles were far ahead of those of all his competitors. He was
regarded as the friend of the High-Seas. None of his boats and ships ever
capsized, no matter how strong a storm was. Many thought he had entered into a
secret covenant with Olu;weôri so that all his (I®sôa¾ga;’s) handiwork would always
be respected and spared from any storm or strong weather on the high seas.
All the huge successes recorded by I®sôa¾ga; made him the toast of his society. He
was able to impact positively his friends and foes. He never listened to gossip
or cheap talk. He worked hard all the time. He trained many people and was
able to live behind a good legacy.
The leaders in the community were impressed with his achievements, both
morally and socially. He was accorded befitting honour and recognition.

T’eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾
O: ku t’eôleô;nu
Di;a; fu;n I®sôa¾ga;
OÙmoô af’o¾¾kun sô’e¾re
OÙmoô af’oô¾sa¾ sôe’yoô¾
O: gbeô;’boô, o; ru;’boô
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; Ire gbogbo
410
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
A®ra¾ ti; I®sôa¾ga; n; da; ko¾ lee¾ ba¾jeô; la;i;la;i;

Pi;pele lo; n;pele
A®ra¾ ti; Ifa; ni; ki nda; o¾ ni;i; parun
Translation:

This was Ifa’s message for I®sôa¾ga;
Offspring of those who worship the High Seas
And get their table salt from the Lagoon
He complied
The marvellous wonders that I®sôa¾ga; is performing will never be ruined
They will be multiplying
The marvellous wonders that Ifa; has asked me to perform
will never be ruined
Ifa; says that this person will surely leave a legacy that will endure from
generation to generation. He/she will live and die happily and satisfactorily.
He/she will have children who will also reap the benefits of their parents efforts
while leaving a positive mark upon the Earth.
3. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be blessed with
all the Ire of life. He/she shall lack nothing in life. It may be rough in the initial
stages, but he/she needs to understand that he/she is being prepared for things to
come in the future. He/she is being processed to know and appreciate the fact
that success does not come cheap or easy.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô of a¾ru;kore with two rats, two fish, two
pigeons, two hens, two guinea-fowls, two cocks, two ducks and money. He/she
also needs to feed Ifa; with two rats, two fish and one hen.
411
On this, Ifa; says:
Adi¾eô o¾pi¾pi¾ ye; moô ni';wo¾ôn

Ko; o le¾ r’a;pa; b’eôyin
Ifa; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni;’re o
Translation:
O®pi¾pi¾, the featherless hen, do not lay too many eggs

In order to enable your wings to cover all your eggs
This was Ifa;’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting for his inability to acquire all the Ire of life
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was living a very harsh and hard life . He had nothing to show for all
his hard work. He had no money, no wife, no child, no personal property and
no good health. What was all this supposed to mean? Granted, he had chosen
the best destiny while coming from O®Ùrun to Aye;, if this was so, why was he
facing these untold hardships and pains? Was he not supposed to have a smooth
sail on earth when he had chosen a destiny to be able to accomplish all great
things in life? Why must he toil and sweat before he could eat twice in a day?
Why must he labour and go through suffering before he could change his
garment? Why did he need to go to other people’s houses before he could get
someone to send to the market? At his age, why was he the only one cooking,
washing, cleaning and tidying up his environment? When would he begin to
actualize his potentials and fulfil his destiny? Would he come into this world
empty handed and return to OÙ®run empty-handed, without a spouse, child, legacy
or a name or deed to remember by the coming generation? All these were what
was on the mind of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ when he went to the home of the Awo mentioned
above who incidentally was one of his ex-students, for Ifa; consultation. He
asked, will I receive all the Ire of life? When Ifa; was consulted, Ogbe¾-
Oni;wa¾a;ra; was revealed.
The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ not to be preoccupied with his present condition as
everything would surely change for the better. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he was
the one who taught them that the same Divinities who made sweet things were
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
also the ones who made things bitter. They said he was tasting bitter things in
his life at this point in time to prepare him in readiness for the sweet things that
would surely come later. He urged OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to persevere. He assured his
former teacher that joy and sweetness was just around the corner, waiting for
him to come and grab them.
The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer eôboô and feed his (OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ’s) personal Ifa;
as stated above. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied. He continued to persevere and he was
hopeful that he would surely taste sweetness soon.
His lucky break came about three months after when the only child of the
richest woman in the community fell from a velvet tamarind tree, broke his neck
and went into a coma. The mother of the child rushed back home from the
market when she heard of the news. They rushed the child to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. His
mother nearly ran crazy. She did not know what to do. OÙ®runmi¾la¾ assured her
that all would be well. The child’s mother told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that she would pay
any amount that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ wanted to take from her as long as her jewel
survived.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ assured her once again that her son would live. He commenced the
treatment instantly. He concentrated on the neck and discovered that the boy
also had a fractured skull. He began to treat the two parts together. He used
incantations, herbs, roots and animal parts freely. It took 11 market days (that is
42 days) for the broken bones to heal properly. In the end, the boy recovered
completely.
The mother of the child insisted that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ must name his price for healing
her child. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ said that there was no need for that. The woman thanked
him profusely and left. Five days after, she came with many people to thank
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. They left him with food supplies that would last him for about three
months. Two weeks after this, she came with another group of people to come
and erect a bigger and more befitting house for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. This was completed
within nine market days.
One day, this woman came to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ for a serious discussion. She told
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she did not like to sound rude or to interfere in his personal life,
but she felt that it was high time that he had a wife in his house. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ told
her that he would love to have one but he was not financially stable enough. In
between the two of them, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ secured a wife. The wife turned out to be
413
an ideal wife for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. They understood each other very well. She was
willing to do anything for her husband and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was prepared to do
anything for her at all times. Two months after marriage, she became pregnant.
She gave birth to a bouncing baby and after that, she begot several more
children for her husband.
Before long, the reputation of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ as a very competent and humanitarian

man spread beyond the confines of the community where he lived. He was
loved, respected and sought after. At a stage, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was wealthy enough to
help develop the society where he lived. He participated in many community
projects. Any serious function in the community that excluded him was
considered incomplete. He never disappointed anyone.
One day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ sat down to ruminate over his journey. He realized that
within a few years, he had moved from a virtual nobody to a very prominent
person in the community. He lacked nothing and he had several things in
excess. He could not but give thanks and praises to Olo;du¾mare¾ and Ifa;.
Adi¾eô o¾pi¾pi¾ ye; moô ni;'wo¾ôn

Ko; o le¾ r’a;pa; b’eôyin
Ifa; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni;’re o
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
E®ro I®po, E®ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yoô¾
EÙ wa; wo’re o
Translation:
O®pi¾pi¾, the featherless hen, do not lay too many eggs

In order to enable your wings to cover all your eggs
When lamenting for his inability to acquire all the Ire of life
He complied
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Ifa; says that this person shall receive all the Ire of life. He/she chose all the
good things of life while in heaven and none of them shall elude him/her when
they arrive on earth.
4. Ifa; foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed. Ifa; says that this person shall become honourable and respectable in
his/her life. Ifa; assures this person that he/she shall become very wealthy in
his/her life. He/she however needs to work hard, consult Ifa; regularly and
follow all the instructions of Ifa.; It shall be well for him/her if they follow these
directives.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three pigeons and money.
On this, Ogbe¾-Ba¾a¾ra¾-baara says:
Ogbe¾ ba¾a¾ra¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾

SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l’oo¾gu¾n
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l’egbo¾ogi
O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;;i; je;ô
EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o
Di;a; fu;n Du¾nn;ba;de;
OÙmoô agbe;’ga¾nna; wo¾’ye o
I®gba¾ ti; n; sunku;n oôwo;ô o¾un o¾ to;’re
Translation:
Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾

Only the tip of its head has medicinal value
Only the tip of its head has herbal use
Any preparation that is not going to be effective
Do not rely on it
These were Ifa;’s declarations to Du¾nn;ba;de;
He who observes what goes on in the street from across the
fence of his premises
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to acquire all
the Ire of life
415
Du¾nn;ba;de; was a multi-talented man. He was a good farmer. He knew how to

weave clothing. He was also a very good hunter. He was an expert in boat
rowing and a fantastic fisherman. He was a versatile story-teller, singer and
musician of a very high degree.
In spite of his vast talents however, he had a bad story to tell about himself.
What was this bad story? When he went to the forest to hunt, he saw a big
antelope. He shot the antelope with his arrow. It caught the animal in the chest.
The animal began to take a death run with the arrow. He tried tracking it from
mid-morning until evening time. He could not find the dying animal. Three
days after, some women who went to the forest to cut firewood found the
stinking dead body of the antelope, full of maggots and useless for
consumption. He rushed there, only to see that he must have missed spotting
the animal since it fell very close to where he had shot at it in the first place.
A few days later he went fishing. His net caught a mighty fish. The fish, in its
struggle to escape, pulled him into the water. As he tried to save himself from
being dragged farther into the sea, he let go of the net. He lost the net and the
big fish. But for the fact that he was a very good swimmer, he would have lost
his life too.
A few days after this incident, he was busy weaving clothes. He would never
let any setback or disappointment weigh him down, he assured himself. That
was why he went to get several bales of cotton wool on credit. He spun the
wool into thread. He began to weave clothes. They came out strong and
beautiful. Those who saw him at it ordered for many complete sets of asôoô o¾ke¾,
agba;da;, bu¾ba;, sôo¾ko¾to¾, ge¾le¾, i¾ro; , i¾boru¾n, fi¾la¾, ke¾ômb¾ e¾ô and so on in advance. He
told all of them to meet him in the market on the market day. On the eve of the
market day however, fire gutted his house and everything he ever had in life,
including all the clothes he had just weaved and the weaving machine, all went
up in flames! He was left with the clothes that he had on him and debts from
several quarters.
That was when he knew that his matter was not that which he would sit by and
look. He must seek spiritual assistance. That was exactly what he did. The
next day, as soon as sympathizers left him, he went straight to the home of the
group of Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation: Will I ever succeed in life?
Will fortune ever smile on me? Will I have cause to celebrate and rejoice in
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
life? Those and many more were the questions he asked Ifa during the Ifa;
consultation.
The Awo told Du¾nn;ba;de; that even though he had been experiencing agony and
hardship in recent times, joy and comfort would soon be his lot. He was urged
to persevere. He was informed that when the time came to actualize his destiny,
he would surely forget all the pains and agony of the past. The Awo explained
to him that he could not expect life to be full of joy perpetually. He must be
prepared to experience some measure of sadness every once in a while. If it
was joy all through, life would be boring and there would be no challenge to
make life very exciting. The Awo assured him that he would soon have cause
to laugh and celebrate. Very soon!
The Awo also advised Du¾nn;ba;de; to offer eôboô as stated above. Du¾nn;ba;de;
gathered more debt from people and offered the eôboô.
As soon as he returned home, he knew that he had his numerous creditors to

contend with. He had absolutely no money to use to offset his debts.
Consequent upon this, he devised a means of leaving what was left of his room
and moving into the main compound. There, he had an advantage of observing
everything happening on the main road from across the fence of his compound.
If any of his creditors were coming into the compound, he would simply
disappear from the scene by hiding himself somewhere. He would stay in his
hiding place until the creditor left. The creditors would usually leave threatening
words behind before leaving. Before long, Du¾nn;ba;de; was spending more time
in his hiding place than in his room.
One day, the woman who gave the bales of cotton wool to Du¾nn;ba;de; on credit
got a contract to supply dresses to members of a very large association. The
notice given to her was very short. Who could work hard enough and good
enough to meet the deadline and the quality prescription of the association?
Du¾nn;ba;de; of course! Only Du¾nn;ba;de; could do that!
Not only this, the dresses must be delivered to the members of the association
who lived across the river. They would need to use a strong boat to transport
the dresses. The woman went to the owner of the boat to discuss the terms.
The owner knew that someone experienced and powerful would have to be the
one to do the job. Who could that be? Du¾nn;ba;de; of course! Only Du¾nn;ba;de;
417
could do it! E®sÙôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ kept suggesting the name of Du¾nn;ba;d;e; in the minds of
everyone.
The only problem that remained was how to locate Du¾nn;ba;de;. Nobody cared
anymore about the debt he was owing them. They then thought to themselves
that on the day of the ceremony, stories must be told and music must be played.
Who could combine the two together and do it to the satisfaction of all? Again,
Du¾nn;ba;de; of course! Only Du¾nn;ba;de; could do it! But how could this elusive
Du¾nn;ba;de; be found? Everyone set out to look for him and fish him out.
People then began to think about the food preparations! The guests must be
entertained. People must wine and dine. A lot of fish must be used. Who could
do this and get enough fish to satisfy the numerous guests that had been invited
for the occasion? Once more, Du¾nn;ba;de; of course! Only Du¾nn;ba;de; could do it!
Time was very important! Who could help locate Du¾nn;ba;de;? Time was running
out! Du¾nn;ba;de;, where are you?
While all these were happening, Du¾nn;ba;de; was totally unaware. He was busy
planning how to hide himself from all these creditors and safe himself from
their inevitable embarrassment and harassment. Meanwhile, all those who
needed his services, who incidentally were the same set of people he was owing
huge amount of money, gathered together to discuss how to get hold of him. In
the end, they concluded that they must all troop into what remained of his house
and lay siege on him. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ urged them to move immediately. That was
the day that he overslept and was totally unprepared to rush into his hiding
place. The numerous creditors woke him up. When he raised up his head from
his mat, he was glaring at the faces of his creditors. He wished the ground to
open at that instance and swallow him up.
For a long but short moment, he could not move or say a word. The ice was
broken by the woman who sold the cotton wool to him on credit. She told him
the reason why they came to him and told him that he needed to let them sit
down and work out how to pay back all the debts he was owing people, instead
of running and hiding. By the time the woman explained all the businesses that
had been lined up for him, Du¾nn;ba;de; prostrated flat in gratitude to Olo;du¾mare¾.
Surely, the profits he would make were not enough to offset all his debts, but at
least, his good business relationship with all his creditors would resume in
earnest. By that, he would have the opportunity of feeding himself regularly,
pay off his numerous debts, build himself up and actualize his destiny.
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
They all agreed on the terms of payment of his debts and the business began
immediately.
The business was a huge success for both Du¾nn;ba;de; and his creditors. Six
months after this, Du¾nn;ba;de; had no more debt to pay. Three years after he was
one of the most successful people in the community. What was important
however was that everyone knew Du¾nn;ba;de; as the person who knew how to
satisfy the people’s needs most in the community. He was regarded as the
utility man of the community. He was adequately honoured and respected for
it.
Ogbe¾ ba¾a¾ra¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾

SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l’oo¾gu¾n
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l’egbo¾ogi
O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;;i; je;ô
Di;a; fu;n Du¾nn;ba;de;
OÙmoô agbe;’ga¾nna; wo¾’ye o
I®gba¾ ti; n; sunku;n oôwo;ô o¾un o¾ to;’re
O: gbe;ô’boô, o;; ru;’boô
EÙ wa; wo’re o
Translation:

Do not rely on it
These were Ifa;’s declarations to Du¾nn;ba;de;
He who observes what goes on in the street from across the
fence of his premises
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to acquire all
the Ire of life
419
He complied
Ifa; says that all shall be well with the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed.
He/she shall certainly fulfil his/her destiny by actualizing his/her potentials and
talents.
5. Ifa; says that all the Ire of life shall enter the home of the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that he/she shall have cause to jubilee. Success
and accomplishment shall be his/hers. He/she will be grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾ for
his/her achievements in life.
Ifa; advises this person to use the grass-cutter rat to feed Ifa;. As soon as this is
done, all the Ire of life will enter the home of this person.
On this, Ifa; says:
A®da; oni;sôe¾gu¾n ni;i; m’egbo¾, ni;i; m'ewe;

Di;a; fu;n I®ya; OÙmo;ôdu¾n, ni;'sa¾le¾ô A®re¾ômu;
E®yi; to; ni; Ire gbogbo n;loô l'o;de
OÙ®kan o¾ ya’le;
Translation:
An herbalist’s cutlass is well accustomed to both roots and herbs

This was Ifa;’s message to I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n
Who lived down at A®re¾ômu; Quarters
And was complaining that all the Ire of life was passing by outside
And that none would enter into her home
I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n was very hardworking, yet the Ire she expected did not come her
way. She worked harder than most of her colleagues and contemporaries in her
village, yet they seemed better off than her. Why? What was really responsible
for this? What must she do to right this wrong? Would she continue her life
without receiving any Ire of life? Would she live her life and die without a
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
husband, child, joy or accomplishment of anything or any kind? These were the
thoughts at the back of her mind when she decided to approach the Awo stated
above for Ifa; consultation: Will I actualize the promises of my destiny? If yes,
how soon?
The Awo assured I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n that she surely would receive all the great things
of life and it would not be too long before she received them. He said that many
great things of life had been coming in her direction but they did not know
exactly where she resided in order to come and stay with her for the rest of her
life. All what she needed to do was to offer eôboô and feed Ifa; with a grass-cutter
rat so as to enable all the Ire to know her home and to bring them in to stay.
The Awo also made it clear to her that the children that she would give birth to
would become the jewels of her life. They were the ones who would make her
glow and give her all the remaining great things of life that she craved for: joy,
wealth, vitality, sound health, pride, achievement, contentment and longevity.
I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n complied with the advice given to her by the Awo and offered the
eôboô accordingly.
When she returned home, those who had never taken notice of her began to see
her as a beautiful, good-looking woman, if not outright gorgeous. Many would
swear that she was a beauty. Suitors began to troop to her home. She took her
time and chose her man through Ifa; consultation. Before long, the two families
met and marriage was discussed. When the families agreed on the lines of
action to take, the marriage ceremony was performed. It was a solemn event.
That same month, I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n became pregnant. She gave birth to a baby girl
as her first child. She named the baby “OÙmo;ôdu¾n” meaning “Having one’s child
is sweet”. That was how everybody started to call her “I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n”, meaning
OÙmoô;du¾n’s mother. She gave birth to many more children. These children
literally worshipped her. They took care of her; they protected her; they
promoted her interests; they obeyed her; they never made her unhappy for one
day; and they ensured that she got anything that she demanded for. The children
built a new home for the family, not because of their father or the extended
family, but primarily because of her. Every member of the community
considered her a very lucky woman. She lived her life happily. She was indeed
a contented woman, just as Ifa; had promised.
421
A®da; oni;sôe¾gu¾n ni;i; m’egbo¾, ni;i; m'ewe;

Di;a; fu;n I®ya; OÙmo;du¾n, ni;'sa¾le¾ô A®re¾ômu;
E®yi; to; ni; Ire gbogbo n;loô l'o;de
OÙ®kan o¾ ya’le;
EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; Ire gbogbo
N®je;ô ki;nlo; ni;’re o; ya¾ ni';le; Awo?
EÙran OÙ®ya¾
Lo; ni;'re o; ya¾ ni;'le; Awo
EÙran OÙ®ya¾
Translation:
An herbalist’s cutlass is well accustomed to both roots and herbs

This was Ifa;’s message to I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n
Who lived down at A®re¾ômu; Quarters
And was complaining that all the Ire of life was passing by outside
And that none would enter into her home
She complied
Now, what authorized all the Ire of life to enter the
home of the Awo?
It was grass-cutter meat
That was what authorized all the Ire to enter the home of Awo
It was grass-cutter meat
Ifa; says that all the Ire of life shall come to the home of the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed and stay with him/her for the rest of his/her life. His/her
children are his/her jewels who must be taken proper care of and be guided
aright at all times.
6. Ifa; says that there is a woman where this Odu¾ is revealed who is desperately
awaiting that time that Olo;du¾mare¾ will open her womb for her to become
pregnant and give birth to her own baby. Ifa; says that this woman has never
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
menstruated in her life; and if for some reason she has, she has not seen her
period in a long, long time. If she says that she is seeing her period regularly,
she is just deceiving her partner to cover up her problem. Ifa; says that it foresees
the Ire of a bouncing baby for this woman.
Ifa; advises this woman to offer eôboô with one ram and to go and feed Erôinleô¾ with
another ram and then Ileô,¾ (Mother Earth). By so doing, she will menstruate
normally and become pregnant.
Ifa; says that the woman in question is the third generation of women suffering
from such a problem in her family, or there are three women suffering from the
same problem where this Odu¾ is revealed. Whichever the case may be, Ifa;
foresees the Ire of pregnancy and child-bearing for the woman or women.
On these, Ogbe¾ gba¾ra¾da; says:
Isôeô; n¾ sôe n¾toô;ju;

O®wo¾ n¾sôe n¾be;e¾re¾
Bi; wo;ôn ba; n; gbo;ôn'do¾ l'o;do¾
Omi a ta si; woôn l'o;ju;
Omi a ta si; woôn l'enô; u
Omi a wo;ô si; woôn ni; po¾ro¾poro po¾ga;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ja;-O®Ùgboô¾ku;
Ti; n;m'o;ju; su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
Translation:
One’s business ought to be taken care of

And one’s trade ought to be handled well
If one stays in the river to drain the water there in
Water will splash on one’s face
And splash into one’s mouth
And splash all over one’s body
This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùja;-OÙ®gbo¾ôku;
When lamenting for her inability to beget her own baby
423
OÙ®ja;-O®Ùgboô¾ku; enjoyed all things in her husband’s home, but yet, she was not a
happy or fulfilled woman. True, her husband and all the members of his family
loved and pampered her. They looked after her and took care of her interests.
They even protected her and absorbed her completely as one of the family. She
was never treated as a wife; but rather, as a sister in the family. Yet she was not
happy. Why, because she had no child for this loving family. Considering all
the good things this family had done for her, how good would it be if she could
pay such love and kindness back by her having her own children for the family?
She believed that she would remain incomplete if she was not able to give birth
to her own babies for this family. How then could she be happy when she
remained incomplete? She asked.
One day, OÙ®ja;-O®Ùgbo¾ôku; went to the home of the group of Awo stated above for
Ifa; consultation. Will I ever be blessed with the fruit of the womb? That was
all she asked for. That was all that mattered to her.
The Awo told O®Ùja;-O®Ùgboô¾ku; to keep her mind at rest. She was told that there was
no need for her to work herself up because of her childlessness. She was
assured that she would be blessed with the fruit of the womb. She was advised
to offer eôboô with a matured ram. She was also advised to feed Ileô¾, the Mother
Earth as appropriate. She complied.
Six weeks after she offered the eôboô and fed Ileô¾, she realized that she was
pregnant. She was full of joy. She gave birth to her baby with relative ease.
She was blessed with a female baby. The whole family had a big celebration.
What would be the name of this new arrival; this bundle of joy? The family
invited the Awo to come and help them find a suitable name for the baby.
When the Awo arrived, they reasoned that since Ile¾,¾ô Mother Earth was
propitiated before the mother could become pregnant, the baby should be
considered as the egg that Ileô¾ had laid. They therefore named the baby
“EÙyinle¾ô”, the egg laid by Ileô¾. Everybody knew and called the baby EÙyinleô¾ as
instructed by the Awo.
EÙyinleô¾ wa; da¾gba¾ ta;n

O: n;m'o;mi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
Woô;n ni; ko; f’aja; ru;'boô
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Translation:
When EÙyinleô¾ grew up

She too was lamenting her inability to have a baby
The Awo asked her to use a dog as eôboô material
When EÙyinleô¾ grew up, she got married and she was, like her mother, the
beloved of her husband's family. Unfortunately, she could not beget any baby.
Just like her mother, she went to the home of the same group of Awo for Ifa;
consultation. The Awo told her that she would be blessed with the fruit of the
womb. She was advised to offer her own eôboô with a dog. She did. After the
ebo, the dog was slaughtered and some of the meat was cut into long strips,
called I®ja¾n¾ja;. These I®ja¾n¾ja; were again cut into bits and cooked with
are;ôyi¾ngbo;ômoôpoô¾n leaves and given to EÙyinleô¾ to consume. She did.
The following month EÙyinleô¾ became pregnant. She too delivered safely. What
name were they going to give this baby? E®sôu¾ responded that since it was the
I®ja¾n¾ja; of dog that was cooked for the mother to eat before she became pregnant,
the baby ought to be named as I®ja¾n¾ja;, the child of EÙyinleô¾. That was exactly
what they did.
I®ja¾n¾ja; na;a¾ wa;a; da¾gba¾ ta;n

Beô;e¾ô ni ko¾ ri; o¾de re¾ô ri;
O: wa; n;f'omi oju; su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
When I®ja¾n¾ja; grew up to adulthood

She never saw her menstrual period for a day
She was weeping in lamentation for her inability to have a baby
Just like her mother EÙyinleô¾, I®ja¾n¾ja; had no problem getting married into a
comfortable home. Everyone in her husband’s family loved and cherished her.
However, she could not tell her husband or any member of his family that she
had never menstruated in her life! They were both worried that she had not
become pregnant after over three years of marriage. She secretly nursed the
fear that she might never become pregnant in her life; but she told nobody. She
425
however hoped that one day, she would see her period which would help her
become a true woman. A woman who has never menstruated in her life is no
different from a man. This thought is what led her to go to the home of the
same group of Awo that her grand-mother and mother went to for Ifa;
consultation. Will I succeed in seeing my period and become pregnant and
give birth to my own babies? She asked.
The Awo assured her that she would certainly have her own baby. She was told
to go and meet her mother by the river side and pray to her mother EÙyinleô¾ to let
her beget her own child. By that time, her mother had become an O®ri¾sôa¾ after
her death and she was residing inside the river.
I®ja¾n¾ja; was advised to procure one matured ram, 50 bitter kolas, 50 kola nuts,
plenty of beans, plenty of palm-oil, a¾ma¾la¾ and so on, for her to go to the
riverside to meet her mother. She also invited Ba¾ta; drummers to accompany her
to the river. With the food and drinks that she prepared, and the Ba¾ta; drummers,
they all went to the river. Several other people accompanied her to the river.
When they placed everything that they brought to the river with which to meet
her mother for prayers and blessings at the appropriate places that they were to
be placed, she began to sing:
Mo ko;’ro;gbo;
Mo fi wa; I®ya;a¾ mi wa;
Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f'oôla; yan
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de;
OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾
Mo ko;'bi¾ a¾ba¾ta¾
Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo ko;’bi¾ mo Ka¾a;la;
Mo ko;’ro;;gbo;
Mo Ka;’taare
EÙyinleô¾ su;re; wa;
O wa;a; gba’hun Oro¾ l'oô;do¾ô oômoô
426
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
OÙmoô Eyinleô¾ l'o;do¾
Mo tu;n l'o;ôpoô¾ e¾ôwa¾
Mo wa;'ya;a¾ mi wa;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan
Mo m'a;gbo¾ gi¾i¾sôa¾
EÙyinle¾¾ô su;re; wa;
O wa; gb’ahun Oro¾ l'oô;doô¾ oômoô
Erin j'ogu;n-oôla;
Translation:
I have brought bitter-kolas

To come and meet my mother
Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;, the Elephant has honour as its inheritance
Offspring of the Elephant that marches majestically with honour
I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come
The daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river
I have brought kola nuts
I have really come in search of my mother
I®ja¾n¾ja;, I have brought kola nuts and bitter kolas
I have brought bitter kolas
And have also brought alligator pepper
I have come in search of my mother
EÙyinleô¾, please come quickly
And take all the ritual materials from your daughter
Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;
427

Daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river
I have also brought a lot of black-eyed peas
Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;
I®ja¾n¾ja; here I come
I have also brought a matured ram
And accept all ritual materials from your daughter
Erin j'ogu;n-oôla;
As soon as she said this, her mother arrived! She simply packed all the ritual
materials and threw them into the river! The whole place became charged with
spiritual energy! I®ja¾n¾ja; started to pray. She narrated all her problems to her
mother and her mother blessed her. While she was doing this, the Ba¾ta;
drummers also began to play the drums right at the river side, the drums said:
EÙyinleô¾ o¾ j’aja;
EÙyinleô¾ o¾ j’a¾gbo¾
Ko; sôa; bu¾n mi l’oô;moô!
Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô reôp¾ e;ô !!
Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô pe¾ôreô;!!!
Translation:
Even if EÙÙyinleô¾ will not eat my dog

Even if she will not consume my ram
All I pray for is for her to give me my baby!
All I need is for her to bless me with my baby!
Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô reô¾pe;ô !!
428
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Sometime afterward everyone left the river-side, confident that I®j®a¾n¾ja;’s prayers
had been given favourable consideration and had been answered. She began to
dance round the town. As she was dancing about, she noticed, to her
everlasting joy and surprise, that her menstruation started! With the menses,
she danced round the whole town. That was the only menstruation she had
before she became pregnant. She gave birth to several children in quick
successions.
Isôeô; n¾ sôe n¾toô;ju;
O®wo¾ n¾sôe n¾be;e¾re¾
Bi; wo;ôn ba; n; gbo;ôn'do¾ l'o;do¾
Omi a ta si; woôn l'o;ju;
Omi a ta si; woôn l'enô; u
Omi a wo;ô si; woôn ni; po¾ro¾poro po¾ga;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ja;-O®Ùgboô¾ku;
Ti; n;m'o;ju; su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
O: gb'eôboô, o; ru;’boô
O: bi'moô na;a¾ ta;n
Wo;ôn s'oômoô na;a¾ ni; EÙÙyinleô¾
EÙyinleô¾ wa; da¾gba¾ ta;n
O: n;m'o;mi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
Woô;n ni; ko; f’aja; ru;'boô
O: gb'ebô; oô, o; ru;'boô
O bi'mo naa tan
Won s'omo naa ni Ijanja
I®ja¾n¾ja; na;a¾ wa;a; da¾gba¾ ta;n
Beô;e¾ô ni ko¾ ri; o¾de re¾ô ri;
O: wa; n;f'omi oju; su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
Ow : a; ko; oun eôboô loô s'o;do¾ loô ba; EÙyinleô¾ i¾ya; a re¾ô
Mo ko;’ro;gbo;
429
Mo ko;'bi¾ a¾ba¾ta¾
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo ko;’bi¾ mo Ka¾a;la;
Mo ko;’ro;;gbo;
Mo Ka;’taare
EÙyinleô¾ su;re; wa;
O wa;a; gba’hun Oro¾ l'oô;do¾ô oômoô
OÙmoô Eyinleô¾ l'o;do¾
Mo tu;n l'o;ôpoô¾ e¾ôwa¾
Mo wa;'ya;a¾ mi wa;
Mo m'a;gbo¾ gi¾i¾sôa¾
EÙyinle¾¾ô su;re; wa;
O wa; gb’ahun Oro¾ l'oô;doô¾ oômoô
Erin j'ogu;n-oôla;
Nje EÙyinleô¾ o¾ j’aja;
EÙyinleô¾ o¾ j’a¾gbo¾
Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô reôp¾ e;ô !!
EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô
Jeô¾bu;tu; oômoô la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
430
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Translation:
One’s business ought to be taken care of

And one’s trade ought to be handled well
If one stays in the river to drain the water there in
Water will splash on one’s face
And splash into one’s mouth
And splash all over one’s body
This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùja;-OÙ®gbo¾ôku;
When lamenting for her inability to beget her own baby
She complied
After giving birth to the baby
She named the baby EÙyinleô¾
When EÙyinleô¾ grew up
She too was lamenting for her inability to have a baby
The Awo asked her to use a dog as eôboô material
She complied
After giving birth to the baby
She named the baby I®ja¾n¾ja;
When I®ja¾n¾ja; grew up to adulthood
She never saw her menstrual period for a day
She was weeping in lamentation for her inability to have a baby
And was asked to go and meet her mother by the river-side
I have brought bitter-kolas
Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;, the Elephant has honour as its inheritance
I have brought kola nuts
I have really come in search of my mother
I®ja¾n¾ja;, I have brought kola nuts and bitter kolas
I have brought bitter kolas
And have also brought alligator pepper
431

And take all the ritual materials from your daughter
Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;
I have also brought a lot of black-eyed peas
Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;
I®ja¾n¾ja; here I come
I have also brought a matured ram
And accept all ritual materials from your daughter
Erin j'ogu;n-oôla;
Join us in the midst of several children
Several children is what Ifa; guarantees
Ifa; says that this person shall be blessed with children. As a matter of fact, if
any barren woman has come to Ifa; to seek solution to her barrenness and this
Odu¾ is revealed (Ogbe¾-OÙ®ba¾ra¾), it is advisable to recommend that the barren
woman go and feed EÙyinleô¾ with all the ritual materials listed above.
7. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed has been subservient to
someone for a long time. Ifa; is now ready to make him/her greater than his/her
former boss. Ifa; says that this person shall be made a leader among leaders.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four big mortars, four pigeons, 10 yards
of velvet cloth and money.
432
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
On this, Ifa; says:
Asôoô fe;ôleô;fe;lô eô; ni;i; b'oju; Egu;ngu;n

Awoôô feô;e;ôreô; ni;i; b’e¾ôjeô¾ moô;’le¾ô
A jeô; oôloô¾te¾ô-e¾e¾ya¾n ma;-l'e;ôgba¾a; kan-a¾a;-yoôoô;-na;
Di;a; fu;n Erin du;du; igbo; I®do¾ôgoô¾
Ti; n;loô¾oô; fi gbogbo ara si¾n l'oô;do¾ô EÙtu
EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Light cloth covers the face of the masquerade

Thin skin covers the blood in the body
He who conspires-will-not-have-any-money-to-spend
They were the ones who cast Ifa; for Erin dudu (the dark skinned
Elephant) of I®do¾ôgoô¾ forest
When going to be a servant under EÙtu (the Antelope)
In the beginning, Erin the elephant was not as big as a rodent. On top of that, he
was frail and angular. He would fall ill today and get well tomorrow. He was
also working under EÙtu, the Antelope, a very wicked and totally inconsiderate
boss. EÙtu was ready to work Erin to death. Erin had no time for himself at all.
One day, Erin took some time out to go to the home of the three Awo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I amount to anything in my life?
Will I continue to work for, and die as the slave of EÙtu? Will a miracle happen
in my life so that I can exert my freedom and independence? Will I ever be my
own boss so that I no longer have to answer to anyone? Will there be a time in
my life that I will walk majestically around in the forest without fear of reprisal
from any quarter? In short, will I ever be happy, proud and contented in my
life? These were the questions which Erin asked Ifa; during consultation.
The Awo told Erin that he would certainly become a great person in his life. He
was assured that all those who acted as his boss at that time would eventually
come to bow and shiver under him. He was advised to persevere as his time to
assume his destined position of glory was very close. They told Erin not to
433
despise his boss anymore because it was just a matter of time. Erin was told to
go and prepare himself for everlasting celebration.
The Awo advised Erin to offer eôboô with four large mortars, 10 yards of velvet
clothing material, four pigeons and money. Erin had no money, but he was
determined to offer the eôboô. When he returned to EÙtu for work, he got the
beating of his life for coming late to his work. This did not deter Erin from
offering the eôboô. He was determined to get another beating in order to get his
freedom. He stressed himself and went to get all the eôboô materials on credit,
promising that he would offset his loan very soon.
When Erin got to the home of the Awo, the eôboô was offered. Towards the end
of the offering process however, the Awo instructed Erin to stretch out his
limbs. Erin complied. The Awo pulled the limbs and they stretched as if they
were made of elastic substance! The Awo placed each limb in each one of the
mortars. He covered Erin with the velvet clothing material and prayed for him.
What did one see next? Lo and behold, Erin transformed into a mountain! The
roof of the home of the Awo was burst open by the sheer size and might of Erin.
The four mortars became his feet! He felt and looked enormous. When he
forced his way out of the home of the Awo, the whole building simply
collapsed!
As soon as Erin noticed this transformation in his life, he made for EÙ tu’s farm
immediately. When EÙtu saw the mountainous figure coming towards him, he
simply took to his heels! From that day to the present, Erin has not taken a
compassionate look at EÙtu. Anytime that Erin sets his eyes on EÙtu, he is ready to
avenge all the ill-treatment he was subjected to by EÙtu.
That was how Erin became the biggest animal in the forest. He became the
Lord of the wilderness. All those who had hitherto been looking down upon him
became his subjects. No one dared to look at him in the face anymore. Those
who knew Erin before could not help but wonder how he became a
mountainous animal within the twinkle of an eye.
Asôoô fe;ôleô;fe;lô eô; ni;i; b'oju; Egu;ngu;n

Awoôô feô;e;ôreô; ni;i; b’e¾ôjeô¾ moô;’le¾ô
A jeô; oôloô¾te¾ô-e¾e¾ya¾n ma;-l'e;ôgba¾a; kan-a¾a;-yoôoô;-na;
Di;a; fu;n Erin du;du; igbo; I®do¾ôgoô¾
434
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Ti; n;loô¾oô; fi gbogbo ara si¾n l'oô;do¾ô EÙtu

EÙ wa; wo’re o
N®je;ô ni;si¾nyi; la r’e;rin
Erin ni;gba¾ wo lo wa d’o¾ke¾?
Translation:
Light cloth covers the face of the masquerade

Thin skin covers the blood in the body
He who conspires-will-not-have-any-money-to-spend
They were the ones who cast Ifa; for Erin dudu (the dark skinned
Elephant) of I®do¾ôgoô¾ forest
When going to be a servant under EÙtu (the Antelope)
He complied
Come and see all the Ire of life
Now, we have just seen Erin
When did you transform into a mountain
Ifa; says that the transformation of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed
from grass to grace and from rubbish to royalty will happen so suddenly that
he/she too will not believe his/her good luck. He/she only needs to persevere
and live his/her life the Ifa; way. He/she needs to think no evil, speak no evil
and do no evil. That is the Ifa; way.
8. Ifa says that the person for whom this Odu is revealed is planning to take
something away from its owner. Ifa says that it is possible for him/her to do so
but there may be trouble initially, but in the end, he/she will take the thing away
completely and the original owner will not be able to do anything about it.
Conversely, Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô in
order to prevent a situation where someone will take away from him/her
435
something/someone which he/she values very much. If the eôboô is not offered
quickly and the thing/person is taken, it will not be possible to retrieve the item
or person.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she
also needs to feed Ifa; with one hen or she-goat, depending on which one Ifa;
chooses.
On this, Ifa; says:

O: ku ti gb'e;ônu-gb'eô;nu
Ifa; n; lo¾ôoô; gba A®ri¾ra;
Ti;i; sô'obi¾nrin SÙaÙ¾ngo;
Translation:

When going to snatch away A®ri¾ra; (the Thunder)
The wife of SÙa¾ngo;
A®ri¾ra; was the tool which SÙa¾ngo; used to employ to fight off his enemies. The
weapon was being used indiscriminately by SÙa¾ngo; , this thunder-strike had
destroyed the lives and homes of more innocent people than guilty ones. This
was what gave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ serious cause for concern: why must this be happening
when there are better ways of employing this power? He wondered. That was
what made O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to resolve within his mind that he must have a serious
dialogue with SÙa¾ngo; over the matter.
436
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
One day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went to SÙa¾ngo;’s home very early in the morning. He
explained to him what he had observed on the way that SÙa¾ngo; had been using
A®ri¾ra indiscriminately; and told SÙa¾ngo; that such usage was unfair to innocent
victims who had been losing their properties and even their lives when the
thunder would strike their homes. He pleaded with SÙa¾ngo; to let there be a
review of usage which would make only the guilty ones suffer and spare the
innocent. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ pointed out to him that many of his own children who were
his adherents had also been affected by the thunder strike. Some of them did
not only lose their properties, they also died in the process. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declared
that this was totally unacceptable to him. He pleaded with SÙa¾ngo; to spare all
the children of Ifa; for his sake.
In his response, SÙa¾ngo; sympathized with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ on the loss of his followers.
He however told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that A®ri¾ra; was not only his weapon, she was also
considered his wife. He said that he was at liberty to employ the usage of his
wife as it pleased him and he would not entertain anyone to counsel him on how
to do what pleased him with A®ri¾ra;. He advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to inform all his
followers to make the fear of A®ri¾ra; the beginning of wisdom for them.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ pleaded with SÙa¾ngo; for several moments for him to have a change of
heart, but all to no avail. With the deadlock both of them departed.
While OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was on his way back to his home, he heard several thunder
strikes. He also heard people screaming and wailing over the loss of their
properties and the lives of their loved ones. That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made up
his mind that A®ri¾ra; must be taken away from SÙa¾ngo;.
This decision was what took O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to the home of the Awo stated above for
Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in snatching A®ri¾ra; away from SÙa¾ngo;? Will I be
able to overcome SÙa¾ngo; in the eventual confrontation?
The Awo assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would be able to do what he planned to do.
He would also overcome SÙa¾ngo; if he ventured to confront him. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was
advised to offer eôboô and feed Ifa as stated above. He complied.
A few weeks after, the essence of A®ri¾ra; was securely in the hands of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ .
This infuriated SÙa¾ngo; to the extent that he prepared himself for confrontation
with O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. As he planned this, somehow he could not make himself
execute his plan. For this reason, SÙa¾ngo; decided to use the same thunder to
strike down OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and all his followers. He realized however that even
though the thunder struck, the homes of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and all his followers were
437
spared. That was how SÙa¾n¾go; lost the battle to retrieve the essence of A®ri¾ra; that
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ took away from him.

O: ku ti gbe;ônu-gbeô;nu
Ifa; n; lo¾ôoô; gba A®ri¾ra;
Ti;i; s;ô'obi¾nrin SÙa¾ngo;;
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;;’boô
EÙ wa; ba;’ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
N®jeô; nini ni yo;o; maa tu¾ wa; nini
O®ko¾ a¾ra; o¾ ni;i; ba;'le¾ô
Ko; woô'le; Ifa;
Nini ni yo;o; maa tu¾ wa; nini
Translation:

When going to snatch away A®ri¾ra; (the Thunder)
The wife of SÙa¾ngo;
He complied
Join us where we use eôboô to ensure victory
Behold, peace and comfort shall be our lot
The thunder stone will not strike the ground
And enter the home of Ifa;
Peace and comfort shall be our lot
438
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will overcome. He/she
shall take whatever he/she plans to take away from its original owner. But it
must be for the benefit of all.
In this particular stanza, two things become apparent as Ifa; has stated:
i. No true Ifa; priest/priestess will ever suffer from damage caused

by a thunder-strike. Any Babala;wo/I®ya;ni;fa; who suffers this loss is considered
to be a liar and a cheat and he/she has done something terribly wrong which has
stripped him/her of the protection of Ifa;.
ii. No true Babala;wo/I®ya;ni;fa; should ever find it difficult to summon rainfall.

He/she will also never find it difficult to stop rainfall. This is because the very
essence of A®®ri¾ra; is securely in the hands of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾.
iii. No true Babala;wo/I®ya;ni;fa; must ever use thunder to strike down anyone,
ruin anyone’s home or life, or bring trouble into the community. It is against
the spirit for which O®Ùru;;nmi¾la¾ snatched A®ri¾ra; from SÙa¾ngo;.
9. Ifa; advises the man for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to take good care of his
wife at all times. He also needs to ensure that he is not too thrifty or cheap with
her. By making sure that he makes her happy, the woman will go to any length
to ensure that her man get the best out of life. She will help him with all her
power and protect his interests at all times. He will be happy and will enjoy
marital bliss.
Ifa; advises this man to offer eôboô with two pigeons, one mature he-goat and
money. He also needs to be more forthcoming in his desire to satisfy his wife’s
financial and emotional demands, which must be done within his capabilities.
On this, Ifa; says:
Obi¾nrin sô'oôwoô; ku;du;ru;

O;: m’o;ôkoô reô¾ l'a;hun
O: sô'ohu¾n ku;du;ru;
O: ni; to;o ba; sôe fu;n mi
SÙebi; o o; ba;a l'a;ra o¾hun
439
Di;a; fu;n Ebe¾

Ti; n;loô re¾e; gbe; Ba¾ra¾ n'i;ya¾wo;
Translation:
A woman demanded for something by turning her hand into a cup

She accused her husband of being too stingy
She opened her mouth challengingly
And declared that “if you take good care of me
You will surely see the result in my being"
This was Ifa;’s message for Ebe¾ (the Farm Heap)
When going to take Ba¾ra¾, the Melon seed as his wife
When the Farm Heap, Ebe¾, met the Melon seed, Ba¾¾ra¾, it was love at first sight.
They loved each other and would do many things together. When it was time
for them to consummate their relationship into marriage, Ebe¾ went to the home
of the Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation in order to determine how
successful the marriage would be. He wanted to know if, apart from love, were
they compatible and meant for each other. He also wanted to know if their love
for each other would last forever.
The Awo told Ebe¾ that both Ebe¾ and Ba¾ra¾ were meant for each other. He told
Ebe¾ that they would live long together and they would achieve a lot together.
He however advised Ebe¾ to ensure that he was not miserly with his wife as that
might create problems. As long as he satisfied her needs, she would be the best
wife ever and would be the envy of others. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated
above and at the same time, to heed the warning and advice of the Awo. He
complied.
When the marriage was contracted, it of course turned out to be of benefit for
both parties. Ba¾ra¾ also gave birth to several children. They were both successful
and they were blessed with the children of their dreams.
Obi¾nrin sô'oôwoô; ku;du;ru;

O: m’o;ôkoô reô¾ l'a;hun
O: sô'ohu¾n ku;du;ru;
O: ni; to;o ba; sôe fu;n mi
440
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
SÙebi; o o; ba;a l'a;ra o¾hun

Di;a; fu;n Ebe¾
Ti; n;loô re¾e; gbe; Ba¾ra¾ n'i;ya¾wo;
EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; Ire gbogbo
Ta lo; wa; ru;'boô oôla¾
To; tu;n ru; t';oômoô?
Ba¾ra¾
Lo; ru;'boô oôla¾
To; tu;n ru; t'oômoô
Translation:
A woman demanded for something by turning her hand into a cup

She accused her husband of being too stingy
She opened her mouth challengingly
And declared that “if you take good care of me
You will surely see the result in my being"
This was Ifa;’s message for Ebe¾ (the Farm Heap)
When going to take Ba¾ra¾, the Melon seed as his wife
He complied
Who offered the eôboô of prosperity
And that of child-bearing?
Of course, it was Ba¾ra¾
That had offered the eôboô of prosperity
And that of child-bearing
Ifa; assures this person that he shall not only be blessed with a good spouse, but
that through his wife, success, prosperity and many children shall be received as
blessings. A woman is also going to be blessed with a good husband who will
provide her with all she needs and desires.
441
10. Ifa; says that people are really deriding one another and subjecting each other
to unwarranted ridicule where this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that these people
need to put an end to this if any appreciable progress or success is to be
recorded by those concerned.
Ifa; advises all those involved to purge themselves of this type of uncivilized
attitude and begin to mend things. They also need to offer eôboô with a mature he-
goat and money. If several people are involved, each of them needs to add one
mature cock and money.
On this, Ifa; says:
Ki;nni ohun ti; eô wi;

Ti; n o¾ sôe o ?
OÙ®na¾ wo leô pe; ki;; n gba¾
Ti; n o¾ gba¾?
Di;a; fu;n woôn ni;;'lu¾u; E®Ùyoô
Ki¾ki¾ e¾ôga¾n
Ji;ji; ti; wo;ôn ji;
Wo;ôn n; yoô’nu si;'raa woôn
Translation:
What did you ask

That I failed to comply with?
Which road did you ask me to take
That I refused to take?
This was the Ifa cast for them at E®Ùyoô town
When they were deriding one another
When they woke up
They were deriding each other
The inhabitants of EÙ®yoô town specialized in one thing; backbiting. They knew
how to deride each other and run each other down. If anyone tried to prove
himself/herself that he/she could do certain things effectively, his/her fellow
inhabitants would go to town to prove to all those who cared to listen that
he/she could not do that very thing. This attitude became so prevalent to the
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® A®RA®
extent that they succeeded in running the whole community to the ground. None
of them succeeded. Nobody from other communities liked associating
themselves or working with anyone from that community. All the inhabitants of
EÙ®yoô town were regarded as a pack of incompetent fools. They could not go to
other communities to stay because nobody would want them there. They began
to hate each other and at the same time, they hated themselves. At a stage, they
began to believe that they were indeed incompetent fools in EÙ®yoô land.
One day, the OÙba of the town joined his ancestors. A new OÙba was installed. It
took a very long time before this could be done because of all the deriding
taking place among the candidates. They were not looking for any of the
positive sides of their lives but rather, they were looking for faults, weaknesses,
scandals and controversy. Where there was none, they would quickly
manufacture something and the candidate would be disqualified. After so much
unnecessary delay, one candidate was eventually picked and installed as OÙba.
The new OÙba happened to be one of the very few people left in the land who
never for one day believed that nothing good could ever come out of EÙ®yoô land.
Even though he realized that nothing good had come out of the land so far, he
was absolutely convinced that a lot of good things could still be achieved.
Consequent upon this, the new OÙba invited the group of Awo mentioned above
for Ifa; consultation. His main question was: What do we in E®Ùyoô land need to do
to make things better here?
The Awo told the inhabitants of EÙ®yoô land that they were the architects of their
own failures and misfortunes. They were told that they had all the opportunities
to be great but they simply bungled them. The Awo emphasized the fact that if
they wanted to be great, they must change their attitude. They must stop
running each other down. They must cooperate with each other in order to
achieve progress and development. If they must compete with each other at all,
the competition must be healthy competition. They must also stop looking at
each other’s faults and start recognizing where each individual could be an asset
to the whole community and assist such individuals in actualizing his/her full
potentials.
The Awo also advised the community to offer ebo as stated above. He told
them to imbibe the idea that their neighbours are their siblings and they must
have positive contributions to their successes. They complied.
443
At first, it was very difficult for them to do. As time went by however, they
realized that it was the best thing for them to do. Little efforts yielded great
dividends. They formed cooperatives for the sole purpose of helping each other
succeed. Before long, the whole community began to bubble with activities.
There were opportunities and prosperity for everybody. Soon after, other
communities began to trade and cooperate with them. Their cooperatives spread
beyond the boundaries of their community. All the inhabitants of all the
adjacent communities came to benefit from the opportunities that could be
derived from the cooperatives. There was joy, contentment and self fulfilment
in the land.
Ki;nni ohun ti; eô wi;

Ti; n o¾ sôe o?
OÙ®na¾ wo leô pe; ki; n gba¾
Ti; n o¾ gba¾?
Di;a; fu;n woôn ni;'lu¾u; E®Ùyoô
Ki¾ki¾ e¾ôga¾n
Ji;ji; ti; wo;ôn ji;
Wo;ôn n; yoô’nu si;'raa woôn
Wo;ôn gbeô;’boô, woô;n ru;’boô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
What did you ask

That I failed to comply with?
Which road did you ask me to take
That I refused to take?
This was the Ifa cast for them at E®Ùyoô town
When they were deriding one another
When they woke up
They were deriding each other
They complied
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Ifa; says that there is nothing that love, cooperation and friendliness cannot
achieve. Readiness to help one another to succeed goes a long way in the
realization of tall dreams. Consequently, the more cooperation that exists where
this Odu¾ is revealed, the greater the success chances of the people who live
there will be. Ifa; says that there is going to be joy and self-fulfilment where this
Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; promises that marvellous wonders shall come out of where
this Odu¾ is revealed.
11. Ifa; advises a woman where this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô in order to
avoid a situation where she will end up marrying more than one man in her life
and giving birth to children for each of the three different men in her lifetime.
Ifa; says that if for any reason she does end up going through two
divorces/separations and giving birth to children for her first two partners, the
child that she will beget for the third husband will actually be the most
successful of all her children. To avoid all these problems however it is best that
she offer appropriate ebo and follow Ifa’s advice.
Ifa; also says that the woman in question is an Apeô¾te¾ôbi;. She not only needs to
offer ebo but she needs to tie on the ide¾. It is also highly advisable for her to
marry a man who is initiated into Ifa;. It is also a taboo for her to eat kola nuts.
Ifa; advises her to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. She also
needs to feed Ifa with two rats, two fish and another mature she-goat. She must
also be wearing and go out with the ide¾, Ifa bracelet, at all times.
On these aspects, Ifa; says:
Moto;o;ri;ki; Awo Mori;ke¾ôe;ô

Moto;o;ri;ki¾ Awo mori;yo¾ô
Mo to;o; f'obi¾ kan go¾do¾g¾ba¾-godogba ka¾n l'o;ri;;
Awo ile; Oni;kewu;
Di;a; fu;n Oni;;kewu;-A®sôa;
OÙmoô A®wo¾di¾ ti;i; fo¾-rakin, fo¾-rakin l'o;ju; OÙloô;run
O: f':ey¾ô i¾n ti¾ m'o;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
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Translation:
Moro;o;ri;ki;, the Awo of Mori;ke¾ôeô;

Moto;o;ri;ki¾, the Awo of Mori;yo¾ô
I am worthy of being propitiated with one big kola nut
The resident Awo of Oni;kewu;
They cast Ifa; for Oni;kewu;-A®sôa;
The offspring of the hawk that flies majestically in the sky
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to receive the
blessing of the fruit of the womb
Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; was happily married but she was not living happily in her marital
home. Why? She had no child for her husband. She tried all she knew but all
her efforts were to no avail. She became desperate because she knew that the
productive period of a woman was much shorter than that of a man. For this
reason, she approached the group of Awo above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be
blessed with the fruit of the womb?
The three Awo told Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; that whether she offered eôboôô or not, she
would be blessed with children. She however needed to offer eôboô in order to
avoid a situation where she would give birth to children for three different men
in her life. She also needed to impress it on her husband to be initiated into Ifa;
because she was an Ape¾ôteô¾bi; from heaven. The Awo advised her to offer eôboô as
stated above and to avoid eating kola nuts.
Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; looked at the three Awo in utter disbelief. What could make her
have children for three different men in her life? She could not picture such a
thing. What could make her leave her loving and beloved husband? Such a
thought was totally preposterous. Certainly, she thought in her mind, it must be
these Babala;wo who are looking for ways of getting animals from her. She
vowed that she would never let them have their way. They must be defrauding
others in this same way as well but they would fail this time around, Oni;kewu;-
A®sôa; mused. She then simply stood up from the consultation mat and walked out
without saying a word.
On her way home, she thought over the matter and vowed that she would not go
to the home of any Awo again: what for? These ones had said that she would
give birth to many children, whether she offered eôboô or not.
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Two months after this, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; became pregnant. Her husband, Olu;-Igbo;
was the happiest man on earth. The love they had for each other grew in several
folds. She was being pampered by all. When she gave birth, it was to a
bouncing baby boy. They named the baby Apa;. She diverted all her love and
attention to the baby. She had been looking for this baby for a long, long time.
She would allow no one to touch the baby. She treated the baby like an egg
which only she knew how to carry. Her husband and all members of his family
became total strangers to her. Nobody and nothing interested her any longer,
except her baby.
When the family could take this no longer they invited her to a meeting. They
made it clear to her that even though she was the one who gave birth to the
baby, nonetheless, the baby was also a part of the husband and his family. She
did not allow them to finish what they were saying before she charged at them,
saying that where were they when she was suffering when looking for a baby?
Where were they when eventually she became pregnant? Whom among them
helped her to carry the baby when he was inside her womb for the 10 lunar
months? Who among them felt her pains of pregnancy and suffered with her?
Where were they when she went into labour? Oh! The pains! The agony! The
excruciating pain! Where were they during those crucial moments? It was only
her that was left to her fate! The baby was hers and nobody else's! If any of
them wanted a baby that would belong to the whole family, they might as well
give birth to that one themselves! Certainly not this one which Olodumare had
given her.
All those present could not believe their ears: so, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; had all along
been hiding her true character? How can this woman be so rude to the elders in
the family? As these thoughts were going on in their minds and to make matters
worse, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ appeared and told Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; that there was the need to put
all the family members into their proper places. Why should they attempt to
claim ownership of the baby she had suffered to get? Breast-feeding; who
among them had ever helped her to breast feed the baby? E®sôu¾ told her that the
family was planning to take the baby away from her so therefore she needed to
do something dramatic to ensure that the baby stayed with her. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ told
her to rain abuses and insults on all of them and told them that only death could
make her share her baby. As the head of the family was about to speak, E®sôu¾ told
Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; to charge at him. Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; sprang up, spit into the face of the
head of the family and made it abundantly clear to all of them that only death
447
would allow any of them to touch the baby or take him away from her. All those
present were shocked. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ continuously urged her on. When she was
exhausted, she rushed out of the house.
All the family members sat frozen to their various positions for a long time.
E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ then whispered into their ears that what Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; had just done
was an abomination of the highest order. They must not accept her back into
their fold. She must be thrown out of the house. If this was not done, other
women in the family might emulate her behaviour and do the same thing. E®sôu¾
OÙ®da¾ra¾ directed the proceeding of the meeting. He ensured that all her
belongings were thrown out of the house that very day. Even though Oni;kewu; -
A®sôa; retained her baby, she was disowned by her husband’s family.
Before it dawned on Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; that she could no longer be accepted into

Olu-Igbo’s household, it was too late to make any amendment. All entreaties
for her to return fell on deaf ears.
When Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; realized that the door had been firmly slammed shut
against her, she began to plan on how to live her life with her baby. Her own
family members would not have any of that and encouraged her to look for
someone else to marry, claiming that she was too young to stay alone without a
husband. Before long, she met Olu;weôri. One thing led to another, and they
became husband and wife.
She was trusted by everyone in his family. They protected her and looked after
her interests. Before long, she became pregnant again. She gave birth to
another baby boy. The baby was named Toôpoôteôri. All the family members
were very happy. This time around, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; had learnt her lesson. She
allowed her husband’s family to touch and play with the baby.
One day however, as Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; was busy cleaning her husband’s room, she
saw four kola nuts wrapped with leaves in the room. They were big and fresh.
Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; suddenly developed a hunger for kola nuts. She took and
consumed one. A few moments after, she consumed the second one. Before
long, she ate the four kola nuts.
When evening time arrived, the friends of her husband began to arrive one after
the other. When all of them had assembled, they asked Olu;weôri to go and bring
the kola nuts that they wanted to use for the ritual that they had come to
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
perform. Olu;weôri searched his room but could not find the kola nuts. He called
his wife and asked her to show him where she had kept the kola nuts for him.
She responded that she had consumed the kola nuts! Olu;;weôri could not believe
his ears. All his friends who had come purposely for the kola nuts in order to
perform the ritual looked at each other but said nothing. They were all waiting
to see what Olu;weôri would do. Olu;weôôri spoke angrily to his wife and the wife
tried to explain but he did not allow her to speak. Before long, the wife also
spoke angrily back at him. A big scuffle ensued. The fight was so serious that
before Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; knew it, she was back in her own families house that same
day. She left Olu;weôri‘s house with her son for good. Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; thus now
had two children from two different men. The two children were living with
her and her parents.
One day, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; met O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. She soon became O®Ùru;;nmi¾la¾’s wife. She
was told by OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she was an Ape¾ôteô¾bi; from heaven. She was told that
she needed to tie on the Ide¾, and she did. All other necessary ceremonies were
performed for her. She soon became pregnant. She gave birth to another baby
boy. The boy was named Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da¾.
One day, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; went to her parents’ house to bring her other children
Apa; and Toôpoôteôri to live with their brother. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ trained the three children
together. But as predicted by Ifa; Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da¾ was the most successful among
the three children.
Moto;o;ri;ki; Awo Mori;ke¾ôeô;

Moto;o;ri;ki¾ Awo mori;yo¾ô
Mo to;o; f'obi¾ kan go¾do¾gba¾-godogba ka¾¾n l'o;ri;
Awo ile; Oni;kewu;
Di;a; fu;n Oni;kewu;-A®sôa;
OÙmoô A®wo¾di¾ ti;i; fo¾-rakin, fo¾-rakin l'o;ju; OÙloô;run
O;: f'e¾ôyi¾n ti¾ m'o;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
O: wa;a; f'eti; oô¾tu;n gb'e;ôboô
O: fi t:'o¾si¾ da¾ a; nu¾
I®gba¾ ti; yo;o; bi¾i;
O: bi; ;Apa; fu;n Olu;-Igbo;
I®gba¾ ti; yo;o; bi¾i;
O: bi; Toôpoôteôôri fu;n Olu;weôri
I®gba¾¾ ti; yo;o; bi¾i;
449
O: bi; Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da; fu;n Baba a¾ mi A®gi¾ri;-I®loô;gbo;ônô

E®ro¾ ¾I®po, e¾¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
¾EniÙ gb'e;ôboô ni;be¾ô, ko; wa;a; s;ô'eôboô o
Translation:
Moro;o;ri;ki;, the Awo of Mori;ke¾ôeô;

Moto;o;ri;ki¾, the Awo of Mori;yo¾ô
I am worthy of being propitiated with one big kola nut
The resident Awo of Oni;kewu;
They cast Ifa; for Oni;kewu;-A®sôa;
The offspring of the hawk that flies majestically in the sky
receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb
She heard about the eôboô with her right ear
And threw the advice out with her left ear
When going to give birth
She gave birth to Apa;; for Olu;-Igbo;
She gave birth to Toôpoôteôriô for Olu;weôri
She gave birth to Ogbe¾-¾Gba¾ra¾da;; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, my
father, the custodian of wisdom
Travellers to I®po and O®ôfa¾
Let those advised to offer eôboô comply accordingly
Ifa; says that the woman for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall not be made to lose
her success chances. This is the reason why she needs to heed the advice of the
Awo by offering the appropriate eôboô, tie on the Ide¾, marrying someone who is
initiated into Ifa;; and abstaining from consuming kola nuts.
12. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed must not engage in
power abuse. If he/she is pursuing something which he/she has not been able to
get, he/she must not as a result of that behave wrongly or abuse the authority
given to him/her. He/she must not cheat or harm others in order to have his/her
way. If he/she does so, Ifa; says that he/she will be exposed and be openly
sanctioned and disgraced and will only have himself/herself to blame in the end.
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Conversely, Ifa; says that a person has been cheated unjustly before or someone
close to him/her has been cheated. The person who perpetuated the evil act has
not been identified at this or that time. Ifa; however assures this person that the
evil doer will not get away with the evil act. He/she shall surely be fished out
by Ifa; and be dealt with accordingly.
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboôô with a mature
she-goat and money. At the same time, he/she needs to desist from his/her evil
designs. Ifa; also advises the latter to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and
money. He/she also needs to await the judgement of Ifa;.
EÙran gbi;gbeô ab'i¾di; ta¾pa¾la¾-tapala

Di;a; fu;n Bo;ju;ri;
Ti;i; sôe oôba woôn ni;'lu¾u; A®sôeô¾sôe¾ôyoô-O®o¾ru¾n
Ti; yo;o; f’ayo¾ô j’aye; e re¾ô da;lu
EÙboô ôni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Dry meat without any oily substance

He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Bo;ju;ri;
The OÙba of A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n town
Who would use excessive joy to ruin his life and reputation
Bo;ju;ri;, the OÙba of A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n land, had one policy to govern his day-to-day
activities; it was that he must get whatever he set his mind upon, no matter the
cost. This had been his way and he had been having his way on all occasions.
Those who did not want to yield to his request would have their arms twisted
until they surrendered.
One day, Bo;;ju;;ri;; met a young damsel whose name was 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô. He planned to
add her to his group of wives. He made enquiries in order to know where she
was living and also to know who her parents were. When he got all the
necessary information that he needed, he summoned EÙran-gbi;gbeôô-ab'i¾di;-ta¾pa¾la¾-
451
tapala, his Awo to come and consult Ifa; for him; what did he need to do to have
'Moôleô¾yo¾ô as one of his wives?
After Ifa; consultation, the Awo told Bo;ju;ri; that even though he loved to have
his way on all occasions, there was the need, this time around, to tread softly
and ensure that he did not allow excessive joy to ruin his reputation. This might
make him to lose everything he had ever acquired in his life. He was cautioned
not to use force on anything and allow events to take their natural course. He
was equally advised to offer eôboô with a mature she-goat and money.
Bo;ju;ri; had been so used to having his way that he could not imagine that a time
would ever come that he would be advised not to use force on anything to his
favour. He thought deeply about what the Awo told him and concluded that he
would not offer the eôboô. Not only that, he vowed that he would use everything
and anything within his capacity to have 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô as one of his wives.
Ibi ti; Ori; da; ni si; la¾a; gbe;

O®Ùna¾ ti; E®Ùda; ya¾n fu;n ni la¾a; to¾ô
Di;a; fu;n 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
To; ri; OÙba ni;l' e¾ô
Ti; yo;o; loô re¾e; fe;ô olu¾sôeô; l'o;ôkoô
Translation:
It is what our Ori; chooses for us that we ought to accept

It is the path of our Destiny that we ought to follow
These were Ifa;’s declarations to 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
Who had the choice of picking an OÙba
But chose to go for a pauper to be her husband
'Moôleô¾yo¾ô came from a very humble home and she was an extremely beautiful
woman. She was also level-headed, honest, hardworking, unassuming and a
very jovial lady. She was also very kind-hearted. She loved to help people as
much as she could. It was with honesty that she chose her future partner. This
man was young, handsome, hardworking, kind-hearted and honest. Both of
them made a perfect match. All those who knew them together could not but
comment that they were made for each other from heaven.
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
The day when the delegates of the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; arrived in 'Moôleô¾yo¾'ô s home to
inform her parents that the OÙba was interested in having 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô as his wife
was the day that fear and confusion entered into that household. 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô’s
parents were the ones who trained their daughter to be truthful and honest to
herself and others at all times. They knew without being told that 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô was
deeply in love with her young man. They equally knew that if asked, she would
tell them the truth about what she felt about the proposition made by OÙba Bo;ju;ri;;
and the truth would certainly be that she was not interested in the OÙba at all!
Who would ever turn down the proposition of this OÙba and get away with it?
They could not even recall one incident where this had ever happened. They
called on their ancestors to please help them out of the dilemma.
When 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô returned to the house from where she went to deliver a message
to a friend of her mother, she was informed that the OÙba had just sent a delegate
to come and tell the family. Without blinking her eyes, 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô told her parents
that she was not, and would not be, interested for any reason.
How then would they handle this problem? 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô told her parents that
whichever way they chose to handle the matter, she was already in love with
someone of her choice. That was when 'Moôleô¾yo¾’ô s father suggested that they
needed to go for Ifa; consultation in order to fashion a way out of the dilemma.
Off they went to the home of the Awo mentioned above immediately: what was
the most realistic way out?
The Awo sympathized with the family. He told them that they were in a very
serious state of confusion and dilemma. They did not know the path to follow.
He said that it was what one’s Ori; chose for one which one ought to accept and
it was the path of one’s Destiny which one ought to follow. He advised 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
to follow her heart in making her choice. He also recommended eôboô for her.
The eôboô materials were one mature he-goat and money. The family complied.
This made them very resolute that 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô would marry the man that she loved
and nobody else. The persuasions made by the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; failed to change the
mind of the family to shift ground.
When the pressure was becoming very unbearable, the family of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô and
that of her suitor, organized a quiet marriage for them. 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô became the wife
of the pauper. That same month, 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô became pregnant.
453
When the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; heard of this development, he became livid with rage. He
vowed to abduct 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô by all means. The couple hid themselves away from
the OÙbôa Bo;ju;ri;.
One day 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô gave birth to a baby girl. This baby was even more beautiful
than her mother. Those who saw this baby exclaimed that I®ya; O®Ùsôun had really
done extra work on her in order to perfect her beauty. The baby was named
EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; - wickedness cannot go unrewarded.
Unknown to 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô however, the OÙba had sent several spies out to look for
her. When she gave birth to this baby, the OÙba was aware because one of the
spies had succeeded in locating where she was living and had informed the OÙ ba.
When the baby was four months old, it was agreed that the baby was strong
enough for 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô to strap on her back so that she could go to the farm in
search of her means of livelihood. The first day that she went to the farm to
fetch leaves that she would sell in the market, the spy followed her to the farm.
He went to inform the OÙba. The second time that she left her house to go to the
farm, the spy quickly went to tell the OÙba.
As soon as 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô arrived to the farm, she removed her baby from her back
and spread her wrapper on the ground. She placed the baby on the wrapper
under the shade of a big banyan tree. The baby slept peacefully.
While she was doing this, the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; quietly sneaked out of the palace
through the back door. He disguised his appearance and went straight to the
farm where 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô was fetching the leaves. She was totally unaware of his
presence until he was right behind her. He caught her in his hold and it was
very difficult for her to wriggle out. She made to cry but the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; gagged
her.
The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; then threw ô'Moôleô¾yo¾ô down on the ground with all his might. He
attempted to defile her forcefully. 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô resisted. While they were struggling,
'Moôleô¾yo¾ô got hold of one big stick and used it to hit the OÙba Bo;ju;ri;’s head. This
infuriated the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; and he went berserk with rage. He twisted the stick
out of her hands and hit her with it repeatedly until she was no longer in a
position to help herself. The last blow that the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; gave her cracked her
skull open. With a shaking hand, she pointed her fingers at the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; and
declared with a shaking voice “OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, I®ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾n ni yo;o; fi o;ô ha¾n”
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
meaning, ”OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, the sun rays shall expose you”. She then died
immediately after.
The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; quickly wiped off all the blood stains from his face and body
and sneaked back into the palace. Nobody noticed his absence.
The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; did not notice the presence of E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; who was sleeping not
too far away from where he had just murdered her mother. The OÙba Bo;ju;ri was
satisfied that if he could not have 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô, then nobody could.
When it was time for 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô to return home and she was not found at home,
her husband became worried. When it was getting dark, he began to panic. He
quickly organized a search party to go to the farm with him. The wailing of
EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; attracted them to the site where she was. Further investigation
revealed the corpse of her mother who laid in a pool of her own blood. The pain
and agony for her husband could only be imagined. They took the baby and the
mother’s corpse back home.
They gave a decent burial and handed over EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; to one of her father's
barren sisters. She grew up with the woman. When she was about nine years
old, the woman travelled to live with her husband who was staying in about five
villages away. Before long, E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe;’s father died. He had never remarried.
Everyone in the village believed that the death of his wife and the sight of her
blood-covered corpse were what damaged him beyond recovery.
When E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; became matured enough for marriage, everybody in the land
wished to marry her or marry her to either their son, or brother. She was so
beautiful beyond description. She took after her parents in the areas of honesty,
truthfulness, level-headedness, hard work and dedication to duty. She was
equally kind-hearted. That was the time that her foster mother needed to move
back to A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n land. She took E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; along with her.
Not up to two weeks after they arrived, everyone in the land had begun to talk
about the unusual beauty of EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe;. The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; heard about her and
decided that he must marry her. He didn’t know that she was the daughter of
'Moôleô¾yo¾ô. Not many people in the land were able to make that connection
between EÙ®sanki¾¾i;gbe; and 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô either. Everyone thought that she was born by
her father’s sister. She treated her as her own child and nobody knew that she
really had no child of her own.
455
When the delegates of the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; arrived at her home, her foster parents
went to this Awo.
Bi; a ba; n; sôe e;

Ile; aye; ni;i; gbe;
A ki¾i; sôe e;
I®yeôn n;beô l'a;la¾de o¾ôrun
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe;
Ti;i; sô'oômoô 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
Ti; yo;o; t'ori;i k’e;ôsan o; lee¾ ke;
Ti; yo;o; loô re¾e; fe;ô OÙba l’oô;koô
EÙboôô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
It is normal to do so
The one that lives in Ile; Aye;
It is not done
The one that lives in O®Ùrun
These were Ifa;’s messages for E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe;
The daughter of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
Who would in order for nemesis to take its due course
Get married to the OÙba
EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; and her foster mother, whom everyone considered to be her

biological mother, consulted Ifa; with the Awo mentioned above. What should
they do over the matter? Was it wise for E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; to marry the OÙba? Would
there be mutual benefit for the two families?
The Awo told them that Ifa; said that E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; was free to marry the OÙb a. He
stated further that if she became the wife of the OÙ ba, there would be a closely
kept secret that would be revealed to her which would change several people’s
lives in the community for the better. She was advised to offer eôboô with one
mature he-goat and money. She complied.
The fact that the lives of many people in the land would be changed for the
better if she agreed to marry the OÙba was what made her decide to marry the
456
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
OÙba. She had nobody in particular that she had given her heart to and she had
made no promises to anyone. That was why she agreed to marry the OÙba.
Before long, the marriage ceremony was performed. She moved into the palace
and instantly became the eye of the OÙba. He could do nothing without her. He
was so fond of her that everybody in the palace had to go through her to get
anything from the OÙba. There was nothing that EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; wanted that the OÙba
Bo;ju;ri; was not ready to give her. He showered her with gifts of many kinds. He
also gave her foster mother a lot of money and a large expanse of land to farm
on. The arrival of EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; in the OÙba Bo;ju;ri;’s life changed the OÙba into a
very expansive person. He joked and laughed a lot.
One day however he began to have strange dreams. He would see the dying
body of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô with blood all over her face and body and raising her shaking
hands up and pointing her shaking fingers at him, saying: “OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, i¾ta¾nsôan
o¾o¾ru¾n ni yo;o; fi o;ô ha¾n!”- OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, the sun rays shall expose you! Many
times, he would wake up startled. He would be sweating and shaking all over.
Why must this happen to him now, when he had just found peace and
satisfaction with himself? On some occasions, he would see 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô in his
dream crying and laughing at the same time. Instead of tears, blood would be
coming out of her eyes. She would be making jest of the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; saying;
OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, i¾ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾¾n ni yo;o; fi o;ô ha¾n”! These words would reverberate in
his brain over and over. Why now? Why must this come now?
One day, he saw the ghost of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô right inside his room. He moved towards
the extreme corner of his room. She followed him there. She laughed, a cold
spine-chilling laugh. “Leave me alone, woman please let me be. I beg you. Do
not torment me anymore. Leave me alone!” He screamed. Many people rushed
into his room but could not see anything or anyone beside him. He was the only
one seeing things.
Before long, the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; had grown very lean. He became sick and
withdrawn. E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; did everything to make him happy but it simply did not
work. She pleaded with the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; to confide in her and tell her what was
really eating him up. He would not say anything.
One day, E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; brought food for the OÙba. As he was about to eat the food,
sun rays penetrated through a crack in the roof and shone brightly on the food.
The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; started to eat and he noticed the sun rays. His mind went
457
straight to the statement of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô. He saw her face as it contorted into a

grimace on the day of her murder and he went berserk, just like he had on the
fateful day that he killed her. He shouted aloud,” what are you looking for
again? Go, woman! Go! You are dead and buried. The dead has no business
with the living! You are dead, dead, dead! Go! Go! Go! Let me enjoy my life!
'Moôleô¾yo¾,ô leave me alone! Forget about me because I have also forgotten about
you!”
As he was saying this, EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe;, who was attracted to the scene by the
shouting of the OÙba Bo;ju;ri,; heard everything he said. She moved closer and
saw the man shivering. “What is the matter, my Lord”? Please tell me” she
pleaded. The OÙba pointed to the ray of the sun and told his youngest wife;
“Look, Look at it”. “What do you want me to look at? This is just a mere sun
ray". EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe;; responded.
When she looked into the face of her husband, she knew without being told that
something serious had happened to him. His face no longer had a human
appearance. Something strange and bizarre had gotten hold of him. He then said
it is the woman. It is 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô! Please tell her to leave me alone! She has been
dead for a long time! Tell her to go away from me! The dead has no business
with the living! Go!” He screamed at the top of his voice.
With the patience and calmness that EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; herself did not know she had,
she extracted all the information about the death and burial of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô from the
OÙba Bo;ju;ri;. She realized as a rude shock, that it was actually her husband who
had killed her biological mother! So, this was the secret which Ifa; said would
be revealed to her that would change the lives of many people in the community
for the better. She gave the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; some comfort and left him. All the love
that she had for him disappeared instantly. How could she love her mother's
murderer? If not for the OÙba, her parents would still be alive! She never knew
her mother; if he hadn’t killed her, she would not only had known her, she
would have been raised and trained by her! This wicked being shaking and
snivelling did not allow that to happen!
When she returned to her room, she began to think furiously, “my name is
EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe;- wickedness cannot go unrewarded. This means that the OÙba Bo;ju;ri;
must be exposed and punished”. That was what kept repeating itself in her
mind.
458
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
On the night of that same day, EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; sneaked out of the palace through the
same back door that the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; had used on the day that he murdered
'Moôleô¾yo¾ô her mother. She went from house to house. She visited the houses of
all the high-ranking chiefs in the community. She also went to the homes of all
respected elders and youth leaders to narrate her story to them. All of them
asked her one thing: was she ready to confront the OÙba with these revelations?
She answered in the affirmative. Lastly, she went to the house of the spy that
the OÙba used to trace her mother before she was murdered. The spy was ready
to corroborate her story because, unknown to the OÙba, he actually witnessed the
murder but could not tell anyone for fear of reprisal. His conscience had been
troubling him ever since. He felt guilty that he was the person who exposed an
innocent woman to an untimely but violent and underserved death. He was
prepared to reveal it all.
At dawn, before anyone woke up in the palace, EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; sneaked in through

the back door.
At mid-morning, the town crier went out to announce that the whole community
should assemble in the market square in the evening of the same day for an
important discussion. Nobody knew what the important discussion was for,
except the high Chiefs, selected elders and youth leaders. The OÙba was not
even aware of what the meeting would be about. In the evening, the market
place was filled to the brim. The OÙba was invited out to join others in the
market square. He was very angry that an important meeting like this was
summoned behind his back. When all those invited had taken their various
positions however, it was EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; his wife who came out to narrate her
story. At that moment it dawned on him that E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; was actually the
daughter of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô. He realized then and there that I®ta¾nsôan O®o¾ru¾n, the sun
rays, had actually exposed him.
When all those who had one or two things to say had finished their speeches,
including the spy he employed to trace 'Moôleô¾yo¾,ô the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; knew that the
game was up. He had nothing to say. He could only beg for forgiveness.
Because he had wrecked so much havoc on the lives of the people while he was
the OÙba, and the fact that his reign had not brought much benefit to the
community, his plea was rejected. He was appropriately sanctioned.
Three days after the market place meeting, there was an announcement that the
Ka;bi;e¾si;, His Royal Majesty, OÙba Bo;ju;ri; had joined his ancestors.
459
EÙran gbi;gbeô ab'i¾di; ta¾pa¾¾la¾-tapala

Di;a; fu;n Bo;ju;ri;
Ti;i; sôe OÙba woôn ni;'lu¾u; A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n
Ti; yo;o; f'ayo¾ô j’aye; e re¾ô da;lu
O: f’eti; o¾ôtu;n gb’e;ôboô
O: fi t'o¾si¾ da¾ a; nu¾
Ibi t'o;ri; da; ni si; la¾ a; gbe;
O®Ùna¾ ti; eô¾d;a; ya¾n fu;n ni la¾ a; to¾ô
Di;a; fu;n ;M ' oôleô¾yo¾ô
To; ri; Oôba ni;l' e¾ô
Ti; yo;o; loô re¾e; yan Olu¾sôeô; l'o;ôkoô
EÙboô ôni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eô;boôô, o; ;ru;'boô
Bi; a ba; n; sôe e;
Ile; aye; ni;i; gbe;
A ki¾i; sôe e;
O: n;beô l'a;la¾de O¾®Ùrun
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe;
Ti;i; sôô'oômoô 'Moôleô¾yo¾¾ô
Ti; yo;o; t'ori; i k'e;ôsan lee¾ ke;
Ti; yo;o; loô re¾e; fe;ô OÙba l'oô;koô
EÙÙni to; n; sôe rere
Ko; mu;;ra si; rere
E®Ùda; to; ba; si¾ n; sôô'i¾ka¾
Ko; mu;ra s;i;'k;a¾
A®t'oore, a¾t¾'i¾ka¾
OÙ®kan ki¾i; gbe;
I®ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾n lo; wa; fi wo;ôn sô'esô¾ i;n ni; gbangba
N®jeô; I®ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾n ni yo;o; fi o;ô ha¾n
O®fi¾ri¾-fi¾ri¾
EÙ®yin o¾ ri;’na; Ifa; ka¾n n;jo; woôn o
O®®fi¾¾ri¾-fi¾ri¾
460
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Translation:
Dry meat without any oily substance

He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Bo;ju;ri;
The OÙba of A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n town
Who would use excessive joy to ruin his life and reputation
And threw it out with his left ear
It is what our Ori; chooses for us that we ought to accept
It is the path of our Destiny that we ought to follow
These were Ifa;’s declarations to 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
Who had the choice of picking an OÙba
But chose to go for a pauper to be her husband
She complied
It is normal to do so
The one that lives in Ile; Aye;
It is not done
The one that lives in O®Ùrun
These were Ifa;’s messages for E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe;
The daughter of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
Who would in order for nemesis to take its due course
Get married to the OÙba
She complied
Those who do good at all the time
Continue to do good
Those who engage in wickedness
Continue to be wicked
Both benevolence and wickedness
Neither will go in vain
Travellers to I®po and O®®Ùfa¾
The sun rays were what put them to ridicule in the open
The sun rays shall expose you
With fierceness
Can’t you see the fire of Ifa; as it burns them?
With fierceness
461
Ifa; says that the fire of Ifa; shall burn all those who perpetrate evil. None of the
evil doers shall go unpunished. The person is warned to not take the law into
his/her own hands to make this happen.
13. If during the process of consulting Ifa;, Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da; is revealed, Ifa; says
that if foresees either death or affliction and there is an urgent need for the
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and
his/her coverlet that he/she uses while sleeping. This is in order to prevent this
person from experiencing untimely death.
On this, Ifa; says:
Ba¾a¾ra¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾

SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'oo¾gu¾n
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'egb¾oogi
O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;i; je;ô
Di;a; fu;n A®ra;gberi;
OÙmoô aka¾n'le¾ôku¾n oô¾run gbo¾ôngboô¾n ma; re¾
I®gba¾ti; o; n; sô'oô¾gbo¾ôgboô¾ a¾ru¾n
To; n; ta;'ju; a¾ti di¾de
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôeô
Translation:

Do not rely on it
These were Ifa;’s declarations to A®ra;gberi;
He who knocked on the door of heaven forcefully and
repeatedly without entering
When he was nursing a serious ailment
And was longing for the day that he would rise up
and be well again
462
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
They were all waiting. The ancestors were eagerly awaiting the arrival of
A®ra;gberi;. An elaborate party had been organized to welcome him back to
heaven. They had invited 420 agogo (gong) players and 1,460 i¾pe¾se¾ drum
players to play for A®ra;gberi;. He was such an important man among the
ancestors.
Meanwhile, A®®ra;gberi; kept dreaming and finding himself in the midst of his
dead relations, leading him into a nicely decorated room and telling him that the
room had been specially made for him to stay until eternity. They were all
singing and dancing. When he woke up, he could make no sense of the dream.
Therefore, he went for Ifa; consultation.
The Awo told him that it was a good thing that he came because the road to
heaven had been paved for him and this was not the handiwork of evil people
trying to kill him, or witches or wizards. It was rather the design of his
numerous well-wishers in heaven who found that he would be more useful to
them in O®Ùrun than in Aye;. A®ra;gberi; was asked to make up his mind on whether
or not he wanted to proceed to O®Ùrun at the moment. He responded that he was
not yet ready to move to OÙ®run. He had several uncompleted assignments that
he must attend to and complete before he could go back to OÙ®run.
The Awo advised him that if he was not yet ready to move to O®Ùrun, then he
needed, as a matter of urgency, to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat, his
coverlet and money. He complied. His colleagues and ancestors in OÙ®run
continued to wait for him. Just when they expected him to appear, they would
instead see the eôboô materials that would appear to them over there. Tired of
waiting endlessly, they finally left A®ra;gberi; alone.
Ba¾a¾ra¾¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾

SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'egbo¾ogi
OÙmoô aka¾n'le¾ôku¾n o¾ôrun gboô¾ngbo¾ôn ma; re¾
I®gba¾ti; o; n; sôô'oô¾gbo¾ôgboô¾ a¾ru¾n
To; n; ta'ju; a¾ti di¾de
463

N®®je;ô Ori;; ya; 'moôleô¾ o
Ori; ya; 'moôleô¾
Olo;wo;, agogo n;ro;
I®pe¾se¾ n; lu¾ o o¾
Ori; ya; ‘moôleô¾ o
Translation:

Do not rely on it
These were Ifa;’s declarations to A®ra;gberi;
He who knocked on the door of heaven forcefully and
repeatedly without entering
When he was nursing a serious ailment
And was longing for the day that he would rise up
and be well again
He complied
Ori; has rejected all entreaties
Ori; has rejected all appeals
The Agogo is being beaten repeatedly
And the I®pe¾se¾ drums are also being beaten
Ori; has rejected all entreaties
Ifa; says that this person will live long and complete all his/her major
assignments on earth before proceeding to heaven. All his/her ancestors and
colleagues in heaven have to exercise patience because his/her time to join them
over there is not going to occur for several years to come.
14. Ifa; warns that Ibi (evil) associated with after-birth has entered the womb of
a pregnant woman where this Odu¾ is revealed. There is the need to quickly
offer eôboô in order to forestall any complication for the woman during labour and
childbirth.
464
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with a coin and a small size clay pot of about
15cm in diameter and of about 10cm in depth. The coin will be placed inside
the pot and when the eôôboôô has been completed, the pot will be covered with its
lid and be buried by the Esu Shrine. If this can be done, Ibi will go and there
will be no complication during labour and childbirth.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Oni;wa¾a;ra; says:
EÙyeô ke;kere;, ab';ohu¾n gogoro
Di;a; fu;n Ibi
To;’hun O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ joô n; sô'oô¾reô;
Translation:
The tiny bird with its loud, strong voice

He cast Ifa for Ibi (evil)
When he and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ were friends
Ibi, Evil, was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s friend. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ chose to be his friend in order to
checkmate him any time he planned to perpetrate any atrocity. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ had
recorded a high degree of success in this area. The frustration caused by the
success of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was what led Ibi to the home of the Awo mentioned above
for Ifa; consultation: Would I be able to wreck havoc into the thoughts,
programmes, properties and lives of people without any hindrance?
The Awo told Ibi that he had come to find out about something serious and
delicate. He wanted to make innocent people grieve and suffer. He was told
that it would not work. The Awo explained that if nobody offends him, he will
not have the power to make anyone suffer. If he is offended however, then he is
allowed to use that as an excuse to deal with the people. The Awo said that it
was both Ibi and Ire that existed on earth. All those who did not wish for Ibi in
their lives needed to pay their dues to Ibi so that he would move away from
their lives.
The Awo advised Ibi to offer eôboô as stated above. He was also advised not to
strike anyone without any reason. He complied with the advice to offer eôboô but
decided that he would continue to strike at anyone and everyone, whether they
offend him or not.
465
EÙyeô ke;kere;, ab'ohu¾n gogoro

Ti; o¾un Ibi joô n; sô'oô¾re;ô
Translation:

He cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When he and Ibi were friends
Ibi decided to lie low in order to surprise and deal OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ a deadly blow. He
knew that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was responsible for most of his failures; those who he had
tied to illness, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had untied them; those who were supposed to meet with
violent deaths, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ warned them ahead of time; those whose love
relationships were supposed to end in disaster and divorce, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would
mend the relationship; the list was endless. It would be a sweet revenge if he hit
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ real hard and unexpectedly.
Ibi, one day went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and asked him (O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾) to give him ( Ibi)
eôôgba¾a;. (EÙgba¾a; is the equivalent of about five cents) but O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ did not see
any reason why Ibi should be given any money. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ refused to give the
money to Ibi. The demand was made repeatedly and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ refused to give
out the money. Ibi told O®Ùru;nmi¾¾la that he, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would see what he, Ibi
would do to surprise O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. Ibi was told to get away because there was
nothing he could do.
O®Ùru;nmi¾¾la¾’s wife was pregnant and the pregnancy had reached an advanced
stage. There was no sign of any problem at all. On the day that O¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s
wife went into labour, Ibi entered into her womb. While in labour, it was Ibi
that came out first instead of the baby. (In this wise, what Ifa; is saying is that, as
Ibi also means placenta, the placenta would threaten to come out first, leading to
placenta previa, before the baby comes out).
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ saw this, he rushed to the home of the Awo mentioned above
for Ifa; consultation. During consultation, E®sôu¾ told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he created the
problem for himself because he ought to have given the EÙgba¾a; to Ibi when the
money was demanded from him, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was directed to go and do as he was
told. When he got home he got the pot and placed the EÙgba¾a; into it. He told Ibi
to come and take the money.
466
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Soon after this, the baby came out, followed by Ibi, the placenta. The placenta
was placed inside the pot and buried. As soon as this was done, E®sôu¾ said that
any time Ibi (the placenta) is seen, it must be buried that same day. That was
how O®ru;nmi¾la¾ escaped the evil plan hatched by Ibi.
EÙyeô ke;kere;, ab';ohu¾n gogoro
Di;a; fu;n Ibi
To;’hun O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ joô n; sô'oô¾reô;
SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moô;
EÙyeô ke;kere;, ab'ohu¾n gogoro
Ti; o¾un Ibi joô n; sô'oô¾re;ô
O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;;’boô
EÙ wa; ba; ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
N®je;ô o¾o¾jo; a r’I:bi
N'Ibi; n; woô'leô¾
Ibi woô'leô¾ l'o;ni¾i; o
Ara a; da;
O®o¾joô; a r'I:bi
N'Ibi n; woô'leô¾
Translation:

He cast Ifa for Ibi
When he and O®Ùru;nmi¾¾la¾ were friends
He offered the eôboô
But did not follow the advice of the Awo
He cast Ifa for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
When he and Ibi were friends
He complied
Join us where we enjoy victory over adversity
467
The day that we see Ibi (placenta)

That is the day it must be buried in the ground
Ibi (evil), has been run aground today
We feel well and healthy
The day that we see Ibi (placenta)
That is the day it must be buried in the ground
Ifa; says that complications and evil shall be driven aground in the life of the
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. The faster this eôboô is offered for this
person, the better for him/her.
15. Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to keep all medicines,
poisons, chemicals, acids and similar substances away from where anyone can
have easy access to them. He/she also needs to keep guns, rifles, pistols,
knives, swords, axes, bows, arrows, javelins cudgels and so on away from easy
access. If this is not done, this person may end up using his/her own hands to
bring calamity to his/her loved ones due to his/her negligence. He/she will have
nobody to blame over the resultant unfortunate incident but himself/herself.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she
also needs to heed this warning because no amount of eôboô offered is higher or
even equal to heeding the warning.
On this, Ifa; says:
Ogbe¾ Ba¾a¾ra¾¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾
EÙboô ko; ma; f'oôwoô; ara re¾ô sôe ara reô¾ ni woô;n ni;
ko;wa;a; sôe o
Translation:

468
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®

Do not rely on it
These were Ifa;’s declarations to A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni;
Who was advised to offer eôboô so as not to use his own
hands to cause havoc for himself
A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; was a very powerful herbalist, soldier and hunter. He was well
endowed in the area of charms and incantations. He had Egbe;, the medicine
that transported him from one place to another whenever danger loomed; he had
A®fe;ôerô¾ i;, the charm that made him disappear whenever he was surrounded by
wild animals in the forest, or by enemies in the war front; he had E®Ùda¾, the charm
that made it possible for him to conjure food, drinks, money, dresses and gifts
from the thin air; he knew how to make and stop the rain; with ordinary
incantation, he could set fire on a house or farm; and he could do many more.
He was feared and respected by all his colleagues, friends and foes alike. In his
house, he had many herbal herbicides, he had pesticides and mosquito killers.
He also had very strong preparations for sexual virility, for strong health and
vitality, and for safe delivery during labour. He was very generous in the
community. He was ready to assist anyone with or without payment.
One day, A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; went for Ifa; consultation in order to determine what
the outcome of the hunting expedition that he was about to engage upon would
look like. Will I be able to kill many game?
The Awo told him that killing game had never been, and would never be, his
problem. He however needed to offer eôboô against using his own hands to wreck
havoc against himself. He was advised to keep all lethal weapons and strong
charms away from the reach of his household members. He was also advised to
offer eôboô.
A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; offered the eôboô alright; but he could not see the correlation
between his ability to kill many animals and keeping all the preparations in his
home against the reach of the members of his household. He simply left
everything in his house as they were and went on his hunting expedition. He
would spend seven days in the forest. Before he left, he instructed his children
to go to the farm and clear all the weeds in readiness for plantation.
As soon as he left, the children began to pursue their individual agendas. They
totally forgot about the assignment given to them by their father. When only
two days remained for their father to arrive, they remembered their assignments.
The eldest of the seven children that he gave the assignment to, remembered
469
that their father had a preparation which increased performance. He told his
brothers that first thing the following morning, they would all use the medicine
and go to the farm to work. That was exactly what they did. Unfortunately
however, instead of using the performance enhancing preparation, they used the
pesticide! A few moments after they used this preparation, the seven of them
were rolling on the floor in pain. By the evening of the same day, the seven of
them were stone dead! They vomited blood all over the room where they had
died. It was a very lethal poison that they had consumed.
A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; returned from his hunting expedition with a lot of animals
which he had no time to attend to when he saw the calamity that befell him at
home. He remembered the warning of the Awo and realized to his everlasting
regret that he was the one who actually used his own hands to invite disaster
into his home and life.
Ogbe¾ Ba¾a¾ra¾¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾

EÙboô ko; ma; f'oôwoô; ara re¾ô sôe ara reô¾ ni woô;n ni;ko;wa;a; sôe o
O: f'eti; o¾ôtu;n gb'e;ôboô
O: fi t'o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾
A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; o¾
I®woô lo b'eô¾we¾ô p’oômoô oô¾ reô o
I®woô lo b'eô¾we¾ô
EÙni to; gb'e;ôboô ni;'be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô'eôboô o
Translation:

Do not rely on it
470
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
These were Ifa;’s declarations to A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni;

Who was advised to offer eôboô so as not to use his own
hands to cause havoc for himself
A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; o!
You are the one who set up disaster against yourself
You set up the disaster
Let those who are advised to offer eôboô do so
Ifa; says that E®sôu¾ will consider the person who provided all the eôboô materials
without heeding the warning as refusing to offer the prescribed eôboô . It is
therefore advisable for this person to offer the eôboô and at the same time heed the
warning of the Awo.
16. Ifa; says that some women are planning to go somewhere (especially in the
hinterland) where this Odu¾ is revealed. It may be for business to trade, fulfil a
contract, or even a social occasion. Ifa; warns them not to go at all. This is
because a trap has been set, knowingly or unknowingly for them. It would be
terrible if they should allow themselves to fall into this trap. The only way to
avoid this is to ensure that they do not go on the trip.
This is what Ifa; says;;
I®beô;n¾beô; sôekete ye;ke;

Di;a; fu;n A®da¾ba¾ SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾
Ti; yo;;o; sô’oôkoô Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n
EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
I®beô;n¾beô; SÙekete ye;ke;

He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ (the Dove)
The husband of Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n
471
A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ and Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n loved each other beyond description. Both of

them loved to do things to please each other. They had respect for each other
and those who lived close to them admired them and wished that they could live
like them with their spouses.
One day, some women planned to go to the farm, to pick melon seeds. Many of
them had planned to go the next day. Very early on the day that the women
prepared to go, A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ went to the home of the Awo mentioned above
for Ifa; consultation in order to determine his success chances on his new
business venture.
The Awo told A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ that he would succeed; but he needed to offer eôboô.
He was told that some women planned to go to a farm to work. They must not
go because a trap had been set for them on the farm. What was the eôboô material
for that A®da¾ba¾ S¾Ùu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ enquired? Nothing, he was told. The only eôboô was for the
women not to go.
When he got back home, he met his wife preparing for the trip. He told her
what the Awo said about the trip. A lot of preparations had gone into the trip
and it would not be appropriate for her not to go or for her to discourage others
to abandon the trip. It was just not right.
In the end, A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ and his wife concluded that the women should go and
he would go into the ancestral shrine to pray for their well-being until they
returned from the trip. Soon after, his wife, together with all the other women,
left. A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ went straight into the ancestral shrine and began a
marathon prayer session for the safe return of the women.
A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ was still praying in the ancestral shrine when they brought the
corpses of three women, Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n his wife included as one of the dead, back
from the journey. What happened? Those who escaped explained that as soon
as they got to the farm, they commenced working. They were not aware that the
farmers had set I®yo¾,ô a trap made with strong stings in several parts of the farm.
While they were working, they suddenly saw Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n and the other two
women screaming at the top of their voices. They had put their necks into the
strings unknowingly. As they struggled to remove the strings, it tightened round
their necks. In the end, they were strangulated to death! A®da¾ba¾ SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ cried in
agony.
472
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
He began to scream from place to place, saying “Mi o¾ ri; Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n moô; o! Mi o¾
ri; Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n mo;ô o!!” He cried and cried! Up till today, A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ is still
mourning the loss of his beloved wife.
I®beô;n¾beô; sôekete ye;ke;

Di;a; fu;n A®da¾ba¾ SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾
Ti; yo;;o; sô’oôkoô Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n
EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O: f'eti; o¾ôtu;n gb'e;ôboô
O: fi t'o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾
N®jeô; mi o¾ ri; Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n moô; o!
Mi o¾ ri; Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n moô; o!!
EÙni gb'eô;boô ni;'be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô'eôboô o
Translation:
I®be;ôn¾be;ô SÙekete ye;ke;

He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ (the Dove)
The husband of Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n
Behold! I do not see Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n anymore!
I cannot see Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n any longer!
Let those advised to offer eôboô do so.
Ifa; says that offering of eôboô without heeding Ifa;’s warning amounts to non-
compliance to offer eôboô. That was what led A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾us¾ ôu¾u¾ to everlasting regret.
473
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® GBA®RA®DA: FOR THOSE BORN

BY THE ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙD
For Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children, males and females, they have come into this world
in order to perform wonders. They are going to be in the company of wonderful
and marvellous things. Life shall be interesting, comfortable, rewarding and
exciting for them. They stand a good chance of becoming the shakers and
movers of the societies they live in.
Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children achieve a lot of things on earth and most of the feats
that they perform on earth usually live long after them when they have departed
from the earth. Many Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children have foundations, institutions,
establishments, industries, streets, and so on named after them.
Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children are never satisfied with the normal way of doing things.
The urge to do things differently and with a touch of class usually distinguishes
them among the crowd and makes them excel with high recognition. Also, Ogbe¾
Gba¾ra¾da; children usually love to explore new avenues and exploit new areas
and resources. They are very lucky and often come up with new inventions,
new ideas, new innovations, and new useful results. The lives of Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da;
children have the tendency of being rough at the initial stages but they will
eventually enjoy sweet rewards at the end of any exercise.
It should not come as a surprise to see Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children being more
successful than most of their contemporaries. These successes usually come
with accolades, honour, respect, and more opportunities to succeed. This is the
reason why there is always something to jubilee over for Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da;
children.
One of the major weaknesses of Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children, males and females, is
that they lack the ability to understand the intricacies involved in the use of
power and authority. It is not uncommon to see Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children
misusing or abusing their power or authority reposed on them. This attitude
usually brings negative and regrettable results for them.
Another weakness of Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; is that they have the tendency of subjecting
other people to public odium, humiliation and ridicule. Doing this eventually
makes them the victims of ridicule, humiliation and odium in the end.
474
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children also, more often than not, end up carrying out mischief
that they plan against others.
For Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; male children, there is the need for them to learn how to
accept defeat in good faith and to know that in this life, you win some, you lose
some. It is not those who win all the battles that are victorious. It is rather those
who win the war at the end of the day that are victorious. Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; male
children also need to work hard on being good husbands to their wives and good
fathers to their children.
For Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; female children, it is not advisable for them to contemplate
separation or divorce from their husbands. Doing so may lead to a situation
where they will end up in at least three matrimonial relationships and having
children by three different men. This can be avoided if proper investigation is
conducted before entering into any long lasting love relationship.
On the overall, Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children move from grass to grace, from nothing
to surplus, from obscurity to prominence, and from the base to the apex of any
socio-economic and political ladder.
C. AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ®/ /O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® GBA®RA®DA:
1. Ifa; - For guidance, support, progress, elevation, success, victory, comfort,

satisfaction, and general wellbeing
2. Ori; - For fulfilment of destiny, progress, sanctuary, victory, direction,
guidance, protection, elevation, contentment, and self actualization
3. E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ - For sanctuary, support, victory, success, progress, leadership,
4. SÙa¾ngo; - For victory, leadership, support, progress, general wellbeing and
overall success
5. Aje; - For financial success, leadership, progress, elevation, honour, respect,
reward and general wellbeing
6. Egu;ngu;n - For ancestral support, leadership, continuity, victory, elevation,
success and general wellbeing
475
7. EÙyinleÙ¾ - For childbearing, childrearing, support, contentment and general

wellbeing
8. EÙgbeô; - For comradeship, leadership, victory, success, acceptance, and
general wellbeing
9. OÙbalu;aye; - For protection against pestilence and contagious diseases,
victory, success, progress, and general wellbeing
10. O®gu;n - For victory, progress, leadership, innovation, and general wellbeing
11. O®Ùsôun - For compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing, relevance and
overall success
D. TABOOS OF OGBE® GBA®RA®DA:
1. Must never use A®fo¾ôn, bread fruit for anything - To avoid unconsummated
fortune, failure, disappointment and regrets
2. Must never use O®pi¾pi¾, featherless bird for anything - To avoid
unconsummated fortune, dwindling progress and resources, failure,
disappointment and regrets
3. Must never subject anyone to ridicule - To avoid humiliation, regrets, failure
and disaster
4. Must never conspire against anyone - To avoid ridicule, humiliation, failure,
and regrets
5. Must never lend anything that is precious to him/her to others. Only lend
things to others if you are fine with those items never being returned - To avoid
losing what is precious to him/her
6. Must never use any part of an Elephant for anything - To avoid reduction in
progress, failure, melancholy and regrets
7. Must never eat the liver of any animal - To avoid unconsummated fortune,
unfulfilled dreams, failure, retrogression, disappointments and regrets
8. Must never misuse power or authority - To avoid failure, ridicule, odium,
regrets and disaster
9. Must never contemplate separation or divorce - To avoid being in many
unsuccessful matrimonial relationships
10. Must never allow disagreement between his/her siblings - To avoid
everlasting family conflict and enmity.
11. Must never keep dangerous charms or weapons within the reach of
members of his/her household - To avoid the weapons being used against the
household members
476
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® GBA®RA®DA:
i. MALE

2. Oju;mo;ôri¾i;bi - May my eyes witness no evil
3. OÙla;be;rinjoô - Honour resembles an Elephant
4. Erinfoôla;mi; - The Elephant breaths with honour
5. Ifa;to;o;yanga¾n - Ifa; is worthy of being proud of
6. Aratu¾mi; - I feel comfortable
7. Du¾nn;ba;de; - Ifa; is easy to move along with
ii FEMALE

2. OÙmoôleô¾yo¾ô - My child is my most precious possession
3. EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; - Vengeance will never go without manifesting
4. Aratu¾¾mi; - I feel comfortable
5. Mora;yo¾ô - I find joy in my life
6. Ifa;bu¾nmi - Ifa; present this to me
477
Chapter 7
Ogbè Ọ̀kànràn
II I
II I
II I
I I
478
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
OGBE® KI®RA®N
OGBE® KI®RA®N MO:Ù'LEÙ®
A. 1. Ifá foresees three Ire for the person for whom this Odù is revealed
during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa; at the same time. Ifá foresees the Ire of
victory, merriment and happiness; all at the same time for this person.
Ifá says that the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed will
have meaning if he/she is ready to confront challenges head-on. He/she
will always return with sweet victory and will savour his/her success if
he/she allows himself/herself to face the challenges of life. His/her close
association with O¾®gu;n will also ensure victory for him/her.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two cocks, two
guinea fowls and money. He/she also needs to feed O¾®gu;n with one
cock.
On this Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an tire¾ ko; ma; sôeô

Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n
Ti; n;gb’o;gun loô i¾lu; I®la;re;
Translation:
Ogbe¾ O®Ùka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for it not

to come to pass
This was Ifa;‟s message for O®gu;n
When going to wage war on I®la;re; town (the land of
Merriment)
This war must be waged and won. All necessary preparations must be
made in order to ensure resounding victory and success. It is one thing
to win a battle; to win a war is another. It is possible to lose a battle
and still win a war. It is equally possible to win a battle but still lose the
479
war. These were the considerations of O®gu;n when making his

preparations to wage war on I®la;re; town. Part of his preparation was to
consult Ifá in the home of the Awo mentioned above to determine his
success chances on the war front. He also wanted to know what he
must offer as ẹbọ for him to win and be successful in his endeavour.
The Awo assured O®gu;n that he would not only win, but he would also
bring honour and glory to his home and life. He was advised to offer
eôboô as stated above. O®gu;n complied. Shortly after, he set out on his
journey to I®la;re; town.
When he got to the land, what he met was totally unexpected. Instead
of hostility, he was greeted with pomp and pageantry. He was welcomed
very warmly. He was well accommodated. He was also given every
possible opportunity in the land. The hand of friendship extended to
him in this land almost made him feel ashamed of himself for ever
contemplating waging war against the land in the first place. When he
was returning home, he was presented with all those things that would
make him call for celebration when he got back home. He returned
home a contented person.
Ogbe¾ ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an tire¾ô ko; ma; sôeô

Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n
Ti; n;gb’o;gun loô i¾lu; I®la;yo¾ô
Translation:
Ogbe¾ OÙ®ka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for it not

to come to pass
When going to wage war on I®la;yo¾ô town (the land of
happiness)
Again, no two wars are the same. There was still the need to prepare
very well for the war that O®gu;n was planning to wage on I®la;yo¾ land. His
experience in I®la;re; land might be different from what he would meet in
I®la;yo¾ land. That was why it was absolutely necessary for him to prepare
well for the new encounter. He could not afford to lose any war. His
480
pride and reputation would not allow for that to happen. He therefore
returned to the home of the same Awo to consult Ifá for him. What
must he do to win the war? He asked. What eôboô must he offer?
The Awo assured him again that he would also bring back home honour
and glory. He was also advised to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two
cocks, two guinea fowls and money. He was equally told to feed
his O®ke¾-I®po¾ôri; with one cock. O®gu;n complied. Shortly after this, he went
to I®la;yo¾ town to wage war on the land.
Again, when he got to I®la;yo¾ land, he regretted ever coming with
hostility. He was hailed, pampered and venerated. The inhabitants of
the land satisfied him with whatever he wanted. They accorded to him
his deserved honour and respect. They were even friendlier than the
inhabitants of I®la;re land. They gave him everything and anything that
would enhance his status. He returned home a very happy person.

Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n
Ti; n;gb’o;gun loô i¾lu; I®la;re;
O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n
Ti; n;gb’o;gun loô i¾lu; I®la;yo¾ô
O: gb’e:ôboô, o; ru;’boô
N®je;ô O®gu;n ja I®la;re; o
O®gu;n ja I®la;yo¾ô
Ohun rere l’O®gu;n mu; bo¾ô
Translation:
Ogbe¾ O®Ùka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for

it not to come to pass
When going to wage war on I®la;re; town (the
land of Merriment)
He complied
481
Ogbe¾ OÙ®ka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for

it not to come to pass
When going to wage war on I®la;yo¾ô town (the
land of happiness)
He complied
Now, O®gu;n waged war on I®la;re; land
O®gu;n waged war on I®la;yo¾ô land
O®gu;n brought back good things
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall bring back
good things from all his/her endeavours. He/she shall be elevated,
honoured, respected and be given high recognitions in all what he/she
sets his/her mind on. He/she however needs to fight to acquire his
merriment and joy and ensure that they are kept for good.
2. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to exercise
patience and perseverance. He/she is presently experiencing hardship
and pains. He/she however needs to wait it out because only a little
period remains for him/her to have his/her break through where he/she
presently is.
Ifá advises this person not to contemplate a change of abode, change of

work, change of spouse or even change of environment at the present
moment. He/she needs not be impatient or be in a hurry. All the Ire of
life that he/she is yearning for are on their way to him/her. Patience
and perseverance ought to be his/her watchwords at this moment.
Ifá advises this person to offer his/her ẹbọ as A®ru;kore: two rats, two
fish, two hens, two pigeons, two guinea-fowls, two cocks and
money.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-„Ka¾nra¾¾n laying emphasis on this says:
O®Ùpa; ni;i; fi’bi sôo;mu;so

ô ;mu; teô’leô¾
Di;a; fu;n A®®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾
Ti; Ire n; bo¾ô l’eô;yi¾n
To; wa; n; bi;’nu; u; loô o
482
Translation:
A staff is it that touches the ground with its pointed tip

This was Ifá’s message to A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ (the
Travelling Passenger)
When all his Ire was coming from behind
He was in a furious hurry to move on
A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ left his home land out of frustration. He had nothing to point to
as his own. He was nothing. All his colleagues had succeeded; but
through illegal means. He had bluntly refused to join any of their
groups. He had vowed that he would never be a part of any crime or
any form of illegality or antisocial activity. His colleagues made jest of
him. When the pressure was too much for him, A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ packed his
things and left the land. On the day that he left his homeland however,
he vowed that he would continue to move on and on until he
succeeded.
He was a well trained Awo but nobody seemed to recognize that in him.
He had no wife. He had no child. He had only one dress remaining and
a wrapper to wrap round himself. He would often wash the dress, sun-
dry it and then wear it again. Whenever he was in the midst of other
Awo in the land, nobody would seem to recognize him. When they
would cast Ifá on any issue, nobody would seek his opinion on it. He
remembered how his fellow Awo at home who would carry on saying
what Ifá had not said and how they would recommend heavy materials
which Ifá had not ask for, all in the bid to make more money. Yet,
somehow through their dishonesty, these Awo were successful
financially.
Tired of being ignored in his new place of abode, he decided to move

on. Before he did that however, he went to the home of the Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation. All what he wanted to know was
if in the end, he would be able to make it through the use of legitimate
means. He was so convinced that the land that he was at that time had
nothing to offer him. He could hardly eat two times a day. He must
move on and try his luck elsewhere. He was convinced that Ifá would
tell him to move forward in order to make progress in his life.
483
The Awo told A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ that he was going through a very trying time. He
was assured that all would be well in the end. He was also informed
that he was going to succeed in the land that he was in and he must not
move anywhere else. Only a bit of time remained for him to be able to
cut off the shackles of poverty that had tied him for a long time.
The Awo also advised him to offer ẹbọ with two rats and two fish for
child bearing; two hens for a good spouse; two pigeons for
prosperity; two guinea fowls for peace of mind; and two cocks for
victory. He was to also add money to the ebo materials. A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾
looked at the Awo for a long time as if he did not see him at all. What
was going on in his mind? Where did this Awo expect him to get the
money to procure such items? He informed the Awo that he would love
to offer the eôbọ but he simply could not afford it. He had no money to
do it at all.
The Awo promised to assist him. In between the two of them, the eôbọ
was offered. The Awo also asked A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ to come every day and work
with him in his house.
Three days after this, the group of Awo in the land wanted to go and
cast Ifá for the people of the land in order to improve the economic
Ù® a; ni;i; fi'bi sôo;mu;sôo;mu; teô'leô¾ to
progress of the market. A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ followed Op
the home of the I®ya;lo;ôja¾, the head of the market women where the Ifá
consultation would take place.
Before they got there, E®®sôuô¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ whispered into the ears of everyone
that A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ had the right information and preparation that would make
the market have progress. He told them to give him audience.
When they arrived in the home of the I®ya;lo;ôja¾, all eyes were on A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾.
Seeing his appearance, they took pity on him. Instead of being
disappointed, they were all determined to assist him to get out of his
pathetic condition. When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾-O®ôka¾nra¾n was
revealed. In accordance to custom, two Babaláwo recited Ifá and gave
Ifá’s messages to the people who were there present. They were not
impressed with what they had said. When it was the turn of A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ to
speak, the whole place became dead silent. When he began to analyze
the Odù, even his fellow Awo were all impressed. The depth of his
analysis and the accuracy of his statements made everyone to look at
him in amazement.
484
When he concluded his statements, it was obvious that nobody was

keen on hearing any other person speak. That was when I®ya;lo;ôja¾
whispered into the ears of two of her Pa¾ra¾ko¾yi;, market leaders, and
before long, they came back with three complete dresses for A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾.
They also gave him some personal money, apart from the one that they
gave all the Awo present.
Since that day, the life of A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ changed completely. He was the talk
of the town. Everyone began to look for him for Ifá consultation and
spiritual advice. When he had enough money, he went to Op ®ô a; ni;i; fi'bi
sôo;mu;sôo;mu; teô'leô¾ to refund the money to the Awo who he had spent
money in helping him offer his ẹbọ, but the former refused to accept the
money. He told A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ that any problem that befell one Awo was the
responsibility of all Awo present to handle and resolve.
Within three months that they did Ifá consultation in the home of the
I®ya;lo;ôja¾, everyone had been discussing with A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ that it was high
time he had his own spouse. The inhabitants of the land made all
necessary arrangements and a wife was found for him. The marriage
ceremony was a solemn one. Two months after marriage, the woman
was already carrying his baby. The baby came without incident.
Within 10 years, A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ who came with nothing and who was in a
hurry to leave the land, but for the advice of Ifá, became a wealthy
man, a husband, a father, a landlord, the owner of a galloping horse, a
title holder and an honourable man in the land. He got all these things
without cheating, lying, stealing or defrauding anyone to do so. All he
could do was to give praises and thanks to Olo;du¾mare¾, his Orí, Ifá, his
fellow Awo and his numerous well-wishers. He also gave special thanks
to E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra who also made everything possible in his life.
O®Ùpa; ni;;i; fi’bi sôo;mu;so
ô ;mu; teô’leô¾
Di;a; fu;n A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾
Ti; Ire n; bo¾ô l’eô;yi¾n
To; wa; n; bi;nu; u; loô o
Ko¾¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
Ire gbogbo wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru
N®je;ô A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ ma; ma¾ loô o
A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ ma; ma¾¾ loô
Ire n; bo¾ô ni;’wa;ju; o
485
Ire n; bo¾ô l’eô;yi¾n

A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ ma; ma¾ loô o
Translation:
A staff is it that touches the ground with its pointed tip

This was Ifá’s message to A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ (the
Travelling Passenger)
When all his Ire was coming from behind
He was in a furious hurry to move on
He complied
Now, A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾¾ do not go
A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ do not move on
All Ire is coming in front of you
All Ire is coming from behind
A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾, please do not go
Ifá says that this person will receive all the blessings of life where
he/she is, if only he/she exercises a little more patience and
perseverance. Moving away to another location will not solve his/her
problem; but rather, it will postpone the arrival of all the Ire of life
already lined up for him/her.
3. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to please take
good care of visitors, especially strangers. Ifá says that a good stranger
who will change his/her life for the better is about to visit him/her in
his/her home. If this visitor is well taken care of, then he/she is assured
success and accomplishment in his/her life.
This person also needs to inform his/her spouse to take good care of the
whole house and its vicinity. The wife must clean and tidy up
everywhere because the coming visitor does not like unclean or
unhealthy environments.
It is also possible that the visitor is already in the house of the person
for whom this Odù is revealed. If the visitor is well accommodated and
given well deserved respect, success and accomplishment are
486
guaranteed for the person for whom this Odù is revealed and his/her
spouse. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two
hens, two guinea fowls, two cocks and money.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-„Ka¾nra¾n has this to say:
Koro ni faa fa;'gba;

Fa¾la¾la¾ falala l’oôloô;ja¾ a; be¾ô’weô¾
Bi; wo;ôn ba; be¾ô oô; l’o;ôweô¾
Ti; o o¾ ba; je;ô
O roôra pa koô;ro;ôkoô;ro;ô
OÙ ma;a loô o
Di;a; fu;n Olojo¾
Ti;i; sô'oômoô OÙba ni;’gbo; I®je¾ôbu;
I®gba¾ to; n;loô s’a;jo¾ to; ji¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôjoô;
Translation:

It is with authority that a nobleman sends
others on errands
If you are sent on an errand
And you do not perform
You better move into hiding
And secretly move away
These were Ifá’s messages for Olojo¾ (the Stranger)
A Princess from the forest of I®je¾ôbu; land
When going on a very long journey that
was the distance between the sun to earth
Olojo¾ was a princess. Her father was the Ϙba in the forest of I®je¾ôbu;-land.
The name of the town was also known as I®je¾ôbu;-Igbo;. Her father was
simply the wealthiest man in his town. Olojo¾ was his favourite daughter.
Olojo¾ was a very neat, well-kept, small and extremely fashionable
woman. She loved to see everything and everywhere around her neat
and well kept. She was always prepared to do anything to compensate
anyone who could tidy up where she was and ensure that the place was
neat and to her taste.
487
One day, Olojo¾ decided that she must travel round the world in order to
enrich her experiences and understanding of many cultures besides her
own. She decided to go for Ifá consultation in order to make three
inquiries: one, to know how the trip would be; two, to know what she
needed to take along on her journey; and three, how long it would take
her to complete her journey.
The Awo informed Olojo¾ that her trip would be very successful. She was
planning a trip around the world but she would instead take a journey
into the world. That was when she would understand what life was all
about and appreciate the intricacies which existed in the world,
Secondly, she was informed that she needed to take along with her all
those things which would make her trip comfortable; money, clothing
materials, jewellery, toiletries, gift items and so on. She must also fully
prepare herself to avoid her lacking anything on her journey. Thirdly,
she was told that such a journey did not have a specific time period.
Everything depended on how deeply she planned to delve into the
world.
She was advised to offer eôboô as specified above. She complied. Soon
after this, she set out on her journey into the world, even though she
did not really understand the full meaning of what she was about to
achieve.
Pa’le; mo;ô
P’oô¾na¾ moô;
Awo ile; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ni;jo;ô Olojo¾ yo;o; wo¾ô si;’le; e Baba
Translation:
Pa‟le; mo;ô, put the house in order

P‟oô¾na¾ mo;ô, arrange the surroundings neatly
The resident Awo of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s household
When Olojo¾ would settle in his house
488
It was time for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to perform his OÙ®se¾ô (five day) Ifá consultation.
This would serve as guide for him for the next five days. He would be
able to know what was in stock for him and how to attain any good
things coming his way. He invited two of his ex-students, Pa’le; mo;ô and
P’oôn
¾ a¾ moô; to come and do the consultation for him.
The Awo informed OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that in the next five days, there was the
need for him and every member of his household to take good care of
visitors, especially strangers. He was also told that he needed to keep
the whole house and its vicinity clean and spotless during the period.
They said that a stranger would be coming and would stay in his house.
This stranger would make him extremely successful if he could be very
hospitable and if he could keep his home clean, neat, peaceful and very
accommodating. He was informed to impress it upon his wife to be at
her best throughout this period that the visitor would spend with them.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was equally told that keeping the home clean and tidy was the
responsibility of his wife. That was why he needed to ensure that his
wife was on top of the situation throughout the period that the stranger
would spend with them. The whole household must also be friendly with
the stranger so that this stranger would not have any cause to leave
unexpectedly or before the time that he/she wished to spend with the
family.
The Awo laid so much emphasis on the fact that the coming stranger
would make OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and his household great. He was urged not to
miss the opportunity because it was a chance of a lifetime.
The Awo also advised him to offer eôboô as stated above. It was the
same eôboô that Olojo¾ was advised to offer before she took off on her
long, long journey. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied. He also had a discussion with
everyone in his household and explained to them what the Awo told him
about cleanliness. They were all determined to ensure that everywhere
was spotlessly, clean and tidy even before the visitor arrived.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s wife became the coordinator who would ensure both
cleanliness and hospitality for the stranger.
Two days after this, this stranger, Olojo¾ arrived in OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house.
She came with a long retinue of maiden servants and delegates. They
were all at her beck and call, just to make her happy and contented.
489
The first thing she did was to inspect everywhere, both the whole
compound and its vicinity. She found them to measure to her taste and
standards. She was quite satisfied with what she had found. She was
ushered to her room and she settled in. All her aides were also given
befitting accommodations.
When it was time for food, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ realized that everything she would
eat for months was brought along with her. She told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ not to
bother with her feeding. All she wanted was for her domestic servants to
be given free access to the kitchen where they would prepare her food
to her taste. This was quickly arranged.
The following day, she settled down for real business. She told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
that she found his home very accommodating. She would however love
to build more rooms so that her numerous servants would have more
space for themselves. She sought OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s permission to do so and
she was given the permission. Her male servants were set out to work
immediately. She also told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she intended to make a trip
round the world and she would like OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to advise her on how to
proceed.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told Olojo¾ that there were two ways to make her trip. First,
she could make a trip around the world; and second, she could travel
into the world, she was informed that the former was exciting but the
latter was more intriguing and more beneficial.
How could one make a trip into the world she asked herself. She quite
understood how one could travel around the world, but she had never
been taught about how to travel into the world. This made her very
interested in travelling into the world, like OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had mentioned,
instead of travelling around the world.
She also wanted to know when they would commence the travel into
the world. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her that they would take the trip into the world
the next day, as soon as the morning devotions and breakfast was
finished. Throughout the remaining part of the day and the night, Olojò
was busy packing her things and making preparations for the trip. She
really did not know what she needed to take along on the trip, but she
packed her essential things all the same.
490
When everyone had taken his/her meal, Olojò ordered that two of her
horses should be mantled and dressed up for the journey. When this
had been done, she informed OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she was ready for the
journey. That was when she was told that the trip would be embarked
upon right inside the house. She became even more confused. How?
She asked. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her that to go into the world, they must start
from her. From her? She asked, now with more curiosity and impatience
than she had ever experienced in her life.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ then told her, that as a woman, she was the world. She also
owned the world and that every part of her body represented every
segment of the world. How? She asked. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ responded that as
women populated the world, it was their feminine energy that
maintained and upheld the world. If there were no women, the world
would cease to exist within a mere 150 years! It was women who gave
birth to men before men were able to assume various positions of
responsibilities. Women also gave birth to the Ϙba and other Royalty
before they would turn into O®ri¾sôa.¾ The womb of a woman is the source
of the world where all ingenious designs and products are
manufactured.
Olojò was totally baffled. She thought about this information for a long,
long time and realized that it made a lot of sense but she wanted to
hear more. She raised up her two hands and bowed her head, telling
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she had raised her two hands up and made her palms
face up to confess her ignorance and readiness to learn more. She then
repeated the gesture two more times.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ then told her that the journey would start with her two hands.
There were two types of palms that the hands carried. There was the
leprous hand and then the spotless hand. The leprous hand had five
fingers; these fingers were; one, jealousy; two, envy; three, anger; four,
backbiting and five, arrogance. The five fingers of the spotless hand
were: one, hope; two, humility; three, benevolence; four, honesty and
five, understanding. These were the fingers of those who would break or
make the world. This is because almost everything we do in life is done
with our hands, with our fingers constantly working on the various
designs. The type of fingers one has determines the type of design one
will produce. The leprous fingers will surely bring forth leprous products
while the spotless fingers will produce spotless items.
491
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked Olojò to cast her mind back to her home land and think
about those who worked for the progress as well as those who worked
for the failure of the land and she would understand how they worked
and why they always got the types of results they got. If ones actions
cause sadness for others and one makes money from such actions, one
cannot use the money to buy anything that will bring one joy.
Conversely, whatever people do which make several others progress will
not turn round and make the architect of that same thing sad or
depressed. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told Olojò to go and go over the information in her
mind until evening time when they would meet again under the moon
light. That was the way the world worked, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her.
On her way to her room, she met OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾, the wife of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
talking to two children. She stayed a while to listen to the discussions.
In the end, she looked for a seat and sat beside them. When the
children left, OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ told her that a child’s mother is a child’s
closest confidant. The womb which carries the children for ten lunar
months is deep enough to keep all their secrets. The depth of a
woman’s feelings for each of her children must also be kept secret in the
womb so as to avoid a situation where the woman may create jealousy,
envy, and rivalry among her children.
In the same vein, the secrets of her husband must be kept inside her
womb so that his rivals or antagonists will not use her as bait for the
downfall of her husband. OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ concluded by saying that the
womb of a woman is deeper than the deepest point of the earth. She
then left to think over what she had just heard from both the husband
and the wife.
In the evening, she was still thinking about all the information she
received because some details of the information actually worried her.
When she got to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, the first thing which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked her
was: what is it that is worrying you so much? She explained that what
she heard from his wife was worrisome to her because it is very difficult
to maintain balance between all ones children, ones husband, and those
associated with the husband by keeping all their secrets to avoid being
instrumental in any downfall that may occur. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ said that that is
what women must do at all times. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told Olojò that women are
able to keep more profound secrets than men and that many secrets
often go with women to their graves. He enjoined her to cultivate the
habit of keeping secrets in order to protect herself, her family, and her
loved ones. She must also be careful of what comes out of her mouth
492
when there are quarrels because once she shares something, it will not
be easy to retract what she has said once the matter has eventually
settled.
Olojò asked OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ how he knew that she had worries at the back of
her mind which gave her concern. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ responded that the human
mind is a fountain where all thoughts spring from and generate before
they come out in the form of speech or action. The face is the mirror of
the mind, when a person is angry, it will start in the mind before it
shows on the face; if someone is happy, it will also start from the mind
and then show on the face; and if someone is worried like you, it will
start from your mind before it show on your face. You must learn the
signs of the various gestures on the face in order to delve deeply into
the world.
Twice every day, Olojò and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had discussions on various issues,
giving birth children, becoming pregnant, labour, and all the problems
associated with it, raising the children, training, marriage, growing old
and dying, business transactions, community development, self-
development, commitments to duty, religion, love, hatred, travelling and
so on. In the end, Olojò spent one full year with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. By that time,
OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ had become her best friend. She showed OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾
her own little world, and OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ showed her hers. She made
OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ great by transferring most of her wealth to her. She
made OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ popular and honourable by singing his praises
everywhere she went.
When Olojò was about to return to her native I®je¾ôbu;-Igbo; land, she did
not remember about her wanting to take a trip around the world
anymore and those whom she had been staying with were wishing her
to stay forever because her stay had benefited the family and the whole
community.

Fa¾la¾la¾ falala l’oôloô;ja¾ a; be¾ô’weô¾
Bi; wo;ôn ba; be¾ô oô; l’o;ôweô¾
Ti; o o¾ ba; je;ô
O roôra pa koô;ro;ôkoô;ro;ô
O ma;a loô o
Di;a; fu;n Olojo¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙba niÙ;’gbo; I®je¾ôbu;
493
I®gba¾ to; n;loô s’a;jo¾ to; ji¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôjoô;

Pa’le; mo;ô
P’oô¾na¾ mo;ô
Awo ile; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ni;jo;ô Olojo¾ yo;o; wo¾ô si;le; e Baba
EôÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®jeô; pa’le; mo;ô o¾, aya Awo
Pa’le; mo;ô o o¾¾, aya Awo o
Pa'le; mo;ô, p’oô¾na¾¾ moô;
Olojo¾ n; bo¾ô o
Translation:

It is with authority that a nobleman sends others
on errands
If you are sent on an errand
And you do not perform
You better move into hiding
And secretly move away
These were Ifá’s messages for Olojo¾ (the Stranger)
A Princess from the forest of I®je¾ôbu; land
When going on a very long journey that was
the distance between the sun to earth
She complied
Pa‟le; mo;ô, put the house in order
P‟oô¾na¾ mo;ô, arrange the surroundings neatly
The resident Awo of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s household
When Olojo¾ would settle in his house
He complied
494

Join us in midst of joy
Put the house in good order, Awo’s wife
Put the house in perfect order, Awo’s wife
Put the house in order, and make the
surroundings neat
Olojò is coming
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will have cause
to celebrate his/her good fortune for the rest of his/her life. It is
however important for this person to maintain good personal hygiene
and to also make and maintain his/her surroundings neat and tidy.
4. Ifá says that if foresees the Ire of honour, title conferment and
leadership for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that
even though this person is underestimated and discountenanced; he/she
shall be placed in a position of authority and respect.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboôô with two pigeons, two guinea
fowls, two hens, two cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed
his/her Orí with one duck and one ram.
On this, Ifá says:
I®ko;ko;ro; e¾lu¾boô; ni;i; sô’odo; gba¾n¾koko-gba¾n¾koko
Di;a; fu;n ‘La;bo;gunde;
Ti; n;f’omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ Ire gbogbo
Translation:
The small sun-dried yam meant to be pounded into

yam flour is what rolls around inside the mortar
This was the message of Ifá for „La;bo;gunde;
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to secure
any Ire of life
495
OÙla;bogu;nde; was a poor farmer. He could not boast of much

achievement in his life. He had no money. He had no wife. He had not
been blessed with any child of his own. His health was not too sound.
This accounted for his inability to do much work on the farm. His
inability to work well accounted for his poverty. His poverty accounted
for his inability to give himself adequate and required medical treatment.
His poor health and finance accounted for his inability to secure a
spouse of his own. Because he had no spouse, there was no way he
could have children of his own. His inability to have a spouse and kids
made him a lonely man. Being lonely increased his sorrow. His sorrow
aggravated his illness. Is this the way I will continue to live my life?
„La;bo;gunde; asked himself over and over. There must be a solution to
this miserable life that I am living, he told himself.
„La;bo;gunde; never lost hope for one day. He knew that one day, his sun
would rise. How? He could not say for certain. In his search for a
solution, he went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will
I ever be blessed with all the Ire of life that I have been lacking since I
was born? Would I ever succeed?
The Awo cast Ifá and informed „La;bo;gunde; that he was just about to be
made the Ϙba of the land. He informed him that he was looking for a
means of survival but the Deities were busy working on how to make
him the head of the land. He would be raised from grass to grace. He
would be in a position to determine the direction and future of his
community.
The Awo advised „La;bo;gunde; to offer eôboô and feed his Orí as stated
above. He had no money to do it. The Awo assisted him, and the eôboô
was offered.
What was done gave eôboô the hope that the future would be well after
all. Before long, his health began to show signs of improvement. He
could work more on the farm. About two years after this, the Ϙba of the
land joined his ancestors. „La;bo;gunde; came from a Royal family.
Nobody gave him any chance of becoming the Ϙba. When the race for
the occupation of the vacant stool began, „La;bo;gunde; joined the race.
When people heard that „La;bo;gunde; was in the race, they all had a
merry laugh at his expense. He did not give up. He pursued his quest
to become the Ϙba.
On the day that the next Ϙba was to be chosen, the King-Makers invited
all the candidates. They also invited some prominent Babaláwo from
496
outside the land. After intensive Ifá consultation, Ifá picked „La;bo;gunde;
as the next Ϙba of Ado; E®ki¾ti¾. His life changed instantly. He became the
father of all. All the kingmakers said that it would not be wise for them
to install „La;bo;gunde; without a wife of his own. A wife was chosen for
him even before the installation ceremony. The whole land belonged to
him. He was able to rule well and with good feelings for all. All those
who thought that he stood no chance kept quiet forever and ever.
I®ko;ko;ro; e¾lu¾bo;ô ni;i; sô’odo; gba¾n¾koko-gba¾n¾koko

Di;a; fu;n ‘La;bo;gunde;
Ti; n;f’omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ Ire gbogbo
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾¾ ji¾nna¾
A®sôe; ‘La;bo;gunde; l’OÙba ka¾n
A®sôe; ‘La;bo;gunde; ni yo;o; j’oôba EÙ®wi; L’A:do;
EÙ®yin o¾ gbo;ôn o
EÙ®yin o¾ tile¾ô m’oô¾ra¾n
EÙyin o¾ mo¾ô wi;pe; ‘La;bo;gunde; ti n;j’oôba EÙ®wi; loô o
Translation:
The small sun-dried yam meant to be pounded-

into yam flour is what rolls around inside the mortar
This was the message of Ifá for „La;bo;gunde;
secure any Ire of life
He complied
So, it is „La;bo;gunde;’s turn to become the Ϙba
So, it is „La;bo;gunde; who will become the
next E®Ùwi; of Ado;-E®ki¾ti¾ land
You are not wise
And you also lack understanding
Can’t see that „La;bo;gunde; is already the OÙba
of Ado; E®ki¾ti¾¾
497
Ifá says that this person shall be moved from the dregs to the apex of
the society in a miraculous manner.
5. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of long life for the person for whom
this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she will overcome all his/her
enemies who wish him/her dead. Ifá says that a lot of people actually
wish calamity to befall him/her but they will all fail.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks and money.
He/she also needs to feed O®gu;n with one cock and E®sôu¾ with another
cock.
On this, Ogbe¾-„ka¾nra¾n says:
Ogbe¾ kan
OÙ®ka¾nra¾n kan
Di;a; fu;n Agogo
Ti; n; t’I®koô¾le; O®Ùrun boôô¾ wa\ I®ko¾ôle; aye;
EÙboô a¾i¾ku; ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
One leg of Ogbe¾ (here on the right)

One leg of OÙ®ka¾nra¾n (here on the left)
This was the Ifá cast for Agogo (the Gong)
He was advised to offer eôboô against untimely death
Agogo, the Gong, was a product of O®gu;n. When he was being moulded
by O®gu;n, it was with the sole intention of making him useful to human
kind. He was intended to be a handy musical instrument that would be
able to produce music, come rain or come shine. When the process of
his creation was completed, he was asked to move from O®Ùrun to Ile;-Aye;.
That was why Agogo went for Ifá consultation in order to determine
how his sojourn in Ile;-Aye; would be: Will I be able to perform the task
for which I was created? Will I fulfil my destiny satisfactorily? Will life
and luck smile at me?
498
The two Awo mentioned above told Agogo that the main reason why he
had come for Ifá consultation was to determine whether or not he would
be able to fulfil his destiny and to know if he would be able to live long
enough to do it. They assured Agogo that he would surely fulfil his
destiny and he would live to his old age to enjoy the fruit of his labour
and to tell his success story to others.
He was told that he would have a lot of enemies and antagonists who
would be waiting for him on earth, fully determined to eliminate him as
soon as he arrived. They would all fail, he was assured. He was told
that some of these enemies would attack him directly while others
would employ the services of hired killers to eliminate him. They would
all fail, the Awo told him.
The Awo also advised Agogo to offer eôbọ with three cocks and
money. He was also asked to feed O®gu;;n and E®sôu¾ with one cock each.
He complied. Soon after this, he moved from I®ko¾ôle; O®Ùrun to I®ko¾ôle; Aye;.
As predicted by the Awo, as soon as Agogo arrived in Ile;-Ayé, his
enemies greeted him with serious beatings in order to kill him. They
knew that he was coming, and they had gone to cut 20 strong sticks
ready for him in order to use them to beat him to death. The beating
was intense. When one person became tired, he would pass Agogo to
another person. Instead of killing or hurting Agogo, he continued to
produce music! What baffled those who planned the death of Agogo
was that one after the other, the sticks collapsed and broke into pieces
and Agogo would remain unhurt! Every time that Agogo was taken out,
several sticks would be cut to accompany him and to beat him all the
way to and from his journey. The sticks would all die and Agogo would
return home unhurt.
At a stage, the Du¾ndu;n drums, Ba¾ta; drums, Omele drums, I®gbi¾n drums,
Ga;ngan drums and so on, employed the services of hired killers to help
them beat Agogo to death because any time they would go out together
and there was rainfall, only Agogo would be of use and he would be the
only one playing music out of all the other musical instruments, because
rainfall had no effect on him. The hired killers too would go and look for
sticks to beat Agogo to death. The hired killers usually would return to
report their frustrations to those who had sent them. Agogo remained
unhurt, strong and healthy. He lived to his old age and savoured the
fruit of his labour.
499
Ogbe¾ kan
OÙ®ka¾nra¾n kan
Di;a; fu;n Agogo
Ti; n; t’I®ko¾ôle; O®Ùrun boô¾ wa; I®ko¾ôle; aye;
EÙboô a¾i¾ku; ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;i¾ku; kangiri
Translation:
One leg of Ogbe¾ (here on the right)

One leg of O®Ùka¾nra¾n (here on the left)
This was the Ifá cast for Agogo (the Gong)
He was advised to offer eôboô against untimely death
He complied
Ifá says that this person will live to his/her old age right in the midst of
his/her enemies. All his/her enemies will always be frustrated.
6. Ifá foresees the Ire of victory for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. He/she has several enemies but he/she will be able to
overcome them all. The enemies who Ifá refers to are mostly his/her
relatives. They will try everything they have in their power but they will
all fail. That is the assurance of Ifá for this person.
Ifá advises him/her to offer eôbọ with one mature he-goat, one axe
and money. Ifá also advises him/her to feed O®gu;n with one cock.
Ogbe¾ kan
OÙ®ka¾nra¾n kan
Di;a; fu;n Abeyi;n-Ganngan
500
Ti; n; gb’o;gun loô inu; oko lo¾ôoô; sôôeô;’ô;te¾ô

Translation:
One leg of Ogbè (here on the right)

This was the Ifá cast for Abeyi;n-Ganngan (the
one with Pointed Teeth)
When going to wage war to overcome enemies
on the farm
They bragged. They boasted. They planned. They set traps. They
were all planning against Abeyi;n-Ganngan, also known as A®ak; e;, the
Axe. They planned to demolish him. They saw no reason why Abeyi;n-
Ganngan should be moving on the surface of the earth like them. He
must be run aground at all costs. Who were these enemies? All the
trees in the forest had ganged up against the Axe.
The fact that his handle came from the same forest made no impression
on their minds. They were just after one thing and one thing only A®ak; e;,
the Axe must be eliminated.
The news of the plans of all the trees in the forest reached the Axe. He
could not believe that those who he never offended could be planning
evil against him. Initially, he did not believe the story. Before long, it
became so rife that he became worried and very apprehensive. These
were his own relatives who he expected to protect him and promote his
interest. These were the same people planning his downfall. But why?
In his bid to find out why they were planning this evil against him, he
went to the home of the two Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation.
He wanted to know if he had in any way, overtly or covertly, offended
the trees in the forest which he was unaware of. He also wanted to
know whether or not he would be able to overcome these enemies.
When Ifá was consulted, they found a leg of Ogbè on the right hand
side of the Ifá tray and a leg of O®Ùka¾nra¾n on the left.
The Awo told A®ak; e;, the Axe that he had not offended the trees in the
forest in anyway. Their hatred was borne out of envy and malice. He
501
was however assured that he would overcome. The Awo advised A®ak; e;
to carry his own war to the forest and confront all these enemies. He
was urged to move, not to wait endlessly in anxiety and apprehension.
A®ak; e; was assured that the best and most practical form of defence was
attack. Attacking his enemies first would bring him minimal damage and
would inflict maximum damage on his numerous enemies.
The Awo also advised A®ak; e; to offer eôboô and feed O®gu;n as stated above.
A®ak; e; complied. As soon as he did this, he prepared himself for the
confrontation in the forest.
On the day that he would go to the forest, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ had been there
before him. E®sôu¾ was the one showing him the trees to attack first. He
followed the advice of E®sôu.¾ He began to fell all his enemies. He started
with I®ro;ko¾, then Ooro, A®ra¾ba¾, Os®Ù ôun
; sôu;n, O®gu¾nber¾ô e,ô¾ Eri;mado¾ and Ka;nran.
He then rested.
When he resumed action, he descended on A®fon ¾ô , Ayu¾nre,ô; Ape;pe, Afa¾ra¾,
Re;re;, Om
®Ù o,ô¾ Idi; and Osôe¾. By the time A®ak; e; finished for the day, over 15
trees had been reduced to mere stumps. In three months, over 1,460
trees had been felled. That was when the trees knew that they were no
match for A®ak; e;, the Axe.
Ogbe¾ kan
OÙ®ka¾nra¾n kan
Di;a; fu;n Ab’eyi;n-Ganngan
Ti; n; gb’o;gun loô inu; oko loô¾oô; sôeô;’te¾ô
EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;se ô ô; ogun
A®ja¾seô ô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ O®Ùpeô¾
N®jeô; Ab’eyi;n-Ganngan ni yo;o; sôeô;’te¾ô eô woôn o
Gbogbo igi oko
Ti; n;ba; A®ak ; e; sô’oô¾ta;
A®a;ke; ni yo;o; sôeô;’te¾ôeô gbogbo woôn
Igba igi ti; n;da;’ri; iku; soô A®ak ; e;
Rekete
Ku¾ku¾te; l’A®ak ; e; soô woô;n da¾
Rekete
502
Translation:
One leg of Ogbè (here on the right)

This was the Ifá cast for Abeyi;n-Ganngan (the
one with Pointed Teeth)
When going to wage war to overcome enemies
on the farm
He complied
Join us where we enjoy victory over enemies
Behold, Abeyi;n-Ganngan will overcome them all
All the trees in the forest
Planning the death of A®ak; e; (the Axe)
The Axe will overcome them all
The 200 trees planning the death of A®ak; e;
Completely
A®ak; e; will reduce them all to mere stumps
Completely
Ifá guarantees that this person shall overcome all of his/her enemies, no
matter how many or powerful they may be.
7. Ifá warns this person that evil principalities are already in

his/her house or are about to enter the house. There is the need for this
person to offer eôboô that will enable him/her to chase all this evil away
from his/her house and life.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one cock, 16 six-inch nails
or pincers and money. He/she also needs to feed E®sôu¾ with another
cock. After the eôboô has been offered, it will be taken to E®sôu.¾
The eôboô is to be placed inside a leaf and the 16 nails will be nailed
round the eôboô to grip it into the ground. When the cock for E®sôu¾ is
slaughtered, the head of the cock will also be nailed to the ground at
the E®sôu¾ shrine.
503
On this, Ifá says:
E®ki;ti¾ peô;te;ô Awo eô¾ba; oô¾na¾

Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; yo;o; kan Iku; o¾un A®ru¾n mo;ô’leô¾
Translation:
The small anthill, the Awo of the roadside

He cast Ifá for Ogbè
Who will nail Ikú (Death) and A®ru¾n (Affliction) to
the ground
Ikú, Death and A®ru¾n, Affliction had successfully settled in Ogbè’s house.
They were awaiting the arrival of EÙjoô; (Contention) and O®fo¾ (Loss) to join
them before they began to wreck havoc in the house. When the latter
was taking long in coming, A®ru¾n tied Ogbè down. He was afflicted with
many ailments. He was getting weaker and sicker every day. Ogbè was
being prepared in readiness for Ikú to strike. He began to have bad
dreams and experience nightmares. When the pains and inconvenience
had become very unbearable, he called on E®ki;ti¾ Peôt; e;ô Awo EÙb
® a; O®n
ô a¾ for
Ifá consultation: Would I survive?
Yes. He would. The Awo assured him. The Awo told him that Ikú and
A®ru¾n were in his house and that was what was responsible for his
nightmares and ill health. There was the urgent need to chase away
these evil principalities in order to return his life to normal. He was
advised to offer eôboô as stated above.
As soon as he procured all the eôboô materials, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ went to work.
He invited Ikú and A®ru¾n to come and see what Ogbè was doing. He told
them that Ogbè was the most foolish person he had ever seen. Instead
of preparing himself for his death, which would come very soon, he was
squandering his money on eôboô materials in the home of the Awo. He
asked them to follow him to witness the foolish action which Ogbè and
his Awo were engaging in which was the performance of the eôbo.
504
As Ogbè was taking the eôbo to the E®sôu¾ shrine, E®sôu¾ asked Ikú and A®ru¾n
to follow him. When Ogbè placed the eôbo on the ground, E®sôu¾ told Ikú
and A®ru¾n that there was the need to investigate what Ogbè and his Awo
had buried under the spot where the eôbo was placed. As Ikú and A®ru¾n
squeezed themselves under the eôbo, EÙjoô; and O®fo¾ appeared on the
scene. E®sôu¾ asked them to go under the eôbo too. They did. E®sôu¾ used his
unbelievable power to press the four of them down under the eôbo and
they were nailed down and rendered immobile and powerless! They
were there under the eôbo for 17 days.
On the 18th day, E®sôu¾ went to them and struck a deal with them: if they
were prepared to leave Ogbè alone, they would be released. They
agreed. As soon as E®sôu¾ released them, they scrambled out of Ogbè’s
life and never returned.
E®ki;ti¾ peô;te;ô Awo eô¾ba; oô¾na¾

Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; yo;o; kan Iku; o¾un A®ru¾n mo;ô’leô¾
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri
N®jeô; Ogbe¾ lo; kan Iku;
Ogbe¾ lo; kan A®ru¾n
Ogbe¾ lo; ko; gbogbo Irunbi ka¾n moô;’le¾ô
Translation:
The small anthill, the Awo of the roadside

He cast Ifá for Ogbè
Who will nail Ikú (Death) and A®ru¾n (Affliction) to
the ground
He was advised to offer eôbo
He complied
Behold, Ogbè has nailed down Ikú
Ogbè has nailed down A®ru¾n
Ogbè has nailed down all Evil Principalities
505
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will live long and
will enjoy his/her life without the threat of death or ailment.
8. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of longevity for the person for whom
this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that there is a particular Deity in the
lineage of this person which must not be allowed to perish. Ifá says
that there is the need for this person, together with all members of
his/her extended family to identify all the O®ri¾sôa¾/Iru;nmoôleô¾ in the family
and resume propitiating them. Ifá warns that if this is not done, the
consequence will not be favourable.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôbo with monkey flesh and money.
After this, all the deities in this person’s family must be fed. This must
be done at regular intervals.
E:eg; u;n ni;i; f’oôwoô; pete mu;’gba; oôti;

Pa¾ak ¾ a; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; fi¾nna¾-fi¾nna¾ mu;’da¾
Bi; ba¾ta; ba; n;pe 'La;pe¾ôkun
'La;pe¾ôkun ni ba¾ta; n;pe’ri;
Di;a; fu;n OÙloô;fin
Ti; yo;o; da¾gba¾-da¾gba¾
Ti; yo;o; f’eôran oô¾boô ru;’boô
Translation:
The Egu;ngu;n masquerade is he who uses

gloves on his hands to handle the alcohol calabash
The Pa¾ra¾ka; masquerade is he who uses his stretched
hands to grip a sword
When the ba¾ta; drummer calls on „La;pe¾ôkun
It is „La;pe¾ôkun that the drummer focuses his
attention on
These were Ifa;;‟s messages for OÙloô;fin
Who would grow so old
And use monkey meat to offer eôboô
506
OÙloô;fin was the OÙba of Ile;-Ife¾ô. When he was installed as the Ϙba, there
was progress, development and peace in the land. Gradually, the
progress and development began to go down in the land. In their place
came chaos and anxiety. OÙloô;fin was worried. He knew that he would
soon join his ancestors, because he had grown old and feeble, but he
did not want to depart only to tell the ancestors that when he assumed
the position of Ϙba, the land was peaceful and there was development
and progress; but by the time he left, the land had degenerated into
chaos and anxiety. That was why he summoned the group of Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation. He wanted to find a possible
solution to the problems in the land. When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾-
OÙ®ka¾nra¾n revealed.
The Awo told OÙloô;fin that the reason why there was chaos in the land
was that all the ancestral groves in the land had been abandoned and
the ancestors had been left unpropitiated. As long as this continued to
happen, so would there be chaos and anxiety in the land. OÙloô;fin was
advised to identify all the sites of the ancestors and begin to propitiate
them immediately. They also told OÙloô;fin to procure monkey meat and
money for eôboô.
OÙloô;fin ordered his hunters to get monkey meat for him. On that same
day, they had more than enough meat to use for the eôboô. Before the
hunters returned however, OÙloô;fin had identified all the ancestral sites.
When the sites were examined it was discovered that all the O®ri¾sôa¾ô who
used to reside there had all gone. After the eôboô had been offered, the
Awo returned to the sites and placed “Oju;-Ob ®Ù oô”, the eyes of the
monkeys into the ancestral sites and summoned the spirits of the O®ri¾sôa¾ô.
They returned.
As soon as these processes were completed, normalcy returned to the

land gradually. Once again, there was development and progress.
Peace and tranquillity returned. OÙloô;fin was ready to go and meet his
ancestors in order to give them the report that he assumed the throne
when there was progress, development, peace and tranquillity and he
when he left it there was still progress, development, peace and
tranquillity.
507
E:eg; u;n ni;i; f’oôwoô; pete mu;’gba; oôti;

Pa¾ak ¾ a; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; fi¾nna¾-fi¾nna¾ mu;’da¾
Bi; ba¾ta; ba; n;pe 'La;pe¾ôkun
'La;pe¾ôkun ni ba¾ta; n;pe’ri;
Di;a; fu;n OÙloô;fin
Ti; yo;o; da¾gba¾-da¾gba¾
Ti; yo;o; f’eôran oô¾boô ru;’boô
EÙÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®jeô; ko¾ si; O®o¾sôa¾ l’a;ye; mo;ô
Oju;-O®Ùboô la¾ n; boô
Translation:
The Egu;ngu;n masquerade is he who uses gloves

on his hands to handle the alcohol calabash
The Pa¾ra¾ka; masquerade is he who uses his stretched
hands to grip a sword
When the ba¾ta; drummer calls on „La;pe¾ôkun
It is „La;pe¾ôkun that the drummer focuses his
attention on
These were Ifa;;‟s messages for OÙloô;fin
Who would grow so old
And use monkey meat to offer eôboô
He complied
There are no more O®ri¾sôa¾ on earth
We are only propitiating Oju;-O®bÙ oô
Ifá says that this person will be able to bring his/her life back to
normalcy if he/she can identify all their abandoned O®ri¾sôa¾ and ancestors
and begin to propitiate them again.
508
(Please note the pun on the words “Oju;-O®Ùboô”, meaning “the eyes of
OÙ®boô, monkey” and the word “Oju;boô” meaning “the spot in a house
where the ancestors and/or O®ri¾sôa¾ are being propitiated”)
9. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a spouse for a man looking for a
compatible wife. Ifá says that he will also receive the blessing of children
from the woman. Ifá says that two women will show up at the same
time, or have already shown up, but he needs to pick one and marry
her. One of the two women will be fair-skinned while the other one will
be dark-skinned. The fair-skinned woman will be slightly prettier than
the dark-skinned one. Ifá advises this person to choose the dark-skinned
woman. That is the person who will add more meaning to his life.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôbo ôwith two rats, two fish and
money. He is also advised to feed Ifá with whatever Ifá demands for.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-‟Ka¾nra¾n on this aspect says:
¾ a¾n Ka;ngun-Ka¾ngun
E®ek
Awo A®gboôn lo; di;a; f’A:gboôn
A®gboôn n;w’o;ôkoô i¾mo¾ôra¾n-a;n ya¾n kiri
Translation:
E®ek¾ a¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun

The Awo of A®gboôn (the Coconut) cast Ifa; for A®gboôn
When searching for an ideal spouse
A®gboôn, the Coconut, was a robust, tall, fair-skinned and very beautiful
woman. She had attained the age that she ought to be married but she
had no man of her own. All the men who had come her way were
considered to be not up to her level of standard or were not compatible
with her. She therefore went for Ifá consultation to determine when she
would be able to find the ideal man to marry.
The Awo told A®gboôn that she needed to lower her pride and arrogance
and lower her standards slightly in order for her to be able to find a
509
serious man to marry her. She was also advised to offer eôboô as stated
above. She saw no reason why she should lower her standards; and for
that reason, she simply ignored the advice of the Awo for her to offer
eôboô.
¾ a¾n Ka;ngun-Ka¾ngun
E®ek
Awo OÙ®peô lo; di;a; f’OÙ:peô
O®peô n;w’o;ôkoô i¾mo¾ôra¾n-a;n ya¾n kiri
Translation:
E®e¾ka¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun
The Awo of O®Ùpeô (the Palm tree) cast Ifa; for O®Ùpeô
O®Ùpeô, the Palm-tree, was a tough-looking, coarse, dark-skinned, and not

so pretty woman. She too had attained the age when she was ripe for
marriage but nobody seemed to notice her. She craved for an
understanding husband who would appreciate the fact that it was not
only physical appearance or beauty that made a woman desirable. She
vowed within herself that she would try everything in her power to find
a good husband and make him happy. Yet, she found nobody interested
in her. Not long after this, she met OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ who was also looking for a
wife.
She was quick to find out that as she was interested in OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ so also
was A®gboôn. She therefore went for Ifá consultation: Will I be blessed
with my own man who will understand me? Will I become the wife of
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾? If yes, will he take good care of me? Will I be happy in his
home? Will the relationship be blessed with many children?
The Awo assured O®Ùpeô that she would not only make a good wife, her
man would be a good husband and make her glad and fulfilled. She
was told that she was not the only one interested in the man, but with
appropriate eôboô she would be the one the man would marry eventually.
She would also be blessed with a peaceful home. She was assured that
her man would take good care of her and make her the pearl of his
510
eyes. She was told that a time would come when her man would not be
able to do anything in her absence.
She was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. Her belief in Ifá made
her offer the eôboô because she knew that if she didn’t, she would not be
able to compete with A®gboôn. After the eôboô, she kept her fingers crossed
and waited for the miracle guaranteed by Ifá to come to her life.
¾ a¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun
E®ek
Awo O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ lo; di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sunku;n ala;i¾l’o;bi¾nrin
Translation:

The Awo of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
a compatible spouse
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was in search of a woman who would be his companion and

confidant. He was not sure of the many women who had come his way
thus far. He was however giving serious consideration to two women,
A®gboôn and OÙ®peô It was a difficult choice. A®gboôn was robust, fair skinned
and very beautiful. OÙ®peô was tough looking, dark-skinned, and not that
pretty. OÙ®peô however looked to be a very humble person. Who should he
pick among the two women as his wife? That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
invited E®e¾ka¾n¾ ka;ngun ka¾to come and consult Ifá for him: Who must I
choose among the two women? Who among the two will make me
happy and fulfilled? Who will bring me many blessings? Who is
compatible with my destiny among these two women?
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would have a very compatible wife who
would be ready to put herself on the line for him to progress and
succeed in life. Both of them would complement each other fully in all
aspects of life. He would live a happy and fulfilled life. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was told
that the woman who would be ideal for him was OÙ®peô.
511
He was advised not to marry A®gboôn because they were not compatible
and there would be no benefit in living a life with A®gboôn.
The Awo also advised OÙ®runmi¾la¾ to offer eôboôô as stated above. He
complied. Soon after this, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ got married to O®Ùpeô.
As soon as O®Ùpeô entered into the home and life of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ everything
changed for the better for him. He became more prosperous and his
work became easier for him to perform. O®Ùpeô assisted OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in his
work with every part of her being. She produced palm oil for him; she
would also tapped into to palm-wine; her fronds were used to thatch the
roof and to make brooms; her stem was use for construction; the rind of
her nuts were used as fuel; the shell of the nuts was made into
La;gi;di;gba beads; the seeds were extracted to make palm-kernel oil. In
fact, there was no part of her that was of no usefulness on its own.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ benefitted immensely from the relationship. To crown it all,
she also produced a special kernel known as Ikin which represented Ifá
and which was used for consultation. Because of this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ enjoined
all his children and followers that any benefit that they had the capacity
of rendering must be given to O®Ùpeô because she had proved herself as a
great wife.
E®ek¾ a¾n Ka;ngun-Ka¾ngun

Awo A®gboôn lo; di;a; f’A:gboôn
A®gboôn n;w’o;ôkoô i¾mo¾ôra¾n-a;n ya¾n kiri
O: f’eti; o¾tu;n gb’eô;boô
E®ek¾ a¾n Ka;ngun-Ka¾ngun
Awo O®ÙpÙeô lo; di;a; f’OÙ:peô
OÙ®peô n;w’o;ôkoô i¾mo¾ôra¾n-a;n ya¾n kiri
Awo O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ lo; di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sun’ku;n ala;i¾l’o;bi¾nrin
N®je;ô oore ti; eô ba; ni;
Ki; eô ma; mu¾u; sô’A®gboôn
OÙ®peô ni¾ka¾n l’olo;ore a¾wu;ro¾ô
512
Translation:
The Awo of A®gboôn (the Coconut) cast Ifa; for A®gboôn
She heard the advice with her right ear
And threw it out with her left ear
The Awo of O®Ùpeô (the Palm tree) cast Ifa; for O®Ùpeô
She complied
The Awo of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
secure a compatible spouse
He complied
Any benefit that you receive
Do not render it to A®gboôn
Only OÙ®peô deserves benefits from the beginning
Ifá says that both husband and wife will live happily and both of them
will affect each other’s lives positively in a symbiotic manner.
10. Ifá advises the person or group for whom this Odù is revealed to
offer eôboô for victory over adversity. Only eôboô can save him/her/them
where this Odù is revealed. The opposition is very formidable, but with
eôboô, he/she/they shall overcome.
Ifá advises the person(s) to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat,
plenty of cactus plants and money. He/she/they also need to plant
cactus trees round his/her/their house(s), if it is possible to do so.
513
On this, Ifá says:
I®lu; oro; woôn o¾ ju;’gbe¾e;

I®lu; a¾je¾ji¾ woôn o¾ ju;’wo¾ô
I®ya¾ a; jeô a¾je¾ji¾ ta;n
O: t’ara i¾lu; u re¾ô para-pa¾ra¾-para
Di;a fu;n Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n
I®gba¾ti; n; f’ojooju;mo;ô koô’minu; ogun
Translation:
It is not easy living in a wicked town

It is not easy entering a strange land
When a stranger suffers untold hardship
He will long for his native land unendingly
These were Ifá’s declarations to Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n
When he was in constant fear of war and uprising
Olo;mu¾, the OÙba of O®mu¾ land, had no rest anymore. He was also in
constant fear of war. His spies had warned him that the people of
I®da¾ho¾m
ô i¾, the Dahomean people were planning to wage war against his
land. The war machine of the I®da¾hom ¾ô i¾, people was awesome. Olo;mu¾
was objective enough to know that O®mu¾ was no match against the
military might of the I®da¾ho¾m
ô i¾, people. The military supremacy was
simply overwhelming. Olo;mu¾ realized that unless there was Divine
intervention, O®mu¾ would be levelled to the ground.
Why must this happen when he was the Ϙba of the land? What
bothered him more than anything else was the Cavalry battalion of the
I®da¾ho¾m
ô i¾ people. They were so ruthless and unsympathetic. Should he
run away before the war begins? If he did so, what would happen to his
subjects? What type of leader would he be if he abandoned all his
subjects and went into hiding? Should he commit suicide as soon as the
war gets to his town? If he did so, what benefit would that bring to his
subjects? Should I just surrender myself and the town when the
soldiers arrive? Would this save my domain? Truly, he needs divine
intervention. That was precisely what he looked for when he summoned
514
the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will my land
survive the impending war? If yes, how? If no, what did he need to
do?
The Awo told Olo;mu¾ that there was an impending war which was sure
to be waged against O®mu¾ land. He said that O®mu¾ land was no match
against its opponent. He told Olo;mu¾ that only eôboô could save the land
from total destruction. He said that the Cavalry unit of the enemies was
more than enough to crush any town five times the size and strength of
O®mu¾ land. He advised Olo;mu¾ to offer eôboô as stated above. Olo;mu¾
thought about the whole situation and concluded that he had no other
realistic option than to offer the eôboô. He did it that very day.

O: t’ara i¾lu; u reô¾ para-pa¾ra¾-para
Di;a; fu;n OÙroô;
Ti;i; sô’oôloôtan O®mu¾
E®yi; ti; yo;o; gb’o;gun ja¾ l’O:mu¾
Ti; yo;o; gb’O®mu¾ ka’le¾ô l'o;;ôwoô; iku;
Translation:

These were Ifá’s declarations to OÙroô; (the Cactus)
The relative and neighbour of O®mu¾ land
Who would brave the war of O®mu¾
And rescue O®mu¾ land from impending doom
OÙroô; felt sympathy in seeing the futile moves of the inhabitants of O®mu¾
land. He could read hopelessness and resignation on their faces. The
inhabitants were just awaiting the arrival of the I®da¾hom ô¾ i¾ people and they
all knew that the day the I®da¾homô¾ i¾ people arrived in their town would be
515
the day that they would all die violently. That was what moved him to
decide to help them. He knew that he had the power to incapacitate all
the cavalry relied upon by the I®da¾hom ô¾ i¾ people and render both the
horses and the riders useless and ineffective. That was exactly what he
planned to do. For this reason, he went to the same group of Awo which
Olo;mu¾ consulted to cast Ifá for him and advise him on what to do for
his plan to work.
The Awo told him that he had the good mind of helping his neighbours;
and that his plan had a very good chance for working if well timed and
well executed. He was advised to time everything he would do very
well. He was also advised to offer the same eôboô which Olo;mu¾ was
advised to offer. OÙroô; understood exactly what the Awo meant by timing
his strategy very well. He also complied with the advice and offered the
eôboô
After this, he went to the people of O®mu¾ land and advised them to keep
their minds at rest. He assured them that they would not lose the war.
They all began to await the arrival of the I®da¾hom
ô¾ i¾ soldiers.
Shortly after this, the spies came to inform all the inhabitants that the
soldiers were just a few posts to the land. OÙroô; asked all the inhabitants
to dip the cactus that was in their homes into the stream that the
cavalry would use cross into the land. They did. As soon as this was
done, E®sôu¾ urged the soldiers to move quickly to overrun O®mu¾ land.
When they got to the stream, the horses showed signs of thirst. E®sôu¾
encouraged the soldiers to allow their horses to drink water before they
marched against the land. All the horses drank water from the stream
that had been soaked with cactus. One by one, the horses fell and died!
The soldiers became confused. E®sôu¾ told them that it would soon be
their turn to die inexplicable deaths! When they heard this, they all took
to their heels! The war was over before it even began.
As soon as these soldiers left, E®sôu¾ came to announce to the inhabitants

of O®mu¾ land that the war was over. The whole town burst into an
exciting celebration. E®sôu¾ also told them to carry their bowls, trays and
containers to go and cut up the horses and bring them home for
consumption. That was exactly what they did. They used the horse
meat to continue their festivities.
516

O: t’ara i¾lu; u re¾ô para-pa¾ra¾-para
Di;a fu;n Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n
I®gba¾ti; n; f’ojooju;mo;ô koô’minu; ogun
O: t’ara i¾lu; u reô¾ para-pa¾ra¾-para
Di;a; fu;n OÙroô;
Ti;i; sô’oôloôtan O®mu¾
E®yi; ti; yo;o; gb’o;gun ja¾ l’O:mu¾
Ti; yo;o; gb’O®mu¾ ka’le¾ô l'o;;ôwoô; iku;
Peô¾le;ô Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n
OÙmoô ar’oô;po;ôn n;la; j’omi-tooro eôsiô n
E®yi; oômoô O®n¾seô¾gba¾ di;du¾n l’oô;na¾ O®mu
Translation:

These were Ifá’s declarations to Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n
When he was in constant fear of war and uprising
He complied
These were Ifá’s declarations to OÙroô; (the Cactus)
The relative and neighbour of O®mu¾ land
Who would brave the war of O®mu¾
517
And rescue O®mu¾ land from impending doom

He complied
Gently, Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n
Offspring of those who have large bowls to consume
soup made with horse meat
Offspring of O®n¾seô¾gba¾ which is on the way to O®mu¾ land
Ifá says that this person shall overcome a formidable enemy. Instead of
being put to shame, the enemy shall be the one to experience shame.
Conversely, the person for whom this Odù is revealed must never plan
to put anyone to shame, lest his/her plan recoil on him/her.
11. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed plans to take
something very useful and important from someone. Ifá says that this
person will be able to take it. There will be crisis and problems at the
initial stage but in the end, he/she will take it successfully.
On the other hand, Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed
to offer eôboô so that something useful and important which he/she has
will not be taken away from him/her. If he/she allows this to happen,
all is/her efforts and struggles to retrieve the thing back will be fruitless.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks, 200 needles
and money.
On this Ifá says:
A®ba¾ta¾ ni;i; mu;’le¾ô rin gbi¾ngbi¾n

Di;a; fu;n Eku;nku;n
Ti; yo;o; gba Iri¾n
Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin Erin
Translation:
A marshy place is noted for its wetness

This was the Ifá cast for Eku;nku;n (the needle grass)
Who would snatch away Iri¾n
518
The wife of Erin (the Elephant)

Iri¾n was a maltreated woman. She was very unhappy in her husband’s
house. She had no peace of mind. She was constantly abused,
physically, emotionally and mentally. She was to be seen but never to
be heard. She however noticed how free her friends were in their
respective matrimonial homes and this made her even more depressed.
One day, she went out on an errand for her husband Erin, the Elephant.
She met Eku;nku;n on the way. She had many things to carry and helped
Eku;nku;n her to carry them. This had never happened between her and
Erin. They conversed freely until she finally arrived to where she was
going. This too had never happened before between her and her
husband. When she was returning from where she went to, she met
Eku;nku;n again. The next two months, they continued meeting up with
each other and she developed a deep affection for Eku;nku;n. When she
came to know that Eku;nku;n was not yet married, she felt that he would
be a nice companion to have because he was a very nice man. Before
long, they developed a relationship. She would go and rest, and have
long conversations with Eku;nku;n and her mind would feel free and
relieved while she was with him.
One day, Eku;nku;n told Iri¾n that they could not continue to be secret
lovers anymore because it was totally unethical and that it was
unacceptable to him. He told her that he would like her to become his
wife because he felt that both of them would make a good pair. Iri¾n
responded that she was ready to be his wife but the problem was Erin,
her husband. She told Eku;nku;n that her husband would go after him
and crush him to death if he should find out that Eku;nku;n was planning
to snatch her away from him. They discussed this matter for a long
time.
In the end, they agreed that Eku;nku;n needed to go to A®bat¾ a¾ ni;i mu;’le¾ô rin
gbi¾ngbi¾n for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in my bid to become the
husband of Iri¾n? Will both of us live to tell the story?
The Awo assured Eku;nku;n that he would not only live to tell the story,
but that the woman would be a good spouse and also give birth to many
519
beautiful children for him. He was however informed that there would
be crises and confusion, but in the end, he and Iri¾n would overcome.
The Awo advised Eku;nku;n to offer eôboô with three cocks, 200 needles
and money. He complied.
As soon as the eôboô was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went into action. He stuck
the 200 needles all over Eku;nku;n’s body, with the pointed edge of the
needles pointing upward.
Two days after the eôboô was offered, Iri¾n packed her things and moved
into Eku;nku;n’s house. As soon as she moved in however, trouble
started. Erin considered what had happened as an insult of the highest
order. He simply could not live with such an insult, he insisted. He
boasted that he would not only take back his wife but he would equally
punish the person who had the temerity to snatch his wife away from
him. He sent several people to investigate where Iri¾n had packed to and
to identify the person who had lodged her in his home. Within a week,
the exact location of Iri¾n had been identified.
The same day that the report of Iri¾n’s location was given to Erin, he
charged. When he got there, he saw Eku;nku;n spread everywhere. He
marched forward to where Eku;nku;n was, but immediately let out a loud
cry of anguish and rushed out. There was blood on his four legs. The
needles which Eku;nku;n offered as eôboô, which E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ stuck to his
body were marched upon by Erin and they had pierced his feet. He
tried a second time but cried in anguish again. He finally went home.
One week after, he attempted again to get his wife back but again he
went back to his home with needles and sores. For one year, Erin kept
trying and for one year, he kept suffering. Nobody appealed to Erin. He
finally gave up on Iri¾n and she became Eku;nku;n’s wife without any more
contention.
A®ba¾ta¾ ni;i; mu;’le¾ô rin gbi¾ngbi¾n

Di;a; fu;n Eku;nku;n
Ti; yo;o; gba Iri¾n
Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin Erin
520
E®ro¾ I®po, E®ro¾ O®Ùfa¾

EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;seô ô; ogun
A®ja¾seô ô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sa
ô ¾
A®gba¾gbe; la o; maa gba¾ woô;n ni;’re loô o
A®gba¾kan l'eku;nku;n gba’Ri¾n l’o;ôwoô; Erin
A®gba¾gbe; la o; maa gba¾ woô;n ni;’re loô o
Translation:
A marshy place is noted for its wetness

This was the Ifá cast for Eku;nku;n (the needle grass)
Who would snatch away Iri¾n
The wife of Erin (the Elephant)
He complied
Travellers to I®po of O®Ùfa¾
Join us where we use eôbo to overcome adversity
Victory over adversary is what Ifá guarantees
Without adverse consequences will we take Ire away
from them
Without adverse consequences does Eku;nku;n snatch away
Iri¾n from Erin
Without adverse consequences will we take away Ire
from them
Ifá says that it will guarantee victory and accomplishment for the person
for whom this Odù is revealed. He/she also needs to offer eôboô against
others taking away something from him/her that is of inestimable value.
12. Ifá advises a woman of substance where this Odù is revealed to

offer eôboô against being subjected to ridicule by her envious colleagues.
This is because there is something that is really agitating her mind and
her colleagues are using that to make mockery of her. Ifá says that if
she offers appropriate eôboô, the mouths of her envious friends and
colleagues will be permanently shut when Ifá supplies to her what has
been missing in her life.
521
Ifá says that by the same period the following year, whatever is it that
has been agitating her mind and has been causing her great sadness,
pain and anxiety will be resolved and she will be in a position to
celebrate and rejoice.
Ifá advises this woman to offer eôboô with two rats, two fish, two
hens, two cocks, two ducks, two guinea fowls, two pigeons and
money.
On this, Ifá says:
Ori; ni; n; sôe woô;n ba;yi¾i;, Awo O®gu;nni;kin

A®sôo¾wo¾o¾je¾er¾ e¾ bi; eôni wi;pe; eôni o¾ tile¾ô m'oôja¾a; na; ni
Di;a; fu;n Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;
Wo;ôn ni; ko; sô’eôboô oôla¾
Ko; si¾ sô’eôboô oômoô
Translation:
Their destinies directed them so, the Awo of O®gu;nni;kin

If one trades and makes no profit, it is like one has no
business sense
These were Ifá’s declarations to Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;
Who was advised to offer eôboô of prosperity
And also for childbearing
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; was a relatively wealthy woman. She was blessed with the
latest attire, jewellery, make-up, etc. She was also very beautiful. She
was also very generous and she always made it a point of duty to
contribute her quota to any community development programmes. She
however was not blessed with the fruit of the womb. This was what had
been giving her serious concern. She wished to have her own baby so
as to stop sending other people’s children on errands.
The day came for the annual event in the town. Everybody was
expected to attend and dance. Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; ensured that she contributed
more than others in order to make the event a huge success.
522
When it was time for dancing, Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; stepped into the dancing arena
and began to dance and put money on the foreheads of all the women
present. They collected the money. Suddenly, the music and songs
changed. The women who she had just pasted money on their
foreheads began to sing thus:
EÙni l’aye; ire e; de;

Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoôô oô¾ reô da¾ o
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ l'a;gbo
O l’o;wo; l’o;ôwoô;, o o¾ r’oô;moô ra¾ o
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ l’a;gbo
Translation:
Owner of the world, here comes ire

Si¾e-¾ô E®ji¾de;, here comes Ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby?
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby on this dancing floor?
You are blessed with wealth but wealth cannot buy you
your own baby
When the women began to sing this song, they all quickly went to carry
their babies and strap them on their backs. It was a perfectly executed
coup against Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de. She burst into tears and left the dancing arena
immediately. She was crying home and began to say:
Ko¾ ma¾ ma¾ s’o;ômoô l’a;teô o

Olo;wo; i¾ ba; ra¾ o
Translation:
If there were markets where babies were sold

The rich would go there to buy
She was singing this song repeatedly. As she was singing, so was she
crying. Suddenly, from nowhere in particular, she heard a voice singing
another song; It was E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ singing in reply to her song of sorrow?
The voice saying:
523
OÙmoÙ ma¾ ma¾ n;beô l’a;teô o

O: d’ile; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ o
Translation:
Of course there are children in the market

Go to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾‟s home
She looked around and she saw nobody singing. She tried running away
from the voice she was hearing until she became tired. In the end, she
decided to head for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house instead of running away from the
person whom she did not see.
When she got to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s home, she burst into tears again. She
narrated her tale of sorrow to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
assigned two of his resident Awo, Ori; ni; n;sôe won ô; ba;yi¾i;, Awo O®gu;nni;kin
and A®sÙo¾wo¾o¾je¾e¾re¾ bi; eôni wi;pe; eôni o¾ tile¾ô m’oôja¾a; na; lo; ri; to attend to her.
They did.
They advised her to offer eôboô as stated above, so that she could
continue to succeed financially and at the same time, she would be
blessed with the fruit of the womb. She complied. After this, they did
Ifá work for her and that same month, she became pregnant.
On the day of the following annual celebration, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ told her to
carry her baby to the dance arena. He called on all her colleagues to
sing and mock her as they had done the previous year. None of them
would. They were all overwhelmed with shame.
In the end, they began to sing thus:
EÙni l’aye; e¾ ire e; de;

Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de e¾ ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; o¾ oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ o?
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô re¾e; l’a;gbo
O l’o;wo; l’o;ôwoô;, o tu;n gb’o;ômoô poôn ¾ o
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; o¾, oômoôô reô re¾e; l’a;gbo
L’o;o¾o;to;ô l’oômoô ma¾ma¾ n;beô l’a;teô o
O: d’ile; OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ o!
Translation:
524
Owner of the world, here comes Ire

Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here comes Ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, where is your baby?
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here is your baby in the dancing floor
You are blessed with wealth and strap your own baby on
your back
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here is your baby on the dance floor
Truly, there are children in the market
Go to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s home!
From that day onward, Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de was the happiest woman on earth.
Until she grew to her old age and joined her ancestors, she remained
grateful to Olodumare, her Orí, Ifá and her Awo.
Ori; ni; n; sôe woô;n ba;yi¾i;, Awo O®gu;nni;kin

A®sôo¾wo¾o¾je¾er¾ e¾ bi; eôni wi;pe; eôni o¾ tile¾ô m'oôja¾a; na; ni
Di;a; fu;n Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;
Wo;ôn ni; ko; sô’eôboô oôla¾
Ko; si¾ sô’eôboô oômoô
EÙni l’aye; ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoôô oô¾ reô da¾ o
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ l'a;gbo
O l’o;wo; l’o;ôwoô;, o o¾ r’oô;moô ra¾ o
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ l’a;gbo
EÙni l’aye; e¾ ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de e¾ ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; o¾ oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ o?
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô re¾e; l’a;gbo
O l’o;wo; l’o;ôwoô;, o tu;n gb’o;ômoô poôn ¾ o
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; o¾, oômoôô reô re¾e; l’a;gbo
L’o;o¾o;to;ô l’oômoô ma¾ma¾ n;beô l’a;teô o
O: d’ile; O®Ùrunmila o!
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;'ni ba;'yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo're o
525
Translation:
Their destinies directed them so, the Awo of O®gu;nni;kin

If one trades and makes no profit, it is like one has
no business sense
These were Ifá’s declarations to Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;
Who was advised to offer eôboô of prosperity
And also for childbearing
She complied
Owner of the world, here comes ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, here comes Ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby?
You are blessed with wealth but wealth cannot buy
you your own baby
Owner of the world, here comes Ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here comes Ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, where is your baby?
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here is your baby in the dancing floor
You are blessed with wealth and strap your own baby
on your back
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here is your baby on the dance floor
Truly, there are children in the market
Go to Orunmila‟s home!
Come and perceive all Ire
13. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed to ensure that
he/she offers his/her eôbo as quickly as possible. Ifá says that he/she
should not postpone any eôbo especially if found that he/she has the
means and space to offer the eôbo at the earliest possible time.
Postponing his/her eôbo until another time may spell doom for him/her in
the end. As a matter of fact, urgently offering his/her eôbo may mean
the difference between life and death for him/her.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôbo with four cocks, four hens, four
guinea fowls and money.
526
On this Ogbe¾-„Ka¾nra¾n says:
Gu;ru;kan lo; di;a; fu;n Egu;ngu;n

F’e¾ôyi¾n-sô’oôroô¾ lo; di;a; fu;n Oro¾
Ajagunra;si¾n lo; di;a; fu;n Abiyamoô
Abuke; ile; I®la;, Awo ile; I®la;
O®Ùroô¾ gbe;’nu; gbe; si;, Awo woôn O®ke¾ I®jero¾
Atiro eôseô¾ ni;i; ri¾n sa;n;ge;le;-sa¾n¾ge¾le¾-sa;n;ge;le;
Di;a; fu;n Ajagun-N:la;
Ni;’jo;ô to; n;gb’o;gun loô I®lu; O®wu
Translation:
Gu;ru;kan was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Egu;ngu;n

F‟e¾ôyi¾n-sôorô oô¾ cast Ifa; for Oro¾
Ajagunra;si¾n cast Ifa; for Abiyamoô (the Nursing Mother)
Abuke; Ile; I®la;, the Awo of I®la; land
O®Ùroô¾-gbe;'nu;-gbe; si;, their Awo in I®jero¾ land
The limping person who walks sideways
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ajagun-N:la;
When going on a military campaign to O®wu town
Ajagun-N:la; was a very brave warrior. He had engaged in several

military campaigns and had returned home victorious in all. The fear of
Ajagun-N:la; became the beginning of wisdom for all the inhabitants of
the neighbouring villages.
One day, Ajagun-N:la; heard that the inhabitants of O®wu land were
boasting that they had no fear for Ajagun-N:la; and they would face him
power for power, tactic for tactic and bravery for bravery. This
information did not sit pretty with him at all. As soon as he heard this,
he began to prepare for war. He would teach them a lesson they would
not forget in a hurry. Who were they? What military experience did they
have? Who was backing them that was giving them this false
confidence? Did they not realize that they were rats, playing with the
whiskers of a cat?
527
He concluded that he would move against I®lu; O®wu in three days' time
and not more than that. He would make them eat dust. They would
prostrate, crawl and cry at his feet after he had rubbished them. By the
time he finished with them, they would have learnt never to play with
fire any longer.
In order to finalize his war plans he decided to go for Ifá consultation in

the home of the group of Awo mentioned above: what type of
punishment did he need to mete out to the inhabitants of O®wu land?
The Awo consulted Ifá and advised Ajagun-N:la; that if he must wage war
against the inhabitants of O®wu land at all, he needed to postpone the
time that he would set out for at least one week. The time he had
chosen was not auspicious for what he planned to do. He needed to
offer eôboô and performed certain rituals before he could go. He was
urged to complete all the rituals before he set out on his journey.
Ajagun-N:la; could not believe his ears. So, these Awo would advise him
to postpone his journey to O®wu where the inhabitants had been
boasting and making costly jokes at his expense? No. He would not
postpone the journey. He loved to offer eôboô anytime that eôboô was
recommended for him. He would certainly offer this particular eôboô too.
However, this eôboô would have to wait until he returned from the military
campaign. It was over his dead body that a bunch of fools and
inexperienced military jokers would make expensive jokes like that and
get away with them. They must be dealt with decisively in order to use
it as a deterrent against other loose-mouthed cheap soldiers in other
areas. There was no need to wait for the three days he had earlier said.
He left that evening.
When he got to O®wu land, what he met there in term of resistance was
totally unexpected. He realized to his chagrin that when a rat
continuously challenged a cat, a hole was certainly within the reach of
the rat. All his military tactics were deployed but he could make no
headway. He was totally overwhelmed. In the end, the youths of O®wu
land, who had never been exposed to any serious military action before
were the ones who surrounded Ajagun-N:la;. They captured him. They
dragged him round their town. In the evening of that day, they cut off
his limbs. Three days later, Ajagun-N:la; was killed. The inhabitants began
to make expensive jokes against Ajagun-N:la;, over his dead body.
528
Gu;ru;kan lo; di;a; fu;n Egu;ngu;n

F’e¾ôyi¾n-sô’oôroô¾ lo; di;a; fu;n Oro¾
Ajagunra;si¾n lo; di;a; fu;n Abiyamoô
Abuke; ile; I®la;, Awo ile; I®la;
O®Ùroô¾ gbe;’nu; gbe; si;, Awo woôn O®ke¾ I®jero¾
Atiro eôseô¾ ni;i; ri¾n sa;n;ge;le;-sa¾n¾ge¾le¾-sa;n;ge;le;
Di;a; fu;n Ajagun-N:la;
Ni;’jo;ô to; n;gb’o;gun loô I®lu; O®wu
O: f’eti; oôôtu;n gb’e;ôboô
Ajagun-N:la; o¾ ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô
I® ba; wa;a; f’owo; sô’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô o
EÙni i; gb’e;ôboô ni;’be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô o
Translation:
Gu;ru;kan was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Egu;ngu;n

F‟e¾ôyi¾n-sôorô oô¾ cast Ifa; for Oro¾
Ajagunra;si¾n cast Ifa; for Abiyamoô (the Nursing Mother)
Abuke; Ile; I®la;, the Awo of I®la; land
O®Ùroô¾-gbe;'nu;-gbe; si;, their Awo in I®jero¾ land
The limping person who walks sideways
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ajagun-N:la;
When going on a military campaign to O®wu town
Had Ajagun-N:la; known ahead of time
He would have ensured that he offered the eôboô
as prescribed
Let those advised to offer eôboô please comply
529
to experience everlasting regret in his/her life. Ifá urges him/her to
ensure that he/she complies with the advice to offer eôboô and the advice
given before embarking on anything or taking any step.
14. Ifá warns that there is the urgent need to call a young man to order
where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this young man is engaged in
activities which could cut his life short abruptly. Ifá says that the
irregular and untoward behaviour of this young man in question are on
the verge of dragging him face to face with disaster and doom. If the
young man is not urgently called to order, the family where he hails
from will surely mourn his loss very soon.
Ifá advises that eôboô should be offered with a mature he-goat and
money. The man in question also needs to have a change of attitude
and behaviour immediately.
Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an ti’re¾ô ko; ma; sôeô

Di;a; fu;n Oni;se ô ku;se
ô
Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙku¾nrin O®de
E®yi; ti; woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô
Ko; ma; pin araa re¾ô l’eô;mi¾i;
Translation:
Ogbe¾-'Ka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for it not

to come to pass
This was the Ifá cast for Oni;sôeku;sôe (the boy with
untoward behaviour)
The boy about town
Who was advised to offer eôboô
Lest he cut his own life short
Oni;sôeku;sôe, the boy with untoward behaviour, was truly an incorrigible

person. He was a thief. He was a liar. He was very promiscuous. He
was a cheat. He was a conspirator. He was a hired assassin. He had a
particularly foul mouth. He was also very rude and disrespectful to
530
constituted authority. Because he was the only son his mother had, she
would always find convenient excuses for his irregular behaviour.
Sometimes, the mother would tell whoever cared to listen that the boy’s
father was really responsible because he had not been taking proper
care of him, and that was why he started stealing other people’s things.
Sometimes, she would say her son was so kind-hearted and so generous
that he did not know how to say no to anyone who asked him for help.
If he had nothing to give at that particular point in time, he would get
the thing for the person by any means and give it to the person who
asked for his assistance. Part of the means to satisfy those who asked
for his help was to steal. Sometimes, when someone was killed and
people suspected her son; her excuse would be that her son would
never hurt anyone intentionally and if he did, it could never be without a
genuine reason. The person hurt or killed probably was a wicked person
in the society who deserved to go anyway in order to allow the society
to breath fresh air. Instead of people condemning her son, they ought
to thank him for doing their dirty work for them.
That was the way he had been living his life. That was also the way his
mother had been giving him backing. The neighbours were watching
with horror but Oni;sôeku;sôe and his mother appeared not to take notice.
One day however, Oni;sôeku;sôe went for Ifá consultation. He wanted to

go on a robbery operation. He was so confident that he would come
back home with lots of loot. He wanted to know what to do before he
proceeded on his illegal mission.
The Awo told him that he was about to embark on a journey that had a
very high propensity to cut short his life. He was advised to offer eôboô
with one mature he-goat and desist from this untoward behaviour.
He was also advised to bring his mother along when coming to offer the
ẹbọ.
Oni;sôeku;sôe went home and called his mother to follow him to the home
of the Awo. He procured the he-goat too. The Awo offered the eôboô for
him. At the same time, the Awo told Oni;sôeku;sôe’s mother to warn her
son to desist from all his untoward behaviour, lest he cut short his life.
After this, they left.
On their way back home, they both reasoned that as long as Oni;sôeku;sôe
had offered the eôboô, nothing untoward would happen to him.
531
They felt that the Awo was just jealous of his economic status.
Oni;sôeku;sôe promised himself that when he returned from his robbery
mission, he would go and give the Awo something to make him happy.
That night, Oni;sôeku;sôe sneaked out of his house as was his usual
practice and went on his mission. When he got there, the hunters were
waiting. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ had gone to inform the hunters to be extra vigilant
that night because hardened criminals and armed robbers might come
to rob the community of its valuable items. Oni;sôeku;sôe got more than
what he bargained for. He was shot with poisoned arrows in nine parts
of his body. He died instantly. He died violently.
Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an ti’re¾ô ko; ma; sôeô

Di;a; fu;n Oni;se ô ku;se
ô
Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙku¾nrin O®de
E®yi; ti; woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô
Ko; ma; pin araa re¾ô l’eô;mi¾i;
E®Ùyin o¾ wa;a; wo E®su ô ¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾
Bo; ti wa; fi wo;ôn sô’eô¾si;n ni; gbangba
Translation:
Ogbe¾-'Ka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything

for it not to come to pass
This was the Ifá cast for Oni;sôeku;sôe (the-boy-
with-untoward-behaviour)
The boy about town
Who was advised to offer eôboô
Lest he cut his own life short
He complied by offering eôboô
But failed to heed the warning of the Awo
Can’t you see how E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾
Ridicules them out in the open?
532
Ifá says that this person will not be subjected to ridicule. He also needs
to ensure that he does not give E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ any reason to subject him to
public ridicule or serious harm.
15. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed against taking
his friend to his girlfriend’s house. If he does so, it is most likely that
the friend will end up becoming the husband of the woman. Ifá warns
that it is a big taboo for Ogbe¾-'Ka¾nra¾n children to steal their friends’
girlfriend or spouse. It is also not advisable for this person to take their
male friends or male siblings to their lover’s place.
Conversely, it is not advisable for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed to accompany his friend or relative to his lover’s place only for
him to manoeuvre the situation he found in the place to favour himself,
where he would eventually become the husband of his friend’s or
relative’s lover.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and
money. He also needs to be very careful in his dealings with others, no
matter how close they may be to him.
On this, Ifá has this to say:
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
Di;a; fu;n EÙpoô¾n
Ti; yo;o; mu; Oko; re’le; obi¾nrin re¾ô O®bo¾
Translation:
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for EÙpoô¾n (the
Scrotum)
Who planned to take Oko; (the Penis) to the home of
his lover O®bo¾ (the Vagina)
533
Both Oko; (Penis) and EÙpoô¾n (the Scrotum) were close friends. They
were so fond of each other that they had become almost inseparable.
There was nothing that one would do outside the knowledge of the
other. Because they loved to do everything in common and
complimentarily, those who knew them very well preferred to refer to
the two of them as the Genitals.
One day, EÙpoô¾n (the Scrotum) met a woman that he was totally
convinced would make him a good wife. The name of this woman was
O®bo¾ (the Vagina). Before long, their love grew so deep that they soon
began to consider marriage. EÙpoô¾n thought that it would be very unwise
for him to take further steps without informing his bosom friend Oko;
(the penis). Consequent upon this, he told Oko; everything that had
been going on between O®bo¾ and himself. Oko; was extremely happy for
this development.
When this had been settled, he decided to go to the home of his Awo,
EÙ fi¾ loro and EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾ for Ifá consultation. All that he wished to know
was whether or not the relationship between him and O®bo¾ would be
fruitful.
The Awo told him that his lover was a great and loving woman. She was
also very considerate. She would make a good home for him. He was
however warned against taking anyone along whenever he planned to
visit his lover at home. He was also told never to send anyone to her or
ask anyone to represent him, no matter how close the person might be
to him. He was warned to always go to her alone.
The Awo also advised EÙpoô¾n to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and
money. He complied.
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
Di;a; fu;n Oko;
Ti; yo;o; gba obi¾nrin EÙpoô¾n l’a;gba¾gbe;
Translation:
534
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Oko; (the Penis)
Who would snatch the woman of EÙpoô¾n and make
her his wife
Oko; (the penis) was very happy that his bosom friend EÙpoô¾n had secured
a woman that made him happy. He wished him well in all ways. He was
even prepared to assist the couple in any way he could to ensure that
everything went well with them. He genuinely loved his friend and
wholeheartedly identified himself with all what he was doing. When he
got to know that his friend was happily hooked, he went to the home of
the same Babaláwo for Ifá consultation in order to determine his own
chance of meeting a woman that would make him happy also and
fulfilled. When the two Awo cast the Ifá, Ogbe¾ OÙ®ka¾nra¾n was also
revealed.
The Awo informed Oko; that he too would soon be blessed with a
woman who would be compatible to him. He was told that he needed
to be patient because the time for him to secure his own lover would
soon come. He was however warned against snatching another man’s
wife or lover or even letting another man’s woman interest him in any
amorous way. He needed to get such thoughts out of his mind
immediately.
The Awo advised him to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and
money. He was also told not to betray the confidence reposed in him
by those who trusted and loved him.
Oko; looked at himself very closely and declared that nothing on earth
would ever make him develop any amorous interest in the woman of his
own friend. There were too many eligible women around looking for
partners. Why would he be interested in those who were already taken?
He asked himself. He assured the Awo that such a thing would never
happen to him. He could never and would never betray the trust
reposed in him by anyone. He offered the eôboô as advised.
535
One day, EÙpoô¾n planned to visit his woman. He was feeling shy to go
there alone. Who would then accompany him to her place and help him
call her out so that he could talk with her? He thought of many people
and eventually settled with Oko;. As he was doing this, E®sôu¾ repeatedly
whispered to him not to forget the warning of the Awo that he must
never take anyone to his lover’s place. He considered this and concluded
that if anyone would betray him, it could never and would never be Oko;.
For every rule, there must be an exception. Oko; was the exception.
He went and invited Oko; to accompany him. Being such good friends,
Oko; obliged and accompanied him to the place. When they got near the
place, EÙpoô¾n pointed to the house and begged his friend to go in and call
his lover out for him. Oko; agreed. He entered into the house. The
moment Oko; set his eyes on O®bo¾ and O®bo¾ saw Oko; everything
changed. Oko; began to “transact” his own business at the expense of
his friend. By the time he came out of the house, Oko; was too tired to
discuss anything with EÙpoô¾n.
The next day, Oko; followed EÙpoô¾n to the place. Oko; entered. EÙpoô¾n
stayed outside. Oko; and O®bo¾ “transacted” business together again. The
business was not unconnected with pregnancy and child-bearing. None
of them remembered EÙpoô¾n. Oko; and EÙpoô¾n began to go together to the
place; EÙpoô¾n would stay by the gate of the house; Oko; would enter to
“transact” more business of baby making.
Whenever he came out, he would tell his friend that he was being well
represented. This was how everything was going on for a long time and
EÙpoô¾n no longer had the chance to enter the house in order to discuss
baby-making with his beloved, O®bo¾.
One day, O®bo¾ became pregnant! When EÙpoô¾n heard of this, he nearly
fainted. He made inquiries everywhere and found out that his bosom
friend was responsible for the pregnancy! No! This was preposterous!
It was totally impossible! It was unbelievable! It could not happen! He
challenged his friend. All Oko; could tell his friend was for him not to
worry, he (EÙpoô¾n) was well represented!
EÙpoô¾n could not believe this, he decided to go and meet the parents of
O®bo¾ in order to state his own case to them. When he got there, they
painted a sorry picture of how his bosom friend had betrayed him; and
536
how Oko; was in love with their daughter; how he had asked his friend
to come and help him call her out but how his friend had taken over
completely and how he had left him in the cold.
When he finished his story, the parents of O®bo¾ looked at him with
unhidden loath and anger. They told him that as far as that family was
concerned, nobody knew him and nobody was interested in knowing
him. The only person they knew with their daughter whom the whole
family approved of was Oko;! They then warned him never to go about
assassinating the good character of their daughter and made it clear
that the family would go to any length to deal with him if they ever
suspected such nonsense. He was told that it was in his best interest to
ensure that the couple stayed happily married and joyfully together; if
not, he would blame himself for any eventuality. After this, he was
thrown out of the house unceremoniously.
When he got back home, he realized that the only thing that would do
him a world of good was to cooperate with both Oko; and O®bo¾. He was
to accept the inevitable. He regretted that he had hitherto been warned
never to take anyone to his lovers place, but alas, it was too late to do
anything about it now.
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
Di;a; fu;n EÙpoô¾n
Ti; yo;o; mu; Oko; re’le; obi¾nrin re¾ô O®bo¾
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
Di;a; fu;n Oko;
Ti; yo;o; gba obi¾nrin EÙpoô¾n l’a;gba¾gbe;
SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moôô;
EÙ®yin o¾ ri;’na; Ifa; ka¾n n; jo; woôn
Translation:
537
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for EÙpoô¾n
(the Scrotum)
Who planned to take Oko; (the Penis) to the home
of his lover O®bo¾ (the Vagina)
He complied
But did not heed the warning of the Awo
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Oko; (the Penis)
Who would snatch the woman of EÙpoô¾n and make
her his wife
He complied
But did not heed the warning of the Awo
Don’t you see how the fire of Ifá continues to
burn them fiercely?
Ifá warns that after offering the eôboô it is imperative to heed the warning
of the Awo. Even though Oko; succeeded in taking over the woman of
his friend, he lived the rest of his life with the woman feeling very guilty
for what he had done and his conscience never gave him a break.
Oko; was never totally happy. Also, EÙpoô¾n was blackmailed into
submission and lived with regrets.
16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to see
his/her friend off across a bridge, stream, river or boundary of a town,
province, state or country. It is a different thing if they are all going
together to another place and he is a part of them. But if he/she is only
seeing the friends off and after needs to return to his/her own home,
he/she must not do so. All he/she needs to do is to see them off to the
edge of a bridge, stream, river, town, province, state or country and
turn back from there. This is very important to follow!
538
money. He/she also needs to offer eôboô with the clothes he/she had
on during the Ifá consultation. He/she also needs to feed O®gu;n and
E®sôu¾ with one cock each.
On this, Ifá says:
Erin i; ra
EÙfoô¾n ra
A®ja¾na¾ku; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; i¾ja¾ ran¾ra s’oô;deô
Di;a; fu;n Erin
Ti; o¾hun O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ joô n; sô’oô¾reô;
Translation:
The elephant disappears

The buffalo disappears
The elephant is it that raises its trunk threateningly
at the hunter
These were Ifá’s messages to Erin (the Elephant)
When he and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ were friends
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and Erin, the Elephant were close friends. They loved to visit
each other regularly. Whenever they met, they would discuss several
issues together and find ways of proffering solutions to the problems of
life.
One day, Erin went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above
to find a solution to some of the issues affecting his community. The
Awo consulted Ifá for him and they advised him to offer eôboô with one
mature he-goat and money. He was also asked to offer eôboô with
the dress that he was wearing on the day that he went for the Ifá
consultation.
Erin was ready to offer the eôboô quite alright. The problem however was
that he was not prepared to release the dress that he was wearing,
539
claiming that he did not have two dresses. He argued that he could not
be going about naked.
Erin was also warned not to see anybody off across any bridge, stream,
river, town, province, state or country. He was advised to stay close to
home for about six months. He said that he was moving about in order
to reduce his massive size. His movements everywhere were in the form
of exercise aimed at making him fit and slim so that he would not be
looking awkward and mountainous. In short, he failed to offer the eôboô
or comply with the warnings of the Awo.
Two days after this, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ visited him. He told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ what the
Awo had told him. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ urged him to go and offer the eôboô
immediately. He gave Erin some money to purchase the he-goat and
another dress for himself. He warned Erin that it was in his (Erin’s)
interest to heed the warning of the Awo. Soon after, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ left for
his home. Erin wanted to see him off but OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told Erin not to. He
told Erin not to see anyone off and offer the eôboô as prescribed by his
Awo. He promised to come back to visit Erin in two days' time.
In the morning, on the second day that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was to come and visit
his friend, Erin had other friends with him. When they were about to
leave, Erin decided to see them off to the spot across the stream. They
went together. Unknown to Erin, so many people had been waiting in
siege for him in order to kill him. They considered his crusade for people
to change for the better as being irritating and disturbing. They planned
to kill him. Many of these enemies did not even know him that well or
at all. The only thing they knew about him was that he was always
wearing velvet dresses.
As soon as these enemies saw him crossing the stream with his friends,
they waited for him to return alone. When he appeared, he was greeted
with arrows, spears, javelins, swords, axes, batons, and so on. He died
shortly after. Before his death however, he remembered that he had
been warned not to see anyone off across any stream.
In the evening, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ appeared at his friend’s house only to see his
dead body. It was a painful spectacle. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declared to all
sympathizers that Erin was a good fellow. Consequent upon that, he
deserved a decent burial with all the rites of passage completed. That
540
was exactly what Erin was given. When the final rites were being
performed, all the Awo present began to chant I®yer¾ô e,ô¾ saying:
Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô’oro¾ Erin o o¾

Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô'oro¾ Erin
Iku; o¾ ma¾ jeô; o, K’E:rin o; le¾ d’A:lo¾ô
Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô’oro¾ Erin
Translation:
Rapidly does one perform the final rites of Erin

(the Elephant)
Forcefully does one perform the final rites of Erin
Death was it that prevented Erin from
accomplishing his purpose in life
Powerfully does one perform the final rites of Erin
All the rites of passage performed for Erin were supervised by OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
from the very beginning to the end.
Erin i; ra
EÙfoô¾n ra
A®ja¾na¾ku; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; i¾ja¾ ran¾ra s’oô;deô
Di;a; fu;n Erin
Ti; o¾hun O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ joô n; sô’oô¾reô;
O: f’eôboô sô’aloô;
N®je;ô gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô’oro¾ Erin o o¾
Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô'oro¾ Erin
Iku; o¾ ma¾ jeô; o, K’E:rin o; le¾ d’A:lo¾ô
Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô’oro¾ Erin
Translation:
The elephant disappears

The buffalo disappears
The elephant is it that raises its trunk threateningly
at the hunter
541
These were Ifá’s messages to Erin (the Elephant)

When he and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ were friends
He delayed and failed to offer the eôboô at
the appropriate time
Forcefully does one perform the final rites of Erin
Death was it that prevented Erin from fulfilling
his destiny
Powerfully does one perform the final rites of Erin
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be
prevented from experiencing untimely death. That is why he/she needs
to offer eôboô as quickly as possible and at the same time to follow the
warnings of his/her Awo.
542
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N FOR CHILDREN

BORN BY THE ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA:
For the children of Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n, males and females, they are usually
guaranteed with three great Ire at any given point in time in their lives.
These three Ire are those of victory, merriment and happiness. These
three Ire that are parts of the essential components of their destiny are
the impetus that gear this person towards the achievement of great
things in their lives. They give them the confidence to confront
challenges, difficulties, duties, responsibilities, and assignments. At the
end of the day, they come back with victory, sweet victory, which they
savour for a long time.
The success and accomplishment of Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n male and female

children are more often than not cemented by strangers who either visit
their locality or stay in their home. For these Ire to happen, there is the
need for Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children to take good care of their homes and
vicinity in terms of cleanliness, hygiene, and neatness. Their success
chances are directly proportional to their level of neatness and hygiene.
Consequent upon this, the more hygiene conscious they are, the better
for their success chances.
Through hard work, determination and resourcefulness, Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n

children usually return to their homes with honour, title conferment,
leadership position, recognition and accolades. The more they receive,
the more they push to achieve more.
Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children have the propensity to live very long even while
in the midst of enemies. There is no gainsaying the fact that many
people wish them dead and buried. They will however live long to the
regret and agony of their enemies. Those who take active steps for
them to meet with calamity will end up falling into the traps that they
set for Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children. The painful part of this aspect is that
most of their enemies are within. They are the people that Ogbe¾
'Ka¾nra¾n do without relating to on a regular basis. Ifá will however
make all these enemies fail in their deeds.
The major weakness of Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children is that because they are
used to receiving the three major Ire of victory, happiness and
543
merriment, they cannot persevere in times of tribulation. They usually

think of changing jobs, residence, or locality very quickly. However,
their success will meet them right in their locality. They do not need to
change their environment or job. They only need to persevere to make
things better but that is what is difficult for them to do.
For Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n male children, they have the chance and luck of
picking compatible spouses that will be their partners for the rest of
their lives. They however need to pick dark skinned women as opposed
to fair skinned ones. Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children however ironically love fair
skinned ladies more than dark skinned ones. Their destinies however do
not support them being in relationships with fair skinned women. If
they are married to a dark skinned woman, they will have a great
marriage and will receive the blessing of great children who will make
the community great. Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n male children must never make
the mistake of taking their friends to their suitors houses. If they do,
the friend will most likely end up becoming the husband of the woman.
Conversely, Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children must never snatch the women of
their friends because they too have the tendency to do so.
For Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n female children, they make great spouses, good
housewives and great mothers. Their fellow women however usually
turn out to be their greatest source of concern and discomfort. Women
tend to loathe and envy them with a passion. They do not wish them to
succeed or beget children of their own. However, they will all fail at
making the woman’s life difficult.
On the overall, Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children live long in relative peace,

progress, and happiness. They enjoy their lives to the maximum and
they die contented and self realized.
544
C. AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ/® O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® 'KA®NRA®N
1. Ifá - For success, elevation, victory, contentment, direction, support,

guidance, and overall wellbeing
2. Orí - For fulfilment of destiny, elevation, support, sanctuary,
benevolence, victory, contentment, and self actualization
3. E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ - For direction, support, sanctuary, protection, victory,
4. O®gu;n- For victory, success, leadership, contentment, achievement
5. OÙbalu;aye;- For protection against pestilence and ailments, victory,
support and overall success
6. EÙgbeô; - For comradeship, leadership, elevation, support, achievement,
contentment, victory, honour, and overall wellbeing
7. Aje;- For financial success, leadership, satisfaction, victory, support,
and general success
8. SÙa¾ngo;- For victory, support, elevation, success, leadership, and
overall success
9. Egu;ngu;n- For ancestral support, victory, continuity, elevation,
achievement, and general wellbeing
10. OÙ®suô n - For compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing and
general wellbeing
D. TABOOS OF OGBE® 'KA®NRA®N
1. Must never consume chicken - to avoid the problem of

unconsummated fortune, dwindling resources, health challenges and
regrets
2. Must never perpetrate evil to revenge evil - to avoid facing

problems and tribulations on a constant basis
3. Must never eat sweet potatoes - to avoid unconsummated

fortune, dwindling resources and failure
4. Must never send negative energy against anyone - To avoid

being the victim of his/her negative designs
545
5. Woman must never ridicule or humiliate her husband - To

avoid shame, odium, and regrets
6. Man must not marry a light skinned woman - To avoid major
matrimonial problems
7. Must never conspire against anyone or any group - To avoid

ridicule, humiliation, disgrace, failure, regret and disaster
8. Must not eat coconut - To avoid matrimonial problems
9. Must never allow filth and uncleanliness in his/her body,

home and environment - To avoid missing his success chances,
unconsummated fortune, failure and regret
10. Must never take any friend to his fiancée’s home - To avoid
losing the woman to his friend
11. Must never snatch his friend's woman - To avoid the heavy
burden on his conscience for the rest of his life
12. Must never accompany any friend across any river,

boundary of a town, a region or a country - To avoid threat to life
and disaster
13. Must never change ones job, position, or locality because of

challenges - To avoid missing his/her success chances,
unconsummated fortune and prolonged suffering
14. Must never wear red or black dresses - To avoid being

surrounded by negative aura
546
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® 'KA®NRA®N

It is advisable for all Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children to have the prefix "OÙla;"
in their names, together with any other names they answer to.
i. MALES

2. OÙla;dayo¾ô - Honour has turned to joy
3. OÙla;da;re - Honour absolves me
4. OÙla;du¾n-u;nni; - Honour is easy to acquire
ô ô;gun - Ifa; gives me victory
5. Ifa;se
6. OÙla;pe¾ôkun - Honour crowns all attributes
7. OÙla;bo;gunde; - Honour comes with spoils of war
ii. FEMALES
1. Ifa;ko;rede; - Ifa; brings all the Ire of life

2. OÙla;ke;ômi - Honour takes good care of me
3. OÙla;wu¾nmi; - I love honour
4. OÙla;ni;yi¾ - Honour has prestige
5. Ifa;to;o;ki; - Ifa; is worthy of salutation
6. OÙla;yeômi;; - Honour befits me
ô e;ke;ô - It is practicable to take good care of
7. Ifa;se
547
Chapter 8
Ogbè Ògúndá
II
II
I I
II I
548
Ogbe¾ O®gu;nda;
Ogbe¾ E®e¾gu¾n
Ogbe¾ Su¾u;ru¾
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
A. 1. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of abundant success and
prosperity for the person born by this Odù either during
Ikoôse¾ôda;ye; or I®te¾ô¾ni;fa. Ifá says that this person has carried the
Orí of accomplishment and fortune from heaven. Ifá says that this
person has worked very hard in the past but their efforts have not
yet yielded any results. He/She needs not despair all his or her
fortune shall be consummated.
Ifá says that this person needs to offer ẹbọ with all edible
items available at the time that this Ifá is cast. This person
also needs to procure some corn and guinea corn grains and
give them to domestic animals to eat. If these two steps can
be taken, prosperity will be guaranteed for him/her.
On this, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu says:
EÙyeô ab'apa; we
EÙyeô ab'eôse¾ô we
EÙyeô ab'i¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
O®ri¾sôa¾-N:la; OÙs
® e¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni; woôn loô oja¾ Agu;nregej;e;ge;
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
A wa; o¾ r’Awo
A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki;
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa
A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô wa;
A®go¾ oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ I:feô¾ Oo¾ye¾
Wo;ôn l’oô;moô eku lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo l' o;ômoô eku ko¾ to; A®go¾ oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô a deô pa;n;pe;ô
Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eku
549
Translation:
The bird with strong wide wings

The bird with powerful legs
The bird with a wagging tail
Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market
We searched and searched for a competent Awo
We could not find one
We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land
And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land
And we even went to I®woônra¾n
Where the good day dawns
My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to
celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾
They informed me that rats had taken it away
I responded that no rat had the capability of using my
Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume
Those who set traps for rats
Will certainly be the slanderers against the rats
The Aka;po¾ was searching for a competent Awo who would cast Ifá
for him in order to find out his identity and better appreciate his
purpose on earth. He searched many places to locate a proficient
Awo but he could not find one. When he returned home, he was
looking for his Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which he used to celebrate the
annual ceremony in Ife¾ô-Oo¾ye¾, but he could not find it. He made
inquiries and was told that rats were the ones responsible for his
missing costume. He cursed the rats for taking what was not theirs
and what was clearly beyond their capability to use. He said that
they would always meet their slanderers among hunters who
would set traps to kill them.
550
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
EÙyeô ab'apa; we
EÙyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge;
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’A:wo
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa¾
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa;
Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ t'e;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾
Wo;ôn l'o;ômoô eôja lo; gbe; e loô
Mo ni; oômoô eôja ko¾ to; Ago¾ô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a t'e¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô ade¾ô'ge¾re¾
Ni; yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni¾ oômoô eôja
Translation:

They informed me that the fish had taken it away
I responded that no fish had the capability of using my
Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume
Those who set nets and hooks for fish
Will certainly be the slanderers against the fish
551
True to the prediction of the Aka;po¾, the rats met their deaths in
droves. After this, the Aka;po¾ set out on his search for a competent
Awo who would give him direction in life. He could not find one.
When he returned home, he could not find his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ again.
He made inquiries to find out who had taken the costume this time
around. He was informed that the fish had taken it. He said that
no fish in any lake, pond, stream, river, lagoon, or sea had the
capability to take and use his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾.
After this, he cursed the fish and said that those who bait hooks
and those who use nets will be their slanderers and will be the
ones killing them in multitudes.
E®ôyeô abapa; we
E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we
E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’Awo
Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾
Woô;n l' oô;moô eôyeô lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo l' o;ômoô eôyeô ko¾ to; A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a te¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô ada¾te¾
Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eôyeô
Translation:

552
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

They informed me that the birds had taken it away
I responded that no bird had the capability of using my
Me¾si¾a¾da costume
Those who set ropes, cages, and bird-lime
to catch birds
Will certainly be the slanderers against the birds
As soon as the Aka;po put a curse on the fish, they began to meet
their doom in the hands of hook and trap setters. After this, he
retrieved his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da. He kept it at home and set out again in
search of an Awo who could help him find out his identity. Again,
he could not find one. He returned home only to find that his A®go¾
Me¾si¾a¾da was missing again. He made inquiries as to the
whereabouts of his costume and he was informed that birds were
the ones who took the costume away this time around. He
answered that no bird had the capability of taking or using his A®go¾
Me¾si¾a¾da. Those who took it received curses from him. He declared
that the kingdom of the birds would always meet their slanderers
in the hands of the bird-lime and cage trap setters.
E®ôyeô abapa; we
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’Awo
553

Wo;ôn l' oômoô eôranô lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo l' oômoô eranô o¾ to; Agoôô¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a te¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô ayi¾nla¾sa¾
Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eôran
Translation:

They informed me that the beasts had taken it away
I responded that no beast had the capability of using
my A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da
Those who shoot with rifles and spears at beasts
Will certainly be the slanderers against the beasts
The curse that the Aka;po¾ put on the heads of the birds made them
fall into the traps of bird-lime and cage setters. The Aka;po¾
retrieved his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ and placed it back into his home and
moved on in search of a competent Awo who would guide him on
the right path to find, follow, and fulfil his destiny. He searched
and searched but could not find one. He returned home only to
554
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
find out that his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume had been taken away from
where he had kept it. When he made inquiries, he was told that
the beasts were responsible for taking it away. He declared that
no beast had the capability of taking away or using his A®go¾
Me¾si¾a¾da¾. He cursed the kingdom of the beasts and said that they
would always meet their doom in the hands of hunters who used
rifles, spears, arrows, javelins, clubs, and knives and so on.
E®ôyeô abapa; we
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’Awo
Wo;ôn ni¾ oômoô eôni lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo lo;ômoô eôni ni¾gba¾n¾te;ôyi¾n eôni sôe o
Mo lo;ômoô eôni yo;o; gbo; ogbo; olu;ye;ôe;ôye;ôtuye¾ô
Oômoô eôni yo;o; gbo;gbo;o;gbo;
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; to;ôto;ôo;ôto;ô
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; la¾la¾a¾la¾
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; bi;bi;i;bi;
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; re¾rô e¾ôe¾ôre¾ô
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; fa’ku¾n oôla¾ lale; aye; ja; gbeôreôgeôdeô
A®woôn o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ gbo;ôn o
A®wonô o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ mo¾ô
A®woôn o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ mo¾ô pe; Ifá ; OÙla; n’Ifá ; a wa o
Translation:
555

They informed me that my children had taken it away
I responded that my children are my future
who will carry on when I am no more
I pray for my children to live very long on earth
And to grow old and feeble
I pray for my children to grow very old
And live very long
And succeed in all departments of life
And give birth to so many ideas and children
And multiply in all aspects of life
And spread the chain of prosperity to all parts
of the world
The uninitiated are not wise
They also lack knowledge
The uninitiated do not know that our Odù is the
Odù of riches and prosperity
The beasts did not fare any better than the rats, the fish, and the
birds when the Aka;po¾ cursed them. The rifle shooter, the javelin
thrower, the spear thrower, the arrow shooter, and so on
continuously cut short their lives. The Aka;po¾ retrieved his A®go¾
Me¾si¾a¾da¾ and brought it back to his house. He left again in search
556
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
of those who could help him find his destiny. He would from them
know how to follow and fulfil it. This time around, he was able to
find EÙyeô Ab'apa; we, EÙyeô Ab'eôseô¾ we, and EÙyeô Ab'i¾ru¾ wemu¾wemu¾.
They told him that even though the uninitiated ones had been
making jest of him and saying that he would never succeed in life,
he would be more successful than all those who had been
subjecting him to ridicule. He was told that his Odù Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu;,
was the Odù of patience and perseverance. He was also told that
he would be blessed with children who would carry on after him.
They told him that this was the most important of all the riches
and prosperity. The Aka;po was advised to offer ẹbọ as explained
above. He was equally advised to show kindness and consideration
to all animals from that time onwards. He complied.
When he returned home, he realized once again that his Agoôô

Me¾si¾a¾da¾ had been taken away. He made inquiries and discovered
to his everlasting joy, that his children were the ones who took it
to Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ in order to represent him when he was not around to
participate in the annual festival. The joy of the Aka;po¾ knew no
bounds. He was certain that even if he joined his ancestors that
very day, he had children who would carry on wherever he might
have left off. He prayed for the children. Soon after, he discovered
that most of the things which he had been doing without success,
he was now being successful in. Several avenues for
accomplishment opened for him and he took full advantage of
these opportunities. In the end, he succeeded beyond all
imagination. All those who had made jest of him turned round to
bow to him. They confessed that they never knew that Ogbe¾-
I®yo;ônu; was an Odù that could make anyone that successful in life.
EÙyeô ab'apa; we
EÙyeô ab'i¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
O®ri¾sôa¾-N:la; OÙs
® e¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni; woôn loô oja¾ Agu;nregej;e;ge;
557
A wa; Awo ti;ti;

A wa; o¾ r’Awo
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô wa;
A®go¾ oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ I:feô¾ Oo¾ye¾
Wo;ôn l’oô;moô eku lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo l' o;ômoô eku ko¾ to; A®go¾ oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô a deô pa;n;pe;ô
Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eku
EÙyeô ab'apa; we
EÙyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’A:wo
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa¾
Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ t'e;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾
Wo;n ô l'o;ômoô eôja lo; gbe; e loô
Mo ni; oômoô eôja ko¾ to; Ago¾ô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a t'e¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô ade¾ô'ge¾re¾
Ni; yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni¾ oômoô eôja
E®ôyeô abapa; we
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’Awo
558
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
Woô;n l' oô;moô eôyeô lo; gbe; e loô o

Mo l' o;ômoô eôyeô ko¾ to; A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a te¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô ada¾te¾
Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eôyeô
E®ôyeô abapa; we
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’Awo
Wo;ôn l' oômoô eôranô lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo l' oômoô eranô o¾ to; Agoôô¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a te¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô ayi¾nla¾sa¾
Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eôran
E®ôyeô abapa; we
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’Awo
Wo;ôn ni¾ oômoô eôni lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo lo;ômoô eôni ni¾gba¾n¾te;ôyi¾n eôni sôe o
Oômoô eôni yo;o; gbo;gbo;o;gbo;
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; to;ôto;ôo;ôto;ô
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; la¾la¾a¾la¾
559
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; bi;bi;i;bi;

OÙmoô eôni yo;o; re¾rô e¾ôe¾ôre¾ô
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; fa’ku¾n oôla¾ lale; aye; ja; gbeôreôgeôdeô
A®woôn o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ gbo;ôn o
A®wonô o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ mo¾ô
A®woôn o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ mo¾ô pe; Ifá ; OÙla; n’Ifá ; a wa o
Translation:

They informed me that rats had taken it away
I responded that no rat had the capability of
using my Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume
Those who set traps for rats
Will certainly be the slanderers against the rats
560
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

They informed me that the fish had taken it away
I responded that no fish had the capability of
using my Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume
Those who set nets and hooks for fish
Will certainly be the slanderers against the fish
They informed me that the birds had taken it away
I responded that no bird had the capability of
using my Me¾si¾a¾da costume
Those who set ropes, cages, and bird-lime
to catch birds
Will certainly be the slanderers against the birds
561

They informed me that the beasts had taken it away
I responded that no beast had the capability of
using my A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da
Those who shoot with rifles and spears at beasts
Will certainly be the slanderers against the beasts
They informed me that my children had taken it away
I responded that my children are my future who will
carry on when I am no more
I pray for my children to live very long on earth
And to grow old and feeble
I pray for my children to grow very old
And live very long
And succeed in all departments of life
And give birth to so many ideas and children
And multiply in all aspects of life
And spread the chain of prosperity to all parts
562
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
of the world
The uninitiated are not wise
They also lack knowledge
The uninitiated do not know that our Odù is the
Odù of riches and prosperity
Ifá assures this person that his/her success will surely come with
patience and perseverance. He/She also needs to show kindness
and understanding to all animals. His/Her greatest asset however
is his/her children who will carry on wherever he/she has left off.
bestowed with a great honour and recognition in life. He/She
however will not be the only one considered for the honour but
He/She will be the one to receive it. Ifá urges this person never to
show impatience or anger.
He/She must be patient at all times. His/Her success lies in His/Her

ability to persevere, be kind to all people, not show anger or
frustration and never contemplate vengeance.
Ifá advises him/her to offer ẹbọ with two rats, two fish, two
pigeons, two hens, two ducks, two guinea fowls, two
roosters, and money. After this, he/she needs to display
patience and perseverance.
On this, Ifá says:
I®bi;nu; o¾ da nn¾kan fu;n ni; o

Su¾u;ru¾ ni¾ baba i¾wa¾
A®gba¾ to; ni; su¾u;ru¾
Oun gbogbo lo; ni;
Di;a; fu;n Ina;
To; lo;un o; j’oye¾ Olo¾n¾roro
563
Translation:
Anger amounts to nothing for one

Patience is the father of all good character
An elder who is patient
He is blessed with all the good things of life
These were Ifá’s messages for Iná, the fire
Who wanted to be installed as Olo;n¾roro, the illuminator
Ina, fire, was a very ambitious person and he had every reason to
be. He was the eldest of those vying for the post of Olo;n¾roro, the
illuminator. Even the counsellor of king makers felt that he
deserved the position. He had worked his way up with hard work
and determination. He felt that everyone ought to understand that
it was not an easy thing to do. He was fully determined to add
colour and respect to the position. Consequently, he vowed that
he would not brood any form of nonsense, ignorance, stupidity, or
carelessness from any of his subjects. He must be accorded his full
respect and honour. He must also be given appreciable distance.
He will not be in a position where his subjects will think that they
are free to do whatever they liked. He simply would not tolerate
such things. It was better for them to understand the type of
leader he was right from the beginning. That is what he concluded
to himself.
How would the day of the installation look like? How would he look
on that day? What type of clothing would he put on that day? The
issue of his other co-contestants was a non-issue for him. Why?
They were of no consequence. They did not possess the clout or
personality to contest him. His decision to go to the group of Awo
mentioned above was absolutely not because of them; rather it
was for him to determine how grand the day of his installation
would be.
564
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
When the Awo consulted Ifá, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu was revealed. They told
Ina that he was contesting for a position with other people. They
told him that he would be the one to be installed into that exalted
position. He was however cautioned to exercise patience and
constraint in dealing with his subjects, lest he lose the opportunity.
He was advised to listen to his subjects and tolerate them, even if
he noticed some excesses in them. He was urged to guard, guide,
and direct his subjects correctly. He was also told never to show
anger or impatience while dealing with them.
The Awo concluded by advising him to offer ẹbọ with two rats,
two fish, two pigeons, two hens, two ducks, two guinea
fowls, two roosters, and money. Iná, looked at these Awo with
unhidden contempt. He felt they were trying to tie his hands
behind him for his subjects to insult him. This, he vowed, would
never happen. He told the Awo that they were advising him in how
to be a weakling and he would not be. Whatever they liked they
could say or plan, they would always meet him fully prepared. All
their plans failed and he started getting angry with them. He told
them to never expect him to come and offer any ẹbọ as all their
recommendations were based on bias and fraud. He accused them
of advising him in bad faith. He stormed out of their home. That
day, he torched the farm of the Awo. Two of the king makers lost
their homes. Some of this subjects-to-be lost their farms, some
lost their clothing, and some lost their lives to the fire. When he
was told, he retorted that they lost their things due to their
carelessness and stupidity. That was the day that the king makers
made up their minds to look for a more suitable candidate. They
concluded that Iná would not and could not be the good, gentle,
kind-hearted, and tolerant leader that they were mandated to
have by the citizens to search for.
I®bi;nu; o¾ da nn¾kan fu;n’ni;

565
Oun gbogbo lo; ni;

Di;a; fu;n O®o¾ru¾n
Ti; yo;o; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro
Translation:

These were Ifá’s messages to O®o¾ru¾n, the sun
O®o¾ru¾n, the sun, considered himself eminently qualified to occupy

the position of Olo;n¾roro. He even saw himself as more qualified
than anyone or anything created by O:lo;du¾mare to assume the
position. There was nowhere his rays could not penetrate, even
the deepest part of the ocean. Who dared venture to contest the
position with him, he queried. He was so certain that anyone who
did would not only fail, but such a person would find himself to
blame. He was convinced that the king makers should use their
senses to bring the title to him and hand over all the paraphernalia
of office to him quietly, if they loved themselves. This title was
Olo;n¾roro, the illuminator and who illuminated better than him? Of
course, nobody could. He needed to assume the position in grand
style. That much he was certain of. He therefore needed to
prepare fully for the coronation day.
But wait a moment, if not because of insolent behaviour, what was

causing their delay? Did he need to come and beg them to hand
over what rightfully belonged to him? Couldn’t the king makers use
the little common sense they had left in their heads? Couldn’t they
apply what was left of their brains to do the right thing? They
must be taught a very bitter lesson. If the king makers were a
566
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
pack of fools, who selected them to their various useless

positions? The inhabitants of course selected them! These fools
who elected greater fools should also be dealt with in a very
decisive manner. He had no patience for such people. He needed
to plan well for his upcoming coronation. That was why he went
for Ifá consultation. During the consultation, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu; was
revealed.
The Awo told O®o¾ru¾n that he was eminently qualified for the
position. He however needed to offer ẹbọ as stated above and he
would also need to exercise patience and restraint. O®o¾ru¾n was
advised against being provoked into anger. When O®o¾ru¾n heard
this, he got so annoyed that he lacked the correct words to
describe the Awo. He simply walked out and made a loud hiss. He
intensified the sun’s brightness and many crops began to fail.
Many youths and adults developed fevers and other types of

ailments caused by febrile conditions. Famine set in when all
streams and small rivers dried up. Several evil things happened in
the land. The problems were investigated and traced to O®o¾ru¾n. All
the inhabitants, including the king makers decided unanimously
not to give O®o¾ru¾n the position.
I®bi;nu; o¾ da nn¾kan fu;n’ni;

Oun gbogbo lo; ni;
Di;a; fu;n Osôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾
Ti; yo;o; j'oye¾ Olo;n¾roro
Translation:

567
These were Ifá ’s messages for O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri;mu, the

Full Moon
Nobody gave O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri;mu, the Full Moon much of a chance. He

was neither as powerful nor as capable as Iná or O®o¾ru¾n. All that
kept him going was the simple fact that he meant well for the
people. He was sure that if he was installed as the Olo;n¾roro, the
people would prosper. He knew that there would be peace and
enjoyment in the land. How would he be able to prove that he was
worthy of the trust and confidence of the people? Given the
credentials of Iná and O®o¾ru¾n, where did he stand? If care was not
taken, would Ina and O®o¾ru¾n not crush him even before the day of
the installation? What did he need to be doing to avoid the wrath
of his more formidable co-contestants? These were the questions
at the back of his mind when he went for Ifá consultation. During
consultation, Ogbe¾-Su¾u;ru¾ was revealed.
The Awo informed O®sôu¾pa; that he was contesting for a position of

honour and respect and that his co-contestants were more capable
than him. He was told that he needed to exercise patience and
perseverance in order to be installed into the royal position. He
was advised to never allow frustration or provocation to push him
into avoidable anger. They told him that there was no time that
patience could become too much; it could never be enough. He
must continue to exercise real love and understanding at all times,
and if this was done, having patience would become easier for him
to exercise. The Awo told him that it was one thing to have the
capability of doing something for someone but it was another
thing for people to put their trust in you for you to do it on their
behalf. The Awo said that his co-contestants were more capable
them him but the people did not trust or love them enough to
hand over the mandate to either of them.
568
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
The Awo advised him to offer ẹbọ and the same materials that
were prescribed for Iná and O®o¾ru¾n were also prescribed for
O®sôu¾pa;. Emphasis was also laid on having patience and self
restraint. O®sôu¾pa; offered the ẹbọ that same day. As soon as he
returned home in the evening, he decided to show himself to the
people. When the moon appeared, all those who had found shelter
under big trees, under the roof of their homes, and beside the
shadows of big hills and so on decided to move out. They found
the moon’s illumination enough for them to see and at the same
time, cool and comforting.
E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ advised them to bring out their children to play outside
in the moon shine. They did. The children greeted the moon with
joy and enthusiasm. E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ told the king makers and the other
elders in the land that it seemed to him that O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾ had the
credentials to be installed as the Olo;n¾roro. Granted, he had no
power of illumination as great as Iná and O®o¾ru¾n, but his force and
power were very soothing, and it did not bring problems to anyone
and it allowed for relaxation. E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ urged the elders to ensure
that the installation was done right away before the two trouble
makers returned to cause chaos and confusion.
That same evening, O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾ was installed to the exalted

position of Olo;n¾roro. It was a spontaneous but unanimous
decision. Nobody complained except for Iná and O®o¾ru¾n because
nobody had any cause to do so.
The ceremony was peaceful and without any untoward event.
I®bi;nu; ko¾ da nn¾kan fu;n’ni o

Oun gbogbo lo; ni;
Di;a; fu;n Ina;
Ti yo;o; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro
569

I®bi;nu; ko¾ da nn¾kan fu;n’ni o
Oun gbogbo lo; ni;
Ti; yo;o; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro
EÙboô ni¾ woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Di;a; fu;n O®su
ô ¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾
Ti; yo;o; joye¾ Olo;n¾roro
O®sôu¾pa; ni¾ka¾n ni¾ n;beô le;ôyin ti; n;sôeôboô
A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ ire de;
A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro
A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ aye; gu;n
La;sa;n n’Ina; gbo;ju;
Ina; o¾ ni;wa¾ ni;nu;
La;sa;n l’O®o¾ru¾n gbo;ju;
O®o¾ru¾n o¾ ni;wa¾ ni;nu;
A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ ire de;
A m’O®sôu¾pa; j’oye¾ aye; gu;n
Translation:

These were Ifá’s messages for Iná, the fire
Who wanted to be installed as Olo;n¾roro, the
Illuminator
570
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

These were Ifá’s messages to O®o¾ru¾n, the sun
Illuminator
These were Ifá’s messages for O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾, the Full
Moon
Illuminator
Only O®sôu¾pa; complied with the advice of the Awo
We have installed O®sôu¾pa; and all Ire has arrived
We have installed O®sôu¾pa; as the Olo;n¾roro
We installed O®sôu¾pa; and the world has become peaceful
In vain was the competence of Iná
Iná has no good character
Of no purpose is the capacity of O®o¾ru¾n
O®o¾ru¾n is not endowed with good character
We have installed O®sôu¾pa; and all Ire has arrived
We installed O®sôu¾pa; and the world has become peaceful
We have installed O®sôu¾pa; as the Olo;n¾roro, the
Illuminator
Ifá says that good character, patience, perseverance, and

understanding for the person whom this Odù is revealed will be
his/her credential that will see him/her into an exalted position in
life.
571
3. Ifá foresees the ire of victory and accomplishment for the person
for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person is right in
the midst of antagonists but it is from there that his/her success
will come from. Nobody and nothing can stop him/her from
succeeding. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one he-
goat, 200 blades, one long cutlass, and money. He/she must
not allow anymore or anything to intimidate him/her.
On this, Ogbe¾-E®e¾gu¾n says:
O®Ùte;ôe;ôre;ô n’ile¾ô n; yo;ô

O®Ùte¾¾ôeôr¾ e¾¾ô n’ileôô¾ n; yo¾¾ô
B’ile¾ô ba; yo¾ô l’a;yo¾ôju¾
Ara; ile; eôni ni;i; sôe’ni pe¾ôle;ô
Bi¾ri; l’oôko¾ô n; da¾
Yi;yi; l’aye; n; yi;
Be;ôe¾ô na;a¾ l’aye; n; sôe
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùni¾-wa¾a¾ka¾
Ti; yo;o; gbe;’nu; o¾ôta; la¾bu;
Ti; yo;o; d 'akoôgun ni;nu; omi
Translation:
The ground is melting

The ground is slippery
If the ground is too slippery (and one falls)
One’s house mate will commiserate with one
With suddenness does the boat capsize
In rotation does the world move
That is exactly the way the world acts
These were Ifá’s messages for O®Ùni¾-Wa¾a¾ka, the
crocodile
Who would grow to maturity and succeed in the
midst of enemies
Who would become a great warrior in the waters
572
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
O®Ùni¾-Wa¾a¾ka, the crocodile, was living his life in anxiety. He was

right in the midst of enemies. All the fish in the water, together
with the shrimp, the crabs, the crayfish, the lobsters, and so on,
were all after the life of O®ôni¾. They saw no reason why he should
exist with them in the water. They decided that he must be
eliminated without a trace and all the members of his household
must also be eliminated. They considered it an insult for O®ôni¾, who
did not look like them to have a space or stay with them in the
water. It would be better to remove the chaff from the grain. O®ôni¾
was the chaff that should be removed with ignominy.
Before long, the information filtered to O®ôni¾ that all the fish,
crayfish, shrimp, lobsters, crabs, etc. were looking for him in order
to eliminate him. Consequently upon this, the O®ôni¾ went into hiding
but how could he continue to live his life in hiding? What would he
do in order to overcome all those who were pursuing him? Why
must they think of his death when he had not wronged them in
any way? How would he be able to escape all the evil plans they
hatched against him? Would he live to tell the story? Would he
overcome? These questions led him to the home of the group of
Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation.
The Awo made it clear to O®ôni¾ that he was right in the midst of
enemies. He needed to ensure that his vulnerability was turned to
strength if he would survive. He was advised to offer ẹbọ so that
he would turn invincible. Doing so was the only way that would
enable him to live, grow, and survive in the midst of his numerous
enemies. The Awo recommended for him to offer ẹbọ with one
matured he-goat, 200 blades, one cutlass, and money. He
complied. He was also urged never to be afraid of anyone
henceforth. He was told never to allow anyone or anything to
intimidate him no matter how many they might be. He was told
that he must conduct all his affairs with self-confidence. With this
advice, O®ôni¾ returned to his home.
573
As soon as O®ôni¾ got to his house, he went straight to sleep. That

was when E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ went to work. E®sôu¾ stuck the 200 blades that
O®ôni offered as part of the ẹbọ materials to his body and stuck the
long blade of the cutlass to his tail. He further ensured that these
blades would not come off. By the time that E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ completed
working on O®ôni, he had become totally invincible. Every part of his
body had become a lethal weapon. When O®ôni woke up, E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾
whispered into his ear that he must never be afraid of anyone
again. He must face and confront all his enemies if they made any
attempt to attack him.
While the transformation process was going on in the life of O®ôni,

his enemies were having a very crucial meeting on how to attack
and kill O®ôni. They concluded that to snuff out the life of O®ôni. They
must storm his hiding place and bite and beat him to death. If that
was the plan, then what were they waiting for? They needed to
move against him immediately. They needed to crush this chaff
instantly. They then proceeded to move in the millions. The fish,
the lobsters, the shrimp, the crabs, the crayfish, and all the other
co-conspirators living in the water rushed into the hiding place of
O®ôni. Their numbers instilled fear into his mind. He was shaking
and shivering all over. They crowded him and they began to beat
and bite him. He continued to back away. That was when the
voice of E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ rang in his head again and said, ” O®ôni, Do not
be afraid of anything or anyone. You must face and confront all
your enemies if they make any attempt to attack you!” That was
when he charged! He swung his tail and several fish, crabs,
shrimp, lobsters, etc. were divided into fragments. He swung his
tail again and several more died. By the time he swung his tail six
times, hundreds of fish, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, crayfish, etc. had
met their untimely deaths. They tried several times more to kill
him but they were eventually forced to run away. The fear instilled
by O®ôni soon became the beginning of wisdom for the conspirators.
574
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
That was when they decided that it would be better to leave O®ôni
alone so that they would not be experiencing avoidable deaths.
O®Ùte;ôe;ôre;ô n’ile¾ô n; yo;ô

O®Ùteôô¾e¾rô eôô¾ n’ileôô¾ n; yo¾¾ô
B’ile¾ô ba; yo¾ô l’a;yo¾ôju¾
Ara; ile; eôni ni;i; sôe’ni pe¾ôle;ô
Bi¾ri; l’oôko¾ô n; da¾
Yi;yi; l’aye; n; ye;
Be;ôe¾ô na;a¾ l’aye; n; sôe
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùni¾-wa¾a¾ka¾
Ti; yo;o; gbe;’nu; o¾ôta; la¾bu;
Ti; yo;o; d 'akoôgun ni;nu; omi
O: gbeô;boô, o; ru;bo
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni¾ la;ru¾u;sôe; ogun
Translation:
The ground is melting

The ground is slippery
If the ground is too slippery (and one falls)
One’s house mate will commiserate with one
With suddenness does the boat capsize
In rotation does the world move
That is exactly the way the world acts
These were Ifá’s messages for O®Ùni¾-Wa¾a¾ka, the
crocodile
Who would grow to maturity and succeed in the
midst of enemies
Who would become a great warrior in the waters
He complied
Join us where we offer ẹbọ to ensure victory
575
Ifá says that this person shall overcome all his/her enemies no
matter how many they may be. He/She however needs to not run
away from them nor go into hiding because of their enemies.
He/She needs to stay right in their midst and express his/her
potentials. It is in their midst that he/she will succeed and attain
self-actualization.
4. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is an
EÙle;ôgbe;ô. He/she has heavenly peers who are very active in his/her
life. They give support, guidance, and encouragement to him/her
on every move he/she has ever made and will ever make. This is
the reason why he/she needs to identify with them, feed them,
and make them feel close to him/her on a regular basis. If this can
be done, he/she will continue to receive the support of his/her
EÙle;ôgbe;ô until he/she reaches the very zenith of his/her ambition
and destiny in life.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one matured he-goat
and money. After this, he/she needs to get one of his/her own
complete set of clothing, many types of edible fruits and food
stuffs, and drinks. All these items are to then be packed together
and placed in a big white bag. The bag will then be taken to the
forest and hung on the branch of a tree.
Gbogbo i¾gi¾ ka;’wo;ô s’o;ôrun

I®ja¾ OÙ®ri¾sôa¾ ni¾ wo;n
ô n; gbe¾
O®®ri¾sôa¾ n; gbe'¾ja¾ oôkoô¾
Di;a; fu;n Mobo;ôla;ta;n
Ti;i; sô'oômoô ara; A®ka;nja¾re
Translation:
576
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
All trees turn their branches toward heaven

They are all fighting the cause of the Deities
The Deities are fighting the cause of the vessels
of destinies
These were Ifá’s messages for Moôbo;ôla;ta;n (I-thought-
honour-was-exhausted)
The child of A®ka;nja¾re
Moôbo;ôla;ta;n was a very successful woman. She had everything

going for her. She was relatively rich, happy, and ambitious. She
succeeded in her trading business. She also had a lovely partner
whom she believed would be her future husband. Most of her
friends envied her because of her good luck. Suddenly, everything
went downwards. Her business no longer thrived. She recorded
losses in her trading. Disagreement became the order of the day
between her and her fiancé. She became sad and desperate. What
was the cause of all these problems? That was exactly what she
went to the home of the group of Awo stated above to find out.
The Awo told her that her problems came about because she had
neglected her EÙgbe. They told her that her EÙgbe had all along
been responsible for her success and good luck. The EÙgbe had
now turned their backs on her because she had failed to
acknowledge them and had refused to identify with them
accordingly. She was advised to turn over a new leaf and align
herself with her EÙgbe.
The Awo told Moôbo;ôla;ta;n to offer ẹbọ with one matured he-goat
and money. She was also advised to get all edible fruits and food
items available at that time, together with one of her complete
outfits. She was told to place everything inside a white bag. She
did. The bag was taken to the forest and was hung on the branch
of a tree. When this was done, Moôbo;ôla;ta;n returned home. As soon
as Moôbo;ôla;ta;n offered the ẹbọ and fed her EÙgbe;ô, E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ went
577
into action. He summoned all the heavenly EÙgbe;ô of Moôbo;ôla;ta;n and

showed them what Moôbo;ôla;ta;n had brought for them. He said that
Moôbo;ôla;ta;n went to the extent of doing all of this for them because
she appreciated all the efforts of her EÙgbe;ô as they had been giving
her support, encouragement, and assistance.
E®sôu¾ also assured them that Moôbo;ôla;ta;n offered ẹbọ in appreciation

of the support that EÙgbe;ô gave to her. He urged the EÙgbe;ô to
continue to support her because it would be a shame if the EÙgbe;ô
withdrew their support or relent in their efforts. After much
deliberation, the EÙgbe;ô agreed to continue to support Moôbo;ôla;ta;n.
They concluded that failure to continue to give her support would
be viewed by others as letting down someone who was
appreciative of their efforts. From that day forward, all the good
things which Moôbo;ôla;ta;n had in her life began to multiply in several
folds. She became wealthier, happier, more successful, and more
elevated. She was dancing and singing and saying:
Gbogbo i¾gi¾ ka;’wo;ô s’o;ôrun

I®ja¾ OÙ®ri¾sôa¾ ni¾ wo;n
ô n; gbe¾
O®Ùri¾sa¾ n; gbe'¾ja¾ oôk; oô¾
Di;a; fu;n Mobo;ôla;ta;n
Ti;i; sô'oômoô ara; A®ka;nja¾re
O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru';boô
N®je;ô bi; o l'o;wo; l'o;ôwo;ô
Ni;boô loô fi; t’e¾keji¾ i¾ re si;
Mobo;ôla;ta;n oômoô ara; A®ka;nja¾re
Bo; o bimoô le;moô
Ni;bo lo fi te¾’keji¾ i¾ reô si;
Bo; o koô;'le; mo;ô'le;
Ni;bo lo fi te¾’keji¾ i¾ reô si;
Mobo;ôla;ta;n oômoô ara; A®k;a;nja¾re
Bo; o ni;'re gbogbo
Ni;bo lo fi te¾’keji¾ i¾ reô si;;
578
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
Translation:
All trees turn their branches toward heaven

They are all fighting the cause of the Deities
The Deities are fighting the cause of the vessels
of destinies
These were Ifá’s messages for Moôbo;ôla;ta;n (I thought
honour was exhausted)
The child of A®ka;nja¾re
She complied
If you become very wealthy
Where are the gifts to your EÙgbe;ô
Moôbo;ôla;ta;n, offspring of A®ka;nja¾re
If you give birth to several children
Where are the gifts to your Egbe
Moôbo;ôla;ta;n, the offspring of A®ka;nja¾re
If you erect several homes
If you are blessed with all Ire of life
Ifá says that this person shall receive the support and assistance
of all his/her EÙgbe;ô in heaven. They will ensure that his/her
succeeds in life. That is why he/she needs to feed his/her EÙgbe;ô on
a regular basis.
5. Ifá says that it foresees the ire of prosperity and boundless

opportunities for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá
refers to two people here. Ifá says that the two of them shall
succeed together.
579
Ifá says that it is not the work that these people are doing that will
make them great, but it will be through this work that they will
meet their success. Ifá warns the person who was born by this
Odù either during Ikoôse¾ôda;ye; or I®te¾ô¾ni;fa; never to eat egg at all.
Consequently, all eggs be they fowl eggs, guinea fowl eggs, turkey
eggs, duck eggs, partridge eggs, etc are taboo. All eggs laid by
birds are taboo!
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two hens,
two guinea fowls, two roosters, and money. They also need
to feed O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ as appropriate.
On this, Ifá says:
Igba; n;la; kiribi;ti;

I®fa¾ n;la; kiribi¾t¾ i¾¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙdeô Aye;
A bu¾ fu;n Oôdeô O®Ùrun
Awo;ôn re;je¾e¾ji¾ n;loô re¾’gbe;ô oôdeô
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The big calabash with a rounded base

And an inordinate gain feeds the ground
These were Ifá’s messages for OÙdeô Aye;, the hunter
of the earth
And also for Oôdeô O®Ùrun, the hunter of heaven
When both of them were going on a
hunting expedition
They were both advised to offer ẹbọ
O®gu;n was known as Oôdeô O®Ùrun, while O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ was known as OÙdeô
Aye;. Both of them were hunters. Anytime the two of them set out
on a hunting expedition, they usually would spend 16 years before
they returned to their respective homes. During the 16 years there
580
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
was no forest on earth or heaven that they would not visit. All
what they were searching for was resounding success, but it
eluded them. One day, both of them met again for another
hunting expedition. This time around, they decided to consult Ifá
in order to determine their chances of success. Would they
succeed? Would they have something tangible to show for their
efforts this time around? Would they move up the socio-economic
ladder? These were the questions at the back of their minds when
they approached the group of Awo stated above for Ifá
consultation.
The Awo assured both of them that they would not only succeed,
but their success would be known and recognized all over the
world. They were however informed that even though they would
succeed, there was the need for them to abstain from eating eggs.
They were also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. The two of
them offered the ẹbọ. A few days after, they set out on their
journey. For 16 years, they were roaming the forests of the world
and heaven. Yet, they could not kill any game worthy of
mentioning. On the last day of their expedition, they stopped at
the base of OÙdeô O®Ùrun, the hunter of heaven, O®gu;n.
Both of them complained bitterly that after offering all the ẹbọ
prescribed for them by their Awo, they could not find anything in
the forest to make them successful. Both of them stood by the
roadside to bid each other farewell. As they did this and were
about to disperse, they stepped on a small anthill. The anthill
caved in and behold, they found two giant eggs in the hole. Each
egg was the size of a pumpkin. They shared the two eggs, one
each, and said that they would go and show their oversized eggs
to their Awo. They also reminded each other that the eggs must
not be consumed because their Awo had warned them earlier
never to eat any egg at all.
581
When they got to their respective homes, OÙdeô O®Ùrun, O®gu;n

narrated his story to this wife. He explained how they roamed all
the forests in the world and heaven without finding any game to
kill. He showed his wife the egg he had found right before he and
O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ were about to depart from each other. He said that the egg
was nothing but compensation for them by Olo;du¾mare since they
did not bring anything back to their homes, while they were gone
for 16 years. In view of this, he could see no reason why he
should not eat the egg. He instructed his wife to cook the egg for
them to eat. The wife did just that. They consumed the egg. It
was the most delicious egg they had ever eaten in their lives.
When Oôdeô Aye;, O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ got to his home, he too explained his
experience to his wife. He also showed his wife the egg. They
concluded that the egg must be kept somewhere safe until the
next day when he would go and show it to his Awo. That was
exactly what O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ did. He and his wife slept with an empty
stomach on that day. Very early the next morning, O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ went to
where he kept the egg in order to go and show it to his Awo.
When he got there, what he found was the biggest spectacle of
his life. He found 3,000 bags of money neatly stacked in the room
where the egg was. The egg was placed gingerly on top of the
money. Each bag contained 20,000 cowries! O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾ became an
instant success.
For 17 days, he continued to find 3,000 bags of money appearing

in his room. He set out to erect for himself, the biggest mansion
ever seen in the vicinity. It took him six full moons to complete
this project with over 250 people working day and night on the
site. When the project was eventually completed, it was the talk of
the whole community. They all confessed that they had never seen
anything of that magnitude before. Oôdeô Aye; became a celebrity.
One day, Oôdeô Ayé decided to pay his friend OÙdeô O®Ùrun a visit. He
was convinced that his friend was also swimming in majestic
splendour as a result of the wealth which he too must have been
582
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
able to make through the mysterious egg. Oôdeô Ayé considered his
friend more imaginative and more artistic than him. For this
reason, he concluded, he must have designed a palace that would
be more spectacular and more befitting. Oôdeô Ayé was very eager
and curious to see what his friend had done with his own wealth.
When Oôdeô Ayé saw OÙdeô O®Ùrun, he was totally disappointed! He

met him still patching his old clothes in the shoulder and buttocks.
His old house had almost collapsed and was totally unrepaired.
What went wrong? Where were his friend’s riches? Why was he
hungry-looking and un-kept? Why were his wives dressing
themselves in old rags? Why were most of his children completely
naked? Why had the situation not changed for the better? Why?
Why? Why? He explained to Oôdeô Ayé that he and his family had
eaten the egg. When he learned that Oôdeô Ayé’s egg had brought
him riches and affluence, he regretted ever eating his own egg. He
lived with this regret for a long long time!
Igba; n;la; ki;ribi;ti;

I®fa¾ n;la; kiribi¾t¾ i¾¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙdeô Aye;
A bu¾ fu;n Oôdeô O®Ùrun
Awo;ôn re;je¾e¾ji¾ n;loô re¾’gbe;ô oôdeô
OÙba Aye; ni¾kan ni; n;beô l'e;yi¾n, ti; n;sô';eôboô
OÙba Aye; ni¾kan lo; ru';boô a¾pe;si¾n
OÙba O®Ùrun i¾ ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô
I® ba; wa;a; f'owo; sô’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô
EÙ wa; ba; ni; b'o;ôla¾
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
The big calabash with a rounded base

And an inordinate gain feeds the ground
These were Ifá’s messages for OÙdeô Aye;, the
583
Hunter of the Earth

And also for Oôdeô O®Ùrun, the Hunter of Heaven
When both of them were going on a hunting
expedition
They were both advised to offer ẹbọ
Only OÙba Aye; (O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsôi¾) complied with the
directives of the Awo
Only OÙba Aye; offered ẹbọ and succeeded
Had OÙba O®Ùrun known
He too would have offered ẹbọ to succeed
Join us in the midst of accomplishment
Come and behold all Ire in life
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall
succeed only if he/she offers the prescribed ẹbọ and at the same
time heeds all the warnings of the Awo.
6. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to get
angry over any issue and they need not be unduly sensitive to
their rights. This person is advised to understand that it is not all
insults, abuses, condemnations, humiliations, or ridicules that one
needs to shake off or avenge in life. Ifá urges this person to let
things go by being silent and enduring in the face of humiliation or
intimidation.
Furthermore, Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prestige, honour,

and progress for the person whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says
that he/she shall be highly elevated and respected for his/her
resilience, patience, and hopefulness. Ifá advises this person to
offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two hens, and money.
He/she also needs to be patient, meek, and calm in the face of

turbulence and intimidation.
584
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
Igbo; eti;le; o¾un e¾g ô bin

Ya¾ra; a¾ju¾mo¾ôsu¾n o¾un i¾¾ya¾
Ya¾ra; a¾ju¾mo¾ôsu¾n i¾tale¾ô ni;i; je;ô
Di;a; fu;n Ma;ko¾ôsô;eô;
A bu¾ fu;n Ma;ko¾ôya¾
A®woôn je;je¾e¾ji¾ n;sunku;n oôwo;;ô a¾woôn o¾ ba’re
Translation:
The forest close to the town is filled with filth

And the common room which many sleep in is full of
afflictions
The common room is known for harbouring a lot of
grubs
These were Ifá’s declarations to Ma;ko¾ôsôeô, Do not
challenge your tribulations
The same was also declared to Ma;ko¾ôya, Do not
challenge your suffering
When both of them were weeping that they had not
secured any ire of life
Enough is certainly enough, Ma;ko¾ôsôeô declared! He must put an end

to all these unwarranted and undeserved tribulations. He must
show them that he knows his rights and that he equally knows
how to claim them. Why must he allow people to freely and
willingly trample upon his fundamental rights, he queried. Ma;ko¾ôsôeô
was a farmer. He was very strong and he worked tirelessly in
order to become a great and respected person in the society.
Much as he strived, they would not let his efforts translate into
success. He was sure of a bountiful harvest that year. He had
already been celebrating his success in advance. When only two
weeks remained for him to start harvesting his crops, something
585
terrible happened in the community. The community had captured

three people in the next community. They thought that they were
from another hostile community. All the entreaties of the three
people fell on deaf ears. They were manhandled when they
demanded to be taken back to their community. In the end, two of
them died and the third one was badly injured. The injured person
managed to escape and return to his own community but he was
at the brink of death. He narrated his ordeal and the community
raised a high-power delegate to protest the killings. They headed
for Oyo to lodge their protest. The culprit community began to
panic. In the end, the judgment was for the culprit community to
pay reparations for the violation of the community. In the end, the
farm of Ma;ko¾ôsôeô was handed over to the victim’s community as
compensation.
Ma;ko¾ôsôeô not only lost his farm, but his crops, and his hard work
and dreams of becoming a successful man that year were gone.
Why must it be his own farm, out of all the farms in the
community that was handed over to compensate other people?
This incident made him and all the members of his family to
experience untold suffering. His wife insulted him endlessly. She
called him a good-for-nothing husband who would not protect the
interest of his own family. The explanation that it was to avert war
and uprising in his community fell on deaf ears.
As if that was not bad enough, Ma;ko¾ôsôeô was equally mandated to

ensure that the crops on his farm were skilfully harvested and
handed over to the victim’s community. Ma;ko¾ôsôeô’s wife considered
this like rubbing pepper into an open wound. She screamed at her
husband not to take this. He must not lift a finger to do anything
on the farm. He must show that he was not a fool. He must
demand for his rights over the matter. In fact, he must fight to
take back his farm. He must not hand the farm over. If they want
compensation for any reason, they must look for another farm.
The cheating was just too much, she cried.
586
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
This was exactly the reason why Ma;ko¾ôsôeô went for Ifá
consultation. He wanted a clear guide on the direction to take on
the matter. He wanted to be sure that he was doing the right thing
and taking the right step on whatever decision he took. His wife
advised him to travel far beyond a land where he was not known
in order to get an unbiased interpretation. That was what he did.
The Awo told him that he felt cheated and frustrated and that he
thought people had trampled upon his rights and privileges. The
Awo told him that even though this was true, he however needed
to exercise restraint and perseverance. He must not take any step
that would challenge the constituted authorities in his community.
He was urged to abide by all the instructions and directives of the
authorities. He must also continue to exercise patience in the face
of apparent provocation. He was also advised to offer ẹbọ as
stated above. He did. Before he got back home, he was fully
determined to abide by the directives of his community. He felt
that doing the above was a great sacrifice (ẹbọ) for his community
in order to avert the untold hardship of war and uprising. That was
exactly what he did when he returned home to the surprise and
admiration of everyone.
In the case of Ma;ko¾ôya¾, he was even slapped and kicked. His

clothes were torn and he was made to trek from the market place
to his home naked. Why? He met two groups fighting in the
market place. He tried to resolve their differences for them. They
refused to listen and they continued with the fight. Dangerous
weapons were freely used but Ma;ko¾ôya¾ continued to look for peace.
One of the combatants saw a thorny branch and carried it in order
to use it to hit and break the skull of his opponents. Ma;ko¾ôya¾
wrestled the wood stick out of his hands. That was his offense.
The fight stopped abruptly. Both parties confronted him and
accused him of being one-sided. He was slapped repeatedly. He
was kicked and pushed. He was thrown on the ground many
587
times. His clothes were torn into shreds. He was made to trek
naked from the market-place to his house. When they led him to
his home, all the occupants, his three wives, children, brothers,
and sisters, and other relatives were chased out of the house and
they were not allowed to take out anything. They whole compound
was razed to the ground.
Those who saw this incident or heard of it were totally enraged.

They urged Ma;ko¾ôya¾ to take up the matter at the highest level.
Some said that they were ready to assist him to revenge the
dastardly act. This act must be avenged, if not for himself then for
the sake of all the members of his family who were subjected to
pain and agony in an unjust and unjustifiable manner. In order to
take appropriate action, his wife and children advised him to first
of all go for Ifá consultation on the matter. He was urged to do
whatever Ifá recommended for him. They told him that even
though it was a clear case of unprovoked assault and intimidation,
Ifá knew best and would guide the family better than any human
being could. That was why Makoya went for Ifá consultation. What
should he do in the face of this cheating and provocation?
The same Awo were consulted. They told Ma;ko¾ôya¾ that it was
glaring that he had been provoked, insulted, assaulted, and
intimidated, but he however needed to show a high level of
maturity by leaving everything in the hands of Olo;du¾mare¾ . He
was also advised to continue to do good to everybody and for him
to wave the incident to the back of his mind. He was assured that
Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾ would surely compensate him as appropriate.
He was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied.
When he returned home, everybody was expecting him to start his

own war against those who touched his compound and humiliated
him in public. Instead, they realized to their surprise that he
extended the hand of love and fellowship to them. Those who
heard of this considered him a big fool. Before long, both Ma;ko¾ôsôe;ô
588
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
and Ma;ko¾ôya¾ became the laughing stock in their community. If

anyone did anything that they thought must be avenged, they
would tell them not to be as foolish as Ma;ko¾ôsôe;ô and Ma;ko¾ôya¾. Both
of them were not perturbed in any way. Their response had
always been that what happened to them and their responses to
those incidents were beyond human comprehension. Everything
was in the hands of their creator. They had drawn their authority
to act the way they did from Ogbe¾ and O®gu;nda;.
Three years after all of these incidents, the community was

involved in a very serious crisis. Several people suffered. The crisis
extended to the neighbouring communities. All the leaders in all
the affected communities would find no solution to the problems,
much as they tried. In the end, some of the leaders in the
neighbouring communities put their heads together and came to
the conclusion that if anyone could solve this problem, it must be
someone who has the patience, perseverance, and resilience to
make peace in the face of provocation. They reasoned that out of
the over 20 communities involved in the crisis, two names readily
came to mind as those who could bring peace back into the
communities. These people were Ma;ko¾ôsôe;ô and Ma;ko¾ôya¾. They were
promptly contacted.
They were given all the free hands and support that they would
need to find a solution to the problems. The two of them set out
to work. Two months later, peace returned to all the communities
thanks to Ma;ko¾ôsôe;ô and Ma;ko¾ôya¾. They became celebrities. In the
end, the communities resolved that a parcel of fertile land that
was 10 times bigger than the farm land that Ma;ko¾ôsôe;ô lost must be
given back to him as a token of appreciation. It was also decided
that the farm land must be cleared, weeded, planted, and
harvested for him for five years by the community. In the case of
Ma;ko¾ôya¾, his compound was extended four times bigger than its
Original size. All the houses therein were reconstructed and more
buildings were added to it for him by the community.
589
Igbo; eti;le; o¾un e¾g ô bin

Ya¾ra; a¾ju¾mo¾ôsu¾n o¾un i¾ya¾
Ya¾ra; a¾ju¾mo¾ôsu¾n i¾tale¾ô ni;i; je;ô
Di;a; fu;n Ma;ko¾ôsô;eô;
A bu¾ fu;n Ma;ko¾ôya¾
A®woôn je;je¾e¾ji¾ n;sunku;n oôwo;ô a¾woôn o¾ ba’re
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn sôe
Wo;ôn gb’eôboô, wo;ôn ru;’boô
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni¾ ni; wo¾ôwo; ire gbogbo
N®jeô ma; ko¾¾ô'sôeô; o
Ki; o si¾ ma; ko'¾ôya¾
Ma; ko¾ô'sôe;ô-ko'¾ôya¾
Ko; o ma; da’re wo¾ônyi; nu¾
Translation:
The forest close to the town is filled with filth

And the common room which many sleep in is
full of afflictions
The common room is known for harbouring a
lot of grubs
These were Ifá’s declarations to Ma;ko¾ôsôe;ô, Do-not-
challenge-your-tribulations
The same was also declared to Ma;ko¾ôya, Do-not-
challenge-your-suffering
When both of them were weeping that they had not
secured any ire of life
They complied
Join us in the midst of all ire of life
Please do not challenge your tribulations
And do not challenge your sufferings
Do not challenge both your tribulations and sufferings
So as to not lose all the Ire of life
590
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
Ifá says that patience and perseverance can never be excessive,

they can only be inadequate. Ifá advises the person for whom this
Odù is revealed to exercise patience and resilience in the face of
provocation and intimidation. There is where success and
recognition lies for him/her.
7. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ
in order to avert an untimely and premature death. Ifá advises this
person to show caution and meekness at all times. He/she needs
to understand that we are all the eggs of Olo;du¾mare¾ who are
placed on this earth to hatch and manifest our destiny. He/she
must never consume eggs in his/her life. It is a serious taboo for
him/her to do so. Ifá also says that a hen is incubating eight eggs
where this Ifá is being consulted. If this is so, the hen, together
with the eight eggs must be removed from that house
immediately. Four of the eight eggs need to be boiled while
the remaining four will be left raw. The fowl needs to be
sliced open from the chest to the abdomen with a sharp
knife. The heart of the hen will then be removed and the
eggs will be placed inside a pot and a lot of palm-oil
should be added to it. This will then be given to the Elders
of the Night. Alternatively, if there is no hen that is incubating
where this Odù is cast, then a hen and eight fresh eggs should be
procured and prepared as stated above.
Ifá explains in this Odù, especially in this particular stanza the

reason why people die and why death does not follow any
seniority pattern. Iku, death, may leave the grandparents, the
parents, and then snatch away all the children while in their youth.
The elder siblings may live up to 100 years while their younger
brother or sister might have died while He/she was just 13 years
of age. The husband may die at the age of 36 while the wife may
live past 95 years on earth and so on.
591
In this Odù, Ifá says:
'Mode; ke;kere; n;fe;ô ‘bi¾nrin O®gbo;ni

Wo;ôn gbo;ô, wo;ôn o¾ gboôdo¾ô wi;;
Ge¾ôde¾ôge¾ôde¾ô wo;n
ô o¾ gboôdo¾ô fo¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Iku;
A bu¾ fu;n O®o¾sôa¾n;la;
Wo;ôn n;t'oôrun bo¾ô wa;'le; aye;
Translation:
A youth is having a secret love affair with the wife of

an O®gbo;ni Elder
They’ve heard of it, but they must not say anything
Even the consequence of doing so must not be
pronounced
This was Ifá’s message for Ikú, Death
And also for O®o¾sôa¾n;la;, OÙba¾ta;la;
Ikú, Death and OÙba¾ta;la; were mandated by Olo;du¾mare to go to

the planet earth and continue the work of ensuring that the planet
was made suitable for human habitation. When they were about to
proceed, Olo;du¾mare gave them eight fresh eggs, four for Ikú and
the remaining four for OÙba¾ta;la;. As soon as they arrived on earth,
Ikú gave his own eggs to OÙba¾ta;la; for safe keeping. He told
OÙba¾ta;la; that he wanted to walk to every part of the planet in order
to see for himself what was actually there. When he left,
Olo;du¾mare instructed OÙba¾ta;la; to boil his eggs. He did. He was also
instructed to remove the shells from the eggs. He also did. After
this, Olo;du¾mare told him to close his eyes and throw the shells all
around him. He did. By the time he opened his eyes, he saw to his
surprise that the food items had begun to grow on the planet. The
592
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
food was of different varieties: yam, millet, maize, guinea-corn,

cocoyam, potatoes, sweet potato, etc.
When these food items were ripe enough for harvesting, the eggs
belonging to Ikú began to burst open. As they did, human beings
began to emerge from the eggs in pairs, a male and female. As
they were coming out, they began to inhabit the planet and they
were living on the food that had been harvested by OÙba¾ta;la;, which
was in turn made possible by the egg shells that OÙba¾ta;la; had
thrown and spread round the planet. It took Ikú over 400 years
before he returned. When he came back, he was totally surprised
to find several people inhabiting the planet. He demanded from
OÙba¾ta;la; to explain to him what really happened in his absence.
OÙba¾ta;la; told him everything. In his response, Ikú said that all the
human beings on earth belonged to him. Consequently, he would
take all of them away on that very day. OÙba¾ta;la; disagreed with
him by saying that it was from his own eggs that they were being
fed and nurtured. This led to a heated argument between the two
Iru;nmoôle. In the end, they decided to take the matter to
Olo;du¾mare¾ for adjudication.
Both of them narrated their sides of the story to Olo;du¾mare¾. In his

own judgment Olo;du¾mare¾ told Ikú that even though all living
beings on earth belonged to him in the end, he however was not
allowed to take them all away at once. Ikú was allowed to go to
the planet earth and take away whoever pleased him and at any
time that pleased him, but not all of them at once. That was when
both Ikú and OÙba¾ta;la; left the presence of Olo;du¾mare¾ and returned
to their respective places of abodes. From that time onwards,
death disregarded whether anyone was old or young before
snatching them away. Ikú snatches away whoever he likes at any
time that soothes his fancy. This is why human beings need to
offer ẹbọ regularly to postpone the period that Ikú will arrive to
take them away.
593
'Mode; ke;kere; n;fe;ô ‘bi¾nrin O®gbo;ni

Wo;ôn gbo;ô, wo;ôn o¾ gboôdo¾ô wi;
Di;a; fu;n Iku;
Wo;ôn n;t'oôrun bo¾ô wa;'le; aye;
'Mode; ke;kere; n;fe;ô ‘bi¾nri¾n O®gbo;ni
Wo;ôn gbo;ô, wo;ôn o¾ gboôdo¾ô wi;
Di;a; fu;n Iku;
Wo;ôn n;t'oôrun bo¾ô wa;le; aye;
Wo;ôn gb’e;ôboô, wo;ôn ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe; ko¾ ji¾nna¾
Eô wa;a; wo’fa; ojo;ôun nni¾ bo; ti; n; sôeô
Translation:
A youth is having a secret love affair with the

wife of an O®gbo;ni Elder
They’ve heard of it, but they must not say anything
Even the consequence of doing so must
not be pronounced
This was Ifá’s message for Ikú, Death
And also for O®o¾sôa¾n;la;, OÙba¾ta;la;
They complied
Come and see how the Ifá that was cast on
that day has manifested
Ifá says that even though the person for whom this Odù is
revealed cannot escape death completely, it can at least be
postponed for him/her until he/she gets to his/her old age before
experiencing the inevitable reality of death.
594
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
8. Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she
shall succeed and shall be victorious in life. Ifá says that he/she is
feeling apprehensive over something. He/she needs not be
because Ifá says that he/she shall overcome all their problems.
He/she shall prosper where others have experienced problems.
He/she shall experience gains where others will experience losses.
Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to engage
in alcohol intake because it is not good for him/her. It will reduce
their chances of having success in life. They can however use
alcohol to feed Ifá and other divinities. Ifá further advises this
person to offer ẹbọ with three pigeons, three roosters, plenty
of alcohol, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with
plenty of alcohol.
On this, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu; says:
SÙa;ki;ti; Awo Oni;sôaki;

Di;a; fu;n Oni;sôaki;
OÙmoô O®gu;n o¾ roô'ke
Ja;;nga;n n¾ ja¾nga;n, Ja¾nn¾ga¾nte;e¾le¾
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; yo;o; maa s'ôo¾wo¾ i¾ja¾kadi¾ ka';ri; aye;
O: de;’le; Ala;ra;
O: da; Ala;ra;
O: pa Ala;ra;
O: de;’le; Ajero¾
O: da; Ajero¾
O: pa Ajero¾
O: de;’le; OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n A®ga
O: da; OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n A®ga
O: pa OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n A®ga
O: wa; n;gb’o;gun loô si;le; Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô
595
Translation:
SÙa;ki;ti;, The Awo of Oni;sôaki;, the OÙba of SÙaki; Town

He cast Ifa; for Oni;sôaki;
Offspring of O®gu;n devotees who cannot mold ivory
Ja;nga;nn¾ja¾nga;n and Ja¾nn¾ga¾nte;e¾le¾
They cast Ifa for Ogbè
Who going to engage in the profession of
wrestling the world over
When he got to the palace of Ala;ra;, the OÙba
of I®la;ra; Mo¾ôki;n
He threw down Ala;ra;
And killed Ala;ra;
When he got to the palace of Ajero, the
OÙba of I®jero¾-Eki¾ti¾
He threw down Ajero¾
And killed Ajero¾
When he got to the palace of OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n-A®ga,
the OÙba of I®la;-O®®Ùra¾ngu;n-A®ga
He threw down OÙwara¾ngu;n-A®ga
And killed OÙwara¾ngu;n-A®ga
He then went to wage war on Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô,
the OÙba of A®ja¾sôe;ô
Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô was advised to offer eôboô
Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô could neither eat nor sleep. He was full of

apprehension. He lost interest in everything and anything. All what
he was doing was counting the days he had left to live. He realized
however that when he used his two hands and fingers to count his
days left on earth, some of his fingers were left uncounted! He
realized to his utter regret, that he had less than 10 days left to
live. This made him very irritated with everyone around him. Any
sound made by anything or anyone was being interpreted in his
brain as the approach of death to his palace. He would snap at
anyone or anything that made a noise.
Why was he so scared and irritated? It was because of Ogbè, the

wrestler. Ogbè had earlier engaged Ala;ra; in a duel and threw Ala;ra;
596
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
down and killed him. Not only this, he confiscated all his
belongings and consumed them! When he got to Ala;ra;’s palace, he
shouted at the top of his lungs saying,” SÙu¾ti;!” Ala;ra; responded
with “SÙu¾te¾ô!” and the duel started. Within a twinkle of an eye, Ala;ra;
was thrown down and was stone dead.
Next, Ogbè went to Ajero¾ and shouted his usual challenge to have
a duel,” SÙu¾ti;!”. Ajero¾ responded with “SÙu¾te¾ô!” Ajero¾ was thrown
down and was killed. All his properties were swallowed by Ogbè.
OÙwa;ra¾¾ngu;n was next. He too was killed and all his belongings
were consumed. All crowned rulers and merchant heads
challenged were defeated. They were all killed and their
belongings were confiscated and consumed. That was when Ogbè
declared that Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô would be his next opponent and victim.
That was why Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô was counting how many days
remained for him to stay alive on earth. He knew that the day
when Ogbè arrived to challenge him to a fight would be his very
last day on earth. He felt that his own could not be an exception
since all those who had earlier been challenged into a duel had
been defeated, killed, and their properties confiscated and
swallowed by Ogbè.
When only three days remained for Ogbè to arrive in Ele;gu¾n-

Majo¾ô’s palace, he remembered that he needed to try all avenues
to protect himself and conserve his life. That was when he made
up his mind to go for Ifá consultation. He realized that with Ifá, his
own case could be an exception after-all. The more he thought
about it, the more convinced he became. Off he went to the home
of the Awo mentioned above. Would he be able to defeat Ogbè?
Would he live beyond three days? Would he live until his old age
and live to tell his own story? In short, would his own case be an
exception?
The Awo assured Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô that even though he was highly

apprehensive, he had nothing to worry about. He was told that he
597
could defeat Ogbè without breaking a sweat. He was told that all
he needed to do was to keep cool and calm, offer ẹbọ, and
procure a lot of alcoholic drinks and food. All these Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô
did.
The Awo offered ẹbọ for him and told him to go back home and
get all the items ready. He complied. On the day that Ogbè was
expected to arrive at Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô’s palace, Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô instructed
his household to prepare pounded yam meal that would be
sufficient for 100 people. The household was also instructed to get
alcoholic drinks for 200 people. All these items were provided
when Ogbè arrived, he shouted at the top of his lungs saying,
“Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô SÙu¾ti;i;i;i;!” Instead of responding with “SÙu¾te¾ô” for the
fight to commence, Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô told Ogbè to eat and drink first
before they engaged in a duel.
Ogbè was taken aback. Nobody had ever offered him food and
drink before the commencement of any duel before. He decided to
eat the food, and drink the alcohol that Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô had provided
for him before he would defeat and kill him. He sat down to enjoy
the meal. As he was eating, so also was he drinking the alcohol.
He ate and drank until he became totally drunk. He went into a
stupor. E®sôu¾ instructed Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô to continue to give him
alcohol. He did. In the end, Ogbè fell asleep and before long he
began to snore.
It was at this stage that E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ instructed Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô to go

and wake Ogbè up and challenge him to a duel. As soon as
Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô woke Ogbè up, he fell down and went back to sleep.
He was then woken up again but with force. He started to fight,
but soon began to vomit. He vomited all the items which he had
swallowed in the homes of all those whom he had earlier defeated
and killed into Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô’s palace. From morning until the next
day, he continued to vomit. At last, he fell down totally exhausted.
Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô went to challenge Ogbè to a duel. Ogbè responded
that he was too tired and worn-out to fight. Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô told him
598
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
that if Ogbè could not fight anymore, Ogbè should leave and go
away. Ogbè responded that he had nowhere to go anymore. All
that remained was for him (Ogbè) to stay with Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô to
help protect him and re-organize his life. That was exactly what
happened. Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô was happy. He lived to witness his old age
and to tell his story.
SÙa;ki;ti; Awo Oni;sôaki;

Di;a; fu;n Oni;sôaki;
OÙmoô O®gu;n o¾ roô 'ke
Ja;;nga;n n¾ ja¾nga;n, Ja¾nn¾ga¾nte;e¾le¾
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; yo;o; maa s'ôo¾wo¾ i¾ja¾kadi¾ ka';ri; aye;
O: de;’le; Ala;ra;
O: da; Ala;ra;
O: pa Ala;ra;
O: de;’le; Ajero¾
O: da; Ajero¾
O: pa Ajero¾
O: de;’le; OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n A®ga
O: da; OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n A®ga
O: pa OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n A®ga
O: wa; n;gb’o;gun loô si;le; Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô
O: gbe;boô, o; ru;boô
N®je;ô E®e¾gu;n n; jo; o
Ee¾gu¾¾n n; yo¾ô
E®Ùyin o¾ mo¾ô 'pe; owo; mini l’ E®e¾gu¾n n; lo¾
Translation:
SÙa;ki;ti;, The Awo of Oni;sôaki;, the OÙba of SÙaki; Town

He cast Ifa; for Oni;sôaki;
Offspring of O®gu;n devotees who cannot mold ivory
Ja;nga;nn¾ja¾nga;n and Ja¾nn¾ga¾nte;e¾le¾
They cast Ifa for Ogbè
Who going to engage in the profession of wrestling
the world over
599
When he got to the palace of Ala;ra;, the OÙba

of I®la;ra; Mo¾ôki;n
He threw down Ala;ra;
And killed Ala;ra;
When he got to the palace of Ajero, the OÙba
of I®jero¾-Eki¾ti¾
He threw down Ajero¾
And killed Ajero¾
When he got to the palace of OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n-A®ga,
the OÙba of I®la;-O®®Ùra¾ngu;n-A®ga
He threw down OÙwara¾ngu;n-A®ga
And killed OÙwara¾ngu;n-A®ga
He then went to wage war on Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô, the
OÙba of A®ja¾sôe;ô
Ele;gu¾n-Majo¾ô was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Now, E;®e¾gu¾n is dancing
And E;®e¾gu¾n is expressing joy
Don’t you know that E;®e¾gu¾n is spending newly
acquired money
cause to sing and dance and be merry. He/she shall also live long
to narrate his story.
9. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall live
long on earth. Ifá foresees the Ire of long life for him/her. He/she
shall live to become an elder statesman who shall be telling stories
to the youth. Ifá recommends that this person adorn his/her neck
with ide¾ beads at all times. If this is done, all the delegates of
Death will run away from this person and will allow him/her to live
until his/her old age.
Ifá also advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-
goat and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with a hen or
she-goat.
600
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
On this, Ifá says:
O®werere
O®we¾re¾re¾
Di;a; fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; yo;o; la'de¾ b’oômoô re¾ô l’o;;ôru¾n
Ni;tOrí; Iku;
Translation:
O®werere
O®we¾re¾re¾
They cast Ifa; for O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Who would adorn the necks of his children
with Ide¾ beads
For protection against death
Those who were old enough to die and those who were not were
being snatched away by death. Some people would die and
several others living around him/her would breathe a sigh of relief,
while several others would die and the whole society would be
thrown into mourning. The unfortunate part however was that it
seemed that the very righteous ones were being cut down in their
prime while the wicked good for nothing ones were being left to
live until their old age!
Oô®ru;nmi¾la¾ observed that his own followers and children were many
on earth. They must not be allowed to be part of the victims of
untimely death on earth. Consequently, he decided to take
decisive steps in order to ensure that his own followers and
children were protected against, and spared from all forms of
violent or untimely death. That was the reason why he went for
Ifá consultation.
601
Oô®ru;nmi¾la¾ was told that there were too many uncertainties and
threats on earth. He was assured that his own children would
however be spared from all these things. The Awo told him to
offer ẹbọ as stated above and at the same time, he needed to put
Ifá beads on the necks of all his children. He complied. As soon as
these things were done, all evil spirits and negative elementals
moved away from all the followers and children of Oô®ru;nmi¾la¾. They
began to live to their old age. If any of them failed to wear the Ifá
beads and anything untoward began to happen to them, as soon
as appropriate ẹbọ was offered and the Ifá beads were put round
their necks, the evil elementals responsible for the problem would
disappear from their lives and he/she would find his/her life
returning to normalcy.
O®werere
O®we¾re¾re¾
Ti; yo;o; la'de¾ b’oômoô re¾ô l’o;;ôru¾n
Ni;tOrí; Iku;
O: gb'e;;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
N®je; o¾we¾re¾ la¾ n; ja¾ un
Iku; ki¾i; pa’wo to; la'de¾ b’oôru¾n
O®we¾re¾ la¾ n; ja¾ un
Aru¾n ki¾i; sô’awo to; la’de¾ b’oôru¾n
Ibi ki¾i; sô’awo to; la’de¾ b’oôru¾n
Translation:
O®werere
O®we¾re¾re¾
They cast Ifa; for O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Who would adorn the necks of his children
with Ide¾ beads
For protection against death
602
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

He complied
We are all struggling, all of us
Death will never kill an Awo who has adorned
his neck with Ifá beads
Affliction will never affect an Awo who has adorned
his neck with Ifá beads
No evil will ever affect an Awo who has adorned
his neck with Ide¾ beads
Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she
will live to his/her old age. He/she will not be affected by the
vagaries of life. He/she shall also be happy and content in life.
He/she will enjoy his/her life to the maximum.
10. Ifá foresees the Ire of Victory over Adversary for the person
for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she shall overcome
all his/her enemies and evil elementals. Ifá assures him/her that
no matter how many these adversaries may be, he/she shall be
triumphant. He/she shall have cause to celebrate his/her sweet
victory over all obstacles.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat
and money. After this, he/she needs to get a bunch of fresh
sawerepepe leaves, pound them into fine paste, and mix the paste
with soap for bathing every day. If these two steps can be taken,
then he/she shall overcome all his/her foes, both physical and
spiritual.
603
On these two aspects, Ifá says:
Ki;nni¾¾ mo; sôe

Ki;nni;¾ mo; ya¾n sôe
Ye¾ye; e¾ mi¾ A®sôa¾bi;
O ra;n mi ni;’na;
Mi¾ o¾ m’a;pe¾ô
Mo tu;ntún ya; f’eônu foôn’na; fu;n oô wa';le;
EÙnu ni¾ I®ga;nra;n fi; n;foôn’na; l’o;ko
Ki;nni¾ mo; sôe
Ki;nni; mo; ya¾n sôe
O ra;n mi¾ ni;’sôu
Mi¾ o¾ m’a;gbo¾ôn
Mo tu;ntún ya; f'eônu wa’sôu fu;n oô wa'le;
EÙnu n’I®ga;nra;n fi; n; wa’sôu l’o;ko
Ki;nni; mo; sôe
O ra;n mi¾ l’o;mi
Mi¾ o¾ m’a;gbe¾
Mo tu;ntún ya; f’eônu poôn’mi fu;n oô wa;'le;
EÙnu n’I®ga;nra;n fi; n; poôn’mi l’o;ko
Ifá ; pe¾ôle;ô
OÙmoô eruku ta;mu;ta;mu; ile; I®do;
Ifá ; pe¾ôle;ô
OÙmoô eruku ta¾¾mu¾¾ta¾¾mu¾¾ o¾ôna¾ I®ra;ye¾
Ifá ; pe¾ôle;ô
OÙmoô ki;;ka¾n eôdu¾n ti;i; m’a;ra ogidan-a;n le
A b’i¾to¾ô mi¾ni¾¾ bi; ej¾i¾ sôa¾n pa'le¾ô
Akin ni;’le; I®do;
Di;a; fu;n OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ifá ; n;sô'awo loô si';le; Oni¾do¾o; O®Ùpaara
Ajogun lo; ka; woôn mo;ô’le; pitipiti
604
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
Translation:
What have I done?

What should I have done?
A®sa¾bi;, my mother
You sent me to fetch fire
But I did not bring a container
I used my mouth to carry the embers to the
house for you
It is with their mouths that I®ga;nra;n people
fetch and carry live embers in the farm
What have I done?
A®sôa¾bi;, my mother
You sent me to bring yams
But I did not bring a basket
I used my mouth to carry the yams to the
house for you
carry yams in the farm
What have I done?
You sent me to fetch water
But I did not bring a calabash
I used my mouth to carry the water to the
house for you
fetch water in the farm
Gently Ifa;
Offspring of the fine dust of I®do; land
Easy Ifa;
Offspring of the smooth dust of I®ra;ye¾ land
Gently Ifa;
Offspring of the tightened rope which strengthens
the Ogidan musical drum
He who urinates like a rain shower
The brave man of I®do; land
These were Ifa;’s declarations to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When going on a spiritual mission to the
605
palace of Oni;do¾o;-O®®Ùpaara
When they were completely overwhelmed
by evil principalities
The inhabitants of I®do; O®®Ùpaara were in serious trouble. Nothing

went well for them anymore. It appeared as if everything on earth
had turned against them. Their crops failed. They were suffering
from many ailments. Crime was the order of the day. Youths
turned against their elders, parents abandoned their young ones
to their fate and nobody cared to obey the instructions and/or
directives of the authorities. Confusion, chaos, anarchy took over.
All the blame was heaped on Oni;do¾o;-O®®Ùpaara, the OÙba of the land,
for his failure to find a solution to the problems in the land.
Every day, Oni;do¾o;-O®®Ùpaara would sit down accompanied by

melancholy and regret to numerate over the problems in the land
and to find lasting solutions to them. Much as he tried, he could
find no way out of the problems. In the end, he invited OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
to come and help solve the numerous problems plaguing the land.
As soon as OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received the message of Oni;do¾o;-O®®Ùpaara, he
went for Ifá consultation in the home of the Awo mentioned
above. These Awo were incidentally his former students. He
wanted to find out two things: one, what exactly were the
problems in I®do;-OÙ®paara, and two, what preparations would he
need to make in order to combat the problems and find a lasting
solution to them.
The Awo informed OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the problems in Ido land were
multi-dimensional. They were both spiritual and physical. However,
the spiritual problems gave birth to all the physical problems being
experience in the land. What actually happened was that all the
negative A:jogun: Iku;, Death; Arun, Sickness; EÙjo;, Contention; and
O®fo¾, Loss had taken over the land. These A®jogun had brought with
them anxiety, confusion, uncertainty, grief, crime, chaos, and
anarchy. There was no more reason to live for the future. All that
606
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
concerned everyone was today and how to solve the problems of

today. Crime took over completely. Yet no problem was solved.
Instead, problems increased and grief took over the lives of the
inhabitants. All the neighbouring communities were not ready to
accommodate any inhabitant of I®do;-OÙ®paara land for fear of
bringing their problems into their land. Everywhere one turned,
there was hopelessness on the faces of the inhabitants.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was told that in order to solve these problems, all the
A®jogun must be persuaded to vacate the land. As soon as they
left, the remaining problems could be solved. There would not be
anyone or anything to continue to fire the ember of chaos as
confusion in the land anymore. They advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ
with a matured he-goat in order to persuade these A®jogun to
vacate the land. After this, he needed to procure plenty of
sawerepepe leaves in order to grind them and mix them with soap
for all the inhabitants of I®do;-OÙ®paara to use for bathing. This would
accelerate the vacation of all the A®jogun that had found their ways
into their lives. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered all the ẹbọ recommended for him.
He also began to use the soap mixed with the sawerepepe leaves
right from his own home before he set out on his journey.
As soon as he got to I®do;-OÙ®paara land he set out to work. He

offered ẹbọ as he had been advised by his former students. He
also prepared the soap as he had been instructed to do. A few
days after these steps were taken, all the A®jogun found no reason
why they should continue to stay in I®do;-OÙ®paara land. They
resolved to leave the land and move somewhere else far away in
order to begin to torment the inhabitants there. When the A®jogun
left, I®do;-OÙ®paara land, it became possible to proffer a solution to
the problems of the land. The people of the land began to see a
reason why they should hope that the future would be better. All
the inhabitants resolved to work together in order to find a lasting
solution to their problems. Before long, they were able to tackle
607
the problems of the land one after the other. Smiles and hope
returned to the land.
Ki;nni¾¾ mo; sôe

Ki;nni;¾ mo; ya¾n sôe
O ra;n mi ni;’na;
Mi¾ o¾ m’a;pe¾ô
Mo tu;ntún ya; f’eônu foôn’na; fu;n oô wa';le;
EÙnu ni¾ I®ga;nra;n fi; n;foôn’na; l’o;ko
Ki;nni¾ mo; sôe
O ra;n mi¾ ni;’sôu
Mi¾ o¾ m’a;gbo¾ôn
Mo tu;ntún ya; f'eônu wa’sôu fu;n oô wa'le;
EÙnu n’I®ga;nra;n fi; n; wa’sôu l’o;ko
Ki;nni; mo; sôe
O ra;n mi¾ l’o;mi
Mi¾ o¾ m’a;gbe¾
Mo tu;ntún ya; f’eônu poôn’mi fu;n oô wa;'le;
EÙnu n’I®ga;nra;n fi; n; poôn’mi l’o;ko
Ifá ; pe¾ôle;ô
OÙmoô eruku ta;mu;ta;mu; ile; I®do;
Ifá ; pe¾ôle;ô
OÙmoô eruku ta¾¾mu¾¾ta¾¾mu¾¾ o¾ôna¾ I®ra;ye¾
Ifá ; pe¾ôle;ô
OÙmoô ki;;ka¾n eôdu¾n ti;i; m’a;ra ogidan-a;n le
A b’i¾to¾ô mi¾ni¾¾ bi; ej¾i¾ sôa¾n pa'le¾ô
Akin ni;’le; I®do;
Di;a; fu;n OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ifá ; n;sô'awo loô si';le; Oni¾do¾o; O®Ùpaara
Ajogun lo; ka; woôn mo;ô’le; pitipiti
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko; ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l'a;to¾le; ire gbogbo
608
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
A®to¾le; ire gbogbo la¾¾a; ba;’ni l’e;ôse¾ô O®ôpe¾ô

N®je; Iku; gba’pe¾ô o; loô o
SÙawerepe¾pe¾
A®ru¾n gba’pe¾ô o; loô
SÙawerepe¾pe¾
EÙjo;ô gba’pe¾ô o; loô
SÙawerepe¾pe¾
O®fo¾ gba’pe¾ô o; loô
SÙawerepe¾pe¾
Gbogbo Ajogun gba’pe¾ô wo;ôn loô o
SÙawerepe¾pe¾
Translation:
What have I done?

You sent me to fetch fire
But I did not bring a container
I used my mouth to carry the embers to the
house for you
fetch and carry live embers in the farm
What have I done?
A®sôa¾bi;, my mother
You sent me to bring yams
But I did not bring a basket
I used my mouth to carry the yams to the
house for you
carry yams in the farm
What have I done?
You sent me to fetch water
But I did not bring a calabash
I used my mouth to carry the water to the
house for you
609
fetch water in the farm

Gently Ifa;
Offspring of the fine dust of I®do; land
Easy Ifa;
Offspring of the smooth dust of I®ra;ye¾ land
Gently Ifa;
Offspring of the tightened rope which strengthens
the Ogidan musical drum
He who urinates like a rain shower
The brave man of I®do; land
These were Ifa;’s declarations to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When going on a spiritual mission to the
palace of Oni;do¾o;-O®®Ùpaara
When they were completely overwhelmed
by evil principalities
He complied
In the midst of all the Ire of life does one find all
followers of the holy palm
Now, Ikú, Death accepted our pleas and left
Sawerepepe
Arun, Affliction accepted our pleas and left
Sawerepepe
EÙjo;, Contention accepted our pleas and left
Sawerepepe
O®fo¾, Loss accepted our pleas and left
Sawerepepe
All A®jogun accepted our pleas as they left
Sawerepepe
Ifá says that all A®jogun who had hitherto taken over the life of the
person for whom this Odù is revealed shall leave and allow this
person to enjoy his/her life to the fullest and also give way for
him/her to manifest his/her destiny without hindrance.
610
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
11. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of long life for the person for
whom this Ogbe¾-Iyo;ônu; is revealed. Ifá says that this person will
live long and will be happy. Ifá however warns that person for
whom this Odù is revealed not to assist others at his/her own
expense. Ifá warns him/her not to subject himself/herself to
avoidable and/or undue risks. Ifá says that doing so will not augur
well for him/her or the person he/she intends to assist or the
situation he/she intends to correct or remove.
Ifá advises this person to procure a live land snail, put it in

his/her cap or headgear and wear the cap/headgear
together with the snail while his/her ẹbọ is being offered.
At the end of the ẹbọ, he/she needs to remove the
cap/headgear and place it on top of E®su ô ¾. By so doing, death
will depart from him/her.
On this, Ogbe¾-Iyo;ônu; says:
E®mi o¾ le e¾ s'ôa¾a;nu; erin

Ki; n mu; oôwo;ô iwa;ju; k’a;sôa;
E®mi¾ o¾ le e¾ sô'a¾a;nu; eôfoô¾n
K¾i n t'eôse¾ô e¾y
ô i¾n boô po¾o¾lo¾
E®mi¾ o¾ le sôa¾a;nu; oôkoô l’o;bi¾nri;n
Ki n m’e;ôse¾ô e¾ôyi¾n p’ejo¾
E®mi¾ o le e¾ du’ri; ol’o;ri;
K’a;wo¾di¾ o; gbe; t'e¾mi ra¾ loô
Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Ki¾i;ni;
Wo;ôn ni¾ ko; wa;a; s'ôeôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô
Translation:
I cannot have sympathy for the elephant

For me to stop a bullet with my hands
I cannot pity the buffalo
For me to enter a trap with my legs
I cannot have compassion for a couple
611
For me to use my legs to kill a poisonous snake

I cannot attempt to save the head of others
For the Eagle to carry me away
These were Ifá’s declarations to the first Olo;gbi¾n-i;n
He was advised to offer ẹbọ for longevity
Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was a high-ranking title of Egu;ngu;n worshippers. It was

normally given to those who had distinguished themselves in many
ways during their services to the Egu;ngu;n deity. For anyone to be
accorded that title, it went without gainsaying that such a person
had really tried and had proved himself a worthy representative of
the Egu;ngu;n family. When the first Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was about to be
installed, he swore that he would do all things in his capacity to
promote the course of the Egu;ngu;n and O®Ùje¾ô deity. He promised
that he would not relent in his effort to ensure that everything
went well within the O®Ùje¾ô circle and the whole community in
general.
In order to determine the best way to further help achieve his aim,
he went for Ifá consultation. The Awo congratulated him for
having the interest of his community at heart. He was however
warned not to subject himself to any undue risks in his bid to help
his community. He was told that if he did not help with caution
and common sense. He would end up not being able to render any
more help to anyone at all. He was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated
above.
Thinking that the Awo was trying to dissuade him from assisting
people, coupled with the fact that he had made a solemn promise
to the people that he would always be there for them whenever
they needed him, he simply ignored the advice of the Awo. He also
failed to offer the prescribed ẹbọ. He began to help many people.
Everyone trooped to his home for assistance and they not
disappointed. Soon after this, he became over-stressed and over-
whelmed with the demands and he could no longer cope. He
612
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
stressed himself beyond his capability. He soon fell ill and before
long, he died an unfulfilled man. Those who were looking for
assistance from him abandoned his home and family and began to
look for someone else who would be of assistance to them.

Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Keji
Translation:

This was Ifá’s declarations to the second Olo;gbi¾n-i;n
The second Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was installed barely two months after the
death of the first Olo;gbi¾n-i;n. The community felt that there was
the need to fill the position left vacant as a result of the death of
the first Olo;gbi¾n-i;n in order for the occupier of the position to
continue the good work where his predecessor had left off. The
second Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was convinced that before he could do anything
that the people would notice and appreciate, he needed to match
and surpass the efforts of his predecessor. He tried. He then went
613
for Ifá consultation. He was advised not to bite more than he

could chew. He failed to heed the warning. In the end, he too met
with the same fate as the first Olo;gbi¾n-i;n. He died an exhausted
man.

Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Keôta
Translation:

This was Ifá’s declaration to the third Olo;gbi¾n-i;n
The third Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was also installed as soon as the burial

ceremony of the second Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was completed. He too went
for Ifá consultation. He was advised to help his people but not to
outreach himself. He was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated
above. He never did. He too died prematurely.

614
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Keôrin
Translation:

This was Ifá’s declaration to the forth Olo;gbi¾n-i;n
Again, the forth Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was installed shortly after the final
burial of the third Olo;gbi¾n-i;n . He went for Ifá consultation. He
was advised to offer ẹbọ and to slow down. He was also told not
to overstress himself in his bid to help his people. He could not
understand how to stop helping others even at his own expense.
He died before he was up to one year on the seat of Olo;gbi¾n-i;n.

Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Karu¾n-u;n
615
Translation:

This was Ifá’s declaration to the fifth Olo;gbi¾n-i;n
The fifth Olo;gbi¾n-i;n tried to heed the advice of the Awo but failed.
He buried himself in the work of helping others without
consideration for his own health, safety, or capability. In the end,
the work buried him and another Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was installed.

Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Kefa¾
Translation:

616
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;

This was Ifá’s declaration to the sixth Olo;gbi¾n-i;n
The sixth Olo;gbi¾n-i;n felt that those five Olo;gbi¾n-i;n who had died
did not have enough strength, resilience, and sufficient health to
make them last long. He believed that he had all these qualities
and that he would live longer than all of them put together. When
he was advised to take it easy, he responded that how could one
take doing good and benevolent activities easy? He went into his
work head on. He worked tirelessly and without rest. By the time
he realized that he truly needed to consider his own health and
strength in all what he was doing, it was already too late. He died
barely eight lunar months after assuming the office.

Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Keje
Translation:

617

This was Ifá’s declaration to the seventh Olo;gbi¾n-i;n
When the seventh Olo;gbi¾n-i;n was installed, everybody was

expecting him to end up the same way the last six Olo;gbi¾n-i;n had
ended up. They were mistaken. He went for Ifá consultation and
offered all the prescribed ẹbọ and heeded the advice and the
warnings of the Awo. He never chewed beyond what he could
swallow. He took life easy. Before long, everyone in the Egu;ngu;n
community and the society in general became used to his system.
Some of the assignments which he felt could be delegated to
others to perform were promptly delegated. He lived long and had
relatively sound health. He was able to tell his story 25 years after
he was installed as Olo;gbi¾n-i;n. He lived and died a happy,
contented, and highly accomplished Olo;gbi¾n-i;n.

Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i;n Ki¾i;ni;
A bu¾ fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n keji
Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n keôta
A bu¾ fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n keôrin
Dia fun Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n karu¾n-u;n
A bu¾ fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n keôfa
Di;a; fu;n Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n keje
Wo;ôn ni¾ ki; wo;ôn wa;a; s'eôboô si; lai¾ku; ara wo;ôn
Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n keje ni¾kan ni; n;;beô le;yi¾n ti; n; s'eôboô
N®je;ô gbe;’ku; u¾ mi¾ ra¾ loô o
A®wo¾di¾-o¾ke¾ gbe;’ku; u¾¾ mi¾ ra¾ loô o
Ti;nheôn-ti;nheôn re;re o, A®wo¾di¾!
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Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
Translation:

These were Ifa;’s declarations to the first Olo;gbi¾n-i;n
And for the second Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n
And for the third Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n
And for the fourth Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n
And for the fifth Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n
And for the sixth Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n
And for the seventh Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n
They were advised to offer eôboô for longevity
Only the seventh Olo;gbi¾n-i¾n complied
Please carry the death dangling over my head away
The hovering eagle
Please carry the death dangling over my head away
Far far away
A®wo¾di¾, the Eagle!
Ifá says that the death that is dangling over the head of the
person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be carried away and be
replaced with long life, prosperity, accomplishment, and sound
health.
He/she however needs to take proper care of his/her health.
He/she needs not do anything that will put him/her into avoidable
danger or threaten his/her life.
619
12. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of success, matrimonial bliss,
accomplishment, good companionship, lovely children, and
boundless joy for the couple planning to get married where this
Odù is revealed. Ifá says that the marriage and relationship will be
a resounding success for both parties. Ifá says that the woman
needs to move into her man’s house very early in the morning,
even before daybreak. This will enhance the success chances of
the marriage. This is because the woman chose as part of her
destiny in heaven to move into her matrimonial home at dawn in
order for all her Ire to follow her to her new home. This is why it is
important to ensure that the woman arrives at her man’s house at
dawn.
Ifá also says that as soon as she arrives, two big kola nuts with
four lobes each should be broken for her and offered to Ifá in the
very early morning of her arrival. This cannot be postponed. This
is why it is important to have the four lobe kola nuts ready and
placed by Ifá before her arrival. She needs to move straight into
Ifá’s room for this ceremony to be performed even before any
other thing can be done.
Ifá also promises the Ire of a beautiful and bouncing baby for the
couple. The name of the baby should be Fa;yeômi;: Ifá befits me.
Ifá also advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer
ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens, and money. He/She
also needs to feed Ifá with two rats, two fish, and one hen.
On this, Ifá says:
Ka; te;ô’ni; we;lô e;ôwe;ôle;ô

Ka; su¾n we;ôle;ô
K’o;;ômoô eôni¾ o; le¾ baa¾ n’oôwo;ô woôroôwoôroô
Ko; fi; gbe;’ni¾ sin
Ko; le¾ baa¾ ju¾’ko¾ obi¾ lu’ni po¾ro¾po¾ro¾
Di;a; fu;n I®ya¾wo; oju;-oô¾na¾ô
Ti;; n;re’le; oôkoô re¾ô l’a;fe¾ômo;;ôju;
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Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
Ti; n;loô re¾e; gb’a¾sôeô ni;'le; oôkoô

Ti; n;loô re¾e; gb’a¾sôeô l'oôwoôô; Ifá ;
Translation:
Let us spread the mat gently

And lay on it meekly
For us to be blessed with children who will spread
their hands humbly
And lay us to our final resting place
And break kola nuts for us regularly
These were Ifá’s messages for the new bride
When going to her matrimonial home at dawn
And when going to receive the A®sôeô in her
husband’s home
And when going to receive the A®sôeô from Ifá
The new bride was about to move into her husband’s new home.
All other ceremonies had been completed. The movement into her
husband’s home was the final rite to be performed. Before going
however, she decided to go for Ifá consultation. What must she do
to make her marriage a resounding success? The Awo assured her
that her marriage would not only be successful, it would also be
blessed with children, progress, and bliss. She was told that part
of her destiny was for her to leave for her matrimonial home very
early in the morning. She was informed that all the Ire of life was
waiting for her by the doorstep of her parent’s home and that they
(The Ire) were prepared to accompany her to her new home and
reside with her there. If she delayed, all the Ire would disperse
and go elsewhere. She was told that as soon as she arrived in her
husband’s home, she should go straight into the Ifá room where
the elders in the home would shower her with prayers and
blessings. That was when Ifá would give her the A®sôeô. She was also
told to ensure that two big kola nuts were broken for Ifá on that
621
very morning. She was also told to offer ẹbọ and feed Ifá as
stated above. She complied. Not only this, she also informed her
man’s family of the directives of Ifá.
On the day of the marriage and movement, they left at the first
cock’s crow at dawn. Before sunrise, she had already settled in her
man’s home and all the directives of Ifá were carried and
completed. She enjoyed marital bliss for the rest of her life. Ten
lunar months after her marriage, she gave birth to a baby who
was promptly named Fa;yeômi; according to the directives of Ifá.
Ka; te;ô’ni; we;lô e;ôwe;ôle;ô

Ka; su¾n we;ôle;ô
K’o;;ômoô eôni¾ o; le¾ baa¾ n’oôwo;ô woôroôwoôroô
Ko; fi; gbe;’ni¾ sin
Ko; le¾ baa¾ ju¾’ko¾ obi¾ lu’ni po¾ro¾po¾ro¾
Di;a; fu;n I®ya¾wo; oju;-oô¾na¾ô
Ti;; n;re’le; oôkoô re¾ô l’a;fe¾ômo;;ôju;
Ti; n;loô re¾e; gb’a¾sôeô ni;'le; oôkoô
Ti; n;loô re¾e; gb’a¾sôeô l'oôwoôô; Ifá ;
A o¾ ri;’hun fu;n I®ya¾wo;
A®fi oômoô
E®ro¾ o¾ôna¾ gb’obi¾ fu;n Fa;yeômi; o
Translation:
Let us spread the mat gently

And lay on it meekly
For us to be blessed with children who will spread their
hands humbly
And lay us to our final resting place
And break kola nuts for us regularly
These were Ifá’s messages for the new bride
When going to her matrimonial home at dawn
And when going to receive the A®sôeô in her
622
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
husband’s home
And when going to receive the A®sôeô from Ifá
She complied
We have nothing to give our new bride except babies
Travellers, please take these kola nuts and give them
to Fa;yeômi;
Ifá says that the couple for whom this Odù is revealed shall enjoy
their lives to the maximum. They shall lack nothing in life. They
shall multiply and blessed with children, elevated success, joy,
contentment, honour, and respect.
13. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a bouncing baby for the
person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that the person,
especially a woman, shall not live her life as a barren woman. She
will surely be blessed with the fruit of the womb. Ifá also advises
this woman to marry someone who is initiated into Ifá. If she is
already married, then her husband needs to be initiated into Ifá.
Doing so will enhance her chances of being blessed with the fruit
of the womb.
Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish,
two hens, and money. She also needs to feed Ifá with two rats,
two fish, and one hen.
On this, Ifá says:
A®®be;ô-mo;ôle¾ô ee¾ka¾n ab'oju¾ roga;n-roga;n

Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; n; sunku;n oômoô re’le; O®gu;nda;
623
Translation:
A cut down tree stump with its coarse surface

This was Ifá’s message for Ogbè
receive the blessing of a baby in the home of O®gu;nda;
Ogbè was a woman who had a deep affection for kids. She wanted
to shower her love on babies and young ones day and night. She
however had no baby of her own. True, she was allowed to play
with other people’s children but that was only in the mornings. At
night, all the mothers would tuck their children in under their
watchful eyes. Ogbè would be left to sleep and wake up alone.
She would cry from night until the following morning. When would
she be blessed with her own babies, she queried the O®ri¾sôa¾.
One day, she woke up feeling very lonely. She could see no child
to play with. All the parents had taken their children out. She was
left alone in the house. She cried and cried. She then made up her
mind to go to the home of O®gu;nda; in search of her own blessing
from Olo;du¾mare¾. When she got there, all necessary ẹbọ was
offered for her. She was well taken care of and before long, she
became pregnant and she gave birth to many children in quick
succession. She then had enough children of her own with whom
to shower her blessings, love, and care.
A®®be;ô-mo;ôle¾ô ee¾ka¾n ab'oju¾ roga;n-roga;n

Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; n; sunku;n oômoô re’le; O®gu;nda;
O: wa;a; di¾’le; Ogbe¾ OÙloôô;moô
O: di¾’le; Ogbe¾ o¾un O®gu;nda;
O: di¾’le; Ogbe¾ OÙlo;;ômoô o
624
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
Translation:
A cut down tree stump with its coarse surface

This was Ifá’s message for Ogbè
receive the blessing of a baby in the home of O®gu;nda;
She complied
Let us go to the house of Ogbè, who has the
blessings of children
Let us go to the home of Ogbè and O®gu;nda;
Let us go to the home of Ogbè who has the
blessings of children
Ifá assures the woman for whom this Odù is revealed that she will
be blessed with the fruit of the womb. She will not live her life as a
barren woman.
14. Ifá says that even though the person for whom this Odù is
revealed is expected to be patient at all times, Ifá says that he
must not allow himself to be trampled upon by anyone. He must
have a very strong will and personality together with his gentle
and patient nature.
Ifá also advises this person never to send his wife to go and get
for him anything that is very important to his life. He must not
even allow her to go and represent him at any occasion which
demands his personal presence.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with three pigeons, three
roosters, and money. He also needs to feed SÙa¾ngo; and OÙya as
appropriate. The officiating Awo needs to find out from Ifá exactly
what SÙa¾ngo; and OÙya demand for and feed them accordingly.
625
On this, Ifá says:
Orí; ol'o;ki¾ki; ki¾i; gbe;'le

Ariwo a ta ni;'le;
Ariwo a ta l'o;ko
Di;a; fu;n Oye¾e;de¾ji¾
Ti;i; sô'oômoô Ele;n¾pe A®garawu;
Translation:
The reputation and destiny of a popular person

Will not allow him to stay at home
They will be hailed at home
And will be mentioned in the farm
This was Ifa;’s message for Oye¾e;de¾ji¾
The offspring of Ele;n¾pe-A®garawu;
Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ was a prince in O®ôyo;ô land. His mother was one of the
daughters of Ele;n¾pe-A®garawu;. Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ was the first person to be
born inside the palace in old O®Ùyo;ô. All births had taken place inside
the rooms of the birthing mothers prior to the time that Oye¾e;de¾ji¾
was born. He was born on Ja¾kuta’s day a.k.a. SÙa¾ngo;’s day, when
SÙa¾ngo; was being propitiated. When he grew up, he would do
everything he wanted to do to coincide with the day that SÙa¾ngo;
was being propitiated. He even began to dress and act like SÙa¾ngo;.
Before long, everyone began to see Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ as SÙa¾ngo;
reincarnated.
When Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ eventually assumed the throne of his ancestors

and became the OÙloôô;yo¾ôo;ô of O®Ùyo;ô, many people had forgetten his
original name. He was only referred to as SÙa¾ngo; or OÙba Ku;so¾.
Ku;so¾ is what the inhabitants of Nupe land call a shrine. So,
Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ began to be known as OÙba Ku;so;¾ “The OÙba of the
Shrine” because of his preference of using many Nupe icons and
deities which he had brought from his mother’s land and added to
626
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
his numerous O®ri¾sôa¾ for propitiation. The most popular of all these
was I®gunnuko; which was the O®ri¾sôa¾ of the Nupe (Ta;pa¾) people.
One day, Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ heared of some SÙa¾ngo; devotees in I®ba¾ri¾ba;

land, a part of Nupe land, who still knew how to make the occult
preparations and charms which would make the user spit fire like
SÙa¾ngo;. He promptly contacted the people and told them that he
wanted to have the power to spit fire and throw the thunder-stone
as he wished. The SÙa¾ngo; devotees consulted Ifa; and sent a
message back to Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ that it would be possible for him to spit
fire and throw the EÙdu¾n-A®ra;, thunder stone when the preparations
were made for him. He was however warned to come and pick up
the preparations himself and not to send anyone for it under any
circumstance.
On the day that he was supposed to go and pick up the

preparations, Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ felt that he was just too busy with state
affairs for him to leave on the journey. In order not to fail the
appointed time, he sent his wife to go and get the preparations for
him. When his wife got to I®ba¾ri¾ba;, the SÙa¾ngo; worshippers were
surprised that Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ had sent his wife when he was warned to
come himself and pick up the preparations personally. In the end,
they agreed to hand over the preparations to his wife. They gave
her two preparations to hand over to Oye¾e;de¾ji¾. The first was for
him to lick regularly while the second one was for him to mix with
corn meal and drink.
On the way back home, the wife licked part of the first preparation
and before she got to O®ôyo;ô, she had gained the ability to spit fire
from her mouth. When she reached O®Ùyo;ô, Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ collected what
remained from her and did not allow her to use the second
preparation. Had she used the second one as she had used the
first one, she would not only have been able to spit fire, she also
would have had the capability to throw the EÙdu¾n-A®ra; as her
husband.
Ever since that time, his wife was feared and respected like her
husband. Sometimes the wife would be given more respect and
honour than her husband. The ability to spit fire and throw the
EÙdu¾n A®ra; was what convinced the indigenes of O®Ùyoô; and all of
627
Yoruba land that Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ was indeed SÙa¾ngo; reincarnate. That

was how many people began to refer to Oye¾e;de¾ji¾ as SÙa¾ngo;. Before
long, his real name was totally forgotten and was replaced with
SÙa¾ngo. The original name of Oye¾e;de¾ji¾'s wife was also forgetten
and changed to OÙya.
Orí; ol'o;ki¾ki; ki¾i; gbe;'le

Ariwo a ta ni;'le;
Ariwo a ta l'o;ko
Di;a; fu;n Oye¾e;de¾ji¾
Ti;i; sô'oômoô Ele;n¾pe A®garawu;
SÙu¾gbo;ôn ko¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô mo;ô
N®je;ô b’o;bi¾nrin ba; roro¾
A j’oôkoô loô o
B’o;bi¾nrin ba; roro¾
A j’oôkoô loô
E®Ùyin o¾ r’O:Ùya to; roro¾
T'o; to; SÙa¾ngo;
B’o;bi¾nrin ba; roro¾
A j’oôkoô loô o
Translation:
The reputation and destiny of a popular person

Will not allow him to stay at home
They will be hailed at home
And will be mentioned in the farm
This was Ifa;’s message for Oye¾e;de¾ji¾
The offspring of Ele;n¾pe-A®garawu;
He complied by offering the ẹbọ
But he did not comply with the warning
Behold, if a woman is tough
She will be regarded as being tougher
then her husband
If a woman is strong-willed
628
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
She will be feared more than her man

Can’t you see OÙya, who is tough and strong-willed
Who is equal to SÙa¾ngo;
If a woman is tough
She will be given more honour than her man
Ifá warns the man for whom this Odù is revealed not to send his
wife to represent him where his very presence is essential. He
must not delegate major authority or responsibility to his wife.
This is because the consequence may not augur well for him in the
end.
15. Ifá advises the person born by this Odù through Ikoôse¾ôda;ye;
or I®te¾ô¾ni;fa; to offer ẹbọ against a situation where all his/her children
will be having nasal problems which will not allow them to speak
with clarity or for the children to become stammerers when they
begin to speak.
Ifá also warns the Awo who cast this Odù for the client to offer
ẹbọ against a situation where the client will visit his/her frustration
on him/her (The Awo) in the future when it was realized that the
prediction of Ifá has come to pass.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ
with two mature he-goats, plenty of yams, palm oil, and money.
He/she also needs to feed EÙÙ®lu;ku as prescribed by Ifá.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu says:
Aji;be;ôku;n Awo ni o
Aji;be;ôku¾n¾ Awo ni o
Moôla;i¾ Awo ni o
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾
To; n;t'o¾ôrun bo¾ô wa;'ye;
Wo;ôn ni; ko; ru;’boô
Ko; ma; baa¾ bi; i¾bi;ku;bi¾i; l'o;m
ô oô
629
Translation:
Aji;be;ôku;n is a great Awo

Aji;be;ôku¾¾n is a competent Awo
Moôla;i¾ is also an accomplished Awo
They cast Ifa; for EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka¾
So that he would not give birth to deformed children
EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka was a highly respected O®ri¾sôa¾. He was adored and

generally propitiated among the I®jeô¾bu; people, especially in I®ko¾ro¾du;
and its environment. When this O®ri¾sôa¾ was coming from heaven to
earth, he went for Ifá consultation in order to determine how
successful his sojourn on earth would be. Would he have many
followers and admirers? Would he be able to leave a legacy of
love, fulfilment, contentment, accomplishment, and success
behind? Would he be able to fulfil his destiny on earth? These and
many more were the questions at the back of his mind when he
went for Ifá consultation.
The Awo assured EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka that he would certainly be successful.

He was also told that he would be able to fulfil his destiny on
earth. He was informed that he would have several followers and
admirers on earth. He was however advised to offer ẹbọ against a
situation where all his children would be having speech problems
resulting from damage to their noses or for them to be
stammering. They advised him to offer the ẹbọ as stated above.
EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka could see no reason why his children would be having

speech problems. He simply ignored the advice of the Awo. He
went his way and promised himself never to return to those Awo
again. While on earth, EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka gave birth to several children.
To his utter surprise and grief however, all his children had speech
problems. They were either having difficulties in speaking with
clarity or they were stammering. This infuriated EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka. In his
630
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
frustration, he planned one day to go and inflict pain on the Awo

who had casted Ifá for him in a way that they would never quickly
forget. Consequently, he gathered all his children together and
marched them to the home of these Awo. As they were going,
they concealed several types of weapons with which to attack the
Awo. These weapons included axes, cutlasses, knives, cudgels,
swords, arrows, javelins, batons, clubs, whips, switches, and so
on. They were also singing in order to catch the Awo off guard.
Their song went like this:
A® n; loô ru;’boô oô wa lo;ni¾i; o¾

A® n; loô ru;’boô oô wa o
Aji;be;ôku;n
Aji;be;ôku¾n
Moôla;i¾
Translation:
We are going to offer our eôboô today

We are certainly going to offer our eôboô
Aji;be;ôku;n
Aji;be;ôku¾¾n
Moôla;i¾
We are going to offer our eôboô
The intention of EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka¾ and his children was to catch the three
Awo off guard and beat them into a pulp. If they lost their lives in
the process it was their misfortune. If they put up any resistance
however, it would turn into a full-scale war and maximum damage
would be inflicted on the Awo together with their entire
households. As they approached the homes of the Awo, E®sôu¾ went
to inform them of the wicked design of EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka¾ and his
children. The Awo were urged to leave their houses together with
all their families. They did. When EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka¾ and his children
arrived in the homes of the Awo, they met empty houses. They
631
returned home disappointed. EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka¾ lived to regret his refusal

to offer the ẹbọ as prescribed.
Aji;be;ôku;n Awo ni o
Aji;be;ôku¾n ¾ Awo ni o
Moôla;i¾ Awo ni o
To; n;t'o¾ôrun bo¾ô wa;'ye;
Wo;ôn ni; ko; ru;’boô
Ko; ma; baa¾ bi; i¾bi;ku;bi¾i; l'o;mô oô
O: koôti; O®®Ùgboônhin s'e;ôboô
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®ôfa¾ô
EÙ o¾ ri¾fa; Awo ki¾ bo; ti; n;sôeô o?
N®je;ô a¾ n¾ loô ru;’boô oô wa l'o;ni¾i; o¾
Aji;be;ôku;n
Aji;be;ôku¾n
Moôla;i¾
Translation:
Aji;be;ôku;n is a great Awo

Aji;be;ôku¾¾n is a competent Awo
Moôla;i¾ is also an accomplished Awo
They cast Ifa; for EÙÙ®lu;ku;-La¾ka¾
So that he would not give birth to deformed children
Can you see the message of Ifá as it has manifested?
Behold, we are going to offer our eôboô today
We are certainly going to offer our eôboô
Aji;be;ôku;n
Aji;be;ôku¾¾n
Moôla;i¾
We are going to offer our eôboô
632
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
Ifá enjoins the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to take
this particular stanza with levity. Offering of eôboô here will prevent
this person from nursing the problem of speech difficulties on
his/her children and young ones for the rest of his/her life.
16. Ifá says that if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is
experiencing difficulties in his/her life, or if inexplicable things are
happening to him/her while all efforts to proffer a lasting solution
have failed, then human beings are responsible for such problems.
Those are the ones who are conspiring to make life miserable for
him/her.
Ifá says that this person needs to put his/her ears to the ground,
investigate the root of his/her problems, and he/she needs not
confront or expose them. All that they need to do is continue with
their daily life as usual and as if nothing has changed. These
conspirators will certainly back down and allow him/her to live
his/her life to the fullest.
Ifa; advises this person to procure a mature she-goat and at

least 16 wraps of e¾ôkoô, corn meal. The she-goat will be sliced
from the chest to the stomach, the heart will then be removed and
thrown away, and the e¾ôkoô will be placed in the stomach area
along with plenty of palm oil and will be given out to the Elders of
the Night. There is the need to ask Ifa; about the exact location
where the Elders wish the I®pe¾se¾ to be placed. After doing this, the
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will gain full control over
his/her life.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-E®e¾gu¾n says:
Eri¾n lo; ku;, la mu i¾wo o re¾ô gbe;ô’ke

EÙfo¾ôn lo; ku;, la mu awoô oô re¾ô to;ô ba¾ta¾
O®Ùgbo¾ôo¾ôgbo¾ô i¾ra; lo; ku; banba
Ni;bi; ti; a gbe; n; so¾ôro¾ô banba
633
Ifá ; n; s'ôawo o; loô Ife¾ô eô Ma¾ka;ye;ja;

Translation:
The elephant died and we used its tusk to

fashion ornaments
The buffalo died and we turned its skin into sandals
A mature Zebra died unexpectedly
Where we were discussing serious matters
These were Ifa;’s declarations to O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going on a spiritual mission to Ife
When he wanted to understand the intrigues
of the world
Several intriguing things were happening to O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. They were

also happening to people around him. Many of these happenings
were totally inexplicable. How can one explain keeping one’s
valuables in a very safe place at night only for the items to
disappear without a trace in the morning, when apparently no
other person had entered the room where the items were kept
except for oneself? How does one explain sending one’s favourite
child to the farm to bring you some yams only for sympathizers to
bring back the child’s corpse because a tree fell on him and he
died instantly?
What explanation would you give to a situation where you slept
with your whole family at night and locked all the doors, but when
you woke up in the morning, your favourite daughter was missing
and the door remained locked and intact. When you arranged for a
search party, they fished out her dead body in a wall three
compounds away? How would you describe a situation where you
sent your wife to go and get water from the stream and she
dutifully went. On her way back from the stream however, a bird
was flying and hit her left eye with its beak and the eye became
blind? How do you explain death snatching away a functional and
progressive youth in the society but leaving behind drunkards,
imbeciles, lay-abouts, neurotics, and the deformed? What
explanation could one give to a situation where fire gutted all farm
products in a large farm just three days before harvest time? Does
one know how to explain a situation where a healthy wife fails to
634
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
become pregnant 16 years after marriage, and when she was

blessed with the fruit of the womb at last, she died during labour
together with the baby? Can one explain a situation where a
marriage was conducted and on the very day of the wedding, the
bride tore her dress to shreds and walked about completely naked
raving mad while her man committed suicide five days after? Is it
possible to explain the reason why fools excel and wise ones fail?
The list is endless. That was why O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ made up his mind to
investigate and find out the reasons behind all these intrigues.
O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to the home of the group of Awo stated above for
Ifá consultation. Would he be able to penetrate the intrigues of the
world and understand their working? Would he also understand
who and what is behind them? Would it equally be possible for
him to be able to proffer solutions to all these intrigues? These
and many more were the questions at the back of O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s mind
when he went for Ifá consultation.
The Awo told O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that several things were happening to him
and to others close to him which had been giving him a lot of
concerns. He was told that he came for Ifá consultation in order to
understand what exactly had been happening. He was assured
that he would get to the root of all the intrigues as he wanted. He
was however cautioned that knowing the truth would not make
him happier than before. Conversely, he might end up becoming
more depressed and he might end up becoming disappointed.
He was told that the disappointments would come because he was

expecting wisdom but he would end up discovering foolishness all
around him. The Awo told O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that in order to live
comfortably after discovering the intrigues of the world, he must
develop a high sense of maturity and understanding. He must
forget about his wisdom and make use of his sense of
understanding. He advised O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to feed the Elders of the
Night as stated above. O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ complied. After this, they told
O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ there was the need for him to undergo some ritual
exercises in order for O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to understand the intrigues of life.
O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was all for it.
635
After this had been done, they told O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would need
to propitiate the following five divinities: E®gu;ngu;n, Oro¾, Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô,
the Ancestors, and the Elders of the Night. O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ got himself
ready. They told O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to prepare himself very well for the
exercise and for him to observe everything that would happen.
On the day that O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was to feed Egu;ngu;n, he procured a

mature ram, mo;ôi;nmo;ôi;n/bean fritters, A®ka¾ra¾/bean cakes,
E®Ùkoô/cornmeal, kola nuts, bitter kola nuts, liquor and palm
oil. They went to the Egu;ngu;n grove to feed the divinity. The
masquerade came out and blessed O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. After this, they told
O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to leave and return to his home. He did. As soon as he
left them, they settled down to consume all the meal and drinks
that he brought to them. When O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ turned to a corner, he
put on his charm which made him invisible to others. He returned
to the Egu;ngu;n grove. Lo and behold, whom did he see eating his
food and drinking his liquor? He saw his neighbours. He even saw
the Egu;ngu;n as he was removing his costume. The Egu;ngu;n
turned out to be his father-in-law! So, this is life!
Next, he was told to feed Oro¾. He procured another mature ram,

plenty of pounded yam, liquor, kola nuts, bitter kola nuts, and so
on. They asked him to join them inside the I®gbo;ro¾, the Oro¾, in the
dead of the night. He did. He was ordered to cover his face. He
complied. They prayed for him. While the prayers were going on,
he continued to hear the “Wu;mumu wu;mumu” sound of Oro¾ all
over the forest. In the end, he was asked to go home. He left.
Again, as he left, they all sat down to eat his meal and drink his
liquor. He returned as an invisible person and saw all of them.
They were all human beings! All close to him. One of them was his
close friend of over 50 years! He even saw what they used which
was responsible for the “Wu;mumu wu;mumu” sound!
He was then asked to feed Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô. He agreed. On the day that

Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô was to be fed, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was instructed to bring plenty of
EÙkoô/corn meal and other items. He brought them. They led
him into the Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô grove. One of the “spirits” was crying “Ko¾ôko,ô
ko¾ôko,ô ko¾ôkoô;; n o; je¾ôkoô, ko¾ôkoô” repeatedly. They prayed for him. After
636
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
this, he left. He returned as an invisible man, only to find all the

Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô people sharing all what he had brought into the grove. The
main Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô man turned out to be his own younger brother! So,
human beings are also Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô and they were responsible for the
“Ko¾ôko,ô ko¾ôko,ô ko¾ôko;ô n o; je¾ôkoô, ko¾ôkoô” sound that people hear
whenever Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô was out!
Next, he was to feed his ancestors. He agreed. He was advised to

procure another mature ram, pounded yam, yam flour meal,
a¾ma¾la¾, Casava flour meal, O:Ùka¾, EÙkoÙ, liquor and so on. He
procured everything. He was told to come in the dead of the night
because there was the need for him to meet this representative of
his dead ancestors and receive their blessings. He agreed. In the
dead of the night, O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was led into a forest and before long,
the ancestor came all dressed in white from head to toe. He told
O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that all the steps he had been taking on earth were
being blessed by them. He told him to continue to do good as he
had been doing.
O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was told to greet all the other elders of the family. The
Ancestor left. O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was asked to go home. He agreed. As
soon as he was out of their sight, he returned to the forest as an
invisible man. That was when he realized that the “Ancestor” who
came to visit him was actually someone who came for Ifá
consultation with him two days back. So, human beings are also
responsible for many of the actions and inactions credited to the
Ancestors.
Again, O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was instructed to feed the Elders of the Night. He

procured another mature she-goat and did as instructed above. He
placed it at the junction of the three crossroads. In the dead of the
night, he returned to the spot where he placed the Ipese as an
invisible man. He saw two of his own wives, his younger brother’s
wife, one of his sisters, his adopted mother’s younger sister, and
many of his neighbours sitting round the goat and sharing it! So,
these were the Elders of the Night! So, human beings are also
responsible for many activities credited to the Elders of the Night!
637
Why do we then deceive each other? Why must we complicate

issues for one another? Truly, where one expects to find wisdom,
more often than not, we end up finding foolishness.
Eri¾n lo; ku;, la mu i¾wo o re¾ô gbe;ô’ke

EÙfo¾ôn lo; ku;, la mu awoô oô re¾ô to;ô ba¾ta¾
O®Ùgbo¾ôo¾ôgbo¾ô i¾ra; lo; ku; banba
Ni;bi; ti; a gbe; n; so¾ôro¾ô banba
Ifá ; n; s'ôawo o; loô Ife¾ô eô Ma¾ka;ye;ja;
Bi; Egu;ngu;n ma; n; ke;
Ti; ko; sôi; woô;
EÙ®yin oômoô e¾ni¾ya¾n
Mo sôe¾ b’e;ôyin na;a¾ ni o
Bi; Oro¾ ba; n; gbin
Bi; ko¾ da;bo¾ô gbogbo Babala;wo
Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô A®ja¾la; to; f'iya;n si';le¾ô
Ti; n; j'e¾ôkoô inu; u koto
EÙ sôa;a¾ ku; i¾tan’raa yi;n jeô
A to;o; ba; j'aye;, A wi;'moô l'o;ôgbo;ôn
O®ku; to; ku; o¾ wa;’ye; mo;ô o
Translation:
The elephant died and we used its tusk to

fashion ornaments
The buffalo died and we turned its skin into sandals
A mature Zebra died unexpectedly
Where we were discussing serious matters
These were Ifa;’s declarations to O¾¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
638
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
When going on a spiritual mission to Ife

When he wanted to understand the intrigues
of the world
He complied
If the Egu;ngu;n masquerade is sounding
Without stopping at all
You human beings
It is you human beings who are responsible
If Oro¾ is grunting and whistling
Without ceasing at all
You human beings
If Pa;ko¾ôko¾ô A®ja¾la; leaves the pounded yam
And prefers to eat the corn meal inside the container
You human beings
Just continue to engage in self-deceit
He who teaches one wisdom, he who is enough
to move with
Dead people are not coming back into the world again
A®boôru; a¾boôye¾
639
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-O®GU:NDA: FOR THOSE

BORN BY THE ODÙ ® DURING I®TE®ÙNI:FA:: OR
I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE:
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; children, Males and females have come into this
world with the Orí; of accomplishment and fortune. This is because
these two qualities were loaded into their Orí; during the time of
A®ku;nle¾ya¾n. It is therefore certain that they will succeed and they
will accomplish all their hearts' desires in life. As an adjunct to this,
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; children stand the chance of being bestowed with
honour, respect, adoration, and prestige. No matter the situation
in life, they will accomplish all their hearts' desires. This is the
reason why they need to have patience and perseverance as part
of their working tools in order to achieve success in life.
Apart from success and recognition, Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; children also

have the ability to overcome all enemies, no matter how many they
may be. As they overcome enemies who are human beings, so
also will they overcome projects, assignments and endeavours
which appear to be insurmountable to others. They will not only
overcome, but they will come out successfully in flying colours.
The demoralizing part of the lives of Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; children, males
and females, is that their human enemies are more from within
than from without.
The major weaknesses of Ogbe¾ I®yo;n ô u; children, males and

females, are that they have the quality of patience in very short
supply; and they are over sensitive to their fundamental rights.
This is the reason why Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; children are more likely to
react angrily over little issues. They find it difficult to absorb
insults, abuses, condemnation, humiliation and ridicule. These
attitudes usually count heavily against them in their efforts to
actualize their destinies and become fulfilled in their lives.
For Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; male children, they are usually tested beyond
their endurance limit by their spouses and in-laws. The more they
endure the tribulations from their spouses and in-laws however,
the more they will enjoy marital bliss and success in the end.
640
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
For Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; female children, it is in their best interest to move

into their matrimonial home on the day of their marriage right
before sunrise. Doing this will give them two advantages, one,
childbearing for them will be guaranteed; and two, victory and
success in life will also be guaranteed. Moving into their
matrimonial home during mid-morning, afternoon or evening time
will reduce their childbearing, victory and success chances
drastically.
On the overall, Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu; children, males and females, have the
tendency to live long and grow old even; older than most of their
contemporaries. They also have the gift and luck of recovering all
what they or their progenitors have lost. Egu;ngu;n always ensures
that they live long where others die prematurely.
C. AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ/® O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® I®YOÙ:NU:
1. Ifa; - For success, victory, elevation, sanctuary, protection,

support, accomplishment, joy, and general wellbeing
2. Orí; - For realization of destiny, guidance, sanctuary, protection,
elevation, direction, support, joy, longevity, and self actualisation
3. E®su ô ¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ - For protection, sanctuary, victory, support,
success, elevation, and general wellbeing
4. Egu;ngu;n - For self actualisation, ancestral support, longevity,
leadership, protection, success and general wellbeing
5. OÙba¾ta;la; - For success, victory, longevity, leadership, protection,
elevation and general wellbeing
6. EÙgbeô; - For success, comradeship, elevation, support,
leadership and general wellbeing
7. O®gu;n - For victory over enemies, success, protection, support,
8. O®ri¾sa ô ¾-Oko - For elevation, success, contentment, victory,
leadership, support, and general wellbeing
9. EÙdan - For success, leadership, protection, victory, elevation,
10. EÙ®lu;ku;-la¾ka¾ - For success, childrearing, victory, and general
wellbeing
641
11. OÙ®su
ô n - For compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing and
general wellbeing
12. OÙya - For support, matrimonial harmony, childbearing,
childrearing and general wellbeing
D. : U:
TABOOS OF OGBE® I®YOÙN
1. Must never be in a haste to accomplish success in life - To

avoid unconsummated fortune, missed opportunities, failure and
regrets
2. Must never eat eggs of any type- To avoid failed
opportunities, unconsummated fortune, failure, and everlasting
regrets
3. Must never be too high handed in his/her relationship with
others - To avoid failure, regret and unconsummated fortune
4. Must never ignore the advice of subordinates - To avoid
crises, upheavals, failure and disaster
5. Must not consume alcohol (but can use it to feed Ifá) - To
avoid lost opportunities, dwindling fortunes and regrets
6. Must never be too conscious with his/her fundamental
rights - To avoid failure, disappointment and regrets
7. For a woman, must never move into her matrimonial home
during the marriage day in the midmorning, afternoon or
evening - To avoid problems of childlessness, failure and defeat
8. Must never skip food or engage in fasting - To avoid
ailments, weakness, failure and regret
9. Must never lose hope for any reason whatsoever - To avoid
missed opportunities, failure, disappointment and everlasting
regret
10. Must never abandon personal and environmental hygiene
- To avoid threat to lives of his/her young ones
11. Must never kill mice - To avoid crises, upheavals, threat to
life and disaster
642
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® I®YOÙ:NU:
i. MALE
1. Ma;ka;nju;oôla; - Don't be in a haste for honour

2. Ma;ka;nju;oôla¾ - Don't be in a hurry for success
3. Mogba;ri;mu; - I hold unto my Orí
4. Teôleô;da¾al; a¾se
ô ô - The prediction of my destiny shall come to pass
5. OÙla;bo¾ôde; - Honour has returned into my home
6. Ma;ko¾ôsôeô; - Do not challenge your tribulation
ii. FEMALE
1. Ma;ka;nju;oôla; - Don't be in a haste for honour

2. Ma;ka;nju;oôla¾ - Don't be in a hurry for success
3. Ifá;yeômi; - Ifá ; befits me
4. OÙmoôwu¾mi;-j’asôoô-loô - I prefer a child to dresses
5. Mosôẹbọ;ôla;ta;n - I thought honour has being exhausted
6. Ma;ko¾ôya¾ - Do not challenge your suffering
643
Chapter 9
Ogbè Ọsá
II I
II
II
II
644
Ogbe¾-OÙ®sa;
Ogbe¾-SÙo¾o;to;ô
Ogbe¾-Ri;ku;sa;
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
A. 1. Ifá says that the person born by this Odù either during
I®koôseô¾da;ye; or Ite¾ôlo;du¾ will be receiving the blessings of progress
and development, together with that of Victory for him/her.
He/she will not lack any of the Ire of life. He/she will be blessed
with prosperity, a compatible spouse, lovely children, several
properties, sound health, long life, and contentment. He/she will
also be able to overcome the problems of untimely death,
affliction, contention, paralysis, loss, and unconsummated
fortune.
Ifá says that when this person was coming from heaven to earth,
he/she had chosen to have all the Ire of life and had rejected all
evil. He/she had made Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾ his/her sanctuary.
Olo;du¾mare¾ had in turn made him/her His own personal and
favourite child. This is why he/she will succeed where others have
failed. He/she will easily be able to make a way where the road is
blocked.
Ifá advises this person of offer ẹbọ with two hens, two
roosters, two guinea-fowls, two ducks, two pigeons, four
rats, four fish, and money.
On this, Ogbe¾-SÙo¾o;to says:
Ika;n ni;i; wa’le¾ô ni;i; k’o;ômoô si;

I®go¾n¾go¾ ni;i; bo tire¾ô m’a;a¾ta¾n
Gbe¾se¾ yoôyoô l’o;rô u¾n adi¾eô
645
Di;a; fu;n Gegele

Ti;i; s’a¾re¾ômoô Olo;du¾mare¾
O: nto;ôrun bo¾ô wa;le; aye;
Translation:
Ika;n, the Ants dug into the ground and placed their
young ones there
I®go¾n¾go, the maggots placed their young ones inside
the refuse heap
The fowls were plagued with all kinds of debt
These were Ifá’s declarations to Gegele, The
Vantage Position
The very first child of Olo;du¾mare¾
When Gegele, The Vantage position, was coming from heaven, he

chose as part of his destiny the Ire of prosperity, good spouse,
beautiful children, property, long life, and good health. He also
chose Victory over Untimely death, affliction, loss, paralysis,
contention, and unconsummated fortune. He made a solemn
promise while he was choosing his destiny that he would speak
the truth at all times. It was this declaration that made Olo;du¾mare¾
develop an interest in him. He was therefore made a favourite of
Olo;du¾mare¾. He was placed among those qualified to be called the
first children of Olo;du¾mare¾.
When Gegele arrived on earth, right from the time that he was a
baby, he had been receiving the favour and blessing of
Olo;du¾mare¾. When he grew up, the divinities ensured that he
succeeded where his colleagues were still trying to find their
footing. They made sure that all the doors of boundless
opportunities were opened for him in order to make it very easy
for him to accomplish all his heart’s desire. They also promised
646
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
him that as long as he continued to speak the truth all the time,
he would continue to receive the favour and blessing of
Olo;du¾mare¾. They also ensured that all evil principalities such as
death, affliction, contention, loss, paralysis, unconsummated
fortune, and discontent ran away from him. In the end, Gegele
lived all the days of his life on earth and died a very happy and
accomplished man.
Ika;n ni;i; wa’le¾ô ni;i; k’o;ômoô si;

I®go¾n¾go¾ ni;i; bo tire¾ô m’a;a¾ta¾n
Gbe¾se¾ yoôyoô l’o;rô u¾n adi¾eô
Di;a; fu;n Gegele
Ti;i; s’a¾re¾ômoô Olo;du¾mare¾
O: nt'o¾ôrun bo¾ô wa';le; aye;
O gb’e¾ôboô, O: ru;’boô
N:je; Iku; ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; Ifá;
Gegele
Ma; sôa¾i¾ gbe; mi¾ le;ke;
Gegele
A®ru¾n ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; o
Gegele
Gegele
Ejo;ô ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; o
Gegele ma;
Gegele
O®fo¾ ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; o
Gegele
Gegele
Aje; ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa; Ifá
Gegele
Ma; sôa¾i¾ gbe; mi¾ de;’be¾ô
Gegele
Aya ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa;
Gegele
647

Gegele
Oômoô ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa;
Gegele
Gegele
Ile; ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa;
Gegele
Gegele
Ire gbogbo ni; n; wa; mi¾ i; bo¾ô wa;
Gegele
Gegele
Translation:
Ika;n, the Ants dug into the ground and placed their
young ones there
I®go¾n¾go, the maggots placed their young ones inside
the refuse heap
The fowls were plagued with all kinds of debt
These were Ifá’s declarations to Gegele, The
Vantage Position
The very first child of Olo;du¾mare¾
He complied
If death is coming to look for me
Gegele
Please place me on top to overcome him
Gegele
If affliction is coming to look for me
Gegele
Please place me on top to overcome him
If contention and loss are coming to look for me
Gegele
648
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
Please place me on top to overcome them

If wealth is coming to look for me
Gegele
Please carry me there to claim my blessing
Gegele
If spouse, children, property, and all Ire in life are
coming to look for me
Gegele
Please carry me there to claim my blessings
Gegele
Ifá says that all evil shall depart from this person for whom this
Odù is revealed and all Ire of life shall come handy for him/her to
claim.
2. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall
be blessed with all the Ire of life. He/she shall not lack any of the
Ire of life. Ifá says that this person shall also be blessed with
honour and prestige. All what he/she need to do on earth is to be
viewed by others in wonderful amazement. Many people will see
him/her as a role model and they will try to emulate him/her in the
way he/she carries himself/herself.
Ifá says that he/she must never allow the blood of any rat, fish,
bird, or beast to touch his/her ikin. It is a serious taboo for
him/her to do so. If blood is put on his/her ikin, it will give him/her
the problem of unconsummated fortune. Instead, he needs to put
the juice of land snails on his/her ikin on a regular basis. Doing so
will increase and enhance his/her success chances.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish,
two hens, two pigeons, two ducks, two guinea fowls, two
roosters, and money. He also needs to feed Ifá with 16 land
snails.
649
EÙle;ôyeô l’e¾ôyeô n; yeô o

A®ra¾ e¾ôyeô ni o¾ y’oômoô o¾to¾sôi¾
A®ra¾ o¾ni¾ yeô mi;
Ko¾ yeô olo¾mu;
Gbogbo reô lo; ba; mi¾ l’a;ra joô o
Di;a; fu;n Ba;nkeô;ge¾ôn
Oômoô af’i¾gbi;n boô’fa;
EÙboÙ ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Prestige befits the prestigious person

Prestige is not for the poor
The wonders of today befit me
It is not for other people
Everything is totally agreeable with me
These were Ifá’s declarations to Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn
The offspring of those who propitiate Ifá with snails
His major concerns were that his life and situation was not going
the way the Awo who initiated him had predicted. To compound
his confusion and frustration, nobody among his group of Awo
could give him any explanation as to why his life had not
improved. They asked him to feed his Ifá with one mature she-
goat and he did. There was no improvement in his life. He was
advised to feed Ifá with a big pig and he did. Instead of improving,
his life retrogressed. They asked him to feed his Ifá with a well-fed
mature female sheep and he did. Still, he had no money, no wife,
no child, no sound health, and no property of his own. In fact, he
had nothing to show for undergoing his initiation rites about five
years prior. He was frustrated. His frustration was noticed by all
his group of Awo. This was the reason why he was directed to go
to the home of the other group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá
650
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
consultation. What did he need to do to improve his life and

situation?
The Awo told Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn that his life ought to have improved much
better than it had been. The reason why Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn’s life had failed
to improve was because he had been using inappropriate materials
to feed his Ifá. He was told that he must never allow blood to
touch his ikin anymore. Instead, he must be using snails to feed
his ikin regularly. If he did this, he was assured that Ifá would
open the vista of opportunities for him. The Awo also rebuked
those who had been instructing him to feed his ikin with animals.
The Awo recommended 16 land snails for him to use to feed his
ikin after he had offered his ẹbọ with all the materials stated
above. He complied.
As soon as he did this, his life and condition changed for the
better. His business improved. He was able to secure a compatible
spouse who loved and adored him. The spouse gave birth to many
children for him. He was able to erect his own property and he
lived long enough to enjoy the gains of his sweat and labour.
EÙle;ôyeô l’e¾ôyeô n; yeô o

A®ra¾ e¾ôyeô ni o¾ y’oômoô o¾to¾sôi¾
A®ra¾ o¾ni¾ yeô mi;
Ko¾ yeô olo¾mu;
Gbogbo reô lo; ba; mi¾ l’a;ra joô o
Di;a; fu;n Ba;nkeô;ge¾ôn
Oômoô af’i¾gbi;n boô’fa;
I®gbi;n n;’Ifá; gba¾
EÙ sôe pe Ifá; gb’eôran
Ire Aje; n; ba; Ba;nke;ôgeô¾n ka; re'le;
Geôreôreô
A®ya¾ n'i¾gbi;n fi n; fa¾
Geôreôre
Ire Aya n; ba; Ba;nke;ôgeô¾n ka; re'le;
651
Geôreôreô
Geôreôreô
Ire oômoô n; ba; Ba;nke;ôgeô¾n ka; re'le;
Geôreôreô
Geôreôreô
Ire Ile; ki;koôô; n; ba; Ba;nke;ôgeô¾n ka; re'le;
Geôreôreô
Geôreôre
Ire Gbogbo n; ba; Ba;nke;ôgeô¾n ka; re'le;
Geôreôreô
Geôreôreô
Translation:
Prestige befits the prestigious person

Prestige is not for the poor
The wonders of today befit me
It is not for other people
Everything is totally agreeable with me
These were Ifá’s declarations to Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn
The offspring of those who propitiate Ifá with snails
He complied
Ifá had taken land snails
Why did you recommend beasts?
The Ire of prosperity is following Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn to
his home
Geôreôreô
The snail moves by crawling with its chest
Geôreôreô
The Ire of spouse is following Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn to his home
Geôreôreô
652
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
Geôreôreô
The Ire of children are following Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn to his home
Geôreôreô
Geôreôreô
The Ire of long life, and all good things of life
are following
Ba;nke;ôge¾ôn to his home
Geôreôreô
Geôreôreô
blessed with all the Ire of life. He/she shall not be made to suffer
or lack any major thing in life. He/she shall have cause to
celebrate his/her success and accomplishment.
3. Ifá says that all of the concerns of this person for whom this
Odù is revealed shall turn to joy and accomplishment. He/she shall
be happy and shall celebrate his/her success. Ifá advises this
person to show off his/her success. He/she needs the whole world
to know that Ifá has done great deeds in his/her life. Ifá assures
him/her that the more he/she does this, the more great things will
be added for him/her. Ifá promises to multiply the life of this
person. He/she is here to have great achievement in life. He/she
will succeed with his/her brain, brawn, and acts. Let this person be
ready to receive great things in his/her life.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with the clothing that he/she
has on him/her on the day that he/she came for Ifá consultation.
He/she also needs to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two hens,
two guinea fowls, two roosters, two ducks, four rats, four
fish, and money.
653
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-SÙo¾o;to;ô says:
O®Ùsôu;nsôu;n we;ôre;ôwe;ôre;ô Awo wo;ôn ni;nu; igbo;

O®mu¾ ro¾ôgbo¾ôdo¾ô Awo e¾ôba;'do¾
Ti; n; re’gbo; E®Ùgba; lo¾ôo;ô d’Iwin
Translation:
The slender O®Ùsu

ô ;nsôu;n tree, the Awo of the forest land
And the robust Omu¾, the Awo of the river side
They cast Ifá for E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾
When going to E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾
forest to become a phenomenon
E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾ was going to E®Ùgba; forest in search of greener

pastures. His plan was to settle in a place where he would be able
to fulfil his destiny. He was very ambitious. He wanted to be a very
great and successful person. He wanted to be prosperous.
He planned to beget several children and to have a lot of

followers. He prayed to live long on earth and that whenever he
departed from the world, he wanted to leave his mark on the sand
of life. He wanted to know if he would be able to accomplish all his
plans in life. This was the reason why he went to the Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation.
The Awo told E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾ that he would be very successful in life.

He was told that he would become a role model for others to
emulate. The Awo assured him that he would be specially blessed
by Olo;du¾mare; and Ifá. He was urged to show off the blessings
which Olo;du¾mare; had given him for others to see. The Awo
654
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
advised E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka to offer ẹbọ as stated above and to add the

clothing that he had on to the ẹbọ. He complied.
As soon as he arrived at Igbo;-E®Ùgba;, his life changed for the better.

All those around him found one thing or the other to emulate in
him. He was constantly aware of the instructions of Ifá.
Consequently, he ensured that he thought, spoke, and acted
truthfully and honestly.
He ensured that his attitude was designed to develop the
community socially, economically, spiritually, and politically. Before
long, those who were close to him began to deify him. Every five
days people would roll out A®gba; drums to come and worship in his
house. While he was alive, he became Iwin, a great phenomenon.
When he died, he became an O®ri¾sôa¾ whom all those close to him
worshipped.
Throughout his lifetime however, he continuously showed off all
the great things of life which Olo;du¾mare; had blessed him with. He
never failed for one moment to display the bounty of Ifá in his life.
O®Ùsôu;nsôu;n we;ôre;ôwe;ôre;ô Awo wo;ôn ni;nu; igbo;

O®mu¾ ro¾ôgbo¾ôdo¾ô Awo e¾ôba;'do¾
Ti; n; re’gbo; E®Ùgba; lo¾ôo;ô d’Iwin
N®je; a; o; jo;jo;o;jo;
A: o; yo¾ôyo¾ôo¾ôyo¾ô
I®gba¾ o¾ôsôu;nsôu;n t’oôwo;ô b’a¾gba; o
A®wa; a¾ re’ra fun’fa o
Translation:
The slender O®Ùsu

ô ;nsôu;n tree, the Awo of the forest land
And the robust Omu¾, the Awo of the river side
They cast Ifá for E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾
When going to E®Ùlu;ku;-La¾ka¾
655
forest to become a phenomenon

He complied
Behold, we shall dance and dance
We shall be merry and celebrate
When the o¾ôsôu;nsôu;n stick is used to beat the a¾gba; drum
to play music
We shall surely show off the bounty of Ifá
Ifá assures this person that he/she shall have cause to celebrate
and dance. The more he/she celebrates the blessings of Ifá and
Olo;du¾mare; in his/her life, the more blessings he/she will receive in
return.
4. Ifá says that spoilers and sadness are the companions of the
person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that when this
person was coming from heaven to earth, he chose to have all the
great things of life as his/her destiny. However, as soon as he set
out on his/her journey to the world, spoilers also packed their bags
and followed him/her into the world.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ in order to chase out these
spoilers from his/her life in order to enjoy his/her life to the fullest.
He/she also needs to feed Ifá.
Ifá advises him/her to offer ẹbọ with two mature he-goats,

three roosters, a bundle of white sheet, and money. One of
the he-goats will be wrapped with some of the white sheet
and buried alive inside the Igbo;ro¾, Oro¾ grove.
The second he-goat along with the three roosters and the
remaining white cloth will be offered as ẹbọ. He/she also
needs to feed Ifá with 16 snails.
656
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
On this, Ifá says:
A®ra¾ba¾ ji¾gi¾ji¾gi¾
A®ra¾ba¾ de¾ôgi¾de¾ôgi¾
Baba n¾to¾ôrun bo¾ô wa;le; aye; lo¾ôo;ô te¾ôdo;
Ti; Ba¾se¾je;ô yo;o; d’eôru¾
Ti; yo;o; gba; ti;i¾
Translation:
And A®ra¾ba¾ de¾ôgi¾de¾ôgi¾
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When coming from heaven to earth in order to come and
settle down
Ba¾se¾je;ô, the spoiler packed his belongings
And followed him to earth
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to offer ẹbọ
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had already made up his mind that he was coming to the
planet earth in order to settle there. He went to the home of
SÙensôenti;; ; ; ; ; sôo¾ro, his bosom friend to choose his destiny. He chose to
have the best things. As soon as he made his move to come into
the world, unknown to him, Ba¾se¾je;ô, the spoiler also packed his
luggage and followed him. They arrived together into the world.
All the beautiful moves of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ were being spoiled by Ba¾se¾je;ô.

Initially, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ did not think much of it. As time passed
however, it began to give him cause for serious concern. In spite
of all his potential, he found it extremely difficult to accomplish
anything. Why, he began to wonder. He knew that he had
offended no one. He had not cheated anyone. He never lied
against anyone. He never deceived anybody. He wondered why
unconsummated fortune was his own lot. Anything he touched
would be good and promising in the initial stages, but in the end,
it would be spoiled. That was why he went to the two Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation. What was responsible for
657
the problem of the unconsummated fortune he was facing? That

was the only question that he asked Ifá.
The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he had chosen the very best destiny
anyone could ever have chosen. The problem however was that as
soon as he left heaven, Ba¾se¾je;ô followed him into the world to spoil
all his good works. That was precisely what Ba¾se¾je;ô had been
doing. That was why O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had not been able to achieve much
in his life.
The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he needed to offer ẹbọ as stated

above in order to chase out Ba¾se¾je;ô from his life. He was also told
that he needed to make a special preparation with one mature he-
goat and bury it alive inside the I®gbo;ro¾ so that his ancestors and
all the Oro¾ Divinities would assist him to chase out Ba¾se¾je;ô
permanently. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ agreed to do this.
On the day that the ẹbọ was offered, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ prayed so that he
would never witness the problems of Ba¾se¾je;ô and unconsummated
fortune in his life again. When the offering of the ẹbọ was
completed, one of the he-goats was wrapped with white cloth and
carried into the I®gbo;ro¾. As they were going there, all the Awo
present were singing the following:
EÙ ba; wa; le;’ba¾je; woô’do¾ o o¾

EÙ ba; wa; le;’ba¾je; woô’do¾
Ba¾se¾je;ô o¾ gb’oôdo¾ô wa;ye; mo;ô o
EÙ ba; wa; le;’ba¾je; woô’do¾
Translation:
Help us chase misfortune into the stream

Help us drive the spoilers into the river
Ba¾se¾je;ô must never return to the world
Please help us chase misfortune into the sea
658
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
That was how they sang with O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ in front with the wrapped
he-goat, until they reached the I®gbo;ro¾ and buried the live he-goat
there. As soon as they finished this process, all the ancestors and
Oro¾ divinities stood up against Ba¾se¾je;ô. They chased him out of
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s life for good. Ba¾se¾je;ô had no chance against all the
massively overwhelming forces deployed against him. He left in a
hurry and he never returned.
When Ba¾se¾je;ô departed from O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s life, all what he was doing
began to turn out successful. He was able to consummate his
fortunes. His economic situation improved. His family life became
successful. His political life became the envy of others. He became
a role model whom everyone turned to emulate. He had cause to
thank Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾. He was singing and dancing every day
of his life.
A®ra¾ba¾ de¾ôgi¾de¾ôgi¾
Baba n¾to¾ôrun bo¾ô wa;le; aye; lo¾ôo;ô te¾ôdo;
Ti; Ba¾se¾je;ô yo;o; d’eôru¾
Ti; yo;o; gba; ti;i¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni¾ ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®je; eô ba; wa; le;’ba¾je;ô woô’do¾ o o¾
EÙ ba; wa; le;’ba¾je;ô woô’do¾
Ba¾se¾je;ô o¾ gboôdo¾ô wa;ye; mo; o
EÙ ba; wa; le;’ba¾je;ô woô’do¾
Translation:
And A®ra¾ba¾ de¾ôgi¾de¾ôgi¾
When coming from heaven to earth in order to come
and settle down
659
Ba¾se¾je;ô, the spoiler packed his belongings

And followed him to earth
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Come and see all Ire of life
Please help us chase misfortune into the stream
Help us drive the spoilers into the river
Ba¾se¾je;ô, must never return into the world
Please help us chase misfortune into the sea
Ifá promises that Ba¾se¾je;ô (the spoiler) and misfortune shall be

chased out of the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed.
When it is cased out, it will not have the power or opportunity to
return.
5. Ifá says that the Elders of the Night are creating problems for
the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá advises this person
to appease the Elders of the Night in order to leave him/her alone
in order to fulfil his/her destiny on earth.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat,
10 yards of white cloth, one Igba;je¾,ô a calabash container,
and money. The he-goat is to be slaughtered and all the internal
organs like the intestines, kidneys, heart, pancreas, liver, lungs,
etc will be put inside the container. A lot of palm oil will be poured
into it. The person for whom the ẹbọ is offered will carry the
container and cover his head with white cloth and the ẹbọ will be
deposited at the foot of the I®ro;ko¾ tree. If there is no I®ro;ko¾ tree
around where the ẹbọ can be offered, then there is the need to
find out from Ifá if it can be deposited at the E®sôu¾ shrine. On this
Ifá says:
660
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
Igu;n lo;un o; s’eôboô to¾un l’o;ôru;n-l’o;ôru;n

L’o;ôru;n-l’o;ôru;n n’igu;n n; sô’eôboô
A®ka¾la¾ l’o;un o; s’eôboô to¾un l’o;ôsu¾-l’o;ôsu¾
L’o;ôsu¾-l’o;ôsu¾ l’eôboô A®ka¾la¾
Janjanku;u¾ja;n
Awo ni¾ Ju¾ju¾ku;u;ju¾
T’a¾woôn eôleôyeô o; ko; wa; a re¾ô loô so;ri; igi
Translation:
Igu;n, the vulture declared that it would offer its ẹbọ

every five days
Every five days does Igu;n offer its ẹbọ
A®ka¾la¾ said that it would offer its ẹbọ every month
Every month does A®ka¾la¾ offer its ẹbọ
Janjanku;u¾ja;n
And Awo Ju¾ju¾ku;u;ju¾
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for O®Ùru;nmila¾
When the witches carried his destiny and deposited it
on top of a tree
All the efforts of O®Ùru;nmila¾ failed to bring out the much deserved
result of success. He thought that he had the solution to his
problems. Everything he tried did not have any effect. His situation
went from good to bad and from bad to worse. He began to fear
that the situation would deteriorate beyond that level. That was
why he went for Ifá consultation in the home of his ex-students
mentioned above. When he got there, the following were the
questions at the back of his mind. What was responsible for the
downward turn in his fortune? What did he need to do to stop
from drifting downwards? What else could he do to return to the
top?
661
The Awo assured O®Ùru;nmila¾ that he would certainly return to the

top in his life. They told him that the Elders of the Night were
responsible for his rolling downwards in his life. They said that the
witches had packed his destiny and had gone to deposit it on top
of a tree. That was why he could not progress anymore. He was
told that confrontation would not solve his problem, rather he
needed to appease them and his life would return to normal. They
advised O®Ùru;nmila¾ to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. When
he carried all the internal organs of the he-goat, he was told to go
and place it by the foot of the I®ro;ko¾ tree. When he was going
there, he covered his head with the white cloth that he procured
as part of the ẹbọ materials. He was going in front and all the Awo
present followed him from behind. They were all singing saying:
I®ya; a¾ mi m’ohu¾n mi o
I®ya;-ke;re; m’ohu¾n mi o
Gbogbo eôle;ôyeô e¾ô mo ma¾ ma¾ ba;; yi;n mu’leô¾
Translation:
My mother knows my voice

I®ya;-ke;re; recognizes my voice
All the elders of the night
I have come to enter into a covenant with you
When he got to the foot of the I®ro;ko¾ tree, he said a solemn prayer
and they all departed quietly. At home, he simply went into his
room and did not step outside until the following morning. In the
middle of the night of the day that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ offered the ẹbọ, the
Elders of the Night assembled themselves together. They
deliberated on O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s matter. In the end, they concluded that
since he had brought Ipese for them to beg and appease, there
was no longer any justification for them to continue to punish him.
662
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
They removed his destiny from the top of the tree and placed it
into his hands.
As soon as this was done, the life of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ changed from worse
to good and from good to better. It soon changed to be the best!
He was able to enjoy his life to the maximum. He fulfilled his
destiny and was a contented person since that time.
Igu;n lo;un o; s’eôboô to¾un l’o;ôru;n-l’o;ôru;n

L’o;ôru;n-l’o;ôru;n n’igu;n n; sô’eôboô
A®ka¾la¾ l’o;un o; s’eôboô to¾un l’o;ôsu¾-l’o;ôsu¾
L’o;ôsu¾-l’o;ôsu¾ l’eôboô A®ka¾la¾
Janjanku;u¾ja;n
Awo ni¾ Ju¾ju¾ku;u;ju¾
T’a¾woôn eôleôyeô o; ko; wa; a re¾ô loô so;ri; igi
O: gb’e;ôbo, o ru’bo
Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji;nna;
Ire gbogbo wa;a; ya de; tu¾ntu;ru
N®je; I®ya; a¾ mi m’ohu;n mi¾ o
I®ya;-ke;re; m’ohu;n mi¾ o
Gbogbo eôle;ôyeô e¾ô mo ma¾ ma¾ ba a; yi;n mule¾ô
I®ya; a¾ mi; m’ohu;n mi¾ o
I®ya;-ke;re; m’ohu;n mi¾ o
Translation:
Igu;n, the vulture declared that it would offer its ẹbọ

every five days
Every five days does Igu;n offer its ẹbọ
A®ka¾la¾ said that it would offer its ẹbọ every month
Every month does A®ka¾la¾ offer its ẹbọ
Janjanku;u¾ja;n
And Awo Ju¾ju¾ku;u;ju¾
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for O®Ùru;nmila¾
663
When the witches carried his destiny and deposited it

on top of a tree
He complied
All Ire of life came trooping in
Behold, my mother knows my voice
All the Elders of the Night
I have come to enter into a covenant with you
Ifá says that the Elders of the Night will stop their attack against
the person for whom this Odù is revealed, if he/she can offer ẹbọ
and perform I®pe¾se¾ as explained above. His/her matter is not going
to improve with confrontation or contention.
6. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is right
in the midst of his/her enemies. These elements are those whom
he/she cannot run away from. Ifá assures him/her that he/she will
identify and overcome them all. Ifá however says that whenever
he/she identifies these enemies, he/she must not subject them to
ridicule or public shame. He/she needs to let them understand that
they have been forgiven. In turn, these enemies will begin to work
in his/her favour. They will then do everything in their capacity to
protect him/her and ensure that no evil comes his/her way.
Ifá advises this person to procure 12 plates, plenty of pounded

yams, three bottles of alcohol, plenty of melon soup with
beef and money. The plates will then be arranged in fours in
three rows. The first row will contain pounded yam on the four
plates; the second row will contain soup on three plates and the
forth plate will be left empty; the third row will contain liquor on
664
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
the three plates and the forth plate will be left empty. All the 12
plates will then be placed by the E®sôu¾ shrine.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾- So¾o;to;ô says:
Pa;a; bi; oôsa;n ja;

Amo¾o¾ku¾n-mo¾o¾ku¾n I®jo¾ku¾n
E®sôu¾ ku; ori; a¾paro¾
E®Ùgba¾ ku; ori; a¾paro¾
Di;a; fu;n Ina;
Ti;i; sô’olo;gun l’o;de Ijo;gbo;
Di;a; fu;n O®sôu¾pa; ki¾ri¾mu¾
Aboju; de¾ôn¾de¾ôre;ô
Di;a; fu;n O®jo® gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾
Ti; n;beô la;a¾rin o¾ôta; merin
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:

They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ina¾ (fire)
The warrior of the forest
And also for O®o¾ru¾n (the sun)
The warrior of the savannah
And for O®sôu¾pa; ki¾ri¾mu¾ (the full moon)
With his dull appearance
And for O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ (the heavy rainfall)
The warrior of heaven
They also cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When he was in the midst of four enemies
665
He could not understand why enemies would be giving him

trouble. In fact, he found it difficult to see why he would have any
enemy in the first place. He was honest and truthful. He was kind,
generous, and benevolent. He was always after the progress of all.
Why then must he have enemies? Besides this, he had never been
the cog in the wheel of anyone’s progress. Why then must anyone
try to stop him from progressing? He had never set a trap for
anyone to fall into. Why then must anyone ever contemplate
setting traps for him? He had never planned death or misfortune
for anyone. Then, why should anyone plan evil against him? In
spite of all these good deeds in the society, the truth of the matter
was that people were planning evil against him and they wanted
him totally eliminated.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was correct that people were planning evil against him.
What about all the evidence around him? He was sure that those
planning against him were very close to him, but he did not know
how close they were. How could he ever know or believe that
those planning his untimely death were Ina¾, O®o¾ru¾n, O®sÙu¾pa;, Ki¾ri¾mu¾,
and O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾, his bosom friends and relatives. It was not
possible for him to accept this cold fact. Yet, he would need to find
a way to overcome these enemies. He must expose them one way
or the other. He must stop them in their tracks. Not only that, he
must also overcome them. To do this, he knew that he needed to
go for Ifá consultation. That was exactly what he did. He
summoned his former students mentioned above for Ifá
consultation.
The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that his enemies were too close to him.
They knew everything about him and about all his movements.
That was why they had been able to inflict maximum damage on
him. He was however assured that he would be able to identify
these enemies and overcome them. He was told that confrontation
and contention would not help him in any way. He was to be a
diplomat in dealing with these enemies. They told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to
offer ẹbọ as prescribed above. He complied. He was also advised
666
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
not to be too far away from where he had placed the ẹbọ. He
must however be in hiding.
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ placed the ẹbọ at the E®sôu¾ shrine, he hid himself
somewhere. To his utter surprise and everlasting shock, the first
person to pass by was Ina;;, Awo I®jo;gbo. He boasted that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
had at last realized that he, Ina;;, was greater than him in all ways
and that it was for that reason that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had placed the food
down for him in order to beg him. He picked one plate of pounded
yam, one plate of soup, and one plate of liquor and settled down
to eat.
O®o¾ru¾n, Awo I®joôô;da¾n came next. He met Ina;; where he was eating.
He picked one plate of pounded yam, one plate of soup, one plate
of liquor, and settled down to enjoy the meal.
The third person to appear was O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾. He picked one plate
of pounded yam, one plate of soup, and one plate of liquor. The
three of them were boasting that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ knew that he would
suffer untold hardship in their hands if he had not begged them.
They said that they had to think about it and give him a condition
under which they would show him mercy. As they were discussing
this matter, O®jo¾ girigiri arrived on the spot. He saw that his own
plate of pounded yam and his plate of soup were empty and his
plate of liquor was also empty. E®sôu¾ told him that his co-
conspirators had consumed his own meal together with their own.
E®sôu¾ did not allow him to listen to any explanation from the other
three before a serious fight ensued. They fought and fought.
At this stage, E®sôu¾ asked O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to show up and demand for the
reason why they were fighting in public. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ did. Their rage
and fury did not allow them to weigh or evaluate what they were
about to say until they opened their mouths to expose themselves
and each other to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. They spoke for several hours and
gave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ graphic details of all their evil designs against him.
667
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ stood rigid and heard detail upon detail in utter

incredulity.
At the end of the day, they all came back to their senses. They
realized that they had simply talked too much. They then began to
beg O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to please forgive them. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ remembered what
the Awo had told him and he forgave them all. From that day,
they were the ones protecting O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ in order to ensure that no
evil befell him. E®sôu¾ however rolled out the drum and began to sing
and make jest of the four conspirators saying:
Ina¾ Olo;gu¾n lo;’de Ijoô;gbo

A®woôn ara a woôn
Woôn Ka¾sôa¾i¾ ba;’raa woôn ja¾
O®o¾ru¾n Olo;gu¾n lo;’de Ijo;ôdan
Woôn ka¾sôa¾i¾ ba;’raa woôn ja¾
O®su¾pa¾ Ki¾ri¾mu¾ aboju; de¾n¾de¾re;
O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ Olo;gu¾n lo;de o¾ôrun
Translation:
Ina;, the warrior of Ijo;gbo;

Among themselves
They cannot do without fighting against each other
Among themselves
O®o¾ru¾n, the warrior of I®jo;ôda¾n
Among themselves
Among themselves
668
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
O®s¾upa; ki¾ri¾mu¾, The full moon with its dull appearance

Among themselves
Among themselves
O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾, the warrior of heaven
Among themselves
Among themselves
That was how O®ru;nmi¾la; was able to identify and overcome all his
enemies. Even though it shocked him to realize that those who
were very close to him were the ones who were working against
him, he nonetheless felt happy that he was able to triumph over
them.

Di;a; fu;n Ina;
Di;a; fu;n O®sôu¾pa; ki¾ri¾mu¾
Aboju; de¾ôn¾de¾ôre;ô
Di;a; fu;n O®jo® gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾
Ti; n;beô la;a¾rin o¾ôta; merin
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
O®ru;nmi¾la; ni¾kan ni; n’beô le;ôye¾n lo; n;seôboô
N®je;ô Ina; Olo;gun lo;’de I®jo;gbo;
Woôn Ka¾sa¾i¾ ba;’ree woôn ja¾
O®o¾ru¾n Olo;gun lo;’de I®jo;ôda¾n
669

O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾ aboju; de¾n¾de¾re;
O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ Olo;gun lo;de o¾ôrun
Translation:

They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ina¾ (fire)
The warrior of the forest
And also for O®o¾ru¾n (the sun)
The warrior of the savannah
And for O®sôu¾pa; ki¾ri¾mu¾ (the full moon)
With his dull appearance
And for O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ (the heavy rainfall)
The warrior of heaven
They also cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When he was in the midst of four enemies
Only O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ complied and offered the ẹbọ
Now, Ina;, the warrior of Ijo;gbo;
Among themselves
Among themselves
O®o¾ru¾n, the warrior of I®jo;ôda¾n
Among themselves
Among themselves
O®s¾upa; ki¾ri¾mu¾, The full moon with its dull appearance
Among themselves
670
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

Among themselves
O®jo¾ gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾, the warrior of heaven
Among themselves
Among themselves
able to overcome his/her enemies and distracters. He/she shall be
triumphant and all his/her enemies and distracters shall be put to
shame.
7. Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that
he/she shall be blessed with resounding success and
accomplishment. He/she shall also be in constant contact with
those who are far away from his/her place of residence and these
people shall increase his/her success chances.
with all the small caps that he/she has in his/her house or
possession and he/she must never use these caps again in
his/her life. This will prevent him/her from experiencing the
problem of unconsummated fortune whereby he/she will be
chased away from enjoying the fruit of his/her labour.
Ifá further advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four
fish, four hens, four guinea-fowls, four ducks, four
roosters, and money. He/she also needs to procure 40
bananas, 40 fresh boiled eggs, 40 parrot tail feathers, and
a container. All these items will be packed into the container,
taken to the sea, and deposited at the bank of the sea. If this is
done, the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be blessed
with boundless success. Ifá also advises this person to feed O®Ùsôun
as appropriate. The officiating Awo needs to find out from Ifá what
O®Ùsôun requires and feed her accordingly.
671
On all these aspects Ifá says:
Ka; ji; ni; gboôngan

Bi; oni;-gboôngan ba; sôe ri¾n
Be;ôe¾ô ni¾ gboôngan re¾ô e¾ô sôe n; ro;
Di;a; fu;n Baba Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾
Ti; n;sawo re'le; Ala;pa¾
O: n; sunku;n ala;i¾ r’e;ru¾ je
Translation:
Let us wake up with bracelets around our wrists and

ankles
Let us wake up with bracelets around our wrists and
ankles
The way a bracelet user walks
That is the way the bracelets will clang together
These were Ifá’s messages for Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾, He-who-
takes-ẹbọ-materials-with-force
When going on an Ifá mission to Ala;pa¾’s palace
And was lamenting his inability to find clients who
would bring ẹbọ materials to him
By every standard, Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ was a very competent Awo. He was

proficient in every department of Ifá. His predictions were always
very accurate and to the point, yet he had nothing to show for it.
Whenever he consulted Ifá for anyone, his clients would find it
difficult and even impossible to offer the recommended ẹbọ.
Consequent upon this, Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ remained poor and
unaccomplished.
One day however, Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ was invited for Ifá consultation by

Ala;pa¾, the Ϙba of A®pa¾ town. When Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ received this
672
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
message, he went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned

above for Ifá consultation in order to know how his trip to Ala;pa¾’s
palace would be. The Awo told Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ that he would record a
resounding success where he was going. He was also told that all
his predictions would come to pass. He was advised to ensure that
all his recommended ẹbọ was complied with by all his clients. By
so doing, he was told his name would be known far and wide
because all the advice, recommendations, and predictions would
be given support by Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾. He was advised to offer
ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea-fowls, two roosters, and money.
He complied. As soon as the ẹbọ was offered for him, he set out
on his journey to Ala;pa¾’s palace.
O;ri; i¾ mi¾ yi¾i;

Ori; i¾re mi¾ o
I®wa¾ a¾ mi¾ yi¾i;
ô e¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
I®wa¾ i¾re ni¾ l’e;s
Di;a; fu;n Ala;pa¾
Ni; ka¾si¾ka¾si¾ a¾wu;ro¾ô
Ti; wo;ôn ni¾ ko; mo;’le; oôla¾ si;le¾ô
O®un wa;a; moô’le; oôla; si;le¾ô ta;n
Owo; wa;a; ta;n
Translation:
This destiny of mine

It is certainly a good destiny
This character of mine
It is the character that pleases Oba¾ri¾sôa¾
These were Ifá’s messages to Ala;pa¾
Very early in the morning
When he was advised to erect a house of prosperity
After erecting the house of prosperity
There was no more money
673
Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ arrived at Ala;pa¾’s palace very early in the morning. As

soon as he was given a mat to sit on, he set out to work. He
consulted Ifá for Ala;pa¾. He made it clear to Ala;pa¾ that the very
day that he consulted Ifá was his day of success. He said that he
must offer all of his ẹbọ on that day. The ẹbọ cannot and must not
be postponed. He recommended 200 rats, 200 fish, 200 hens, 200
pigeons, 200 guinea-fowls, 200 roosters, and 200 bags filled with
money as ẹbọ for Ala;pa¾. Ala;pa¾ responded that he had no money
to offer the ẹbọ. As a matter of fact, he did not know how his
household would eat that morning.
Before Ala;pa¾ could finish his statements, he was given several

slaps and blows by Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾. “What have I done wrong?”, said
Ala;pa¾. He then received another set of slaps and blows. Ala;pa¾ took
to his heels. Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ followed him in hot pursuit. Ala;pa¾ took
refuge in the home of the Baa;le;, the family head. The Baa;le;
demanded to know the crime that Ala;pa¾ had committed that
warranted the kind of punishment that he was being given. Ala;pa¾
said that his only crime was that he had no money to offer the ẹbọ
that Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ had recommended. The Baa;le; was angry over this
issue. He asked Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾,”When had failure to offer ẹbọ become
an offense?” Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ glanced scornfully at the Baa;le;. He told
him that what he needed to do was to give him two he-goats and
two she-goats in order to resolve the problem of conspiracy of his
family members against him. He told the Baa;le; that he was about
to be removed from his position and instead of concentrating on
how to solve that problem, he was passing judgment on an issue
that was of no concern to him.
As soon as the Baa;le; heard of this, he quickly procured the two

he-goats and two she-goats which Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ recommended for
him as ẹbọ materials. He was totally surprised that Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾
could put his finger on the biggest head-ache of his life. The whole
family had fixed a meeting for mid morning where they were to
674
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
deliberate on the Baa;le;’s matter and on how best to remove him

as Baa;le; and pick another person to occupy the position. After the
ẹbọ, Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ assured the Baa;le; that he would no longer be
removed. He was told to put his mind at rest. Impressed with the
way that Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ had penetrated into his problem, the Baa;le;
decided to assist Ala;pa¾ with two rats, two fish, two hens, two
guinea-fowls, two pigeons, two roosters, and two bags of money.
Ala;pa¾ presented these items to Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ and pleaded with him
to accept them as his ẹbọ materials. Instead of offering the ẹbọ
for Ala;pa¾, he reined blows and slaps on him, claiming that he had
no right to reduce the ẹbọ materials which he Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ had
recommended for him. Ala;pa¾ took to his heels once more and ran
into the home of the Baa;le; for protection. Aji¾fa¾-gbe¾ru¾ pursued
Ala;pa¾ to the home of the Baa;le;.
The commotion woke the Baa;le; up from his sleep. What was
responsible for this? He came out of his room only to see Afi¾ja¾-
gbe¾ru dealing several blows and slaps on Ala;pa¾. “What had Ala;pa¾
done?”, he demanded. Ala;pa¾ narrated his story. The Baale was
angry that he was kicked and slapped just because he had no
money to offer the ẹbọ. He reproached Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ angrily. In
turn, Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ told the Baa;le; to mind his own business and
instead to find a solution to his own problems instead of
interfering in other people’s issues. He said that the wife of the
Baa;le; had failed to become pregnant. The wife believed that the
fault was that of the Baa;le’s;. Instead of looking for a solution, she
had seduced the first son of the Baa;le; and they had been caught
having an illicit love affair with one another. He told the Baa;le; to
bring eight she-goats, three he-goats, and 16 bags filled with
money for him to solve the problem for him.
The Baa;le; stood rigid in one spot and found it impossible to move.
He had just caught his wife and first son, the heir apparent,
making love the previous night. He was devastated when he saw
them. He could not sleep until the early hours of that morning.
675
That was why he woke up late that morning. How did this
Babaláwo know what was going on in his life? He quickly ordered
his household to procure all the ẹbọ materials recommended by
Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾. After the ẹbọ had been offered, he assisted Ala;pa¾ with
20 rats, 20 fish, 20 pigeons, 20 guinea-fowls, 20 Roosters, and 20
bags of money.
Ala;pa¾ presented these items together with the ones which the
Baa;le; had given him earlier and pleaded with Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ to help
him to offer the ẹbọ. Instead of offering the ẹbọ for him, he was
slapped and kicked again. Ala;pa¾ ran out of the Baa;le;’s home and
Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ pursued him. He ran to the palace of the Ala;a¾fin, the
Oba of O:Ùyo®Ù. Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ pursued him to the palace.
When the two of them got to the Ala;a¾fin’s, palace, the Ala;a¾fin
demanded to know the offense that Ala;pa¾ had committed. He
explained his ordeal to the Ala;a¾fin. The Ala;a¾fin was so angry that
he ordered his palace guards to go and lock up Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾. Before
they could do so, Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ told the Ala;a¾fin that he was
interfering in what did not concern him in any way. He told the
Ala;a¾fin that instead of looking for a solution to his own problems,
he was busy interfering in his business.
Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ then told the Ala;a¾fin that his first son was seriously ill
and he had only three days left to live on earth and instead of
offering ẹbọ with 17 rams and 17 bags filled with money for the
son to survive, he was planning to lock up someone in whose
hands the solution to his problems rested. The Ala;a¾fin was
speechless. He waved all the palace guards away. He ordered
them to go and procure the ẹbọ materials instead. They brought
the materials and as Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ was offering the ẹbọ, the Ala;a¾fin’s
son came out of his room a healthy but weak man.
All the ailments had disappeared. The son demanded for food and
they gave it to him. The Ala;a¾fin was overwhelmed with joy. He
676
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
decided to assist Ala;pa¾ with the remaining ẹbọ materials he

needed to do his ẹbọ. Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ then offered the ẹbọ for Ala;pa¾.
Afterwards, he gave Ala;pa¾ a flag and told him to go to the sea-
side and hoist the flag there. He also told him to load bananas and
fresh eggs by the foot of the flag. He then told him to stay close to
where the flag was and that he would see the surprise that
Olo;du¾mare¾ had in stock for him. Ala;pa¾ did exactly as he was told.
A®woôn i¾ka;n ni;i; wale¾ô ni;i; k’o;ômoô si;

I®go¾n¾go¾ ni;i; bo ti;re¾ô m’a;a¾ta¾n
Di;a; fu;n O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Olo;kun Se¾ôni;ade;
Translation:
I®ka;n, the Ants dug into the ground and placed their
young ones there
I®go¾n¾go¾, the maggots placed their young ones inside
the refuse heap
These were Ifa;’s declarations to O®yi®nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô
The daughter of Olo;kun Se¾ôni;ade;
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to have
her own baby
O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô had been involved in several relationships but they

usually broke up because of her inability to become pregnant and
beget a baby. Olo;kun Se¾ôni;ade; was very angry with her and felt
that her daughter did not have enough patience and endurance.
Consequently she gave her all the things that seven generations
could ever use and asked her to leave. She told her to go and
settle elsewhere because she caused her grief whenever she saw
her. O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô left together with all the belongings that her mother
had given her and domestic help. They boarded a large ship and
sailed out. They did not have any particular destination in mind.
677
As they were sailing, they saw the flag which Ala;pa¾ had earlier
hoisted from afar. E®sôu¾ then appeared and told O®yi¾nsôe¾ôse
ô ¾ô that
wherever that flag is located, that place must certainly be
inhabited by human beings. He persuaded her to direct her ship
toward the place and for her to settle there. She agreed.
When they got there, they saw plenty of bananas and fresh eggs.
They settled down and began to eat them. They had been very
hungry. That was when E®sôu¾ went to Ala;pa¾ and urged him to go
and demand for the money for the eggs and the bananas. When
Ala;pa¾ apprehended O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô, he asked for his money. The only
response that he got from O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô was for him to go and bring
more eggs and bananas. He did.
She and her entourage ate to their satisfaction. One thing led to
another. Before long, Ala;pa¾ and O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô became man and wife.
O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô threw all her love and possessions onto his feet and he
threw all his care, understanding, and respect onto her feet.
The main concern of O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô however still remained on how she

was going to have her own baby. They discussed the issue and
Ala;pa¾ told her that they would need to invite Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ to come
and help solve the problem. He however warned that the ẹbọ of
Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ was always heavy. O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô responded that she did
not mind. They invited Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ and he casted Ifá for them. He
asked them to offer ẹbọ with 20 rats, 20 fish, 20 hens, and 20
she-goats. They did.
As soon as they did this, O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô became pregnant and gave

birth to 20 children in quick succession. O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô told Ala;pa¾ that
she still wanted more children. They invited Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾ again. He
recommended 30 rats, 30 fish, 30 hens, and 30 she-goats as ẹbọ.
They complied. O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe gave birth to 30 more children. Some
were twins, some triplets, and some quadruplets. She became the
happiest woman and proudest mother on earth.
678
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
O®Ùna; toôô; ta¾a¾ra¾ wa; ya¾

Di;a; fu;n OÙsi¾nsôeôwa¾
Ti;i; sô’eôru; O®yi®nsôe¾s
ô ôe¾ô
Ti; sô’oômoô Olo;kun Se¾ôni;ade;
O®un le¾ ni¾’pa la;ye; lo; n;da;ye; si;
Translation:
The straight unbending road

This was Ifa;’s declaration to OÙsi¾nsôeôwa¾
The servant of O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô
When going to get Ifa; consultation on whether she
would have prominence on earth or not
OÙsi¾nsôeôwa¾ was the favourite domestic servant of O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô. She was

devoted to O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô. She advised her and served her diligently.
Her ambition in life was for her to establish a vibrant city where
everyone would settle, irrespective of their social status or their
tribal lineage. The city would be cosmopolitan in nature and would
be able to accommodate all the inhabitants of the city. That was
why she went for Ifá consultation in order to determine how best
to go about it.
The Awo assured OÙsi¾nsôeôwa¾ that her dreams would come true and
she would be able to do what was at the back of her mind. She
was advised to offer ẹbọ with 200 fresh fowl eggs, 200 parrot
feathers, and one container. She complied. The eggs and the
parrot feathers were placed in the container and she was advised
to take it to the beach. She did. When she got to the beach, she
saw one Idi; tree and she placed the container at the foot of the
tree. She then employed the services of one hunter called O®Ùsu
ô ¾nnu;-
We¾re¾ to watch over the container.
As soon as this was done, people from far and near began to
settle in this land. Soon after this, they began to erect permanent
679
structures there. They deliberated on the name to give the new

town. They came up with I®lu;-E®ko;, that is, the land founded after
offering ẹbọ with eko, parrot feathers.
Le;kele;ke went to the hinterland and found out that there were
many people suffering from eye problems in the hinterland.
Le;kele;ke returned to report his findings. When O®Ùsôu¾nnu;-We¾re¾
heard of this, he said that if Idi; leaves were ground, dried, and re-
grounded into powder, the powder would be very effective for eye
problems. The root of the Idi; tree was also effective for washing
the eyes when soaked in water. He said that he would like to go to
the hinterland. He went for Ifá consultation. He was advised to go
but before that, he was asked to offer his small cap as ẹbọ. He
refused. He went to the hinterland and began to take care of the
people with eye problems. He succeeded.
One day, Le;kele;ke was mandated to go to the hinterland to care

for the people suffering from eye problems. He went for Ifá
consultation and all the recommended ẹbọ was offered. When he
got there, he met O®Ùsôu¾nnu;-We¾re¾. He demanded for O®Ùsôu¾nnu;-We¾re¾
mandate. When he didn’t produce the mandate, Le;kele;ke chased
him out of the land and O®Ùsôu¾nnu;-We¾re¾ lost everything to Le;kele;ke.
O®Ùsôu¾nnu;-We¾re¾ later turned himself to Ade;-Olo;ko.

Ka; ri¾n ni; gboôngan
B’o;ni; gboôngan ba; sôe ri¾n
Be;ôe¾ô ni¾ gboôngan re¾ô ri; ro;
Di;a; fu;n Baba Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾
Ti; n;sawo re’le; Ala;pa¾
O: n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ re;’ru¾ jeô
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru’boô
Ori; i; mi¾ yi¾i;
Ori; ire mi¾ o
I®wa¾ a¾ mi¾ yi¾i;
680
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
I®wa¾ ire mi¾ l’e;ôse¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾

Di;a; fu;n Ala;pa¾
Ni; Ka¾si¾ka¾si¾ a¾wu;ro¾ô
Ti; wo;ôn ni; ko; moô’le; oôla¾ sôi;le¾ô
O®un wa;a; moô’le; oôla¾ sôi;le¾ô ta;n
Owo; wa;a; ta;n
A®woôn ika;n ni;i; wa’le¾ô ni;i; k’o;ômoô si;
I®go¾n¾go¾ ni;i; bo ti;re¾ô mo;ô a¾a¾ta¾n
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùyi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô
Ti;i; sôoômoô Olo;kun Se¾ôn;iade;
O: n; mo;ju; eôku;n su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
Wo;ôn ni; ko; ma;a; loô so;de I®sôa;laye;
O®Ùna¾ to;ô ta¾a¾ra¾ ma; ya¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙsôi¾sôeôwa¾
Ti;;i; sô’eôru; O®Ùyi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Olo;kun Se¾ni;ade;
O®un le¾ ni;pa la;ye; lo; n; da¾fa¾ si;
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®fa¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;'ni; ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
Let us wake up with bracelets around our

wrists and ankles
Let us wake up with bracelets around our
wrists and ankles
The way a bracelet user walks
That is the way the bracelets will clang together
These were Ifá’s messages for Afi¾ja¾-gbe¾ru¾, He-who-
takes-ẹbọ-materials-with-force
When going on an Ifá mission to Ala;pa¾’s palace
681
And was lamenting his inability to find clients who

would bring ẹbọ materials to him
He complied
This destiny of mine
It is certainly a good destiny
This character of mine
It is the character that pleases Oba¾ri¾sôa¾
These were Ifá’s messages to Ala;pa¾
When he was advised to erect a house of prosperity
After erecting the house of prosperity
There was no more money
He complied
I®ka;n, the Ants dug into the ground and placed their
young ones there
I®go¾n¾go¾, the maggots placed their young ones inside
the refuse heap
These were Ifa;’s declarations to O®yi®nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to have
her own baby
They told her to go to the world
She complied
The straight unbending road
This was Ifa;’s declaration to OÙsi¾nsôeôwa¾
The servant of O®yi¾nsôe¾ôsôe¾ô
When going to get Ifa; consultation on whether she
would have prominence on earth or not
She complied
Travellers to I®po and O®fa¾
682
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

Ifá says that everything in the life of the person for whom this Odù
is revealed shall turn to joy as long as he/she refrains from
wearing little caps on his/her head. He/she shall succeed far
beyond his imaginations.
8. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of childbearing for a woman

who is looking for the blessing of the fruit of the womb. Ifá says
that when her womb opens, she will have more children than her
contemporaries. She will also be very proud and happy.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two hens, two female
bats, four rats, four fish, and money. The Awo needs to burn
the two bats together with Are;ôyi¾ngbo;ômoôpo¾ôn leaves and give it to
the woman to consume for seven days. She is to start using it as
soon as she finishes her menstruation.
Ifá however insists that the ẹbọ must be offered for this woman
very early in the morning. It must be done before the sun rises. If
the sun has risen already before the woman has arrived at the
Awo’s home, the ẹbọ must be postponed until the next day. If it is
difficult for the woman to arrive early, then arrangements must be
made for her to sleep in the home of the Awo or somewhere close
by.
Ej¾i¾ we;rô e;ôwe;ôre;ô ej¾i¾ aleô

I®ri¾ wo¾ôo¾ôwo¾ôo¾ô n’i¾ri¾ o¾wu;ro¾ô
A®ga;da;n¾godo o¾jo¾ ni;i; ro¾ô l’o;ôga¾njo;ô
Di;a; fu;n Oni;danyi¾n
OÙmoô af'a¾da;n sô’eôboô oômoô
I®gba¾ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r’o;ômoô bi;
683
Translation:
The gentle rainfall at night

And the heavy dew at dawn
Heavy downpour drops in the dead of the night
These were Ifa;’s declarations to Oni;danyi¾n
She who used bats to offer eôboô for childbearing
When she was weeping in lamentation for her inability
to beget her own baby
Oni;danyi¾n had everything going for her in her life except one
thing. She was successful in her business, she had a compatible
spouse who did not give her any trouble, she was the beloved of
her community, her health was good, but she had no child of her
own. As far as she was concerned, she was prepared to lose all
her worldly possessions in exchange for the blessing of a child
from Olo;du¾mare;. If she was advised to offer ẹbọ with all her
money, she would gladly do so.
One day, Oni;danyi¾n went to the home of the Awo mentioned

above for Ifá consultation: Would she be blessed with the fruit of
the womb? Would she be a proud mother of her own children?
Would she be lucky enough to be able to shower her love,
affection, care and attention on her own children and not waste
them on other people’s children? Would she escape the agony and
pain that women suffer who desire children but who are not able
to get them? These and many more questions were in the back of
the mind of Oni;danyi¾n.
The Awo told her that even though she was not happy at the time
that she had come for Ifá consultation, she would however
become happy because all her pains and wants would become
genuine and surplus. She was told that she had come into the
world to be happy and fulfilled. The Awo made it clear to her that
she came for Ifá consultation because she was having problems in
684
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
becoming pregnant. She was told that she would receive the
blessing of the fruit of the womb. Not only that, she would have
more children than all her colleagues who were proud mothers
already.
The Awo advised her to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She was told
that the ẹbọ must be offered at dawn before sunrise. She was told
that offering the ẹbọ at dawn would make her wishes come true.
The Awo explained that her destiny supported her offerings at
dawn more than at any other period. She was also urged to
initiate any move in her life at dawn because that was when all
what she would be doing would receive more approval.
She arrived at the Awos’ house at the time when the first Cock
crow was heard. Everything that was expected to be done for her
was finished before sunrise. The Awo also prepared the bats as
explained above for her and she went back to her home full of
expectations. She used the Ifá preparation as the Awo had
instructed her to do. To her utter surprise and joy she became
pregnant that very month. She gave birth to many children in
quick succession. In the end, she had her own children whom she
could shower her blessings, love, care, attention, and devotion on.
She lived and died a fulfilled woman.
Ej¾i¾ we;rô e;ôwe;ôre;ô ej¾i¾ aleô

I®ri¾ wo¾ôo¾ôwo¾ôo¾ô n’i¾ri¾ o¾wu;ro¾ô
A®ga;da;n¾godo o¾jo¾ ni;i; ro¾ô l’o;ôga¾njo;ô
Di;a; fu;n Oni;danyi¾n
OÙmoô af'a¾da;n sô’eôboô oômoô
I®gba¾ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r’o;ômoô bi;
O: gb’e;ôboô, o;’ru;boô
EÙ wa; a; ba; ni; ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô
Je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô la¾a; ba; ni¾ le;s ô e¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
N®je;ô eôni¾kan o¾ ri¾nka¾n
685
Ko; bi;’moô bi; Oni;danyi¾n ri;

Oni;danyi¾n de; o
OÙmoô afa¾da;n sôeôboô oômoô ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾
Translation:
The gentle rainfall at night

And the heavy dew at dawn
Heavy downpour drops in the dead of the night
These were Ifa;’s declarations to Oni;danyi¾n
She who used bats to offer eôboô for childbearing
When she was weeping in lamentation for her
inability to beget her own baby
She complied
Join us in the midst of great children
In the midst of great children does one
meet the followers of Oba¾ri¾sôa¾
Behold, nobody can make an effort
And give birth to as many children as
Oni;danyi¾n could do
She who uses bats as ẹbọ for childbearing very
early in the morning
Ifá assures this person that she will be blessed with several
beautiful children in her life. She will have more children than her
contemporaries. These children will be easy-going, gentle-headed,
God-fearing, and functional members of society.
9. Ifá says that there is someone where this Odù is revealed that
is suffering with a problem concerning their internal organs. This
ailment may be a stomach, kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas or
reproductive organ problem. Whatever the case may be, Ifá
assures the person suffering from this problem that he/she will
have relief. The problem has come as a result of his/her
consuming what is forbidden to him/her. This person must never
686
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
consume antelope or anything that resembles this animal again in

his/her life. He/she also needs to feed OÙba¾ta;la; regularly.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with a whole antelope, two
bottles of palm-oil, and money. The antelope will be used to
rub every part of his/her body, especially his/her stomach and
given out to the Elders of the Night whole.
On this, Ifá says:
K’a;sa; I:gu;n
O®Ùgbo¾ôlo¾ô ẹbọ¾lo¾ wo;ôn ki;i; ku; se;re;me¾re¾
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; n; loô s’o;gun Awo;ro;ko;-dinu;
Translation:
K’a;sa; I:gu;n
O®Ùgbo¾ôlo¾ô ebo¾lo¾ wo;ôn ki;i; ku; se;re;me¾re¾
This was the declaration of Ifa; to
O®o¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ (Oba¾ta;la;)
When going to wage war against the internal
organ problems
Many people were suffering from internal organ problems and they
were declaring that it must be the work of their enemies. This
would not be happening to them if not for their enemies that were
at work against them. Why must they be having constant stomach
problems? Why must some people be having kidney failure, some
pancreas malfunction, some be saddled with liver ailment, some
having menstrual pains, some having problems associated with
their reproductive organs, some having tempestuous blood
problems, and so on. Certainly, their enemies were at work. They
all trooped to Oba¾ta;la;’s home to come to their rescue.
687
Oba¾ta;la; took pity on them and decided to wage war on all the
internal organ problems they might be having. In order to win the
war, he decided to go to the home of the group of Awo mentioned
above for Ifá consultation. He wanted to know who or what was
responsible for their problems. He also wanted to know what he
needed to do in order to gain victory for the victims.
The Awo told Oba¾ta;la; that the problems being faced by the victims
were self-imposed. No witch or wizard or evil person or enemy
was responsible for their problems. They were the ones who were
consuming what was forbidden to them. The Awo told Oba¾ta;la;
that as long as they continued to consume EÙtu, Antelope, so long
would they continue to have internal organ problems.
The Awos advised Oba¾ta;la; to ensure that all the victims desist
from eating antelope and offer ẹbọ as stated above. They did. As
they used the antelope to rub their bodies, the ailments left and
entered the body of the antelope. That was how their ailments
disappeared and they regained their health and vitality.
K’a;sa; I:gu;n
O®Ùgbo¾ôlo¾ô ẹbọ¾lo¾ wo;ôn ki;i; ku; se;re;me¾re¾
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; n; loô s’o;gun Awo;ro;ko;-dinu;
Ko; pe;ô ko¾ jinna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni¾ ni; wo¾ôwo;ô ire gbogbo
Wo¾ôwo;ô ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni¾ leô;se¾ô Oba¾ri¾sa¾
N®je;ô Awo;ro;ko; to; n; beô ni;’ku¾n
Ko; bo;ô si;nu; eôtu o
Translation:
K’a;sa; I:gu;n
O®Ùgbo¾ôlo¾ô ebo¾lo¾ wo;ôn ki;i; ku; se;re;me¾re¾
This was the declaration of Ifa; to
688
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
O®o¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ (Oba¾ta;la;)

When going to wage war against the
internal organ problems
He complied
Join us where we will enjoy all Ire in life
Long life is what Ifá guarantees for all its adherents
Now, all internal ailments
Transfer yourselves into the stomach of the antelope
relief from any form of internal ailment he/she may be suffering
from.
10. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is
suffering from an ailment. Ifá says that the ailment will disappear
but this person has been miserly in the way that he/she handled
the problem. He/she needs to stop his/her tight-fisted attitude and
spend money on the ailment so that it will not be something that
will move round his/her body.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with a mature he-goat and
money. After this, he/she needs to feed the Elders of the
Night with another mature he-goat. This particular he-goat
will be slaughtered and the skin will be roasted. The charcoal
made by the skin of the he-goat will be grinded and mixed with
O®ri;, shea butter.
This particular stanza will then be recited on Iyerosun and mixed
with the shea butter. The preparation will then be given to this
person to use in rubbing all parts of his/her body regularly.
The goat itself will be sliced open and a lot of palm-oil will be
poured into it and be given to the Elders of the Night.
689
On this, Ogbe¾-SÙo¾o;to;ô says:
Bi; OÙloô¾gbe¾ôri¾ ba; gbo;ôn l’a;gboô¾n-o;ônju¾

Babala;wo ni;i; r’a;je; e; jeôun
Di;a; fu;n Arunduu¾lu¾
Ti; n; sôawo re’le; Olo;ge¾le;
Translation:
When the un-initiated person proclaims that he is wiser

than others
The Babala;wo will be the one to have financial gain
These were the declarations of Ifa; to Arunduu¾lu¾
When going on an Ifa; mission to Olo;ge¾le;’s palace
It began as a minor pain in Olo;ge¾le;’s right forearm. He took no

notice of it. A few days after this, the pains and inconveniences
became unbearable. Olo;ge¾le;, the OÙba of O®ge¾le¾ land was not used
to any form of discomfort in any way whatsoever. He began to
howl and snap at everyone. When this failed to bring him relief, he
invited Arunduu¾lu¾, a very prominent Awo at that period for Ifá
consultation. When Arunduu¾lu¾ got Olo;ge¾le;’s message, he went to
the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá
consultation. All he wanted to know was how successful his trip to
Olo;ge¾le;’s palace would be.
The Awo told Arunduu¾lu¾ to go there and that he would succeed in

his mission to Olo;ge¾le;’s palace. He was however told that Olo;ge¾le;
was someone who had the belief that he was wiser than all other
people and he would try to outwit Arunduu¾lu¾. He would even try
to teach Arunduu¾lu¾ how to perform his work. The Awos told
Arunduu¾lu¾ to be very patient with Olo;ge¾le;. They explained to him
that the smartness of Olo;ge¾le; would make him, Olo;ge¾le;, to spend
more money than he otherwise would have spent. Arunduu¾lu¾ was
690
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
advised to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two roosters, and money
before he went on his journey. He offered the ẹbọ immediately.
When Arunduu¾lu¾ got to Olo;ge¾le;’s palace, he cast Ifá for Olo;ge¾le; as

requested. He told Olo;ge¾le; that he, Olo;ge¾le; was experiencing
discomfort and pain. Olo;ge¾le; was assured that he would get relief.
He was advised to offer ẹbọ with a mature he-goat and money.
Olo;ge¾le; looked at Arunduu¾lu¾ straight in the face and felt that he

detected intention to cheat. He decided that he would offer the
ẹbọ alright, but he was totally determined not to offer it the Awo’s
way. He reasoned that he was having discomfort in his right arm.
Why must he procure a whole he-goat for that? He concluded that
the Awo was trying to cheat him and he decided to prove to the
Awo that he Olo;ge¾le; was not someone to be cheated that easily.
He procured the he-goat, ordered his domestic servant to
slaughter the animal and remove the right foreleg. This was done.
He asked Arunduu¾lu¾ to offer ẹbọ for him with the forearm of the
he-goat.
When Arunduu¾lu¾ saw this, he kept quiet and did as Olo;ge¾le;

wanted. When the offering was completed, Olo;ge¾le; felt instant
relief. He felt he was the smartest person on earth, who knew how
to outsmart all other people. The second day however, the pains
and discomfort moved from the right arm and settled in the left
arm. The pain became more excruciating. He could not withstand
the pains. He snapped at everyone in the palace to get hold of
Arunduu¾lu¾ for him. When he came, he was ordered to cast Ifá for
him, Olo;ge¾le;. When Arunduu¾lu¾ consulted, Ogbe¾-OÙsa; was revealed
again. Arunduu¾lu¾ told Olo;ge¾le; that the pains would disappear. He
advised Olo;ge¾le; to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money.
Olo;ge¾le; in turn ordered for the he-goat, slaughtered it and
removed the left arm for ẹbọ.
691
Arunduu¾lu¾ offered the ẹbọ for Olo;ge¾le; as he had ordered. He felt

instant relief. The next day however, an excruciating pain in his
right leg woke him up. He screamed. He called all his domestic
servants all sorts of names. He ordered them to go and bring him
Arunduu¾lu¾. When Arunduu¾lu¾ arrived, he was ordered to cast Ifá
for Olo;ge¾le;. He did. Ogbe¾-OÙsa; was revealed once more. He
assured Olo;ge¾le; that his pains would disappear but he needed to
offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. Olo;ge¾le; ordered
for the animal, slaughtered it and presented the right hind leg of
the animal to Arunduu¾lu¾ for ẹbọ.
Arunduu¾lu¾ offered the ẹbọ for Olo;ge¾le;. Again, he felt instant relief.
The next day, all the pains had settled in his left leg. Again,
Arunduu¾lu¾ was invited to cast Ifá. Again, Ifá was consulted. Again,
Ogbe¾-OÙsa; was revealed. Again, ẹbọ of one he-goat and money
was recommended. Again, Olo;ge¾le; procured the he-goat,
slaughtered it and removed the left hind leg. Again, he presented
it to Arunduu¾lu¾ to use to offer ẹbọ for him. Again, the ẹbọ was
offered. Again, he felt instant relief. Again, the pain settled in his
chest the next day.
That was how Olo;ge¾le; slaughtered eight he-goats for ẹbọ and the
pain was moving from one part of his body to another. Again, he
invited Arunduu¾lu¾ to cast Ifá for him. Arunduu¾lu¾ came and again,
Ogbe¾-OÙsa; was revealed. The Awo told Olo;ge¾le; to offer ẹbọ with
one mature he-goat and money. This infuriated Olo;ge¾le; this time
around. How many times will you receive he-goat from me? How
many he-goats must I offer as ẹbọ before I get relief from the
pain? Olo;ge¾le; asked Arunduu¾lu¾ in anger and frustration.
Arunduu¾lu¾ quietly answered Olo;ge¾le;, “Ka;bi;e¾si;, you have not

offered ẹbọ with a whole he-goat, all what you have been doing is
bringing me parts of animals. What Ifá recommended was one
mature he-goat and not part of one. Olo;ge¾le; remained silent for a
692
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
very long time. In the end, he ordered his domestic servants to

procure one mature he-goat and hand it over to Arunduu¾lu¾.
At last, Arunduu¾lu¾ offered ẹbọ for Olo;ge¾le; with a mature he-goat

and money. While the ẹbọ was being offered however, Olo;ge¾le;
began to plead to Arunduu¾lu¾ saying:
Bo; s’apa; lo; ku¾ si;

Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾
A®ru¾n Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Bo; sôe eôsôeô¾ lo; ku¾ si;
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arun Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Bo; sôe ori; lo; ku¾ si;
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾;
Arun Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Bo; sôe oôru¾n lo; ku¾ si;
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arun Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Bo; sôe e¾ôyi¾n lo; ku¾ si;
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arun Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Bo; sôe i¾di; lo; ku¾ si;
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arun Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Oun tó bá ku¾ si;
693
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arun Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Translation:
If it is the arms that remain

Please speak out and say so
Arunduu¾lu¾
The ailment of Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
If it is the legs that remain
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arunduu¾lu¾
If it is the head that remains
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arunduu¾lu¾
If it is the neck that remains
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arunduu¾lu¾
If it is the back that remains
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arunduu¾lu¾
If it is the buttocks that remains
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arunduu¾lu¾
Anything that remains
Arunduu¾lu¾
694
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

Arunduu¾lu¾
As Olo;ge¾le; was saying so, Arunduu¾lu¾ was using the ẹbọ materials
to touch every part of Olo;ge¾le;’s body. In the end, all parts of
Olo;ge¾le;’s body were touched with the corresponding part of the
he-goat. In the end, Olo;ge¾le; felt relief in all the parts of his body
and he became well once again.
Bi; OÙloô¾gbe¾ôri¾ ba; gbo;ôn l’a;gboô¾n-o;ônju¾

Babala;wo ni;i; r’a;je; e; jeôun
Di;a; fu;n Arunduu¾lu¾
Ti; n; sôawo re’le; Olo;ge¾le;
Bo; s’apa; lo; ku¾ si;
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾
A®ru¾n Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Bo; sôe eôsôeô¾ lo; ku¾ si;
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arun Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Bo; sôe ori; lo; ku¾ si;
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾;
Arun Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Bo; sôe oôru¾n lo; ku¾ si;
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arun Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Bo; sôe e¾ôyi¾n lo; ku¾ si;
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arun Ogbe¾-sa;
695
Arunduu¾lu¾
Bo; sôe i¾di; lo; ku¾ si;
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arun Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Oun tó bá ku¾ si;
Ki; o wi; o
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arun Ogbe¾-sa;
Arunduu¾lu¾
Translation:
When the un-initiated person proclaims that he

is wiser than others
The Babaláwo will be the one to have financial gain
These were the declarations of Ifá to Arunduu¾lu¾
When going on an Ifá mission to Olo;ge¾lé’s palace
He complied
If it is the arms that remain
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arunduu¾lu¾
If it is the legs that remain
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arunduu¾lu¾
If it is the head that remains
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arunduu¾lu¾
If it is the neck that remains
Arunduu¾lu¾
696
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

Arunduu¾lu¾
If it is the back that remains
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arunduu¾lu¾
If it is the buttocks that remains
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arunduu¾lu¾
Anything that remains
Arunduu¾lu¾
Arunduu¾lu¾
Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that his/her
ailments will disappear. He/she needs to abide by and comply with
the advice of the Awo and desist from doing it his/her own way. If
he/she fails to comply with Ifá’s directives as stated by the Awo,
he/she may end up prolonging his/her suffering and spending
more than what he/she would normally have spent.
11. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of the blessing of the fruit of
the womb for a woman where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that
the baby coming is a leader from heaven. Ifá assures the parents
of the baby coming that when the baby grows to be an adult,
he/she will have the ability to coordinate the affairs of men on
earth. He/she will be able to provide leadership and direction for
organizations, communities, societies, and even the country as a
whole.
697
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish,
two pigeons, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá as
appropriate.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ sa;a¾
Ogbe¾ su;u¾
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾se¾ôgi¾
Ti; yo;o; lo;yu;n ala;pe;si¾n ni;nu;
Translation:
Ogbe¾ sa;a¾
Ogbe¾ su;u¾
These were Ifa;’s declarations to O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾seô¾gi¾,
the robust palm tree
Who would be blessed with pregnancy and
have a leader
O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾seô¾gi was an unassuming woman. She was also honest,

truthful, pious, humble, patient, and dedicated to the cause of Ifá
and all the Irunmole and Ori¾sôa. She had never for once been
found wanting in her duties. Her life was very straight forward.
Her ways were simple but pragmatic. She was the pride of her
husband, household, and community.
One day, she became pregnant. She was full of joy. The
community was also happy for her. By the time that the pregnancy
was three months old, she had been feeling funny in every part of
her body. For this reason, she went to the home of the Awo stated
above for Ifá consultation: Will I have a safe delivery?
The Awo assured her that she would certainly have a safe delivery.
Not only that, she would also be able to give the baby the best
698
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
training when the baby grew up. She was assured that the whole
society would be proud of her and her baby. The Awo made it
clear to O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾se¾ôgi¾ that Olo;du¾mare; had deliberately blessed her
with pregnancy as compensation for the good deeds she had been
doing in the society. She was assured that she would not regret
giving birth to the baby. She was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated
above. She complied.
By the time this baby was four years old, it was clear that he was
a leader from heaven. He knew how to organize other children. He
also knew how to ensure that the household chores reserved for
kids in the home were performed.
When he became 11 years old, he was the undisputed leader of

his group. He led and other children followed. Even those who
were much older than him also followed his footsteps. By the time
he was 25 years old, he was made the leader of the youths in the
area. He never disappointed anyone. When he grew up to full
adulthood, everyone knew that he would soon become the leader
of the whole community. When the leader died, all eyes were on
the son of O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾se¾ôgi¾. Ifá was consulted and he was chosen by
Ifá to become the new leader of the society. That was the time
that O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾se¾ôgi¾ was compensated fully for all her good deeds in
the society. She became the proudest, happiest and most fulfilled
woman of her time.
Ogbe¾ sa;a¾
Ogbe¾ su;u¾
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾se¾ôgi¾
Ti; yo;o; lo;yu;n ala;pe;si¾n ni;nu;
N®je;ô oyu;n ti; eô ri; nni¾
OÙba ni¾ o
O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾seô¾gi¾ lo; l’o;yu;n ala;pesi¾n ni;nu;
Oyu;n oôjoô nni¾
Oba lo; jeô o
699
Translation:
Ogbe¾ sa;a¾
Ogbe¾ su;u¾
These were Ifa;’s declarations to O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾seô¾gi¾,
the robust palm tree
Who would be blessed with pregnancy and
have a leader
She complied
Now, the pregnancy of that day
Becomes an Ϙba today
O®Ùpe¾ô se¾ôgi¾seô¾gi¾ was the one who was blessed
with pregnancy and had a leader
The pregnancy of that day
Becomes an Ϙba today
compensated with a child who will become the leader of the
community in the future.
12. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will
marry a woman who will turn his life around for the better. This
woman will be tall, but she must never be taller than him and
must not be too short either. Ifá says that this woman will have a
very strong character which the husband may find extremely
difficult to cope with it at times. Ifá enjoins the man to be very
patient with the woman, because she has come into his life to
make him great, honourable, and successful. He needs not lay too
much emphasis on her strong and incorrigible character. He needs
to consider the fact that the woman has come to improve his life.
Ifá advises this man to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two hens,
two guinea fowls, one hen, two rats and two fish.
Conversely, the woman involved in this Odù needs to play it cool

with her man and ensure that she does not make it difficult at all
700
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
for the man to enjoy her and the relationship between the two of
them, she must learn composure and to be non-confrontational.
Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with four roosters, two
guinea fowls, two pigeons, and money. She also needs to
feed Ifá with two rats, two fish and one hen.
If the woman involved in this relationship where Ogbe¾ O®Ùsôa is

revealed, is a very short woman (relative to him), the relationship
will not work out well. Simultaneously, if the woman is taller than
her man, it will not work out well.
A®do; i¾ja;mo¾ô, abeônu Ku;lu;we

Di;a; Fu;n O®ru;nmi¾la;
Ifá; n¾ loô re¾e; gbe; Ele;ri¾mo¾ô n’i;ya¾wo;
Translation:

He was the one who cast Ifá for O®ru;nmi¾la;
When going to take Ele;n¾mo, the Recalcitrant woman
as his wife
O®ru;nmi¾la; wanted a woman who would assist him and at the same
time compliment all his efforts. When he met Ele;n¾mo¾ô, the
Recalcitrant woman, he went for Ifá consultation in order to
determine if that was the woman that he really needed in his life.
The Awo consulted Ifá and told O®ru;nmi¾la that if the woman in
question was tall but not taller than him and not too short, then
that was the woman for him. He was also told that this woman
would be troublesome and very heady. The woman however had
the aura that increased the success chances of her man. She
would also be ready to do anything to ensure that her man
701
succeeded. O®ru;nmi¾la was advised to offer ẹbọ stated above. He

complied.
As soon as Ele;n¾mo¾ô got to O®ru;nmi¾la’s home, she moved in with her

bundle of trouble and success. As she brought O®ru;nmi¾la trouble,
so also did she bring him success. O®ru;nmi¾la became wealthy, all
the children that she had for O®ru;nmi¾la were great and successful.
O®ru;nmi¾la had a magnificent mansion. He had both male and
female horses. He also had people trooping in to complain against
Ele;n¾mo¾ô from far and near due to her behaviour.

Di;a; Fu;n O®ru;nmi¾la
Ifá; n¾ loô re¾e; gbe; Ele;ri¾mo¾ô n’i;ya¾wo;
O: gb’e;ôboô, o;’ru;boô
N® ba; le¾ lo;wo; lo;wo; bi; Ele;n¾mo¾ô
Ma yo¾ô
A®do; I®ja;mo¾ô, Abeônu ku;lu;we
Ma yo¾ô
Ma yo¾ô
Ma yo¾ô
Ma yo¾ô
Translation:

He was the one who cast Ifá for O®ru;nmi¾la;
When going to take Ele;n¾mo, the
Recalcitrant-woman as his wife
702
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;

He complied
If I could be blessed with wealth like Ele;n¾mo¾ô
I would be very happy
If I could be blessed with many great children like
Ele;n¾mo¾ô
If I could be blessed with mansions like Ele;n¾mo¾ô
¾ o¾ô
If I had several horses like Ele;nm
If I could be blessed with all Ire of life like Ele;n¾mo¾ô
Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that they will
have cause to celebrate. The wife in this man’s life will increase his
success chances too.
13. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer
ẹbọ so that he/she will not have the problem of giving birth to
Abi;ku; children - that is, children who are destined to die young.
with one mature he-goat and money. The head of the he-goat
will be placed inside a calabash and a handful of Roro¾ leaves will
be placed inside the calabash together with the head of the
slaughtered he-goat to cover the head completely. The calabash
will then be covered with its lid and the covered calabash will be
buried in the ground. If this is done, the problem of having an
703
Abi;ku; will disappear from the life of the person for whom this Odù
is revealed.
On this, Ifá says:
A®gba¾gbo¾ si; ba¾n¾ba¾

A®gba¾gbo¾ le; ba¾n¾ba¾
Di;a; fu;n la;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo
E®yi¾ ti; n; bi;moô
Ti;’le¾ô n; gba¾a;
Translation:
The awkward flight of the Hoopoe bird

And the awkward landing of the Hoopoe bird
This was the Ifá cast for La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo
She who had been giving birth to babies
But whom the ground had been snatching her
babies away from her
It was not as if La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo was not blessed with the fruit of
the womb. As a matter of fact, she had been blessed with many
babies. However, she had no baby of her own to show for her
being blessed with several births. Why? The babies usually died
before they were up to one year old. As soon as they died, people
would be digging into the ground and burying them. Her neighbors
were making jest of her by saying that her babies were being
snatched away from her by the ground. This would make her cry
endlessly.
One particular day, she discovered to her fear and concern that
she had just missed her menstrual period. She had had seven
pregnancies and births before. All the children died before they
were 10 months old. Would this one be like the others? What must
she do to prevent this from happening to her again? Did it mean
704
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
that she did not choose children as part of her destiny? Were her
enemies real and/or imaginary responsible for her misfortunes?
Would she become a blessed mother like most of her
contemporaries? These were the nagging questions at the back of
her mind when she went to the home of the two Awo mentioned
above for Ifá consultation.
The Awo told La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo that she truly had a problem with
Abi;ku;. She was warned not to think that anyone was responsible
for her problems. Rather, it was the problem of Abi;ku; that must be
put an end to in her life. She was told that the ground must be
appealed to in order to stop the swallowing of her babies. La;n¾n;de;
O®ri¾gbo was advised to procure one mature he-goat and money.
The Awo promised to get the remaining ẹbọ materials for her. She
complied. The he-goat was slaughtered as the head was placed in
the calabash as stated above. The calabash was then burned in
the ground.
As this was done, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ went to the mother earth and told
her that La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo had come to plead with Ile, the ground,
for her not to swallow her babies any longer. He said that she had
replaced the head of her coming baby with that of a mature he-
goat and that it was forbidden for the divinities to take the head of
anything twice for the same purpose. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ explained further
that for La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo to be able to give birth to her babies safely
and for the babies to survive till their matured and old, she had
come to give Ile¾ô Roro¾ leaves and the head of a mature he-goat as
a symbol of her solemn appeal to the mother earth to please spare
her babies from untimely death.
From that day, the mother earth decreed that none of the babies
that La;n¾nd
; e; O®ri¾gbo would beget would die young. From that day,
all the children that La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo gave birth to lived to their old
age. From that day, the agony of Abi;ku; births disappeared from
the life of La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo.
705
A®gba¾gbo¾ si; ba¾n¾ba¾

A®gba¾gbo¾ le; ba¾n¾ba¾
Di;a; fu;n la;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo
E®yi¾ ti; n; bi;moô
Ti;’le¾ô n; gba¾a;
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni¾ ni; wo¾ôwo;ô oômoô
Wo¾ôwo;ô oômoô la¾a; ba; ni¾ le;s
ô e¾ô Oba¾ri¾sôa;
N®je; tani¾ yo;o; ba; ni¾ beô’le¾ô
Ewe; Olu;ron¾ro
Ka¾sôa¾i¾ ba; ni¾ beô’le¾ô
Ewe; Olu;ron¾ro
Translation:
The awkward flight of the Hoopoe bird

And the awkward landing of the Hoopoe bird
This was the Ifá cast for La;n¾n;de; O®ri¾gbo
She who had been giving birth to babies
But whom the ground had been snatching her babies
away from her
She complied
Join us in the midst of several children
Being in the midst of several children is what Ifá
guarantees for its adherents
Now, who will help me appeal to Ile¾ô (the ground)?
Ewe; Olu;ron¾ro, the Roro¾ leaves
Cannot but assist in appealing to Ile¾ô
Ewe; Olu;ron¾ro, the Roro¾ leaves
706
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will stop
crying over the death of his/her babies at premature ages. He/she
shall be blessed with children who will live with him/her to his/her
old age and will continue to be living when he/she has passed on.
14. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs
to offer ẹbọ to overcome what has been a cause of agitation and
concern in his/her life. Ifá says that the problem may be in his/her
dreams or even it may be in real life. The important thing is that
he/she is bound to overcome if he/she offers ẹbọ as prescribed
here.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with three roosters and
money. He/she also needs to think, speak, and act boldly at all
times. This will make him/her overcome all his/her agitations and
concerns.
On this, Ifá says:
Ibi¾ a pe; gbe;gbe; o; ma; gbe¾e;

Ibe¾ ni¾ le; e gbe;gbe;
Ibi¾ a pe; te¾ôte¾ô o; ma;ô te¾ô
Ibe¾ ni¾ a¾ sa¾i¾ te¾ô
Ibi¾ a pe; ki; e¾ku¾ya; o; ma; wa¾
Ni;be¾ô ni¾ yo;o; h’ewu; ori; re¾ô si; gburugburu
Di;a; fu;n O®gbo¾ôo¾ôgbo¾ô A®gbo¾ônri;n
Ti; yo;o; gbe’gbo; eôku¾n
Ti; yo;o; la¾bu;
Translation:
If we ever insist that gbe;gbe; should not stay

That is where gbe;gbe; will stay and make its home
Where we say that te¾ôte¾ô must not step into
That is where it will insist on stepping
Where we declare that e¾ku¾ya; must not be
707
That is where it will stay until it grows grey

hair on its head
These were the declarations of Ifa; to the
robust A®gbo¾ônri;n (the deer)
Who would stay in the forest inhabited by the leopard
And become successful
The mighty leopard was the king of the jungle. He could move
freely on the ground and could also jump from tree to tree. The
mere presence of the leopard was enough to send all the animals
in the jungle scrambling for cover. No animal dare confront the
leopard without wearing its clothes covered with its own blood.
It was however inside the same jungle that O®gbo¾ôo¾ôgbo¾ô A®gbo¾ônri;n

(the robust deer) planned to stay, live, and grow up to his old age.
The fear of the leopard usually sent shivers down his spine. What
must he do in order to live side by side with the leopard without
being killed or seriously harmed? He thought about it and found it
difficult to see how that could possibly happen. When he could
find no answer, he decided to go for Ifá consultation in the home
of the group of Awo mentioned above. Would he be able to live
successfully in the jungle with the leopard?
The Awo told A®gbo¾ônri;n that even though he was fearful of the
mighty leopard, he would nonetheless be able to live with him in
the jungle. He was told never to allow fear or uncertainty to take
away his initiative from him. He must roar if the leopard roared.
He must bully whenever the leopard bullied. He must be ready for
a confrontation whenever any animal put up a fight. He must be
bold and unassuming. He was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated
above. The robust deer complied.
Ever since that day, the leopard, as mighty and powerful as he is,
will not drive the robust deer away from the jungle. They stayed,
708
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
lived, and grew old in the jungle. They both maintained their
separate colonies without interference.
Ibi¾ a pe; gbe;gbe; o; ma; gbe¾e;

Ibe¾ ni¾ le; e gbe;gbe;
Ibi¾ a pe; te¾ôte¾ô o; ma;ô te¾ô
Ibe¾ ni¾ a¾ sa¾i¾ te¾ô
Ibi¾ a pe; ki; e¾ku¾ya; o; ma; wa¾
Ni;be¾ô ni¾ yo;o; h’ewu; ori; re¾ô si; gburugburu
Di;a; fu;n O®gbo¾ôo¾ôgbo¾ô A®gbo¾ônri;n
Ti; yo;o; gbe’gbo; eôku¾n
Ti; yo;o; la¾bu;
Ko¾ pe;ô ko; ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ka; ni¾ la;ru¾u;sôe;ô ogun
A®ja¾sôe¾ ogun la¾ a; ba; ni¾ le;sô e¾ô OÙbarisôa;
N®jeô; wo gbe;le; eôku¾n, mo di¾’win
Mo gb’e;le; eôku¾n mo di¾’win
O®Ùgbo¾ôo¾ôgbo¾ô a¾gbo¾ônri;n lo; gbe;le; eôku¾n lo; la¾bi;n
Mo gbe;le; eôku¾n, mo di¾’win
Translation:
If we ever insist that gbe;gbe; should not stay

That is where gbe;gbe; will stay and make its home
Where we say that te¾ôte¾ô must not step into
That is where it will insist on stepping
Where we declare that e¾ku¾ya; must not be
That is where it will stay until it grows grey hair
on its head
These were the declarations of Ifa; to the
robust A®gbo¾ônri;n (the deer)
Who would stay in the forest inhabited by the leopard
And become successful
He complied
709
In the midst of victory does one meet the devotees

of the holy OÙbarisôa;
Behold, I stay in the jungle of the leopard and I
become a phenomenon
I stay in the home of the leopard and I turn into a
phenomenon
The robust deer is he who stays in the forest of the
mighty leopard
And becomes a phenomenon
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall
become a phenomenon right in the midst of all his/her
antagonists. He/she shall succeed and accomplish all his/her
missions in life while he/she is in the midst of envy and opposition.
15. Ifá cautions the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to
challenge any tribulation or confront any suffering, just or unjust,
that may be meted to him/her. This will make him/her achieve
his/her goals in life. Ifá urges this person to pretend to not see
cheating and injustice that is occurring against him/her. He/she
needs to hear and act as if he/she does not hear anything. He/she
is to know and pretend to be ignorant of everything happening
around him/her. If he/she can do this, he/she will be blessed with
all the ire of life.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two hens, two pigeons,
two guinea-fowls, two roosters, two ducks, four rats, four
fish, and money.
O®Ùro;ôke;ôsôe;ô owo; ni;i; bale¾ô ni;i; ro; i¾ke;ôsôe;ô-i¾ke;ôsôe;ô

E®e¾ru¾n o¾ ni¾ka¾n ya;na¾, Awo e¾ôba; o¾ôna¾
I®mu;n¾mu;na; o¾ be¾ôe¾ôru¾ o¾ku¾nku¾n
O: gbe;’raa re¾ô si; gbangba
Di;a; fu;n Aye;eke;ô
710
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô oô wo;nô l’E:Ùla¾-odo¾

EÙboô a¾sôeyoôri; ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The bag filled with money hit the ground and made a
dull sound
The ant will not cross the road alone, the Awo
of the road-side
The willow wisp has no fear of darkness
It makes itself visible to all
This were Ifá’s messages to Aye;eke;ô
Their daughter at the river-side
She was advised to offer ẹbọ for accomplishment
A new I®ya;lo;de must be installed. I®ya;lo;de is the title reserved for

the most enterprising, the most accommodating, and the most
charismatic woman of a town. She was the head and leader of all
the women in a town. The person who would occupy this position
would be very powerful. Like an Ϙba, anything she said or did
among other women could never be challenged.
The king-makers were considering three women in the town for

the position of I®ya;lo;de. Aye;eke;ô was one of them. For one, Aye;eke;ô
had a very stable home. Everyone in the town knew that Aye;eke;ô
was the pillar behind the success and elevation of her husband
and children. She had also pulled many of her siblings as well as
her husband’s relatives to success. She also had many enemies.
Most of her enemies were those who were envious of her because
they could not understand why and how she had moved up so
quickly. The other group of people who hated her were those who
felt that they ought to be in the position she was, which they could
not be.
The king-makers had their eyes on Aye;eke;ô more than the other
two contestants. They however decided to set ordeals and tests
for the three women to undergo. They tried her in many ways.
When she began to feel the pressure, she went for Ifá
711
consultation. The reason why she went for Ifá consultation was to
know for certain why she was being subjected to attack, insult,
ridicule, and humiliation. She was not even aware that she was
being investigated for the possible title conferment.
The Awo told her that they saw many great things ahead of her.
She was advised not to challenge any tribulations or suffering
meted out to her. They assured her that all would end up in her
favor. She was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She
complied and kept her cool in the presence of pressure.
One day, the king-makers met to deliberate for the last time. They
considered the three candidates and Aye;eke;ô was unanimously
chosen. That was how Aye;eke;ô became the next I®ya;lo;de in the
land. That was how all the power, authority, and privileges
attached to the position went to Aye;eke;ô. She lived and enjoyed
the benefits of her position for the rest of her life.
O®Ùro;ôke;ôsôe;ô owo; ni;i; bale¾ô ni;i; ro; i¾ke;ôsôe;ô-i¾ke;ôsôe;ô

E®e¾ru¾n o¾ ni¾ka¾n ya;na¾, Awo e¾ôba; o¾ôna¾
I®mu;n¾mu;na; o¾ be¾ôe¾ôru¾ o¾ku¾nku¾n
O: gbe;’raa re¾ô si; gbangba
Di;a; fu;n Aye;eke;ô
Ti;i; sô’oômoô oô wo;n ô l’E:Ùla¾-odo¾
EÙboô a¾sôeyoôri; ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
EÙ wa;a; ba;ini¾ b’a;yoô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®je;ô Aye;eke;ô de; o¾
OÙmoô E®Ùla¾-odo¾
OÙmoô E®Ùla¾-odo¾
Aye;eke;ô de;
Ko; ma; ko¾’ba¾je;ô
Ko; ma; da’re wo¾ônyi; nu¾ o
712
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
Translation:
The bag filled with money hit the ground and

made a dull sound
The ant will not cross the road alone, the Awo
of the road-side
The willow wisp has no fear of darkness
It makes itself visible to all
This were Ifá’s messages to Aye;eke;ô
Their daughter at the river-side
She was advised to offer ẹbọ for accomplishment
She complied
Come and see all Ire in life
Now, here comes Aye;eke;ô
The daughter of El®Ùa¾-odo¾
The child of E®Ùla¾-odo¾
Here comes Aye;eke;ô
Do not challenge your tribulations
Do not lose all these incoming Ire of life
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be the
recipient of all Ire of life. He/she needs not be too conscious of
his/her fundamental human rights. His/her resilience will see
him/her to the very top of destiny in life.
16. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed owed a
huge amount in heaven before he/she came into the world.
He/she has not paid his/her debt. If he/she is experiencing
restlessness and lack of peace of mind in life, it is a result of
his/her failure to offset this debt that he/she owed from heaven.
Ifá says that this person came into the world with the highest Orí
that anyone could possibly possess but he/she did not pay fully for
it. That is why this person is having problems.
713
Ifá advises this person to procure a handsome amount of

money and give it to his/her Awo as his/her money for
offsetting his/her debt in heaven. As soon as this is done,
his/her problems, anxieties, uncertainties, and lack of peace of
mind will give way to comfort, accomplishment, contentment, and
joy.
On this, Ogbe¾-O®Ùsa; says:
Aru;gba; Ifá; je¾je;, Awo Odo¾ Olu;weôri

Amo;su¾n, Awo O®de O®n¾ko¾
A®ja¾lu; ere;ke¾ ni;i; yo¾ô’wo lo;ri; ganran-ga¾nra¾n-ganran
Di;a; fu;n Aki;nra¾ja¾
Ti;i; sô’oô¾re;ô Aje;bu¾u;re;
Translation:
Aru;gba; Ifa; je¾je;,the Awo Odo¾ Olu;weôri

Amo;su¾n,the Awo O®de O®n¾ko¾ Land
A®ja¾lu; ere;ke¾ is it that sprouts horns in its head
menacingly
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Aki;nra¾ja;
The friend of Aje;gbu¾u;re;
Aki;nra¾ja; and Aje;gbu¾u;re; were bosom friends. On the other hand,

Aje;gbu¾u;re; was the son of A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n who was the molder of the
Orí in which everyone’s destiny was encased. Whatever the
individual paid determined the type of Orí they would be given.
One day, Aki;nra¾ja; planned to travel to the world. He told his friend
Aje;gbu¾u;re; that he was going to the world to live. He pleaded with
his friend Aje;gbu¾u;re; to help him talk to A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n, his father, to
give him Aki;nra¾ja; the best Orí anyone could ever have in the
world. Both of them, Aki;nra¾ja; and Aje;gbu¾ur; e; went to A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n
to plead for Aki;nra¾ja; to be given the highest Orí. A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n told
714
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
them that the highest Orí cost 15 bags of cowries. One bag
contained 20,000 cowries. Unfortunately, Aki;nra¾ja; only had six
bags in his possession. Aje;gbu¾u;re; insisted that his friend must get
the highest Orí. He kept pleading with his father to allow Aki;nra¾ja;
to go to the world with the Orí and that he would pay the
remaining nine bags of cowries when he arrived on earth and was
solvent enough to pay the remaining amount. After much
pleading, A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n released the Orí to Aki;nra¾ja;.
When Aki;nra¾ja; left heaven and arrived on earth, he held onto the
tree known as “Igi;-I®gba¾gbe;” “The tree of forgetfulness”. When he
came into the world, he forgot about his debt. He was going about
his normal duties and became a very successful man. He was so
successful that his reputation was known the world over. He was
even known to be a successful man in heaven. A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n also
heard that Aki;nra¾ja; had become very successful on earth. He even
heard that there was nothing that he touched that would not come
out successfully. He was expecting Aki;nra¾ja; to come and pay the 9
remaining bags of cowries he owed but he Aki;nra¾ja; was nowhere
to be found.
Tired of waiting endlessly, A®ja¾la¾-mo¾ôpi;n summoned his son to his

presence and demanded for the loan that Aki;nra¾ja; owed him.
Aje;gbu¾u;re; pleaded with his father to give his friend more time to
pay. Five years after, Aki;nra¾ja; still had not paid the loan. A®ja¾la¾-
mo¾ôpi;n ordered his son to proceed to the world to stay with
Aki;nra¾ja;. He must follow him everywhere he went. He must make
sure that he stopped him from having any peace of mind until he
refunded the money he owed.
As soon as Aje;gbu¾u;re; arrived on earth and found Aki;nra¾ja;, the

world of collapsed. There was nothing he did that seemed right
anymore. He did not feel comfortable any longer. Those who had
been his admirers had turned to become his antagonists. His
friends turned into his enemies. His business collapsed. His health
715
failed. His hopes and aspirations were dashed right before his
eyes. Tired of living this way, he went for Ifá consultation. What
can I do to bring my life back to normal? The Awo told Aki;nra¾ja;
that he was having problems because he owed a huge amount in
heaven which he had failed to pay.
To return his life to normal, he needed to set aside a handsome
amount of money and give it to the Awo to help him announce to
the heavenly beings that he had paid his loan.
On that particular day, while Aki;nra¾ja; was in the home of the Awo,
Aje;gbu¾u;re; was outside waiting for him. He had all along been
following him everywhere he went but Aje;gbu¾u;re; would not follow
his friend into the home of the Awo.
He stayed outside waiting for Aki;nra¾ja; to come out. As soon as
Aki;nra¾ja; made up his mind to pay the money, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ began to
sing, saying;
He said:
Olo;wo; Ori; n; pe¾ o;ô lo;de o he¾ he; e¾ e¾!

Aki;nra¾ja;, Olo; wo Ori; n; pe¾ o;ô lo;de o
Aki;nra¾ja;, Olo; wo Ori; n; pe¾ o;ô lo;de
Bi; a ba; san’wo; Ori; la¾a; ni; i¾sinmi¾ o he¾ he; e¾ e¾!
Aki;nra¾ja;, bi; a ba; sanwo; Ori; la¾a; ni; i¾sinmi¾ o
Aki;nra¾ja;, bi; a ba; sanwo; Ori; la¾a; ni; i¾sinmi¾
Translation:
The owner of the money of your Orí is calling you outside

oh he¾ he; e¾ e¾!
Aki;nra¾ja;, the owner of the money of your
Orí is calling to you outside
Aki;nra¾ja;, the owner of the money of your
Orí is calling to you outside
Not until you pay the money for your Orí will
you have peace of mind oh he¾ he; e¾ e¾!
Aki;nra¾ja;, there is no peace without paying
716
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
the money for your Orí

Aki;nra¾ja;, there is no peace without paying
the money for your Orí
When Aki;nra¾ja; heard this, he quickly went home to arrange for the
payment of the money. As soon as he paid the money, his life
returned to normal in a miraculous way.
Aru;gba; Ifá; je¾je;, Awo Odo¾ Olu;weôri

Amo;su¾n, Awo O®de O®n¾ko¾
A®ja¾lu; ere;ke¾ ni;i; yo¾ô’wo lo;ri; ganran-ga¾nra¾n-ganran
Di;a; fu;n Aki;nra¾ja¾
Ti;i; sô’oô¾re;ô Aje;bu¾u;re;
EÙ wa;a; sa; ni¾ ni; wo¾ômo;ô ire gbogbo
Translation:
Aru;gba; Ifa; je¾je;,the Awo Odo¾ Olu;weôri

Amo;su¾n,the Awo O®de O®n¾ko¾ Land
A®ja¾lu; ere;ke¾ is it that sprouts horns in
its head menacingly
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Aki;nra¾ja;
The friend of Aje;gbu¾u;re;
He complied
cause to rejoice in life. His/her life will return to normal and all the
chaotic aspects of his/her life shall disappear in a miraculous way.
717
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-O®ÙSA: FOR THOSE BORN BY

THE ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI::FA:
Ogbe¾ Ri;ku;sa; children, males and females, are in this world to enjoy
the blessings of progress, development, victory, prosperity,
compatible spouses, lovely children, several properties, sound
health, longevity and contentment. They have also come into the
world to overcome the problems of untimely death, afflictions,
contentions, paralyses, losses and unconsummated fortune.
The reason why these are so is that when coming from heaven
they had chosen as part of their destiny in life, the opportunity to
have all the Ire of life and reject all evil. These are what they
chose during their A®ku;nle¾ôya¾n. Olo;du¾mare¾ had also approved their
requests. The approval came because Olo;du¾mare¾ made them His
own personal and favourite children.
Ogbe¾ SÙo¾o;to;ô children, males and females, are very temperamental

and they cherish speaking the truth and sharing their thoughts at
all times no matter whose sensibilities are offended. These
attitudes make them acquire several enemies both known and
unknown and both internal and external.
However, this does not stop them from achieving their goals to
the amazement of their distracters. All Ogbe¾ SÙo¾o;to;ô children who
do not speak the truth at all times reduce their chances of success
and victory in direct proportion to the degree of their falsehood.
Ogbe¾ SÙo¾o;to;ô children are usually not far away from celebrations.
This is because, it is very difficult, if not totally impossible, for
them to hide their feelings and conceal their joy as soon as they
have accomplished their hearts' desires. This makes them to roll
out the drums of celebration on a regular basis. Part of the
reasons why they celebrate regularly is to enable everyone in their
community to know that they have succeeded and to share in
their glory and happy mood.
Ogbe¾ SÙo¾o;to;ô children have the problem of accomplishing their

mission with ease. The problem with this is that even though they
have chosen all the great things of life from heaven, as soon as
they set out on their journey to this world, spoilers, backbiters,
718
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
and maligners also pack their bags and follow them into the world.
The maligners try anything and everything to spoil their efforts
and to ensure that they do not succeed. Not until they chase out
these spoilers from their lives, it is difficult for them to achieve
much and to enjoy their lives to the fullest.
For Ogbe¾ SÙo¾o;to;ô male children, they stand the chance of marrying
recalcitrant and trouble making women. Ironically, these same
women come into their homes with good legs and circumstances
filled with accomplishments, success, and elevation for their men
and their households. It is therefore in the interest of the men to
consider the two options before taking their final decision on
marrying the woman.
The best decision to make however, is to marry the woman and
simply stay in the women's favour because of the men's success
chances being enhanced with the women's arrival into their home.
This notwithstanding, it is not advisable for Ogbe¾ Ri;ku;sa; male
children to marry a woman who is considered to be below average
in height, but at the same time, it is not advisable for these men
to marry a woman who is taller than them in height. This is in
order to avoid incessant trouble for the man and their households.
For Ogbe¾ Ri;ku;sa; female children, they run the risk of losing their
babies either before they are born or shortly after birth. This is
because there is the need for them to make a solemn appeal to
Ile¾ô, (Mother Earth), so that she will not consume their babies. As
soon as this process is undertaken, the problem will disappear.
Also, during pregnancy, Ogbe¾ Ri;ku;sa; female children must never

go out to public gatherings in order to watch any spectacle. They
must avoid going to stadiums, cinemas, casinos, race courses,
beaches, or parties. This is to prevent them from experiencing
calamity during the outing.
If Ogbe¾ SÙo¾o;to children, males and females, are facing any problem
or recurring trouble, it may not be unconnected to the fact that
there is the need for them to pay money for their Orí which they
had failed to pay completely while they were in heaven. There is
therefore the need to determine how much to pay and pay it
719
accordingly. Doing so will remove the problem of unconsummated

fortune and incessant trouble in their lives.
On the overall, Ogbe¾ Ri;ku;sa; children achieve more than their

contemporaries; they succeed where others have failed and they
make ways where the roads are blocked.
C. AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA®/IRU:NMOÙLEÙ® OF OGBE®

O®ÙSA
1. Ifá - For success, victory, direction, progress, elevation,

sanctuary, guidance, support, and general success
2. Orí - For fulfilment of destiny, progress, sanctuary, victory,
support, contentment, elevation, general wellbeing, and self
actualisation
3. E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾- For support, sanctuary, guidance, victory,
elevation, direction, success, and general wellbeing
4. OÙ®sôun- For realisation of destiny, success, victory, contentment,
compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing and general success
5. Olo;kun- For progress, support, enhancement, contentment,
6. EÙgbe- For childbearing, support, comradeship, leadership,
7. O®gu;n- For comfort, victory, leadership, success, general
wellbeing
8. OÙba¾ta;la;- For protection from ailments, success, leadership,
progress, elevation and general wellbeing
9. Egu;ngu;n- For ancestral support, victory, success, leadership,
contentment, and general wellbeing
10. EÙl® u;ku;-la¾ka¾- For success, achievement, contentment,
leadership, and general wellbeing
11. I®beji¾- For childbearing, childrearing, elevation, progress,
success, achievement, contentment and general wellbeing
720
Ogbe¾-Sa¾a;
D. TABOOS OF OGBE®-O®SÙ A:
1. Must never consume antelope meat - To avoid incessant
health challenges and unconsummated fortune
2. Must never put blood of any kind on his/her Ikin - To

avoid failure, unconsummated fortune and regrets
3. Must never wear small brimless caps - To avoid being

chased away from where he/she is expected to enjoy the fruit
of his/her labour
4. Must never skip food or engage in fasting - To avoid

unconsummated fortune, missed opportunities, failure and
regrets
5. Must never consume or maltreat cats - To avoid

unconsummated fortune, failure, and regret
6. Must never go outside to answer a call at night no

matter how close the person may be - To avoid falling into
traps, disaster, and calamity
7. Pregnant women must not attend public gatherings or

occasions - To avoid danger, threat to life and calamity
8. Must never keep anything for others - To avoid contention,

trouble and regret
9. Must never have a low view of others or oneself - To

avoid missed opportunities and regrets
10. Must never be too thrifty in the treatment of his/her

ailments - To avoid spending more than required in the end
11. Must not be too sensitive to his/her rights and

privileges - To avoid missed opportunities, failure and everlasting
regrets
12. Must never use the hoopoe for anything - To avoid the
problem of losing his/her babies
721
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBÈ-O®ÙSA

i. MALE
1. Gegele - The vintage position

2. Iku;sôe¾gba¾gbe; - Death has forgotten about me
3. A®i¾ku;loôla; - Longevity is honour and progress
4. A®ro¾ye;doôla¾ - My complaints turn to prosperity
5. Araa;de¾ômi; - I feel comfortable
6. Irewoôle;de; - All the Ire of life has entered my home
ii. FEMALE
1. Ifa;to;o;rera - Ifa; is enough to showcase

2. Gegele - The vintage position
3. OÙ®yi¾nsôeô¾sôeô¾ - Boun¾dless joy
4. Araa;de¾ômi; - I feel comfortable
5. Irewoôle;de; - All the Ire of life has entered my home
6. OÙ®sôunsôoôla; - OÙ®sôun brings prosperity
722
Chapter 10
Ogbè Ìká
II I
I I
II I
II I
723
OGBE® I®KA:
OGBE®-®KA: RE’LE:
A. 1. Ifá says it foresees all Ire for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®teô¾ni;fa;. Ifá says that this person will not lack
anything important in his/her life. Ifá says that whatever the person for
whom this Odù is revealed, either during I®koseô¾da;ye; or I®teô¾lodu is lacking
shall be given unto him/her soon.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two
pigeons, two hens, two guinea fowls, two cocks and money.
On this aspect, Ogbè I®ka; says:
Ogbe¾ ka; re'le; oômoô OÙsiô ¾n

Ogbe¾ ka; re'le; oômoô OÙra¾
Ogbe¾ ka; re'le; oômoô O®gu;n reô¾re¾ôeô¾re¾ô ale'ô¾de
Ke;kere; ina; ni o¾ sôe e; ka; m’a;beô;
A®gba¾lagba¾ ejo¾ ni o¾ sôe e; ko¾ l'oô;na¾
A ki¾i; ri; ke;kere; oômoô oôba l'oô;na¾ ka; na¾a;
Ni;tori; i bi; yo;o; baa¾ j’oye¾ ile; e baba reô¾ l'oô;la
Di;a; fu;n Ade;ju¾mo¾b ô i;
OÙmoô'ye¾ Ala;af¾ in
To; f'eô¾yi¾nti¾ m'o;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n ire gbogbo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙsôi¾n

Ogbe¾, let us go home, the descendant of OÙra¾
Ogbe¾, let us go home, the offspring of the O®gu;n
shrine spread across the home frontage
A little fire is not to be covered in one’s body
And a big snake is not to be met on the road
One does not see a little prince and beat him up
For fear that he may ascend the seat of his ancestors
in the future
724
These were Ifá’s messages for Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi

The offspring of the Ala;af¾ in, the Ϙba of OÙ®yoô;
secure any Ire in life
Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi, had royal blood on both his maternal and paternal sides of
his family but he was very poor and because of this he never
contemplated getting married. Because he had no wife, he was not
blessed with children. His lack of a family of his own did not allow him
to seek permission from his extended family to have land to erect his
own house. The only asset that he had was the royal blood running in
his veins. That was the only reason why he was given respect and
honour anywhere he went. Otherwise, he would have been treated like
a nobody whom he considered himself to be.
One day, Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi, decided to go for Ifá consultation in the home of

the group of Awo mentioned above in order to determine his success
chances in life. He wanted to know whether or not he was destined to
succeed in life. If yes, he wanted to know what he needed to do in
order to attract the success to himself as quickly as possible; and if no,
he wanted to know why.
The Awo told Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi that he was in this world to succeed. He was
assured that any hardship being faced at that particular point in time
was only temporary. He was told that such hardship or inconvenience
would soon give way to success and accomplishment. The Awo advised
him to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied.
Prior to this period, Ade;ju¾¾mo¾¾ôbi was an unsuccessful trader. He was

selling clothes. He would collect clothes from his father’s weavers on
credit. After three to four months, he would return the clothes to the
weavers unsold. The weavers would complain behind his back. As soon
as he left, the weavers would begin to make jest of him.
As soon as he offered this eôboô however, everyone from far and near
was looking Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi for the clothes seller. Every week, he would sell
more clothes than all the other sellers put together. Any group who
wanted clothes for their occasion went looking for Ade;ju¾mo¾b ¾ô i.
725
Ogbè I®ka;
His customers were not disappointed. Before long, all his weavers were
put under pressure to meet the deadlines of supplying clothes to
Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi. More hands were hired in order to ensure that Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi
did not disappoint his customers.
As this was going on, money was flowing into the hands of Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi.
He could not believe that money had the propensity to multiply itself
when the source of making it was regular and uninterrupted. Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi
became a household name. He was eventually placed under pressure to
get married.
There was no respect for any man who was at marrying age and who
had the means of doing so, not to be with a wife. Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi
eventually got married. A year after he was blessed with his own baby.
Money kept flowing in. His wife joined him in his business. The business
expanded. Money continued to flow in. Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi began to assist
many people in the community. This did not stop money from flowing
in.
One day, Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi’s father, the OÙba of OÙ®yoô;ô land, joined his ancestors.
The race for a suitable successor began in earnest. All eyes were on
He was not too excited in becoming the next OÙba. He was persuaded.
Ifá was consulted and Ifá picked him as the next OÙba of OÙ®yoô; land. That
was how Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi moved from grass to grace in less than seven
years.
Ogbe¾ ka; re'le; oômoô OÙsiô ¾n

Ogbe¾ ka; re'le; oômoô OÙra¾
Ogbe¾ ka; re'le; oômoô O®gu;n reô¾re¾ôeô¾re¾ô ale'ô¾de
Ke;kere; ina; ni o¾ sôe e; ka; m’a;beô;
A®gba¾lagba¾ ejo¾ ni o¾ sôe e; ko¾ l'oô;na¾
A ki¾i; ri; ke;kere; oômoô oôba l'oô;na¾ ka; na¾a;
Ni;tori; i bi; yo;o; baa¾ j’oye¾ ile; e baba reô¾ l'oô;la
Di;a; fu;n Ade;ju;;mo¾¾ôbi;
OÙmoôye¾ Ala;a¾fin
To; feô¾yi¾nti¾ m'o;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n ire gbogbo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa; sôe
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; ire gbogbo
Woô¾woô; ire gbogbo l'e¾re¾ OÙ®peô¾ n’I:feô¾
726
Ade;ju¾moô¾bi; de; o¾, oômoô'ye¾ L’a;af¾ in

E®mi; r’o;wo; j'oôba
E®mi n; yoô¾ o
Translation:
Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙsôi¾n

Ogbe¾, let us go home, the descendant of OÙra¾
Ogbe¾, let us go home, the offspring of the O®gu;n shrine
spread across the home frontage
A little fire is not to be covered in one’s body
And a big snake is not to be met on the road
One does not see a little prince and beat him up
For fear that he may ascend the seat of his ancestors
in the future
These were Ifá’s messages for Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi
The offspring of the Ala;af¾ in, the Ϙba of OÙ®yoô;
any Ire in life
He complied
The gain of Ifá is ensuring that one is found in the
midst of all the Ire of life
Here comes Ade;ju¾mo¾¾ôbi the crown prince of the palace
I have money to accept the Ϙba title
And l am celebrating
Ifá says that this person shall succeed and shall have cause to celebrate
his/her success in life.
2. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed has the
tendency to succeed more rapidly outside of where he/she was born or
his/her parents land. Ifá says that if this person is outside his/her
parents birth place, he/she will succeed and accomplish a great deal
before returning to his/her parents land.
727
Ogbè I®ka;
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two hens, two
guinea-fowls, two cocks, four rats, four fish and money.
On this, If;a; says:
O®roro a f'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾

Di;a; fu;n woôn ni; I®la;gba¾wu
EÙboô ire gbogbo ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe
Translation:

He was the Awo who cast Ifá for the inhabitants
of I®la;gba¾wu land
They were advised to offer eôboô in order to gain all
the Ire of life
The inhabitants of I®la;gba¾wu were very enterprising. There were several

opportunities to make anyone succeed in I®la;gba¾wu. Not only this, those
who came to settle in of I®la;gba¾wu land were not hindered in any way
whatsoever. Those who would come to the land would usually smile
when going back home.
This was not surprising. Those who came to settle in the land probably
were unaware that the founders of the land had done all necessary
things to make both the indigenes and settlers in I®la;gba¾wu successful.
As soon as the land was founded, they had invited the greatest Awo of
that time, O®roro a f'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾, to come and consult Ifá for the land
and recommend all appropriate eôboô for them in order for the land to be
blessed with boundless opportunities.
When the Awo arrived and Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾ I®ka; was revealed.
The Awo assured the founders of the land that they would not lack
anything good in life. They were told that whatsoever they lacked when
they came into the land would be given to them. Also, what they
brought into the land would not go into ruin - spouses, money, children,
properties, sound health etc. They were advised to offer eôboô as stated
above. They complied.
728
Whenever anyone packed his/her bags and headed for in I®la;gba¾wu land,
they were going there with the hope and assurance that they would
succeed. They were never disappointed. Those who had no money
would move to I®la;gba¾wu and they would know that they would not
leave the land without making good money. Those who lacked a
compatible spouse were sure that they would be blessed with one
before they left the land. Those who lacked children were sure that
they would have their babies before they returned to their home towns.
Those who were ill and even the invalids were convinced that they
would regain their health if they travelled to the land and that they
would return to their home lands with sound health. Before long,
I®la;gba¾wu came to be known as the land where impossibilities were
made possible. The land where people go with tears on their checks
and return to their home lands with smiles on their faces.

Di;a; fu;n woôn ni; I®la;gba¾wu
EÙboô ire gbogbo ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe
Wo;ôn gb’e;ôboô, woô;n ru;’boô
N®jeô; n o; l'o;wo;-l'o;wo;
Ki; n to;o; loô ni';le; I®la;gba¾wu o
O®roro af'i¾gbo¾su¾ s'a¾la¾
I®woô l’Awo woôn ni;'le; I®la;gba¾wu
N o; l'a;ya-m'a;ya
I®woô l’Awo woôn ni';le; I®la;gba¾wu
N o; bi;'moô-le;'moô
N o; koô;'le;-mo;ô'le;
Ki; n to;o; loô ni'l;e; I®la;gba¾wu o
N o; ni;'re gbogbo
729
Ogbè I®ka;
Translation:

He was the Awo who cast Ifá for the inhabitants of
I®la;gba¾wu land
They were advised to offer eôboô in order to gain all the
Ire of life
They complied
Behold! I will receive my blessing of abundant wealth
Before I depart from I®la;gba¾wu land
You are their true Awo in I®la;gba¾wu land
I will receive the blessing of spouse upon spouse
I will receive the blessing of many children
I will receive the blessing of property upon property
I will receive the blessing of all the Ire of life
Ifá says that just as those who used to travel to I®la;gba¾wu land to
receive their blessings of all the Ire of life before returning to their
respective home lands, so also will this person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed receive his/her own blessings before he/she departs from the
foreign land that he/she resides and return to his/her father’s land.
3. Ifá says that even though the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed will succeed if he/she goes out of where he/she is born and
settles in another land, there is the need for him/her to ensure that
730
he/she returns home in order for him/her to consummate all his/her

fortunes. Ifá says that he/she is not destined to overstay in any land
other than his/her father’s land and must not take a foreign land as
his/her place of permanent residence.
Ifá advises this person to ensure that he/she returns to his/her

homeland regularly in order to keep himself/herself abreast of all
happenings in his/her homeland. This will make settlement back to
his/her homeland very easy for him/her.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with
four pigeons, four guinea-fowls, four cocks and money.
On this, Ifá says:
B’e;rin ba; ji;

Erin a yan Ka;nra;nn;gboôn-Ka;nra;nn;gboôn
B’eô;foô¾n ba; ji;
EÙfoô¾n a yan Ka¾nra¾nn;gboôn-Ka¾nra¾nn;gboôn
OÙmoô ni;i; gbe;’le; ba¾ba; a reô¾
Ni;i; yan Ka;nra;nn;gboôn
Di;a; fu;n I®lu;gbe¾n;ka;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô A®ra¾ba¾
Translation:
When the elephant wakes up

The elephant will march up and down majestically
When the buffalo wakes up
The buffalo will step here and there majestically
A child is he who stays in his father’s house
And walks confidently to and fro
These were Ifá’s messages for I®lu;gbe¾nk; a;
The son of the A®ra¾ba¾
I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; was a success story from whatever perspective anyone might

look at his life. When he left his father’s land, he had only one asset;
731
Ogbè I®ka;
that was that he was the son of the A®ra¾ba¾ of the land. He had no
money and no wife, even though he was mature enough for the
marriage market. He had no children. He left his home with only two
extra dresses. All the material gain he had in his life was the three
dresses and nothing more. He did not even have sandals to wear on his
feet. Of course, he did have a name, being the son of the A®ra¾ba¾ of his
father’s land.
When he got to the new land that he was going to, his name as the son
of the A®ra¾ba¾ became totally insignificant. Nobody cared to know whose
child he was. People were completely unwilling to accord him honour or
respect.
From the first day he arrived in the land, he began to struggle; first to
survive, and later to make a name. Before long, he survived pretty well
and then began to work on making a name for himself. Fortune began
to smile on him. He accumulated a lot of money in a short period of
time. His fortune was improving by leaps and bounds. He got married.
Soon after this, he became a father. He moved up to a very high social
stratum. He continued to move up. He also pulled many inhabitants of
the land up with him. He soon became a household name in the land.
At this juncture, I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; discovered to his chagrin that he would

always be called upon to assist the community. He would try his best
not to disappoint the community. The community had never been
disappointed. When the time to honour him for a job well done arrived,
(and he eminently deserved to be so awarded), all of the decision
makers in the land would suddenly remember that he was not an
indigene of the land. They would then conclude that he could only be
given honour meant for the settlers of the land but not those reserved
for the indigenes, even though it was clear to everyone that I®lu;gbe¾nk; a;
had done more than any indigene had ever done for the land. He
realized, to his disappointment, that some of the indigenes who lived in
other lands were being invited home to be honoured and be placed over
and above him in the land.
That was precisely what prompted him to think of making his own
contributions to his own father’s land. He realized that no matter how
long one stayed outside one’s father’s land, there was nowhere like
home. He began to participate in the developmental programmes of his
father’s land. He started sending his wife and children home to
732
represent him on many events and occasions. Decision makers of his

father’s land began to recognize him and appreciate his contributions to
the land.
One day, they gave him a large parcel of land out of the community land
for him to farm and erect his home. This development was greeted with
a unanimous approval of the whole community. He was honoured and
respected.
One day, his father died. The position of the A®ra¾ba¾ of the land became
vacant. There were many candidates for the position. The preference of
the whole community was I®lu;gbe¾nk; a;. Many people argued that
I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; had done a lot for the community from outside and that if he
was installed as the A®ra¾ba¾ he would do even more. Ifá was consulted.
The wish of the people became the wish of Olo;du¾mare. Ifá confirmed
I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; as the next A®ra¾ba.¾
Two delegates were then sent to inform I®lu;gbe¾nk; a; of his new

appointment. He was also asked to pack all his belongings and return
home to settle permanently. He went to inform the leaders of his area
that he had been made the A®ra¾ba¾ of his father’s land and that he would
have to return home to stay permanently. The leaders expressed their
regrets that a rare gem was about to leave their community. The day of
his departure for his homeland was like a carnival. The whole
community bade him farewell and wished him well in his new
assignment. Tears of joy and appreciation flowed freely.
B’e;rin ba; ji;

Erin a yan Ka;nra;nn;gboôn-Ka;nra;nn;gboôn
B’eô;foô¾n ba; ji;
EÙfoô¾n a yan Ka¾nra¾nn¾gboôn-Ka¾nra¾nn¾¾gboôn
OÙmoô ni;i; gbe;’le; ba¾ba; a reô¾
Ni;i; yan Ka;nra;nn;gboôn
Di;a; fu;n I®lu;gbe¾n;ka;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô A®ra¾ba¾
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ba;’yoô¾
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
733
Ogbè I®ka;
I®lu;gbe¾n;ka; ma¾ ma¾ de; o¾

OÙmoô A®ra¾ba¾
OÙmoô o; wa¾a; re’le; e ba¾ba; reô¾ o
Translation:
When the elephant wakes up

The elephant will march up and down majestically
When the buffalo wakes up
The buffalo will step here and there majestically
A child is he who stays in his father’s house
And walks confidently to and fro
These were Ifá’s messages for I®lu;gbe¾nk; a;
He complied
Here comes I®lu;gbe¾nk; a;
The child will now return to his father’s land
Ifá says that all shall be well for the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed. He/she shall succeed in his/her sojourn and will also be
honoured in his/her homeland.
4. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of success as well as that of victory
for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifá says that he/she will
succeed and reach the top of his/her chosen career in life. Ifá says that
this person shall also be victorious in life.
Ifá promises that this person shall not be allowed to suffer the pain of
losing his/her belongings to thieves or fraudsters. People will surely
make attempts, but Ifá will make them fail.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with three pigeons, three
guinea-fowls, three cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed
the Orí or Spirit of his/her father and mother as appropriate. He/she
734
needs to ask Ifá on what materials to use to feed the Orí (or the spirit,
if, any or both of them are dead) of his/her parents.
On this, Ogbe¾-I®ka; says:
A®te;lô eôwo;ô la ba;’la¾

A o¾ m’eôni to; koô oô;
I®ya; eôni ni;i; maa; koô oô; fu;n’ni
Ba¾ba; eôni ni;i; ma a; koô o;;ô fu;n’ni
Di;a; fun Ogbe¾
Ti; n; lo¾ôo;ô j’o;bi¾ Oni;ka¾a; ka;
Translation:
We met the lines in our palms when we were born

We know not who inscribed the lines there for us
One’s mother is responsible for their inscription
One's father is responsible for their inscription
These were Ifá’s messages for Ogbe¾
When going to pluck the kola nuts of Oni;ka¾a;
without permission
There were serious problems in the land. Because of draught, crops

failed, people fell sick and they could not recover as quickly as expected.
Pregnant women could not deliver safely. Those who were barren could
not have the blessing of the fruit of the womb. Creditors had turned to
debtors. The whole community was in a state of confusion. Those who
went for Ifá and/or Ifa; and/or O¾ri¾sa¾/Iru;nmoôleô¾ consultation had no kola
nuts to break for these Divinities.
Surprisingly, only Oni;ka¾a; had many kola nut trees which had survived
the drought and had brought forth several pods of kola nuts. He
however had bluntly refused to allow anyone even take just one kola nut
fruit. For this reason many people were dying. Many more were
starving. All members of the community were suffering. Yet Oni;ka¾a;
could not be bothered. How would they get kola nuts? Nobody had any
answer. Oni;ka¾a; even employed the services of several guards and
735
Ogbè I®ka;
planted several dangerous charms round his farm to protect the farm
against intruders and unauthorized persons.
Ogbe¾, the Awo of the community decided that he needed to enter the
farm of Oni;ka¾a; wit Oni;ka¾a; without permission and help himself to as
many kola nuts as required so that he could turn the community around.
Before doing so however, he went for Ifá consultation. Would he be able
to enter Oni;ka¾a’; s farm, take as many kola nuts as he needed and return
home safely without problems? These were the questions which Ogbe¾,
asked Ifá when he went for the consultation.
The Awo told Ogbe¾, that he was about to embark on a dangerous

assignment which might lead to disgrace and even untimely death if it
blew up. It might also however lead to the redemption of the whole
community if it succeeded. He was assured that with appropriate eôboô he
would succeed in this task. He was advised to offer eôboô as prescribed
above. He complied.

I®ya; eôni nii maa ko o fun’ni
Ba¾ba; eni nii ma a; koô oô fun’ni
Di;a; fu;n Oni;ka¾a;
Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô
Ki; ole¾ o; ma; baa¾ ja¾a;
Translation:

We know not who inscribed the lines for us
These were Ifá’s messages for Oni;ka¾a;
When he was advised to offer eôboô
For him not to suffer the loss of his belongings
to thieves
Oni;ka¾a; was a very confident person. He was the only one whose farm
products thrived well. It was not his fault that all others suffered from
736
failed farm products. He could not be blamed for that either. It was
simply the victims’ bad luck. If that was the case, why then should
anyone expect him to give out part of his farm products, especially his
precious kola nuts for free? He could not, and would not give his kola
nuts away. For this reason, he guarded his farm with hunters and
potent charms to trap any intruders that would enter his farm.
One day, Oni;ka¾a; went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation.
Will I be able to maximize my profits this year being that only he could
confidently declare that he had bountiful farm products? How will I get
the maximum profit that I deserve? These and many related ones, were
the questions at the back of Oni;ka¾a's mind when he went for Ifá
consultation. The Awo told Oni;ka¾a; that he would have a bountiful
harvest and would be able to sell his farm products at very reasonable
prices. He was assured that he would sell the products at the best
prices that were ever possible.
Oni;ka¾a; was however told to offer eôboô so as to prevent a situation where

his farm products would be stolen by other people who were suffering
and who were in desperate need of the products.
When the Awo told Oni;ka¾a; all these, he instantly became suspicious of
the Awo. These Awo had just told him Ifá foresaw that he would make
huge profits off his farm products. How then could he lose his farm
products to desperate people? Where then would the profits come from
if people were able to steal from his land? Oni;ka¾a; concluded that the
Awo were just trying to find ways of making some money off of him. He
decided that he would not give the Awo, or anyone else for that matter,
the chance to have access into his farm to steal. He was totally
convinced that such a thing would never and could never happen; with
all the guards and charms which he had already put on the farm against
such things. He simply walked away from the Awo and vowed never to
offer the eôboô or to return to their home.
On the day that Ogbe¾, planned to go to Oni;ka¾a’; s farm, he ensured that

all steps which he ought to take were taken. He offered the eôboô, he
feed Ifá and all other divinities, he brought with him all his Oômoô-Awo
who would help him carry what he needed on the farm to his home. He
insisted that nothing on the farm must be taken except the kola nuts
and kola nuts that they were going to take should not exceed the
737
Ogbè I®ka;
required amount. After ensuring that all those following him had been
adequately instructed, he left for the farm.
When he got to the farm, all the guards were asleep. They did not wake
while Ogbe¾, and his group were on the farm. Even the potent charms
planted on the farm became impotent. The charms also slept. Ogbe¾ and
his students removed all the kola nuts that they needed on the farm and
nothing more. At the end of the exercise, they all left with many bags
of kola nuts.
The following day, Oni;ka¾a; heard to his disbelief that a group of armed
robbers had come into his farm. His guards told him that they fought
bravely to prevent the robbers from entering the farm. He was also told
that the armed bandits outnumbered the guards 16 to one. In the end,
the bandits managed to overpower the guards and the bandits tied the
guards with ropes and they entered the farm to steal. They started with
the kola nuts, Oni;ka¾a; was told. They removed a lot of kola nuts, but
when they returned to steal other products on the farm, the guards
managed to untie the ropes and chase them away. The guards said that
they had shot several bandits to death but because they were so many,
they managed to carry their dead away with them. The guard told
Oni;ka¾a; that it was a huge work of bravery before they could rescue
what remained in the farm from the bandits. When Oni;ka¾a; asked them
why was it that there was no single sign of struggle on the farm, on
their bodies or on their clothes, they all remained quiet.
Meanwhile, Ogbe¾ and his students began to use the kola nuts to
propitiate all the Divinities on behalf of the community. Gradually, the
hardships, pains, drought, and hunger in the community began to
disappear. Within two lunar months, the situation in the whole
community had returned to normal, no thanks to Oni;ka¾a;.
Oni;ka¾a; however did manage to sell all the remaining farm products and
he became the richest man in the land but at the same time he became
the most hated and most ridiculed man in the land. Instead of praising
him, everybody in the land would shower their praises and thanks on
Ogbe¾ for pulling the community away from the brink of collapse back to
normalcy.
738

I®ya; eôni ni;i; maa; koô oô; fu;n’ni
Ba¾ba; eôni ni;i; ma a; koô o;;ô fu;n’ni
Di;a; fun Ogbe¾
Ti; n; lo¾ôo;ô j’o;bi¾ Oni;ka¾a; ka;
I®ya; eôni nii maa ko o fun’ni
Ba¾ba; eni nii ma a; koô oô fun’ni
Di;a; fu;n Oni;ka¾a;
Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô
Ki; ole¾ o; ma; baa¾ ja¾a;
Ogbè nikan ni n be l’eyin ti n s’ẹbọ
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ô ji¾nna¾
Eôôwa;a; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; ire gbo¾gbo
Oni;ka¾a; i bá tètè mò
Ì bá wáá f’owó ş’àrúfin ębǫ
Translation:

We know not who inscribed the lines there for us
These were Ifá’s messages for Ogbe¾
When going to pluck the kola nuts of Oni;ka¾a;
without permission
We know not who inscribed the lines for us
These were Ifá’s messages for Oni;ka¾a;
When he was advised to offer eôboô
For him not to suffer the loss of his belongings
to thieves
Only Ogbe¾ complied with the advice of the ẹbọ
739
Ogbè I®ka;

Had Oni;ka¾a; known
He too would have offered his own eôboô
Ifá says that the person for whom this eôboô is revealed shall succeed and
shall be victorious over obstacles and adversity.
5. Ifá says that it foresees victory over several enemies waging war
against this person. It is true that these enemies are many, but this
person shall surely overcome them all.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with a mature he-goat and
money. He/she also needs to feed Ogu;n with either a cock or dog.
If these two steps can be taken, then victory is assured.
Ogbe¾¾ ka;
Ogbe¾ ko
Eg¾be¾ n¾ koko l'e¾gbe¾ oôwo¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Eôdu¾n
Ti; n; beô l'a;ar¾ in o¾ôta;
Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ ka;
Ogbe¾ ko
And E¾®gbe¾ n¾ koko l'e¾gbe¾ oôwo;ô
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Eôdu¾n (the Axe)
When in the midst of enemies
Eôdu¾n (the Axe) was afraid for his life. Anywhere he went, he was
always being confronted by enemies who planned to eliminate him. He
found it very difficult to move out of his house for fear of being attacked
and killed. What sort of life was this? He queried himself several times.
Did he not belong here? Must he just look for a strong rope and hang
himself to end all the tribulations he was facing?
740
All the trees in the forest were his enemies. Tired of living a life full of
anxiety, he decided to go for Ifá consultation in the home of the group
of Awo mentioned above: What must I do to overcome all my numerous
enemies?
The Awo told Eôdu¾n that he was being faced with several enemies who
would stop at nothing to see him dead and buried. He was told that as
long as he lived, these enemies would not rest because they felt that
they were not safe if he was still alive and well. That was why all these
enemies vowed to ensure that he was eliminated.
To overcome these enemies, the Awo told Eôdu¾n that he must ensure
that he converted at least one of his enemies to his friend. The Awo
stated that whenever one was surrounded by enemies, one needed to
convert part of the enemies to his friends. Consequent upon this, it
became the duty of Eôdu¾n to bring at least one of the enemies to his
side. He was also advised to offer eôbo as stated above and feed Ogu;n
accordingly, Eôdu¾n complied
While he was thinking about how to convert one of his several enemies
to be his friend, he saw E®Ùru; (the handle) passing by his area. He invited
E®Ùru; to his house and cajoled, persuaded and lured him into becoming
his inseparable friend. In the end, he succeeded. Together, E®Ùru; and
Eôdu¾n went to the home of the blacksmiths and both of them were fixed
together. They became Axe and Handle.
Once this was done, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ approached them and told the Axe to
carry his war to his enemies' territory. E®sôu¾ told him that he did not
need to run away from all his enemies any longer. He went into the
forest and E®sôu¾ charged him to begin to attack all his enemies. He
confronted the I®ro;ko¾ tree and brought him down, together with all his
family. Next, the Axe descended on Oriro and brought him down. He
attacked Afa¾ra¾ and felled him. Before evening, the Axe demolished
more than 20 trees.
The next day, he did the same thing. All the trees in the forest quickly
realized that the combination of E®Ùru; and EÙdu¾n was so formidable that
none of them could match them. What was most painful to them was
that E®Ùru;, the Handle, was part of their group being made of wood. He
741
Ogbè I®ka;
was brought from the forest before he joined with their enemy to wreck
havoc on them. All the tress in the forest could do nothing but fear,
respect and hate E®Ùru; and EÙdu¾n, the Axe and Handle.
Ogbe¾ ka;
Ogbe ko
E®gbe¾ n¾ koko l'e¾gbe¾ oôwo¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Eôdu¾n
Ti; n; beô l'a;ar¾ in o¾ôta;
Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Eô wa;a; ba; ni l'a;ru¾u;se ô ô; ogun
Aj®asôe;ô ogun la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôse¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sa
ô ¾
N®jeô; Eô®ru; gb’Eôdu¾n o
Oôminu n; koô’gi oko
Eô®ru; gb’Eôdu¾n o
Ominu n; k’oômoô ojo
Translation:
Ogbe; ka;
Ogbe; ko
And Eg¾be¾ n¾ koko le¾gbe¾ owo¾ô
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for EÙdu¾n (the Axe)
When he was in the midst of enemies
He complied
Join us where we enjoy victory over adversary
Victory over enemies in what lfá guarantees for its
devotees
Now, the Axe blade has combined with the handle
All forest trees are gripped with fear
The handle is fixed on the Axe blade
Trepidation grips the scared ones
742
Ifá says that with tact and boldness, the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed shall overcome all his/her enemies, no matter how many they
may be.
6. Ifá says that evil spirits have entered the house of the person for
whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifá says that for this person to enjoy his/her
life, these evil spirits must be chased out of his/her house. This must be
done as urgently as possible.
money. He/she also needs to feed OÙbalu;waye; as appropriate. There
is the need to ask Ifá what OÙbalu;waye; wants from this person in order
to help chase away all the evil spirits. Feed this divinity accordingly.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Oôsiô n

Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙra¾
Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾eô¾reô¾ ale'¾ôde
Dia; fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; ti¾ku;-ta¾ru¾n n;kan’le; e re¾ôe;ô re¾¾
Gbogbo ajogun buru;ku; n; kan’le; e re¾¾ô e;;ô loô
Eôboô ni woô;n ni ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôin

Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of OÙra¾
Ogbe, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n shrine
These were Ifa;’s messages for OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When Death and Affliction were knocking at the door of
his house
And all evil spirits were going to his house
Who among his family members would OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ begin with? All the
family members; his wives, children, brothers, sisters, relatives and
adopted children were down with one form of ailment or the other. In
743
Ogbè I®ka;
his own case, he was physically alright, but the situation made him
emotionally ill. He looked worse than those who were physically ill. He
was the one running everywhere to make everyone in his household
well. He would go to the stream early in the morning to fetch water
which would be used in the house for bathing, cooking and drinking. He
would rush into the forest to gather herbs, bark, leaves, roots and vines
to boil for those who were ill in order to make them well again. But
because they had different ailments, they needed different types of
bark, leaves, herbs and creepers for the different categories of ailments.
It was clear to see that OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was physically exhausted. Yet, he
continued to look for solutions. As soon as one ailment was contained,
another one more serious than the previous one would emerge. He
immediately would begin to look for a solution. He had no time for
himself, no time to make money. He had exhausted all the money he
had accumulated. Hunger began to set in little by little.
In a desperate move to find a solution to the problems, he approached

his friends and but was disappointed. None of them was prepared to
assist. He decided to consult Ifá in order to find out what Ifá had to say
on the issue and the solution which Ifá had to offer in order to bring all
his loved ones back to good health. When Ifá was consulted, the Odu¾
that was revealed was Ogbeô¾-Ika.
The Awo told OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he had been contending with serious issues
that had been overwhelming him. He was assured that all these
problems would disappear if he offered eôboô and fed appropriate
Divinities. The Awo told OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer eôboô with one mature he-
goat and money. He was also told to feed OÙbalu;waye; with whatever
he had at home at that time which was appropriate for OÙbalu;waye;.
OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to do these as soon as possible in order to put an
end to his physical exhaustion and pain. OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ got one he-goat on
credit and offered the eôboô instantly. When he got to his home, he gave
OÙbalu;waye; what he had to feed him.
Three days after the eôbo was offered, nearly half of the members of the
household where up, hale and hearty again. They joined with OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
to take care of all the others who were not yet fully recovered. All the
evil spirits in OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾'s home were chased away by E¾®sôu-¾ O®®Ùda¾ra and the
ailments being suffered by the household did not return again. That was
how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ overcame all the problems in his household. He had time
744
for himself and his clients once again. He made money from his work
once more. He had people in his household to assist him to gather
roots, herbs, leaves, bark, vines and all other things required to make
his work effective once again.
Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Oôsiô ¾n

Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; omo OÙra¾
Ogbe ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾eô¾reô¾ ale¾'ôde
Dia; fu;n Oô®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; ti¾ku;-t'a¾ru¾n n;kan’le; e re¾ôe;ô re¾¾
Gbogbo ajogun buru;ku; n; kan’le; e re¾¾ô e;;ô loô
O gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Eô wa;a; ba;’ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; Ogun
Aj¾a¾se ô ô; ogun la¾a; ba;’ni l'e;;ôse¾¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sa
ô ¾
Nje¾; ohun ti;; eô ba¾ ri;
Eô f’o;lojo¾ ko;; loô o
Ki;; gbogbo ajogun o; ma;a ba; tieô¾ loô o
Translation:

Ogbe¾/, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n
These were Ifá’s messages for Oô®ru;nmi¾la
When Death and Affliction were knocking at the
door of his house
And all evil spirits were going to his house
He complied
Now, whatever you have
Please give it to the evil strangers so they may go away
Let all Ajogun depart and go on their ways
745
Ogbè I®ka;
Ifá says that all negative Ajogun (evil spirits), will depart from the life of
the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. In three places, Ifá will bring
to him/her all the Ire of life.
7. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to be
extremely careful if and when he/she plans to accompany any friend to
any event or occasion. He/she needs to investigate properly before
deciding to follow any person or group out to any event, no matter how
close that person or group may be to him/her. The reason why Ifá says
this is that this person may find it very difficult, if not altogether
impossible, to return from where he/she follows others to.
money. Even after the eôboô, he/she needs to find out thoroughly and
be very sure of his/her safety and well-being to and from, the occasion
before embarking on such trip.
On this aspect, a stanza in Ogbe¾-I®ka; says:

Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Ol¾o;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾eô¾reô¾ ale¾ô'¾ôde
Di;a; ôfu;n O®®gu;n
Ti;i; sô’oô¾reô; Ogidan
Translation:

Ogbe, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n
These were Ifa;’s messages for O®gu;n
Who was the bosom friend of Ogidan
O®gu;n and Ogidan (the O®gu;n drum), were inseparable. Anywhere one
found O®gu;n that was where one would find Ogidan. As a matter of fact,
they both complimented each other.
746
One day, O®gu;n planned to celebrate his annual ceremony. All

arrangements had been completed, except one. There was no dog to
give to his icon. He tried everywhere but he simply could not find a
dog. He went for Ifá consultation in order to determine whether any
alternative would be accepted. Ifá responded that the icon of O®gu;n
would not accept any other alternative. It must be a dog. O®gu;n felt
disappointed. He was very sad and desperate. Ifá however promised
that all would be well if the appropriate eôboô was offered.
O®gu;n offered the eôbo with one mature he-goat and money. Yet
there was no dog to be found to feed the icon after performing the eôbo.

Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Ol¾o;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾eô¾reô¾ ale¾ô'¾ôde
Di;a; ôfu;n Aja
Translation:

Ogbè, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n
These were Ifa;’s messages for Ajá (the Dog)
Ajá(the Dog), considered Ogidan his best friend. He always felt at home
anytime he saw Ogidan. There was nothing he would not do for Ogidan,
his bosom friend. One day, Ajá went for Ifá consultation in order to
determine his chances of success in life. The Awo told him that he
would succeed. He was however warned not to follow anyone to any
occasion or festivity no matter how close the person might be to him.
He was advised to offer eôbo with one mature he-goat and money.
He promised to offer the eôbo as soon as possible.
747
Ogbè I®ka;
When he returned home, he told his wife what the Awo had just told
him. His wife asked him to be very careful with his friends.
Meanwhile, Ogidan was fully prepared to go to the ceremony organized

by O®gu;n. That day was the day that all the Divinities were to be
propitiated. He did not want to go there alone. He thought of who to
take along with him. That was when he remembered that it would not
be good if he Ogidan attended the festivity without inviting his bosom
friend, Ajá (the Dog). He therefore decided to go to Ajá's house to
invite him to follow him to the occasion being organized by O®gu;n. He
even planned to introduce the two of them, O®gu;n and Ajá, to one
another on that day.
When Ogidan got to the house of Ajá, he told Ajá to dress up and follow
him to the annual festival of O®gu;n. Ajá got up and entered his room to
dress up for the occasion. His wife inquired from him where he intended
to go to. Ajá told his wife that he wanted to follow Ogidan to the annual
festival that was being organized by O®gu;n. His wife told him that he
ought not to follow him out. She said that Ajá himself; was the person
who had just informed her that his Awo warned him not to follow
anyone, no matter how close that person might be to him.
Being reminded of this, Ajá became so angry and furious that he could
not say anything for a long time. He composed himself a short while
later. He told his wife that even if he was warned not to follow anyone
out to any occasion, would that include his best friend, Ogidan? No, it
would not include Ogidan! He told his wife that he had been noticing
some resentment on the part of his wife towards Ogidan in recent times.
He said that the resentment could not be unconnected to the frank talks
and objective advice which Ogidan had been giving his wife which did
not go down well with her. Ajá accused his wife of trying to cause strife
between him and Ogidan. He assured her that her evil designs would
fail to cause problems between them. By the way, he concluded, how
dare you think that you can put your mouth into the affairs of men? He
then stormed out after delivering this bombshell.
When they got to the ceremony, O®gu;n did not see the duo at first. He
appeared sad and frustrated. Nonetheless, he continued with the
ceremony. Ogidan looked at Ajá and pointed to his friend O®gu;n and
asked him to let them move closer to O®gu;n so that he Ogidan could
introduce both friends to one another.
748
As they were approaching O®gu;n, they were sighted from afar. O®gu;n
could not believe his luck. He busted into a long I®ja;la; song. All his
children and devotees chorused the song.
When Ogidan and Ajá came close to O®gu;n, Ajá was grabbed by the
neck. Before he could really understand what was happening, he was
stretched and his head rolled on the ground from the blow of the
machete which O®gu;n used to cut off his head from his neck. It was a
single blow and the head was neatly severed from his neck. All those
present burst into a loud shout of “O®gu;n Ye¾e¾!!!”

Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾eô¾reô¾ ale¾'ôde
Di;a; fu;n O®¾gu;n ;
Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾eô¾reô¾ ale'¾ôde
Di;a; fu;n Aja;
O;®gu;n ni¾ka¾n ni; n;beô l'e;ôyi¾n ti; n;s'ôeb
ô oô
Ko¾¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
Eôô wa;a; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; ire gbo¾gbo
Wo¾ôwo;ô ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'¾¾eô;seô¾ Oôba¾risôa¾
Aja; i¾ ba; te¾te¾ moô;¾
I¾® ba; wa;a; f’owo; sô’aru;fi;n eôboô
I¾® ba; te¾te¾ mo¾¾
Translation:

Ogbe, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n
These were Ifa;’s messages for O®gu;n
749
Ogbè I®ka;

These were Ifa;’s messages for Ajá (the Dog)
Only O®®gu;n complied with the advice
That is what Ifá guarantees for all devotees
Had Ajá known (ahead of time)
He too would have offered the prescribed eôbo
Had he known (ahead of time)
Ifá states that extreme caution needs to be exercised where one person
is invited to accompany another to a ceremony, festivity or event. On
the other hand, Ifá promises that the organizer of such an activity will
enjoy full blessings.
8. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of companionship for the person, man
or woman, for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that all shall be well
with the couple.
Ifá also says that if a woman has left her husband's house due to
separation or divorce, all steps must be taken for the marriage to be
mended. Conversely, if the man has kicked out his wife or left the home,
he must appeal to her or reconcile with her and bring her back into his
home and life.
Ifá equally says that it is not advisable for this person to marry anyone
from his/her home town. The relationship will end up in failure. There
will be success and joy however if the couple are from different towns,
cities, different ethnic backgrounds, or even different continents. That is
what his/her destiny has chosen.
Ifá advises the woman to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, four
cocks, two guinea fowls, two pigeons and money. The man is
750
advised to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens, two cocks,
two guinea-fowls, two pigeons and money.
I®fa¾¾ gann¾gan Awo E®ti¾poônla;

Di;a; fu;n E®ti¾poônla;
Ti;i; sô’aya Ahoro I¾®gba¾leô¾roô¾
Translation:
Bountiful free gifts, the Awo of E®ti¾poônla;

He cast Ifa; for E®ti¾poônla;
The wife of Ahoro I®gba¾le¾rô oô¾ (the Deserted House)
When both E®ti¾poônla; and Ahoro I®gba¾leô¾roô¾ met each other, it was love at
first sight. The two families supported the relationship and before long,
it consummated into marriage. The marriage was a happy one at the
initial stages, and everybody was happy for the couple.
Before long however, E®ti¾poônla; began to get new ideas into her head.
She could not understand why all her contemporaries should be living in
the city while she would be restricted to the rural areas all the time. All
appeals to make her see reason fell on deaf ears. Before long, she
could not withstand living in the village or farm any longer and she
wanted to get out to the relationship as fast as possible. She also
became very snappy with her husband. If the husband said anything
she would shout him down immediately. The husband exercised extreme
patience with her but that seemed only to infuriate her even more.
One day, she looked for an excuse to start a big quarrel and a big
quarrel commenced when her husband queried why she had refused to
greet him and sweep the floor of her room or even that of her husband’s
room. They started a big fight. She began to pack all her things.
Anyone trying to stop her would receive her insults.
751
Ogbè I®ka;
In the end, she moved out of her matrimonial home and headed for the
city. Many people went to beg her to return but she refused to listen.
Not up to two months after she had moved to the city, things began to
go down for her. She was not eating well at all. She could not move as
freely as she used to while she was on the farm. She began to grow
leaner and leaner by the day. Not long after this, her life and very
existence was in danger.
At first, she blamed everything that was happening to her on her

husband and his relatives. After all, they were the ones who were not
happy that she left. She vowed never to return. She stated that they
had a big disappointment ahead of them. They could do anything they
liked, but she would not return to them.
In the end, nobody told her to seek the advice and help of Ifá before
she did. She realized without being told that if nothing was done as
quickly as possible, she stood to lose her life altogether. When she got
to the home of the Awo mentioned above, she did not want to know
who was behind her problems because she already believed with all her
heart that her husband and his family were behind all her tribulations.
What she was actually interested in was finding out what she needed to
do in order to overcome all her problems. When Ifá was consulted,
O;gbe¾-I¾ka; was revealed.
The Awo informed E®ti¾poônla; that she was having real problems at that
point in time. They informed her that she was the cause of her own
problems because she had decided to abandon where her destiny
enjoyed peace and comfort and had moved to where there was anxiety
restlessness and turbulence. She was told that if she wanted peace and
normalcy to return to her life, she must ensure that she returned to her
matrimonial home and stayed there. She also needed to adjust herself
to the happenings going on there and she would enjoy comfort and
peace of mind. She was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above.
E®ti¾poônla; could not believe what she was hearing from the Awo. So, all
her pains were self-inflicted? So, her husband and his family knew
nothing about her predicaments? So, for her problems to disappear, she
needed to return to the house she had vowed never to return to again?
So, not all that glitters is gold? So life in the city was really not meant
for her?
752
After a long, long counselling session with the Awo, she decided to
comply with the advice of the Awo. That same day, she offered her ẹbọ.
As soon as she completed the ẹbọ, she began to plan on how to return
to her husband’s home.
The opportunity came when some of the relatives of her husband came
to the city to transact business. She greeted them very well. She even
accused them of not ever coming to seek after her welfare or that of her
children. They responded that they wanted to come but they did not
know if she would welcome them or not. They arranged to take the
children to visit their father. A few days after, she planned to go and
visit the children where they were in their father’s house. When she
arrived, she made it clear to everyone that it was because of her
children that she had come. A week later, she demanded for her room
and it was given back to her. Later, she settled all her children back
into their father’s house. When her relatives came to visit her, it was to
discuss how to resolve the differences between her and her husband
and his relatives. When they arrived, they realized to their pleasant
surprise that there was nothing really left to resolve or settle.
I®fa¾¾ gann¾gan Awo E®ti¾poônla;

Di;a; fu;n E®ti¾poônla;
Ti;i; sô’aya Ahoro I¾®gba¾leô¾roô¾
O;: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’bo¾ô
Eô wa;a; ba; ni ni; wo¾ôwo;ô i¾re; gbogbo
Nje;ô E®ti¾poônla; o de; o
Aya Ahoro I®gba¾le¾¾ôro¾¾ô
E®mi wa; n; re'le; oôkoô o¾¾ô mi o¾wu;roô¾
Translation:
Bountiful free gifts, the Awo of E®ti¾poônla;

He cast Ifa; for E®ti¾poônla;
The wife of Ahoro Ig¾ba¾leroô¾ (the Deserted House)
She complied
753
Ogbè I®ka;
Join us where we enjoy all the Ire; of life

Here come E®ti¾poônla;
The wife of Ahoro I®gba¾le¾ôroô¾
I am now returning to my husband’s home
to rejoice and celebrate. His/her life shall return to normalcy for
him/her and his/her life shall climb up to success and accomplishment.
9. Ifá says that for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to succeed
in life, there is the need for him/her to be miserly with his/her ẹbọ
materials. He/she must never procure all the ẹbọ materials that he/she
was advised to procure for ẹbọ. For example, if he/she is advised to
offer ẹbọ with three cocks, he/she should offer only one or two, where
he/she is advised to offer ẹbọ with a bottle of palm-oil, a bottle of
alcohol or honey, he/she needs not bring any of these items. All he/she
needs to do is to look for an empty bottle of palm-oil in the house of the
Awo, pour a little water into it and use it as palm-oil, look for an already
used bottle of alcohol and drain the remaining alcohol on the ẹbọ the
same thing with the honey. That is what will make his/her ẹbọ to be
accepted by the Divinities.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô OÙsiô ¾n

Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾e¾ôreô¾ aleô'¾de
Di;a; fu;n ‘La;gaye¾ n’I:jeô¾saô ¾
E:yi t;i wo;ôn ni; ko sô’ahun eôboô
N;itori; ire gbogbo
K’eô;boô re¾ô o; le¾ baa¾ fi;n
K’eô;boô reô¾ o; le¾ baa¾ da¾
Translation:
Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôin

Ogbè, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n shrine
754

These were Ifa;’s messages for‘La;gaye¾ in I®jeô¾sôal¾ and
He was advised to be miserly with his eôboô
For him to be blessed with all the Ire of life
So that his eôboô would be accepted
So that his eôboô would meet with approval
The life of ‘La;gaye¾ was in total disarray. His business had gone down.
His wives had deserted him. His children hated him. His relatives abused
and cursed him. His neighbours loathed him. His world had collapsed all
around him. He could not understand why all these things were
happening to him. He had no idea why everyone had turned round to
scorn and hate him with passion. He was no longer invited to the
periodic family meetings, not to mention the communal gatherings. As
far as everyone was concerned, he simply did not exist in their lives any
longer. To add insult to injury he had been offering all the eôboô
prescribed for him. It looked like even the ancestors and the Divinities
were also angry with him. He was convinced that all the eôboô and e¾tu¾tu¾
together with the I®pe¾se¾ that he had been offering were not even
considered, much less accepted. Why must these misfortunes be
happening to him? Who had he offended? What had he done wrong?
How did he wrong anyone? Why? Why? Why?
One day, ‘La;gaye¾ woke up very early in the morning feeling sad and
depressed as usual. He began having the feeling that he did not belong
to this world any longer. This made him to decide to end it all one way
or the other. He left his home, or what remained of it, since the
windows, doors and roof had been blown away by storms and rain, and
decided to move aimlessly until he collapsed somewhere and laid himself
to his final rest.
As he was going, he met the group of Awo mentioned above on the

outskirts of the town. They were about to go into the forest to look for
herbs and roots. They decided to consult Ifá in order to determine the
direction to take in order to get the roots and herbs. During the Ifá
consultation, Ogbe¾ I®ka; was revealed. As they were analyzing the
messages of this Odù, ‘La;gaye¾ passed by. One of them called him over
and told him that he had been facing the problem of unconsummated
fortune for a long time. He was told that his life would improve if he
755
Ogbè I®ka;
could be a little miserly with all the eôboô materials prescribed for him.
They told him that his life had not improved because he had been
offering all the eôboô as prescribed. All the principalities in charge of his
misfortunes felt that there was more that he could offer them where
those materials had come from. They enjoined him to stop offering his
eôboô as prescribed henceforth. He was told to reduce the number of the
materials, even if he had the means to procure everything that was
prescribed for him. By so doing, the principalities would take pity on him
and leave him alone and have compassion for him.
When‘La;gaye¾ heard this, it appeared very illogical to him. He asked the

Awo to tell him all the eôboô materials that he needed to procure. He was
asked to procure three hens, three cocks, three guinea-fowls,
three pigeons, one bottle of palm-oil, one bottle of liquor and a
lot of money. ‘La;gaye¾ returned home, forgetting entirely about his
suicide plans and went to look for money to offer the ‘La;gaye¾. He
procured one hen, one cock, one pigeon, one guinea-fowl and a
little money. He did not purchase either the palm-oil or the
liquor. He did not look for kola nuts or bitter kolas. The Awo
offered the eôbo for him as he had presented the materials.
As soon as this eôbo was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra summoned all the
principalities responsible for the problems in La;gaye’s life. He told them
that La;gaye had been ruined completely. He could not afford money for
eôbo any longer. He ordered them to leave La;gaye alone and allow his
opportunities and prosperity to return to him. The principalities
dispersed immediately. Little by little, prosperity returned to La;gaye.
Little by little, his neighbours began to see La;gaye in another light.
They began to understand that he was not as bad as he seemed to be.
Little by little, his wives saw him as someone worthy of being close to.
They began to move back into his life. Little by little, his children began
to see him as a very responsible father. Little by little, his family
members began to see him as someone full of wisdom and
understanding. Little by little, his community began to see him as
someone they could confide in and a very honourable man in the
society. Little by little, La;gaye’s life began to return to normal.
Within three years, La;gaye had become the toast of the community, the
honourable man of his family, the darling of his wives and loved ones,
the responsible father of his children and the role model of his society
756

Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾e¾ôreô¾ aleô¾de
Di;a; fu;n ‘La;gaye¾ n’I:jeô¾saô ¾
N;itori; ire gbogbo
K’eô;boô re¾ô o; le¾ baa¾ fi;n
K’eô;boô reô¾ o; le¾ baa¾ da¾
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
Ogbè, let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôin

These were Ifa;’s messages for‘La;gaye¾ in I®jeô¾sôal¾ and
For him to be blessed with all the Ire of life
So that his eôboô would be accepted
So that his eôboô would meet with approval
He complied
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be blessed
with all the Ire of life. He/she will move from grass to grace, from being
a nobody to being a somebody and from having failure to having
success.
757
Ogbè I®ka;
10. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have
the world in his/her grip. He/she shall not live in a world where he/she
will not have control over his/her life. Ifá assures this person that
he/she shall have authority over his/her subjects. He/she shall not live a
disillusioned life.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two hens, two cocks, two
guinea-fowls, two pigeons and money. He/she also needs to feed
Ifá with plenty of plantains.
On this, Ogbe¾-I®ka says:
Ari;ha;
Ari¾ha;
OÙ®poô¾toô; ki¾ti¾ moôreô o¾je;
D;ia; fu;n OÙba
Ti; n; sunku;n apa; o¾un o¾ Ka;’ye;
Translation:
Ari;ha;
Ari¾ha;
They cast Ifa; for the OÙba (the Royal Ruler)
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to control
his domain
The Ϙba was the ruler merely by name. Nobody gave him any respect.
All his orders were simply ignored. Nobody bothered to accord him his
due honour. As far as the community was concerned, he was as good
as not being on the throne at all. Everything he did to make his
subjects respect him failed.
Tired of being disregarded, he went for Ifá consultation in the home of

the three Awo stated above. He wanted to know what he needed to do
to make his subjects accord him his deserved honour and respect.
The Awo told him that he had lost control over his subjects and that
these subjects gave him no mind at all. He was however assured that
758
he would gain back his control. He was advised to offer eôboô and feed
Ifá as stated above. He complied
Soon after this, all the subjects began to see the virtues of their Ϙba
which they had hitherto not seen. They felt that he deserved
everybody’s honour and respect. They began to accord him the honour
from that day. Before long, he became second in command to the O®ri¾sôa.¾
The Ϙba lived and died a self-fulfilled and honourable man.
Ari;ha;
Ari¾ha;
D;ia; fu;n OÙba
Ti; n; sunku;n apa; o¾un o¾ ka;’ye;
N®jeô; a¾gbaagba¾ oko
Apa; OÙba ka¾sa ô i¾ ¾ ka;’ye; gbe¾ôyi¾nwa¾
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
Ari;ha;
Ari¾ha;
They cast Ifa; for the OÙba (the Royal Ruler)
control his domain
He complied
The farm plantains
The authority of the OÙba shall not but grip the
world in the end
759
Ogbè I®ka;
Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that all the Ire of
life shall be given to him/her. Ifá assures him/her that he/she shall have
authority and control over all his/her subjects.
11. Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she
will succeed if he/she goes into a land/property venture. Ifá says that
he/she will prosper far and wide if he/she works in this area of business.
Ifá says that if this person is in contention with others over land/
property, he/she will come out victorious. He/she will be adjudged as
the rightful owner of the land if appropriate eôboô can be offered.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks, three guinea-
fowls and money.
Ogbe¾ ka; re ka;a¾ ka; boô¾ wa;

Di;a; fu;n I®gbi;n
Ti; yo;o; gba ka;a loô;wo;ô Ahun
Translation:
Ogbe¾, let us go to the room and come back

This was Ifa;’s message for I®gbi;n (the Land Snail)
When going to take over the room from Ahun
(the Tortoise)
The Snail was known for her sluggishness. She was considered to be
stupid and unintelligent. On the other hand, the Tortoise prided himself
to be the wittiest creature on earth. He was full of tricks and games.
He specialized in cheating others and in creating confusion.
One day, the Tortoise planned to convert the room of the Land Snail to
his own property. He moved into the room, first as a visitor, then as a
temporary occupier then finally as the owner of the room. He spread
himself and his belongings all over the room. Before long, he began to
760
refer to the room as his personal belonging. Many years later, most
people considered the room to be the property of Ahun, the Tortoise.
When I®gbi;n needed her room for use, she went to Ahun to demand for
it. Ahun chased I®gbi;n out of the house. He warned her never to come
back to demand for it again. He made it clear to I®gbi;n that the room
had been the exclusive property of his forefathers from time
immemorial. The Snail could not believe what she was hearing. To add
salt to the wound, all those present supported Ahun as the rightful
owner of the room. They claimed that since the time they were born,
they had known Ahun as the occupier and owner of the room. They
said that when I®gbi;n knew that she was the owner of the room, why did
she wait so long before making an attempt to register her ownership
claim of the room? In any case, nobody believed her and nobody was
ready to believe her.
This development made I®gbi;n go and lodge a complaint with Olu;-Igbo;

the Head of the Forest Land. She reported that the Tortoise had taken
over her room from her. She said that when Ahun started to use the
room at the initial stage, she had no immediate need for the room. She
took pity on Ahun and allowed him to use the room. To her uttermost
surprise however, Ahun started to lay claim to the room as his bonafide
property. She said that she took no notice of that until she needed the
room back and Ahun chased her out of the house. She concluded that
what pained her most was the fact that everyone in the vicinity did not
believe her. They all supported Ahun as the actual owner of the room.
When Olu;-Igbo; heard this story, he summoned Ahun to his presence

and fixed a time for the hearing of the matter.
On the day of the hearing, Ahun told a long story of how Olo;du¾mare¾
Himself had given the room to this father when he was coming from
heaven to earth. That was the room that his great ancestors had been
occupying since time immemorial. They left about three generations
ago because his great grandfather, his grandfather and father went to
try their hands in other businesses in other lands and they also went for
a change of environment. He did not like the area where his father was
living and that was why he had decided to return to this ancestral room.
How then could I®gbi;n claim that the room belonged to her? If I®gbi;n or
any of her ancestors had been using the room, it was during the period
761
Ogbè I®ka;
that his own ancestors had been absent in the area. Ahun enjoined Olu;-
Igbo; to go and investigate the area. He assured Olu;-Igbo; that he would
find out that the name of that room was “I®kaara-ahun” meaning “the
room of Ahun”. He claimed that everyone knew that the room belonged
to his ancestors and therefore, by extension, the room was his.
Olu;-Igbo; was almost convinced that the room actually belonged to Ahun
and his ancestors. He nonetheless told the two parties to return home,
maintain the status quo and return to him in two weeks. I®gbi;n was also
smart enough to see that the weight of the case was swaying in Ahun’s
favour. She knew that she needed to do something quickly if she did
not want to lose the room to Ahun. But what? She had no idea. In the
end, she decided to go to the home of the Awo stated above for Ifá
consultation: Will I be able to claim back my room from Ahun? If yes,
what do I need to do in order to claim back the room? If no, why did
this misfortune befall me?
The Awo assured her that she would be able to reclaim her room from
Ahun. Not only this, no other person would be able to take away the
room from her ever again. The Awo advised her to offer ẹbọ as stated
above. She complied.
As soon as this ẹbọ was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to Olu;-Igbo and told
him that in order to get to the root of the matter, it would be advisable
for Olu;-Igbo to send a delegate to heaven in order to determine whom
among the two that Olo;du¾mare¾ had actually given the room to. Olu;-
Igbo claimed that this was no longer necessary since all investigations
pointed to the fact that the room actually belonged to Ahun. The name
of the room was confirmed to be I®kaara-Ahun, the room of Ahun. So,
what else would he need to go to heaven to find out? E®sôu¾ insisted that
it would still be proper to ensure that no stone was left unturned in the
investigation. Those who distributed the rooms for the animals knew the
original owners of the rooms and those whom the rooms were allocated
to.
For formality’s sake Olu;-Igbo agreed to send a delegate to heaven to

investigate this particular case and any other issue pertaining to it.
The delegate returned two days to the day of judgement. The report of
the delegate was that Ahun had no claim to the room in any way
762
whatsoever. The room was originally allocated to I®gbi;n. In the records

in heaven, the room still belonged to I®gbi;n. The delegate concluded that
Ahun was just trying to usurp what never belonged to him. This report
was what turned the judgement against Ahun and in favour of I®gbi;n.
On the day of the judgement, the two of them were invited to come and
swear on the ordeal if the room actually belonged to them. I®gbi;n
stepped forward and swore. The Tortoise could not do so. Olu;-Igbo;
then ordered some able-bodied men to follow Ahun home and throw all
his belongings out of the room. They should also supervise and oversee
the occupation of the room by I®gbi;n. Since that day, I®gbi;n took over the
room from Ahun. The room however continued to be known and called
I®kaara-Ahun although it was being occupied by I®gbi;n, the Land Snail. In
the end, Justice prevailed.
Ogbe¾ ka; re ka;a¾ ka; boô¾ wa;

Di;a; fu;n I®gbi;n
Ti; yo;o; gba ka;a l'oô;wo;ô Ahun
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
A®ja¾seô ô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙbari¾sa
ô ¾
Keô¾re¾ôkeô¾re¾ô
Ifa; o; gba’le¾ô l'oô;wo;ô oô woôn
I®gbi;n o; gba ka;a¾ l'oô;wo;ô Ahun
Translation:
Ogbe¾, let us go to the room and come back

This was Ifa;’s message for I®gbi;n (the Land Snail)
When going to take over the room from Ahun (the Tortoise)
She complied
Victory over adversary is what Ifa; guarantees for
all its devotees
763
Ogbè I®ka;
Gradually
Ifa; will take over the land from them all
Gradually
I®gbi;n will take over the room from Ahun
Gradually
Ifá says that systematically, Ifá will claim what belonged to the person
for whom this Odù is revealed and will give it back to him/her. Ifá
assures this person that gradually, justice will prevail.
For this very reason, the person for whom this Odù is revealed must also
never attempt to claim or usurp what does not belong to him/her. If
he/she does so, Ifá will snatch it from him/her and return it to the
rightful owner.
12. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô
for him/her to be blessed with many followers. Ifá says that when
he/she was coming from heaven, he/she had the blessing of OÙba¾ta;la;.
This Divinity had assured him/her that to be blessed with several
followers would not be a problem.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with two guinea-fowls, two
cocks, two pigeons and money. He/she also needs to feed OÙba¾ta;la;
with 16 land snails, shea butter, 16 chalks and food.
On this, Ifá says:

Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾e¾ôreô¾ aleô¾'de
Di;a; fu;n ‘La;le;mere¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô O®o¾sôa¾ Gbo¾wu;ji¾
E®yi; to; ji; ni; Ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾
Ti; n;m'o;mi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ ire gbogbo
Translation:
Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôi¾n

Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n
764
These were Ifa;’s messages for ‘La;le;mere¾

The child of OÙba¾ta;la;
He who woke up at dawn
And was weeping in lamentation for his inability
to receive the blessing of all the Ire of life
‘La;le;mere¾ always dreamt that he would be a successful man. He knew

that he would surely succeed. He however had not gotten his hands on
success. He was convinced that nobody was against his progress and
that he had just not gotten hold of what he needed to do to make him
succeed. This made him feel very sad indeed. How could he see
himself as an accomplished man in his dreams and a nobody in real life?
He had no money. He was poorer than most of his colleagues. He had
no wife. He had no child. Nothing worked well for him and he was
supposed to be celebrating his success according to what he was seeing
in his dreams. He knew that his dreams never failed. What then was
happening to him that had been preventing him from becoming a very
successful man in life? That was exactly what led him to go for Ifá
consultation. He asked Ifá what he needed to do to actualize his
dreams.
The Awo told him that he came into this world to succeed. No matter
the odds, he was assured that he would certainly succeed. He was
urged however never to lose hope or have despair. He was told that he
would not only be a successful man, he would be very successful in all
the things that he had laid his hands upon. He was told that OÙba¾ta;la;
was keeping all his Ire in readiness for him to come and claim them.
The Awo advised him to offer eôboô as stated above and to feed OÙba¾ta;la;.
He complied
Soon after this, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ sent ‘La;le;mere¾’s eôboô to heaven for
endorsement and approval. He also took what he used to propitiate
OÙba¾ta;la; personally to the Divinity. He pleaded with OÙba¾ta;la; to release all
of ‘La;le;mere¾ ire to ‘La;le;mere. That was what took place. Within a few
months, all opportunities of success came ‘La;le;mere's way. He was able
to actualize all his dreams. Within a year or two, he became a very
successful man in the community. He got married to a beautiful and
loving wife. The wife became pregnant and gave birth to an equally
765
Ogbè I®ka;
beautiful baby. His business continued to thrive and his honour, prestige
and respect grew in bounds.

Ogbe¾ ka; re’le; oômoô Olo;gu¾n-u;n re¾ôreô¾e¾ôreô¾ aleô¾de
Dia fun ‘La;le;mere¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô O®o¾sôa¾ Gbo¾wu;ji¾
E®yi; to; ji; ni; Ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾
Ti; n;m'; o;mi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ ire gbogbo
Ko; pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
Ire gbogbo wa; a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring ofô Oôsôi¾n

Ogbe¾, let us go home, offspring of the O®gu;n
These were Ifa;’s messages for ‘La;le;mere¾
The child of OÙba¾ta;la;
He who woke up at dawn
And was weeping in lamentation for his inability
to receive the blessing of all the Ire of life
He complied
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa
Come and see all Ire
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will become a
success story before long. He/she will be able to actualize all his/her
dreams in life. He/she will be given honour, prestige and respect.
766
13. Ifá says that all the great things of life await the person for whom
this Odù is revealed. Ifá assures him/her that there is nothing on earth
that he/she is looking for that he/she will not get- wealth, spouse,
children, property, good health, honour, prestige, success, longevity and
all the Ire of life.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two
pigeons, two hens, two guinea-fowls, two ducks, two cocks and
money. He/she also needs to feed the O®o¾ri¾ tree with whatever Ifá
chooses for him/her to feed the tree with.
On this, Ifá says:
Ka; mu; ire;ô sô’oôpoô;n

Ka; f’i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ sôe’yu¾n
Ka; mu; ge¾ge; sô’e¾roôô;keôô;
Di;a; fu;n A®ko¾o¾ki;
EÙru; A®naasi¾n, Ayaba OÙloô;fin
Translation:
Let us use the Ire;ô tree to carve an Ifa; divination tray

Let us use the cow-tail as a coral bead
Let us use the wooden pen as a tapper
These were Ifa;’s messages for A®ko¾ok¾ i;
The slave of A®noôosô i¾n, the first wife of OÙloô;fin,
the OÙba of Ile;-Ifeô¾
A®ko¾o¾ki; was a dedicated and loyal slave of A®noôosô i¾n, the first wife of
OÙloô;fin. She was ready to lay down her life for A®noôosô i¾n because she was
always well treated and properly taken care of. A®noôosô i¾n took care of
her like her own younger sister. There was nothing on earth that
A®noôoôsi¾n wanted which she did not have – except that she had no baby
of her own. This worried her alright, but she would not carry her
problem on her head or visit her frustrations on others.
767
Ogbè I®ka;
One fine day, A®ko¾ok¾ i; went for Ifá consultation in the home of the group
of Awo mentioned above. She wanted to know what she needed to do
in order to improve the quality of her life. The Awo told her that
something was about to happen in her life that would change her status
forever. She was informed that she would regain her freedom and she
would become very wealthy, honoured and respected. She was advised
to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied immediately, even though
she had no idea of what would happen that would change her status
from being a slave to that of a free person. She however believed what
the Awo said because she was convinced that Ifá’s words always came
to pass. She was prepared to wait and see how this would happen in
her life.
A few days after this, A®ko¾ok¾ i; was asked to go into the forest to fetch
firewood to use as fuel in the palace. She went promptly. When she
got to the forest, she began to cut down many trees. She saw an O®o¾ri¾
tree and decided to cut that tree too; since it was not a very big tree
that would be too difficult for her to chop down. As she stuck the tree
with one axe blow, the tree began to sing, saying:
Ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾

Ma¾¾ ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾
Aje; ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾
Aya ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾
OÙmoô ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾
Ile; ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾
Ma; ge ma; ge Oriri
Ire ma¾ n; beô l’o;o¾ri¾
Translation:
Do not cut it, it is the O®ri¾ri¾ tree

Please do not cut the O®ri¾ri¾ tree
There is boundless wealth in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree
Do not cut down the O®ri¾ri¾ tree
There are spouses in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree
768

There are many children in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree
There are properties in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree
All the Ire of life is in the O®ri¾ri¾ tree
When A®ko¾ok¾ i; heard this song, she threw down the axe and ran home.
When she got home, she tried to explain what had happened but
because of her state of agitation and anxiety nobody could make head
or tail of what she was saying. All what anyone could make out of her
story was that a tree was singing, it seemed so preposterous that all
those present felt that she had been attacked by OÙbalu;waye; and her
brain had been affected.
When she got herself together, she narrated her story and everyone did
not believe her. She insisted that someone must follow her to the woods
to confirm or dispel what she had said. The seriousness on her face
made everyone around, A®noôosô i¾n inclusive, to decide to follow her to the
spot. When they got to the spot where the O®ri¾ri¾ tree was, it was a real
surprise that the tree was such a small tree.
Those who followed A®ko¾ok¾ i; to the spot asked her to make the tree talk.
She simply handed over the axe to A®noôosô i¾n and asked her to strike the
tree with it as gently as she could. When A®noôosô i¾n struck the tree, it
began to sing again, saying:

Ma¾¾ ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾
Ma; ge ma; ge Oriri
769
Ogbè I®ka;
Translation:
Do not cut it, it is the O®ri¾ri¾ tree

All of them stood rigid on the ground, totally dumbfounded. They all
knelt down and began to pray for whatever they needed. A®noôosô i¾n
prayed for a baby. A®ko¾ok¾ i; prayed for her independence while other
people prayed for wealth, success, elevation, victory and so on. They all
fed the O®ri¾ri¾ tree with what it demanded for.
When they all returned home, they were all convinced that their prayers
would be answered.
Within one year, A®noôosô i¾n became a mother, A®ko¾ok¾ i; gained her freedom,
those who prayed for success, wealth, elevation, victory, peace of mind,
comfort and so on got them all also.
Ka; mu; ire;ô sô’oôpoô;n

Ka; f’i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ sôe’yu¾n
Ka; mu; ge¾ge; sô’e¾roôô;keôô;
Di;a; fu;n A®ko¾o¾ki;
EÙru; A®naasi¾n, Ayaba OÙloô;fin
N®je;ô ma; ge ma; ge O®ri¾ri¾
770

Ma ge ma ge Oriri
Translation:
Let us use the Ire;ô tree to carve an Ifa; divination tray

Let us use the cow-tail as a coral bead
Let us use the wooden pen as a tapper
These were Ifa;’s messages for A®ko¾ok¾ i;
The slave of A®noôosô i¾n, the first wife of OÙloô;fin, the OÙba
of Ile;-Ifeô¾
She complied
Now, Do not cut it, it is the O®ri¾ri¾ tree
with all the Ire of life. He/she shall be a proud and happy recipient of all
his/her heart’s desires.
14. Ifá says that there is a child who always likes to have his/her way
where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this is a great child who must
be given whatever he/she demands for; although it must not be to the
771
Ogbè I®ka;
extent where it spoils this child. All of the child’s needs must be fulfilled
however. Ifá also gives a serious warning to the parents of this child
never to leave this child to anyone to take care of on their behalf and
must never be given to someone else or a foster parent to train on
behalf of the parents. This is in order to prevent a disaster from
happening to the child.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôbo with one mature he-goat and
money for this child. Even if 100 he-goats are offered for this child,
he/she must not be allowed to stay in the care of others or foster
parents even for one day.
On this, Ifá says:
OÙ®sa;n lo; po;ôn

E®ki;ti¾ a; la¾ peôeô peô¾e¾ô peôeô
D;i;a; fu;n Ye¾ye; OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe f'o;ômoô reô¾ o
Translation:
When the sun is overhead

The anthill will crack all over
This was Ifa;’s message for the mother of OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan
She was advised to offer eôboô for her child
OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan was a child that took the parents several years to

beget. They offered eôboô several times and fed different divinities before
their prayers were answered. When the child eventually arrived, the
parents left no stone unturned in their care, love and affection for the
child. They were ready to go to any length to satisfy him.
One day, OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan went to his mother and told her that he
would love to eat ostrich eggs. The mother said that they were difficult
to get, she explained to him that he should postpone that till another
time when she would be able to look for the eggs for him. The child was
only seven years old at this time. The boy looked straight into his
mother’s eyes and told her that if he could not get the eggs that day, he
would simply die. The mother went into a panic and began to plead
with him not to die, saying:
772
OÙmoô ma; i¾i; ku;

OÙmoô ma; i¾i; ku;
OÙmoô mi ni¾ mo¾¾ôjôa¾ ni; m'O®®gu;n Oni;re¾
Ti;i; je;ô ‘moôja
OÙmoô mi ni ke¾ôkeô; eti; o¾kun e¾ri¾ma¾do¾
I®ya; mi o¾
OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan
I®ya; mi o¾
Translation:
My child, please do not die

My baby, please do not die
My child is my 'Mo¾¾ôja¾ and my O®gu;n Oni;re¾
The one known as the offspring of the fish called ‘Moôja
My child is the wheel at the sea-side
Oh my mother
Oh my mother
As soon as she finished singing, she went to great length to procure the
ostrich eggs for him. There will be no peace or rest of mind in the
house until the eggs are found for him. The arrival of the child had
brought unquantifiable success and satisfaction into the house. That
was why the parents, especially the mother, were ready to go the extra
length to satisfy him. He was considered the gem of the house. He was
the very life that kept the mother going and breathing. Without this
child, the mother would simply cease to exist.
One day however, OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan’s mother planned to go and transact

business in O®je;ej; e market. She went for Ifá consultation in order to
determine how her success chances would be. The Awo told her that
she would succeed in her transaction in O®je;ej; e market. She was
however warned not to leave her child behind even for one day. She
was told to take her child along with her in order to prevent any form of
calamity from befalling the child. The Awo also advised her to offer
773
Ogbè I®ka;
eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. She complied with the
advice of the Awo to offer the eôboô.
When she got to the house, she realized that she needed to spend three
nights at O®je;ej; e market. She felt that it would be too much strain on her
jewel to make him sleep for three days in the market. For this reason,
she decided to make arrangements with one of her co-wives in the
house to help her take care of her beloved child. The co-wife promised
to take very good care of the child.
On the day of departure, Ye¾ye; OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan gave her co-wife three

ostrich eggs for her to boil and give to OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan, one egg per
day. She also gave her other food items that he would eat in her
absence. She told her child, her life, farewell and left for O®je;ej; e market.
As soon as she left, the co-wife called OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan and handed

down a stern warning to him that she would not tolerate all the rubbish
which his mother had been coping with. She made it clear that she had
no time for any spoiled child and would certainly create no time for such
a child. After the warning, she made him go to sleep on an empty
stomach.
The next day, OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan went to the co-wife to demand for one of
his eggs. The woman simply ignored him. She cooked the three ostrich
eggs at the same time and handed them over to her own children.
OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan told her that the eggs belonged to him and should be
given to him to eat. The co-wife gave him a heavy slap, pulled his ears
and told him never to argue with an elder again in his life.
Hearing this, it was like the whole world had collapsed on him. How
could this woman cook his eggs for her own children to eat and at the
same time slap him and pull his ears for demanding for what belonged
to him? This was cheating of the highest order and it was callousness of
unprecedented dimension! He could no longer live with this type of
humiliation, cheating and abuse! He must pack up his things and bid this
world farewell!
While he was thinking about this and contemplating on what to do, the
co-wife brought a sick-looking water yam for him to eat. She screamed
at him that he might as well leave it untouched if he did not like the
yam. That was what made him decide to return to heaven. He told the
co-wife that instead of eating the yam, he would rather die. The co-wife
774
asked him to go ahead and die if he so desired. She told him that he
could not threaten her with death. Anyone willing to die was free to do
so, she said. She added that he did not need to announce that to her.
He only needed to just go ahead and die!
OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan did not say anything again. He simply went to the
centre of the junction of the three cross roads. He stood rigidly at the
centre of the crossroads. He called on all his heavenly colleagues to
come and take him home. As he said this, the ground began to open to
swallow him little by little. When he had been swallowed up to his
knees, he began to sing, saying:
E®ro¾ to; n; r'O®je;ej; e

O®®je;ej; e
EÙ ba; mi ki; ye¾ye; e¾ mi o
O®je;ej; e
EÙyin to; fi si';leô¾, fu;n mi
O®je;ej; e
Orogu;n se¾, o; f’o;ômoô reô
O®je;ej; e
Isôu ewu¾ra¾ to; kan bo;bo;
O®je;ej; e
L’orogu;n se¾ lo; fu;n mi jeô
O®je;ej; e
EÙ ba; mi ki; ye¾ye; e¾ mi o
O®je;ej; e
O: d'oju; a¾la; ka; to;o; tu;n ri;’ra o
O®je;ej; e
Translation:
Travellers going to O®je;ej; e market

O®je;ej; e
Help me greet my mother
O®je;ej; e
The eggs she left for me
O®je;ej; e
Her co-wife cooked and gave them to her children
O®je;ej; e
A water yam that was very sour
775
Ogbè I®ka;
O®je;ej; e
That was what her co-wife cooked for me to eat
O®je;ej; e
Please extend my greetings to my mother
O®je;ej; e
We shall meet only in our dreams
O®je;ej; e
As he finished this song, the ground opened and swallowed him up

completely. The news of the disappearance of OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan spread
like wild fire. When Ye¾ye; OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan, OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan mother
heard that her jewel and her life had disappeared, it was too late to
regret her failure to heed the advice of the Awo.
OÙ®sa;n lo; po;ôn

E®ki;ti¾ a; la¾ peôeô peô¾e¾ô peôeô
D;i;a; fu;n Ye¾ye; OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe fo;ômoô reô¾ o
O: koô’ti; oô¾gboônhin s’e;ôboô
E®ro¾ i¾po, e¾ro¾ o¾ôfa¾
EÙni gb'eô;boô ni; be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô o
Ye¾ye; OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan i¾ ba; te¾te ¾moô¾
I® ba; wa;a; f’owo; s’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô o
I® ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô
Translation:
When the sun is overhead

The anthill will crack all over
This was Ifa;’s message for the mother of OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan
She was advised to offer eôboô for her child
She failed to offer the eôboô
Traveller’s to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Let those advised to offer eôboô do so
Had OÙmoôni;ja¾nn¾ku;jan's mother known ahead of time
She would have offered the eôboô as prescribed
Had she known ahead of time
776
Ifá advises this person to heed the warning of the Awo in order to
prevent calamity for his/her beloved child and by extension for
himself/herself.
15. Ifá says that death is threatening the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. Ifá urges this person to offer eôboô as urgently as possible in
order to ward off the threat of death on his/her head.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature she goat and
money. This she goat must not be slaughtered, only the hair must
be pulled and added to the eôboô. The eôboô must also have little or no
palm-oil. If palm-oil is used it must be mixed with water before being
used for the eôboô. The money for the ẹbọ must also be small in amount
and must not be enough to purchase anything. It is only when this is
done that the threat of death will depart from the person for whom this
Odù revealed.
On this, Ifá says:
Are;pi;nri;n d’i;fa; awo Ala;ra;

Are;pi¾nri¾n d’i;fa; awo Ajero¾
Sa¾ka¾ta¾n¾bamu¾
Di;a; fu;n 'La;gaye¾ n'I::je¾ôsa
ô ¾
OÙmoô aru';boô n;la; ti’ku;
Translation:
He who has epi;nri;n cloth to cast Ifa;, the Awo of Ala;ra;

He who has epi¾nri¾n cloth to cast Ifa;, the Awo of Ajero¾
¾ amu¾
Sa¾ka¾ta¾nb
They cast Ifa; for 'La;gaye¾ in I®jeô¾sôal¾ and
He who offered a mighty eôboô to chase death away
Ala;ra; had a bad dream and he summoned Are;pi;nri;n di;fa; his Awo to
come and cast Ifá for him. The Awo came and he informed Ala;ra; that
death threatened. He recommended that a mature she goat and money
should be offered as ẹbọ. Ala;ra; complied
777
Ogbè I®ka;
The she goat was sliced open and offered as i¾pe¾se¾ for the Elders of the
Night. Death came the third day and snatched Ala;ra; away. How could
this have happened when he had offered the eôboô as prescribed? Nobody
could find any answer to that.
Ajero¾ was getting some strange feelings. He summoned Are;pi;nri;n di;fa;

his Awo to come quickly to consult Ifá for him. Are;pi;nri;n di;fa; told Ajero¾
that death was hovering over his head. He recommended a mature she-
goat and money. The she-goat was slaughtered and the eôboô was
offered. Five days after, Ajero¾ joined his ancestors. How could this have
happen after he had offered the eôboô as recommended? There was no
satisfactory answer from anyone on the matter.
OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n, OÙbaleô;yo¾ô, Olo;jon¾bo;, Olu;foô;n, Olu;gbo;ôn, Areô¾sa¾ and a host of

other high-ranking and very important monarchs also had met their
untimely deaths the same way. Yet there was no satisfactory
explanation as to why these great people were meeting their untimely
deaths even after they had offered the eôbo as prescribed.
One day, La;gaye¾ had a terrifying dream. In his dream, he found himself
being tied with a rope, being dragged by the neck and being thrown
inside a huge burning fire. He woke up very startled. He summoned
¾ amu¾, his Awo to come and cast Ifá for him on the matter.
Sa¾ka¾ta¾nb
When the Awo came, he told La;gaye¾ that death threatened. He told him
that he needed a mature she-goat, palm-oil and money. He
however stressed that the goat must not be slaughtered. He explained
that only some of the hair of the goat should be pulled from different
parts of its body and added to the eôbo. The palm-oil should also be
mixed with water and added to the eôbo in a miserly way. He assured
La;gaye¾ that if this was done, he would escape the death that had
snatched away other prominent people. La;gaye¾ complied.
As soon as the eôbo was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to Ikú (Death) and
told him that there was neither fun nor satisfaction in killing La;gaye¾.
E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ told Ikú that the other prominent people who had earlier
been killed ought to have died because their death was celebrated. He
said that nobody would celebrate the death of La;gaye¾ because there
was nothing to rejoice over such death. He was a nobody and no one
would miss such a wretched person. He asked Ikú to follow him to
778
where La;gaye¾'s eôbo was placed for him to witness and confirm
La;gaye¾‘s wretchedness and poverty. He could not even afford a she-
goat. He could not even afford ordinary palm-oil.
When Ikú got to the spot where La;gaye¾ placed his eôbo, Ikú was
convinced that there was no satisfaction for him to derive in killing
La;gaye¾. Ikú left La;gaye¾ alone to continue to enjoy his wretched life and
went to the domains of Awu¾jale¾ô, O®sôema¾we;, Ala;ke;tu, Oni;sa;beô to wreck
his havoc and to kill other prominent people.
Are;pi;nri;n d’i;fa; awo Ala;ra;

Are;pi¾nri¾n d’i;fa; awo Ajero¾
Sa¾ka¾ta¾n¾bamu¾
Di;a; fu;n La;gaye¾ ni;'je¾ôsa
ô ¾
OÙmoô aru;boô n;la; ti’ku;
EÙ wa;a; ba;ni l'a;i¾ku; kangiri
Translation:
He who has epi;nri;n cloth to cast Ifa;, the Awo of Ala;ra;

He who has epi¾nri¾n cloth to cast Ifa;, the Awo of Ajero¾
¾ amu¾
Sa¾ka¾ta¾nb
They cast Ifa; for 'La;gaye¾ in I®jeô¾sôal¾ and
He who offered a mighty eôboô to chase death away
Join us where we enjoy the blessing of longevity
Ifá says that this person will live to his/her old age. He/she will also
enjoy life to the maximum. His/her life will be sweeter than pure honey.
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to behave
miserly whenever he/she is offering his/her eôboô for long life and
prosperity.
16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to
commiserate with people who have just lost their loved ones for at least
seven days. This person must ensure that the corpse has already been
779
Ogbè I®ka;
buried before he/she ventures to go to the house where the person had
died to express his/her condolences. This is in order to avoid a situation
where this person will also meet his/her untimely death shortly before or
after the burial.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with a mature he-goat and
money. He/she also needs to steer clear of a venue where someone
has recently died until the corpse of the dead person has been interred.
On this Ifá says:
Ai;le;ô le;ô, ki; n; te;ô’ni;

Oju;mo;ô moô; ki; n ka;’ ni;
Di;a; fu;n Po;si;
Di;a; fu;n E®es ¾ u;
Di;a; fu;n Igi A®ra¾
Wo;ôn ni; ki; a¾woôn meô;teô¾eô¾ta ru;';boô
Ki; wo;ôn ma; baa¾ woô’le¾ô papoô¾ l'oô;jo;ô kanna;a¾
Translation:
Let the night come for me to spread my mat

Let the day break for me to fold the mat
This was Ifá’s message for Po;si; (the coffin)
The same was also declared for E®es¾ u; (the blade grass)
The same was also declared for Igi A®ra¾, (the support stick)
The three of them were advised to offer eôboô
So they would not be buried alive together on the same day
The death of the Baa;le, the family Head shook the whole community to
its very foundation. Why did he die in that way? What was responsible
for his death? What arrangement should they make to ensure a
memorable burial? The whole community vowed that the Baa;le must be
given the most decent burial anyone had ever been given in that
community. Everyone began to plan. All hands were on deck to ensure
that the Baa;le’s burial was treated as a carnival.
In order to know what to do so as to contribute their own quota to the

burial rites of the Baa;le;, Po;si; (the coffin), E®es¾ u; (the Blade grass) and Igi
780
A®ra¾ (the support stick) went for Ifá consultation in the house of the Awo
mentioned above.
The two told the trio that they must be careful with what they wanted to
do in regards to their participation in the burial rites. They were warned
not to attend the burial ceremony at all. Not only that, they were also
warned not to go to the house where any person had just died until the
corpse of the deceased had been interred. They were also advised to
offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money.
What?! These Awo must be wicked people! How could they tell them not
to attend the burial of the Baa;le;? The whole community would be
present. How did these Awo think it would look if the three of them
were the only ones who were not there? Their absence would be so
conspicuous that the whole community would notice it instantly! No!
This warning cannot be from Ifá. These Awo must have made it up in
order to embarrass them. They would not allow any wicked Awo to
cause them any embarrassment. The three of them quietly left the
house of the Awo without uttering a single world and were fully
determined to be part of the burial arrangement.
The Baa;le; would be buried in the evening. He died very early in the
morning of the same day. All those who went to the farm had returned
when they heard of the Baa;le;’s demise. The grave was dug inside the
Baa;le;’s room. The whole community was in a frenzy. Singing and
drumming was going on. The Baa;le; had been given the final bathing rite
and had been neatly dressed up, in readiness for interment.
That was when Po;si;, E®es¾ u; and Igi-A®ra¾ arrived. They went to the elders
to announce their presence. They also told the elders that they were
available for them to assign any work that they deemed fit for them to
perform. The elders deliberated for a long time but could not come up
with any special assignment for the trio. That was when E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra
came on the scene. He told the elders that they had said that that
particular burial would be the most spectacular of all burials. The trio
had special assignments to perform. He told the elders to use E®es¾ u; to
measure the Baa;le;’s corpse in order to ensure that the grave dug for
him would fit perfectly. He reminded the elders that the departed
Baa;le;’s was a tall man when he was alive. He also told them that Po;si;,
781
Ogbè I®ka;
the coffin would be the best to accommodate the corpse. It would make
the burial unique.
Then he said that Igi-A®ra¾ could be placed on the two sides of the corpse
to give it support. The elders thanked E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ profusely for
recommending such ingenious ideas.
The elders summoned the three friends. They grabbed E®es¾ u; and used
him to measure the corpse. They made all the necessary adjustments to
the dug grave. They placed the corpse inside the Po;si; (the coffin) and
used Igi-A®ra to support it. They also placed E®es¾ u; inside the Po;si;,
together with the corpse. They nailed the coffin. The elders instructed all
able-bodied people in the community to carry the coffin, together with
Igi-A®ra¾ and E®e¾su; and dance with these elements all around the town.
They did.
After this, the coffin that had been carrying the Baa;le;, the E®es¾ u; and Igi-
A®ra¾ were lowered into the grave and buried together. That was how
Po;si; (the Coffin), E®es¾ u; (the Blade grass), and Igi-A®ra¾, (the Support Stick)
were interred together with the corpse of the Baa;le;.
Ai;le;ô le;ô, ki; n; te;ô’ni;

Oju;mo;ô moô; ki; n ka;’ ni;
Di;a; fu;n Po;si;
Di;a; fu;n E®es ¾ u;
Di;a; fu;n Igi A®ra¾
Wo;ôn ni; ki; a¾woôn meô;teô¾eô¾ta ru;'boô
Ki; wo;ôn ma; baa¾ woô’le¾ô papoô¾ l'oô;jo;ô kanna;a¾
Woô;n koô’ti; oô¾gboônhin s'eô;boô
EÙ o¾ r 'I:fa; n; sôeô bi; a¾la; moôreô
EÙni gb’eô;boô ni';be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô'eôboô o
Translation:
Let the night come for me to spread my mat

Let the day break for me to fold the mat
This was Ifá’s message for Po;si; (the coffin)
The same was also declared for E®es¾ u; (the blade grass)
The same was also declared for Igi A®ra¾, (the support stick)
782
The three of them were advised to offer eôboô

So they would not be buried alive together on the same day
They refused to offer the eôboô
Can’t you see how the prediction of the Awo has
come to pass?
Ifá warns this person not to ignore the advice of the Awo regarding
avoiding corpses or funerals. The consequences of ignoring these
warnings are very grave indeed.
783
Ogbè I®ka;
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-I®KA: FOR THOSE BORN BY

THE ODÙ DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: OR I®TEÙ®NI:FA:
Ogbe¾ I®ka; children, males and females, are not in this world to
lack anything important in their lives. Whatever they lack shall soon be
given unto them. In other words, Ogbe¾ I®ka; male and female
children are in this world to succeed. Whatever they lack are just
temporary setbacks, such hardships and inconveniences shall soon be
replaced with success and accomplishment.
It should however be noted that Ogbe¾ I®ka; children have the

tendency to succeed more rapidly outside of their locality than within.
They however will be given more recognition from within than outside
their place of birth. It is therefore in the interest of all Ogbe¾ I®ka;
children to go outside their locality in search of the greener pasture but
return home in order to settle down after they have succeeded outside
so that they can have recognition.
For Ogbe¾ I®ka; male and female children, victory is assured. There
is however the need for them to be careful all the time in order to avoid
a situation that may make them suffer pain from the loss of their
belongings to thieves or fraudsters. This is the reason why they need to
follow Ifá's advice on whatever project they plan to embark upon in
order to avoid being swindled by fraudsters. On the other hand,
Ogbe¾ I®ka; children have the tendency to be surrounded by several
enemies and evil wishers. They will overcome them all. Ifá and
O®gu;n will ensure that all enemies are defeated.
It is not advisable for Ogbe¾ I®ka; children to accompany friends to

any event or occasion. If they must go to a particular occasion, they
must investigate properly before they embark on such a move. If Ifá
says they must not go, it is in their best interest not to attend the
occasion. Heeding the advice of Ifá will prevent them from meeting
with a calamity that will be related to the attendance of the occasion.
For Ogbe¾ I®ka; children to receive the blessings of resounding

success, victory and longevity, it is advisable for them to ensure that
they do not provide all the ẹbọ materials that the Babaláwo
recommend to them. For example, if the Babaláwo recommends three
784
he-goats, they must procure only one; if they recommend four pigeons,
they must procure one or two; if the Awo recommends a bottle of palm
wine, a bottle of liquor, and/or a bottle of honey, they do not need to
provide any of them; all what they need to do is to improvise with
whatever is available in the home of the Awo. It is an ironical thing to
do, but that is what their destinies require in order for them to succeed
and live long on earth.
For Ogbe¾ I®ka; male children, they must never marry a women who is
from their locality. Doing so is very dangerous to their lives. It is most
appropriate for them to marry visitors in their communities or total
strangers. That is where success, conjugal bliss, and longevity lies.
For Ogbe¾ I®ka; female children, they too must never marry a man who is
from the same locality as them. They too must marry visitors or total
strangers in their communities. Apart from this, Ogbe¾ I®ka; female
children often enter into serious troubles in their bid to protect and
defend the interests of their husbands. This is the reason why they must
never do anything in excess because such behaviour may backfire in the
end.
It is a serious taboo for Ogbe¾ I®ka; children, males and females, to

contemplate separation or divorce for any reason whatsoever. Doing this
will only add more problems to their pains, troubles, sorrow, and
regrets. If separation or divorce has already occurred, all acceptable
avenues must be found to resolve the issues that led to the separation
in order for the couple to resume their conjugal life.
On the overall, Ogbe¾ I®ka; children, males and females, have the world
in their control. They are here in the world to have everything
surrounding them right in their grips. They will never live a powerless,
meaningless, visionless, mission less or delusional life.
785
Ogbè I®ka;
C. ® O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® I®KA:

AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ/
1. Ifá- For direction, guidance, protection, sanctuary, victory, support,

leadership, elevation, success, contentment, fulfilment, and
general wellbeing
2. Orí- For fulfilment of destiny, direction, protection, sanctuary,
victory, protection, guidance, contentment, success, elevation,
leadership and self actualisation.
3. E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾- For guidance, protection, harmony, sanctuary,
protection, victory, success, elevation, direction, and general
wellbeing
4. OÙba¾ta;la; - For leadership, success, victory, contentment, and
general wellbeing
5. OÙÙbalu;aye; - For protection against ailments, leadership, victory,
success, and general wellbeing
6. EÙdan - For victory, success, longevity, and general wellbeing
7. O®gu;n - For victory, success, leadership, accomplishment, security
8. SÙa¾ngo; - For victory, success, leadership, accomplishment, security
9. O®su¾ - For protection against ailments, victory, support and general
wellbeing
10. EÙgbeô;- For comradeship, leadership, victory, success, elevation,
guidance, and general wellbeing
11. Egu;ngu;n- For ancestral support, elevation, success, victory,
D. TABOOS OF OGBE® I®KA:

1. Must never eat land snails - To avoid losing his/her properties to
others
2. Must never marry a spouse from the same locality - To avoid
anxiety, problems, unconsummated fortune, threat and calamity
3. Must never see fresh corpses or go to the home of someone
who has just died - To avoid threat to life, anxiety, pain and
disaster
4. Must never accept and consume any fruit from anyone - To
avoid the problem of food poisoning
786
5. Must never leave his/her child for anyone to take care of on

his/her behalf - To avoid disaster befalling the child, especially if
that is an only child of the parent
6. Must never accompany anyone to any event or occasion
without proper investigation - To avoid threat to life and
calamity
7. Must never contemplate separation or divorce - To avoid pain,
agony, frustration, or regret
8. Must never victimise or abuse his/her subordinates - To avoid
shame, humiliation, frustration, defeat and regret
9. Must never use the O®ri¾ri¾ tree or any part of it for anything -
To avoid unconsummated fortune, failure and regret
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® I®KA:

i. MALE
1. Ifa;ka;yoô¾de; - Ifa; brings me joy

2. OÙjoô;o¾ôoô;da; - My appointed day has not yet come
3. Ade;ju¾mo¾ôbi; - A child born into the home of royalty on both maternal
and paternal sides
4. I®lu;gbe¾yi;ka; - I have the support of all parts of the community
5. OÙla;gaye¾ - Honour is higher than any title
ii. FEMALE
1. A®ye¾gba¾mi; - I have enough space to operate in my life

2. OÙjo;ôoô¾o;ôda; - My appointed day has not yet come
3. OÙmoôla¾ja¾ - Our child has resolved our differences
4. I®lu;gbe¾yi;ka; - I have the support of all parts of the community
5. Ifa;sôoôla; - Ifa;; brings honour
® oôru; A®boôye¾
A®b
787
Chapter 11
Ogbè Òtúrúpọ̀n
II I
II I
I I
II I
788
OGBE® O®TU:RU:POÙN
®
OGBE® TU:NMOÙPOÙ®N
A. 1. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is uniquely
created by Olo;du¾mare¾. He/she was not designed like any other person. He/she
is not expected to emulate anyone on earth. He/she has been created to be
emulated by others.
Ifá says that anywhere that this person decides to make his/her permanent place
of abode shall be agreeable to him/her. He/she shall have and shall be given
space to operate. Nobody shall be able to displace him/her wherever he/she may
be. Nothing shall remove him/her from there. This person shall be given respect
honour and recognition wherever he/she resides.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with three machetes, three cocks, three
pigeons, three guinea-fowls and money.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Tu;nmoôpoô¾n on this aspect says:
Ogbe¾ tu;nmoô poô¾n

Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si;
Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; ri¾bi¾ribi i¾di;
A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ l’e;re¾
Di;a; fu;n La¾beôla¾beô
T;i;i; sô’olo;ri; i¾koôla¾ l’o;do¾
Translation:
Ogbe¾, please strap the baby well on your back

Ogbe¾, adjust the baby properly
Ogbe¾, move the baby to the contour of your buttocks
Strapping other people’s babies on one’s back brings no benefit
These were Ifá’s declarations to La¾beôla¾beô (the Blade grass)
Who was the head of the Tribal Mark inscribers by the stream
789
La¾beôla¾beô (the Blade Grass) was planning to stray and live by the stream and
river side. He was aware that there were many elements that consumed grasses,
herbs, roots, and bark close to the waterside. He did not want such a fate to be
his lot. Consequent upon this, he went to home of the Awo mentioned above for
Ifá consultation. What can I do to be enabled to live by the water-side and be
secured without threat to my life, wellbeing and security? The Awo consulted
Ifá for La¾beôla¾beô and Ogbe¾-O®tu;ru;poô¾n and was revealed.
The Awo told La¾beôla¾beô that he had no reason to have fear in any way
whatsoever. He assured La¾beôla¾beô that his creation was unique. He would live
successfully and nobody and nothing would stop him from fulfilling his destiny.
He told La¾beôla¾beô that his protection would be assured if and when he offered
eôboô as prescribed for him. La¾beôla¾beô was also informed that he was created by
Olo;du¾mare¾ to inscribe tribal marks on people’s bodies. He was also assured
that he would not fail in any of his assignments. The Awo advised him to offer
eôboô as prescribed above. He complied.
As soon as the eôboô was offered, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ stuck the three machetes with which
he offered the eôboô to his body and the machetes became an integral part of his
body. From that day forward, he began to use the machetes to inscribe marks on
the bodies of whoever came close to him. He succeeded all the time. There were
several grasses, trees, shrubs, roots, creepers and vines by the water-side but
there were none that could be compared with La¾beôla¾beô. He was thus installed
the head of all the tribal mark inscribers by the water-side.
Ogbe¾ tu;nmoô poô¾n

Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; ri¾bi¾ribi i¾di;
Di;a; fu;n La¾beôla¾beô
T;i;i; sô’olo;ri; i¾koôla¾ l’o;do¾
Ko; peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni b’a;yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®je;ô gbogbo ewi; pe;’gba ni;gbo;
O®kan o¾ ri bi;i La¾beôla¾beô
La¾beôla¾beô ni;i; sô’olo;ri i¾koôla¾ l’o;do¾
790
OGBE® O®TU:RU:POÙ®N
Translation:

These were Ifá’s declarations to La¾beôla¾beô (the Blade grass)
Who was the head of the Tribal Mark inscribers by the stream
He complied
There are 200 different leaves in the forest
Not a single one is like La¾beôla¾beô
La¾beôla¾beô is the head of the tribal mark inscribers by the water-side
2. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed has come into this
world to perform wonders wherever he/she goes or stays. Ifá says that if he/she
goes to anywhere, he/she will have great opportunities to succeed there. Not only
this, he/she will succeed with style. Some people will find his/her style to be
arrogant, but it is not. The person for whom this Odù is revealed only loves to do
things with a touch of class. That is all that matters to him/her. He/she will never
be comfortable with doing things as other people do them. He/she will ensure that
his/her signature is imprinted on anything that he/she lays his/her hands upon.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two
hens, two guinea-fowls, two cocks and money.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n

A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ le;re¾
B’oô;moô ba; n; ke;
I®ya; oômoô la¾a; gbe; e fu;n
K’o;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ sinmi
K’oô;moô o; le¾ ba a¾ da;ke;ô
791
Ki; oni;ka;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tire¾ leô;nu o

Di;a; fu;n Oni;re¾-Ku;nku;
Ti; n; loô oko a¾lero¾ l’oô;du;n
Translation:

When a baby is crying
One needs to give the baby to its mother
For the baby to keep quiet
For the baby to stop crying
Let all mothers put their breasts into their babies’ mouths
These were Ifá’s messages for Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku;
When going on an annual farm cultivation
Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; loved to do her things differently from the ways others do theirs.
She always felt good and rewarded whenever she would find what she had done
something in a different way with success. When it was time for the annual
farm cultivation, Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; went for Ifá consultation in order to determine
how successful she would be that year. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾
Tu;nmoôpoô¾n was revealed.
The Awo told her that she would be very successful in her activity. She was
also told that everything she did would come out like a miracle for her. She was
assured that she would have cause to celebrate. She was advised to offer eôboô as
stated above. She complied. Shortly after this, she headed for the farm to start
the annual cultivation.
When she got to the farm, she thought of what to do which would be very
different from what all other trees, shrubs, creepers, grasses, and so on, would
be doing. She realised that all of the plants mentioned above normally put their
roots inside the soil in order to stand firm and survive. Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; chose to
stay on rocks, hills and mountains.
792
Every other plant considered this an impossible venture. She was however
determined to do it. She began to stamp her root onto the rock. Since she had
offered all the recommended eôboô which her Awo told her to offer, E®sôu¾ came to
her aid. Before long, she began to blossom on the rock, on the hill and on the
mountain. All other plants wondered in amazement. They could not believe
what they were seeing. Everyone passing by saw Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; and they would
go home to inform others who had not seen her and share that she was
performing wonders on the farm. This gave her a unique personality which she
had always craved for.

A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾ l'e;re¾
Ki; oni;ka;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tireôô¾ l'eô;nu o
Di;a; fu;n Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku;
Ti; n; loô oko a¾lero¾ l’oô;du;n
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®jeô Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; n; da; bi;ra¾ l'a;a¾la¾
O: n; da; bi;ra¾
Translation:

These were Ifá’s messages for Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku;
793
When going on an annual farm cultivation

She complied
Behold, Oni;re¾-Ku;n;ku; is performing wonders on the boundary of the farm
She is truly performing wonders
Ifá promises the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she will perform
wonders in his/her life. She will be able to perform feats which people believe
are not possible and they will perform them in a unique way.
3. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom this
Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she will be happy in life. He/she will celebrate
his/her accomplishments. He/she shall also be given space to express
himself/herself and will accomplish his/her heart desires.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two
hens, two guinea-fowls, two cocks, one calabash adorned with cowries and
money. This SÙeô¾keô¾re¾ô (“special” calabash) will be returned to him//her to play
regularly in his/her house, and on special occasions a party for Ifá while using
this SÙeô¾keô¾re¾.ô
On this, Ifá says:

Ki; oni;ka;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tireôô¾ leô;nu o
Di;a; fu;n SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Ala;ko¾ôle;
794
Translation:

These were Ifá’s declarations to SÙeô¾keô¾re¾ô (the calabash decorated
with cowries)
The offspring of Ala;ko¾ôle;
He was advised to offer the eôboô of prosperity
Originally, SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ was just an ordinary calabash, dirty, unkempt and worthless.
He was always on the way to the brook to fetch water or on the farm to carry
palm-wine back to the house. People would give him little regard. He was
known as Ke¾re¾gbe¾, an ordinary calabash then. Even though he was the son of
Ala;koô¾le;, the OÙba of I®koô¾le;-land, and the royal blood running in his veins did
little to help him have progress.
He was however a very progressive person. He was determined to reach the top
by all legitimate means available. He was ready to work hard and make
sacrifices to realise his full potentials in life. He was never afraid of challenges
and he could not be intimidated by any problem. Part of his quest to succeed
made him go to the Awo mentioned above to find out what he needed to do in
order to fulfil his destiny in life. The Awo cast Ifá for him and Ogbe¾-
Tu;nmoôpoô¾n was revealed.
The Awo told him that at that particular point in time, he was living in hardship.
He was finding it tough to make ends meet. He was however assured that he
would be transformed from scarcity to surplus; from nobody to somebody; and
from penury to affluence. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He had
no money, but he began to work hard to save enough money to offer the eôboô.
When he procured all the materials, he headed for the home of the Awo
immediately and the eôboô was offered for him.
795
As soon as this eôboô was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to work. He began to string
the cowries to the string in a very specific pattern. When he finished doing this,
he turned it into a garment and robed Ake¾re¾gbe¾ with it. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ was the
person who changed the name of Ake¾re¾gbe¾ to SÙeô¾ke¾ôre¾.ô E®sôu¾ gave SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ a clean
bath, polished his body and placed on him the robe of cowries.
It was Aje; (money) who ensured that the name SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ stuck to his body and
everyone who knew him began to call him SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ and forgot about the fact that
he was once known as Ke¾re¾gbe¾. There was no time that he would be seen that
he would not be with his garment of prosperity.
Not only this, anytime people wanted to go to the stream to fetch water or go to
the farm to bring home palm wine or raffia palm wine, they would look for
other containers to do that. SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ would play music and he would invite
everyone to dance to his music. They would all dance. They would shower
SÙekô¾ e¾ôreô¾ with additional money. He would return to his corner of the house and
that was all the work that he would do for the day. All the other gourds and
calabashes in the house would be sent on errands to fetch water to bring back
palm-wine to do other dirty chores in the house without payment. SÙeô¾k eô¾reô¾ was
always excluded from all these chores. Instead, he would be pampered and
handled with care and respect.

Di;a; fu;n SÙeô¾ke¾ôreô¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Ala;ko¾ôle;
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; aje; sôuurusôu
N®jeô; SÙekô¾ e¾ôreô¾ ma; diya¾n aje; moô; o
Ara a¾ reô l’oku¾n
Ara a¾ reô l'aje; ti n; so o
796
Translation:

These were Ifá’s declarations to SÙeô¾keô¾re¾ô (the calabash beaded
with cowries)
The offspring of Ala;ko¾ôle;
He was advised to offer the eôboô of prosperity
He complied
Join us in the midst of prosperity
SÙekô¾ e¾ôreô,¾ do not go in search of money again
It is your body that produces Oku¾n beads
And it is from your body that prosperity comes out
4. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have a very good
reputation in life. His/her name shall be given honour and respect. This person
shall be among the decision makers in his/her community. Ifá says that even
after the death of this person, his/her name will still be inscribed in the list of
honourable people.
Ifá; advises this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons, four hens, four guinea-
fowls, four ducks, four cocks and money.
SÙegô; i sô’a;ru¾u;ko;ô
O®ke¾e¾re¾-Kere n¾bete¾
I®ya¾ n;la; l’arugbo¾ôn iku;
Di;a; fu;n I®ro;ko¾ EÙlu¾ju¾
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ l’o;o;koô ire l’a;ye;
797
Translation:
Suffering is for death’s basket bearer
This was Ifá’s message for the I®ro;ko¾ tree of the Wilderness
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to have an
honourable name in life
I®ro;ko¾ EÙ®lu¾ju¾, the I®ro;ko¾ tree of the Wilderness was living a life of obscurity. He
was neither known nor recognised. He had no say in the city, countryside or in
the wilderness. The plan of I®ro;ko¾ EÙÙ®lu¾ju¾ was to be an influential and honourable
being in life. He wanted to be a decision maker. He wanted to be able to assist
others and be part of their success stories. None of these he could accomplish
because he was an obscure person himself.
He thought about what to do for a long time before going to the home of the
three Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation in order to determine how best
to achieve self-actualisation in his life. What would he do to achieve his heart’s
desires. He wanted to be instrumental to the success of others in life. How
would he do this successfully? He planned to leave a good and honourable
name behind even after his death. How best would he do this successfully? He
wanted to be one of the major decision makers in the wilderness, at home and in
the country-side. How best would he do this successfully?
The Awo told I®ro;ko¾ EÙ®lu¾ju¾ that even though he was living an obscure life at the
time, he would nonetheless become a prominent person whom everyone would
be looking for from far and near. He would be able to achieve all his heart’s
desires in life. He would become a prominent person and would be blessed
with a respectable reputation. He would leave a good and honourable name and
reputation behind when he died. The Awo advised him to offer eôboô as stated
above. He complied.
Soon after this, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went into action, mending the life of I®ro;ko¾ EÙÙlu¾ju¾ and
improving its quality. I®ro;ko¾ EÙ®lu¾ju¾ stayed quietly in his home. Many eôboô that
were offered were to be placed the foot of I®ro;ko¾ EÙ®lu¾ju¾. This prompted the
people to clear the bush and make many ways to the foot of I®ro;ko¾. When they
798
placed their eôboô, they would face I®ro;ko¾ to please ensure the acceptability of
their pleas. Those who sought prosperity, spouse and companionship, fruits of
the womb, followership, victory, elevation, good health, long life and soon
found their way to go and place their eôboô at the foot of I®ro;ko¾ E®lu¾ju¾. It was from
there that E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ would collect all the eôboô and bless them with the
appropriate A®sôeô. Before long, I®ro;ko¾ E®Ùlu¾ju¾ began to gain recognition and
popularity. Everyone would find their way to the site where he was located.
I®ro;ko¾ EÙ®lu¾ju¾ soon became very successful. He was able to assist several people
to succeed in life. He gained self-fulfilment and contentment. He lived and
died happily. Even after his death, people continued to use his feet as the
location where their eôboô would be placed to make their appeals to Olo;du¾mare¾
acceptable.
I®ya¾ n;la; l’arugbo¾ôn iku;
Di;a; fu;n I®ro;ko¾ EÙlu¾ju¾
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ l’o;o;koô ire l’a;ye;
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ni; wo¾ôwoô ire gbogbo
Woô¾woô; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Translation:
Suffering is for death’s basket bearer
This was Ifá’s message for the I®ro;ko¾ tree of the Wilderness
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to have an
honourable name in life
He complied
All the Ire of life is what Ifá guarantees for all its devotees
799
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be the recipient of
all the Ire of life. His/her dreams shall be actualised. His/her name shall be
written in gold. He/she will never be forgotten even after his/her death.
5. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of victory over adversary for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that there are many oppositions from many
angles confronting this person; but nonetheless, he/she will overcome them all.
He/she shall have cause to thank Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾ for making him/her
victorious over all his/her enemies.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô with two
squirrel tails, two ox tails, and money.
On this, Ifá says:

Di;a; fu;n Tan;;di¾
Ti; n; beô l'a;a¾ri;n oô¾ta;
Ti; n; f'ojooju;mo;ô koôminu ogun
Translation:

800
This was Ifá’s message for Tan;;di¾

And when spending every day contemplating the
problem of uprising
Tan;;di¾ knew that it was impossible for him to sleep with his two eyes closed.
How could he do that when he knew that he was surrounded by enemies? He
was sure that his neighbours on his right hand side were casting scornful
glances at him. Those on the left were harbouring evil designs against him.
Those living directly in front of him would celebrate if they learnt that he had
been banished from the land. The houses which were situated behind his own
house were praying fervently for him to drop dead in the middle of the road and
for him to be denied a decent burial; and for scavenging birds and dogs to feast
on his corpse. How could he sleep with his two eyes closed when all these
people were busy planning evil against him on a daily basis?
Every day, he kept asking himself what he had done against the people to make
them hate him so. He had not been able to find anyone who could tell him his
offence. All he knew was the fact that his existence made them angry, very
angry. Most of his enemies wanted him dead. Those who wished him to live
wanted him to turn raving mad, for him to be going about on the road
completely naked, eating left-overs in the refuse dump and drinking dirty water
from canals, ponds or gutters. How can he sleep with his two eyes closed when
he knew that he was someone everyone in his community loved to hate?
The two offences that he had committed in the community were that he was
fond of speaking the truth when he was expected to tell lies and he was prepared
to help and support the oppressed. True, those were his offences. For these,
they all wanted him dead. Many of those who worked against him were misled
by others to do so. The fact of the matter was that people felt that it was better
to have him dead than alive.
Unknown to these enemies, however, Tan;;di¾ was passionately in love with

himself, his family and his life. He was prepared to do anything to protect
himself and his immediate family. Again, unknown to his enemies he was
someone who would never panic or run away from his enemies. He would
rather prefer to die gallantly then to run. He said that he preferred for people to
point to the spot where he had fallen bravely in the defence of his loved ones
801
and himself then for people to point to his footprints while running away from
his enemies. This was his firm belief. The enemies underestimated the
resilience in him. This began to frustrate the enemies. They began to plan to
invade his house at night and snuff the life out of him. That was why Tan;;di¾
could not sleep with his two eyes closed.
Somehow, Tan;di¾ got wind of the plan to eliminate him in his sleep. Someone
told the only friend that his wife had. They told the friend to join them. She
asked them to let her think about it. She quickly came to tell Tan;di¾ ’s wife. She
also urged her to tell her husband to leave the community and run into hiding.
Tan;di¾’s wife pleaded with her husband with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Tan;di¾ was not convinced. He insisted on staying in his house. He said that he
would not give his enemies the pleasure of seeing him running away from them.
When all pleas fell on deaf ears, his wife suggested for him to go for Ifá
consultation in order to get guidance from Ifá on what to do exactly. This time,
Tan;di¾ agreed. He went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for
Ifá consultation. The Awo cast Ifá for Tan;di¾ and Ogbe¾ Tu;n’moôpoô¾n was
revealed.
The Awo told Tan;di¾ that he was truly in the midst of enemies and that his life
and those of his immediate family were in grave danger. He was however
assured that he would overcome them all. The Awo said that the enemies
would use their hands to inflict pain, grief and agony on themselves. Tan;di¾ was
advised to offer eôboô with two squirrel tails, two ox tails and money. He
complied immediately.
The Awo told Tan;di¾ to go back to his house and have a nice rest which he really
deserved. He was told that all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ in heaven were by his side and they
would help him to overcome all his enemies.
Two days after the eôboô was offered, the enemies concluded their plans. In the
dead of the night, they moved and surrounded Tan;di¾’s house. The Iru;nmoôleô¾
turned the two squirrel tails and two ox tails into lethal weapons and lashes. The
enemies were beaten mercilessly. At first they were enduring the pain. Later, it
was too much for them to endure. They cried out. The more they cried, the
more they were beaten. They all scattered in disarray.
802
They all went to gather at their rendezvous point. They began to query one
another as to how Tan;di¾ came to know about their plans. They pointed
accusing fingers at one another. This led to heated arguments. The arguments
degenerated into a free-for-all fight. All the weapons they carried on them to
use against Tan;di¾ and his household were freely used against one another.
Blood was flowing freely. The dead were more than those who survived with
serious injuries. Nobody left the scene of the battle without one form of injury
or the other to nurse. Broken weapons and broken bones intermingled.
Meanwhile, Tan;di¾ heard of the commotion by his doorstep and backyard. He

did not leave his mat which he slept on. When they scattered, he fell asleep,
enjoying a much deserved rest.

Di;a; fu;n Tan;di¾
Ti; n; beô l'a;a¾ri;n oô¾ta;
Ti; n; f'ojooju;mo;ô koôminu ogun
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni la;ru¾u;sôe;ô ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙbari¾sôa¾
N®jeô; ki;nni o¾ jeô; ki; Tan;di¾ o; b’o;gun loô o?
I®ru¾ o¾ôkeô;reô; o
I®ru¾ oô¾keô¾eô¾re¾ô
Ni o¾ jeôô;ki; Tan;di¾ o; b’o;gun loô o
Translation:

803

This was Ifá’s message for Tan;di¾
And when spending every day contemplating the problem of uprising
He complied
Join us in the midst of victory over enemies
Victory over adversary is what Ifá guarantees for all his devotees
Now, what was it that prevented Tan;di¾ from being a victim of uprising
Squirrel tails
And ox tails
These were what prevented Tan;di¾ from being a victim of uprising
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall survive uprisings,
conspiracies, plots and opposition. He/she shall come out triumphant while
those conspiring against him/her shall suffer.
Conversely, Ifá warns this person not to be part of any conspiracy or plot
against anyone. Being a part of any plan against another person will only make
his/her life miserable and unrewarding.
6. Ifá says that if foresees the Ire of victory for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. Ifá says that he/she is a unique person from heaven. This is because
when his/her Ori; identifies any opposition, it is his/her genitals that will help
him/her to overcome the opposition. In other words as he/she identifies the
problem areas or oppositions, his/her loved ones will be instrumental to his/her
overcoming the problems, no matter how serious the problems may be.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. After
this, he/she needs to fed his/her Ori; with one guinea-fowl and cock. At the
same time, he/she needs to feed his/her genitalia with one guinea-fowl and one
cock.
804
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Tu;nmoôpoô¾n says:
Awu;ye wu;ya¾
Awu;ya¾ wu;ye
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®keô;re;ô-je¾¾ôgbeô¾
Ti; yo;o; f’Ori; le;’gun
Ti; yo;o; f’i¾ru¾ d’ogun nu¾
Translation:
Awu;ye wu;ya¾
Awu;ya¾ wu;ye
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾ (the Squirrel)
Whose Ori; would identify uprisings
And whose tail would overturn all the uprisings
OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾ was always in full control of his life and his condition. He had
never been in a state of apprehension or panic over any issue in his life. As
soon as any uprising or conspiracy reared up its ugly head, several people,
especially members of the opposite sex, would rise up in arms in his support to
help him overcome the uprising. That was the way OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾ had been living
his life.
True, he had several foes who did not like his lifestyle but none of them had
been able to overcome or subdue him. Many people could not understand why
many women would be craving for his attention and be prepared to do anything
for him. Some of these women would even be fighting and struggling in their
bid to render help to him.
Those looking at him from afar had no way of knowing that since the time that
he was young, he had gone to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above
to determine his success chances in life. The Awo had told him that he would
certainly succeed but that he needed to offer eôboô against oppositions, uprisings
and conspiracy. He was also informed that he would overcome them all if he
could offer the eôboô as stated above. He complied instantly.
805
The Awo then informed him that he needed to feed his Ori; and his genitalia
regularly. They explained to him that his Ori; would always help him to identify
all plots, uprisings and conspiracies; while his genitalia would help him to
overturn them all.
By extension, he was informed that members of the opposite sex would be

instrumental to his success in life. He would also overcome all oppositions with
the help of the members of the opposite sex.
Noticing that OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾ was always victorious, some of his friends and
acquaintances attempted to emulate him. They ended up burning their fingers.
In the end, everyone agreed that OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾ had come into the world to
achieve his destiny in a unique way. It was in everybody’s interest not to
imitate the lifestyle of OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾.
Awu;ye wu;ya¾
Awu;ya¾ wu;ye
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®keô;re;ô-je¾¾ôgbeô¾
Ti; yo;o; f’Ori; le;’gun
Ti; yo;o; f’i¾ru¾ d’ogun nu¾
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙbari¾sôa¾
Translation:
Awu;ye wu;ya¾
Awu;ya¾ wu;ye
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for OÙ®keô;reô;-jeô¾gbeô¾ (the Squirrel)
Whose Ori; would identify uprisings
And whose tail would overturn all the uprisings
He complied
Join us in the midst of victory over adversary
Victory over opposition is what Ifá guarantees for all His adherents
806
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall confront and
contain all oppositions in a unique way. It is not advisable for anyone to imitate
this person, lest they end up blaming themselves for so doing.
7. Ifá says that there are many women who are praying for the blessing of the
fruit of the womb where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that it foresees Ire of
child-bearing for all of them. Ifá says that if and when they receive these
blessings, they must not pay the good gesture of Ifá with ingratitude. Ifá warns
that if they do so, they run the risk of losing those children.
Ifá advises each of the women concerned to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish,
two hens and money. Each of them also needs to feed Ifá with one mature she-
goat. The heart of the she-goat will be removed and placed on Ifá until it gets
rotten inside the Ifá bowl. If this is done, the Ire of child-bearing is guaranteed.
On this, Ifá says:
E®mi ni mo n’I®ta; a¾ mi je¾ôleô;

E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ eô mi jeô¾leô;
Di;a; fu;n Agbe ti;i; sô’oômoô Olu;sôaro;
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r'oô;moô bi;
Woô;n ni; ko; ma;a toô’Fa; loô
Translation:
I am an adept in the I®ta; cult

I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾le¾ô cult
This was Ifá’s message for Agbe (the Blue Touraco)
The offspring of Olu;sôaro; (the Dye Maker)
When weeping in lamentation of her inability to beget a baby
She was advised to go to Ifá to find a remedy
Agbe was the daughter of Olu;sôaro;, the Dye Maker. She was beautiful, easy-
going and gentle-headed. She got married at an early. For 13 years, she was
still expecting the blessing of the fruit of the womb from Olo;du¾mare¾. She had
moved from one healing home to the other, but there was no solution to her
childlessness. All the healers assured her that she would be blessed with her
807
own baby, yet the assurance had not manifested. When the healers were at their
wits end, they advised her to go to Ifá for a solution.
The Awo told Agbe that she would certainly beget her own babies. They said
that all she needed to do was offer appropriate eôboô. The eôboô materials were as
stated above. She complied. She was informed that she needed to show her
gratitude to those who had assisted her. She said that she would not only show
her gratitude, she would also worship Ifá for the rest of her life.
Two months after this, she became pregnant. She eventually gave birth to a
bouncing baby with ease. She was so happy that she proudly showed her baby
to anyone who cared to see the baby. She however was reluctant to show her
gratitude to Ifá who was instrumental to her begetting the baby in the first place.
When she was reminded that she needed to show her gratitude to the Awo and
Ifá, she simply ignored those who gave her the advice. She did not even go to
show the baby to the Awo.

Di;a; fu;n A®lu¾ko¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Olu¾go;su¾n
Translation:

I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾leô¾ cult
This was Ifá’s message for A®lu¾ko¾ (the Maroon Touraco)
The offspring of Olu¾go;su¾n (the Camwood Pounder)
During the same period that Agbe was praying for the blessing of the fruit of the
womb, A®lu¾ko¾ the daughter of Olu¾go;su¾n was also praying for the same blessing.
She too had tried many places unsuccessfully. She even changed husbands on
four occasions without any positive result. That was what made her colleagues
advise her to seek help from Ifá. She did.
808
The Awo informed her that she too would be blessed by Ifá. She was equally
assured that she would become a mother of her own baby in no time. She was
advised to offer the same eôboô which Agbe was told to offer. She too complied.
She was equally advised not to be ungrateful to the Awo who assisted her in
ensuring that she received the blessing of the fruit of the womb. She too
promised that nothing would make her to forget Ifá or to be ungrateful.
Six weeks after the eôboô was offered. A®lu¾ko¾ became pregnant. It seemed too
easy to be true. She also delivered with relative ease and comfort. This could
not be the result of the eôboô she had offered. It must have been a mere
coincidence. Maybe she was already pregnant before she went to the Awo to
seek the help of Ifá. But this could not be so because she had had her menstrual
period two weeks after the eôboô was offered before she became pregnant. No, it
was a mere coincidence. She was sure that she was not created by Olo;du¾mare¾
to lack anything in life. Why then must she show her gratitude to any Awo.
There was no need for that. She simply forgot the Awo and her promise to
come and show her gratitude to Ifá.

Di;a; fu;n Odi;deôreô;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Oni;wo¾o;-A®teô
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r’o;;ômoô bi;
Translation:

This was Ifá’s message for Odi;deôreô; (the Parrot)
The offspring of Oni;wo¾o;-A®teô
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a baby
The same problem which Agbe and A®lu¾ko¾ had was what Odi;deôreô;, the daughter
of Oni;wo¾o;-A®teô was facing. She was unable to become pregnant after several
years in marriage. She too had moved from one healing home to the other
without success. She had also moved from one matrimonial home to the other
in an attempt to get pregnant. She was at that time in the home of her fifth
husband. Yet there was still no pregnancy. This was happening during the same
809
time that Agbe and A®lu¾ko¾ were having their own problems too. She too, like
Agbe and A®lu¾ko¾, was directed by one of her friends to go and seek a solution to
her problem in the home of Ifá. She did.
The Awo told her exactly what they had told Agbe and A®lu¾ko¾. They asked her
to offer the same eôboô. They also gave her the same warning not to be ungrateful
to Ifá when she got what she was looking for. She offered the eôb oô and promised
never to show any form of ingratitude to her Awo and Ifá.
Nine weeks after she offered the eôboô, Odi;deôreô; became pregnant. She also
eventually gave birth to a bouncing baby without any difficulty.
That was when the thought came to her mind that there was no need to show
any gratitude to anyone. Afterall, the Awo who did her eôboô for her were
adequately compensated for the work they did for her. She owed them nothing.
Consequently, she reasoned, it was not mandatory for her to show any gratitude
anymore. The baby belonged to her, whether or not she showed the Awo any
gratitude. They could not claim that the baby was theirs. She concluded not to
bother herself with the Awo who were seeking gratitude from her.

Di:a; fu;n A®paro¾-O®ôyeô¾yeô¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô woôn l'e;ôse¾ô Ibu¾do
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r'o;ômoô bi;
Woô;n ni; ko; ma;a; toô Ifá loô o
Translation:

This was Ifá’s message for A®paro¾-O®ôye¾ôye¾ô (the Partridge)
Their offspring by the farm side
There were many women suffering from childlessness at the same time. A®paro¾-
OÙ®ye¾ôyeô¾ was one of them. She too had tried many healing homes and three
different husbands, but she could not get the much needed baby she wanted.
810
One day, one of her latest husband’s relatives advised her to seek remedy from
Ifá. That was what led her to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá
consultation.
The Awo assured her too that she would become a proud mother of her own
baby in no time. She was advised to offer the same eôboô that was recommended
for Agbe, A®lu¾ko¾ and Odi;deôre;.;ô She was also warned not to be ungrateful to her
Awo and Ifá after she had received her blessing. She offered the eôboô and
promised to be grateful for the rest of her life.
It was not up to three lunar months that Olo;du¾mare¾ answered her prayer and she
became pregnant. She too also gave birth to her baby with ease. The baby was
very beautiful and full of vitality.
She remembered the promise she gave the Awo quite alright; but she felt that
she was under no compulsion to comply. She considered it as a device by the
Awo to tie her down to them. It must be a means of extorting money from her.
She was smarter than that. She would not allow anyone to cheat her. Were they
the Olo;du¾mare¾ who gave her the baby? If Olo;du¾mare¾ Himself told her to show
Him gratitude, then she would do that. She had not even dreamt that she needed
to do anything other than to take good care of her baby! Who were the Awo to
tell her what to do?

E®mi ni mo n’I®re¾ôleô¾ e¾¾ô mi jeô¾leô;
Di;a; fu;n O®sôu¾ma¾re¾-E®®Ùgoô¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô woôn l'eô;ba¾a; O®Ùrun
Wo;ôn ni; ko; ma;a toô’Fa; loô
Translation:

This was Ifá’s message for O®sôu¾ma¾re¾-E®®Ùgo¾ô (the Rainbow)
Their offspring close to heaven
811
O®sôu¾ma¾re¾-Eô®go¾ô was also suffering from childlessness. She too had spent two
decades without any pregnancy. She was also advised to go to Ifá for solution
to her problem. She went. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Tu;nmoôpoô¾n was
revealed.
The Awo assured her that she too would become pregnant and give birth to her
own baby. She too was advised to offer the same eôboô. She too was warned not
to show ingratitude to Ifá and her Awo. She complied by offering the eôboô as
recommended. She also promised not to be ungrateful to her Awo and Ifá.
Just like A®paro¾-O®yeô¾ye¾ô and the other women before her, she too became
pregnant within three lunar months. She also gave birth to a healthy and
beautiful baby.
She saw this as a great opportunity for her to put all her enemies who had
thought that she could never be a mother in life to shame. She announced to
whoever cared to listen that she had become a mother. She told them that her
baby was the most beautiful, healthiest and most promising baby that the
Heavens had ever produced.
She too simply forgot about the Awo and Ifá. She said that her good character
and charms made Olo;du¾mare¾ to give her the most beautiful bundle of joy that
had ever been created. Her baby was more beautiful and more promising than
any of the Iru¾nmoôleô or O®ri¾sôa¾. Even if Ifá saw her baby, it would make him
green with envy. She concluded that the baby came to her because she knew
how to manipulate Olo;du¾mare¾ to do what she wanted for her. The Awo who
were waiting for her to come and show her gratitude to them could as well go
and jump into the lagoon for all she cared! She promised herself that she would
treat them as she would treat any of her enemies if they dared make any trouble
for her or ask her to show them any gratitude.

Di;a; fu;n Eôle;ôwa¾
Ti;i; sô’aya A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾u;n o¾ r'o;ômoô bi;
Woô;n ni; ko ma;a; to’fa; loô
812
Translation:

This was Ifá’s message for Eôleô;wa¾ (the Beautiful One)
The wife of Agbonni¾re¾gu;n
Eôleô;wa¾ was also praying for the blessing of the fruit of the womb at the same
time that the other five women Agbe;, Alu¾ko;, Odi:deôreô;, A®paro-O®yeô¾yeô¾, and
O®sôuma¾re-Eô¾goô where looking for the same Ire from Olodù¾mare¾. She was the wife
of Agbonni¾re¾gu;n. She had been looking for this blessing for up to 20 lunar
years without success. Agbonniregun was her third husband. Agbonni¾re¾gu;n
advised her that to receive the blessing, she needed to go to Ifá. She agreed.
She was therefore directed to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá
consultation.
The Awo told Eôle;ôwa¾ the same messages that they had given the other five
women, before her. She was also advised to offer eôboô with the same materials.
She did. After this, she was also warned not to pay the good gesture of Ifá and
the Awo with ingratitude. She promised not to do so.
Four months after this, she became pregnant. She also gave birth to her baby
with ease and comfort. On that day, she went to Ifá with two kola nuts, a bottle
of liquor and water. She thanked Ifá profusely for blessing her with the baby.
She also placed herself and her baby under the sanctuary of Ifá. Whenever
anyone came to congratulate her on her new baby, she would ask them to help
her thank Ifá for the greatest blessing of her life.
After 40 days of the birth of the baby, she was free to go out as the custom
demanded. She went to visit the other five women and asked them whether
they had gone to the home of the group of Awo who offered the eôboô for them or
not. They all responded that they had not gone to the Awo because it was
totally unnecessary.
She asked them if they had showed their gratitude to Ifá, and they responded
that that too was unnecessary. She pleaded with them to go and show their
gratitude to Ifá and the Awo because they had promised to do so. They told her
that she was free to do whatever she liked, but as for them, they would not allow
813
Awo to cheat them in any way whatsoever and that they were not really the
ones who gave them their babies. They had been adequately remunerated for
the services they rendered to them when the eôboô was offered. Why then should
they ask for them to come and show any form of appreciation to them after
they’ve received their payment. All appeals to them to change their minds and
to show their gratitude to Ifá; and their Awo fell on deaf ears. Only Eôle;ôwa¾ went
to the Awo to show her gratitude to them.
Meanwhile, there came a period when there was pestilence in the land. Several
people were affected. All the six children were affected. They became very
weak and lean within three days. Eôleô;wa¾ rushed to Ifá for protection. The other
five women did not go to Ifá for protection.
Ten days after the babies were infected with measles, the baby of Odideôreô; died.
Within four days, the five babies died. Only Eôleô;wa¾’s baby survived. Eôleô;wa¾ was
happy that she had made Ifá her sanctuary. Agbe;, A®lu¾ko¾, Odi;deôreô;, Apa¾ro¾-
O®yeô¾yeô¾ and Osôu¾ma¾re¾-Eô®goôô¾ lived to regret their actions for the rest of their lives.

Di;a; fu;n Agbe ti;i; sô’oômoô Olu;sôaro;
Di;a; fu;n A®lu¾ko¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Olu¾go;su¾n
Di;a; fu;n Odi;deôreô;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Oni;wo¾o;-A®teô
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ r’o;;ômoô bi;
Di:a; fu;n A®paro¾-O®ôyeô¾yeô¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô woôn l'e;ôse¾ô Ibu¾do
814

Woô;n ni; ko; ma;a; toô Ifá loô o
Di;a; fu;n O®sôu¾ma¾re¾-E®®Ùgoô¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô woôn l'eô;ba¾a; O®Ùrun
Wo;ôn ni; ko; ma;a toô’Fa; loô
Di;a; fu;n Eôle;ôwa¾
Ti;i; sô’aya A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾u;n o¾ r'o;ômoô bi;
Woô;n ni; ko ma;a; to’fa; loô
EÙle;ôwa¾ ni¾kan ni; n;beô l'eô;yi¾n ti; n;sôeôboô
Ifá lo; wa;a; d’e¾ke; eku
Mo lo; d’e¾e¾wo¾ô Ifeô¾
E®®e¾wo¾ô O®ri¾sôa¾
Ifá o¾ ni¾i¾ f’oômoô EÙÙle;ôwa¾ aya a reô¾ fu;n’ku; pa
O®un iku; me;ji¾ a d’i¾mu¾le¾ô
Eô wa;a; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri
Ai¾ku; Ifá du¾n, o; j’oyin loô o
Translation:

I am very comfortable with the I®reô¾le¾ô cult
This was Ifá’s message for Agbe (the Blue Touraco)
The offspring of Olu;sôaro; (the Dye Maker)
This was Ifá’s message for A®lu¾ko¾ (the Maroon Touraco)
The offspring of Olu¾go;su¾n (the Camwood Pounder)
815

This was Ifá’s message for Odi;deôreô; (the Parrot)
The offspring of Oni;wo¾o;-A®teô
This was Ifá’s message for A®paro¾-O®ôye¾ôye¾ô (the Partridge)
Their offspring by the farm side
This was Ifá’s message for O®sôu¾ma¾re¾-E®®Ùgo¾ô (the Rainbow)
Their offspring close to heaven
This was Ifá’s message for Eôleô;wa¾ (the Beautiful One)
The wife of Agbonni¾re¾gu;n
Only Eôle;ôwa¾ complied with the advice of the Awo
Ifá declares that it is all lies
I respond that it is an abomination in Ile;-Ife¾ô
It is a taboo
Ifá will not abandon the baby of Eôle;ôwa¾ for death to snatch it away
She and death have entered into a covenant
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will be guaranteed the
protection of Ifá. He/she will live long and enjoy his/her life to the fullest.
He/she however needs to show gratitude to those who had done him/her a
favour, no matter how insignificant it may appear to be.
816
8. Ifá says that there are two women where this Odù is revealed who are praying
to Olo;du¾mare¾ for the blessing of the fruit of the womb. One of them is dark-
skinned while the other is fair in complexion. The one with fair skin is the one
who is most likely going to offer the eôboô as prescribed while the dark-skinned
one is after more worldly and material things of life and may not offer the
prescribed eôboô. Ifá says that both women will be better off if they offer the eôboô.
This will prevent them from regretting their actions for the rest of their lives.
Ifá advises each of the women to offer eôboô with a mature she-goat and money.
They will have to slaughter the she-goat and the heart of the goat will be placed
on Ifá and be left to rot inside the Ifá bowl.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô po¾ôn

Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si
A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni o l'e;re¾
K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾¾ sinmi
K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾¾ da;ke;;ô
Ki; oni¾ka¾luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô ti¾reôô¾ l'e;ônu o
Di;a; fu;n Ile¾ô
A bu¾ fu;n Oô®run
Woô;n n; sunku;n a¾woôn o¾ r’O::Ùmoô bi;
Eôboô ni; woô;n ni ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾¾, please strap the baby well on your back

This was Ifá’s message for Ile¾ô (Mother Earth)
The same was also declared for Oô®run (Heaven)
817
When weeping in lamentation for their inability to beget

their own babies
It was not difficult to notice that both Ileô¾ and O®®Ùrun had problems. They were
unable to beget any baby that they could call their own. For that reason, both of
them decided to go to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá
consultation: Will we be blessed with the fruit of the womb? During Ifá
consultation, Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n was revealed.
The Awo told them that they would be able to have their own babies in their
lives. They would be blessed with several children of their own. They advised
the two women to be serious with what they were looking for and be totally
dedicated to their husbands. The women were also advised to offer eôboô as
stated above. They both complied.
As soon as the eôboô was offered, Ile¾ô, the fair-skinned among the two women was
totally devoted and respectful to her husband and was praying regularly to
Olo;du¾mare¾ to answer her request. Conversely, O®®Ùrun, the dark-skinned woman
felt that she could behave any way she wished and didn’t need to follow her
husband’s advice for any reason. She told herself that she would not listen to
anything her husband would tell her. She would not be told about whom to go
to, what to do there, and how to do it. She was also free to move with any man
she liked and if her husband did not like it, he was free to do anything he liked.
Before long, Ileôô¾ gave birth to the trees, grasses, shrubs, fish, ants, rats, birds and
beasts. Every part of Ileôô¾ was populated by her children. That was when O®®Ùrun
became desperate to beget her own children but alas, it was too late. For too
long she had placed her focus on more material things of life. At regular
intervals, she would burst into tears and cry uncontrollably. Her cries, which
usually came in the form of rainfall, helped to sustain the children of Ile¾ô. The
loss of O®®Ùrun became the gain of Ileôô¾.
Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô po¾ôn

Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si
A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni o l'e;re¾
K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾¾ sinmi
818
K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾¾ da;ke;;ô

Ki; oni¾ka¾luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô ti¾reôô¾ l'e;ônu o
Di;a; fu;n Ile¾ô
A bu¾ fu;n Oô®run
Woô;n n; sunku;n a¾woôn o¾ r’O::Ùmoô bi;
Ile; nikan to\ nbeô leôyi;n to; n; seôboô
Njeô; oô¾loô¾ru;n n; sunku;n
Oômoô ara;ye; sôe bi o¾jo¾ lo;ro¾
Eô®yin o¾ moô¾ pe; eôku;n oômoô l’oô¾loô¾ru;n n; sun o
Translation:
Ogbe;, please strap the baby well on your back

Ogbe;, adjust the baby properly
Let all mothers put their breast into their babies’ mouths
This was Ifá’s message for Ile; (Mother Earth)
The same was also declared for O®®Ùrun (the Heaven)
When weeping in lamentation for their inability to beget
their own babies
Only Ile; complied with the advice to offer eôboô
Behold, Oô®loô¾ru;n (Heaven) is weeping
Human beings mistake it to mean that rain is falling
Don’t you know that the tears of her inability to beget a baby are
what heaven is shedding?
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be blessed with her
own babies. She must however be loyal, respectful, and dedicated to her
husband. She will be blessed with several children and followers if she follows
this advice.
819
9. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of child-bearing for a woman praying for the
blessing of a baby. Ifá says that this woman will give birth to many children in
her life.
Ifá however warns this woman not to be carrying other women’s children on her
back. If she continues to do this, she will find it very difficult, if not impossible
altogether, to bear her own biological children.
Ifá advises this woman to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n

Ogbe¾¾ su;n’moô si;
A®gba¾po¾ôn oômoô ni o¾ l'e;re¾
B’o;;ômoô ba;; n; ke;
K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ sinmi
K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ da;;ke;ô
Ki; oni;ka;;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tire¾¾ô l'eô;nu o
Di;a; fu;n OÙÙmo;ôgbe¾
Ti; o¾ r'oô;moô poô¾n
To; si¾ n; poôn oômoô oôlo;;ômoô
Eôboô ni¾ woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation

This was Ifá’s message for OÙmoô;gbe¾
Who had no baby of her own to strap on her back
And was strapping other people’s children
820
OÙÙmoô;gbe¾ loved children and all young ones with a passion. She appreciated
their innocence and lovely faces. There was nothing she was not prepared to do
to make children happy. She would prepare a¾ka¾ra¾, bean fritters, moô;i;nmo;ôi;n,
bean dumplings, la;pa¾ta;, corn cakes and other snacks for the children to eat at
regular intervals. She would tell them stories. She would give them riddles and
jokes, just to make the children happy. She would often collect babies from
their parent’s homes, strap them on her back, spread out mats for the babies to
sleep on, and ensure that they were all comfortable. Many nursing mothers
going to the market to transact business, or going to the farm to bring food,
wood or leaves, or even those going to the stream to fetch water would leave
their babies behind for Oômo;ôgbe¾ to take care of for them.
Unfortunately however, OÙÙmoô;gbe¾ had no baby of her own. She had tried many
things to have a baby but it was not possible to do so. She had used many herbs
but none of them worked. She also joined many fraternities in order to beget
her own baby. It was all a failure. She could not become pregnant. This was
the only sadness of her life. Whenever she was alone in her room, she would
weep uncontrollably. She would not allow anyone to see her weeping.
One day however, her sister-in-law found her weeping in her room. It touched
her to her bone marrow because she was also a woman who had once faced the
same problem as OÙÙmoô;gbe¾. She consoled OÙÙmoô;gbe¾ and told her that she would
take her to the home of the Awo who offered eôboô for her and whom opened her
womb.
The following day, they went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned
above. The Awo consulted Ifá for OÙÙmoô;gbe¾ and Ogbe¾-Tu;nmoôpoô¾n was revealed.
The Awo told OÙÙmo;ôgbe¾ that she would be blessed with the fruit of the womb.
She was told that, on many-occasions, many Iru;nmoôôleô¾ in charge of giving
babies to women would visit her but they would always find her strapping
different babies on her back. These Iru;nmoôleô¾ would then report back in heaven
that OÙÙmoô;gbeô¾ had no problem because she had more than enough babies to take
care of and there was no reason to give her any baby since she was always
found in the midst of them. The Awo explained to her that if she wanted her
own babies in life, she must stop carrying or strapping other people’s babies on
her back. She was also advised to offer eôboô as stated above. She complied.
821
As from that day henceforth, she stopped strapping other women’s babies on
her back. She continued to pray for herself to beget her own babies. Within
two months, she became pregnant! She gave birth to many babies in quick
successions. She lived happily ever after.
Ogbe¾¾ tu;n’moô poô¾n

Ogbe¾¾ su;n’moô si;
A®gba¾po¾ôn oômoô ni o¾ l'e;re¾
B’o;;ômoô ba;; n; ke;
K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ sinmi
K’o;;ômoô o; le¾ ba a¾ da;;ke;ô
Ki; oni;ka;;luku; o; f’oômu; b’oômoô tire¾¾ô l'eô;nu o
Di;a; fu;n OÙÙmo;ôgbe¾
Ti; o¾ r'oô;moô poô¾n
To; si¾ n; poôn oômoô oôlo;;ômoô
Eôboô ni¾ woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Eô wa;a; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; oômoô
Woô¾woô; oômoô la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô oô¾pe¾ô
N®jeô; a¾gba¾po¾ôn o¾ l’e;re¾
Ka; bi; t’eôni lo; to;ô
Translation:

This was Ifá’s message for OÙmoô;gbe¾
Who had no baby of her own to strap on her back
And was strapping other people’s children
She complied
822

Join us in the midst of many children
In the midst of many children do we find all devotees of Ifá
Behold, strapping other people’s babies on one’s back
brings no benefit
What is right is for one to have one’s own children
Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that she will be blessed
with many children. To make this happen, she needs to stop strapping other
women’s babies on her back.
10. Ifá predicts the Ire; of child-bearing for a woman looking for the fruit of the
womb where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that the woman will become a
mother of several children in her life. She will not return to heaven empty-
handed.
Ifá says that the woman in question needs to wash her Ori; with a special
preparation in order to open the way for her to become pregnant and give birth
to her own baby. She also needs to propitiate her Ori; for this to happen.
Ifá advises this woman to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. She
also needs to prepare a bath with the following herbs: Eôle;ômeôs¾ oô;-i¾beô;ga;n leaves,
rinrin leaves, are;ôyi¾n-gbo;ômoô-poô¾n leaves and teô¾te¾ô leaves. The four leaves will be
pounded together and put in water. After the eôboô, one guinea-fowl will be used
to feed the Ori; of the woman and the herbal concoction will be used to wash the
Ori; of the woman. If these can be done, the woman will become pregnant and
beget her own baby. After this, she will be able to give birth to as many babies
as she wishes.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ tu;;n’moô poô¾n

Ogbe¾ su;;n’moô si;
Ogbe¾ su;;n’moô si; ri¾b¾;i¾ri¾bi¾ idi¾
Agbapoôn oômoô ni; o l’e¾re;
Di;a; fu¾n Aye;
Ti; n; sunkun o¾un o¾ r’o;ômoô bi;
Eôboô ni; woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
823
Translation:

This was Ifá’s messages for Aye; (the world)
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget her
own baby
There was no time that Aye; would not dream that she was in the midst of her
children. Yet, she had no child to actualize for dreams. She could not
understand why she would see herself in her dreams with several children and
in real life not a single child. Did it mean that her dreams were just deceiving
her? Did it mean that all her babies were just in her dreams and would remain in
her dreams? Would she be able to beget her own baby in her life? Would she
too be called a mother by her own biological children? These were the questions
which pushed her to go and seek a solution to her problem in the home of the
group of Awo mentioned above.
The Awo told Aye; that she chose child-bearing as part of her destiny.
Consequent upon this, she would be blessed with many children in her life. She
however needed to offer eôboô and propitiate her Ori; for those babies to come to
her. She also needed to wash her Ori; with a special herbal preparation. The
Awo advised her to offer eôboô, feed her Ori; and wash the Ori; as stated above.
She did.
Two months after this, her prayers were answered. E®sôu¾ Oôda¾ra¾ began to work in
conjunction with her Ori¾ to ensure that her dreams became reality. Twelve
years after the eôboô, Aye; sat in her room surrounded by 10 children; four sets of
twins and two single children. She showered praises on Ifá, her Ori; and her
Awo for turning her dreams into reality.
Ogbe¾ tu;;n’moô poô¾n

Ogbe¾ su;;n’moô si;
Ogbe¾ su;;n’moô si; ri¾b¾;i¾ri¾bi¾ idi¾
Agbapoôn oômoô ni; o l’e¾re;
824
Di;a; fu¾n Aye;

Ti; n; sunkun o¾un o¾ r’o;ômoô bi;
O;: gb’e;;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Oôwoô; o¾ô mi wa;a; b’ewe; e eôle;ômeô¾sôoô;-i¾be;ôga;n
Oôwo;ô oôô¾ mi b’ewe; e rinrin
Oôwo;ô oôô¾ mi b’ewe; areôy; i¾n-gb'o;ômoô-poô¾n
Teô¾teô¾ lo; ni; K’oô;moô o; teô’leô¾ si; mi ni;nu;
E¾ro¾ I¾po, e¾ro¾ Oô®fa¾
Eô wa;a; ba; ni ni; wo¾ôwoôô; oômoô rere
Wo¾ôwoôô; oômoô la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô¾ OôÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Translation:

These were Ifá’s messages for Aye; (the world)
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget
her own baby
She complied
I have now procured EÙleô;me¾ôsôoô;-i¾beô;ga;n leaves
I have procured Rinrin leaves
And have procured are;ôyi¾n-gb'oô;moô-poô¾n leaves
Te¾ôteô¾ ô is it that authorizes that babies will establish themselves
in my womb
Join us in the midst of great children
In the midst of children do we find Ifá devotees
Ifá says that the woman for whom this Odù is revealed will be blessed with
many babies in her life. She will not live the life of a barren woman any longer.
She will enjoy the feeling of maternity, as will her female offspring. She must
have Awo make the preparations as stated in this Ifá.
825
11. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is suffering at the
present time. He/she is the least successful among his/her contemporaries at the
time of this Ifá consultation. Ifá says that this person will end up becoming the
most successful among them all.
Ifá equally advises the Awo for whom this Ifá is cast to offer eôboô so as to be
able to succeed in turning the life of this client around. The Awo needs to feed
his Ifá as appropriate before he/she proceeds to where he/she is going to work
for the client.
Ifá advises this client to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. He/she
also needs to be initiated into Ifá for his/her life to really improve and move to
the apex of his/her career. Ifá also advises the officiating Awo to feed his/her
Ifá with a mature she-goat.
On this, Ifá says:

Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si ri¾bi¾ribi i¾di
A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni; o; l’e;;re¾¾
Eô sôe de;’bi oômoô oôloô;moô oô; gbe; kiri
Di;;a; fu;n Eô¾®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n
Ni;;joô; ti; n; s'ôawo re’le; O®®Ùki;;n
Eôboô a¾sôegba¾ ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:

What brought you to the extent of carrying other people’s babies
These were Ifá’s messages for Eô®la¾-Ijo¾ku¾n
When going on a Ifá mission to Oô®ki;n (the Peacock's house)
He was advised to offer eôboô for his work to manifest
Eô®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n was a proficient Babala;wo by every standard. He was in high

demand from far and near. Anyone who had problems usually went to him for
826
solution. Those who sought his help would never go back to their homes
disappointed. When there was no rain in the land, he would ensure that rain fell
in the land on that very day. Any disaster in the land would be resolved as soon
as he set out to tackle the problem.
The success secret of EÙ®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n, unknown to many, was that he would never
embark on any major Ifá assignment without first consulting Ifá himself and
offering all the recommended eôboô. When O®®Ùki;;n (the Peacock) invited him to
come and consult Ifá for him, Eô®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n went for Ifá consultation with another
Awo first in order to determine how his success chances in O®®Ùki;n’s place would
be.
The Awo told Eô®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n that he would succeed where he was going. He was
informed that he would gain prominence in O®®Ùki;;n ’s house. He was however
informed that he needed to feed his Ifá with a mature she-goat before going.
That would give him higher success chances.
The Awo also told Eô®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n that the person he was going to meet was in
serious hardship. He needed to offer eôboô and be initiated into Ifá in order to
solve all his problems in life. They told Eô®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n that the person who invited
him would become the highest and most successful person among his
contemporaries if he could offer eôboô and undergo initiation.
Eô®la¾-Ijo¾ku¾n Awo O®Ùki;\n

Di;a; fu;n O®Ùki;;n
Ti;i; n;beô la;a¾rin i¾poô;nju;
Woô;n ni; oôdu;n ni¾i; l’oôla¾ a re¾ô e;ô pe;
Woô;n ni; yo;o; ju gbogbo eôgbeô; eô reô loô o
Eôboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Eô®la¾-Ijo¾ku¾n , the Awo of Oôki;n (the Peacock)

He cast Ifá for Oôki;n
When he was in the midst of hardship
He was told that his prosperity would come this year
He was assured that he would be higher than all his contemporaries
827
When E®Ùla¾ I®jo¾ku¾n was about to set out on his journey to O®Ùki;n's house, he fed his
Ifá with a mature she-goat and placed the heart of the goat on his Ifá. The heart
was left inside the Ifá bowl and he set out to O®Ùki;n's house.
In O®Ùki;n's house, E®Ùla¾-I®jo¾ku¾n cast Ifá and Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n was revealed. He
informed OÙ®ki;n what his Awo told him. O®Ùki;n agreed that his life was truly in
turmoil. He agreed that he would not only offer the eôboô, but he would also
undergo Ifá initiation.
The initiation was arranged for Oô®ki;;n. It took place three days after. When the
initiation was completed, O®®Ùki;n was given a soap to bathe within the stream. As
he was taking his bath, his feathers assumed several colours. A befitting crown
grew on his head. All birds in the forest surrounded O®Ùki;n. O®go¾n¾go¾ (the Ostrich)
carried O®Ùki;n on his back. That was how O®®Ùki;;n became the king of the birds in
the forest.
Since that day, O®Ùki;n began to show his respect, honour and appreciation to Eô®la¾ -
I®jo¾ku¾n his Awo.

Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si ri¾bi¾ribi i¾di
A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni; o; l’e;;re¾¾
Eô sôe de;’bi oômoô oôloô;moô oô; gbe; kiri
Di;;a; fu;n Eô¾®la¾-I®jo¾ku¾n
Ni;;joô; ti; n; s'ôawo re’le; O®®Ùki;;n
Eôboô a¾sôegba¾ ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O:: gb’e;;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Eô®la¾-Ijo¾ku¾n Awo O®Ùki;\n
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùki;;n
Ti;i; n;beô la;a¾rin i¾poô;nju;
Woô;n ni; oôdu;n ni¾i; l’oôla¾ a re¾ô e;ô pe;
Woô;n ni; yo;o; ju gbogbo eôgbeô; eô reô loô o
Eôboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Oô®Ùki;n o de; o, Oôlo;ôja¾ eôyeô
Eô wo’le; ire, eô f’OÙÙ®ki;;n si;; o
Eô wa;a; ba';ni ba;’yoô¾
Eô; wa;a; wo’re o
828
Translation:

What brought you to the extent of carrying other people’s babies
These were Ifá’s messages for Eô®la¾-Ijo¾ku¾n
When going on an Ifá mission to Oô®ki;n (the Peacock's house)
He was advised to offer eôboô for his work to manifest
He complied
Eô®la¾-Ijo¾ku¾n, the Awo of Oôki;n (the Peacock)
He cast Ifá for Oôki;n
When in the midst of hardship
He was told that his prosperity would come this year
He was assured that he would be higher than all his contemporaries
He complied
Here comes OÙ®ki;n, the King of all birds
Look for a befitting home to place O®Ùki;n
Ifá says that the person for whom this Ifá is revealed shall move from grass to
grace and from obscurity to prominence. Ifá also assures the Awo who casts
this Ifá for the client that he/she too will be successful in his/her work. He/she
must not place too much consideration on monetary gain.
12. Ifá says that it foresees two Ire for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed: Ire of prosperity and that of child-bearing. Both Ire shall come at the
same time. Ifá says that for a child born by this Odù during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;,
the more the children he/she has, the more his/her success chances in life will
be.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons, four hens and money.
829
Oô®joô¾oô¾roô¾-O®jo¾
Di;a; fu;n O;lu;gu¾n-Aweô¾ro;ro;
Ti; n; sunku;n oôla;
Ti; n; sunku;n oômoô
Translation:
He cast Ifá for Olu;gu¾n-Awe¾ôro;ro;
When lamenting her inability to become prosperous
And when crying because she had no child
Olu;gu¾n-Aweô¾ro;ro; desperately wanted her own baby. She wanted to have her
own baby whom she would shower with her love, care and attention. She was
totally convinced that she was going to be a responsible and good mother. She
was also sure that the children that Olo;du¾mare¾ would give her would love her in
return. Her mother took good care of her when she was young. That was one
of the reasons why she must equally take good care of the fruits that Olo;du¾mare;
would bless her with.
She was also desperately in need of prosperity. She wanted this, not for herself,
but for her children. This would make her an even better mother. She would be
able to shower these children with all the gifts on earth. She would spare no
expense in ensuring that her children received the best a mother could give her
children.
She was however acutely aware that too much of everything was bad. For this
reason, she vowed that all what she would do for her children would be
tempered with moderation. She would be very careful not to spoil the children.
She would punish the children whenever they misbehaved or got out of line.
All these daydreams made her very happy and contented.
This contentment and joy did not last for long however. Anytime she returned
to the world of reality and remembered that she had no child to show for her 11
years of marriage. She was gripped with sorrow, fear and uncertainty. Even
830
though she knew that her husband loved her, she could see that he was
constantly under intense pressure from his relatives to find another woman who
would give him children. Only a foolish woman would not see all these signs.
What with the scornful glances at her, or the quiet discussions with her husband
whenever she was around or even confrontations from the parents of her
husband pointedly telling her to find a solution to her childlessness or else they
would find an alternative solution for their son?
So far, her husband had resisted all these pressures. This, she was very grateful
for. That was why she was more determined and desperate to become pregnant
and give birth to many children for her loving, kind and considerate husband.
Yet, this pregnancy simply failed to come.
One day, she was directed to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá
consultation. She went there to ask two main questions: one, will I be blessed
with my own children in my life; and two, will I be blessed with prosperity with
which to care for these children whom Olo;du¾mare¾ would give me? The Awo
told Olu;gu¾n-Aweô¾ro;ro; that even though she lacked prosperity and children at
this point in time, she would nonetheless be blessed with the two. The Awo
assured her that she would be the person who would tell Olo;du¾mare¾ that she had
enough children in her life. She would also be blessed with enough prosperity
to last her three generations.
Oô®jo¾ôo¾ôroô¾-O®jo¾ advised Olu;gu¾n-Aweô¾ro;ro; to offer eôboô as stated above. She

complied. She was also advised to rely absolutely in Olo;du¾mare¾ and place all
her hopes on Ifá. She agreed. That was exactly what she began to do.
As soon as she offered the eôboô, everything in her life changed for the better.
She began selling toilet soap. She hardly made enough money to make ends
meet. She asked herself, what did I offer this eôboô for? Things then changed. It
was as if there was no other soap seller on earth beside her. Everyone began to
look for her soap. Within three weeks, she could no longer cope with the
demands. She employed more hands and yet, she still could not cope with
demands.
The pressure of people demanding for her soap did not allow her to notice that
she had missed her period. She was already three months pregnant before she
really took notice. The business boomed. Her stomach bulged. When she
delivered her baby, her business had become what the whole community
831
participated in. Money was no longer her problem. Her main concern was what
to spend it on. All the relatives of her husband joined her in the business. She
became the beloved one of the whole community. By the time she gave birth to
her fourth and fifth children, the business was almost out of control. That was
when her husband joined her. He left his farming and hunting business and
partnered with his wife. Money kept pouring in from all angles.
As successful as she was, she was always mindful of her vow to ensure that she
gave her children the best training and shower all gifts on them with
moderation. That was exactly what she did.
Not only this, she carried her Awo very high and made sure that she turned him
to a very successful Babala;wo. She gave him a horse to ride, she constructed a
16 room mansion for him and changed his lifestyle. She also changed the
economic and social lives of her community.
Di;a; fu;n O;lu;gu¾n-Aweô¾ro;ro;
Ti; n; sunku;n oôla;
Ti; n; sunku;n oômoô
O:: gb’e;;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;;ô, ko¾ ji¾nnna¾
N®je;;ô eô ba; mi ka;ra¾¾-ma;a;si¾ki;
Eô ni;’fa; o sôeun-sôeun
O®Ùjoô¾oô¾ra¾-O®jo®, Awo ire lo¾ o; sôe o
Translation:
He cast Ifá; for Olu;gu¾n-Awe¾ôro;ro;
When lamenting for her inability to become prosperous
And when crying because she had no child
She complied
Now, help me give praise and thanks
832
Join me in saying “Ifá you have done well”

O®joô¾oô¾ra¾-O®jo¾, you are a great Awo
Ifá assures this person that he/she will be blessed with both children and
prosperity. The more of either Ire he/she has the more the other will follow.
Ifá says also that if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is planning to help
another person, he/she should not hesitate to do so. The person he/she plans to
help will bring him/her into the limelight in the end. He/she will never regret
ever assisting the person.
13. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to go for Ifá initiation
for him/her to overcome the problem of ill health. This person is being avoided
right now because of his/her ill-health. People will soon run back to him/her.
Only Ifá initiation will get him/her out of his/her present predicament.
Ifá advises the Awo in charge of this issue not to put any monetary
consideration first. He/she/they need to assist the person for whom this Odù is
revealed first even if it entails spending their own money to ensure that he/she
gets back in his/her feet. The Awo will not regret ever assisting this person.
The Awo needs to understand that, not all Ifá work bring monetary gain to the
Awo. Some may bring a good name and reputation while others may bring
contentment and satisfaction without any money. Satisfaction, in many respects
is greater than riches.
The eôboô materials here are all the things this person needs to perform his/her
own Ifá initiation. The person ought to serve SÙa¾ngo; before going to perform his
or her initiation.
On this, Ifá says:
Asu;nmoôsi; ab’i¾di; ja¾n¾ge¾le;

Di;a; fu;n Eôseô¾ kan Sôosôo Ogbe¾
Ti; n;sô'awo re’le; SÙa¾ngo;
833
Translation:

He cast Ifá for one Leg of Ogbe¾
When going on an Ifá mission to the home of SÙa¾ngo;
SÙa¾ngo; was seriously ill. None of his relatives gave him any chance of survival.
Even further, they even gave him social and physical distance for fear of being
infected by his ailment. SÙa¾ngo; could not fathom why his own relatives whom
he had tried all he could to assist in several ways would be the ones who were
running away from him. None of them would even proffer any solution to his
problem.
All they would do was come to him on his sick mat to look for more money
from him. Now that he had no more money to give, he had been abandoned for
fear of being infected. When he was giving them money however, they
appeared not to worry that the money would infect them. It was as if when the
money had been exhausted that the owner of the money could now infect them
with his ailment. Despite his treatment, this was not of immediate importance
to him. He needed to find a solution to his problem first before he could think
of who did what to him and against him.
In his bid to find a solution to his problem, he invited Eôseô¾ kan Sôosôo Ogbe¾, One
leg of Ogbe¾ to come and consult Ifá for him. It was based on this that Ogbe¾
approached Asu;nmoôsi; abi¾di; ja¾n¾ge¾le;, his own personal Awo for Ifá consultation
in order to determine how best to approach Sa¾ngo; ’s problem in order to
succeed.
Asu;nmoôsi; abi;di; ja¾n¾ge¾le; told Ogbe¾ that SÙa¾ngo; was seriously ill. He made it
clear to Ogbe¾ that only Ifá initiation could make SÙÙa¾ngo; regain his health. He
warned Ogbe¾ to do everything he could to assist SÙa¾ngo; without thinking of any
financial reward. He said that SÙa¾ngo; had no money to pay at that point in time.
Ogbe¾ was urged not to bother about that, but to ensure that SÙa¾ngo; overcame his
problem. He told Ogbe¾ to feed his Ifá with whatever Ifá demanded from him
before he proceeded on the trip. All these, Ogbe¾ noted and he complied with all
the advice given to him by Ifá through his Awo.
834
Eôseô¾ kan sôosôo Ogbe¾, Awo SÙa¾ngo;

Di;a; fu;n Olu;ko¾s¾o la¾lu;
Ti; n; sôoô¾gboô¾oô¾gboô¾ a¾ru¾n
Ti; n; na'ju; ati dide
Woô;n ni; ko; ru’boô
Ko; si¾ loô re¾e; sô’oro¾ l’o;do¾
Translation:
One leg of Ogbe¾ the Awo of SÙa¾ngo;

He cast Ifá for SÙa¾ngo;
When he was suffering from a serious ailment
And was lamenting his inability to rise up and be in good health
And go to the stream for Ifá initiation
Before Ogbe¾ got to SÙa¾ngo;’s house, he already knew what to do in order to solve
the problem that SÙa¾ngo; was in. The consultation he did for SÙa¾ngo; only
reinforced what Asu;nmoôsi; abi¾di; ja¾n¾ge¾le; had told him. For this reason, he began
to gather all materials needed to initiate SÙa¾ngo; into Ifá together; as quickly as
possible. When all the materials were ready, he took SÙa¾ngo; to the Stream and
the initiation rites were performed. SÙa¾ngo; was given soap to bathe with after a
mature he-goat had been slaughtered on his head. As he was taking his bath, he
discovered to his surprise that all the ailments, bumps, lumps, scabies and
rashes on his body had simply disappeared. He regained his health like magic.
This could not be true. But it was! SÙa¾ngo; was overwhelmed with joy. He
danced from the stream where he was initiated into Ifá back to his house.
He had no money to pay to Ogbe¾ for his marvellous work in his life. He
however called Ogbe¾ and made a solemn vow that any house where a Babala;wo
lived, he would never strike such a house or show his anger in that house -
except if such a Babala;;wo was a liar or an oath breaker. Since that day up till
today, SÙa¾ngo; has always refrained himself from striking any house where an
Awo lives as long as the Awo is honest.

Di;a; fu;n Eôseô¾ kan Sôosôo Ogbe¾
Ti; n;sô’awo re’le; Sa¾ngo;
835
O: gb’eô;boô o; ru;’boô
Eôseô¾ kan sôosôo Ogbe¾, Awo SÙa¾ngo;
Di;a; fu;n Olu;ko¾s¾o la¾lu;
Ti; n; sôoô¾gboô¾oô¾gboô¾ a¾ru¾n
Ti; n; na'ju; ati dide
Woô;n ni; ko; ru’boô
Ko; si¾ loô re¾e; sô’oro¾ l’o;do¾
O: gb’eô;boô o; ru;’boô
O: si¾ loôoô re;e; sô’oro¾ l’o;do¾
Igba¾ ti; o; sô’oro¾ l’o;do¾ tan
L’ara Olu;ba;nbi; ba; le
N®jeô; A®ri¾ra; ma;; ma¾ sôe ja¾ ni’beô o
Ile; t’Awo ba; wa¾
A®ri¾ra¾ ma; ma¾ sôe ja¾ ni¾'beô
E®ro¾¾ I®po, e¾¾ro¾¾ O®®Ùfa¾¾
O®ko¾¾ A®ri¾¾ra¾ o; nii baleô¾ ko; woô’le; Ifá
Translation:
Asu;;nmoôsi; abi¾di; ja¾n¾ge¾le;

He cast Ifá for one Leg of Ogbe¾
When going on an Ifá mission to the home of SÙa¾ngo;
He complied
One leg of Ogbe¾ the Awo of SÙa¾ngo;
He cast Ifá for SÙa¾ngo;
And was lamenting for his inability to rise up and be in good health
And go to the stream for Ifá initiation
He complied
He went to the stream for Ifá initiation
After the initiation rites
He regained his strength
Please, A®ri¾ra; (the thunder) do not strike there
The house inhabited by an Awo
A®ri¾ra; do not strike there
The thunder stone will never be directed towards the home of Ifá
836
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall regain his/her
strength, health and vitality after undergoing Ifá initiation. The Awo who
performs the initiation rites on this person shall also gain respect, honour and
recognition.
14. Ifá warns a woman who is about to get married or who has just been married
where this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô and have a change of attitude lest she
will live the rest of her life as a childless woman. This woman is too beauty-
conscious. This will not favour her in any way; rather, she will live to regret her
actions in the future.
Ifá advises this woman to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. She
also needs to stick to her husband and stop selling her beauty about.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô po¾¾ôn

Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; ri¾bi¾ribi¾ i¾di;
A®gba¾poô¾n oômoô ni o¾¾ l’e;;re¾¾
Di;a; fu;n A®wo¾¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoôbi¾nrin O®de
Translation:

This was Ifá’s message for A®wo¾¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ (the Carved Image)
The offspring of the Main Road
She was advised to offer eôboô for child-bearing
She was always on the road. She just could not allow any occasion to pass her
by without attending. It afforded her the opportunity to show off her beauty to
all who cared to take notice. She could not attend any party alone. She would
837
always find a man to go with her. She saw herself as the centre of focus and
attraction anywhere she went. She enjoyed this very much. One day she
claimed that it was her time. It was time for the marriage market and she had
many suitors. She however was not ready to go and put herself under any
restriction, she retorted. She enjoyed her freedom as it was and she still wanted
to continue to enjoy it for some more time.
One day, A®wo¾¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ went for Ifá consultation in order to determine her
success chances in life. She wanted to know how popular she would be among
her contemporaries. To her, success was measured by the number of
acquaintances one had and her friends who had partners were very unpopular,
and she did not wish this for herself.
True, she had more dresses than her contemporaries. She also had more
spending money than them. There were many men out there who gave her all
that she needed. She therefore saw no reason why she must soil her beautifully
shaped fingers and fingernails with any hard work. Those were simply not for
her. It was therefore a rude shock for her when the Awo told her that it was in
her best interest to stop all the gallivanting around that she had been engaging
in. She was advised to look for her own man and stick to this one man and get
married and have her own children. She was informed that even though it was
true that she was a very beautiful lady, her beauty would not last for long and it
was in her own best interest to do what she needed to do before it was too late.
The Awo also advised her to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money.
A®wo¾¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ sat rigidly in front of the Awo for a long time. She was so
angry with the Awo to the extent that she lost her voice. She saw the Awo as an
envious old fool who was jealous of her striking beauty and who was also
jealous because none of his wives or children were as pretty as her.
How could she stick to one man when she was at the peak of her popularity?
Who would be the man she would stick to anyway? Was there any single man
who could satisfy her financially and give her all the money, dresses, jewelleries
and cosmetics she wanted? No single man could do that for her. Why should
she stick to just one man and deny herself the opportunity of making more
money from many men? This was why she thought that Olo;du¾mare¾ had no
business retaining old fools like this Awo on earth. These types of Awo ought
to have died and been buried a long time ago. When she regained her voice, she
gave the Awo a piece of her mind. She also made it clear that he was talking
838
nonsense to her. She was not ready for any man yet. Neither was she ready for
any eôboô, especially the one recommended by the stupid Awo. After this, she
stood up and stormed out of his house determined never to return there again.
When she would see her contemporaries strapping their babies on their backs,
she considered them to be inflicting undue pain and burden on themselves. She
also felt that they were aging faster and looked older than what they really were.
She looked far younger than any of them.
It did not take long before she was being invited to many marriage ceremonies
of her contemporaries’ children. That was when she finally felt that she needed
to settle down and have her own children. She had spent so much money on
others when attending their ceremonies - naming of their babies or graduations
and weddings of their children. It was time for others to now spend money on
her.
Unfortunately however, she had endowed herself with such a reputation that
every sensible man would run away from her. Any man who showed interest in
her would quickly be reminded of several men whom she had ruined through
her incessant demands. They would also show these men the other men whom
she had led on and then dumped to nurse their grief after she had dumped them.
If the man still insisted on developing a relationship with her, his family would
ensure that they put an end to it. In the end, A®wo¾¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ found no man to
live with when she felt she was ready. Funny enough, she still looked younger
than all her colleagues. She was even more beautiful than them. She however
had no joy in her life despite this beauty because she had no child of her own to
send on errands.
The jobs she would not do when she had the strength to do them, she now began
to do them in her middle age. Awo¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ lived alone and lonely. She
was beautiful but she had husband. She was popular but she had no child. She
had many material possessions but she had no real joy in her life.
That was when she remembered what the Awo had warned her against many
years back. Alas it was just too late to make amends. She was thinking about
all these when menopause finally set in.
839
Ogbe¾ tu;n’moô po¾¾ôn

Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; ri¾bi¾ribi¾ i¾di;
A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni o¾¾ l’e;;re¾¾
Di;a; fu;n A®wo¾¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoôbi¾nrin O®de
O: koô’ti; oô¾gboônhin se;;ôboô
O: ni; woô;n wi;; o
O®un l’o¾un o¾ gboô; o
Oun l’o¾un o¾ gba¾
O®un l’o¾un o¾ tieô¾ ya¾ si;i
N®jeô; i¾woô A®®wo¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga;
A ri; eô r’eô;wa¾ na;
O: wa;a; k’oômoô o
Translation:

This was Ifá’s message for A®wo¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾ (the Carved Image)
The offspring of the Main Road
She was advised to offer eôboô for child-bearing
She refused to heed or comply
She regretted her actions saying she was warned
She was the one who refused to listen
She refused to accept
She refused to give the warning consideration
Now, A®®wo¾ra;n-Ga¾ga¾a¾ga¾
We recognize your beauty
But you lack children of your own
Ifá says that it will not allow the woman for whom this Odù is revealed to live a
lonely life in her middle age. She however needs to take being a wife seriously
at the appropriate time. She must also downplay her beauty and concentrate on
forming a good family with her own man and children. She also needs to stick
840
to just being with one man and maintain a high moral standard. She needs to
not give herself a bad reputation in the view of the community where she lives.
15. Ifá says that there is an important and high-ranking man where this Odù is
revealed who is having a serious disagreement with his wife (or one of his
wives). This disagreement had reached a stage that he has abandoned the
woman’s room. He has refused to even enter her room. He is also ignoring his
moral responsibilities to his wife. Ifá warns this man that it will not augur well
for him if he continues to ignore his moral duties to his wife. He must go to his
woman immediately and resolve the matter. He must give his wife quality time
and ensure that all of his domestic duties and responsibilities are performed for
his wife. Ifá says that if the man fails to do this, he will have an uprising his
life. This uprising will consume him.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four squirrels and money. They need to
carry four plates of eôboô. The head of each squirrel will be placed in each of the
eôboô dishes and buried in the four corners of the house, community or town,
depending on the sphere of influence of the person for whom this Odù is
revealed.
On this, Ifá says:
A®da;si;, Awo Ala;ra;

Di;a; fu;n Ala;ra;, oômoô O®gbo;lu;-Aje;
A®da;si;, Awo Ajero¾
Di;a; fu;n Ajero¾, oômoô O®gbo;lu; ko¾ôro¾¾ô i¾ja¾ ja;leô¾
Ni¾tori; oôjoô; mii¾i¾-jo¾ôoô¾mi¾
K'eô;ni o; ma; f’obi¾nrin sô’a¾da;si; moô;
Ni;tori; ogun o¾wu;roô¾ ni o
Di;a; fu;n Oloô;fin
Ni; ka¾si¾ka¾si a¾wu;roô¾
Translation:
A®da;si; (to set aside), the Awo of Ala;ra;

He cast Ifá for Ala;ra;, the offspring of O®gbo;lu;-Aje;
A®da;si;, the Awo of Ajero¾
841
He cast Ifá for Ajero¾, the offspring of O®gbo;lu; koôô¾roôô¾ i¾ja¾ ja;le¾ô
Next time, do not set any woman aside
In order to avoid an uprising early in the morning
This was Ifá’s message for OÙloôô;fin
In order to cement the friendship between Ala;ra;, the Oôba; of I®la;ra; -Moô¾ki;n and
Oôloô;fin, the Oôba of Ile;-Ife¾¾ô, Ala;ra; gave his beloved daughter to Oôlo;;ôfin in
marriage. This gesture made the friendship grow and wax stronger. The
wedding itself was the talk of the town for a very long time.
Two years after the wedding, Ala;ra;’s daughter became totally uncontrollable.
She would do whatever she liked at any time she liked. Oôloô;fin did not want to
spoil the relationship between him and Ala;ra;. For this reason, he refrained from
sharing the untoward behaviours of his daughter to him. The attitude of Ala;ra;’s
daughter however eventually became an embarrassing topic in the palace and
the whole of Ile;-Ifeô¾. Her behaviours cast Oôloô;fin as a love-drunk Oôba who
lacked the capability to curb the excesses of his wife.
This was a disgraceful reputation for an Oôba who was regarded and
acknowledged as next to the O®ri¾¾sôa¾. This was what eventually made him take
action in order to curb his wife’s misbehaviour. He thought of what he could do
in order to change her behaviour. He concluded that he would give her the silent
treatment. He also refused to eat her food, enter her room, and make love to
her.
At first, his wife was not bothered at all by this treatment. At a stage, she began
to bluff Oôlo;;ôfin but he would call out her bluffs. Later, she began to beg for
forgiveness but Oôloô;fin ignored her pleas. After much time had passed, she
decided to go to her father to report that Oôlo;;ôfin was maltreating her for no
reason.
Ala;ra; expected Oôlo;;ôfin to come to him and share what was wrong but he would
not say anything. His daughter began to complain everyday that she was being
maltreated and that Oôlo;;ôfin was ignoring her completely. He also refused to
enter her room, he did not eat her food and there was no love making between
the two of them anymore.
842
The more his daughter complained the more it pained Ala;ra;. He did not know
what step to take. He began to hate Oôlo;;ôfin for mistreating his beloved daughter
unjustly. He knew he could not attack Oôloô;fin militarily because Oôloô;fin was the
mightiest Oôba on earth. All other nations would rise up to defend Oôloô;fin. What
then could he do to avenge his daughter’s maltreatment?
As he was thinking about it, a thought came to his mind; he would secretly travel
to I®da¾ho¾ômi¾ land and seek the services of hired killers to go an assassinate the
Oôlo;;ôfin in his sleep. The more he thought about this option, the more he liked it.
One day, he set out on his journey to I®da¾ho¾ômi¾ land. He went straight to the den
of these assassins. He enlisted the services of nine of them. When they heard
what he wanted them to do for him, they charged him 25 bags of cowries. He
paid the money upfront and returned home as quickly as he had left. The
assassins told him that it would take them nine days to prepare for the
assignment. They began their preparations in earnest.
On the night of the day that Ala;ra; went to place the contract on Oôlo;;ôfin’s head,
the latter had a terrifying dream. He could not make head nor tail of this dream.
Consequently, he summoned his group of Awo to come and consult Ifá for him.
He told the domestic servants to send for his Awo to come immediately.
When the Awo arrived, they cast Ifá for Oôlo;;ôfin and Ogbe¾-Tu;nmoôpo¾¾ôn was
revealed. The Awo told Oôlo;;ôfin that serious trouble was brewing against him.
They asked him if there was any woman that he was ignoring among his wives.
He told the Awo that he had refused to step into the room of Ala;ra; ’s daughter
because of her untoward attitude. The Awo told Oôlo;;ôfin to leave everything he
was doing and go straight into her room and do all those things which he had
earlier refused to do for her. Not only that, he must ensure that she was totally
satisfied with what he needed to do for her before he left her room.
The Awo advised him to offer eôboô as stated above. Oôloôfin did. The eôboô were
buried in the four corners of Ile;-Ifeô¾. As soon as this was completed, Oôlo;;ôfin
entered Ala;ra;’s daughter’s room. He began to talk to her, amend their
differences, and promised to do all those things he had earlier refused to do. He
also, for one week, he did not allow her to leave the room and he too did not
leave the room.
On the seventh day, when it remained only one day for the assassins to arrive at
Ile;-Ife¾ô to perform their assignment, Ala;ra;’s daughter managed to sneak out of
843
her room when Oôloô;fin was fast asleep. She headed to her father’s palace. She
told her father how nice Oôlo;;ôfin had been to her. She stated that she never knew
that Oôlo;;ôfin loved her to the extent that he had shown her. She added that she
never knew that Oôlo;;ôfin was gathering all the love and attention he had for her
together in order to deliver everything to her in one swoop.
She was so excited when telling her father all that had been occurring that she
did not notice all the facial expressions of her father. Her father had become
totally confused and his face had contorted into a grimace. Ala;ra; then confessed
that there was no remedy for Oôloô;fin. He was going to die in a few hours' time.
His daughter burst into tears, pleading with her father to please spare her
husband’s life.
She cried that her husband loved her more than her father would ever
comprehend. She blamed her father for putting a contract on her husband’s
head without seeking clearance from her first. She warned her father that she
would never forgive him if anything untoward happened to her beloved
husband. All explanations from her father for his reason for employing the
service of the assassins fell on deaf ears. She then threatened to expose her
father if any evil happened to her loving husband.
Ala;ra; became more confused when he heard this. It was definitely too late to
recall the assassins. They would have been on their way to Ile; -Ifeô¾ already.
What was he going to do now? He did not know. He looked at his daughter
helplessly. It was in his bid to help his daughter and avenge the maltreatments
which Oôlo;;ôfin meted to her that now turned him to his daughter’s enemy. By the
time his daughter stormed out of the palace, he had become a totally
disorganized man.
Meanwhile, in the dead of the night of that day, the nine assassins were already
stationed in the boundary of Ile;-Ifeô¾. A few minutes to the appointed time, they
moved and surrounded the four corners of the city. At the appointed time, they
moved in. A few moments before these assassins reached the palace, the
materials Oôlo;;ôfin used for his eôboô were transformed by E®sôu¾-O®®Ùda¾¾ra¾¾ into
phenomena and they began to talk.
Their voices echoed throughout the land, saying:
844
Ala;ra; n; ra;n’ni i; pe¾ yi;n o

O: ni; eô d’e¾ôyi¾n
Gbogbo ogun eô deô¾yi¾n
Ajero¾ n; ra;n’ni i;; pe¾ yi;n o
O: ni; eô de¾yi¾n
Oôwa;ra¾ngu;;n n; ra;n’ni i; pe¾ yi;n o
O: ni¾ eô deô¾yi¾n
Obaô¾le;;ôyoôô¾ Ajo¾ri; n; ra;n’ni i; pe¾ yi;n o
O: ni; eô deôyin
Gbogbo ogun e deyin
Translation:
Ala;ra; had sent for you

He asks you now to go back
All uprisings, please go back
Ajeôro¾ had sent for you
Owa;ra;ngu¾n had sent for you
Obaô¾le;;ôyoôô¾ had sent for you
The assassins became confused. Was it not the same Ala;ra; who gave them the
contract and even paid upfront? If he knew that he did not have the nerve to go
through with the plan, why did he summon them to come and execute the
contract? They had planned and practiced so hard that the plot would have been
fun to execute. Not only this, it would have been the highest ranking target they
had ever struck. It would indeed be a shame that they would not pull this coup
through. To make the matter worse, it was not only Ala;ra; calling to pull out and
abandon the contract. Even Ajero¾, OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n and Oôbaleô;yo¾ô were asking them
to pull out. What a pity. Well, they had nothing to lose. They had been paid up
front. With regrets, they pulled out and returned to where they come from that
very night.
845
Meanwhile, Ala;ra; and his daughter could not sleep that night for different
reasons. Ala;ra; could not sleep because he knew his daughter would expose him
as the brain behind the assassination if the contract was successfully executed.
That would put him in serious trouble. And if the contract was bungled, the
assassins would mention his name as the mastermind of the contract. That
would also put him in trouble. The only solution was for the assassins not to
show up. He would gladly forfeit the money he had paid to the assassins. He
called on his ancestors to help him out of this dilemma.
His daughter could not sleep because since the time she had been married, she
never knew that her husband loved her that much. There was no part of her
being that Oôloô;fin had not touched. He made her feel like a woman should be
made to feel. She was very fulfilled. Oôloô;fin had made her a happy woman. She
felt happier in the last seven days than any other time of her life. Why must her
father place a contract on the head of her man who loved her that deeply? The
assassins would come that night to kill her beloved. Anyway, they would have
to kill her first before they could touch her darling husband. She had vowed
never to do anything that would make him angry again. Life without Oôloô;fin
would not be worth living. She had been shown love and life from a different
perspective which she never knew ever existed. She made up her mind to put
her father to shame if anything bad should happen to her husband.
When she heard the huge noise asking all uprising to pull out, she was sure it
was her father who had sent out his delegates to warn the assassins off. On the
other hand, Ala;ra; heard the noise warning the assassins to return to base, he was
certain that his daughter was behind it. The important thing however was that
the life of Oôloô;fin was spared. Oôloô;fin lived for a long, long time to give Ala;ra;’s
daughter the nice times she craved for from her husband.
A®da;si;, Awo Ala;ra;

Di;a; fu;n Ala;ra;, oômoô O®gbo;lu;-Aje;
A®da;si;, Awo Ajero¾
Di;a; fu;n Ajero¾, oômoô O®gbo;lu; ko¾ôro¾¾ô i¾ja¾ ja;leô¾
Ni¾tori; oôjoô; mii¾i¾-jo¾ôoô¾mi¾
K'eô;ni o; ma; f’obi¾nrin sô’a¾da;si; moô;
Ni;tori; ogun o¾wu;roô¾ ni o
Di;a; fu;n Oloô;fin
Ni; ka¾si¾ka¾si a¾wu;roô¾
846

Eô wa;a; ba; ni¾ la;ru¾u;sôe;ô ogun
A:ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba;; ni l'e;ôse¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
N®jeô; Ala;ra; n; ra;n’ni i; pe¾ yi;n o
O: ni; eô d’e¾ôyi¾n
Ajero¾ n; ra;n’ni i;; pe¾ yi;n o
O: ni; eô de¾yi¾n
Oôwa;ra¾ngu;;n n; ra;n’ni i; pe¾ yi;n o
O: ni¾ eô deô¾yi¾n
Obaô¾le;;ôyoôô¾ Ajo¾ri; n; ra;n’ni i; pe¾ yi;n o
O: ni; eô de¾¾ôyi¾n
Gbogbo ogun eô de¾ôyi¾n
Translation:
A®da;si; (to set aside), the Awo of Ala;ra;

He cast Ifá for Ala;ra;, the offspring of O®gbo;lu;-Aje;
A®da;si;, the Awo of Ajero¾
He cast Ifá for Ajero¾, the offspring of O®gbo;lu; koôô¾roôô¾ i¾ja¾ ja;le¾ô
Next time, do not set any woman aside
In order to avoid an uprising early in the morning
This was Ifá’s message for OÙloôô;fin
He complied
Join us where we enjoy victory over adversity
Victory over adversary is what Ifá guarantees for His devotees
Now, Ala;ra; had sent for you
Now, Ajeôro¾ had sent for you
847
Now, Owa;ra;ngu¾n had sent for you

Obaô¾le;;ôyoôô¾ had sent for you
Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that all uprisings will pull
back from his/her life and he/she will enjoy his/her life to the fullest. This
person, if a man, however needs to ensure that all disagreements between him
and his spouse are amicably resolved in the interest of peace and harmony. He
must make big efforts to make amends.
16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to allow any stranger
or visitor to stay in his/her house. This is in order to avoid putting
himself/herself into serious trouble. Ifá says that if he/she allows the visitor to
stay in his/her house, he/she will offend the visitor and it will lead to disaster for
the person for whom this Odù is revealed.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. The
same she-goat will then be used to feed Ifá and the heart of the she-goat will be
placed on Ifá until it rots inside the Ifá bowl. The heart of the she-goat must not
be eaten for any reason whatsoever. He/she also needs to feed O®gu;n with one
cock.
On this aspect Ogbe¾-Tu;nmoôpoô¾n says:

Ogbe¾ su;n’moôô si;
Ogbe¾ su;n’moôô si; ri¾bi¾;ribi i¾di;;
Di;a; fu;n I®ro;ko¾ Eô®lu¾ju¾
Ti; woô;n ni; ko; ma;; gb’a¾lejo¾ eôleôgeô; si';le;;
848
Translation:

This was Ifá’s message for I®ro;ko¾ of the wilderness
Who was warned not to accommodate a delicate visitor
into his home
I®ro;ko¾ Eô®lu¾ju¾ was a very ambitious person. He planned to succeed together with
all the members of his family. He was ready to do whatever was required to
ensure that success came to him and his family. This was the reason why he
went for Ifá consultation in the home of the group of Awo stated above: Will I
succeed in life? If yes, What will I need to do to ensure this success?
The Awo assured I®ro;ko¾ Eô®lu¾ju¾ that he would succeed together with his family.
He was however warned not to allow visitors to stay in his house because doing
so might bring grief of monumental proportion to him and his family.
The Awo advised I®ro;ko¾ Eô®lu¾ju¾ to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money
and to feed O®gu;;n with one cock. He thought that the Awo had already told him
that he would succeed together with his family. He therefore felt that there was
no reason why he should offer any eôboô. When he returned home, he discussed
the matter with his wife and they both concluded that all they needed to do was
to ensure that no visitor was allowed to stay in their home. For that reason, they
concluded that there was absolutely no reason to procure any eôboô materials for
the Awo. That was why they simply ignored the advice of the Awo to offer the
eôboô and feed O®gu;;n.

Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; ri¾bi¾¾ribi i¾di;;
A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni o¾ l’e;re¾
Baba n; sô’awo loô oô¾na¾ to; jin¾ gboôoôro bi; oôjoô;
849
Translation:

When going on an Ifá mission to the land that was as far as
the distance between the sun and the earth
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ planned to travel to many places to go on spiritual missions. His

intention was to move from one place to another in order to make enough
money for his upcoming annual Ifá festival ceremony. He therefore went for Ifá
consultation in the home of the group of Awo, who were his former students,
mentioned above in order to determine his success chances.
The Awo informed O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would surely succeed in his travels and he
would make a lot of money in his work. He was advised to offer eôboô with a
mature she-goat and money. He was also asked to feed O®gu;;n with one cock.
He complied. Shortly after this, he set out on his journey.
On his way, he met I®ro;ko¾ Eô®lu¾ju¾. After exchanging pleasantries, I®ro;ko¾ demanded
to know where O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was heading to. He explained that he was going on an
Ifá mission from place to place. I®ro;ko¾ pleaded with O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to stay with his
family. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ agreed.
When both of them got to I®ro;ko¾’s home, I®ro;ko¾’s wife called him aside and
reminded him of the warning of the Awo which they had decided to keep. I®ro;ko¾
got angry. Very angry at his wife. He retorted that although was told not to
allow any visitor to stay in his home, would that include O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾? He said that
the Awo had promised them that they would succeed. He reckoned that his
family’s success would come through O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. Consequent upon this, the
visitors that the Awo mentioned could not include OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. He then said to
her very rudely, since when does an ordinary woman poke her nose and mouth
into my business?
850
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was given a room in their home and I®ro;ko¾ went out to inform
everybody that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was staying at his house and if anyone had any
problem, they could approach O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ for a solution. Within three weeks,
I®ro;ko¾’s house turned into a beehive of activities. People trooped in and out of
I®ro;ko¾’s house looking for solutions to their problems. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was
recommending mature she-goats as eôboô and was not needing any part of the
she-goat except the heart. It was the heart of the animal that he was using to
solve any problem that any of the clients would have. The rest of the animal
would be given to I®ro;ko¾ and his family to do as they wished. I®ro;ko¾ would dry
the meat on fire; give some out, cook some for food and sell the rest. By so
doing, I®ro;ko¾ and his family had money to do whatever they wanted to do. He
was very happy. Sometimes, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ would instruct I®ro;ko¾ to slaughter up to
10 animals in a day and ask him to keep the hearts for him. Other times, it
would be up to 16 goats. There was no day that I®ro;ko¾ would not slaughter at
least five goats. All his family members were very happy.
One day, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ considered the case of I®ro;ko¾ and felt that he ought to be
taught a lesson which he would never forget. To E®sôu¾ Oô®da¾ra¾, I®ro;ko¾ had
committed three offences: one, he had refused to heed the warning of Ifá that he
should not allow any visitor to stay in his house; two, he had been very
chauvinistic to the extent that his woman’s views and opinions did not mean
anything; and three, he had refused to offer eôboô as prescribed by the Awo. For
these reasons, E®sôu¾ Oô®da¾ra¾ declared, I®ro;ko¾ must be punished.
He went to I®ro;ko¾’s house that day. When he got there, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had gone out.
OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ had asked I®ro;ko¾ to slaughter eight goats and leave the hearts for him.
I®ro;ko¾ had already slaughtered the goats and was busy drying the meat on the
fire when E®sôu¾ Oô®da¾ra¾ arrived. He met I®ro;ko¾ still drying the goat meat on the fire.
They both exchanged pleasantries. E®sôu¾ then told I®ro;ko¾ that he had come to see
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. He responded that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had gone out.
E®sôu¾ demanded to know from I®ro;ko¾> “how his visitor was doing?”
Iro;ko¾ responded; “He was doing very well”.
E®sôu asked; “In what way?”
851
I®ro;ko¾ responded; “Look at all the goat meat we have on the fire for drying. He
gave everything to us to do as we wish. The only thing he wanted from the goat
was the heart”.
E®sôu¾ Oô®da¾ra¾ “Is he paying for the renting of the room he is occupying?”
I®ro;ko¾ said, “No he is not. We do not consider it necessary to collect house rent
from him at all. Afterall, he has been giving us so much meat that he has
brought much money for us”.
E®sôu¾ Oô®da¾ra¾ then said, “Fools! Idiots! Bloody fools! Compound fools! Can’t you
see that the heart is the real meat? Can’t you see that the heart has no bones?
How could you allow O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to cheat you like this? Don’t you know that the
person who eats the heart of any animal is the one who enjoys the animal? He
has been deceiving you all this time by telling you to eat other parts of the goat
and he has been eating the heart! Don’t you realize that all other parts of the
goat are useless and worthless?"
E®sôu¾ Oô®da¾ra¾ waited for his statements to sink into their heads before he continued
saying; “No! I will not allow you to be cheated any longer. I will help you
redress the situation. How can someone who is not paying for house rent be
eating the goat hearts alone? Start with these hearts and cut them into two right
now and ask your wife to go and look for pepper, onion, salt and palm-oil. You
must cook the eight hearts in my presence and eat them with a¾ma¾la¾. When he
returns to demand for his goat hearts, tell him you have eaten them. After all,
he was not paying you any house rent!”
E®sôu¾ ensured that the eight goat hearts were consumed in his presence before he
left. I®ro;ko¾ however discovered that the heart meat was not necessarily more
delicious than the liver or kidney. Nonetheless, they ate up the eight hearts.
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ arrived in the evening, he wanted to use the eight goat hearts to
do the work for his clients, but they were nowhere to be found.
He demanded, “I®ro;ko¾, where have you kept the eight hearts of the goats that I
asked you to keep for me? I need to start working on the cases of the clients
immediately because some of the cases are very delicate and they require urgent
attention."
852
I®ro;ko¾ responded, "They have been eaten."
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ thought he was joking at first. “I®ro;ko¾, please I have no time for jokes
because I need to start working on the clients' cases instantly."
I®ro;ko¾ repeated, "I and my family members have eaten the hearts."
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ could not believe his ears. "Why?" he demanded.
I®ro;ko¾ responded, "I ordered my family to eat them because I can no longer stand
the cheating that we have been receiving from you, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. You do not pay
me any house rent and you have been eating the hearts of the goats all alone!"
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ explained to I®ro;ko¾, "The eight goat hearts represent the lives of eight
people who are having one form of problem or the other and whose problems
must be removed and their lives returned to the right track. Without the hearts
of these goats, this cannot be done. It is an unimaginable cruelty for anyone to
just eat the hearts of the goats. As you can see since I have been staying with
you in your house, I have never consumed any of the hearts; instead, I have
placed them in my Ifá bowls and have left them there with appropriate prayers
until Ifá changes the lives of the clients from bad to good and from good to the
better. How can you, my hosts, eat the hearts? What kind of insensitivity is
that?"
The only thing I®ro;ko¾ could say was that the eight goat hearts had been
consumed. The damage had been done already!
Hearing this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s countenance changed totally. He began to pack his

belongings. I®ro;ko¾’s wife prepared food and brought it to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. He rejected
the food. Throughout the night, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was pacing up and down in his room.
At the first cock crow, he began to move out all his things. Soon after this, he
left I®ro;ko¾’s house.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ left feeling very melancholic. He was totally disappointed. He had no

particular destination in his mind. All he knew was that he must move away
from that house. As he was going on his way, he decided to follow his original
plan of taking the journey that was as far as the distance between the sun and
853
the earth. While on his way, he met O®gu;n. Being deep in his thoughts did not
recognize O®gu;n at first glance. O®gu;n called him and extended his greetings.
The response that O®gu;n got from OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made it clear to O®gu;n that
something was seriously amiss. He demanded to know what was wrong, but
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ told him that there was nothing wrong. He persuaded O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to
share his mind with him; after all, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ gave him a big cock when he was
about to commence on the journey.
That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told O®gu;n what I®ro;ko¾ had done. O®gu;n was livid with
anger. He told his friend and benefactor to go on his journey. He declared that
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ would hear what he O®gu;n would do to I®ro;ko¾ and all the members of
I®ro;ko¾’s family in the bid to demand for the eight hearts of the goats that they
had wickedly consumed.
As soon as OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ left, O®gu;n summoned the following; Axes, Machetes,

Cutlasses, Saws, Jiggers, Swords, Files, Spades, Hoes and so on together. He
ordered them to go into the forests and demand for the eight goat hearts that
Iro;ko¾ and his family had eaten. They would cut them down one by one. They
must also ensure that all of them were aware that the deaths that they were
about to experience came were a result of their consumption of the goat hearts
which they were not supposed to eat.
All the axes, cutlasses, etc. set out to work. The first I®ro;ko¾ E®ôlu¾ju¾ tree that they
met was cut down to pieces within the twinkling of an eye. As they hit him
continuously with these blades, he began to cry “Oôka¾n, oôka¾n, oôka¾n, oôka¾n” –
"heart, heart, heart” as the blow of the blades hit his body. They moved from
one I®ro;ko¾ tree to the next, bringing them down and sparing none. Up till today,
O®ôgu;n continues to send his implements to demand from I®ro;ko¾ the eight goat
hearts he and his family had consumed.

Ogbe¾ su;n’moôô si;
Ogbe¾ su;n’moôô si; ri¾bi¾;ribi i¾di;;
Di;a; fu;n I®ro;ko¾ Eô®lu¾ju¾
Ti; woô;n ni; ko; ma;; gb’a¾lejo¾ eôleôgeô; si';le;;
O: koôti; o¾gbonyin sô’eôboô
854

Ogbe¾ su;n’moô si; ri¾bi¾¾ribi i¾di;;
A®gba¾po¾¾ôn oômoô ni o¾ l’e;re¾
Baba n; sô’awo loô oô¾na¾ to; jin¾ gboôoôro bi; oôjoô;
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô ô
E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾ Oô®fa¾
Eôni; to gb’eôboô ni;be¾ô
Eô peô; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô
A®sôe; oka¾n ni; n;sôe’ku; pa ba¾ba; awoôn i;gi¾
Translation:

This was Ifá’s message for I®ro;ko¾ of the wilderness
Who was warned not to accommodate a delicate visitor
into his home
He refused to offer the eôboô
When going on an Ifá mission to the land that is as far as
the distance between the sun and the earth
He complied
Travellers to Ìpo and Oô®fa¾
Whoever is advised to offer eôboô
Let them comply
So, it is the heart that is causing the death of the father of all
forest trees?
855
Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to be avaricious and not
to allow anyone to push him/her to do what he/she will regret for the rest of
his/her life. He/she must never allow any visitor to stay in his/her house in order
to avoid a disaster of gargantuan magnitude. A man is specifically warned to
listen to his wife’s advice.
856
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® O®TU:RU:PO®ÙN FOR THOSE BORN

BY THE ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙD
All Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children, males and females, are uniquely created by
Olo;du¾mare¾. That is why it is not advisable for anyone to try to emulate them.
Apart from this, there is nowhere that they cannot succeed, either where they
are born or outside their locality. Being strangers in any land will deter them
from becoming highly successful in their lives. Anywhere they are, nobody can
displace them. Nobody can stop their success drive. They shall be given respect,
honour and recognition anywhere they make their homes or decide to work.
Apart from being given spaces and opportunities to operate, Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n
children also perform wonders and miracles anywhere they are. They do not
only succeed; they do it in grand style. By their nature, Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n
children are never satisfied or contented with doing things the way others do
them. Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children usually love to put a touch of class in
everything they do. As soon as they finish, they do not wait for others to blow
their trumpets for them: they will blow their own trumpets. The way that they
blow their trumpets however, more often than not, hinges on pride and
arrogance. This is the reason why many people feel that Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n
children are proud and arrogant but they really are not. They simply find it
difficult to wait before they showcase their success for people to see and marvel
at.
Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children, males and females, also have unique ways of
overcoming all oppositions in their lives. As their Ori; assists them in
identifying their oppositions, so also will their genitals assist them in
overcoming the oppositions. It is not uncommon to find that the levels of
success and invincibility of Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children are greatly enhanced by
their sexuality. Again, it is not advisable for anyone to emulate them in these
areas.
It is not a good habit for Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n male and female children to take care
of other people's children, businesses, ventures or undertakings. It is also not a
good idea for them to allow stay-in visitors into their homes without proper
investigation first. All these can lead to disaster or even calamity for them and
their entire household.
857
Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n male children must never ignore their wife (wives) let alone
deny their wife (wives) love and sex. It is a very serious taboo for them to do
so. The consequence may cost them their lives. Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n male children
have better relationships with light-skinned spouses than with dark-skinned
ones.
For Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n female children, they have the tendency not to show
gratitude to those who assist them to achieve their hearts' desires. This attitude
usually causes them grief and regrets throughout the remaining parts of their
lives.
On the overall, Ogbe¾ Tu;nmoôpoô¾n children, males and females, live their lives in
relatively above-average levels of comfort, success and achievement. They
succeed in wonderful ways and become victorious in miraculous ways. At the
end of the day, they have cause to celebrate lives well spent.
C. AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ®/O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® O®TU:RU:PO®ÙN
1. Ifá - For direction, success, victory, elevation, sanctuary, contentment,

achievement, and overall wellbeing
2. Ori; - For fulfilment of destiny, sanctuary, victory, success, support,
contentment, elevation, achievement, and self-actualization
3. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ - For sanctuary, guidance, protection, victory, support and overall
success
4. O®gu;n - For victory, leadership, success, progress and general wellbeing
5. SÙa¾ngo; - For victory, leadership, success, progress and general wellbeing
6. OÙya - For child-bearing, child-rearing and support
7. OÙ®sôun - For compatible spouse, child-bearing, child-rearing, success,
contentment and overall wellbeing
8. EÙgbeô; - For success, comradeship, leadership, victory and general wellbeing
9. Egu;ngu;n - For ancestral support, sanctuary, victory, lineage continuity,
leadership, success and general wellbeing
10. OÙbalu;aye; - For victory over ailments, success, leadership and general
wellbeing
11. Oro¾ - For ancestral support, sanctuary, victory, leadership, success and
general wellbeing
858
D. TABOOS OF OGBE®® O®TU:RU:PO®ÙN
1. Must never eat the heart of any rat, fish, bird or beast - to avoid
unconsummated fortune, dwindling progress, failure, regrets and disaster
2. Must never cheat anyone - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure and
regrets
3. Must never strap other people's babies on his/her back - to avoid the
problem of childlessness, unconsummated fortune, failure and regret
4. Must never take charge of other people's ventures or businesses - to avoid
unconsummated fortune, failure or regret
5. Must never eat ram - to avoid the wrath of OÙya, failure and regret
6. Must never avoid ones matrimonial responsibilities - to avoid trouble, crises
and disaster
7. Must never be too fashion or beauty conscious - to avoid child-bearing
challenges, failure and regret
8. Must never allow visitors in his/her home without prior comprehensive
investigation - to avoid trouble, calamity and everlasting regret
9. Must never pay goodness with ingratitude - to avoid regret, failure and
disaster
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® O®TU:RU:PO®ÙN
I. MALES
1. Ifágba¾mi;la¾ - Ifá comes to my rescue
2. Ifágbe¾mi; - Ifá comes to my support
3. Ifágbe;miga - Ifá exalts me
4. Ifásôôe;ôgun - Ifá is victorious
5. Ifásôeun - Ifá I am thankful
II. FEMALES
1. EÙleô;wa¾ - The beautiful one

2. Aratu¾mi; - I feel comfortable
3. Ifásôemi;lo;ore - Ifá has done me a great favour
4. Afi¾di;po¾ôteô¾ - She who uses her genitals to overcome conspiracy
5. Ifásôeun - Ifá I am thankful
859
Chapter 12
Ogbè Òtúrá
I I
II I
I I
I I
860
Ogbe¾-O®tu;ra;
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
Ogbe¾-Je¾ôgbeô¾
Ogbe¾-OÙla¾
A.1. Ifá says that it foresees Ire for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;.
Ifá says that at any given time, all the Ire of life will be coming to this
person from their own home and outside his/her domain. Ifá assures
this person that there is nothing that he/she will look for and not get.
Not only this, he /she will get the things he/she looks for from home and
outside their home.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 4 rats, 4 fish, 2 pigeons, 2
hens, 2 guinea fowls, 2 cocks, and money. He/she also needs to
feed Ifá with either 1 hen or 1 mature she-goat.
On this, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; says:
Ya¾a¾ya¾a¾ Awo e¾ôba; oô¾na¾

Ti;'fa; yo;o; ri;’re me;ji¾ l’o;o¾jo;ô
Translation:
Ya¾a¾ya¾a, the ant-hill, the Awo of the roadside

He was the Awo who cast Ifá for Orunmila
Who shall receive the blessings of two Ire in one day
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was practicing as a Babaláwo. At the same time, he had a

large expanse of land, which he used for farming. He also set traps on
861
his farmland. As an Awo, he had average success. As a farmer, his

success was slightly below average.
In order to have improvement in his life, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ summoned one of his

ex-students for Ifá consultation. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked Ifá, “Will I succeed in
life?”
Ya¾a¾ya¾a told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would succeed both as an Awo and a

farmer. He assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that his level of success would be beyond
his imagination. He advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ as stated above.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied.
True to prediction, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ succeeded in his work as an Awo. He had
clients from all over the world. He became stupendously rich. His farm
equally prospered. All his farm products came out fine and he had
bountiful harvests on his farm.
Ya¾a¾ya¾a¾ Awo eô¾ba; o¾ôna¾

Ti;'fa; yo;o; ri;’re me;ji¾ l’o;o¾joô;
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®jeô; mo ri;’re ni;’le;
Mo ri;’re l’o;ko
Ya¾a¾ya¾a¾, Awo rere lo jeô;
Translation:
Ya¾a¾ya¾a, the ant-hill, the Awo of the roadside
He was the Awo who cast Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Who shall receive the blessings of two Ire in one day
He complied
Come and see all Ire of life
862
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
Behold, I am blessed with Ire on the farm

Ya¾a¾ya¾a, you are a great Awo
Ifá says that this person shall have cause to celebrate his/her success in
life, he/she should take to study Ifa and delve in agriculture. He/she
should praise his/her Awo for a job well done.
2.Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she
shall have positive reproaches to lay claim to in his/her life. He/she
shall dance and be glad in life. This person shall be very satisfied with
all the developments in his/her life. Ifá says that he/she shall acquire
all what he/she desires in life.
hens, 2 guinea fowls, 2 cocks, and money.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; says:
E®sôi;nkanri;n, Awo o¾de OÙ®sa;n

A®da¾ba¾ sôu¾u¾sôu¾u¾, Awo O®wu;roô¾
Di;a; fu;n Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô E®kuru-Gboô;nna
EÙboô ko; le¾ ri; i¾re¾gu;n ire soô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
E®sôi;nkanri;n, the Awo of the noon-time
A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u,¾ the gentle dove, the Awo of the morning
They cast Ifá for Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
The offspring of E®kuru-Gboô;nna
He was advised to offer ẹbọ for him to have positive
reproaches in life
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; was the son of E®kuru-Gbo;ônna. He was a very hard working and
ambitious person. From his youth, he had been aspiring to become a
great man in life. He was always prepared to pursue all avenues that
would make him great in life, as long as these avenues were recognized
863
and approved of by his society. He was not prepared to undertake any

illegal or illegitimate ventures. At this particular point in time, he was
very poor with nothing to show for all his efforts, but he was hopeful
that it would be well with him in the end. His poverty and lack of
success had never bothered him, not even one day, to the extent of him
contemplating seeking gratification through the back door. He was
totally convinced that Ifá would provide all his needs in life. Anything
that would not come through Ifá was not of any interest to him.
One day, Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; went to the home of the two Awo mentioned above
in order to determine for sure his success chances in life. He wanted to
know when this success would come and through what means. He was
never in doubt of his success. He only wanted to know when it would
arrive and how great it would be. He also wanted to know the areas of
life that he would excel in so as to concentrate in those areas and lay
less emphasis on the areas where Ifá said that his destiny did not
concentrate on. When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed.
The Awo assured Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; that he would surely record success in all
departments of life. Not only this, he would have positive reproaches to
lay claim to in each of the departments of life. He was urged to place all
his hopes and aspirations in Ifá. He was assured that Ifá would give to
him all the things he needed at the most appropriate periods in his life.
He was told that he did not need to hurry or be apprehensive in any
way. He was assured that nothing important and useful to his life would
ever pass him by.
The Awo also told him to offer ẹbọ as stipulated above and to be
consistent in all his undertakings. He was advised to wait quietly for
what Ifá would do for him. Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; complied with all the advice given
by the Awo. He continued to work hard, he never showed envy or anger
when anyone succeeded. He was sure that his own success would arrive
at the most appropriate period. He was never interested in any kind of
short-cut to have success. He always thought, spoke, and acted in a
correct manner. Every aspect of his life was guided by Ifá principles.
864
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
One day, his neighbour invited him on a fishing expedition. He consulted

Ifá and he was given the blessing to follow his friend. They went on the
fishing trip and they recorded a bountiful harvest. They sold the fish at a
very good price. Before long, both of them became fishing partners.
They were both making good money. Soon after, lack of financial
success became a thing of the past in his life. He was able to afford
many of the luxuries of life, which had hitherto eluded him. His partner
was also a very honest man and being older than Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; in age, he
was able to guide Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; on the right path.
Eighteen lunar months after, they started their fishing business. The
friend called Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; and insisted that he must begin to make
arrangements on how to get married. He told Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; that all things
must be done at the most appropriate time. He insisted that this period
was the most appropriate time for Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; to get married. Both of
them went for Ifá consultation over the matter and Ifá gave its blessing
for Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; to get married. The friend plAyéd a major role in ensuring
that the right woman was found for Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;. When the woman was
eventually found, both the friend and Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;’s family members
performed all the necessary arrangements and roles to ensure a
successful marriage. The wedding ceremony was a huge success.
One year after the marriage, Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; was already a proud father. He
continued to pray to Olo;du¾mare¾ and Ifá to make him a responsible
husband to his wife and a good father to his child. His prAyérs were
answered. Before long, he decided to erect his own personal house. The
family gave him a parcel of land to build his own house. The house was
a magnificent mansion by every standard. His money continued to flow
in from his fishing business. At a stage his partner suggested Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;’s
wife should also be selling fish while they continued to hunt for fish. He
stressed that they did not need to combine the business of catching and
selling fish together. They tried this and it was also a success. Money
continued to multiply itself in Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;’s house.
865
To crown his success, Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; purchased a very beautiful horse. His

compound was known as the compound of horse-riders. He enjoyed the
support of his community because he was always at the forefront of
ensuring that the community developed. He was a great philanthropist.
Many people were pulled up by Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki; either personally or through
the benefit of his development projects.
One day, Da¾nb ¾ i¾ri¾ki; sat down to take stock of his rise from grass to
grace, from nothing to abundance, from obscurity to prominence and
from the bottom of the ladder to the apex. He had no option but to give
thanks and praise to his friend and partner, his Ifá, and Olo;du¾mare¾ who
never let him down for one moment.
E®sôi;nkanri;n, Awo o¾de OÙ®sa;n

A®da¾ba¾ sôu¾u¾sôu¾u¾, Awo O®wu;roô¾
Di;a; fu;n Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô E®kuru-Gboô;nna
EÙboô ko; le¾ ri; i¾re¾gu;n ire soô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
N®jeô; i¾re¾gu;n aje; ni mo¾ n; wa; Ifá;
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
Ifá; je;ô ki; n ri; i¾re¾gu;n ire soô o
I®re¾gu;n aya ni mo¾ n; wa; Ifá;
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
I®re¾gu;n oômoô ni mo¾ n; wa; Ifá;
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
I®re¾gu;n eôsôin ni mo¾ n; wa; Ifá;
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
I®re¾gu;n ogbo; ni mo¾ n; wa; Ifá;
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
I®re¾gu;n ire gbogbo ni mo¾ n; wa; Ifá;
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
866
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
Translation:
E®sôi;nkanri;n, the Awo of the noon-time

A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u,¾ the gentle dove, the Awo of the morning
They cast Ifá for Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
The offspring of E®kuru-Gboô;nna
He was advised to offer ẹbọ for him to
have positive reproaches in life
He complied
It is the positive reproach of wealth I am seeking
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
Ifá, please let me have good reproaches to lay claim to
It is the positive reproach of spouse I am seeking
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
It is the positive reproach of children I am seeking
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
It is the positive reproach of personal property I am seeking
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
It is the positive reproach of a personal horse I am seeking
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
It is the positive reproach of longevity I am seeking
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
It is the positive reproach of all the Ire of life I am seeking
Da¾n¾bi¾ri¾ki;
867
Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she shall
lay claim to all the good and benefiting reproaches of life. All he/she
needs to do is be consistent, prayerful, hardworking, and hopeful.
He/she shall never go empty-handed. That is the assurance of Ifá for
him/her.
blessed with financial success in life. He/she shall also be blessed with
the mercy of Olo;du¾mare¾ and those of the people in his/her community.
He/she shall enjoy positive public opinion.
hens, and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with oo;yo;ô soup.
On this, Ifá says:
SÙi¾gi¾di¾-n¾gboôroô¾
Di;a; fu;;n O;®ÙrÙun;mi¾la¾
Ifá; yo;o; jeô ewe; Ifá; kan a¾jeô-l’a;je;
Translation:
Who would consume an Ifá herb that would make
him a wealthy person
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ planned his success right from the time he landed in Ado;-E®ki¾ti¾.
What could he do to succeed and reach the zenith of his career in this
world? He asked himself this one day over and over again. He was the
Iru;nmoôleô¾ who Olo;du¾mare¾ assigned to bring the wisdom and
understanding of Ifá to the world for the benefit of the world. He was
the Iru;nmoôleô¾ who trained most of the Iru;nmoôleô¾ in Ifá and installed many
of them into their various positions in heaven. He trained A®ja¾gu¾nma¾le
868
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
and installed him as the Olu;wo in heaven. He trained and installed OÙba
A®ja¾la;ye; and OÙba A®ja¾loô;run. He had now come into the world to train
human kind in order to have them sip from the fountain of knowledge,
which Ifá represented. How would he accomplish this and be successful?
The style in heaven was quite different from what operated on earth. He
planned to succeed but how would he go about it? That was his
question.
As soon as he arrived at Ado;-E®ki¾ti, he called upon SÙi¾gi¾di¾-n¾gboôroô, one of

his former students whom he trained when he was in Ile-Ife to come
and consult Ifá for him. Would he succeed? That was his major
question. If he was to be successful, then how would he go about it?
During consultation, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed.
The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would not only succeed, he would also
reach the apex of his chosen career in life. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that to
succeed in his field, he needed the well-wishing of the people in his
community. He said that his competence was not enough. Rather, he
must be in the good books of the people in order to ensure that he
really succeeded. The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ and at the
same time to prepare the Ifá special soup stated above for him to really
show a high degree of outstanding performance. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ complied.
As soon as he did this, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to town announcing to everyone

in the community, that the most competent Awo on earth had arrived in
Ado;-E®ki¾ti. He made it clear to whoever cared to listen that O¾¾Ù®ru;nmi¾la¾’s
presence was a great privilege and honour, which only the unfortunate
or foolish person would miss. When the inhabitants heard this, they
trooped to O¾¾Ù®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house, some out of curiosity, some out of genuine
desire to consult Ifá in order to straighten their lives, while others just
went to join others who went, and some just went not be left out. Every
time someone set their eyes on O¾¾Ù®ru;nmi¾la¾, it was like love at first site.
They developed great admiration for him and they always wished to
come back again and again. This was how the clientele of O¾¾Ù®ru;nmi¾la¾
swelled. He made huge sums of money. He was also able to solve all the
869
immediate and future problems of the people. He became a household

name. He became so happy with the development in his life that he
continuously praised Olo;du¾mare¾, Ifá, and his Awo.
Di;a; fu;;n O;®ÙrÙun;mi¾la¾
Ifá; yo;o; jeô ewe; Ifá; kan a¾jeô-l’a;je;
Ire aje; wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru
N®jeô; ewe; e ki;nni mo jeô
Ti; mo fi l’a;je;?
Oo;yo;ô ni mo jeô o
OÙwoô; o¾ô mi wa;a; teô ewe; e oo;yo;ô oko
OÙ®ro¾ô oô¾ mi ka¾sôa¾i¾ yo;ô’kin ni;’nu; ge¾ôeô¾re¾ôgeô¾
Translation:
Who would consume an Ifá herb that would make
him a wealthy person
He complied
The blessing of prosperity came trooping in
Now, what type of leaves did I eat
That made me acquire the blessing of prosperity?
It was Oo;yo;ô leaves that I consumed
I have now gotten a hold of Oo;yo;ô leaves
All my matters shall only be pleasing to Ifá
Ifá says that all the steps taken by this person shall become pleasing
and acceptable to Ifá. He/she shall be loved and adored by the people.
They shall help him/her succeed in life.
870
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
4. Ifá enjoins the person for whom this Odù is revealed to uphold the
truth at all times. He/she must be truthful, honest, righteous, and
upright at all times in his/her life. He/she must never be a part of any
thought, speech, or act that may bring down any other person, group,
or the society at large. Ifá says that this person must always fight for
the common good of the society. He/she must also oppose any move
that would be inimical to the progress or well-being of the community.
He/she must never keep quiet in the midst of injustice, cheating,
unethical behaviour, or any illegality.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature pig, 16 land
snails, and money. After this, he/she will need to procure a handful of
oô¾du;ndu;n leaves, te¾ôteô¾ leaves, rinrin leaves, 200 agbe wing
feathers, 200 a¾¾ku¾ko¾ wing feathers, 200 odi;deôreô; tail feathers,
200 rats, 200 fish, 200 se¾se; leaves, one medium size mortar, 16
land snails, shea butter, and two litres of palm-oil.
A hole will then need to be dug in the centre of the house of the person
for whom this Odù is revealed and all these items will be placed into the
hole. I®ye¾ôro¾su¾n will then be used to imprint Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; on the Ifá tray.
This particular stanza will then be recited and the I®ye¾ôro¾su¾n will be
poured on all the items in the hole. The mortar will then be used to
cover everything in the hole. After this, the soil will be spread on
everything to cover up the hole. If these steps are correctly taken, this
person will stand the chance of overcoming all oppositions.
Gi;ro¾ôoô; eôyeô ori; O®gu;n

A®k®a¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ eôyeô a¾do;ro¾ô
A®woôn me;je¾e¾ji¾ ni wo;ôn pe¾te-pe¾ro¾
Ni woô;n pa Itu;n OÙbamakin jeô o
O: ye; mi ye;re;ye;re;
Awo ile; A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
Baba n; lo¾ôoô; sôeô; woôn l’oô;teô® le¾ôu¾leô¾u
871
Translation:
Gi;ro¾ôo,ô; the bird on top of the O®gu;n shrine

A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾, the bird of a¾do;ro¾ô
The two of them conspired
And killed Itu;n OÙbamakin for consumption
I understand what has taken place very well
The resident Awo of A®gboônôni¾re¾¾gu;n;
He cast Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Who planned to smash up their conspiracy
Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ specialized in one thing and one thing only;
removing the joy in the lives of others and replacing it with melancholy.
Anywhere that there was happiness would be their target. They did not
see any reason why gladness should be in the lives of anybody. As soon
as they realized that someone or a group was in a happy mood, they
would start to work to ensure that grief replaced their happiness. They
had done this so many times and they believed there was no person or
group who had the capacity or capability to stop them from tearing
people’s lives apart.
One day, these people saw Itu;n OÙbamakin and to their anger, they
realized that he was not only progressing, but he was also happy with
the progress he had made. Itu;n OÙbamakin had assisted several people
to progress in life. He had made several people happy. He had wiped
away the tears from several people’s eyes. He had restored hope into
the lives of the hopeless ones. He had made promises to several people
to ensure that their lives changed from bad to good and he had kept his
promises. He was prepared to do more. These were the reasons why
Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ made up their minds that Itu;n OÙbamakin should
not be allowed to stay alive to continue the job that he was doing. The
duo concluded that his good and benevolent deeds had condemned him
to death. Consequently, they vowed that he must die quickly.
872
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ began their nefarious plans. The first thing they
did was to make Itu;n OÙbamakin seriously ill. He was bedridden. He
began to grow weaker and weaker by the day. Many people who he had
promised to assist were thrown into a state of panic. No medications
appeared to work for him. As soon as Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ realized that
the people had been contemplating taking him to the house of
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, they quickly snuffed the life out of him. The whole community
was thrown into a state of mourning. As the community mourned, the
duo celebrated. They waited for him to be buried. The night after the
burial, they exhumed his corpse and consumed it! They danced and
celebrated their well executed plan until daybreak the next day.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ came to know about the incident just by accident. He realized

that the whole community was in a state of shock. When he inquired to
know what went wrong, he was told that Itu;n OÙbamakin, the benefactor
that the whole community placed huge reliance upon, had just passed
away. He was not an old man. He was still in his prime. This prompted
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to investigate the cause of his death. That was how he came
to know that he was killed by Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾. He also found out
that this duo had cut short the lives of many others who dared to help
the community. He also discovered that the duo was so powerful that
nobody had ever confronted them and got away alive. Would he keep
quiet and allow evil and wickedness to continue to thrive unabated? No!
He must do something about this. He must take a bold step to put an
end to the reign of terror of this duo.
This duo must be confronted and their threats must be eliminated.

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told himself that it was a big taboo for him to stay in a place
and allow evil to thrive over good. He must stop these two, he declared.
That was the reason why OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ summoned his Awo O: ye; mi
ye;re;ye;re; to come and consult Ifá for him before he took any step. O: ye;
mi ye;re;ye;re; was trained by OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. He was a very competent Awo.
That was why OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made him his resident Babaláwo. The Awo told
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he was about to embark on a herculean task. It was a
873
task that he needed to embark upon. It was his duty to do so because it

was morally wrong for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to keep quiet when evil and wickedness
triumphed over good and benevolence.
He however advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he must be fully prepared before he

could confront the duo. He advised him to offer ẹbọ as stated above.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied. He was fully prepared to smash the conspiracy
against the community. After this, the Ifá work that was stated above
would also be prepared and buried in OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house. When these two
steps had been taken, Ifá gave OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ the go-ahead to confront the
two evil people.
The first thing OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ did was expose the two as the brains behind
these misfortunes in the land. He told everyone to beware of them and
to run for their lives. After this, he challenged the two to a
confrontation. He told them that he had evidence to prove that they
were the ones who had killed Itu;n OÙbamakin and several other
prominent people in the land. He challenged them to dispute what he
had said. In the end, the issue came to the notice of the Ϙba of the
land. A date was fixed for the hearing. The Ϙba made announcements
that all citizens should gather in the market square on the appointed day
to hear the accusations of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la against Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ and at
the same time listen to how the two would defend themselves.
Gi;ro¾ôoô; and A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ had never been confronted this way before. They
became very furious with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la. What was his business in how they
ran their affairs in the land? Did they torch or kill any of his relatives?
Why couldn’t this man mind his own business? Why must he interfere in
other people’s affairs? Who did he really think he was? Why must he
confront and accuse them that way in the open? He must be stopped
before the appointed day.
That was the only way they would be able to sound a note of warning to
others. It was the best way to let everyone know who was in control in
the land. They concluded that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la must be killed and the Ϙba of
874
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
the land who was foolish enough to entertain what OÙ®ru;nmi¾la and the
citizens had told him must also be killed. No they thought, the Ϙba will
not be killed, he will be made mad so that his insanity would be a
constant reminder to all that nobody tramples upon Gi;ro¾ôoô; and
A®ka¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ and get away with it! This is what they concluded that they
would do and the conclusion made them very happy indeed.
Immediately after this, they set to work in order to cut down OÙ®ru;nmi¾la
before the appointed date.
All their plans against OÙ®ru;nmi¾la failed. The ones they planned against
the Ϙba also failed. When they realized that the time was moving closer,
they came to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la’s home in the dead of the night in order to kill
him in his sleep. They were caught before they could do anything. They
were taken to the Ϙba’s palace. The Ϙba summoned an emergency
meeting of the whole community. The duo was made to confess all their
evil deeds against the community. The Ϙba ordered that the two should
be adequately sanctioned as a deterrent to others.
Gi;ro¾ôoô; eôyeô ori; O®gu;n

A®k®a¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾ eôyeô a¾do;ro¾ô
A®woôn me;je¾e¾ji¾ ni wo;ôn pe¾te-pe¾ro¾
Ni woô;n pa Itu;n OÙbamakin jeô o
O: ye; mi ye;re;ye;re;
Awo ile; A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
Baba n; lo¾ôoô; sôeô; woôn l’oô;teô® le¾ôu¾leô¾u
Ifá; ni; to; ba; sôe bi; i¾sôe t’o¾un ba; ni o
Bi; obi¾nrin kan sôosôo ba; loô s’oô;ja¾
Yo;o; sôeô; igba eku wa;’le;
Le¾ôu¾leô¾u¾
N:se ô ni ma¾ a; sôeô; woôn l’oô;te¾ô eô t’e¾mi o
Le¾ôu¾le¾ôu¾
Bi obi;nrin kan sôosôo ba loô s’oôj; a¾
Yo;o; sôeô; igba eôja wa;’le;
Leôô¾u¾leôu
¾ ¾
N:se ô ni ma¾ a; sôeô woôn l’oô;te¾ô eô t’e¾mi o
875
Leô¾u¾le¾¾ôu¾
Agbe lo; ni; eô gb’eônu woôn sô’oô¾kan fu;n mi
Le¾ôu¾le¾ôuô
N:se ô ni ma¾ a; sô;e woôn l’oô;te¾ eô t’e¾mi o
Leôô¾u¾le¾ôu¾
A®lu¾ko¾ lo; ni; eô gb’enu woôn sô’oô¾kan fu;n mi
Le¾ôu¾le¾uô ¾
N:se ô ni ma¾ a; sôeô; woôn l’oô;te¾ô eô t’emi o
Leô¾u¾le¾ôu¾
I®ko; lo; ni; eô gb’eônu woôn sô’o¾ôkan fu;n mi
Le¾ôu¾le¾ôu¾
N:se ô ni ma¾ a; sôeô; woôn l’oô;te¾ô eô t’e¾mi o
Le¾ôu¾le¾ôu¾
Igba ewe;; sese nôi n be ninu igbo
Leuleu
Nse ni ma a se won l’ote e t’emi o
Leuleu
Ohun odo ba de kan kii r’orun o
Leuleu
Leuleu
Eni to ba f’igbhin-f’elede ru’bo
Gbede
L’ara o maa de won o
Gbede
Gbedegbede nii ro’gba epo
Gbede
L’ara o maa de won o
Gbede
Gbedegbede nii ro’gba ori
Leuleu
Leuleu
Alade waa f’igbin-f’elede ru’bo o
Leuleu
Leuleu
Ko pe, Ko jinna
E waa ba ni laruuse ogun
Ajase ogun la aba ni l’ese Obarisa
876
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
Translation:
Gi;ro¾ôoô, the bird on top of the O®gu;n shrine

A®k®a¾la¾ni¾je¾ôgi¾, the bird of a¾do;ro¾ô
The two of them conspired
And killed Itu;n OÙbamakin for consumption
I understand what has taken place very well
The resident Awo of A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
He cast Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Who planned to smash up their conspiracy
He complied
Ifá says that if it were to be his custom
If a single woman were to go to the market
She would bring home 200 dried rats unaided
Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾ (decisively)
I will certainly overcome their conspiracy
Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾
If a single woman were to go to the market
She would bring home 200 dried fish unaided
Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾
It is Agbe which authorizes that their venomous mouths
should be permanently closed for me
Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾
It is A®lu¾ko¾ which authorizes that their venomous mouths
should be rendered ineffective against me
Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾
I®ko;di;deô is it that authorizes that their evil mouths should be
rendered powerless against me
877

Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾
There are 200 sese leaves in the forest
Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾
Whatever the mortar covers will not see the sky any more
Le¾ôul¾ eô¾u¾
Whoever offers ẹbọ with snails and a pig
Comfortably
They will be blessed with peace of mind
Comfortably
A calabash of palm-oil is blessed with peace of mind
Comfortably
We will be blessed with peace and comfort
Comfortably
A calabash of shea-butter is blessed with peace of mind
Comfortably
We will be blessed with peace and comfort
Comfortably
Those who offer ẹbọ with snails and a pig
Comfortably
They will be blessed with peace and comfort
Comfortably
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall not only
overcome all oppositions, he/she shall also live peacefully and in relative
comfort. Ifá enjoins this person to uphold the truth at all times. He/she
must also defend the truth and fight against falsehood, wickedness, and
conspiracy.
878
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
5. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed has seen three
signs of something coming his/her way recently. The signs are now
worrying him/her. Ifá says that three times, his/her guiding spirits had
brought the blessings of all Ire of life to him/her. Consequent upon this,
Ifá says that the person is already on the path of success. He/she is now
face-to-face with three great Ire of life. He/she shall have cause to
jubilate and celebrate.
Ifá advises him/her to offer ẹbọ with 4 rats, 4 fish, 2 pigeons, 2

hens, 2 guinea fowls, 2 cocks, and money.
On this, Ifá says:
Origidi pi¾i¾
O: di pi¾i¾ Origidi
Ti;’re gbogbo o; yi¾i; woô’le; e re¾ô
K’o;ju;mo; o; to;o; mo;ô
Translation:
Origidi pi¾i¾
O: di pi¾i¾ origidi
Whom all Ire of life would roll into his house
Before day break
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ lacked almost everything that he needed in life, except sound

health. He had no money to purchase most things that he needed, he
had no spouse to share his thoughts, dreams, and life with, he had no
children of his own, and he had no horse to transport himself from place
to place. He was living in a house that did not belong to him. Someone
did him a favour by harbouring him in his family house. He could not
boast of more than two dresses in his life. Sometimes, he went about
with an empty stomach for two to three days. In spite of this hardship,
he never lost hope that everything would be well for him even for one
day.
879
One day however, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ slept and in the middle of the night, he felt
that he had a presence in his home. This feeling was so strong that he
was almost touching it with his hands. When he woke up, he thought
nothing of it. He was sure that he was not dreaming, but he simply
thought that it was one of those things, which happened to someone
who slept with on empty stomach. Two days after this, he had the same
feeling but it was stronger than the first experience. He was almost
seeing some things. He stAyéd awake for some time before he went to
sleep again. This feeling did not leave him till daybreak. When he woke
up, he thought about it for a long time but he eventually dismissed it
from his mind. The next day, he slept and had this feeling again. This
time, he saw some outlines and it gave him cause for worry. He did not
sleep till the next morning. He was sure that it was a real sign but he
was not sure of which sign it was. He was determined to investigate
which sign it was this time around.
The next day very early in the morning, he summoned the two Awo
mentioned above to come and consult Ifá for him. He wanted to know
the meaning and the significance of the sign that he was feeling. During
the Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
that it was true that he felt a presence in his room and that these
experiences were very real. They told him that he had received some
visitors from heaven. The three times that the visitors came to him were
to inform him that they had come to stay with him permanently. These
visitors were benevolent visitors and they had come to bring all the Ire
of life to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. These Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he had nothing to
worry about for his life was bound to take an upward leap for the better.
They assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that all his hardships would become things of
the past. In their place would be comfort, success, accomplishment,
peace of mind, and elevation. They advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ as
stated above and to feed Ifá accordingly. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ complied and began
to hope for improvement in his life.
Less than a week after the ẹbọ was offered, his clientele swelled. More
and more people began to troop to his house for Ifá consultation. All
what he was doing for them began to work like magic. This made many
more people come. His wallet began to swell with money. His life began
880
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
to change for the better. With money came a good spouse. With a good
spouse came many good children. With many children came many
properties. With many properties came many horses. With these came
all the Ire of life. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ became a success story. His profile rose very
high. He was counted among the movers and shakers of the society,
and even the Ϙba and high chiefs sought his advice before embarking
on anything in the land. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was full of praises to Olo;du¾mare¾ and
Ifá. He was full of gratitude for his Awo.
Origidi pi¾i¾
Ti;’re gbogbo o; yi¾i; woô’le; e re¾ô
K’o;ju;mo; o; to;o; mo;ô
O: gb’e;ôboôô, o; ru;’boô
N®je;ô aje; ma; a yi; lu¾ mi; Ifá;
Origidi pi¾i¾
Aya ma;; a yi; lu¾ mi; Ifá;
Origidi pi¾i¾
OÙmoô ma; a yi; lu¾ mi; Ifá;
Origidi pi¾i¾
Ile; ma; a yi; lu¾ mi; Ifá;
Origidi pi¾i¾
EÙsôin ma; a yi; lu¾ mi; Ifá;
Origidi pi¾i¾
Ire gbogbo ma; a yi; lu¾ mi; Ifá; o
Origidi pi¾i¾
881
Translation:
Origidi pi¾i¾
Whom all Ire of life would roll into his house
Before day break
He complied
Join us in the midst of all Ire of life
Now, please let prosperity roll towards me Ifá
Origidi pi¾i¾
Please let spouse roll toward me Ifá
Origidi pi¾i¾
Please let children roll toward me Ifá
Origidi pi¾i¾
Please let horses roll toward me Ifá
Origidi pi¾i¾
Please let all the Ire of life roll toward me Ifá
Origidi pi¾i¾
Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that all the Ire of
life shall roll into his/her life and his/her life will be transformed for the
better. He/she shall move from hardship to comfort and from
inadequacy to surplus.
6. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed has been
given an assignment to perform. Ifá says that he/she has been truthful
and honest with the assignment. Ifá warns those who have given this
person the job not to exercise any doubt regarding the integrity of the
882
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
person handling the assignment. Ifá assures them that this person is
not an oath breaker.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 1 matured he-goat and
money.
On this, Ifá says:
Eyi;n funfun l’e¾ôsôoô; e¾ôri;n

I®wa¾ rere l’e¾ôsôoô; e¾e¾ya¾n
Bi; e¾e¾ya¾n ba; da;ra da;ra
Bi; o¾ ni;’wa¾
Igi oko ni woô;n n; fi i; we;
Di;a; fu;n Gu;nnugu;n
A bu¾ f’e;ôyeô oko
Translation:
Sparkling white teeth are the ornaments of a smile
And good character is the ornament of a man
If a man is good looking
But doesn’t have good character
Such a person ought to be compared with a
tree in the forest
These were Ifá’s declarations to Gu;nnugu;n, the vulture
And also to the other birds of the forest
There was a serious crisis in the Bird kingdom. Something urgent had be
done to find a solution to the problem. All hands had to be on deck in
order to proffer a solution.
That was the reason why Ifá was consulted. During consultation, Ogbe¾-
Ala;ra; was revealed. The Awo instructed the birds that a quick ẹbọ must
be offered as stated above. The ẹbọ must be taken to heaven so that
Olo;du¾mare¾ might take a compassionate look at them and ensure that
their problems were resolved for them. The birds quickly gathered
883
money together and a matured he-goat was procured. The Awo offered
the ẹbọ for the birds on that same day. After the ẹbọ, another dilemma
reared up its ugly head, who would carry this ẹbọ to heaven? Who
among the birds had the strength and resilience to hold onto the
calabash of ẹbọ containing a matured he-goat and take it to heaven
without dropping the calabash on the way?
In the end, all the birds in the forest prevailed on Gu;nnugu;n, the vulture
to assist in carrying the ẹbọ to Olo;du¾mare¾ in heaven. After a series of
consultations and deliberations, Gu;nnugu;n agreed to carry the ẹbọ . The
community of birds asked Gu;nnugu;n to leave on his journey in the
evening of that day. He took off that evening and the birds wished him
farewell.
When Gu;nnugu;n left, the expectation of all the birds was that he would
return within three to seven days. However, nobody heard anything
from him for three years. As soon as it had reached one month since he
left, speculation began: What could he be doing for that long? It
certainly couldn’t be the assignment given to him that had delAyéd him.
He must have had his own personal agenda that he was pursuing.
Surely Gu;nnugu;n had forgotten all about them, but wait a minute, what
had he done with the ẹbọ ? Some stated that he must have thrown the
ẹbọ away somewhere and decided to go his own way. No, Gu;nnugu;n
must have stopped somewhere and eaten up the ẹbọ because he was
known to be a great ẹbọ consumer. All the birds concluded that
Gu;nnugu;n must have consumed the ẹbọ and the shame of facing the
other birds had precluded him from coming back into their midst. Before
long, everyone among the birds began to talk about it as something that
they were so sure of: Can you imagine; Gu;nnugu;n was sent on an
errand by all the birds to carry an ẹbọ to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾, but
instead of doing that, he simply ate up all the ẹbọ and put all the birds
in perpetual hardship.
Three months after Gu;nnugu;n had departed the other birds began to
pester the lives of all of Gu;nnugu;n’s family members. They went to
884
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
demand for the money they contributed to buy the ẹbọ materials from
his wife and children. They removed them from all associations and
ordered that they must not leave the town. They found all and any
opportunity to inflict punishment on them. They booed them whenever
they attempted to speak. What did they have to say? Were they not the
family members of Gu;nnugu;n who ate up the ẹbọ that he was
mandated to carry to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾? They were always
reminded that their husband and father were the public’s number one
enemies, and therefore they had no say in the community.
Meanwhile, Gu;nnugu;n continued to persevere. He didn’t know that the

journey would be so far. He was totally unaware that it would take that
long. The journey took its toll on him. He became weak. He aged very
quickly. He was however determined not to disappoint the whole
community of birds. He considered the assignment an inestimable
privilege bestowed on him. He argued that there were other birds they
had examined who were faster, stronger, and bigger than him before
they decided to send him on the errand. He had no moral justification to
disappoint those who reposed such trust in him. He thought about his
wife and children and he felt a sense of comfort. He was sure that they
were being given the best of treatment by all the birds. What about him
that they sent on the life saving errand? He had the mental picture of
being carried shoulder-high by all the birds in the forest. He saw himself
as a celebrity. He vowed that as soon as he returned to earth, he would
demand for the most sumptuous meal he had ever had in his life; after
all he deserved the meal.
It took Gu;nnugu;n three lunar years before he arrived in the domain of

Olo;du¾mare¾. He got there with sheer will-power. He was barely able to
fly or walk. When he knocked at the door of Olo;du¾mare¾, it was barely
heard on the other side of the door. When the door was opened for him,
just to move became a great task for him. He managed to carry the ẹbọ
to Ibu¾da¾.. He was asked why he had come to Iwa¾run with the ẹbọ. He
explained everything that had occurred on earth. He told them the
hardship being experienced by the birds on earth. He pleaded with all
885
the Iru;nmoôleô in heaven to please consider all the birds’ conditions with
compassion and help ease the problems that they were facing.
Olo;du¾mare¾ invited Gu;nnugu;n to his presence. Gu;nnugu;n repeated his
story. That was when Olo;du¾mare¾ ordered E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ to give approval to
the ẹbọ based on the grounds of compassion.
The condition of Gu;nnugu;n was a pitiable one however. It was likely

that he would not survive the journey back home. Olo;du¾mare¾ ordered
that the back door of heaven should be opened for him so that he would
arrive on earth that same day. It was a short-cut to the earth. As soon
as the door was opened, a rain cloud enveloped the world. Everyone on
earth realized that Gu;nnugu;n had actually arrived in heaven. Not only
this, they knew that he had carried the ẹbọ to heaven and that the ẹbọ
had been accepted by Olo;du¾mare¾. How would they face Gu;nnugu;n
when he arrived on earth? What story would they tell him for
maltreating his family? How would they look at him in the face when he
eventually returned into their midst? None of the birds knew exactly
what to do.
When Gu;nnugu;n passed through the back door, rain began to fall. The
rain brought back Gu;nnugu;n to the world. He landed at the centre of
the three cross-roads. He got there in the dead of the night. He was
expecting a welcome party to come and welcome him back to their
midst. He found no such thing. He reasoned that nobody came because
it was raining and it was late. He stAyéd at that very spot until the next
day. Rain fell on him throughout the night. By that time, all birds had
been notified somehow that Gu;nnugu;n had arrived from his journey.
Yet, there was no bird to come and welcome him. In the end, Gu;nnugu;n
saw his wife and children. They were the only ones who had come to
welcome him. Their condition was so deplorable that Gu;nnugu;n burst
into tears when he saw them. They also burst into tears when they saw
Gu;nnugu;n.
The elders among the birds gathered together to discuss the

development. They concluded that Gu;nnugu;n had kept his oath to
886
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
ensure that he took the ẹbọ to heaven on behalf of all the birds in order
to find a solution to their problems. They had broken their oath and
failed to take proper care of his family in his absence. Instead, they
punished and maltreated his family in many unimaginable ways. They
said that Gu;nnugu;n must be invited. They must apologize to him
because of the way he and his family had been treated and abused.
They summoned all the birds to a meeting. Gu;nnugu;n was also invited.
They pleaded for forgiveness. They explained to him that it was an
unfortunate event, which they would like Gu;nnugu;n to wave away from
his mind. In his response, Gu;nnugu;n said that he had left everything in
the hands of Olo;du¾mare¾. At this juncture, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ appeared on the
scene.
He told Gu;nnugu;n that for keeping to his oath it had become a taboo for
anyone to kill, consume, or use Gu;nnugu;n and all members of his family
for any reason or ritual. Conversely, for breaking their oath, all the other
birds would be killed at will, they would become delicacies for
consumption and they would be used for ritual purposes. So it was, and
it remained so up to this date.
Eyi;n funfun l’e¾ôsôoô; e¾ôri;n

I®wa¾ rere l’e¾ôsôoô; e¾e¾ya¾n
Bi; e¾e¾ya¾n ba; da;ra da;ra
Bi; o¾ ni;’wa¾
Igi oko ni woô;n n; fi i; we;
Di;a; fu;n Gu;nnugu;n
A bu¾ f’e;ôyeô oko
Gu;nnugu;n ni¾kan lo; n;beô l’eô;yi¾n to; n; sô’eôboô
E®ro¾ I®po, E®ro¾ O®Ùfa¾
EÙ wa;a; wo ri;ru; eôboô bi;i; ti i; gbe’ni
A®i¾’ru; ki¾i; gb’e¾ni¾ya¾n
N®je;ô Gu;nnugu;n o¾ sô’e¾ke;
Igu;n o¾ da’le¾ô
A®wa ara a wa, ka; ma; da’le¾ô ara a wa
887
Translation:
Sparkling white teeth are the ornaments of a smile
And good character is the ornament of a man
If a man is good looking
But doesn’t have good character
Such a person ought to be compared with a tree
in the forest
These were Ifá’s declarations to Gu;nnugu;n, the vulture
And also to the other birds of the forest
Only Gu;nnugu;n complied
Travellers to I®po ;and O®fa
Come and see how compliance with advice to
offer ẹbọ supports one
None-compliance is not supportive
Now, Gu;nnugu;n never lied
Igu;n never broke the oath
Do not let us break the oath that we made
To ourselves and to one another
Ifá warns those involved in this Odù never to break their oaths in order
not to face grave consequences. They must never lie or cheat anyone in
order to avoid terrible repercussions.
7. Ifá advises four siblings from the same mother to offer ẹbọ so that all
of them will succeed together. Ifá also advises them to take good care
of one another especially one female among them. This female must be
identified among them and be given special treatment. She must never
be under-estimated because she holds the key to the success and well-
being of the other three. If she is well treated, then the other three will
succeed. If she is under-estimated or mistreated, success for the
remaining three siblings will be very difficult.
888
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
Ifá advises the remaining three siblings to offer ẹbọ with one mature
he-goat and money. They will then need to remove the back part of
the he-goat, cook it well, add money to it and give it to the fourth
sibling for consumption. If this is done, then success for the whole
family is assured.
Ako;to; ni bo;ro
Ako¾to¾ ni bo¾ro
Akoto ile; ab’eônu bo;ro-bo¾ro
A®gba¾lagba¾ sô’eônu ka¾nka¾nja¾n wi;’ra¾n
Ki; o ma; baa¾ ôsô’eônu kankanjan gb’eô;jo;ô
Di;a; fu;n SÙa¾ngo;
Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n
A bu¾ fu;n O®Ùsôun EÙ®wu¾ji;
A®woôn meô;re¾ôeô¾rin n; gb’o;gun loô ilu; A®t'o¾ke¾e¾re¾-d’o;ke¾e¾re¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
Ako;to; ni bo;ro
Ako¾to¾ ni bo¾ro
Akoto ile; ab’eôônu bo;ro-bo¾ro
Let the elder speak out against misdeeds now
For him not to find himself facing litigation in the future
These were Ifá’s messages for SÙa¾ngo;
And for O®gu;n
And for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
So also for O®Ùsôun EÙ®wu¾ji;
When they were going to embark on a military expedition
To the land across hill upon hill
They all left their homes full of hope and determination to succeed
where they were going. They crossed several hills and mountains. They
889
finally arrived to their destination after several lunar months. When they
settled down, they decided that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, SÙa¾ngo;, and O®gu;n would go
out to confront all their enemies and would return to report their
progress and expeditions to O®Ùsu ô n. The four of them then decided what
the next line of action would be. It turned out to be a perfect
arrangement. They made tremendous progress and they were all
satisfied with the progress they had made so far.
One day however, OÙ®ru;;nmi¾¾la¾, SÙa¾ngo;, and O®gu;n felt that it was absolutely
unnecessary for them to be reporting all their activities to O®Ùsôun, after
all, she did not go with them to the battle field. If she wants to know
what is going on, she will need to follow them to the battle field front.
Why should they give such an ordinary woman leverage over and above
them, they thought to themselves. It must stop, they concluded. They
vowed never to tell her anything anymore and that was exactly what
they did. They expected O®Ùsôun to fight or at least protest but she simply
remained quiet. She never asked them to explain why they had chosen
not to report back to her anymore.
The next time they went to the battle field, they were roundly beaten.
They managed however to escape with their lives. From that moment
on, nothing worked for the three of them any longer. The more effort
they put into a project, the more they would fail. When their failures
became a serious embarrassment for them, they decided to go for Ifá
consultation in the home of the group of Awo stated above. When Ifá
was cast for them, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed.
The Awo told them that they had come for Ifá consultation because they
were recording failure upon failure in their undertakings. The Awo said
that they would continue to record failures unless they changed their
attitude. They were told that they needed to bring the only female
among them into the picture of all their plans, undertakings, and
actions. This is when fortune would smile at them again. They were
advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above.
890
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
The three of them deliberated over this matter and truly realized they
had been recording success when the four of them had been working
together as a united entity and that they then began to fail when they
chose not to put O®Ùsôun into the picture of all what they were doing.
Consequently upon this, they complied with the advice of the Awo and
offered the ẹbọ as prescribed.
The back of the he-goat was then well cooked and presented to O®Ùsôun
with a full apology. O®Ùsôun accepted their apology and everything
returned to normal.
As soon as this was done, all their military expeditions came out
successful. They conquered and reduced all their oppositions to nothing.
All conspiracies were levelled to the ground and they returned home
triumphantly.
Ako;to; ni bo;ro
Ako¾to¾ ni bo¾ro
Akoto ile; ab’eônu bo;ro-bo¾ro
A®gba¾lagba¾ sô’eônu ka¾nka¾nja¾n wi;’ra¾n
Ki; o ma; baa¾ ôsô’eônu kankanjan gb’eô;jo;ô
Di;a; fu;n SÙa¾ngo;
Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n
A bu¾ fu;n O®Ùsôun EÙ®wu¾ji;
A®woôn meô;re¾ôeô¾rin n; gb’o;gun loô ilu; A®t'o¾ke¾e¾re¾-d’o;ke¾e¾re¾
Woô;n gb’e;ôboô, woô;n ru;’boô
N®jeô; o to;o; ki;
Nbi; o o¾ to;o; ki; Moôroô¾ l’EÙ:fo¾ôn
Ye¾ye; o to;o; ki;
O®mu¾ke¾ômu¾ke¾ô
Ajeômoô bi; i¾tale¾ô
Epo;rogu;n to;o; ki; o
Translation:
891
Ako;to; ni bo;ro
Ako¾to¾ ni bo¾ro
Akoto ile; ab’eôônu bo;ro-bo¾ro
Let the elder speak out against misdeeds now
For him not to find himself facing litigation in the future
These were Ifá’s messages for SÙa¾ngo;
And for O®gu;n
And for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
So also for O®Ùsôun EÙ®wu¾ji;
When they were going to embark on a military expedition
To the land across hill upon hill
They complied
All Ire of life came trooping in
Are you worthy of being greeted or are you not?
The title holder of Moôroô¾ in E®Ùfoô¾n land
Ye¾ye, you are worthy of being greeted
O®mu¾keô¾mu¾ke¾ô
She who sucks like the flea
Epo;rogu;n is worthy of being greeted
Ifá says that with cooperation, all shall be well with the four siblings
where this Odù is revealed. They shall all succeed together.
8. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of childbearing for a barren woman
where this Odù is revealed. Ifá promises this woman that she will
become a proud mother of many children in life. She will have cause to
rejoice very soon.
Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with 8 rats, 8 fish, 2 hens, 1 big
cobra head, and money. The head of the cobra should be burnt into
charcoal and grinded into a fine powder. You will then use the powder
892
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
to imprint Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; and this stanza will be recited into it. After this, it
will be handed over to the woman to mix with cold corn meal and she
will eat it. If this is done, the blessing of the fruit of the womb will be
assured.
On this, Ifá says:
I®de;ri; apo; sunwo¾ôn

O: ju apo;;
O®Ùgboô¾o¾ôgboô¾ a¾gbo¾ônri;n sunwo¾ôn
O: j’eôku¾n
O: sunwo¾ôn j’eôku¾n ta;n
O: fi gbogbo ara fi;n kolo
Di;a; fu;n Olo;ru¾bu;, oômoô O®le;jo¾
OÙmoô aj’ori; oôka; woôroôwoôroô bi;’moô
Translation:
The lid of a bottle is useful

Even more useful than the bottle itself
The deer is very useful
Even more useful than the leopard
Besides being more useful than a leopard
It has stripes in every part of its body
These were Ifá’s messages for Olo;ru¾bu, the offspring
of the snake hunters
Offspring of those who consume cobra heads so that
they can receive the blessing of a baby
When weeping in lamentation of her inability to beget a child
Olo;ru¾bu had tried everything she knew to have a baby. Everything

failed. She even changed husbands three times but she had not been
893
blessed with the fruit of the womb. Grief and melancholy became her
daily companions. This only added to her problems.
One day however, she was advised by a friend to seek advice from the
Awo mentioned above. She went to the house of the Awo to find out
whether or not she was destined to have any baby at all in life. If she
was not destined to be a mother, she would then stop spending her
money in search of what she could not get. When she got to the house
of the Awo, Ifá was consulted. Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed during
consultation.
The Awo told Olo;ru¾bu; that she was desperately in need of the blessing
of the fruit of the womb. She was assured that she would be blessed
with several children in her life. She was even told that she would
become pregnant very soon. The Awo advised Olo;ru¾bu; to offer ẹbọ as
stated above. She complied. After the ẹbọ , the head of the cobra was
used for her as Ifá stipulated above.
The following month, Olo;ru¾bu; discovered to her shock and pleasant

surprise that she had missed her monthly period. She refused to believe
at first, but four months after this, she was totally convinced that she
was carrying a baby. When the baby started to kick in her womb, it was
the most wonderful experience of her life. Her mother and husband
were the only people she shared this experience with her. Twelve years
after this, Olo;ru¾bu; was the proud mother of four beautiful children. She
became the happiest woman on earth.
I®de;ri; apo; sunwo¾ôn

O: ju apo;;
O®Ùgboô¾o¾ôgboô¾ a¾gbo¾ônri;n sunwo¾ôn
O: j’eôku¾n
O: sunwo¾ôn j’eôku¾n ta;n
O: fi gbogbo ara fi;n kolo
Di;a; fu;n Olo;ru¾bu;, oômoô O®le;jo¾
OÙmoô aj’ori; oôka; woôroôwoôroô bi;’moô
894
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;

EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni b’o;ôroô¾
EÙ wa;a; wo’re oômoô o
Translation:
The lid of a bottle is useful

Even more useful than the bottle itself
The deer is very useful
Even more useful than the leopard
Besides being more useful than a leopard
It has stripes in every part of its body
These were Ifá’s messages for Olo;ru¾bu, the offspring
of the snake hunters
Offspring of those who consume cobra heads so
that they can receive the blessing of a baby
When weeping in lamentation of her inability to beget a child
She complied
Come and join us in the midst of prosperity
Come and behold the blessing of children
Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that she will be
blessed with the Ire of the fruit of the womb. She will also celebrate her
success.
9. Ifá foresees the Ire of child-bearing for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. Ifá says that this person will not return to heaven empty-
handed. He/she will be blessed with many children in life. Ifá says also
that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is very closely associated
with OÙbÙa¾ta;la;. This Iru;nmoôleô will assist him/her in his/her bid to receive
895
the blessing of the womb. That is why he/she needs to feed OÙbÙa¾ta;la; and
observe all the taboos of this Iru;nmoôleô¾.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 4 rats, 4 fish, 2 hens, and
money. He/she also needs to feed OÙbÙa¾ta;la; with 2 bundles of white cloth
or 20 meters of white cloth, 16 snails, shea butter, and money.
On this Ifá says:
O®re;re; o¾ye
O®ye O®re;re;
Di;a; fu;n 'Mo;ôsôee;wo¾
Translation:
O®re;re; O®ye
O®ye O®re;re;
They cast Ifa; for 'Mo;ôsôee;wo¾, a baby is worth looking at
When weeping in lamentation of her inability to
beg a baby to come
'Mo;ôsôee;wo believed that since a woman gave birth to her, it was her duty
to ensure that she too gave birth to at least one child. She however tried
but she was not yet successful.
One day, 'Mo;ôsôee;wo went to the home of the two Awo stated above for
Ifá consultation. She wanted to know what she needed to do in order to
become pregnant and beget her own baby. During Ifá consultation,
Ogbe¾-Ala;;ra;; was revealed.
The Awo told 'Mo;ôsôee;wo that she would beget her own baby. She was
advised not to panic or be downcast. She was also advised to offer ẹbọ
as stated above. She complied. After this, OÙba¾ta;la; was propitiated with
the materials stated above.
896
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
Two months after this, 'Mo;ôsôee;wo became pregnant. She observed all
the taboos of Ifá and OÙba¾ta;la;. She gave birth to a bouncing baby boy.
She then gave birth to many more children after this- all in quick
succession. She ensured that she used only white clothing for all her
children all the time.
O®re;re; o¾ye
O®ye O®re;re;
Di;a; fu;n 'Mo;ôsôee;wo¾
O gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô
N®je;ô O®re;re; o¾ye o, Ifá;
O®re;re; o¾ye o
'Moô;sôee;wo¾ a; f’a¾la¾ gb’oô;moô poô¾n o
O®re;re; o¾ye o
Translation:
O®re;re; O®ye
O®ye O®re;re;
They cast Ifa; for 'Mo;ôsôee;wo¾, a baby is worth looking at
beg a baby to come
She complied
Join us in the midst of children
Now, O®re;re; O®ye
O®ye O®re;re;
'Mo;ôsôee;wo will use white cloth to strap her baby on her back
O®re;re; O®ye
Ifá says that this person will be happy and will be blessed with her own
baby.
897
10.Ifá foresees the Ire of victory and accomplishment for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that there is the need for this
person to tame something disastrous that has been happening where
this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she will face serious confrontation
and contention before he/she will be able to contain and tame this
disaster.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 1 mature he-goat, 1

partridge, and money. Even if this client cannot afford the he-goat,
the partridge must be procured for the ẹbọ. This is very important.
On this, Ifá says:
Erin lo; jeô’ko ta;n

Erin n; pa’yi;n kekeeke
EÙÙfoô¾n lo; jeô’ko ta;n
N lo; su¾n l’a;ba¾ta¾
A®gba¾ i¾nak¾i; lo; jeô’ko ta;n
N lo; mi¾ wara mi¾ woro
Ifá; n; lo¾ôoô; gba O®mi¾mi¾
Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin Ayé;
Translation:
After the elephant ate to its satisfaction
It exposed its ivory invitingly
And when the buffalo ate to its satisfaction
It slept inside the muddy water
The elderly ape ate to its satisfaction
And shook its body sideways
These were Ifá’s messages for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going to take over O®mi¾mi¾, pandemonium
The wife of Ayé
898
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
O®mi¾mi¾, pandemonium was the wife of Ayé, the world. Anytime the world
started something worthwhile, the moment that O®mi¾mi¾, pandemonium,
his wife got to the place, everything would just scatter. It was obvious
that the world did not need pandemonium but nobody could separate
the two. Several noble projects were destroyed by O®mi¾mi¾ and the world
looked on helplessly. All great men and women who tried to contain
O®mi¾mi¾, the wife of Ayé, were all washed away by pandemonium. Those
who attempted to make Ayé see reason that he must do away with
O®mi¾mi¾ were all overwhelmed and destroyed by the same woman they
tried to contain. Nobody seemed to have any solution on how to handle
O®mi¾mi¾,.
One day however, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ made it his responsibility to contain O®mi¾mi¾

by any means. The destruction going on in the world must stop he
vowed. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ summoned some of his former students mentioned
above for Ifá consultation. He wanted to know how best to handle the
problem posed by O®mi¾mi¾. The Awo casted Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and Ogbe¾-
Ala;ra; was revealed.
The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that the best way to tame O®mi¾mi¾ and stop her
from creating any further havoc was to take her over from Ayé. By so
doing, the Awo told O®mi¾mi¾, she would be easy to monitor every time of
the day and night. The Awo explained to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that if he took over
O®mi¾mi¾, Ayé would give him the fight of his life but in the end, he
(O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾), would triumph and save several people from witnessing
O®mi¾mi¾, pandemonium in their lives. They advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ
as stated above. After a lengthy deliberation, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ complied with
the advice of his Awo.
Soon after, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ met O®mi¾mi¾, and began to seduce her. At first,
O®mi¾mi¾, refused to listen to him because she knew for sure that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
would try to stop her from creating further havoc on the lives of people.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was persistent and she finally gave in. Both of them went into
hiding. Ayé began to look for his wife. Unknown to many, Ayé had been
899
using O®mi¾mi¾ to destabilize people’s lives. He enjoyed seeing people

suffer and die. Anyone who died would be consumed by Ayé. As soon as
O®mi¾mi¾ moved into O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s house, Ayé became very angry. Before
long, he became frustrated. Soon after, he became depressed and
desperate. He decided to teach O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ a lesson that he (O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾)
would not forget for awhile. He planned his strategy for war. It took him
about 12 lunar months to perfect all his strategies.
The day that Ayé decided to strike, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was totally unprepared.
The confrontation was extremely fierce. The whole world and heaven
shook to their foundation. Before long, Ayé had the upper hand. He was
pushing O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ further and further. It was clear that Ayé would
overwhelm O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ in no time. That was when E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ advised
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to hide from Ayé in order to regain his strength and re-plan his
war strategy.
Hearing this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la realized that it was the most sensible thing to do
under the current condition. O®Ùru;nmi¾la took to his heels. He ran and hid
himself in the midst of 60 I®ye¾re; seeds. When the I®ye¾re; saw him, they
asked him what the matter was. They demanded to know why he was
running the way he was doing. O®Ùru;nmi¾la explained to the 60 I®ye¾re; what
the matter was. They told O®Ùru;nmi¾la that they did not want any trouble
from Ayé. They chased him out of his hiding place immediately. Ayé
then saw O®Ùru;nmi¾la and began to pursue him again.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la began to run again. He ran and this time he hid inside a group
of 60 kola nuts. As soon as he got to his new hiding place, the 60 kola
nuts demanded to know why he was running about. He explained the
situation to them. When the kola nuts heard O®Ùru;nmi¾la’s explanation,
they told him to go away. They said that they did not want any trouble
from any place at all.
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la began to hesitate, they drove him out straight into the
waiting hands of Ayé. Another round of fighting occurred. They fought
for seven days without stopping. O®Ùru;nmi¾la became weaker and weaker.
900
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
Again, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ advised him to go into hiding. This time, O®Ùru;nmi¾la
went and hid himself inside 60 Ataare. Again, the Ataare asked him what
the problem was. Again O®Ùru;nmi¾la explained why he had been fighting
and hiding. The Ataare told O®Ùru;nmi¾la to leave their abode immediately.
All pleadings made by O®Ùru;nmi¾la fell on deaf ears. The 60 Ataare pushed
O®Ùru;nmi¾la out of his hiding place in the hands of Ayé once again. The
fight was fiercer than before. O®Ùru;nmi¾la fought bravely but he was no
match for the power of Ayé.
For 17 days, the fighting continued. It was just a matter of time before
Ayé would defeat O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ totally. Again, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to go
into hiding. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ran again. This time, he met A®paro¾, the partridge
on the way. He begged A®paro¾ to allow him to hide under its feathers.
A®paro¾ demanded to know why O®Ùru;nmi¾la chose to hide. He then
explained everything to A®paro¾. A®paro¾ told O®Ùru;nmi¾la to go under its beak.
Both A®paro¾ and O®Ùru;nmi¾la disappeared. When Ayé got to the spot, he
could not find O®Ùru;nmi¾la and A®paro¾ anymore. In frustration, he returned
to his home and forgot about O®®mi¾mi¾.
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la got to his home, he told O®®mi¾mi¾ that from that day
forward, O®®mi¾mi¾ must never go out to cause havoc on anyone. O®®mi¾mi¾
complied. From that day on, only those looking for pandemonium and
disaster would bring O®®mi¾mi¾ into their lives. That was how O®Ùru;nmi¾la
managed to frustrate Ayé and defeat Ayé while at the same time, tame
O®®mi¾mi¾.
Erin lo; jeô’ko ta;n

Erin n; pa’yi;n kekeeke
EÙÙfoô¾n lo; jeô’ko ta;n
N lo; su¾n l’a;ba¾ta¾
A®gba¾ i¾nak¾i; lo; jeô’ko ta;n
N lo; mi¾ wara mi¾ woro
Ifá; n; lo¾ôoô; gba O®mi¾mi¾
Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin Ayé;
901

O®mi¾mi¾ wa; n; mi’le¾ô eô; bo¾ô wa;
Ifá; eruku Ayé; n; ta
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ sa; si;’nu; oôgoô;ta I®ye¾re;
OÙgoô;ta I®ye¾re; ni; ki;nl’o; de;?
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ k’eô;jo;ô o; ro¾
OÙgoô;ta I®ye¾re; l’o;un o¾ le e¾ gba¾ a;
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ja;de ni;’nu; oôgoô;ta I®ye¾re;
Ifá; eruku Ayé; n; ta o
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ sa; si;’nu; OÙgoô;ta Obi¾
OÙgoô;ta Obi¾ ni; ki;n lo; de;?
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ k’eô;jo;ô o; ro¾
OÙgoô;ta Obi¾ l’o;un o¾ le e¾ gba¾ a;
OÙ®ru;nmi¾¾la¾ ja;de ni;nu; OÙgoô;ta Obi¾
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ sa; si;’nu; OÙgoô;ta Ataare
OÙgoô;ta Ataare ni; ki;n lo; de;?
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ k’e;ôjoô; o; ro¾
OÙgoôt; a Ataare l’o;un o¾ le e¾ gba¾ a;
O®ru;nmi¾la¾ ja;de ni;’nu; OÙgoô;ta Ataare
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ wa; sa;; loô ba; A®paro¾-O®Ùyeô¾ye¾¾ô
To; fo¾ kuuru la;ti inu; i¾gbeô; wa;
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ki; A®paro¾-OÙ®ye¾ôyeô¾ o; gba o¾un
A®paro¾ bi O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ l’eô;jo;ô
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ k’e;ôjoô; o; ro¾
A®paro¾ wa;a; da i¾ye;ô eô reô¾ bo’le¾ô
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ko; si;’nu; i¾yeô; A®paro¾
A®paro¾ wa;a; f’eônu soô’leô¾
Woôn o¾ ri; A®paro¾
Woôn o¾ ri; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ayé; wa;a; bi;’nu; loô
N®jeô; mo mu; ra;
Mo mu; jeô
Mo mu; ra; l’A®paro¾ n; ke; o
902
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
Translation:
After the elephant ate to its satisfaction
It exposed its ivory invitingly
And when the buffalo ate to its satisfaction
It slept inside the muddy water
The elderly ape ate to its satisfaction
And shook its body sideways
These were Ifá’s messages for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going to take over O¾®mi¾mi¾, pandemonium
The wife of Ayé
He complied
Chaos and pandemonium are approaching
Ifá, dust is enveloping the world
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ran and hid himself among 60 I®ye¾re;
The 60 I®ye¾re; asked, What is the matter?
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ explained it to them
The 60 I®ye¾re; said they could not accommodate him
He left
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ran and hid himself among 60 Kola nuts
The 60 Kola nuts asked, What is the matter?
The 60 Kola nuts said they could not accommodate him
He left
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ran and hid himself among 60 Ataare
The 60 Ataare asked, What is the matter?
The 60 Ataare said they could not accommodate him
He left
903

O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ran to A®paro¾-O®Ùyeô¾ye¾ô, the partridge
Who flew majestically from the forest to the roadside
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ pleaded with A®paro¾ to accommodate him
A®paro¾ demanded to know what the problem was
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ explained it to him
A®paro¾ then spread out his feathers
And O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ hid himself under the feathers
A®paro¾ then struck his beak against the ground
And A®paro¾ became invisible
And O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ became invisible
Ayé then left out of anger and frustration
Now, I have done it without any repercussion
I have done it without any negative consequence
I have done it without any repercussion is the song of A®paro¾
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will triumph over
a more formidable opposition. He/she will smile at the end of the day.
Ifá also warns this person not to use his/her own hands or perform any
action that will attract chaos and pandemonium into his/her life.
11. Ifá says that a contentious issue is about to rear up its ugly head in
the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá warns this
person not to attract contention to himself/herself through his/her
thoughts, utterances, and/or actions. He/she needs to say, and do
things with moderation. Ifá says that if this can be done, he/she is
bound to be vindicated. He/she shall be absolved of all blames. His/her
representations shall be upheld by those who really matter. If a matter
leads to litigation, he/she shall be declared not guilty.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with 1 mature he-goat, 8 yams,
black eyed peas, corn grains, guinea-corn, and money. The head
of the he-goat should then be placed in the ẹbọ and then placed by E®sôu.
904
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
When placed down, a long nail or iron rod should be used to thrust into
the ẹbọ to nail it down firmly by E®sôu. If this is done, victory is
guaranteed.
On this, Ifá says:
EÙ®e¾ôkan L’olo;gu;n apo;

O®o¾ku¾n L’oôloô;gbo¾ôn oôfa¾
O®Ùpeô-EÙ®lu¾ju¾ ni;i; sô’oôloô;fa¾ a ma¾n¾sôiri-ma¾n¾sôiri
Ti; yo;o; ta’fa¾ kan sôosôo
Ti; yo;o; do’ju; o¾ôta; de;
Translation:
The blade grass is the owner of 20 sheaths

The date palm is the owner of 30 arrows
The palm tree of the wilderness is the owner of the
magical arrow
These were Ifá’s declarations to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Who would shoot only one arrow
And level his enemies
He was surrounded by enemies known and unknown. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ could

not understand why this was his lot. He had been assisting many people
who would later turn around to foment trouble for him. There was no
accusation they had not levelled against him. They stated that he was
more successful than they were because he had been using their stars
and destinies to make himself great. For this reason, all these enemies
who were once dependent on him ganged up to ensure that he was
eliminated. They concluded that nothing would satisfy them more than
seeing O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and all the members of his household dead. They
began to gather their arsenal together. The procured bows and arrows
905
and got spears, axes, bars, javelins, catapults, and boomerangs. They
were ready for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. They concluded that no member of his family
should survive the onslaught. They all agreed that they would launch
their attack against him in 7 days time. The plan was to make the attack
fierce, spontaneous, and decisive. They were all convinced that it would
all be over within a few hours.
Two days before the time that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s enemies would strike, he had
a terrifying dream. In his dream, he saw a black smoke like cloud
enveloping his home. All efforts to save the house and those living
within it failed. He saw neighbours and other sympathizers carrying
lifeless bodies out of his home. As if this was not bad enough, he saw
some tough looking people chopping corpses into bits and then lighting
them on fire. In the end, he saw himself being dragged out of the house
by these rough-looking people and he saw one of them holding his neck
against a tree trunk and chopping off his head from his neck with a
heavy blow from a cutlass. He then woke up startled. He then broke into
a cold sweat. It took him a long time to finally fall asleep again. He
couldn’t stop thinking about the meaning of the dream.
It was almost dawn before he finally fell asleep again. This time around,
he started where he had left off in the dream. He saw one of the rough
faces sticking a long pole into his head from the neck and soon after,
the person began dancing around with his head. He also saw the rough
faces setting fire to his house together with all the items in it. He then
jumped up again and refused to go back to sleep. He was counting the
time before day break so that he could summon all his Awo for Ifá
consultation. It seemed like an eternity for the Awo to arrive. When they
eventually did, they casted Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was
revealed.
The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he needed to offer ẹbọ as soon as possible
in order to overcome the enemies who were just about to strike him and
all the members of his household to death. Even though he had done
nothing to offend these enemies, they had perfected a plan to strike him
906
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
within two days time. Consequent upon this, he had no time to waste at
all. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was however assured that he would certainly overcome
these enemies because goodness would surely overcome evil. He was
advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. Knowing that there was not much
time left, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ offered the ẹbọ instantly.
After the ẹbọ , the Awo explained to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that it was through the
grace of the farmer that the food crops on the farm such as corn, millet,
yam, cocoyam, and so on had space and a conducive atmosphere grow
and germinate. If the same crops were to plan evil against the farmer
who attended to them to germinate, Olo;du¾mare¾ would not allow them
to have any power to overrun the farmer. Instead, these enemies of the
farmer would end up becoming his food items. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
to return home and place his hope in Olo;du¾mare¾. He also needed to
know that Ifá was his sanctuary and therefore, nobody could run him
down. Olo;du¾mare¾ would not allow this to happen. With this assurance,
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ left and returned to his house feeling more confident in
himself.
As soon as this ẹbọ was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ swung into action. He
summoned all the Iru;moôleô¾ in heaven and on earth to come to the aid of
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. He invited all the O®ri¾sôa¾ to join hands. All the Iru;moôleô¾ and
O®ri¾sôa¾ then had a quick meeting and they assured E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ that
nothing would happen to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ or any member of his household.
On the day that these conspirators planned to strike O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, they

gathered themselves together at the first cockcrow at dawn. They were
1,460 in number. They moved in the direction of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s house. They
were very convinced that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would be caught unaware. When
they were about to reach his house, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to wake up
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and told him that his enemies were approaching. He gave
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ a bow and arrow. He also told him to shoot the arrow into the
sky. He did as he was instructed. After this, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to
go back to sleep and leave the rest to him, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾.
907
The arrow which O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ shot into the sky was caught by O®gu;n. The
arrow was then aimed in the direction of the leader of the conspirators
and it hit him in the throat and he somersaulted. He died before he hit
the ground. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ removed the arrow from his throat before any of
them could see what hit him and handed it over to O®gu;n. The arrow
was then aimed at the second in command of the conspirators. It
entered through his chest and tore up his heart and came out through
his back breaking his back bone. He too died instantly and before they
could realize what had happened over 20 of them had died. They all
scattered in confusion, and took to their heels. They all dropped their
weapons and began to look for hiding places! As they were running,
SÙa¾ngo; began to strike them with his axe; OÙbalu;aye; struck them with his
spear; Oyá sent her tempest wind after them; O®ri¾sôa¾-Okò struck them
with his arrow and all the other Iru;nmoôleô¾ and O®ri¾sôa¾ descended on them.
They were all levelled within a few minutes. The war ended before ever
reaching the home of their intended victim.
EÙ®e¾ôkan L’olo;gu;n apo;

O®o¾ku¾n L’oôloô;gbo¾ôn oôfa¾
O®Ùpeô-EÙ®lu¾ju¾ ni;i; sô’oôloô;fa¾ a ma¾n¾sôiri-ma¾n¾sôiri
Ti; yo;o; ta’fa¾ kan sôosôo
Ti; yo;o; do’ju; o¾ôta; de;
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
N®je;ô isôu ta ta;n
E: le e¾ m’o;lo;ko
Ifá; sô’eônu u woôn goô;o;ôgoô
OÙ®pe¾ô sô’eônu u woôn goô¾o¾ôgoô
OÙka¾ y’oômoô ta;n
I®gba¾do y’oôômoô ta;n
908
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
Ere¾e; y’oômoô ta;n
Ko;ko¾ o; ta ta;n
Translation:
The blade grass is the owner of 20 sheaths

The date palm is the owner of 30 arrows
The palm tree of the wilderness is the owner of the
magical arrow
These were Ifá’s declarations to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Who would shoot only one arrow
And level his enemies
He complied
for its devotees
The yams germinate
They have no power over the farmer
Ifá, please render them powerless
O®Ùpeô, please make them ineffective
The millet germinate
They have no authority over the farmer
909
The maize germinate

They cannot conspire against the farmer
The beans germinate
They have no strength over the farmer
The cocoyams germinate
They have no might over the farmer
Ifá says that all the enemies of the person for whom this Odù is
revealed shall be rendered powerless and be made ineffective so that
they will not be able to harm this person, no matter how many they may
be. He/she shall be made to triumph over all his/her enemies because
he/she has the backing of all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ and O®ri¾sôa in heaven and on
earth.
12. Ifá says that several people have conspired against the person for
whom this Odù is revealed in order to ridicule and embarrass him/her.
They plan to put this person to shame publicly. Ifá says that he/she shall
come out of it triumphantly. Instead, those who plan evil against this
person are the ones who will experience shame, ridicule, and
embarrassment.
Ifá says that if something is lost where this Odù is revealed, that thing
will be recovered. It will be found beside or inside water. It may be
found beside or inside a well, brook, gutter, stream, pond, river, lagoon,
or the sea. Those are the areas that they need to concentrate their
search on.
910
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
If what is lost is a living thing such as a human being or pet, it will be

found in one of these areas as well. However, they will not be found
alive. The important thing however is that whatever or whoever is lost
will be recovered close to or inside water.
Ifá warns the spouse of this person for whom this Odù is revealed not to
be among the conspirators planning evil against her husband. If she is
among these conspirators, they will all be put to shame together.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ for
victory and at the same time feed Ifá with a big live catfish. Doing so
will bring victory and accomplishment for the person for whom this Odù
is revealed.
On this, Ifá says:
A®ko¾o; ni;i; gbe;’bu¾u;le¾ô jeô’ko

Di;a; fu;n O®Ùkoô¾o¾ôka¾nle;nu; Iru;nmoôleô¾
Woô;n n; lo¾ôoô; b’O:lo;kun p’e¾ôsa;n oôdu;n
Baba n; lo¾ôoô; b’O:lo;kun p’e¾ôsa;n oôdu;n
Translation:
He was the one who cast Ifa;; for the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾
He also cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going to participate in Olo;kun’s annual festival
Every year, Olo;kun used to invite all the 401 Iru;nmoôleô and all human
beings and the O®ri¾sôa¾ on earth to her anniversary. At every ceremony,
hundreds of thousands of human beings, Iru;nmoôleô, and O®ri¾sôa¾ used to
attend. Every year, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would be the last to arrive at the
ceremony. When he arrived, he would descend from the rooftop of
Olo;kun ’s palace. Olo;kun had a giant brass tray that she used to place at
911
the centre of her palace. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ arrived, he would throw his
ikin into the tray from the roof top. All the guests would burst into
celebration. That was when the Odù of the year would be cast for
Olo;kun and all the Iru;nmoôleô, O®ri¾sôa¾, and Babaláwo present would recite
the Odù for her. She would offer the ẹbọ that same day. That was how
Olo;kun’s festival would be celebrated every year.
Before long, people began to grumble, that why was O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ allowed
to steal that day from all others present every year. They vowed that
this must be put to an end. That decided that in the next annual
celebration of Olo;kun, they would bring disgrace and ridicule to
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. They then decided to begin their plans immediately. They
began to recruit people to be fellow conspirators. They worked tirelessly
day and night. They were after one thing and one thing only; to
disgrace O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ at the next Olo;kun festival and subject him to ridicule.
The plan was to find one way or another to steal the special ikin which
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ used to cast during the festival. They reassured that he would
not have any ikin to throw from the top of the roof. They would also
ensure that no substitute would be acceptable. If he could not produce
his special ikin, they would insinuate that he had refused to bring his ikin
as a slight against Olo;kun. They would whisper into the ears of Olo;kun
that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had been planning to spoil her ceremony for quite some
time now and that he had just concluded his evil plan against her.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would then be placed on the spot and driven out of the festival
venue with ignominy.
Three months before the festival period, all the plans were in place
except for how to get their hands on the ikin. Much as they tried, they
could not get the ikin. They didn’t even know where the ikin were being
kept in the first place. That was when they concluded that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s
wife must be recruited and be made part of their team of conspirators.
It took the conspirators two months to secure the consent of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s

wife. She agreed to be part of them as long as they offered her an
amount of money that she could not refuse. With O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife on the
912
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
side of the enemies, the plot became solid and faultless against
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. Two days before the ceremony, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife sneaked into
his Ifá room and stole the special ikin, which O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ normally used for
Olo;kun and handed them over to his enemies. She was handsomely
rewarded. The conspirators celebrated the downfall of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that
day. In order to make it impossible for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to find his ikin, they
commissioned someone to row a boat to the middle of the sea and
throw the ikin in the ocean. This was done instantly.
The next day, all the conspirators met to put all the final touches on
their grand plot. They concluded that the plot had gone as planned.
They deliberated over O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife and concluded that she was
expendable. They did not need her services anymore and dropped her.
They even warned each other, never to have anything to do with her
again because a woman, who betrays her husband because of money,
would also betray anyone without blinking an eyelid. She was
considered to be a very dangerous, callous, and heartless woman who
must not be trusted for any reason whatsoever.
Very early in the morning, on the day of Olo;kun’s festival, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾

gathered everything he’d need to take along with him like his: I®ye¾ôro¾su¾n,
I®roô;ke;ô, Iru¾ke¾ôreô¾, O®su¾, and so on. He then went into his Ifá room to get his
special ikin, which he usually used for Olo;kun but as he searched, he
could not find them. He searched everywhere but the ikin were nowhere
to be found. In a state of confusion, he called on his wife to help him
search throughout the house. The wife, who knew the exact
whereabouts of the ikin, began to search everywhere. She pretended to
be concerned. She even turned the whole house upside down and
reported that she could not find the ikin. She suddenly burst into tears.
She then asked her husband several times,”What are you going to do
now?” O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was touched by her concern. He told her that he
needed to consult Ifá in order for him to know what to do. He instructed
her to summon his group of Awo so they could cast Ifá for him
immediately. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife was very convinced that Ifá would not be
able to salvage the situation. She then rushed to summon the Awo.
913
When the Awo arrived, they casted Ifá for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and the Odù that
was revealed was Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;. The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he was in the
midst of conspirators who thought that their plot was going to catch him
napping. He was told that there were several people involved, both from
inside and outside of his home. He was assured that he had nothing to
worry about because Ifá would expose the conspirators and also
manifest miracles in his life. He was told not to worry about his special
ikin because Ifá would take care of that. He was then advised to offer
ẹbọ and feed Ifá with the biggest fish caught in the sea that day.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ offered the ẹbọ immediately. He asked his wife to go to the

market and buy the biggest fish in the market caught that day for him.
The wife left immediately and was very happy. She thought to herself
that she would cook the fish in the most delicious way that she could
and eat it to her satisfaction before her husband went to the festival to
meet his disgrace.
Meanwhile, everybody was waiting for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to arrive at the venue

of the ceremony. The conspirators had already started making jest of
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and all the other Irunmole present at the venue. They were
insinuating that all of them would be humiliated that day. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was
running late. The conspirators then stated that he was not going to
come to the festival. They claimed that he had told them that he was
going to disappoint and embarrass Olo;kun this year. This information
finally reached the ears of Olo;kun and she became very livid with anger.
She vowed to give O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ the lesson of his life if he failed to show up
that day.
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s wife arrived from the market, she brought with her the
biggest fish caught in the sea that day. She handed it over to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾.
He took it to his Ifá room and prayed. His wife then sat beside him and
also began to pray. He then cut up the fish to feed his Ifá and alas, the
special ikin fell out of the gut of the fish. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ asked himself,”How
did this happen?” O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was confused but at the same time
914
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
overwhelmed with joy to recover the special ikin. He then burst into
singing and dancing. His wife could neither chorus his songs nor dance
with him. She began shivering with fear. She knew that Ifá would
eventually expose all the conspirators. She then knelt down and
confessed her role in the plot and conspiracy. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ could not even
listen to all her tales before he dashed out and headed for Olo;kun’s
house.
At Olo;kun’s house, the conspirators suggested to Olo;kun to find another

Awo who could cast Ifá for her as O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had refused to show up.
One of the conspirators was recommended to do the consultation for
Olo;kun and she agreed. The conspirator then sat on the mat and began
to demand for all sorts of items. As he brought out his own ikin in order
to give them to Olo;kun to begin her prayers, they suddenly heard the
sound of the special ikin, which O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ normally dropped from the
rooftop into the brass tray, which Olo;kun used to provide every year.
The whole place went dead silent. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ then jumped down from the
rooftop of Olo;kun’s palace. The crowd then began to jubilate and praise
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. The conspirators began to retreat one after the other. They
began looking for the nearest escape routes.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ consulted Ifá for Olo;kun. Part of the ẹbọ materials was 200
mats. Olo;kun then provided all the materials and the ẹbọ was offered.
As soon as the ẹbọ was completed, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ summoned all the
remaining 400 Iru;nmoôleô. They then used the 200 mats to bind
themselves together with all the ẹbọ materials. They all formed one
giant ball. He then summoned all the A®sôeô on earth and in heaven and
declared that nobody would be able to see the Iru;nmoôleô again from that
day on. People would only be able to hear their voices and instructions.
The giant ball then disappeared in the presence of all those present.
From that day until today, nobody has been able to see the Iru;nmoôleô
anymore. The closest they could get was hearing what they had to say
during consultation, manifestation, or meditation.
915

Woô;n n; lo¾ôoô; b’O:lo;kun p’e¾ôsa;n oôdu;n
Baba n; lo¾ôoô; b’O:lo;kun p’e¾ôsa;n oôdu;n
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni l’a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba;’ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Translation:
He was the one who cast Ifa;; for the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾
He also cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going to participate in Olo;kun’s annual festival
He complied
Join us where we overcome enemies
Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she will
overcome all his/her enemies no matter how many they may be or how
strong they are.
13. Ifá says that three people are busy planning against the person for
whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá states further that two of the
conspirators will execute the plan while the third person will back out at
the execution stage. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is
revealed needs to identify the third person who refused to join the
conspirators and reward him/her handsomely.
916
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
1 mature he-goat and money, feed O®gu;n with 1 mature dog,
and feed E®sôu¾ with 1 mature cock.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; has this to say:
OÙ®pa; te;ôeô;re;ô
Oni;-wo¾ja¾wo;ja¾
Ala;ja¾n¾we;we;
A®woôn meô;te¾ôeô¾ta ni;i; sô’oômoô i¾ko;ôfa; ile; A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
Ti; n; loô re¾e; b’O:lo;kun p’e¾ôsa;n oôdu;n
Translation:
Ala;ja¾n¾we;we;
The three of them were resident students of A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
They cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going to the annual festival ceremony of Olo;kun
The original name of OÙ®pa; te;ôeô;re;ô was A®ku¾koô, the rooster; that of Oni;-
wo¾ja¾wo;ja¾ was Ajá, the dog; and Ala;ja¾n¾we;we; was originally known as
EÙyeôle;, the pigeon. The three of them were former students of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾.
When they graduated from their studies, they were put on a linear year
internship and told to go and find their individual names with which they
would be known and addressed. After their internship period, Ajá, the
dog, came to be known as Oni;-wo¾ja¾wo;ja¾, A®ku¾koô, the rooster, came to
be known as OÙ®pa; te;ôeô;re;,ô and Ala;ja¾n¾we;we; received the professional name
of EÙyeôle;, the pigeon. The three of them chose to stay with O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ and
they became his resident Awo.
One day, Olo;kun invited O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ to her annual festival. She asked
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ to be the officiating priest in the celebration. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
accepted the invitation and began to make preparations for the day. On
the day of the celebration, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ asked his three resident Awo to
917
proceed ahead of him in order to ensure that everything was in place

before his arrival. The three of them left very early in the day.
On their way however, they all began to complain against how O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
had been maltreating them. They said that he had not been giving them
their fair share of the proceeds from their work. Ala;ja¾n¾we;we; told the
other two to call O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾’s attention to it and to urge him to make all
necessary adjustments. OÙ®pa;-te;ôeô;re;ô and Oni;-wo¾ja¾wo;ja¾ claimed that they
had better ideas. They said that instead of complaining, it would be
better to send O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ back to heaven unceremoniously. By so doing,
all the proceeds that they made would become theirs. They said that
they would begin with the proceeds they would make in Olo;kun’s house
that day. They planned to mark the wrong route for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾, instead of
going to Olo;kun’s house, the route would lead him to heaven and it
would be impossible for him to return to earth if he crossed the
boundary of heaven and earth. As they were finalizing this plot,
Ala;ja¾n¾we;we made it clear to the other two that he would have no hand
in it. He said that the only thing that he would agree with was for them
to bring what they thought to be O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾’s short-comings to his
attention. The other two said that they would carry out their plan with or
without his participation.
When they got to the three crossroads, where the road on the left led to
Olo;kun’s house, the one in the middle led to heaven and the one on the
right led to a dead-end, the two conspirators marked the one in the
middle for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ to pass through. Ala;ja¾n¾we;we tried all he could to
dissuade the other two but they refused to listen. At a certain stage,
they threatened to kill him if he continued to plead with them to spare
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾’s life. With that, Ala;ja¾n¾we;we kept quiet.
The three of them got to Olo;kun’s palace ahead of many other invitees.
They set up everything that was necessary before the arrival of all
others. They eventually told Olo;kun that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ was indisposed and
he had told them to come early in order to ensure that all arrangements
went smoothly. They added that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ said that if in the end, he
918
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
could not make it, then the three of them should go ahead and do the
annual Ifá consultation for Olo;kun.
By midday, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ left his home and headed for Olo;kun’s palace.
When he got to the junction of the three cross-roads, he took the route
in the middle that was marked by his three resident Awo. When it
remained a little distance for him to cross the boundary of heaven and
earth, he met O®Ùya¾ , the grass-cutter, on the way. They exchanged
pleasantries and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ began to continue, but O®Ùya¾ pleaded with him
to follow him to his house in order to help him feed his Ifá with food.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ told O®Ùya¾ that he had no time to do that at that period
because he had sent three people ahead of him to Olo;kun’s house to
make all the necessary arrangements before his arrival. O®Ùya¾ insisted
that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ must help him to feed his Ifá claiming that it was
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ himself who had taught them that no Awo had the right to
refuse any Ifá assignment. Hearing this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ reluctantly agreed to
feed the Ifá for O®Ùya¾. As soon as he finished, he prepared to go and
continue his journey. O®Ùya¾ would have none of that. He insisted that the
food must be cooked and that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ must do the I®ya;n’le¾ô for him
before he left for wherever he was going. He said that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ could
not leave the feeding of Ifá uncompleted before he went for his journey.
By this time, he had become very impatient but he waited for the food
to be cooked nonetheless. When he finished feeding Ifá to the
satisfaction of O®Ùya¾, he finally left.
O®Ùya¾ then saw O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ off to the junction of the three crossroads.
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ began to take the road in the middle, O®Ùya¾ told him that
that road was not the one that led to Olo;kun’s house. He told him that
the route he was about to take led to heaven. O®Ùya¾ informed O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
that the route on the left was the one that led to Olo;kun’s palace. He
told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that those who marked the road in the middle for him
were being callous and mischievous. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ thanked O®Ùya¾ profusely
and passed through the road on the left to Olo;kun’s palace. He was late.
All the other invited guests had arrived. As O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was going on the
919
road, he continued to see the foot-prints of the three Awo until he got to
Olo;kun’s palace.
That convinced him that his Awo had deliberately marked the wrong
route for him in order to send him to heaven unceremoniously. When
the three Awo saw O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, they began to shiver. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ asked
them to explain why they wanted him in heaven in a wicked and
unceremonious manner. Ala;ja¾n¾we;;we; explained to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ everything
that transpired among the three Awo on their way from O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s
house to Olokun’s palace. The other two had nothing to say. They could
not even look at O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s face.
After this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ordered that OÙ®pa;-te;ôeô;re, the cock, should be

slaughtered immediately to feed his Ifá. He ordered that Oni;-wo¾ja¾wo;ja,
the dog, should be slaughtered to feed O®gu;n. He also ordered that
Ala;ja¾n¾we;re; must never be slaughtered for any ẹbọ and his life must be
spared. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ also ordered that Eyelé must be allowed to live and
stay with human beings without being threatened with death as the
other two. After this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ said that in compensation for the good
deed of O®Ùya¾, the grass-cutter, which prevented him from going to
heaven unceremoniously, any child of Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; either during
I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa; must never kill or consume him. O®Ùya¾ thus became a
serious taboo for all Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; children as a sign of gratitude. From
that day till today, all children of Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; killing or eating O®Ùya¾, the
grass-cutter will find it difficult to do well in life.
Ala;ja¾n¾we;we;
A®woôn meô;te¾ôeô¾ta ni;i; sô’oômoô i¾ko;ôfa; ile; A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
Ti; n; loô re¾e; b’O:lo;kun p’e¾ôsa;n oôdu;n
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;sôeô; Ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; Ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
920
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
Translation:
Ala;ja¾n¾we;we;
The three of them were resident students of A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
When going to the annual festival ceremony of Olo;kun
He complied
Victory over adversary is what Ifá guarantees for
all its devotees
victorious over all his/her enemies. He/she also needs to compensate all
those who have in one way or another assisted him/her to overcome
his/her enemies.
14. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá assures this person that he/she shall
become a leader and a decision maker in their life.
Ifá says that to be blessed with fortune is not the problem of this
person; rather, he/she is facing the challenges of unconsummated
fortune. Consequent upon this, he/she needs to offer appropriate ẹbọ
which will remove this impediment from his/her life and set him/her on
the path to glory.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat, a
bottle shaped calabash filled with water, some rags, the
clothing which the person for whom this Odù is cast wears on
the day of the Ifá consultation, pieces of wood which will be
used as fuel. These items will be taken to the forest. The person for
921
whom this Odù is revealed will set the rags and the clothing, which
he/she wore on the day of the consultation on fire. He/she will then strip
himself/herself naked and would be dancing around the fire. After this,
he/she will use the water in bottled shaped calabash to bathe and put
off the fire. He/she will then stand astride of the fire and bathe. By so
doing, the water will put out the fire. If this is done, the problem of
unconsummated fortune which he/she had hitherto been suffering from
will become a thing of the past. A mature he-goat or cock will then be
sliced open and the heart will be removed. Plenty of palm oil will then be
poured inside it and this will be placed by E®sôu. This client will then
procure one pouch. Inside this pouch, the Awo will place a little rag
cloth, a¾peô; leaves, e¾gbe; leaves, a¾su¾¾nwo¾ôn leaves, and a little sand.
The person for whom this Odù is revealed will then keep this in his/her
home permanently, more so if he/she is born by this Odù. Doing this will
drive away misfortune and bring success to him/her.
On this, a stanza in Ogbe¾-Je¾ôgbeô says:
OÙmoô p’erin s’i;gbo;

Be;ôeô¾ la o¾¾ r’e;rin
OÙmoÙ p’eôfoô¾n s’o;ôda¾¾n
Beô;e¾ la o¾ r’e;fô oô¾n
Ori; oômoô da;ra
Ba¾ba; a re¾ô ni o¾ mo¾ô
Di;a; fu;;n Je¾ôgbeô¾
Ti;i; sôe a¾re¾mô oô Oni;di¾ko;
OÙmoô-OÙba Keô;se;ô ori; eôôsin
I®gba¾ ti; n; loô re¾’gbe;ô oôdeô
Translation:
A child killed an elephant in the forest
But the elephant could not be found
A child slaughtered a buffalo in the savannah
But the buffalo was nowhere to be found
The Orí of this child was a fortunate one
922
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
But his father was not aware of this fact

These were Ifá’s declarations to Je¾ôgbeô¾
The first child of Oni;d;i¾ko
The prince who rides on horses
When he was going on a hunting expedition in the forest
Jeô¾gbe¾ô was the first child of Oni;d;i¾ko, the Oba of I®di¾ko; land. He was full of
strength, health, and vitality. Those who were close to him vowed that
he would become a great Ϙba in the future.
One day, his father summoned him to his presence and demanded from
him to tell him the type of profession that he, Jeô¾gbe¾ô, would like to
pursue. He did not hesitate before he told his father that he would love
to be a hunter. He boasted that he would be killing elephants, buffalos,
hippopotamuses, zebras, antelopes, deer, etc. He stated that the only
animal he would not be able to kill was the one that he did not set his
eyes on. His father did not consider hunting as a befitting profession for
a prince and heir apparent to the throne. All effort to dissuade him from
pursuing this life profession fell on deaf ears. When all efforts to make
Jeô¾gbe¾ô change his mind failed, he was advised to go for Ifá consultation.
He went. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Ala;ra; was revealed.
The Awo assured Jeô¾gbe¾ô that he would succeed in his chosen career. He
was told that this career would bring him fame, prestige, and elevation.
He was advised to offer ẹbọ a mature he-goat and to slice another he-
goat open and place it by E®sôu¾ in order for him to be able to consummate
his fortunes. Jeô¾gbe¾ô could see no reason why he should waste two
matured he-goats on ẹbọ when the Awo had just pronounced that he
would succeed in his chosen career. He was also sure that as an expert
shot, nothing could stop him from consummating his success. He
therefore refused to offer any ẹbọ.
The first time he went on a hunting expedition, he killed an elephant. He

was so proud of himself. He then began to make jest of the Awo who
923
advised him to offer ẹbọ. He returned home to report to his father that
he had just killed an adult elephant. He begged for some able-bodied
men to follow him to the forest in order to carry the meat of the
elephant home. His request was granted.
When they got to the spot where the dead elephant was, what they
found was a hill. He searched and searched but there was no elephant.
All those who followed him to the forest returned home disappointed. All
of them concluded that Jeô¾gbe¾ô was telling lies- All efforts to make people
believe him failed.
The second time that he went to the savannah region, he killed a

buffalo. He returned home to invite people to help him cut up the meat
and carry it home. When they got to the spot, what they found was
anthill. The third time he went on a hunting expedition, he killed an
antelope. He cut the tail of the antelope to use as evidence that he
actually killed the animal. He was followed from home to the forest.
When they got to the spot where he claimed that the antelope had been
killed, all they saw was a stream flowing past the spot. For this reason,
all the people knew Jeô¾gbe¾ô as a liar who must not be trusted for
anything.
That was the time that Jeô¾gbe¾ô remembered the advice of his Awo. He
returned to them and declared he was ready to offer the ẹbọ. He then
procured the two he-goats and money. The Awo then told him to add
his clothing which he wore on that day of the consultation and go to the
forest to burn the clothing of tribulation and unconsummated fortune
away from his life. He did.
While he was doing this, a group of hunters/warriors who had engaged

in several battles and who had become battle weary were passing
through the area where Jeô¾gbe¾ô was burning his clothes and taking a
bath. These warriors were looking for a village or town where they could
settle down and resume living their normal lives. When they spotted the
smoke, they declared that wherever the smoke came from must have
924
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
the presence of human beings. They traced the smoke and found Jeô¾gbe¾ô
taking his bath. They explained their situation to him and appealed to
him to take them to the town where he lived.
Jeô¾gbe¾ô responded that his father was the Ϙba of the town and that it
would not be a difficult thing for him to explain to his father. He asked
these warriors to follow him. When they got to the boundary of the
town, he asked them to wait for him because the way they were
dressed, if they entered the town, it might be taken as if they were
coming to wage war on the town. They agreed to wait for Jeô¾gbe¾ô.
When Jeô¾gbe¾ô got to his father’s palace, he explained what he had

experienced in the forest. He told his father that the men were already
on the outskirts of the town. The father summoned all the high chiefs to
listen to the story of Jeô¾gbe¾ô. All of them concluded that they would not
allow Jeô¾gbe¾ô to take the town for a ride any longer. They concluded that
if it was true that he had some people waiting at the boundary of the
town, he could lead them to another land and become their Ϙba in the
new land. He was even given a mock crown in order to make jest of
him. Three times Jeô¾gbe¾ô demanded from the high chiefs if they truly
wanted him to go and settle the men elsewhere and become their Ϙba.
Three times they responded affirmatively.
That was how Jeô¾gbe¾ô led the group of warriors to I®ko¾yi; land and became
the Ϙba of the land. When his father later realized that Jeô¾gbe¾ô had truly
become Ϙba, he sent one of his horses to him as a personal gift. When
Jeô¾gbe¾ô got the horse, he rode on the horse to I®di¾ko land to come and
thank his father for the good gesture toward him.
When the inhabitants of I®di¾ko land saw Jeô¾gbe, they became envious.
How could they serve the father and at the same time sever the son?
They concluded that it would not be possible. That was when they
message to the OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; of OÙ®yo;ô. They then gave him a pouch and filled
the pouch with money and asked him to go and deliver it to the OÙloô;yo¾ôoô.
925
Jeô¾gbe was however conscious of the fact that many people had been
sent on this type of errand before to OÙ®yo; but they never returned. It
was generally known that these people were beheaded as soon as they
delivered the pouch. It was a sign that they had become a problem to
the land and based on that, the OÙloô;yo¾ôoô would simply order his
executioners to behead them. But what had he done wrong for the
people to want to send him on this type of errand. This was an errand
that he could not refuse to go on. What would he do? That was what
made him go to his group of Awo for a third time. He asked,”Will I
survive this errand? What did he need to do to survive, if at all he stood
a chance of coming back alive.”
The Awo told Jeô¾gbe that he had been sent on an errand to where he
would not return from. He was however told not to entertain any fear
whatsoever. He was assured that he would go and return safely. The
Awo advised him to slice one mature he-goat open, remove the heart,
and place it by E®sôu¾. He did.
After this, the Awo asked him to bring the pouch that he was given. He
handed it over to the Awo. The removed the money and replaced it with
rags, sand, a¾peô; leaves, a¾su¾nwo¾ôn leaves, and e¾gbe; leaves. The pouch
was then returned to him and he was told to go on the journey. The
Awo assured Jeô¾gbe that E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ could come to his aid. Very early the
following day, Jeô¾gbe set out on his journey.
When he arrived in OÙ®yo;ô, he went straight to the palace of the OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô .

He announced that he had come to deliver a pouch to the OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô. When
the OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô heard of this, he quickly summoned his executioners. When
the executioners arrived, the OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô ordered them to behead Jeô¾gbe.
That was when E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra came into action. He said that it would be
advisable to examine the contents of the pouch before Jeô¾gbe would be
beheaded. This looked like a sensible thing to do. The OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô then
ordered one of his domestic servants to bring out the contents of the
pouch.
926
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
The first thing that was brought out was the small bundle of egbe¾
leaves. All those present became confused. This one did not come with
the pouch filled with money. What was the meaning of this? That was
when E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra burst into a song telling the OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; that egbe¾ leaves
were a sign of prayer.
He said:
Woô;n o; maa si¾n oô; pe;ô ni o, Ikú;
Wo;ôn o; maa si¾n oô; pe;ô ni
Li;la¾ ni o la Je¾ôgbeô¾
OÙmoô Oni;di¾ko; o¾
Wo;ôn o; maa si¾n o;ô peô; ni o
Translation:
Ikú, you shall be served for a long long time
You shall be worshipped for a long long time to come
Please turn Jeô¾gbe into a prosperous person
The offspring of Oni;di¾ko;
You shall be obeyed for a long long time to come
All those present looked at one another. This one was not sent to be
executed. The servant then pulled out another small bundle. This time,
it was a¾peô; leaves. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ then changed the song and meaning.
He said:
Woô;n ni; ki; o pe;ô l’a;ye; ni o¾, Ikú;

Wo;ôn ni; ki; o pe;ô l’a;ye; ni o
Woô;n ni; ki; o pe;ô l’a;ye; ni o
Translation:
Ikú, they prayed for you to live long on earth
They pleaded for you to stay long on earth
Please shower prosperity on Je¾ôgbeô¾
They prayed for you to live long on earth
927
Surely, this person was not sent her to die. He has been sent with good
tidings and prayers. The domestic servant then pulled out the bundle of
a¾su¾nwo¾ôn leaves. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ then began to sing again.
Saying:
Yo;o; maa sunwo¾ôn fu;n oô, Ikú;

Yo;o; maa sunwo¾ôn fu;n oô o
Yo;o; maa sunwo¾ôn fu;n oô o
Translation:
Ikú, things shall be well with you
Things shall be agreeable with you
Please shower Je¾ôgbeô¾ with prosperity
The son of Oni;di¾ko;
Things shall be well with you
This is not a sign of someone who has been sent to die. It would be a
shame to kill this person like the others. The domestic person then
brought out the rag. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ sang again.
Saying:
Woô;n ni; koo lo¾’lu; gbo; ni, Ikú;

Wo;ôn ni; ko lo¾’lu; gbo; ni o
Wo;ôn ni; ko; o lo¾’lu; gbo; ni o
Translation:
Ikú, they prayed for you to stay long on the throne
They prayed for you to stay long on the throne
Please shower prosperity on Je¾ôgbeô¾
They prayed for you to live long on the throne
928
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
All those present were convinced that if all those who had been coming
before this man had been sent to come and die, this one was sent to
come and live. The domestic servant also pulled out the sand from the
pouch. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ then began to sing again.
Singing:
Woô;n ni; koo te¾ô’lu; pe;ô ni o, Ikú;

Wo;ôn ni; ko te¾ô’lu; pe;ô ni
Lila¾ ni o la Je¾ôgbeô¾
Woô;n ni; ko te¾ô’lu; pe;;ô ni o
Translation:
Ikú, the prayed for you to march majestically on the soil of
your father’s land for a long time
They prayed for you to walk long on the land
Please bless Je¾ôgbeô¾ with abundant prosperity
The whole place became dead silent, waiting to hear what the OÙloô;yo¾ôoô
would say. After what seemed like an eternity to Je¾ôgbeô¾, the OÙloô;yo¾ôoô
finally ordered his Te¾ôeô;tu;, executioner to leave the palace. He then
summoned 10 male servants, 10 female servants, and ordered them to
go and load clothing, utensils, bags of money, and a beautiful horse for
Je¾ôgbeô¾. The servants were also ordered to follow Je¾ôgbeô¾ back home to
become his personal servants. The OÙloô;yo¾ôoô then gave Je¾ôgbeô¾ another
crown to wear. Before he left, he was taken to the bathroom to take a
proper bath. His hair was showered clean and he was given a majestic
set of clothes to wear. Je¾ôgbeô¾ became an instant success story. When he
got to the boundary of his father’s land, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ began to sing.
Saying:
EÙ o¾ maa w’ori; ire o o¾
EÙ o¾ maa w’ori; ire
EÙ o¾ ri; Je¾ôgbeô¾
EÙ o¾ maa w’ori; ire o
929
Translation:
Can’t you see good luck?
Can’t you see fortune?
Have you seen Je¾ôgbeô¾?
Can’t you see fortune?
This was the song which all the citizens, friends, and foes alike of I®di¾ko
land chorused in palace of Oni;di¾ko;’s.
OÙmoô p’erin s’i;gbo;

Be;ôeô¾ la o¾¾ r’e;rin
OÙmoÙ p’eôfoô¾n s’o;ôda¾¾n
Beô;e¾ la o¾ r’e;fô oô¾n
Ori; oômoô da;ra
Ba¾ba; a re¾ô ni o¾ mo¾ô
Di;a; fu;;n Je¾ôgbeô¾
Ti;i; sôe a¾re¾mô oô Oni;di¾ko;
OÙmoô-OÙba Keô;se;ô ori; eôôsin
I®gba¾ ti; n; loô re¾’gbe;ô oôdeô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®je;ô iroô; d’oôla¾ l’a;ra a¾ mi o
Iro;ô d’oôla¾ l’a;ra a¾ mi
EÙ o¾ ri; Je¾ôgbeô¾, puro;ô-puroô;
Iro;ô d’oôla¾ l’a;ra a¾ mi o
Translation:
A child killed an elephant in the forest
But the elephant could not be found
A child slaughtered a buffalo in the savannah
But the buffalo was nowhere to be found
930
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
The Orí of this child was a fortunate one

But his father was not aware of this fact
These were Ifá’s declarations to Je¾ôgbeô
The first child of Oni;di¾ko
The prince who rides on horses
When he was going on a hunting expedition in the forest
He complied
Come and see all ire of life
Now, lies have turned into prosperity for me
Untruths have turned into success for me
Here comes Je¾ôgbeô, the liar
Lies have become prosperity for me
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall succeed.
He/she shall cross all the hurdles of his/her enemies with success.
15. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will
overcome all his/her enemies. Ifá promises that he/she shall live long
together with all members of his/her family. Ifá says that evil
principalities and wicked people will try to foment crisis for him/her but
they will fail. Ifá assures this person that all evil designs will not be able
to enter his/her home. This person will also accomplish all his/her
heart’s desire. He/she will be blessed with success, victory, elevation,
and contentment.
guinea fowls, 2 hens, 2 roosters, and money. After this, the Awo
needs to procure one land snail, a¾lu;pa¾i;da¾ leaves, e¾ôla¾ leaves, and
i¾yeye¾ leaves for this person.
The leaves will be grinded into fine powder and be put into cotton wool.
The cotton wool will then be tied to the body of a snail. One cock will
931
then be slaughtered and its blood drained on the snail. After this, the
snail will be burned in the front entrance/door of the person for whom
this Odù is revealed.
On this, Ifá says:
Duduku;u¾du¾ Awo Ele;ru¾u;ku;

Di;a; fu;n Oju;o¾ri;bi
Ti;i; sô’a¾re¾ômoô OÙ®sa;nyi¾¾n
I®gba¾ ti; n; beô l’a;gbate¾ômoô; ogun ar’a;ye;
Translation:
Duduku;u¾du¾, the Awo of Ele;ru¾u;ku;
He cast Ifa; for Oju;o¾ri;bi, My eyes will never witness evil
The first child of O®Ùsa;nyi¾n
When she was in the midst of conspiracy and tribulation
Oju;o¾ri;bi, My-eyes-will-never-witness-evil was the first daughter of

O®Ùsa;nyi¾n. She was also his beloved and favourite baby. He showered his
love and attention on her and all those close to him were aware of this
fact. If anyone demanded anything from O®Ùsa;nyi¾n and they felt that he
might not give it to them, if they went through Oju;o¾ri;bi, it would
certainly be given to them. Anyone who hurt Oju;o¾ri;bi would actually hurt
O®Ùsa;nyi¾n because he would do anything to ensure that she was not made
unhappy even for one moment.
Why should anyone be allowed to catch the attention of O®Ùsa;nyi¾n the

way Oju;o¾ri;bi, does? She must be controlling O®Ùsa;nyi¾n through the
affection he has for her. They decided that nobody must be allowed to
control O®Ùsa;nyi¾n. They decided that that would be the crime she
committed against the world. They suspected that since she was so
loved by O®Ùsa;nyi¾n, she must be controlling him. These conspirators
concluded that they must put an end to this. They concluded that they
would not experience any loss if Oju;o¾ri;bi, continued to control her father
932
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
and although this love wouldn’t cause the society any harm, they still
insisted that it was wrong and should not be allowed.
The conspirators went to work. They began to spoil all her efforts
systematically. Before she realized what was actually happening, her
things had been ruined badly. Her destiny was being adversely affected.
All the charms, which her father gave her to use, could not redress the
situation. O®Ùsa;nyi¾n became a very unhappy man. Oju;o¾ri;bi became
unhappy also. Something serious had to be done to return her life back
to normal. But what could she do? She was not going to continue
witnessing her life get worse. She would have to take a decisive step to
put an end to the downward slide. But what step could she take? She
could not stop thinking about this. Eventually she decided to go for Ifá
consultation in the home of Duduku;u¾du. This Awo was the personal Awo
of Ele;ru¾u;ku;. Ele;ru¾u;ku; was a bosom friend and confident of O®Ùsa;nyi¾n. He,
Ele;ru¾u;ku;, was the one who took Oju;o¾ri;bi, to the house of Duduku;u¾du
for Ifá consultation. When Ifá was cast for her, Ogbe¾-OÙla¾ was revealed.
The Awo told her that she was living, eating, drinking, and walking right
in the midst of conspirators. She was informed that these enemies had
perfected their plot to ensure that she amounted to nothing in life. The
Awo however assured her that she would overcome all of them. Oju;o¾ri;bi
was told that the conspirators were sending evil means into her house in
order to bring down negative forces into that house to live permanently
with her. She was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above in order to chase
out all the evil forces in her home. She complied. After this, the land
snail and the four leaves were procured as stated above and a cock was
slaughtered for it. This Ifá work was then buried in the front entrance of
her house. This effectively stopped all evil forces from re-entering her
home.
As soon as this was done, Oju;o¾ri;bi’s life gradually returned to normal.

The conspirators could not penetrate her to wreck havoc any longer.
Instead, whatever evil plans they had, simply returned to them. Before
long, all of them realized that to leave Oju;o¾ri;bi alone with her life was
933
the only option they had if they too wished to have peace of mind in
their lives. Happiness returned to her life and by extension, it returned
to the life of O®Ùsa;nyi¾n, her father.
Duduku;u¾du¾ Awo Ele;ru¾u;ku;

Di;a; fu;n Oju;o¾ri;bi
Ti;i; sô’a¾re¾ômoô OÙ®sa;nyi¾¾n
I®gba¾ ti; n; beô l’a;gbate¾ômoô; ogun ar’a;ye;
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾ a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
N®je;ô a¾ro¾ô o; maa ro;ô’bi woôn le; woôn l’o;ri;
A®pada¾ o; maa pa’ri; ibi i woôn da¾ si; woôn
I®yeye¾ lo; ni; k’A:wo o; ye¾ t’aya-t’oômoô
EÙ®la¾ lo; ni; k’A:wo o; la¾ t’aya-t’oômoô
I®gbi;n o¾ ni; ibu¾so a¾we;
Apa; ibo l’o¾rô a¾n buru;ku; o; ti sôeô¾?
Translation:
Duduku;u¾du¾, the Awo of Ele;ru¾u;ku;
He cast Ifa; for Oju;o¾ri;bi, My eyes will never witness evil
The first child of O®Ùsa;nyi¾n
When she was in the midst of conspiracy and tribulation
She complied
Victory over adversity is what Ifá guarantees
Now, a¾ro¾ô leaves will be directing all their evils back to them
A®pada¾ leaves will be returning their evils to them
I®yeye¾ leaves declare that I should succeed together
with my spouse and children
EÙ®la¾ leaves authorize all Awo to succeed together
934
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
with their spouses and children

My kinsmen, there is no part of a snails body that
can be used to tie it down
From where will evil come then?
Ifá says that this person will put an end to all the problems caused by
enemies, which have been taking place in his/her life. He/she should
serve O®Ùsa;nyi¾n and hold close to Ifá
16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ for
him/her not to be exasperated in life. He/she needs to offer ẹbọ for
him/her not to face a multitude of problems, which could persist until
he/she becomes totally exhausted with life and all that it represents. Ifá
advises him/her to offer ẹbọ for him/her not to live with regrets
throughout his/her life.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ for accomplishment, success,

fulfilment, and elevation. He/she also needs to offer ẹbọ for victory over
unconsummated fortune, exasperation, perpetual crisis, and frustration.
The person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to offer ẹbọ with 3
pigeons, 3 guinea fowls, 3 ducks, 3 cocks, and money. He/she
also needs to feed Ifá with a mature she-goat and feed E®sôu¾ with a
mature he-goat.
On this, Ifá says:
Ifá; ni; n o; sôe t’e¾mi yoô’ri;

E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo ni; n o; sôe t’e¾mi yoô’ri;
O: ni; oôkoô; ki¾i; ke;re; ko; mu; eôseô oko
Ko; ma; le e¾ k’e;s ô eô oko ja;’ri;
E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo ni; n o; se t’e¾mi yoô’ri;
O;: ni; obi¾nrin ki¾i; mu;’gba; loô odo¾
Ko; ma; lee¾ k’e;s ô eô ja;’ri;
N o; sôe t'e¾mi yoô’ri;
Di;a; fu;n Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;
935
Ti; yo;o; loô j’oye¾ Ajeôbeôteô

Al’A:ro¾o; n; j’A®ro;
EÙl’EÙ:jeômu n; j’EÙjeômu
OÙl’OÙ:tu¾n-u;n n; j’O®Ùtu;n
Ajeôbeôteô l’Ala;bahun l’o;un o; jeô o
Translation:
Ifá declares that I shall accomplish my mission in life

I chorus that I shall accomplish my mission in life
He declared that a hoe is not so small as to take on
the farm heap row
Without accomplishing its mission
He declared that a woman cannot take a calabash to a brook
Without accomplishing the mission of fetching water
I will accomplish my mission
These were Ifá’s declarations to Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;, the tortoise
Who would be given the title of the exasperation expert
Others took A®ro; titles
Others took E®Ùjeômu titles
And other people took OÙ®tu;n titles
Ala;bahun insisted that he wanted to be Ajeôbeôôteô,
the exasperation expert
The elders planned to wage war on the neighbouring communities. This

was a period of inter-tribal war and uprising. Many people relied on the
spoils of war for their daily living. Many people had taken war
mongering as their profession. The elders began to seriously train all
able-bodied men in the community. All the military campaigns must be
successful. One of the training programs was the installation of soldiers
to different positions. The general of the warriors was installed to the
936
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
position of Balo;gun. Other high-ranking warriors were installed into such

positions as Basôoô¾run, Olo;ro;gun, Asôi;pa, A®ro;, O®Ùdoô¾fin, and so on.
Surprisingly, none of these titles interested or impressed Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;,
the tortoise. All he wanted was to be installed to the position of Ajeôbeôteô-
the exasperation expert. For this reason, he went to the group of Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed if I am made the
master of exasperation? Will I be able to drag people to the position
where they will be exasperated? Will I be able to defeat the world and
make them bow and succumb to me? These were the questions he
asked Ifá. During the consultation, Ogbe¾-Je¾ôgbeô¾ was revealed.
The Awo then told I®ja¾pa; that he had an ambition in life. They assured
him that his aim in life would be filled. They advised him to offer ẹbọ as
stated above. He complied. Soon after, all the warriors set out on their
military expedition. Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; was one of them.
As soon as they got to the battle field. Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; told all the others
that they needed to know that he would neither run nor jump up or
down. Consequently, he would not be useful to them in the main battle
front. He advised them to erect a war camp and leave him there to take
care of the supplies, arms, ammunition, and the prisoners of war. They
all agreed and a war camp was constructed. Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; took care of
the supplies, food rations, arms, and ammunition to the satisfaction of
all. At a later date, many prisoners of war were brought to the war camp
and I®ja¾pa; took care of them. He ensured that none of the prisoners of
war together with other spoils of war such as goats, chickens, sheep,
pigs, and other livestock had a chance of escape.
When the war ended, all the warriors returned to the war camp. They
had not rested at all before I®ja¾pa; told them that they needed to share all
what they got from the battle front. The other warriors advocated
patience but I®ja¾pa; would have none of it. The Balo;gun, the Basôoô¾run, the
Asôi;pa, and A®ro; were particularly angry with I®ja¾pa;. They told him that he
did not participate in the main warfare and yet, he was the one who was
in a hurry to collect his own share of the loot. Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; shouted
937
all of them down, claiming that all the spoils of war belonged to him
including the war prisoners. He claimed that he would only give them a
small portion of the loot as a means of compensation for assisting him in
the war front. The others said that Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; was not even at the
front where the man hostilities took place. He responded that he was
the person who waged all the wars and came back triumphantly. This
angered all the other warriors and a big argument ensued. They later
brought the matter back to town and lodged the complaint to the Ϙba of
the land. The Ϙba summoned all the other non-combatant high chiefs
and ordered them to listen to the matter and make a decision over the
case.
When they began to account for what happened at the battle field and
the roles that each of them played, the Balo;gun explained to all present
how they fought fierce battles, how the Basôoô¾run, the Asôi;pa, and A®ro; the
EÙjeômu, O®Ùdoô¾fin and all others proved their mettle by fighting gallantly
and how Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; was the only one among them who did not
encounter the fierceness of the battle not to mention him not engaging
in any of the confrontation. He explained that only Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;
stayed behind inside the war camp, eating, resting, playing about, and
sleeping. He expressed his surprise that it was the same Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;
who now claimed that all the spoils of war belonged to him when he did
not participate in any of the hostilities.
When it was the turn of all the other warriors and combatants to narrate
what happened in the war front, they were similar to what the Balo;gun
had explained. Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; spoke last. He said that he did not have
much to say. He would however want the panel of judges to allow all
the prisoners of war to tell them how they were captured in order to
have a vivid understanding of the roles each of the warriors played. It
was agreed that such steps should be best taken. The prisoners of war
were called in to narrate their encounters which led to their being
captured and made prisoners.
938
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
One after the other, all male and female children and adult prisoners of
war explained how they had fought gallantly, how they had run for their
lives and for liberty, and how they had gone into hiding to escape being
killed or captured. In the end, they said that they were all overwhelmed
by exasperation. As soon as each of them mentioned this, Ala;bahun
I®ja¾pa; asked them to repeat what had led to their being captured. Each
of them repeated that it was not the people who captured them, but
that rather, they were overwhelmed by exasperation. When all the war
prisoners had explained their encounters, Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; asked the
panel of judges,” What other evidence do you need to appreciate the
role that he played in the war front?” He made it clear to the judges that
he was the person who singlehandedly fought the battles and captured
all the war prisoners. He said that if the livestock, utensils, apparels, and
clothing materials brought back from the war front could speak, they too
would have explained that it was he, the master of exasperation, who
had overwhelmed them. If this was the case, why then did all the other
warriors need to return home to tell tall tales against him and
exaggerate their roles in the war front? As he finished speaking,
Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; left the presence of the panel of judges with a huge bow
and calculated steps.
It did not take the panel of judges much time to come to a conclusion.
They hailed Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; for being such a gallant fighter and a highly
gifted warrior. They blamed the Balo;gun and his group for coming to
feed the judges lies. They claimed that based on all the evidence given
to the judges, all the war prisoners and the spoils of war legitimately
belonged to Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;. They therefore ordered that they should
apologize to him and send all what was brought back from the battle
front to his home.
The Balo;gun agreed with the decision and pleaded on behalf of the
others, for forgiveness. He said that the experiences of all the war
prisoners were nothing compared to their own. He agreed that the
prisoners were overwhelmed by exasperation on the battle field and that
all the other victorious warriors met their own exasperation right at
939
home after the war. He also hailed Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; as the master of
exasperation. He agreed that they had all lost out, both prisoners and
warriors to exasperation.

E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo ni; n o; sôe t’e¾mi yoô’ri;
O: ni; oôkoô; ki¾i; ke;re; ko; mu; eôseô oko
Ko; ma; le e¾ k’e;s ô eô oko ja;’ri;
E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo ni; n o; se t’e¾mi yoô’ri;
O;: ni; obi¾nrin ki¾i; mu;’gba; loô odo¾
Ko; ma; lee¾ k’e;s ô eô ja;’ri;
N o; sôe t'e¾mi yoô’ri;
Di;a; fu;n Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;
Ti; yo;o; loô j’oye¾ Ajeôbeôteô
Al’A:ro¾o; n; j’A®ro;
EÙl’EÙ:jeômu n; j’EÙjeômu
OÙl’OÙ:tu¾n-u;n n; j’O®Ùtu;n
Ajeôbeôteô l’Ala;bahun l’o;un o; jeô o
Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; ni¾kan ni; n;beô l'eô;yi¾n ti; n;sô'eôboô
EÙ wa;a; wo Ifá; Awo ki¾
Ifá; n; sôeô o
EÙni to; gb’e;ôboô ni;'be¾ô ko; sô'eôboô o
Translation:
He declared that a hoe is not so small as to take on the
farm heap row
Without accomplishing its mission
He declared that a woman cannot take a calabash to a brook
Without accomplishing the mission of fetching water
940
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
I will accomplish my mission

These were Ifá’s declarations to Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa;, the tortoise
Who would be given the title of the exasperation expert
Others took A®ro; titles
Others took E®Ùjeômu titles
And other people took OÙ®tu;n titles
Ala;bahun insisted that he wanted to be Ajeôbeôôteô, the
exasperation expert
Only Ala;bahun I®ja¾pa; complied
Come and see the Ifá warnings as narrated by the Awo
Come and see how it has manifested
Let those advised to offer ẹbọ heed the advice
Ifá says that it shall not allow the person for whom this Odù is revealed
to lose out to exasperation.
941
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBÈ ÒTÚRÁ FOR THOSE BORN BY THE

ODÙ DURING ÌKOSÈDÁYÉ OR ÌTÈNÍFÁ
All Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children, both males and females, have the blessings of
Olo;;du¾mare¾ from heaven to be able to acquire all the ire of life, both at
home and outside their homes. They also have the ability to succeed
where they are born and outside. There is nowhere on earth where
Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children cannot succeed. Many people pray for them to
receive the blessing of Olo;du¾mare¾ in order for them to be able to
accomplish as much as Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children. This is because the
success of Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children is perceived to have more value and
significance than those of others.
Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children are also satisfied with the levels of their
achievement and progress in their lives. This also contributes in no
small measure to the reason why other people envy them and pray to
achieve as much as Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children. Unknown to many, the
success of Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children comes from the compassion of
Olo;du¾mare¾ and those of the members of their various communities.
All Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children who are truthful, honest, righteous and upright
at all times; who fight for the common good and wellbeing of their
communities; who harbour no evil thoughts that are capable of bringing
down individuals and communities; who oppose all thoughts, speeches
or actions that are inimical to the progress and development of their
communities; and who refuse to remain reticent in the midst of injustice,
illegality or unethical actions are going to excel and become great and
honourable in their lives. No enemy can overcome them. No evil can
befall them. They will stand tall and see all their enemies and evil
wishers lick the dust by their feet.
All Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children strive to speak the truth at all times.
Unfortunately however, most of the time, the truth is being construed as
lies. The reason is that whatever their evidences may be are usually not
found, or are not available, when verified. This however should not
deter them from continuing to speak and uphold the truth at all times.
The major weakness of all Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children, males and females, is
that they love people to see and appreciate their good and benevolent
deeds all the time. They do not want any form of accusation against
them in any way whatsoever. This is the reason why they are easily
affected by the negative comments of slanderers. This is however what
942
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
they need to learn to live with for the rest of their lives. As a matter of
fact, it is an integral part of their lives.
All Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; male children have the potential to make good homes,
be loving husbands to their wives and responsible fathers to their
children. They are also idealistic and they easily get disappointed over
little things. They are great leaders and excellent diplomats. They
believe in merriment and see no reason why other people cannot be like
them.
On the other hand, Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; female children gain more fame, honour
and respect during their middle ages. The older they become, the more
fame, honour and respect they gain. They are ideal as role models,
community leaders and loving wives to their husbands. They however
become withdrawn and vengeful if they feel that anyone has betrayed
them in any way, no matter how insignificant it may appear to be to
others.
However, if this Odù is revealed for a woman about getting married,

whether the woman is an Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; child or not, she must move to her
husband's house on the very day that this Odù¾ is revealed. This is to
prevent the woman from having pregnancy and child-bearing
challenges. The couple must also move into a farm and make love on
the bare floor in the farm before returning home the next day.
In all, Ogbe¾ Ala;ra; children, males and females, leave the world better
than they met it. They try all they can to improve the lot of others and
they succeed in being contented with all what Olo;du¾mare¾ has blessed
them with.
943
C. AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ®/O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® ALA:RA:
1. Ifá; - For direction, success, elevation, progress, support, sanctuary,

victory, leadership, contentment and general wellbeing
2. Ori; - For fulfilment of destiny, progress, success, elevation, support,
sanctuary, victory, leadership, direction, contentment, and self
actualization
3. E®su ô ¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ - For direction, sanctuary, victory, success, elevation,
leadership and overall wellbeing
4. OÙba¾ta;la; - For child bearing, child rearing, leadership, success,
progress, victory, accomplishment and overall wellbeing
5. EÙgbeô; - For comradeship, leadership, support, victory, success,
elevation and general progress
6. Egu;ngu;n - For ancestral support, success, progress, elevation,
lineage continuity, victory, contentment and overall wellbeing
7. O®Ùsuô n - For compatible spouse, child bearing, child rearing, support,
elevation and overall success
8. O®gu;n - For victory, success, sanctuary and overall wellbeing
9. SÙan¾ go; - For victory, success, sanctuary, leadership and overall
wellbeing
10. Odù ¾ - For support, success, progress and overall accomplishment
D. TABOOS OF OGBE¾® O®TU:RA:
1. Must never eat or kill eômo,ô; brown rat or use it for anything - to
avoid unconsummated fortune, betrayal, failure and regret
2. Must never eat or kill oôy ¾ a¾, grass-cutter or use it for anything - to
avoid unconsummated fortune, betrayal, failure and regret
3. Must never make himself/herself unavailable to people - to avoid
unconsummated fortune, desertion, failure, loneliness, regret and
disaster
4. Must never underestimate anyone - to avoid dwindling progress,
crises, misfortune, failure and regret
5. Must never be keeping sleepless nights - to avoid being
overwhelmed by enemies and opposition
6. Must never be using a¾wu;re money attraction medicinal
preparations - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure and regret
7. Must never carry load on his/her head - to avoid unconsummated
fortune, failure and regret
8. Must never engage in monetary contribution with others - to
avoid unconsummated fortune, being swindled, failure and regret
944
Ogbe¾-Ala;ra;
9. Must never wear black or red dresses - to avoid the wrath of

OÙba¾ta;la;, failure, childlessness and crises
10. Must never consume alcohol in excess - to avoid the wrath of
OÙba¾ta;la;, failure and regrets
11. Must never speak evil of others - to avoid humiliation,
unconsummated fortune, failure and regret
12. Must never pay kindness with wickedness - to avoid regret,
humiliation, disaster and failure
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® O®TU:RA:
i. MALES
1. Agbooôla; - The gathering of honour

2. MOdù ;pe;ôoôla; - I am thankful for my honour
3. E®Ùga¾n-o¾-pe;-k'o;yin-ma;-du¾n - Slanderous utterances will never remove
the sweetness of honey
4. Ori;mida;ra - I have come with good destiny
5. Ifá;ko;rede; - Ifá; brings all ire of life
ii. FEMALES
1. Ifá;perewa; - Ifá; summons all ire to me

2. I®wa¾leôwa¾ - Good character is the real beauty of anyone
3. Mori;re - I am blessed with all ire of life
4. E®Ùga¾n-o¾-pe;-k'o;yin-ma;-du¾n - Slanderous utterances will never remove
the sweetness of honey
5. Ori;mida;ra - I have come with a good destiny
945
Chapter 13
Ogbè Ìrẹtẹ̀
II
II
II I
II
946
Ogbe¾-I®reôteô¾
Ogbe¾-Te¾ôteô¾
Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô
A.1. Ifa; says that if this Odu¾ is revealed during I®koôseôda;ye; or

I®teôni;fa;, that this person, before coming from heaven to earth, was
promised that his/her home would never spoil on earth. He/she was
assured that he/she would be happy and contented, together with all
the members of his/her household.
For this to happen, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ himself has promised to take proper
care of his/her life and household for him/her. He/she also needs to
be initiated into Ifa; together with all members of his/her household.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two
hens, two pigeons, two guinea fowls, two roosters, and
money. He/she also needs to feed Ifa; with a male pig.
On these aspects, Ogbe¾-Ateô¾ says:
EÙyeô ni;i; we;’ri; Awo A®a;nu;

A®da¾ba¾ ni o¾ j’e¾ôga¾, Awo O®ke¾ I®jero¾
A®ra; f’i¾di; sôu¾ku; Awo OÙloô;ye;ô-moyin
OÙku¾nrin dindi bi; osôe iri¾n
OÙku¾¾nrin gba¾n¾lo¾ôgi¾ bi; oôleô¾ eôfoô¾n
A®ja¾n¾gbo;do;ri¾gi¾ eôku¾n ni;i; p’aja; oôdeô l’o;ju; oôdeô
Di;a; fu;n woôn ni; I®jeô¾bu;-Mu¾re
O®gbo¾n¾ka¾n- ni’da¾
E®yi;; oômoô ako;’rin yeôbeôyeôbeô ya’ri Oro;gu¾n-un
Ifa; lo; wi;, o; ni; ewe; kan n; beô l’o;ko
O®gbo¾ôn¾gbo¾ôn¾tileô¾, olongo a wu;wo
A®woôn oô¾gbe¾ôri¾ a teô¾
947

Ti;; ko¾ ni;i; jeô; ki; ile; Aka;po¾ o; ba¾jeô; la;i;la;i;
Translation:
EÙyeô ni;i; weô‟ri;, the Awo of A®a;nu;

The dove does not resemble the palm-frond, the
Awo of I®jero¾ hill
A®ra; f'i¾di; sôu¾ku;, the Awo of OÙloô;ye;ô-moyin
The man as sturdy as the metal axe-blade
And as massive as the foetus of a buffalo
The brave leopard is the one which kills a hunter‟s dog
Right in the presence of the hunter
This was Ifa;‟s message for the indigenes of I®je¾ôbu;-;Mu¾re
O®gbo¾n¾ka¾n ni;da¾, owners of the broad sword
Those who place iron on their O®gu;n shrine
Ifa; declares that there is one herb on the farm
O®Ùgboô¾n¾gbo¾ôn¾tile¾ôyoô herbs, Olongo birds will be
heavy in weight
And the uninitiated ones will undergo initiation rites
This was Ifa;‟s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Who would never allow the home of his Aka;po¾
to ever turn to ruin
When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was coming from heaven to earth, he chose as part

of his destiny, the capability to defend, protect, and promote all Ifa;
devotees. This choice was approved. Consequent upon this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
was able to protect the home of the Awo against all the problems of
life, which normally led to the break-up of their homes, families and
lives.
When the Aka;po¾ was coming to the world, he chose to be an Ifa;

devotee for the rest of his life. Consequent upon this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ made
948
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
it a point-of-duty to protect the Aka;po¾, together with all the members

of his family throughout their lives.
The Aka;po¾ was confronted with several problems, both physical and
spiritual, but OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ stood solidly behind him and ensured that the
Aka;po¾ overcame all the problems. The lives of the Aka;po¾ and his
entire household also improved tremendously, they all were
worshipping Ifa; together. The Aka;po¾ did not have to worry about any
problem in his life or household.
EÙyeô ni;i; we;’ri; Awo A®a;nu;

A®da¾ba¾ ni o¾ j’e¾ôga¾, Awo O®ke¾ I®jero¾
A®ra; f’i¾di; sôu¾ku; Awo OÙloô;ye;ô-moyin
OÙku¾nrin dindi bi; osôe iri¾n
OÙku¾¾nrin gba¾n¾lo¾ôgi¾ bi; oôleô¾ eôfoô¾n
Di;a; fu;n woôn ni; I®jeô¾bu;-Mu¾re
O®gbo¾n¾ka¾n- ni’da¾
E®yi;; oômoô ako;’rin yeôbeôyeôbeô ya’ri Oro;gu¾n-un
Ifa; lo; wi;, o; ni; ewe; kan n; beô l’o;ko
O®gbo¾ôn¾gbo¾ôn¾tileô¾, olongo a wu;wo
A®woôn oô¾gbe¾ôri¾ a teô¾
Ti;; ko¾ ni;i; jeô; ki; ile; Aka;po¾ o; ba¾jeô; la;i;la;i;
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
EÙyeô ni;i; weô‟ri;, the Awo of A®a;nu;

The dove does not resemble the palm-frond, the
Awo of I®jero¾ hill
A®ra; f'i¾di; sôu¾ku;, the Awo of OÙloô;ye;ô-moyin
949

The brave leopard is the one which kills a hunter‟s dog
This was Ifa;‟s message for the indigenes of I®je¾ôbu;-;Mu¾re
O®gbo¾n¾ka¾n ni;da¾, owners of the broad sword
Those who place iron on their O®gu;n shrine
Ifa; declares that there is one herb on the farm
O®Ùgboô¾n¾gbo¾ôn¾tile¾ôyoô herbs, Olongo birds will be
heavy in weight
And the uninitiated ones will undergo initiation rites
Who would never allow the home of his Aka;po¾
to ever turn to ruin
He complied
Come and perceive all the ire of life
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be
blessed with all the Ire of life. He/she shall also have the protection
and guidance of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in all aspects of his/her life together with
those of all the members of his/her household.
2. Ifa; says that it foresees all the Ire of life for the person for
whom this Odu¾ is revealed. He/she shall become a respectful and
respectable leader in society. He/she shall be accorded his/her due
honour and glory by their peers.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with plenty of dwarf-bananas,

honey and money. He/she is also expected to feed his/her Ifa;
together with Aje; (Wealth divinity) with plenty of dwarf-bananas,
honey, kolanut and bitter kolanut regularly.
950
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
Sa¾pa;ta; sa¾le;
Sa¾le Sa¾pa;ta; sa¾i¾roô¾
Sa¾i¾ro¾ô lo; bi; O®Ùga¾nle;-ga¾nku
O®Ùga¾nle;-ga¾nku lo; bi; O®Ùga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾yeô;
O®Ùga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾yeô; lo; bi; OÙloômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô
OÙloômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô lo; bi; OÙloômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô
OÙloômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô lo; bi;; OÙloômoôô sôi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki;
OÙloômoô sôi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki; lo; bi; Aje;le;ti;
Aje; wa;a; l’e;ti;
Aje; o¾ gboôdoô¾ j’eôran to; l’e;egun
A®ka¾n¾ka¾ta;n l’oômoôde; n; ka’wo; e¾kika¾
Aje;
EÙ woô’le;
EÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾
EÙran o¾ôgeô¾de¾ô l’a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’o;tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile;
Aya
EÙ woô’le;
EÙÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾
EÙran o¾ôgeô¾de¾ô l'a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile;
OÙmoô
EÙ woô’le;
EÙran o¾ôgeô¾de¾ô l'a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile
Ile;
EÙ woô’le;
EÙran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ l'a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile;
Ire gbogbo
EÙ woô’le;
EÙran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ l'a¾wa n; jeôeô su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile;
B’o;ju;mo;ô ba; mo;ô
O®o¾ru¾n a la¾ googo¾o¾go
951
Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô sôe mi; rabata ka;’de ile¾ô yi¾i;

B’a;le;ô ba; le;ô
I®ra¾wo¾ô a ta¾n sôan-sô¾an-sôan
Di;a; fu;n Aka;po¾
Ti; yo;o; d’eôni a¾pe;si¾n ka;'ri; aye;
Translation:
SÙa¾pa;ta; sôa¾le
And SÙa¾le SÙa¾pa;ta; SÙa¾i¾ro¾ô
Sa¾i¾ro¾ô was the one who begot O®Ùga¾nle;-ga¾nku
OÙ®ga¾nle;-ga¾nku gave birth to O®Ùga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾ye;ô
OÙ®ga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾yeô; begot OÙloômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô
OÙloôômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô gave birth to OlÙoômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô
OÙloômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô begot OÙloômoô SÙi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki;
OÙloômoô SÙi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki; begot Aje;le;ti;
Truly, Aje; (the Wealth diety) has ears to hear
Aje; must never eat any flesh with bones
Aje;,
Please enter my house
Come and consume banana flesh
It is banana flesh that we eat as supper
At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin
The money that a child counts with e¾kika¾ leaves
Is uncountable for the child
Spouse
Come to my home
Child/Children
Come to my home
952
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our origin ô
Properties/land
Come to my home
All the Ire of life
Come to my home
When the day breaks
The sun will shine brightly
Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô, please make me great throughout this land
During the night time
The stars twinkle gloriously
These were Ifa;‟s messages for the Aka;po¾
Who would become a respected leader throughout
the world
The Aka;po¾ was very hard-working and at the same time, very
ambitious. He had great ideas about how he wanted his life to be. He
planned to be among the highest and most honourable people in his
community, his region, his area and even all over the earth. He
worked toward actualizing his dreams. He prayed to Ifa; daily and at
the same time, worked diligently towards actualization.
One day, the Aka;po¾ went to the home of the group of Awo
mentioned above to find out exactly how to go about actualizing his
ambitions in life. During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô was revealed. The
Awo told the Aka;po¾ that even though he was overly ambitious, he
would nonetheless be able to actualize his dreams of becoming one
of the greatest people of his time in life.
953
He was told to continue to work hard and pray to Olo;du¾mare¾ and all
the divinities to answer his prayers. He was also advised to offer eôboô
with plenty of ripe bananas and money. He was also advised to
feed Ifa; and Aje; (the Wealth divinity) with plenty of bananas, honey,
kolanuts and bitter kolanuts. He complied.
After this, the Awo prepared a special soup for him with bananas,
imi;-oôjoô; (sulphur), and i¾ra¾wo¾ô o¾ke¾ (beetles) with special Ifa
incantation. The three materials were then pounded together and
mixed with soup. The soup was given to him to bath with.
A short while after this was done, the profile of the Aka;po¾ began to
shoot up. He became known and respected from far and near. Before
long, he became a decision maker in his community. His reputation
as a great Ifa adept and decision maker spread like wild fire. Several
people began to seek his opinion and advice on any and many issues.
People would travel across several lands and languages to seek his
counselling. The world knew and recognized the Aka;po¾ as one of the
best and one of the most honourable people that ever lived.
Sa¾pa;ta; sa¾le;
Sa¾le Sa¾pa;ta; sa¾i¾roô¾
Sa¾i¾ro¾ô lo; bi; O®Ùga¾nle;-ga¾nku
O®Ùga¾nle;-ga¾nku lo; bi; O®Ùga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾yeô;
O®Ùga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾yeô; lo; bi; OÙloômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô
OÙloômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô lo; bi; OÙloômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô
OÙloômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô lo; bi;; OÙloômoôô sôi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki;
OÙloômoô sôi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki; lo; bi; Aje;le;ti;
Aje; wa;a; l’e;ti;
Aje; o¾ gboôdoô¾ j’eôran to; l’e;egun
A®ka¾n¾ka¾ta;n l’oômoôde; n; ka’wo; e¾kika¾
Aje;
EÙ woô’le;
EÙran o¾ôgeô¾de¾ô l’a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’o;tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile;
954
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
Aya
EÙ woô’le;
EÙÙ wa;a; j’eôran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾
EÙran o¾ôgeô¾de¾ô l'a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile;
OÙmoô
EÙ woô’le;
EÙran o¾ôgeô¾de¾ô l'a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile
Ile;
EÙ woô’le;
EÙran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ l'a¾wa n; jeôeô; su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile;
Ire gbogbo
EÙ woô’le;
EÙran oô¾ge¾ôdeô¾ l'a¾wa n; jeôeô su¾n l’O:tu-Ife¾ô re;re; ile;
B’o;ju;mo;ô ba; mo;ô
O®o¾ru¾n a la¾ googo¾o¾go
B’a;le;ô ba; le;ô
I®ra¾wo¾ô a ta¾n sôan-sô¾an-sôan
Di;a; fu;n Aka;po¾
Ti; yo;o; d’eôni a¾pe;si¾n ka;'ri; aye;
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; ire gbogbo
Je¾ôbu;tu; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Translation:
Sa¾pa;ta; sa¾le
And Sa¾le Sa¾pa;ta; Sa¾i¾ro¾ô
Sa¾i¾ro¾ô was the one who begot O®Ùga¾nle;-ga¾nku
OÙ®ga¾nle;-ga¾nku gave birth to O®Ùga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾ye;ô
OÙ®ga¾nle;ji¾n-Ahu¾yeô; begot OÙloômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô
955
OÙloôômoô Olu;wo;ôwoô;n;tiwo;ô gave birth to OlÙoômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô

OÙloômoô Olu;wo¾ôwoô¾n¾tiwo¾ô begot OÙloômoô SÙi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki;
OÙloômoô SÙi¾i;-O®bi;li;ki; begot Aje;le;ti;
Truly, Aje; (the Wealth divinity) has ears to hear
Aje; must never eat any flesh with bones
Aje;
Please enter my house
Come and consume the flesh of bananas
The money that a child counts with e¾kika¾ leaves
Is uncountable for the child
Spouse
Come to my home
Children
Come to my home
At O®tu-Ife¾ô, our originô
Property
Come to my home
All the Ire of life
Come to my home
When the day breaks
The sun will shine brightly
956
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
During the night time

The stars twinkle gloriously
These were Ifa;‟s messages for the Aka;po¾
Who would become a respected leader throughout the
world
He complied
Join us in the midst of all ire of life
In the midst of all Ire of life do we find Ifa; devotees
at the feet of OÙba¾ri¾sôa (Ifa; )
Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she will
be blessed with honour, respect, elevation, and all other ire of life.
He/she shall be counted among the greatest people who had ever
lived in his/her time. The person for whom the Ifa; is cast must feed
Ifa; with Aje;, also ensure their Awo make the stated preparation, all
will come out fine, and they will rejoice in life.
3. Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that
he/she will be so wealthy that several people will be praying to
Olo;du¾mare¾ and all the divinities to make them as successful as this
person.
Ifa; promises that the door of prosperity shall be opened wide for the
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. He/she shall not lack any of
the great things of life, he/she should remember to help others.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons and money.
After this, he/she needs to procure plenty of Ipi;n leaves, Isa¾ grains,
E®su;ru; pupa, and eômileô¾ and pound the four items together. The
mixture will then be mixed with black-soap. This Odu¾ will be
imprinted and stanza will be recited into the black-soap. One pigeon
will be slaughtered and its blood will be mixed with black-soap. After
957
this, the soap will be handed over to the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed for bathing.
On this, Ifa; says:
OÙla; ta¾ ka;

OÙla; ra¾ ka;
OÙla; ta¾ka¾ra¾ n¾gbada¾
OÙla; ni;i; moô’le; Olu;
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ lo; moô’le; OÙloô;ja¾ a Ta¾ka¾ngu¾n
OÙla; lo; moô’le; Alaa¾fin OÙ®yo;ô
Ni woô;n gbo;ô’yi¾n i re¾ô ka;’le; aye; peregede
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ o; to; ge;ôgeô;
Ki; woôn o; gbo;ô’yi¾n t’e¾mi ni;’nu; u Babala;wo
B’o;sôu¾ ba; le;
Apa; a re¾ô n; ka;’run ni
Ipi;n lo; ni; ki; woôn o; pi;n’re t’e¾mi fu;n mi
Isa¾ lo; ni; ki; woôn o; sôa’re t’e¾mi fu;n mi
A®ka¾le;-a¾ka¾le; ni O®o¾sôa¾ ma;a n; ka’wo; e¾su;ru;
T’owo;-t’owo; l’eômileô¾ n; so
Di;a; fu;n Aka;po¾
Ti;’fa; o; sôi;’le¾ô’ku¾n oôla¾ a re¾ô fu;n ka;'ri; aye;
Translation:
Honour spreads about

Honour expands itself around
Honour sells a¾ka¾ra¾ fritters to claim a sword
Honour is it that constructs the home of leaders
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ is he who constructed the home of
merchandise leaders
Honour is it that built the home of the Ala;a¾fin of O®Ùyoô;
And his reputation spread across the world
Ifa;, it is high time
For people to hear my reputation among Babala;wo
When the moon appears
958
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
Its influence is felt in heaven

Ipi;n is it that authorizes my Ire should be given to me
And Isa authorizes my Ire be given to me accordingly
It is with interest that O®o¾sôa¾ counts the proceeds of E®su;ru;
With money does eômileô¾ germinate
Scarcity of wealth cannot affect eômileô¾
Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô, please open the door of prosperity for me
These were Ifa;‟s declarations to the Aka;po¾
Who Ifa; would open the door of prosperity for all
over the world
The Aka;po¾‟s ambition was not limited to his locality alone. He

planned to dominate everywhere he went. He was after two things in
his life: Honour and Prosperity. He was prepared to use all legitimate
means to get both. For this reason, he worked hard, prayed, and was
hopeful. He was convinced that he would have both. He travelled far
to acquire knowledge. It was through his acquisition of knowledge
that he was able to speak several languages and dialects. Anywhere
he went, he left behind a lasting impression and a reputation of being
an adept and competent Babala;wo in the minds of the people. Yet,
he was not fully satisfied that he had done enough. This drove him to
look for more and more knowledge. It caused him to travel
everywhere.
One day, he went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above
to determine how his level of success would be in life. During Ifa;
consultation, Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô was revealed.
The Awo told him that no matter how versatile a person he might be
in any field of life, the most important aspect was the support of the
divinities. They told the Aka;po¾ that it was only those whose efforts
were crowned with success that could boast that they had
accomplished anything in their lives. They therefore advised the
Aka;po¾ to offer eôboô as stated above in order for the divinities to crown
all his efforts with success. Hearing this, the Aka;po¾ complied with the
959
eôboô immediately. After this, a special soap was prepared for him to
use.
After these had been done, that was when those who considered the
Aka;po¾ as a great Awo began to consult him for Ifa; assignments. They
began to patronize him to work for them. They also took along their
friends, family, acquaintances, and loved ones along with them to the
home of the Aka;po¾. Before long, the door of honour and prosperity
was opened for the Aka;po¾. That was when he was able to count his
success and give thanks and praises to the Ifa;, the Awo, Olo;du¾mare¾
and all the divinities.
OÙla; ta¾ ka;

OÙla; ra¾ ka;
OÙla; ta¾ka¾ra¾ n¾gbada¾
OÙla; ni;i; moô’le; Olu;
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ lo; moô’le; OÙloô;ja¾ a Ta¾ka¾ngu¾n
OÙla; lo; moô’le; Alaa¾fin OÙ®yo;ô
Ni woô;n gbo;ô’yi¾n i re¾ô ka;’le; aye; peregede
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ o; to; ge;ôgeô;
Ki; woôn o; gbo;ô’yi¾n t’e¾mi ni;’nu; u Babala;wo
B’o;sôu¾ ba; le;
Apa; a re¾ô n; ka;’run ni
Ipi;n lo; ni; ki; woôn o; pi;n’re t’e¾mi fu;n mi
Isa¾ lo; ni; ki; woôn o; sôa’re t’e¾mi fu;n mi
A®ka¾le;-a¾ka¾le; ni O®o¾sôa¾ ma;a n; ka’wo; e¾su;ru;
T’owo;-t’owo; l’eômileô¾ n; so
Di;a; fu;n Aka;po¾
Ti;’fa; o; sôi;’le¾ô’ku¾n oôla¾ a re¾ô fu;n ka;'ri; aye;
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boôô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
Honour spreads about
960
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
Honour expands itself around

Honour sells a¾ka¾ra¾ fritters to claim a sword
Honour is it that constructs the home of leaders
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ is he who constructed the home of
merchandise leaders
Honour is it that built the home of the Ala;a¾fin of O®Ùyoô;
And his reputation spread across the world
Ifa;, it is high time
For people to hear my reputation among Babala;wo
When the moon appears
Its influence is felt in heaven
Ipi;n is it that authorizes that my Ire should
be given to me
And Isa authorizes that my Ire should be
given to me accordingly
It is with interest that O®o¾sôa¾ counts the proceeds of E®su;ru;
Scarcity of wealth cannot affect eômileô¾
Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô, please open the door of prosperity for me
These were Ifa;‟s declarations to the Aka;po¾
Who Ifa; would open the door of prosperity for all
over the world
He complied
Ifa; says that this person shall move from obscurity to prominence,
and from destitute to accomplishment, they should always remember
to give thanks to Olo;du¾mare¾, Ifa; and all the divinities. So says Ifa; in
Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô.
961
4. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be
rewarded with two great blessings. These are the Ire of prosperity
and compatible spouse.
hens, two guinea fowls, two cocks, and money. After this,
there is the need to procure an O®Ùsôu;nsôu;n stick together with a
broom made with palm-fronds. The two will be tied together to
sweep the floor of the house of the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed.
On this, Ifa; says:
Aki;ngbade;, Awo wa ni;’Le;win

Aki;ngbosôu¾, Awo wa ni;’Le;sôa¾
OÙ®ku¾nrin rodorodo bi; osôe; irin
O®Ùku¾nrin gba¾n¾lo¾de¾-gbanlode bi; oôleô¾ eôfoô¾n
Al’a;ja; o¾ gboôdoô¾ wi;
Di;;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Baba o; la’nu si;’le¾ô
Ti;’fa¾ yo;o; woô’le; wa;
Translation:
Aki;ngbade;, our Awo in Ile;win town

Aki;ngboôsi¾n, our Awo in Ile;sôa¾ land
The brave leopard is the one who kills the hunter‟s dog
And the hunter dares not utter any word
These were Ifa;‟s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Who would make his mouth wide open
And free gifts would be entering his home
962
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was in all senses lonely and alone; and he had no money,
no wife, no children, no students, and no hope of having them in the
nearest future. He found it difficult to afford two meals in a day.
Whenever his clothing became dirty, he had to find time to wash
them by himself. He would also sweep the floor of his modest room
by himself. Tired of living alone and being lonely, he decided to go
for Ifa; consultation: will my life improve? Will I be able to progress in
my life? Will I be blessed with wealth and a compatible companion?
Will I be happy? Will I be able to stop sweeping the floor, washing
my plates and clothing, by myself? Will I be blessed with a woman
who will spend the rest of her life with me? Will I be able to build my
own family, together with this woman? These and many more were
the questions, which O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ asked from Ifa; during the
consultation.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was told that even though he was experiencing some
measure of hardship at that material point in time, such an
experience would nonetheless give way to comfort and contentment.
He was told that Ifa; would reward him with two great blessings
before long. He was urged to continue to think good, speak the truth,
and act properly. He was also advised to offer eôboô as stated above.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ could not afford the money. He nonetheless struggled to
secure the money and ensured that the eôboô was offered accordingly.
Two months after the eôboô had been offered, the OÙba of the land was
visited by a stranger. How would the OÙba know that this visitor was
E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ himself? Of course, he had no way of knowing. This visitor
told him that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had been performing wonderfully in the land.
He said that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ did not lay any emphasis on monetary reward.
All that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was after was the improvement of the quality of life
in the land. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ told the OÙba that there was an urgent need to
compensate such a person who was ensuring success, joy, elevation,
and progress in the land.
He told the OÙba that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was poor and he had no wife of his
own. E®sôu¾ said that it would be good if OÙ®ru;nmil¾a¾ was rewarded with a
good spouse and adequate money to take proper care of the woman.
963
After much deliberation, the OÙba conceded to E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾‟s request.

The OÙba gave the hand of one of his daughters to OÙ®ru;nmi¾¾la¾ as wife.
Not only this, he gave him a galloping horse and a lot of money.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ became comforted, fulfilled, rich and successful in just one
day!
Back at home, before he woke up in the morning, his water for
bathing was already in the bathroom. His food was already on the
table. His clothes were always neat and immaculate. The room was
regularly swept and tidy. His environment was always neat. Thanks
to the wife that he was blessed with, he had no problem of how to
feed his wife because he was already a wealthy person. Life changed
and improved greatly for him.
Aki;ngbade;, Awo wa ni;’Le;win

Aki;ngbosôu¾, Awo wa ni;’Le;sôa¾
OÙ®ku¾nrin rodorodo bi; osôe; irin
O®Ùku¾nrin gba¾n¾lo¾de¾-gbanlode bi; oôleô¾ eôfoô¾n
Al’a;ja; o¾ gboôdoô¾ wi;
Di;;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Baba o; la’nu si;’le¾ô
Ti;’fa¾ yo;o; woô’le; wa;
Ifa; wi; o; ni; mo d’o¾ôsôu;nru;n igbo;
Mo wi;, mo ni; mo d’o¾ôsôu;nru;n igbo;
Ifa; wi;, o; ni; mo d’o¾sôi¾i¾ri¾ oôwoô¾
Mo wi;, mo ni; mo d’o¾sôi¾i¾ri¾ oôwoô¾
E®mi n’i¾kan ti; mo ti n;gba;’le¾ô fu;nra¾mi
Aya weôeôreô
EÙ t’o¾ke¾e¾re¾ wa; eô wa;a; gb’oôwoô¾
Aya weôeôreô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
964
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
Translation:
Aki;ngbade;, our Awo in Ile;win town

Aki;ngboôsi¾n, our Awo in Ile;sôa¾ land
The brave leopard is the one who kills the hunter‟s dog
And the hunter dares not utter any word
These were Ifa;‟s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Who would make his mouth wide open
And free gifts would be entering his home
He complied
Ifa; declares that I have become an oô¾sôu;nsôu;n tree
I chorus that I have become an o¾ôsôu;nsôu;n tree
Ifa; declares that I have become a broom
I chorus that I have become a broom
I who had been sweeping the floor by myself
Many damsels
Come from afar and take over the broom
Many damsels
Ifa; says that the blessings of money and spouse shall come together
to stay with the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; advises
him/her to continue to work hard, do good, pray well, and be
hopeful.
5. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to do

good all the time of his/her life. He/she must think, speak, and do
good all the time and under all circumstances. He/she must never
965
contemplate evil at any time. Ifa; warns this person to be kind and
benevolent and never do evil because of negative repercussions.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four hens, four pigeons,
four guinea-fowls, four cocks, and money. He/she also needs
to feed Ifa; with a male pig.
On this, Ifa; says:
OÙwo;ô o¾ôtu;n-u¾n mi ni mo fi n;gba’re ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾

Ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾ la¾a; gbe; n;ba; woôn l’o;ri; eôni; o¾o¾re;
tuntun
A®ti ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾ rere
Di;a; fu;n SÙeôbi;-sôeôbi;
O: n; re’le; Olo;du¾mare¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; w;a;a; sôe
Translation:
With my right hand do I receive all Ire in the

domain of Olo;du¾mare¾
In the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ does one find
them on a new O®o¾re; mat
And benevolent pillows
These were Ifa;‟s declarations for SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;
He-who-caters-for-the-welfare-of-his-family
When going to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾
SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;, he-who-looks-after-the-welfare and well-being-of-his-

family-members, was coming from O®Ùrun (Heaven) to Aye (Earth);. He
went to choose his destiny (A®ku;nle¾ôya¾n) at the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾.
His major concern was the elevation of every member of his family.
That was the principal assignment he chose for himself as his
A®ku;nle¾ôya¾n. The assignment was endorsed for him by SÙensôenti¾sôo¾ro¾
and it was inculcated into his destiny and handed over to A®ja¾la;-mo¾ôpi;n
to include in his Ori;.
966
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
He was however warned that the fact that he planned to do good at

all times in his life must not prevent him from ensuring that he
defended himself against internal aggression or external attacks. He
was also advised that there was the need for him to prevent any
such attacks. They told him that doing so would guarantee his living
long and comfortably on earth. After this, SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; moved from A®ja¾la;-
mo¾ôpi;n‟s domain and proceeded to complete other assignments in the
domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ before moving to Ile;-Aye;;.
OÙwoô; o¾si¾ i¾ mi ni mo fi n; gba¾’fa¾ ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾

tuntun
Di;a; fu;n SÙara;sôara;
Translation:
With my left hand do I receive all free gifts in the

domain of Olo;;du¾mare¾
In the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ does one find them
on new O®o¾re; mats
These were Ifa;‟s declarations for SÙara;;sôara;, he-who-looks-
after-the-well-being-of-his-fellows
SÙara;sôara;, he-who-looks-after-the-well-fare and well-being-of-his-

fellows, was also coming from O®Ùrun to Aye;. He too went to the home
of SÙensôenti¾sôo¾ro¾ to choose his destiny. When he got there, his
principal A®ku;nle¾ôya¾n was for him to have the capability to cater for the
welfare and overall interest of all his fellows, friends, families,
neighbours, acquaintances, and loved ones. This was granted also.
967
He also moved into the domain of A®ja¾la;-mo¾ôpi;n and his choice was
inculcated into his Ori;.
As in the case of SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;, he was advised to ensure that he
defended himself against evil people of the world who would be
envious of his activities. He was urged to continuously protect himself
and prevent any form of internal or external aggression that might be
directed against him. After this, he went to other departments to
complete his preparations in readiness for his journey to Ile;-Aye;.
P’e¾ôgboô;n p’a¾bu;ro¾
K’eô;ku;n o; le to; gbogbo ara; ile; e; sun
Di;a; fu;n SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾
O;: n; re’le; Olo;du¾mare¾
Translation:
Eliminate the elder along with the younger siblings

For the whole household to have something to cry over
These were Ifa;‟s declarations for SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾, the-evil-doer
When SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ went to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾ to choose his

destiny, he was directed to the home SÙensôenti¾sôo¾ro¾. On getting there,
he chose as his major assignment on Earth, the capability to inflict
maximum pain on people. He said that he could not stand to see
people being happy for too long. He wanted to have the capability to
turn people‟s joy to grief. He wanted to see people wailing,
screaming in pain, and gnashing their teeth in agony. This was
endorsed for him. He was directed to the domain of A®ja¾la;-mo¾ôpi;n and
it was inculcated into his Ori;.
After this, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ went to other domains to complete the process of
moving into the world.
968
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
When SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;, SÙara;sôara;, and SÙi¾ka¾¾sôi¾ka¾ arrived in Ile;-Aye;, they were

born into the same family. SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; ensured the success and
elevation of every member of his family. Everyone was very happy,
all the members of the household were progressing, and truly
ambitious.
SÙara;sôara; on the other hand ensured the progress of his
neighbourhood, friends, extended family members, associations,
acquaintances, loved ones, and the community as a whole.
It did not take too long before everyone recognized the two of them
as progressive elements in the society. They were highly respected,
adored, loved, admired and hailed. These were the offenses they
committed against SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾: how could they be making people
happy? The world was not designed for people to be too happy, he
reasoned. That was why SÙi¾ka¾siô ¾ka¾, decided to put a stop to the joy of
the people. He reasoned that the fastest and most effective way to
do this was to eliminate the two of them together. By so doing, the
pillars of support of the family and the society would be broken at
the same time. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ loved this idea, and he set out to work on it.
SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; slept and had a bad dream. He went to the home of the
Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation. He was told that disaster
loomed. He was then advised to offer eôboô and defend himself against
the incoming calamity. SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; thought over what the Awo told him.
He agreed that disaster loomed. He however did not understand the
reason why he should offer eôboô since he was doing good for every
member of his family. He believed that he was doing what pleased
Olo;du¾mare¾. Consequent upon this, he saw no reason why he should
offer eôboô. He therefore refused to heed the advice of the Awo.
Two days after this, SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; slept peacefully in his room. In the dead
of the night, he heard a soft knock. He opened the door and he
found SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ standing in front of his door. He asked SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ to
enter the room. He did. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ told his brother how life had been
difficult for him because people did not love him. He accused
969
SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; of being the cause of his misfortunes and pointed out that if
not for SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;, nobody would hate him.
SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; explained himself but SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ did not accept any of his
explanation. When SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ realized that his brother‟s wife was not at
home, he asked about her whereabouts in order to be very sure that
the woman was indeed not in the house. SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; told him that she
had gone on a business trip. That was the answer that ;SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ was
waiting for. Suddenly, he hit his brother with a big club he had
hidden under his agba;da; dress. SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; turned back and looked at
him in utter surprise and agony. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ hit him in the face and the
temple. SÙeôbi;;sôeôbi; dropped dead immediately.
SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ felt very elated. He congratulated himself for a job well
done. Nobody in the whole compound had heard any noise. He
closed the door of his brother‟s room behind him and quietly returned
to his own quarters.
In the morning of the next day, everyone woke up, except SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;.
When they did not see him outside, they thought nothing of it. They
believed he must have gone to the forest to check his traps to see if
any of them had caught any animals. When they did not see him by
mid-morning, they decided to check up on him in his room. They
found him in his room stone dead.
This discovery made everyone cry in agony. They screamed in pain.
The news spread like wild fire. Everyone in the whole community was
thrown into grief and melancholy. People cried. They declared a
seven-day mourning for him in his honour. While all this was going
on, SÙi¾ka¾s¾ôi¾ka¾¾ assumed the role of the chief mourner. He even
threatened to kill himself. He claimed that the loss was too much for
him to bear. Everyone felt pity for him; after all, he had lost his own
blood brother. He said that he would have preferred to be the person
who had died, instead of his brother. He cried and cried. Nobody
ever suspected that he was the one responsible for the death of his
brother.
Two days after this, ÙSÙara;sôara; dreamt that he saw somebody holding
his throat in order to choke him to death. He rushed to the home of
970
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation. The Awo also told him
that he needed to offer ẹbọ in order to ward off the impending
death. He was told to protect himself against painful and untimely
calamity.
SÙara;sôara; too could not see any reason why he should offer any eôboô.
He too felt that since he was doing everything that pleased
Olo;du¾mare¾ at all times, he did not need any eôboô for protection
anymore. He therefore refused to offer any eôboô.
Three days after this, when two days still remained for the mourning
period in honour of SÙeÙbi;sôeôbi; to end, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ went to meet SÙara;sôara;
in his room. He told him what he wanted the community to do in
order to give their departed brother a lasting but deserved final
burial. They discussed this for a long time. SÙara;sôara; then brought out
a keg of palm wine from his inner room and both of them settled
down to drink. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ was the one who demanded for it and he
insisted that the two of them must use the same cup to drink. As
they were drinking, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ put his thumb into the palm wine. His
thumb was laden with a very lethal poison. He had however used the
antidote of the poison before coming into his brother‟s room. Within
a few moments, SÙara;sôara; began to sweat profusely. He started
clutching his stomach. The poison was eating away his stomach wall.
It destroyed his kidneys, liver, intestines, and pancreas. Soon after,
he died.
SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ made sure that his brother did not breathe anymore. To
make it double sure, he used his two hands to seal up his nose and
mouth for a long moment. After this, he quietly left his brother‟s
room and went into his own quarter.
The death of SÙara;sôara; was discovered in the evening. The whole
family, neighbourhood, community, and society had something to
grieve over. The whole environment was thrown into a deep sorrow.
Only the culprit, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ was secretly happy. He felt himself on top
of the world. He however pretended that the two deaths equally
affected him badly too. What made him really happy was not the
ingenious ways he had killed his siblings, but the ways he had been
able to shift the blame and suspicion away from himself.
971
The whole community grieved. SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ was the only one who
grinned. In the end, both SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; and SÙara;sôara; were given decent
final burials. After this, SÙi¾ka¾siô ¾ka¾ went totally berserk. He began to
inflict maximum pain on people. His wife and children were not
spared. Before long, his immediate family abandoned him. They ran
away to a place they could not be traced. The fear of SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾
became the beginning of wisdom. Everyone feared and loathed him.
In his punishment styles, those who died were better off than those
who were left bed-ridden. Some lost their sight, some lost their
hearing, some lost their limbs, and many more lost their manhood
and womanhood.
Despite all this, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ lived to his old age. He abhorred hearing
that someone was planning a wedding, a naming ceremony, or
home-warming party. The families planning such things would surely
have something to grieve over. There was no family in the whole
community who did not have one tale of woe or the other to tell.
SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ continued to live on earth but he had no wife, no children,
no family members, or relatives. This did not seem to bother him at
all.
Eventually, old age set in. He had no more energy to do most of the
things he had been doing before. He could no longer fetch water for
himself. He would go without bathing for weeks. His dresses would
remain unwashed for months. At a stage, he would urinate and pass
faeces right inside his room. The whole quarter was filthy and
stinking. Anyone who dared to go in to assist him to clean up the
place would return home with something disastrous to nurse for a
long, long time.
One day, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ died. He died the way he had lived; wickedly.
Nobody noticed until they began to perceive unbearable odour from
his room. When they got there, they realized that dogs had begun to
feast on his corpse. Some able-bodied men were called to dig a hole
and throw his remains into it. That was how he was buried.
As soon as SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ got to heaven, he was not allowed to move
beyond the boundary between heaven and earth. He saw his two
brothers SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; and SÙara;sa
ô ra; inside OÙgba¾-I®te;ôroô¾ (The garden of
972
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
perpetual peace and comfort). He wanted to go into the garden but

he was stopped. He was told that he was not qualified to be there.
He saw his two brothers in unbelievable enjoyment. He called on
them to help him cross over but they could not hear what he was
saying at all. As a matter of fact, they had been absolved from
thinking, hearing, or seeing pain, evil, or calamity.
At the boundary, SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾ grieved. All those inside OÙgba¾-I®te;ôroô¾
grinned. The table had turned against him. The sentries at the
boundary placed a large live ember on SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾‟s toes and told him to
begin to give account of all the evil he had committed in his life. He
screamed in pain and agony and began to recount all what he had
done. Another live ember was then placed on his other toe. He
screamed again. He spent several years experiencing this pain and
narrating all his misdeeds while in Ile;-Aye;.
All these pains and agony were not as excruciating as the pain he felt
from witnessing most of his departed family members and other
colleges experiencing boundless and unlimited comfort, which he was
not qualified to enjoy at all.
One day, SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; planned to return to Ile;-Aye;. While he was going
to get ready for his journey, he was summoned by the Iru;nmoôlôeô¾ in
heaven. He was blessed and was told that since he had done well in
his previous life, it would be very well with him.
Soon after, SÙara;sôara; also planned to return to Ile;-Aye; because he
and his brother SÙeôbi;sôeôbi; had not completed their assignments in Aye;
in their previous lives. The Iru;nmoôleô¾ also summoned him and blessed
him. They also told him that since he had done well in his previous
life on Aye;, it would also be very well with him.
Soon after this, SÙi¾ka¾s¾ôi¾ka¾ called on the sentries in heaven and begged
them to let him go back to Ile;-Aye;. He promised them that he would
go and do good on earth because he had learnt his lesson the bitter
way. The sentries would have none of that. They told him to finish
with the narration of his stories of wickedness, callousness,
973
heartlessness, and meanness first. The pain he had been suffering

became even more excruciating.
He then screamed aloud saying:
EÙ wi; fu;n SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;
Ko; ma;a t’e;ôbi; re¾ô sôe o
EÙ wi; fu;n SÙara;sôara; o o¾
Ko; ma;a t’a;ra; re¾ô sôe o
I®ka¾ n; beô ni; ‘bode¾
To; n; ro’jo;ô
Translation:
Please tell SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;

Let him continue to take good care of his family
Please inform SÙara;sôara;
The wicked one is at the boundary
Still narrating his stories of wickedness
As he was saying this, nobody in OÙgba¾-I®te;ôroô¾ could hear him. It was

not that they did not want to hear him. It was just that hearing
sounds of agony and pain were no longer their portion. The only
things they could hear in OÙgba¾-I®te;ôroô¾ were good music, good news,
and discussions that would bring joy and comfort. Those were the
things they deserved because they had all paid their dues.
OÙwo;ô o¾ôtu;n-u¾n mi ni mo fi n;gba’re ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾
tuntun
Di;a; fu;n SÙeôbi;-sôeôbi;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; w;a;a; sôe
OÙwoô; o¾si¾ i¾ mi ni mo fi n; gba¾’fa¾ ni;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾
tuntun
974
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾

Di;a; fu;n SÙara;sôara;
P’e¾ôgboô;n p’a¾bu;ro¾
K’eô;ku;n o; le to; gbogbo ara; ile; e; sun
Di;a; fu;n SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾
O;: n; re’le; Olo;du¾mare¾
EÙ wi; fu;n SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;
Ko; ma;a t’e;ôbi; re¾ô sôe o
EÙ wi; fu;n SÙara;sôara; o o¾
Ko; ma;a t’a;ra; re¾ô sôe o
I®ka¾ n; beô ni; ‘bode¾
To; n; ro’jo;ô
Translation:
With my right hand do I receive all Ire in the
domain of Olo;du¾mare¾
them on a new O®o¾re; mat
These were Ifa;‟s declarations for SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;
He-who-caters-for-the-welfare-of-his-family
With my left hand do I receive all free gifts
in the domain of Olo;;du¾mare¾
them on new O®o¾re; mats
These were Ifa;‟s declarations for SÙara;;sôara;,
he-who-looks-after-the-well-being-of-his-fellows
Eliminate the elder along with the younger siblings
For the whole household to have something to cry over
975
These were Ifa;‟s declarations for SÙi¾ka¾sôi¾ka¾, the-evil-doer

Please tell SÙeôbi;sôeôbi;
Please inform SÙara;sôara;
The wicked one is at the boundary
Still narrating his stories of wickedness
Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾¾ is revealed never to think,
speak, or do evil lest it recoils on him/her at the end of his/her days
on earth.
Conversely, Ifa; says this person was sent to do good things on Earth,
and must continue to do good at all time. Doing good always, even
directly in the face of resistance and adversity. Members of their
family and society at large are depending upon them.
6. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to
allow the Egu;ngu;n in his/her family lineage to go into ruins. He/she
must ensure that the Egu;ngu;n festival is celebrated regularly and
that all rites are performed at each ceremony.
Ifa; says that it foresees the ire of prosperity, spouse, child-bearing,
and all ire of life for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed.
Ifa; says that this person shall lack nothing in his/her life. Instead of
lacking things, his/her things shall be multiplied by the divinities.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three pigeons, three rats,
three fish, three guinea-fowls, three hens, three roosters,
and money.
He/she also needs to feed Egu;ngu;n with plenty of mo;ôi;nmoô;i;n, e¾ôkoô,
alcohol, palm-oil, and one ram.
976
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
On this, Ifa; says:
Ti; a ba; ji; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾

Ti; a ba; ji; ni; fe¾lô ifeô¾li
Ka; toôoôroô ohun l’oô;wo;ô ol’o;hun
K’o;l’o;hun o; baa¾ le¾ bun’ni
K’o;l’o;hun o; baa¾ le¾ bu¾n’ni¾ya¾n
Ifa; n; lo¾ôoô; t’o¾ôrun sôeô; Ee;gu;n wa;’le; Aye;
Ni;tori; Awo;ro;nke;ô aya a reô o
Translation:
When we wake up early in the morning

When we wake up at dawn
Let us beg for what we need from the Owner
So as to enable the owner to give it to us
And allow the Owner to release it to us
When going to prepare the Egu;ngu;n masquerade
And icon from O®Ùrun to Aye;
Because of Awo;ro;nke;ô his wife
Awo;ro;nke;ô was the beloved wife of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. She had been married
to him for more than 12 years. O®ru;nmi¾la¾ never regretted for even
one day that she was married to him. She understood OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and
knew all his likes and dislikes. She knew how to take good and
proper care of him. She respected and admired him. She made him
feel proud at all times. His only regret however was that Awo;ro;nke;ô
did not beget for him any child. As much as they tried, it was not yet
possible for Awo;ro;nke;ô to become pregnant. It was for this same
reason that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went for Ifa; consultation in the home of his
former students stated above. Will Awo;ro;nke;ô become a mother of
her own children? Will I be able to overcome the problem of
977
childlessness for her? Will she be able to have that feeling which only
women have when they become pregnant? This woman had been
very nice to me. Will I be able to compensate her by providing a
solution to her problem of bareness? These were the questions
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked during Ifa; consultation.
The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he had come because of the problem
that his wife was facing. He was told that his wife would soon be
blessed with the „fruit of the womb‟ if he could perform the eôboô that
Ifa; had prescribed for him. The Awo listed all the eôboô materials as
stated above. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied with the advice that same day.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was also told that he needed to go and fashion an Egu;ngu;n
costume and sacred icon. He was also told to feed the Egu;ngu;n as
soon as the materials were procured. After this, he was to ensure
that the ceremony of the Egu;ngu;n was performed and the Egu;ngu;n
needed to dance round the town.
It was not possible to understand how the Egu;ngu;n costume and
icon would be, since nobody had ever seen one before. This was
what prompted OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to go to OÙ®run in order to bring back the
costume and icon.
When he got to O®Ùrun, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to the Egu;ngu;n of O®Ùrun so that
he could show him how the costume and icon were to be fashioned.
He was not only shown how to do this, but the inhabitants of OÙ®run
assisted him in fashioning the costume and icon. He brought the
materials back to Ile;-Aye;. The necessary rites were performed and
the masquerade danced around the town. The Egu;ngu;n also blessed
Awo;ro;nke;ô and prayed for her that by that time the following year,
she would be carrying her own baby.
That same month, Awo;ro;nke;ô became pregnant and about ten lunar
months later, she gave birth to a bouncing baby girl. The baby was
named Awo;doôla;. Awo;ro;nke;ô‟s joy knew no bound.
Awo;doôla; was developing very rapidly to the joy and admiration of
Awo;ro;nke;ô her mother. By the time Awo;doôla; became 17 years old,
she was married to OÙloô;ba¾-Abe¾ôdu;. As soon as she got to her
978
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
husband‟s house, she became pregnant and gave birth to a bouncing

baby girl. The baby was named Ee;gu;ngboôla;.
Just like her mother, Ee;gu;ngboôla; was also developing rapidly. She
was smart and intelligent. She was equally articulate and outspoken.
She however refused to worship her lineage‟s ancestral Egu;ngu;n.
She declared that she would rather worship other people‟s ancestral
Egu;ngu;n traditions.
Before long, all her things collapsed. She lost all what she had ever
acquired in her life. Her health deteriorated and her finances
disappeared. Tired of this type of living, she was advised to go for Ifa;
consultation in order to find a solution to her problems. For this
reason, she went to the house of the following Awo:
Agbe pa sa¾
Agbe a r’o¾kun
A®lu¾ko¾ pa sa¾
Woôn a r’oô¾sa¾
Aa;se¾ôeô; ba¾ge¾ôba¾ge¾ô ki¾i; fi’hun oôroô¾ sô’a¾ri;gbo¾ôn loô
Di;a; fu;n Ee;gu;ngboôla;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloôb
; a¾-Abe¾ôdu;
OÙmoô a ja; ti;nn;ti;n b’oômoô l'eô;nu
I®gba¾ ti; o; n; sôe oun gbogbo
Ti; o¾ôkan o¾ yoô’ri;
Translation:
Agbe took off

And went to the high seas
A®lu¾ko¾¾ took off
And went to the lagoons
The awkward A:a;se¾ôeô; bird does not ignore what
will bring success
These were Ifa;‟s messages for Ee;gu;ngboôla;
The daughter of OÙloô;ba¾-Abe¾ôdu;
979
The offspring of those who put tiny food into the

mouths of their children
When she was doing all things
Without succeeding in anything
The Awo told Ee;gu;ngboôla; that all her ancestral Egu;ngu;n were angry
with her for abandoning them. They could not understand why she
wanted to leave her ancestors and embrace other people‟s ancestors.
They said that the only solution left for her was to return to embrace
her ancestral Egu;ngu;n and to ensure that the Egu;ngu;n did not go
into ruins. They told her that she must ensure that the costume of
the Egu;ngu;n was repaired or mended. She must also ensure that all
the; Egu;ngu;n rites were performed and that the Egu;ngu;n was made
to dance around the town. She was equally advised to offer eôboô as
stated above. All these, Ee;gu;ngboôla; did.
As soon as she did these things, her health improved, her fortune
picked up, and she got back on the track of success and
accomplishment. She became a great advocate to others, insisting
that their ancestral Egu;ngu;n must not be allowed to go into ruins or
be abandoned for any reason whatsoever.
Ti; a ba; ji; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾

Ti; a ba; ji; ni; fe¾lô ifeô¾li
Ka; toôoôroô ohun l’oô;wo;ô ol’o;hun
K’o;l’o;hun o; baa¾ le¾ bun’ni
K’o;l’o;hun o; baa¾ le¾ bu¾n’ni¾ya¾n
Ifa; n; lo¾ôoô; t’o¾ôrun sôeô; Ee;gu;n wa;’le; Aye;
Ni;tori; Awo;ro;nke;ô aya a reô o
Ni;gba¾ti;; yo;o; bi¾i;
O: bi; Awo;doôla;
Awo;doôla; wa;a; d’a¾gba¾ ta;n
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Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
O: loô feô; OÙloô;ba¾-Abe¾ôdu;

OÙmoô a ja; ti;nn;ti;n b’oômoô leô;’nu
I®gba¾ti; yo;o; bi¾i;
O: bi; Ee;gu;ngboôla;
Ee;gu;ngboôla; lo; wa;a; d’aôgbaô ta;n
O: fi Ee;gu;n ile; e Baba re¾ô si;’le¾ô ni o¾ boô
Ni; n; lo¾ôoô; boô Ee;gu;n ile; e Baba oni;baba
Ni aye; e re¾ô eô; ba; d’oju; ru;
O: wa;a; toô a¾woôn
Agbe pa sa¾
Agbe a r’o¾kun
A®lu¾ko¾ pa sa¾
Woôn a r’oô¾sa¾
Aa;se¾ôeô; ba¾ge¾ôba¾ge¾ô ki¾i; fi’hun oôroô¾ sô’a¾ri;gbo¾ôn loô
Di;a; fu;n Ee;gu;ngboôla;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloôb; a¾-Abe¾ôdu;
OÙmoô a ja; ti;nn;ti;n b’oômoô l'eô;nu
I®gba¾ ti; o; n; sôe oun gbogbo
Ti; o¾ôkan o¾ yoô’ri;
N®je;ô eô ma; ma¾ jeô; ko; run o
EÙ ma; ma¾ jeô; ko; run
Egu;ngu;n OÙloô;ba¾
EÙ ma; ma¾ jeô; ko; run o
Translation:
When we wake up early in the morning

When we wake up at dawn
Let us beg for what we need from the owner
So as to enable the owner to give it us
And allow the owner to release it to us
When going to prepare the Egu;ngu;n masquerade
And icon from O®Ùrun to Aye;
Because of Awo;ro;nke;ô his wife
981

He complied
When she delivered
She gave birth to Awo;doôla;
When Awo;doôla; grew up
She got married to OÙloô;ba¾-Abe¾ôdu;
The offspring of those who put tiny food into
the mouths of their children
When she delivered
She gave birth to Ee;gu;ngboôla;
When Ee;gu;ngboôla; grew up
She abandoned her; ancestral Egu;ngu;n
without propitiating them anymore
She went to embrace other people‟s ancestors
And all her fortunes collapsed
She then went to:
Agbe took off
And went to the high seas
A®lu¾ko¾¾ took off
And went to the lagoons
The awkward A:a;se¾ôeô; bird does not ignore
what will bring success
These were Ifa;‟s messages for Ee;gu;ngboôla;
The daughter of OÙloô;ba¾-Abe¾ôdu;
The offspring of those who put tiny food into
the mouths of their children
When she was doing all things
Without succeeding in anything
She complied
Please do not allow it to go into ruin
The Egu;ngu;n of OÙloô;ba¾
Please do not allow it to go into ruin
The Egu;ngu;n of OÙlo;ôba¾
Ifa; advises this person to keep all the ancestral rites of his/her
lineage alive. By so doing, he/she will never lack anything of
982
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
importance and will have success stories to narrate at the end of the
day. They must also research as best as possible to restore such
information, so it remains intact for future generations.
NOTE: Egu;ngu;n is a male society, as such certain aspects are only
handled by men, who themselves are knowledgeable in the tradition.
7. Ifa; says that it foresees the ire of longevity for the person for
whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that if this person is confronted
with illness, he/she is assured that he/she will not die. Ifa; assures
him/her that the illness will disappear. The eôboô offered will be for the
ailment to disappear.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks and money.
He/she also needs to feed Ifa; as appropriate by asking Ifa; what Ifa;
wants. After this, he/she is advised to keep an Olo;gbo¾¾ (cat) as pet.
On this, Ifa; says:
Baa;le; me;ôta, i¾sôu¾ o¾ôoô¾le¾ô meô;fa¾

Ka; pi;n-in ni; me;ji¾-me;ji¾
Ki; mari;wo o; jeôun ko; yo;
Baba n; sô’oô¾gbo¾ôgboô¾ a¾ru¾n
Ifa; n; n’ara ka;ka; a¾ti di¾de
O: n; yi; gbiri-gbi;;ri l’o;ju; ina;
Translation:
Three family heads, six wraps of moô;i;n-mo;ôi;n

Share the moô;i;n-moô;i;n two per person
For the committee of ;Awo to eat to their satisfaction
These were Ifa;‟s messages for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
And was hoping for the time he would rise and walk
¾He was rolling close to the fire
983
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was very ill. He was getting weaker and weaker by the day.
All medications he administered on himself and those which his
former students administered on him were ineffective. His friends
were seriously worried. His foes were jubilating. His friends and
family were praying for him to recover as quickly as possible. His foes
were working hard to ensure that he did not survive the ailment.
They were the cause of the ailment in the first place. They were the
ones who sent him spiritual “arrows”, which ended up poisoning and
disorganizing his spiritual make-up. That was why all the medications
that had been given to him, until that time, had failed to work.
Why did they attack him? What was his offence? Simple, they were
envious of all his achievements. They found it difficult to understand
why he should be the only one whom everybody would be hailing
and adoring. They felt that it would be better for him to have
something serious and undesirable to nurse for the rest of his life on
earth. They were convinced that the ailment would divert his
attention away from giving assistance to others, and by so doing, all
those who were hailing him would stop doing so. They combined all
their efforts together in order to ensure that he was brought down
unfailingly. Their efforts were working and they were getting results.
When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ realized that his efforts along with those of his well -
wishers were not yielding results, he went for Ifa; consultation in the
house of his former students mentioned above. He was particularly
interested in what to do to ensure that he regained his health,
strength and vitality.
The Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would surely regain his health. He
was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied. He was also
instructed to keep a cat as a domestic pet. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ did so.
As soon as he did what he was instructed to do by the Awo, all the
medications he used began to work as he expected. The cat that he
kept in his home also helped in chasing away all the negative forces
that had hitherto taken permanent residence in his home. As he
began to regain his strength and health, his numerous enemies
984
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
began to panic. When he became healthy, his enemies were in total

disarray. They had no joy. They became frustrated and disillusioned.
Their negative wishes for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ were not accepted by the
divinities.
Baa;le; me;ôta, i¾sôu¾ o¾ôoô¾le¾ô meô;fa¾

Ka; pi;n-in ni; me;ji¾-me;ji¾
Ki; mari;wo o; jeôun ko; yo;
Baba n; sô’oô¾gbo¾ôgboô¾ a¾ru¾n
Ifa; n; n’ara ka;ka; a¾ti di¾de
O: n; yi; gbiri-gbi;;ri l’o;ju; ina;
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni l’a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
N®je;ô gbogbo ibi ti; eô ni; o; sôe mi;
Ko¾ lee¾ sôe mi; mo;ô o
; u;n l’olo;gbo¾ o; maa sun
EÙku;n eôl’eôk
A®a¾we¾ô al’a;a¾we¾ô l’olo;gbo¾ o; maa gba¾
Translation:
Three family heads, six wraps of moô;i;n-mo;ôi;n

Share the moô;i;n-moô;i;n two per person
For the committee of ;Awo to eat to their satisfaction
These were Ifa;‟s messages for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
And was hoping for the time he would rise and walk
¾He was rolling close to the fire
He complied
Join us where we offer eôboô to gain victory over foes
Overcoming adversity is what Ifa; guarantees its devotees
985
Now, all the evil you planned to happen to me

Had failed to have effect on me again
The cat is known for shedding other people‟s tears
And lamenting over other people‟s agony
Ifa; says that all the evil plans against the person for whom this Odu¾
is revealed shall have no effect on him/her. All those planning the evil
shall become frustrated and disillusioned. It is necessary to perform
all the rites mentioned, take the traditional medicines and ensure to
keep a cat in place of abode, and never maltreat cats in general.
8. Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that
he/she shall not die in his/her youth. Ifa; says that even if death is
snatching away his/her contemporaries, he/she shall be spared from
untimely death.
Ifa;; says that this person is facing attacks from many quarters
because of his/her truthfulness. Ifa;; says that their evil plans against
him shall not succeed. He/she shall live to tell his/her story.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and
money. He/she also needs to bring one of his/her clothes, one
old rag, and some dried leaves from the banana tree. When
the eôboô is to be offered, this person will wear the banana leaves and
rags. He/she will then go to place the eôboô by the E®sôu¾ shrine and
remove the rag and the dried banana leaves and place them on top
of the E®sôu¾ shrine as well. The complete set of clothing he/she offers
as part of the eôboô materials will also be placed by E®sôu¾ before he/she
returns to the Awo in order to complete the eôboô ri;ru (ritual process);.
On this, Ifa; says:
E®yi; wi;nni;wi;nni; l’awo e¾yi; wi;nni;wi;nni;

E®yi; wi¾nni¾wi¾¾nni¾ l’awo e¾yi; wi¾nni¾wi¾nni¾
Ahoô;n ni;i; pa eôl’eôp
; a¾
Aho;ôn ni;i; pa iku;n
A®ba;jo;ko¾o; o¾ j’oômoô eôni
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Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
A®di¾n obi¾nrin o¾ ju’mo¾ô

Di;a; fu;n O®o;to;ô-aye;-o¾-to;
To; d’eôru¾ ka’le¾¾ô
Ti; wo;ôn ni; ko; ma;a ba;’ku; loô o
Translation:
The striped one is the Awo of the striped one

The spotted one is the Awo of the spotted one
Greed leads to the death of the peanut dealer
And greed leads to the death of the squirrel
One‟s companion is not the same as one‟s child
And a woman‟s trick is not easily understandable
These were Ifa;‟s messages for O®o;to;ô-Aye;-o¾-to;,
there-is-insufficient-truth-on-earth
Who packed his belongings
And was asked to follow death
O®o;to;ô-aye;-o¾-to;, there-is-insufficient-truth-on-earth, was in serious

trouble. Everywhere he went, people wished he was dead. Series of
plots were hatched against him, but they all failed. At a stage his
colleagues were being killed in their prime, but O®o;to;ô-aye;-o¾-to;
managed to escape the plots to eliminate him.
One day, these conspirators recruited his wife to assist them in their
bid to kill him. Surprisingly, the wife agreed to cooperate with the
conspirators, when she was offered an amount she could not resist.
They gave her all the things they wanted her to use to poison her
husband.
They also gave her half of the money they had promised her to do
the job. Two days after, she got the money and the poison. She put
it in her husband‟s food. The husband fell seriously ill the next day.
They took him from place to place, but there was no improvement.
This is what prompted him to seek solution from Ifa;. He went to the
home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation.
987
Will I regain my health? Will I escape death, which my friends Ee;sa¾,

A®ro;, OÙjoômu and others did not escape?
The Awo assured O®o;to;ô-Aye;-o¾-to; that even though many of his
contemporaries had died violent and untimely deaths, he would be
spared. He was told that his truthfulness would help him overcome
all these envious people who thought nothing good of truthful
people. The Awo told him that he would also regain his strength. He
was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied.
When he was carrying the eôboô to the E®sôu¾ shrine wearing the articles
his Awo instructed, E®sôu¾ saw the way he dressed and took pity on
him. E®sôu¾ decreed that no evil should befall him again henceforth. He
also ordered that all those who had perpetrated any form of
wickedness against him must be exposed and duly punished.
It all happened as E®sôu¾ had decreed. The most shocking part to O®o;to;ô-
Aye;-o¾-to; was that of his wife. The wife met with serious calamity.
She confessed before she died; a slow but painful death. He regained
his health and was grateful to his Awo and Olo;du¾mare¾ for the rest of
his life.
They said:
E®yi; wi;nni;wi;nni; l’awo e¾yi; wi;nni;wi;nni;

E®yi; wi¾nni¾wi¾¾nni¾ l’awo e¾yi; wi¾nni¾wi¾nni¾
Ahoô;n ni;i; pa eôl’eôp
; a¾
Aho;ôn ni;i; pa iku;n
A®ba;jo;ko¾o; o¾ j’oômoô eôni
A®di¾n obi¾nrin o¾ ju’mo¾ô
Di;a; fu;n O®o;to;ô-aye;-o¾-to;
To; d’eôru¾ ka’le¾¾ô
Ti; wo;ôn ni; ko; ma;a ba;’ku; loô o
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
988
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
Iku; wa;a; pa Oo;saô

O: pa A®ro;
Iku; pa EÙjeômu teô;e;ôreô; ile; e woôn
O®o;to;ô-Aye;-o¾-to; ni¾kan ni’ku; o¾ lee¾ pa o
Translation:
The striped one is the Awo of the striped one

Tôhe spotted one is the Awo of the spotted one
Greed leads to the death of the peanut dealer
And greed leads to the death of the squirrel
One‟s companion is not the same as one‟s child
And a woman‟s trick is not easily understandable
These were Ifa;‟s messages for O®o;to;ô-Aye;-o¾-to;,
there-is-insufficient-truth-on-earth
Who packed his belongings
And was asked to follow death
He complied
Come and perceive all ire of life
Death killed Oo;sa¾
He snatched away A®ro;
Death eliminated the slender ÙEÙjeômu in their house
Only O®o;to;ô-Aye;-o¾-to;; was not killed
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be
spared from untimely death, ailment, and all problems of adversity.
They must pay close attention to those around, and never take for
granted who is ones friend in times of need and despair.
9. Ifa; advises a female where this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô

against premature death. Ifa; says that this death is not from
enemies; but rather, it is coming from her EÙgbeô; in heaven. As this
person is important and needed on earth, so also is she required
989
among her EÙgbeô; in heaven. Ifa; also says that this person is an
EÙleô;gbe;ô and an A®bi;ku; who had chosen as part of her A®ku;nle¾ôya¾n the
propensity to die young.
Ifa;; warns this person not to wear blue clothing, also for her children
not to wear them, not to use blue coverlets to wrap her body or the
body of any of her children.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, blue
clothing, a blue scarf, blue head wear, and money. She also
needs to feed EÙgbeô; with all edible fruits, honey, food, cakes and
so on available at the particular point in time when the Ifa; was cast.
On this, Ifa; says:
I®pe;ôpeô; idi; ni;i; f’ara joô akika

Di;a; fu;n E®re; Aye;
A bu¾ fu;n t’O®Ùrun
Translation:
The bark of the Idi; tree resembles a pangolin

This was the Ifa; cast for the E®re;-of-the-World
And also for the E®re;-of-Heaven
E®re; Aye; had become a leader of all her EÙgbeô; on earth. She was doing
very well among her EÙgbeô;. She was highly respected and beloved.
She was also instrumental to the joy and success of many of her
EÙÙgbeô; members. All the EÙgbeô; on earth wanted her to stay with them
to continue as their leader. Her leadership qualities were agreeable to
all her members.
Before she moved to the world, she was the leader of her EÙgbeô; in
heaven. Her leadership was excellent. She had left a vacuum which
no other member of her EÙgbeô; in heaven could fill. They longed to
have her back. At a stage, her EÙgbeô; in heaven could not wait any
990
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
longer. They wanted her as quickly as possible. For this reason, they
sent a delegate to go to the world to bring her back. The delegate
was informed that she was fond of wearing blue scarf and blue head
wear. As soon as they saw her with these items, they were
mandated, they must not wait for a moment before bringing her back
to heaven.
That very day, her parents had a dream which gave them cause for
anxiety. They rushed to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa;
consultation. The Awo told them that death was hovering over the
head of their daughter. They were instructed to offer eôboô with all her
blue dresses, a blue scarf, blue coloured head-wear, one mature he-
goat and money. Here parents did all this immediately. They were
also advised to feed EÙgbeô; as stated above. They also complied.
As soon as this was done, she no longer had the capability to answer
her EÙgbeô; in heaven, except in her dreams. She was performing her
roles on earth. The moment all the blue clothing were removed from
her, she had no way of going back to her EÙgbeô; in heaven (they could
not positively identify her).
One day, the EÙgbeô; in heaven came as a group in her dream, to
appeal to her to follow them back to heaven. She however explained
to them that she had vowed while choosing her destiny, that she
would take her blue scarf and head-wear along with her to heaven
whenever she returned, but unfortunately she could not get these
items anymore.
She began to sing in a sorrowful manner, saying:
N o¾ ri; ge¾le¾ e¾ôpa moô; o o¾

N o¾ ri; ge¾le¾
E®re; Aye;, ko; soô f’E:re¾e; O®Ùrun
N o¾ ri; ge¾le¾ e¾ôpa moô; o
N o¾ ri;’bo¾ru¾n e¾ôpa moô; o o¾
N o¾ ri;‘bo¾ru¾n
N o¾ ri;’bo¾ru¾n e¾ôpa moô; o
991
Translation:
I cannot find my blue head-wear anymore

I cannot find my head-wear
Let the E®re; of Earth, tell those in heaven
I cannot find my blue scarf anymore
I cannot find my scarf
Let the E®re;; on earth tell those in heaven
Hearing this song, the E®re;-in-Heaven returned to heaven, highly

disappointed. The E®re;-on-Earth retained their leader, highly jubilant.
I®pe;ôpeô; idi; ni;i; f’ara joô akika

Di;a; fu;n E®re; Aye;
A bu¾ fu;n t’O®Ùrun
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l’a;i¾ku; kangiri
A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n o; j’oyin loô
N®j®e;ô n o¾ ri; ge¾le¾ e¾p
ô a moô; o
N o¾ ri; ge¾le¾
N o¾ ri; ge¾le¾ e¾ôpa moô; o
N o¾ ri;’bo¾ru¾n e¾ôpa moô; o o¾
N o¾ ri;‘bo¾ru¾n
N o¾ ri;’bo¾ru¾n e¾ôpa moô; o
Translation:
992
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
The bark of the Idi; tree resembles a pangolin

This was the Ifa; cast for the E®re;-of-the-World
And also for the E®re;-of-Heaven
They complied
The longevity guaranteed by Ifa; is sweater than honey
Now, I cannot find my blue head-wear anymore
I cannot find my head-wear
Let the E®re;-of-Earth, tell those in heaven
I cannot find my scarf
Let the E®re;; on earth tell those in heaven
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall not be
allowed to die young. She will be spared from tasting untimely and
premature death, as long as these rites can be performed and advice
adhered to she will enjoy the blessings of life.
NOTE: the female client here may show reluctants to perform the
necessary rituals, it is because of the destiny she choose. Her family
and loved ones may be the ones acting as impetus to perform all
necessary rites.
10. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will not
be made to experience any negative repercussions on all his/her
undertakings. Ifa; says that people will want him/her to experience
negative consequences on his/her thoughts, utterances, and actions
but it will never happen.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three rats, three fish,
three pigeons, three hens, three guinea fowls, three cocks,
three snails, three land snails, three tortoises, and money.
The head of the tortoises will be burnt together with ahu¾n leaves, the
Awo will then grind into a fine powder and given to this person to
993
consume with cold corn meal (porridge). If this is done, no evil

repercussions will ever be experienced by the person for whom this
Odu¾ is revealed.
On this, Ifa; says:
Oni;wo¾o;lo ji¾nwo;lo;
I®gbo¾ônn¾gbo¾ôn t’ohu¾n-d’o;ro;hu¾n
O®gu;n ju¾u;ru;ju¾
Ifa; ni; Ele;n¾pe gb’o¾de
O®te;re;re; l’omi I®bana¾-Ka;ko¾
Ifa; ni; mo mo¾ô-oô;n
Mo ni; mo mo¾ô-oô;n
O: ni; omi abe;ô ibo ni?
Mo ni; wo;ôn n; sôu moô;i;n-mo;ôi;n fu;n m’oôde; ke;kere; oôwoô;
Wo;ôn n; sôu a¾ka¾ra¾ le¾ôbeôl¾ e¾b ô eô¾ fu;n m’oôde; ke;kere; O®ke¾
I®jero¾
Woô;n n; pa igba eôni s’o;ke¾ i¾hi;n
Wo;ôn n; pa igba eôni s’o;ke¾ o¾ôhu;n
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ni; o¾hun d’a;ye;
O: di oôdu;;n Keôri¾ndi;nlo;gu;n
O®un l’o;un la’le¾ô ile; moô
O®un fi o¾ôgba¾ra¾n¾di¾ oye¾ la’le¾ô
Lo;ri; i¾pi¾le¾ô oô¾ro¾ô meô;ta l’o¾un jo;ko¾o; si;
O®un wa; n; gbo;ô yooroya;a¾ l’o;ju; o¾de
Ifa; ni; ki;nlo; sôe woô;n
Ti; wo;ôn fi n; p’ariwo l’o;de
Wo;ôn ni; oômoô woônô ni woô;n n; mu; re’le; oôkoô
O®rÙ u;nmi¾la¾ ni; i¾ya; o¾un n’¾i¾yeôn o
O: ni; i¾ya;-i¾ya; o
O ku;n mo¾si; o¾¾re
O®Ùjeô¾gi¾-jeôgi n¾ t’e¾e ô ô¾ri¾
M’o;ri; re’le; oôkoô
Ma; ma¾ m’eô;wa¾ loô o
O®o¾jo;ô l’eôwa n; bo¾ô
Ori; ni;;i; ba;’ni gbe;’le; oôkoô
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Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
Ile; oôkoô to; ba; gbe’ni la¾a; sôe a¾a¾ro¾ a¾soôoô¾sôi; si;
O o; bi; oôsa¾n
O o; bi; o¾ro
E®yi; ti; o o; bi;¾i; o¾ ni;i; ni oô; l’a;ra
L’a;gba;ra i¾pi¾le¾ô oô¾ro¾ô meô;ta a¾soôoô¾se;
Translation:
I®gbo¾ônn¾gbo¾ôn t‟ohu¾n-d‟o;ro;hu¾n
Ifa; ni; Ele;n¾pe gb‟o¾de
O®te;re;re; l‟omi I®bana¾-Ka;ko¾
Ifa declares that I know it
I chorus that I know it
He asked, the stream is under what substance?
I responded that they were wrapping mo;ôi;n-mo;ôi;n
meal for the infants
They were wrapping a¾ka¾ra¾ for the young ones
of O®ke¾ I®jero¾¾ land
They were killing 200 people on this hillside
They were also killing 200 people on that hillside
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declared that when he got to the world
And 16 years after
He constructed his property
He was also honoured with a title
He sat on three moulded heap foundations
He heard different sounds outside the frontage
of his house
Ifa; demanded to know what was happening
That was making them to make such noise
They responded that they were performing a
wedding ceremony for their daughter
O®Ùru;nÙmi¾la¾ responded that that was his mother
He declared,” Mother, mother.”
“Gently, whose pet-name is Mo¾si; O®re”
“Whose praise name is also O®Ùjeô¾gi¾-jegi n¾¾ te¾ôeô¾re¾ô" ”
995
“Go to your matrimonial home with your destiny”

“Do not rely on your beauty”
“It takes only one day for beauty to return”
“But destiny accompanies one to one‟s matrimonial home
“The matrimonial home which is agreeable to one
is where one makes a permanent hearten stone”
“You will give birth to children as sweet as
the star mango”
“And those as plump as the cherry mango”
“None of your births will ever bring you discomfort”
“By the grace of the origin of those three esoteric words
which never fail to manifest”
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was narrating his activities and achievements on earth. He

explained that there was a time when some people were trying to
make life comfortable for infants and the young ones, some other
people were busy engaging in senseless wars. He explained that
people were killed in the hundreds in the war.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ moved on from there to explain that as soon as he spent
16 years on earth, he erected his own personal building and at the
same time, he was conferred with a chieftaincy title. Shortly after
this, he explained that he was hearing sounds and jubilation close to
his house. He enquired from the people to know what the activities
were all about. He was informed that some people were giving the
hand of their daughter in marriage.
Hearing this, he responded that the damsel being married out was
his mother. He praised her. After this, he gave her his blessings and
said that she would find peace and comfort in her husband‟s house.
He also advised her that she should not be beauty conscious where
she was going. He explained that beauty would not attract the
husband and his family members for more than one day. Only
destiny and good character would make her succeed where she was
going. He blessed her that she would give birth to both male and
female children, sweet and plump children, and honourable and
responsible children.
996
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
He drew the authority of his utterances from the foundation of the

three great esoteric words which never failed to come to pass.
Saying all these made OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to incur the wrath of those who were
around at the time. They could not understand how someone could
be telling the story of his own mother, especially when considering
the fact that the mother was just a damsel who had never had any
child before. They concluded that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ would face grave
consequences for his utterances. They said that nobody needed to
bother with him anymore because he would be damned; and that the
negative repercussion would enter into his head, which he used in
thinking out those blasphemous words.
By the time these people saw OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ again, they realized to their
utter surprise, that it was a crown filled with money and cowries that
covered his head.
They were still convinced that he would face the repercussion of his
utterances. They said that nobody should bother with him anymore
and that all what he was doing would weigh heavily on his neck.
By the time they saw O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ again, they were all surprised to see
that he was wearing the most expensive beads round his neck.
They were still sure that he would face its repercussion. They
declared that there was no need for anyone to bother about him
anymore, since all his misbehaviour would bring problems round his
waist.
By the time they saw OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ again, they realized that he was
wearing expensive OÙmoÙku¾n beads round his waist.
Yet, they were convinced that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ would face negative
consequences. In fact, they were praying for him to have problems.
They declared that he would soon be gripped by serious problems.
By the time they saw him again, they realized that he had already
been gripped; but by two damsels, glorious in their appearance. They
declared that there was no need for anyone to worry about OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
any longer, because the consequences would drag on his legs.
997
By the time they saw him again, they realized that he had his legs
adorned with a pair of magnificent sandals decorated with ostrich
feathers that were dragging along on OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s legs.
The enemies refused to give up. They were looking for everything
and anything to ensure that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ entered into trouble. They all
ganged up together to make sure this happened. They went to a
lengthy extent to put OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in trouble.
When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ realized that his enemies were bent on making him
face the repercussion of his utterances, he went to the following Awo
for Ifa; consultation:
EÙni; te;e; ori; i pe¾pe;

O®ru¾le; ba te;e; l’o;ri; eôni;
Ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾ te;e; l’o;ri; eôni; o¾re;ba
OÙba te;e; l’o;ri i ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾
I®ye;ô oô¾ki;n ni¾ni¾i¾ni¾ te;e; l’o;ri; ade; ori; oÙba
E®ni¾ya¾n wi¾sôiwi¾sôi l’eô;yi¾n esôinsôin
Di;;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾
Woô;n ni; gbogbo oun ti;’fa; ba; n; sôe
OÙ®kan o¾ ni; le e¾ hun-u;n
Translation:
The mat is spread on the plank bed

The sheet is spread on the mat
The pillow is placed on the decorated mat
The OÙba rested peacefully on the pillow
The peacock feather on the OÙba‟s crown
Only fools chase after the houseflies
These were the declarations of Ifa; to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When they said that we would face no repercussion
Over all what he was doing
He was advised to offer eôboôô
998
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied. He

was also advised to prepare the Ifa; soup with the tortoise as stated
above. He also did.
Ever since that time, there was nothing that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ did that gave
him any negative repercussion. He manifested his potentials to the
regret and sorrow of his antagonists.
In the end, he began to sing and dance, saying:
Mo m’o;ri; ahun
Mo fi sôe¾’ri¾woôn o
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ lo; ni; gbogbo ohun ti; mo ba; n; sôe
Ko¾ yo;o; le e¾ hun mi; mo;ô o
Mo m’o;ri; ahun
Translation:
I have taken the head of a tortoise

And have used it to prepare medicine
against repercussions
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declared that all my activities
Will not bring me any repercussion
They will not bring me any repercussion anymore
And used it to prepare medicine against repercussions
That was how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ succeeded in putting all his antagonists to

shame. In the end, they left him alone to enjoy his life in peace and
comfort.
I®gbo¾ônn¾gbo¾ôn t’ohu¾n-d’o;ro;hu¾n
Ifa; ni; Ele;n¾pe gb’o¾de
O®te;re;re; l’omi I®bana¾-Ka;ko¾
999
Ifa; ni; mo mo¾ô-oô;n

Mo ni; mo mo¾ô-oô;n
O: ni; omi abe;ô ibo ni?
Mo ni; wo;ôn n; sôu moô;i;n-mo;ôi;n fu;n m’oôde; ke;kere; oôwoô;
Wo;ôn n; sôu a¾ka¾ra¾ le¾ôbeôl¾ e¾b ô eô¾ fu;n m’oôde; ke;kere; O®ke¾
I®jero¾
Woô;n n; pa igba eôni s’o;ke¾ i¾hi;n
Wo;ôn n; pa igba eôni s’o;ke¾ o¾ôhu;n
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ni; o¾hun d’a;ye;
O: di oôdu;;n Keôri¾ndi;nlo;gu;n
O®un l’o;un la’le¾ô ile; moô
O®un fi o¾ôgba¾ra¾n¾di¾ oye¾ la’le¾ô
Lo;ri; i¾pi¾le¾ô oô¾ro¾ô meô;ta l’o¾un jo;ko¾o; si;
O®un wa; n; gbo;ô yooroya;a¾ l’o;ju; o¾de
Ifa; ni; ki;nlo; sôe woô;n
Ti; wo;ôn fi n; p’ariwo l’o;de
Wo;ôn ni; oômoô woônô ni woô;n n; mu; re’le; oôkoô
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ni; i¾ya; o¾un n’¾i¾yeôn o
O: ni; i¾ya;-i¾ya; o
O ku;n mo¾si; o¾¾re
O®Ùjeô¾gi¾-jeôgi n¾ t’e¾e ô ô¾re¾ô
M’o;ri; re’le; oôkoô
Ma; ma¾ m’eô;wa¾ loô o
O®o¾jo;ô l’eôwa n; bo¾ô
Ori; ni;;i; ba;’ni gbe;’le; oôkoô
Ile; oôkoô to; ba; gbe’ni la¾a; sôe a¾a¾ro¾ a¾soôoô¾sôi; si;
O o; bi; oôsa¾n
O o; bi; o¾ro
E®yi; ti; o o; bi;¾i; o¾ ni;i; ni oô; l’a;ra
L’a;gba;ra i¾pi¾le¾ô oô¾ro¾ô meô;ta a¾soôoô¾se;
Wo;ôn ni; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
I®ta¾n i¾ya; a¾ reô lo¾ n; pa yi¾i;
O: ni; t’o;un ba; pa a; n; ko;ô?
Woô;n ni; eô ju’fa; si;’le¾ô
Woô;n ni; gbogbo ele;yi¾i; to; n; sôe nni¾
Woô;n ni; ni;’si¾nyi; ni yo;o; de; e l’o;ri; yi¾i;
1000
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
I®gba¾ti; yo;o; de;’fa; l’o;ri;

Ade; owo; lo; de; e l’o;ri;
Woô;n ni; eô ju’fa; si;’le¾ô
Woôô;n ni; e¾yi; ti; n; sôe nni¾
Woô;n ni; ni;si¾nyi;; ni yo;o; wo¾ôoô; l’o;rô u¾n yi¾i;
I®gba¾ti; yo;o; woô’fa; l’o;ôru¾n
E®ji¾gba¾ra¾ i¾le¾ôkeô¾ o¾un oômoô’ku¾n lo; wo¾ôoô; l’o;ôru¾n
Woô;n ni; eô ju’fa; si;'le¾ô
Woô;n ni;; gbogbo e¾yi; ti; n; sôe nni¾
Woô;n ni; ni;si¾nyi; ni yo;o; da¾ si;i ni;’di¾i; yi¾i;
I®gba¾ti; yo;o; da¾ si;’fa; ni;'di¾i;
OÙmoô’ku¾n me;ji¾ poônroôn-poô¾nro¾ôn-poônroôn lo; da¾ si;i
ni;'di¾i;
Wo;ôn ni; eô ju’fa; si;'le¾ô
Woô;n ni; e¾yi; ti; n; sôe nni¾
Woô;n ni; ni;si¾nyi; ni yo;o; ki¾i; mo;ô’leô¾ yi¾i;
I®gba¾ti; yo;o; ki’fa; mo;ô’leô¾
Omidan me;ji¾ ab’i¾ho¾o¾ho¾ pori¾pori¾ lo; ki’fa; mo;ô’leô¾
Woô;n ni; eô joô¾o;ô reô¾
Woô;n ni; gbogbo e¾yi; ti; n; sôe nni¾
Woô;n ni; ni;si¾nyi; ni yo;o; su;n-un l’e;ôseô¾ yi¾i;
I®gba¾ti; yo;o; su;n'Fa; l'e;se
Sa;lu;ba¾ta¾ me;ji¾ keôreô-keô¾re¾ô-keôreô
Woô;n f’i¾yeô; o¾go¾mu¾n¾gomu¾ bo¾o;
O®un na;a¾ lo; su;n’Fa; l’e;ôseô¾
EÙni; te;e; ori; i pe¾pe;
O®ru¾le; ba te;e; l’o;ri; eôni;
Ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾ te;e; l’o;ri; eôni; o¾re;ba
OÙba te;e; l’o;ri i ti¾mu¾ti¾mu¾
I®ye;ô oô¾ki;n ni¾ni¾i¾ni¾ te;e; l’o;ri; ade; ori; oÙba
E®ni¾ya¾n wi¾sôiwi¾sôi l’eô;yi¾n esôinsôin
Di;;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾
Woô;n ni; gbogbo oun ti;’fa; ba; n; sôe
OÙ®kan o¾ ni; le e¾ hun-u;n
1001
N®jeô; mo m’o;ri; ahun

Mo fi sô’e¾ri¾woôn
Mo m’o;ri; ahun
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ lo; ni; gbogbo ohun ti; mo ba; n; sôe
Ko¾ yo;o; le e¾ hun mi; mo;ô o
Mo m’o;ri; ahun
Ko pe, ko jinna
E waa ba’ni l’aruuse ogun
Ajase ogun laa ba’ni l’ese Obarisa
Translation:
I®gbo¾ônn¾gbo¾ôn t‟ohu¾n-d‟o;ro;hu¾n
Ifa; ni; Ele;n¾pe gb‟o¾de
O®te;re;re; l‟omi I®bana¾-Ka;ko¾
Ifá declares that I know it
I chorus that I know it
He asked, the stream is under what substance?
I responded that they were wrapping moô;i;n-mo;ôi;n
for the infants
They were wrapping a¾ka¾ra¾ for the young ones
of O®ke¾ I®jero¾ land
They were killing 200 people on this hillside
They were also killing 200 people on that hillside
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ declared that when he got to the world
And 16 years after
He constructed his property
He was also honoured with a title
He sat on three moulded heap foundations
He was then hearing different sounds outside
the frontage of his house
Ifá demanded to know what was happening
That was making them to make such noise
1002
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
They responded that they were performing a

wedding ceremony for their daughter
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ responded that that was his mother
He declared, “Mother, mother.”
“Gently, whose pet-name is Mo¾si; O®re
“Whose praise name is also O®Ùjeô¾gi¾-jegi n¾¾ te¾ôeô¾re¾ô
“Go to your matrimonial home with your destiny
“Do not rely on your beauty
“It takes only one day for beauty to return
“But destiny accompanies one to one‟s matrimonial home
“The matrimonial home which is agreeable to one
is where one makes a permanent hearten stone
“You will give birth to children as sweet as the
star mango”
“And those as plump as the cherry mango
“None of your births will ever bring you discomfort
“By the grace of the origin of those three esoteric words
which never fail to manifest”
They said, “O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ”
“You are telling the story of your own mother”
He responded that he had told the story
They said, Leave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ alone
They declared that all what he was doing
The repercussions would soon cover his head
And when it covered his head
It was a crown knotted with money that covered his head
They said, leave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ alone
All what he was doing
It would soon weigh down on his neck
And when it weighed down on his neck
It was expensive beads that adorned his neck
They said leave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ alone
It would soon coil round his waist
And when it coiled round his waist
It was expensive oômoô‟ku¾n that coiled round his waist
They said, leave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ alone
1003
It would soon grip and pin him down

And when it gripped and pinned O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ down
It was two damsels, glorious in their appearance
who gripped O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
They said leave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ alone
They would soon drag him in the legs
And when it dragged O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ in the legs
It was beautiful sandals
Decorated with peacock feathers
That dragged in the legs of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
The mat is spread on the plank bed
The sheet is spread on the mat
The pillow placed on the decorated mat
The Ϙba rested peacefully on the pillow
The peacock feather on the Ϙba‟s crown
Only fools chase after the houseflies
These were the declarations of Ifá to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When they said that we would face no repercussion
Over all what he was doing
He complied
I have taken the head of the tortoise
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ declared that all my activities
Will not bring me any repercussion
They will not bring me any repercussion anymore
all its devotees
1004
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she
shall enjoy victory over all his/her antagonists. He/she shall not be
bugged down with the problem of repercussion over any of his/her
thoughts, utterances, and actions.
11. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Ifa; is revealed must
never use a she-goat to feed his/her Ikin for any reason whatsoever.
He/she must not use any female beast to feed Ifa;. He/she must
never eat she-goat. This is a very serious taboo for anyone born by
this Odu¾ during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;. Eating a she-goat or using it to
feed Ifa; will give this person the problem of unconsummated fortune.
It will also lead to lack of sound health and vitality. They instead
should be feeding their Ifa; with a male pig (Boar)
On this, Ifa; says:
OÙ®ka¾ra; ab’e¾ôyiôn ga¾nra¾nhu;n

Di;a; fu;n woôn ni;’lu¾u; O®sôi¾
A bu¾ fu;n woôn ni;’lu¾u; A®a¾re
Translation:
OÙ®ka¾ra; ab‟e¾ôyi¾n ga¾nra¾nhu;n

These were Ifa;‟s messages for the inhabitants of the land
of O®sôi¾, Poverty-and-Want
And also for the inhabitants of the land of
A®a¾re, Absolvement-and-Success
The inhabitants of I®lu;-O®sôi¾, the land of Poverty-and-Want and those of

I®lu;-A®a¾re, the land of Absolvement-and-Success were suffering from
the same problems: those of want, illness, and poverty. They were
very hardworking, diligent, dedicated, determined, and ambitious.
Yet, they had very little to show for all their efforts.
1005
To crown it all, they were both consulting Ifa; and offering all the
necessary eôboô as prescribed, but their problems remained the same
and unresolved.
One day, the inhabitants of I®lu;;-O®sôi¾ went for Ifa; consultation in the
home of O®Ùka¾ra;, Abe¾ôyi¾¾n Ga¾nra¾nhu;n in order to determine what
exactly their problems were and proffer a solution for them. During
consultation, Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô was revealed.
The Awo told them that they were suffering from poverty, ailments,
and want. He explained further that as much as they tried to solve
their problems, they remained the same. He told them that their
problems would be resolved the moment they stopped offering any
female animal, especially she-goat, which was a taboo for them. He
instead recommended that they feed their Ifa; with a male pig
(Boar). He assured them that if this could be done, their problems
would become issues of the past.
When the representatives of the inhabitants of I®lu;-O®sôi¾ who went for
the Ifa; consultation returned home and explained what the Awo had
told them to the elders, they pondered on the issue for a very long
time. In the end, they concluded that they had never seen anywhere
that people used male animals to feed their Ifa;. They felt that the
Awo was only trying to complicate their problems for them. They
therefore decided to continue to feed their Ifa; with she-goats as they
had been doing before. That was exactly what they continued to do.
Their problems continued to stay with them without any solution.
The inhabitants of I®lu;-A®a¾re also went for Ifa; consultation in the home
of the same Babala;wo. The same Odu¾ was revealed during
consultation. The Awo gave them the same recommendations as
those of the inhabitants of I®lu;-O®sôi¾. When their representatives
returned home and narrated what the Awo had told them to the
elders, there was a lengthy discussion. In the end, the elders
concluded that even though it was strange for them to feed Ifa; with
male animals, they had not much to lose if they gave it a try. They
said that their situation had been very pathetic already;
consequently, doing as the Awo had recommended could not make
things worse than what they were already.
1006
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
They therefore decided to feed Ifa; with a male pig, as instructed, on

the very next day and that was exactly what they did.
After two lunar months, luck began to smile on the inhabitants of I®lu;
A®a¾re. Their various businesses began to pick up. Those suffering
from ailments started to regain their health and vitality. The more
they fed Ifa; with male animals, the more success they had. The more
they abstained from consuming she-goat, the better their health
conditions. Anyone of them who went for a business transaction
usually smiled on the way back home. The farmers recorded
bountiful harvests. The fishermen among them were rewarded with
big catches. Their lives in I®lu;-A®a¾re changed from bad to marvellous,
from being hopeless to being promising, and from failure to
resounding success.
One day, the inhabitants of I®lu;-O®sôi¾ and those of I®lu;-A®a¾re met. The
difference was very clear when they began to compare notes. Those
from I®lu;-O®sôi¾ had nothing to tell but tales of woe and disappointment.
Those from I®lu;-A®a¾re had nothing to tell but tales of success and
achievement.
OÙ®ka¾ra; ab’e¾ôyiôn ga¾nra¾nhu;n

Di;a; fu;n woôn ni;’lu¾u; O®sôi¾
A bu¾ fu;n woôn ni;’lu¾u; A®a¾re
Ara; I®lu; A®a¾re ni¾kan ni; n;beô l’eôy ; i¾n ti; n;sô’eôboô
N®je;ô eô¾yin ti; e¾ô n; fi ewu;re;ô boô’fa;
EÙ ma¾ ku; i¾ya¾
Akoô eôran ma¾ l’eôran
Translation:
OÙ®ka¾ra; ab‟e¾ôyi¾n ga¾nra¾nhu;n

These were Ifa;‟s messages for the inhabitants of the
land of O®sôi¾, Poverty-and-Want
And also for the inhabitants of the land of
A®a¾re, Absolvement-and-Success
1007

Only the inhabitants of I®lu;-A®a¾re complied
Those feeding Ifa; with she-goats
Keep on suffering
Only male animals are real animals
Ifa; says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed to continue to suffer. He/she however needs to stop feeding
Ifa; with she-goat or any female animals. He/she also needs to stop
eating she-goat.
12. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed must
never feed Ifa; with a she-goat in order to stop nursing a series of
ailments in his/her life. Ifa; says that as long as he/she continues to
eat she-goat or use it to feed his/her Ifa;, so long will he/she continue
to leave his/her body open to a series of ailments. Ifa; advises this
person to ensure that only male animals are used to feed his/her Ifa;
on a regular basis.
He/she must also avoid eating she-goat under any circumstance
whatsoever. If the animal is cooked together with any other animal,
he/she must never taste the food. It is better for the person for
whom this Odu¾ is revealed to remain hungry than to eat any food
that a she-goat is used as part of the food item.
On this, Ifa; says:
Mo ki; aku;wa;ra;pa;
Aku;wa;ra;pa; n; sôu’nu;
E®Ùteô¾ ni o¾ sôe e; di¾ l’o;ku¾n
Oni;gbo¾do¾gi; lo; lu imu; u re¾ô l’o;gi¾ri¾dodo-o¾gi¾ri¾dodo
Di;a; fu;n woôn n’I:fe¾ô Abu¾reô;
Ni;’bi wo;ôn gbe; n; p’ewu;re;ô boô’fa; a woôn
1008
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
Translation:
When I greeted the epileptic

He was suffering from chronic running stomach
Leprosy cannot be tied with a rope
An Elephantiasis sufferer perforates his nose in
form of a deep hole
These were Ifa;‟s messages for the inhabitants
of Ife¾ô Abu¾reô;
Where they were slaughtering she-goats to feed their Ifa;
When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ arrived at Ife¾ô-Abu¾reô;, he saw many of them suffering

from series of ailments ranging from tuberculosis, epilepsy, yaws,
palsy, neurosis, psychosis, to elephantiasis. He was determined to
assist them to solve their problems because of three reasons: one,
the conditions under which he met them was very pathetic; two, they
were too weak to work or farm, and therefore, they were always
looking hungry and looking unkempt; and three, their conditions
moved O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to pity them and to come to their aide.
When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ set out to work on their various diseases, he realized
that he was not making any progress. He consulted Ifa; and Ifa; told
him that the people were consuming the food that was aggravating
their problems.
They were also feeding Ifa; with what actually increased their
ailments. For these two reasons, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ summoned all the elders
in the land. He explained to them what Ifa; had said. He told them
never to use she-goat to feed Ifa; or consume the animal anymore.
The elders told him that they would continue to eat the animal and
use it to feed their Ifa;. They told him that it was the way their
forefathers had been doing and that they would not allow him to
change what they had been doing since time immemorial.
1009
For six lunar months, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ continued to persuade them to

change but they refused to heed the advice. Their ailments spread
and got worse.
They began to record pre-mature deaths and many youths in the
land became physically, mentally, and socially incapacitated. This was
what prompted OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to leave the land. He vowed that he would
never return to the land until they stopped using she-goats to feed
Ifa;.
For two years after O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had left Ife¾ô-abu¾reô;, they still continued
to use she-goats to feed Ifa;. They also continued to consume the
animal. Their problems persisted and more ailments were recorded.
One day, the elders decided to give the advice of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ a try.
Instead of using a she-goat to feed Ifa;, they decided to feed Ifa; with
a male pig. As soon as this was done, all physiological attacks and
problems stopped.
The medications they were using to address their various illnesses
began to work. They soon started to regain their strength. Within six
lunar months, the economy was back on stream. Joy and
contentment returned to the land. They all began to praise OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
for showing them the way to solve their problems.
Mo ki; aku;wa;ra;pa;
Aku;wa;ra;pa; n; sôu’nu;
E®Ùteô¾ ni o¾ sôe e; di¾ l’o;ku¾n
Oni;gbo¾do¾gi; lo; lu imu; u re¾ô l’o;gi¾ri¾dodo-o¾gi¾ri¾dodo
Di;a; fu;n woôn n’I:fe¾ô Abu¾reô;
Ni;’bi wo;ôn gbe; n; p’ewu;re;ô boô’fa; a woôn
Woô;n koô’ti; oôg ¾ boônhin s’eô;boô
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ l'o;un o¾ mo¾¾ô wi;pe; o¾wo¾ a¾ru¾n l’e¾ôyin n;
sôe ni;’le¾ô yi¾i;
Mo loô o
EÙni gb’eô;boôô ni;’be¾ô ko; sô’eôboô o
1010
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
Translation:
When I greeted the epileptic

He was suffering from chronic running stomach
Leprosy cannot be tied with a rope
An Elephantiasis sufferer perforates his nose in
form of a deep hole
These were Ifa;‟s messages for the inhabitants
of Ife¾ Abu¾re;ô
Where they were slaughtering she-goats to
feed their Ifa;
They refused to comply with the advice
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declared that he never knew that
they enjoyed wallowing in ailments in the land
And he left the land
Let those warned heed the warning
Ifa; says that this person will not be allowed to suffer ailments and
incapacitation where this Odu¾ is revealed. That is why he/she needs
to heed the warning of Ifa;.
13. Ifa; says that there is the urgent need to offer eôboô for someone,
where this Odu¾ is revealed, against pre-mature death. Ifa; says that a
person is seriously ill where this Odu¾ is revealed; but that person is
not the one who Ifa; refers to. Ifa; says that the invalid will regain
his/her health but the person who is healthy and strong is the one
who needs to offer that eôboô in order to ensure that he/she does not
experience the misfortune of sudden but untimely death.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with a mature ram, one sharp
knife, and the clothing which he/she had on his/her body at
the time of this Ifa; consultation and money.
1011
On this, Ifa; says:
Ogbe¾ ka;ngeô-ka¾ngeô
Babala;wo Igba; to; gbo;
Lo; ki¾ fu;n a¾i¾gbo;
Woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sô’eôboô si; l’ai¾ku;
ara a woôn
Translation:
The Awo of the strong calabash
He also cast Ifa; for the immature one
against premature death
Igba;-to;-gbo;, the ripe, mature and strong calabash was the one
taking care of A®i¾gbo;, the unripe, immature and weak calabash. He
was taking his unripe sibling from place to place in order to find a
solution to his illness. That was when Igba;-to;-gbo; took his sibling to
Ogbe¾-Ka;ngeô-ka¾ngeô. When they got there, Ifa; was consulted and
Ogbe¾-Ate¾ô was revealed.
The Awo told them that A®i¾gbo; would surely regain his health if he
could offer eôboô as stated above. The Awo stated that the person on
whose head death hung, was actually Igba;-to;-gbo; who enjoyed
sound health, who was ripe, mature, and strong. He told Igba;-to;-gbo;
to offer the same eôboô stated above as quickly as possible in order to
avert the impending death. A®i¾gbo; who was ill, weak, and immature,
quietly offered the eôboô.
Igba;-to;-gbo; was totally convinced that nothing that he could foresee
gave him any cause for alarm. For this reason, he refused to offer to
eôboô.
Soon after this, human beings began to look for containers with
which to draw water, serve food, and prepare soup. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾
1012
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
directed them to go for a calabash. When they got to where the

calabashes were residing, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ showed them the ones wearing
light brown clothing. He told them that whose ones were the ripe,
mature, and strong calabashes that they could use for the purposes
that they had in their minds. He told them that the unripe, immature,
and weak ones were useless for their purposes.
E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ also told them to use sharp knives to dissect the strong
calabashes into two. That was precisely what the human beings did.
That was how all Igba;-to;-gbo;, the ripe, mature, and strong
calabashes met their untimely deaths while A®i¾gbo;, the unripe,
immature, and weak ones were spared and left untouched.
Babala;wo Igba; to; gbo;
Lo; ki¾ fu;n a¾i¾gbo;
Woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sô’eôboô si; l’ai¾ku; ara a woôn
A®i¾gbo; ni¾kan ni; n;beô l’eô;yi¾n ti; n; sô’eôboô
N®je;ô Igba; to; gbo; n’iku; pa o
A®wa ta; o¾ gbo;, a¾wa la ku¾
Igba; to; gbo; n’iku; pa o
Translation:
The Awo of the strong calabash
He also cast Ifa; for the immature one
They were all advised to offer eôboô against
premature death
Only A®i¾gbo; complied
Behold, it was the ripe, mature, and strong
calabashes
that met their untimely deaths
Those of us who were unripe, immature, and
weak were the ones spared
It was Igba;-to;-gbo; that met their untimely deaths
1013
Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she
shall not be allowed to meet his/her untimely death as long as he/she
offers the prescribed eôboô.
14. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed has
many friends and acquaintances who move close to him/her. Out of
all these people however, only one person genuinely loves him/her
with all sincerity. Ifa; says that all the other so called friends are
envious of his/her achievements. As soon as they leave his/her place,
they all usually gang up to speak evil of him/her and try to shame
him/her. Ifa; assures this person that all the plans of these so called
friends will amount to naught. They will end up being the ones who
will be put to ridicule and public odium.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three pigeons, three
hens, three cocks, three guinea fowls, and money. He/she also
needs to feed Ifa; as appropriate, and feed E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ with one cock.
On this, Ifa; says:
E®e¾ya¾n woô;n
E®e¾ya¾n sôo¾ro
Woô;n n; lo¾ôoô; ba; Baba mu’le¾ô ni; Mo¾ôreô¾re¾ô Odo¾
Woô;n n; pe;’joô loô¾o;ô sô’a¾joô
Translation:
Genuine human beings are very scarce

Human beings are very difficult
This was the declaration of Ifa; to the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾
When going to enter into a solid covenant with
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ by the river side
They were planning to start contribution
1014
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
All the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ started a periodic contribution in the home of

O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. The idea was for anyone whose turn it was to collect the
contribution to prepare food and drink for all the Iru;nmoôleô¾. They
reasoned that this would cement the bond of love that existed among
all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ and would also give them the opportunity to be
seeing each other periodically; and at the same time, seek after each
others‟ welfare. This sounded good to all the Iru;nmoôleô¾. They decided
that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ should prepare food and drinks for all the 401
Iru;nmoôleô¾ in nine days‟ time. He agreed. As soon as all the Iru;nmoôleô¾
departed from his home, he began to search for the food and drink
that each and every one of them would consume, and at the same
time, he was being mindful of each Iru;nmoôleô¾‟s taboo.
Unknown to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ had planned that he must be
put to shame. They all agreed that they would cause him to prepare
food for 400 people and nobody would turn up to consume the food.
They were sure that this would pain him more than anything else.
What was his offense? He had been too popular for their liking. He
must be put to shame for that. His profile had gone up too much for
his size. Consequent upon this, he must be reduced to his actual size.
He must be made to realize that he alone could not be higher at the
expense of all others.
On the appointed day however, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ employed the services of
several men and women to prepare food and drink for his would be
guests. There was no food that anyone could think of that was not
prepared. He also provided palm-wine, raffia-palm-wine, maize beer,
plantain beer, guinea-corn beer, and so on for the Iru;nmoôleô¾ to
consume whichever one they preferred. He insisted that all the
Iru;nmoôleô¾ must be satisfied. There must be no complaint from any
angle whatsoever.
By the time that the sun was directly overhead, all the food and
drinks were ready. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ sat down quietly, with satisfaction
written all over his face, waiting for all his guests.
1015
By mid-afternoon, none of the guests had arrived. By evening time,

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had begun to get seriously worried. He couldn‟t imagine
what could have happened which might have precluded all the
Iru;nmoôleô¾ from arriving at his home at that time.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ sent all his children and students out to go and call all the
Iru;nmoôleô¾ and to tell them that everything was ready. The children
returned to inform him that none of the Iru;nmoôleô¾ was found in their
houses. That was when O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ became deeply agitated.
He was still in this state of agitation and confusion when E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾
arrived. He greeted O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ but his host was too preoccupied to
return his pleasantry. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ simply took him to the backyard to
show him all the food and drinks that he had prepared in readiness
for the Iru;nmoôleô¾, only for none of them to arrive.
E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ then informed O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ had only
acted according to their plan. He explained to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that they had
all conspired to ensure that all the meals and drinks prepared by
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ were wasted. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ however assured him that their
conspiracy would fail.
E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ simply entered into OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s personal room, took one of
his host‟s coverlets, and turned it into a masquerade costume. He
rushed out and began to gather people to follow him. Before long, all
the children and devotees of all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ had followed E®sôu¾
O®Ùda¾ra¾. He took them to a far distance. When he realized that they
were all tired and exhausted, he returned them to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s house
and began to serve them the food and drinks which their parents had
boycotted. They all began to eat with relish.
Meanwhile, all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ were looking for their children and
devotees but they could not find them. It was getting late. Where
could they have gone to? That was when they were informed that
they needed to go and find them in OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s house where they
were all eating and drinking to their satisfaction. All the Iru;nmoôleô¾
were disappointed. What they had planned had failed to work. Their
children had foiled their coup. With shame and regret, they too went
1016
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
and joined their children and devotees in eating and drinking, one
after the other.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ demanded from each and every one of them to tell him the
reason why they had failed to turn up at the time that they were
supposed to come. They all began to give series of flimsy excuses.
That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾¾la¾ began to sing saying:
E®e¾ya¾n woô;n o
Ko¾ si; e¾e¾ya¾n moô;
Mo b’E:sôu¾ mu’le¾ô o
Mo ba; SÙa¾ngo; mu’le¾ô o; da¾ mi;
La;ba;mbi;, eôran eôl’eô;ran lo; n; paa; kiri
Mo b’O:gu¾n mu’le¾ô
O: da¾ mi;
La;ka;aye; aja; al’a;ja; lo; n;; paa; kiri
Mo b’O:o¾sôa¾n;la; mu’le¾ô
O; da¾ mi;
Al’a;ba¾a; l’a;sôeô I®gbi;n oni; I®gbi;n lo; n;jeô eô; kiri
Mo b’OÙ:sôun mu’leô¾
O: da¾ mi;
Iyewa O®to¾o¾ro¾-E®Ùfoô¾n igba; on’i;gba; ni; n; fo;ôoô; kiri
1017

Mo ba; gbogbo Iru;nmoôleô¾ mu’le¾ô
Woô;n da¾ mi;
Gbogbo woôn taraa woôn ni woô;n n; sôee; kiri
Translation:
Genuine human beings are very scarce to find

Real human beings are difficult
There are no human beings anymore
I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾
I entered into covenant with SÙa¾ngo;
But he betrayed me
La;;ba;mbi; was busy slaughtering other people‟s animals
I entered into covenant with O®gu;n
But he betrayed me
La;ka;aye; was busy slaughtering other people‟s dogs
I had earlier entered into covenant with O®o¾sôa¾n;la;
But he betrayed me
Al‟a;ba¾a;-l‟a;sôeô was busy consuming other people‟s snails
1018
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
I had earlier entered into covenant with O®Ùsôun

But she betrayed me
Iyewa O®to¾o¾ro¾-E®Ùfoô¾n was busy breaking other
people‟s calabashes
I had earlier entered into covenant with all the
400 Iru;nmoôleô¾
But they betrayed me
They were all busy doing their own different businesses
Genuine human beings are really scarce
Real human beings are impossible
When there were no human beings anymore
I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾
As they heard the song of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, guilt, shame, and discomfort

enveloped all the Iru;nmoôleô¾, except E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾. One by one, they left
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s house without having the courage or courtesy to say good
bye.
E®e¾ya¾n woô;n
Woô;n n; lo¾ôoô; ba; Baba mu’le¾ô ni; Mo¾ôreô¾re¾ô Odo¾
Woô;n n; pe;’joô loô¾o;ô sô’a¾joô
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ o¾un E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ ni¾kan ni; n;beô l’eô;yi¾n ti;
n;sô’eôboô
N®jeô; e®e¾ya¾n woô;n o
Mo ba; SÙa¾ngo; mu’le¾ô o; da¾ mi;
La;ba;mbi;, eôran eôl’eô;ran lo; n; paa; kiri
1019
Mo b’O:gu¾n mu’le¾ô
O: da¾ mi;
La;ka;aye; aja; al’a;ja; lo; n;; paa; kiri
Mo b’O:o¾sôa¾n;la; mu’le¾ô
O; da¾ mi;
Al’a;ba¾a; l’a;sôeô I®gbi;n oni; I®gbi;n lo; n;jeô eô; kiri
Mo b’OÙ:sôun mu’leô¾
O: da¾ mi;
Iyewa O®to¾o¾ro¾-E®Ùfoô¾n igba; on’i;gba; ni; n; fo;ôoô; kiri
Mo ba; gbogbo Iru;nmoôleô¾ mu’le¾ô
Woô;n da¾ mi;
Gbogbo woôn taraa woôn ni woô;n n; sôee; kiri
Translation:
Genuine human beings are very scarce

Human beings are very difficult
This was the declaration of Ifa; to the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾
1020
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
When going to enter into a solid covenant with

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ by the river side
They were planning to start contribution
Only OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and E®sôu¾ complied
I entered into covenant with SÙa¾ngo;
But he betrayed me
La;;ba;mbi; was busy slaughtering other people‟s animals
I had earlier entered into covenant with O®gu;n
But he betrayed me
La;ka;aye; was busy slaughtering other people‟s dogs
I had earlier entered into covenant with O®o¾sôa¾n;la;
But he betrayed me
Al‟a;ba¾a;-l‟a;sôeô was busy consuming other people‟s snails
I had earlier entered into covenant with O®Ùsôun
But she betrayed me
Iyewa O®to¾o¾ro¾-E®Ùfoô¾n was busy breaking other
people‟s calabashes
1021

I had earlier entered into covenant with all the
400 Iru;nmoôleô¾
But they betrayed me
They were all busy doing their own different businesses
Genuine human beings are really scarce
Real human beings are impossible
When there were no human beings anymore
I entered into covenant with E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾
Ifa; assures this person that they should not lament for lack of true
friends and confidants. They should search deep within to identify
their only true friend and take solitude in knowing this friend is a real
true friend, in all senses of the word.
15. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer
eôboô against being exasperated over what he/she has gone for Ifa;
consultation.
Ifa; says that the issue for which this person has come for Ifa;
consultation has been recurring for quite some time now. It is in
his/her best interest to offer eôboô for him/her not to be defeated by
this issue in the end.
Ifa; advises this person to never plant or nurse isôin, ackee tree or eat
its fruit. Ifa; also advises this person to offer eôboô with a mature he-
goat and money. If he/she has an isôin tree in his/her home or
compound, it must be cut down immediately.
On this, Ifa; says:
A®ku¾koô lo; fi i¾yeô; i¾di; sô’a¾gba¾

O: fi sôi;sôu si;’le; i¾yo;ku¾ sô’oômoôde;
Di;a; fu;n ‘La;lu¾
OÙmoô ami¾ja¾ o¾ôfa¾ bi; oômoô Fu;la¾ni;
EÙboô a¾sôeti¾ ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
1022
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
The tail plume of a rooster made it an elder

But its habit of defecating inside the house
made it an infant
This was Ifa;‟s message for „La;lu¾
The offspring of the arrow fighter, like a Fulani man
He was advised to offer eôboô against
„La;lu¾ was a very strong, enterprising, and unassuming man. With

sheer determination, he had been able to achieve great feats where
several other people had failed woefully. He had moved from grass to
grace and from nothing to abundance. His was a typical example of
someone who had moved from the dreg of the gutter to prominence.
He was ready to face any challenge at any time. He was not afraid of
failure because he knew that he would still overcome and become
triumphant.
One day, „La;lu¾ went for Ifa; consultation. His ackee tree had produced
splendid fruits that were becoming ripe. Not many people could resist
the consumption of a ripe ackee fruit. „La;lu¾ wanted to know what his
success chances would be with the sale of the akee fruits.
The Awo informed „La;lu¾ that even though the fruits had come out
well, his destiny did not support the planting, nurturing, eating, or
selling the ackee trees and their fruits. He was therefore advised to
cut down all the trees, which he had planted in his back yard. He was
also advised to offer eôboô as stated above.
„La;lu¾ could not believe his ears: Is the Awo talking to me or someone
else? Is he really telling me to cut down the trees that could fetch me
a handsome amount of money? These were the trees which he had
spent his time, money, and energy planting, tending, and nurturing
until they grew to maturity. Why must this Awo come with this retro
regressive advice when the plants had germinated and the fruits
were ready for sale and consumption? Surely, this advice was not for
me. By the way, who was this Awo to tell me what to retain and
1023
what to cut down? Anyway, the last thing I will ever do is to cut
down those trees.
With this determination, „La;lu¾ left the home of the Awo and promised
himself not to return to his home again.
As soon as „La;lu¾ returned home, he began to sell the fruits. As he
was selling them and making good money, he also noticed that some
people were plucking the fruits for their consumption without paying
for them. For this reason, „La;lu¾ stationed his first son to watch over
the plantation and report any unauthorized trespasser to him
immediately.
Two days after this, Iku; came to „La;lu¾‟s backyard to pluck some
fruits. „La;lu¾‟s son was overwhelmed with fright when he saw Iku;. He
had never seen such a spectacle before in his whole life. He didn‟t
know what to do. Challenge him? Chase him out? Run away from
him? Scream for help? Call on his father? He decided to follow the
last option that came to his mind. Why not? After all, his father had
instructed him to call on him as soon as he noticed any trespasser.
He called in a very loud voice, saying:
Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾
Iku; ma¾ ma¾ n; k’a;sôin
L’eô;yi¾nku¾nle; e¾ reô o!
Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ o!
Translation:
My father the Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ (arrow fighter)

Death is plucking the ackee fruits
In your backyard
When „La;lu¾ heard this, he rushed back from where he was. When he
saw Iku;, he greeted him with a powerful slap. Serious fight ensued.
1024
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
The fight lasted for several hours. In the end, „La;lu¾ lifted Iku; up
above his head and threw him to the ground with all his might. Iku;
stood up with pain and ran away. „La;lu¾ remained unbeaten. He had
never lost any fight in his whole life.
The next day A®ru¾n (Ailment), came to pluck fruits. His son called on
him. He came and gave A®ru¾n the fight of his life. He defeated A®ru¾n.
After this, EÙjoô; (Contention), O®fo¾ (Loss), EÙ®gba¾ (Paralysis), E®sôe
(Injury), etc. came to the farm to pluck the ackee fruits. „La;lu¾‟s son
summoned his father and they were all defeated one after the other.
One day, Agara (Exasperation) came to the farm to pluck the fruits.
In the case of Agara, he looked both friendly and hostile, both simple
and complicated, both powerful and fragile, and both inviting and
dispelling. „La;lu¾‟s son did not know what to make of this latest
trespasser. He however called on his father to inform him of the
intruder, saying:
Agara ma¾ ma¾ n; ka;’sôin
Ba¾ba; mi Abi¾ja¾-oô¾fa¾¾ o!
Translation:
My father the Abi¾ja¾-oô¾fa¾

My father the arrow fighter
Agara, Exasperation is plucking the ackee fruits
In your backyard!
My father the arrow fighter!
When „La;lu¾ arrived, whom he saw was truly confusing. Agara looked
so fragile that „La;lu¾ felt that there was a mistake somewhere. „La;lu¾
felt that Agara could not be a trespasser to be afraid of or be
concerned about. Maybe, just maybe, he wanted some fruits to eat in
1025
order to nourish his frail looking body.„La;lu¾ even went all out of his
way to look for ripe fruits. He plucked about six and was about to
hand them over to Agara when he got the surprise of his life. As he
stretched his hands to hand over the fruits to Agara, he was greeted
and thanked with a striking blow on his face! The blow was so
powerful that it dazed him. The most confusing part was that Agara
was just smiling particularly friendly and invitingly at „La;lu¾. „La;lu¾
moved closer only to receive a painful kick on the legs. His legs went
numb.
Yet, Agara kept smiling! A serious fight ensured. It was the fiercest
fight „La;lu¾ had ever engaged in. It lasted for one full day and half of
the night. „La;lu¾ was totally exhausted but Agara looked fresh and was
even smiling, as if the fight had not even started!
In the end, Agara raised „La;lu¾ up, well above his head and threw him
mightily on the ground; just the way „La;lu¾ had thrown Iku;, A®ru¾n, O®fo¾,
E®Ùgba¾, E®sôe, and all the other opponents. „La;lu¾ lost everything. He also
lost interest in everything.
A®ku¾koô lo; fi i¾yeô; i¾di; sô’a¾gba¾
O: fi sôi;sôu si;’le; i¾yo;ku¾ sô’oômoôde;
Di;a; fu;n ‘La;lu¾
OÙmoô ami¾ja¾ o¾ôfa¾ bi; oômoô Fu;la¾ni;
EÙboô a¾sôeti¾ ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: koô’ti; o¾gô boônyin s’eô;boô
Iku; ma¾ ma¾ n; k’a;sôin
Ba¾ba; a¾ mi Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾ o!
Agara ma¾ ma¾ n; ka;’sôin
Ba¾ba; mi Abi¾ja¾-oô¾fa¾¾ o!
EÙni gb’eô;boô ni;’beô¾ ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô o
1026
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
Translation:
The tail plume of a rooster made it an elder

But its habit of defecating inside the house
made it an infant
This was Ifa;‟s message for „La;lu¾
The offspring of the arrow fighter, like a Fulani man
He was advised to offer eôboô against
My father the Abi¾ja¾-o¾ôfa¾
Death is plucking the ackee fruits
In your backyard
My father the Abi¾ja¾-oô¾fa¾
Agara, Exasperation is plucking the akee fruits
In your backyard!
My father the arrow fighter!
Travellers to I®po and O®®Ùfa¾
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to use
diplomacy and rationale reasoning and offering of eôboô to resolve
issues instead of confrontation.
16. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to
undertake any business with any of his/her siblings. He/she must not
enter into partnership with any of his blood relations. If he/she does,
the outcome will never be favourable. This is not because his/her
siblings do not wish him/her well; on the contrary, the venture will
fail and collapse because the siblings deeply love him/her.
1027
Ifa; also advises this person to offer eôboô in order to prevent a

situation where he/she will experience the loss of one of his/her
siblings.
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô
with a mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed
E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ with another he-goat.
On this, Ifa; says:
Poki;poki; oju; o¾b ô oô o¾ sôe e; da; n’I;:fa;

Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru¾nlo;ôjoô I®wo¾ro¾ O®ri¾sôa¾
Woô;n n; loô oju;-o¾ôboô
N® ba; l’a;ya¾ n d’e¾¾e¾ya¾n
EÙni abi;nibi; o¾ jeô;
Di;a; fu;n Iro¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; o¾ôboô
Translation:
The eyeballs of a monkey cannot be cast as

Ikin to consult Ifa;
This was Ifa;‟s message for the 165 O®ri¾sôa¾ devotees
When going to Oju;-O®Ùboô, OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ grove
I would have become someone important in life
But my sibling prevented it from happening
This was Ifa;‟s message for Iro¾, the Ape
The sibling of O®Ùboô, the Monkey
The parents of Iro¾ gave birth to two male children. Iro¾ and OÙ®boô. Both
of them were very energetic and resourceful. All their efforts did not
amount to much. They both realized that OÙmoô E®ni¾ya¾n human beings
were totally in control of everything on earth. All their efforts to be
on the same level with human beings failed, and failed woefully.
1028
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
One day, Iro¾ came up with an imaginative idea; he would ensure that
he was turned into OÙmoô E®ni¾ya¾n, human being. He realized that the
moment he became a human being, he would have equal
opportunities like other human beings.
In order to ascertain the workability of his plan, Iro¾¾ went to the
group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: what do I need
to do to become a human being? After doing all what I need to do,
will it be possible in the end? Will I be able to assist other members
of my family to become human beings as well? Will I be able to raise
the status of my loved ones and make them great?
The Awo informed Iro¾ that what he wanted was to improve the
quality of his life. He was assured that what he wanted would be
possible to achieve. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He
was also told that he needed to keep all what he wanted to do away
from everyone, especially his sibling and that he needed to ensure
that he succeeded first before informing or attempting to help
anyone. He complied with the advice of the Awo and offered the eôboô
as stated.
When the eôboô was offered, Iro¾ was advised to carry the eôboô to the
home of Olo;du¾mare¾ because that was where his prayers would be
answered.
As soon as he deposited his eôboô in heaven, he was summoned to
appear in the presence of Olo;du¾mare¾. When he got there, he was
asked to explain what his mission in heaven was. He responded that
he wanted to change from being an Ape to a human being. He stated
further that he had offered all the eôboô that was recommended for
him; and he had also carried the eôboô personally as he was instructed
to do. He pleaded with all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ in the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾
to please grant his request.
Olo;du¾mare¾ was consulted over his request and approval was given to
make it possible for him to become a human being, provided he was
prepared to comply with the conditions that would make things
possible for him to have such a transformation.
1029
For this reason, Iro¾ was told that in order to move from being an Ape
to a human being, he had five conditions to fulfil. These were:
i. All the hair in his body would be removed

ii. His brain would have to be reorganized, remodelled and
remodified
iii. His attitude had to change from that of Ape to that of man
iv. His habitat had to change from the jungle to villages, towns,
and cities
v. He must ensure that he completed his own transformation
before he told anyone or planned to render any assistance to
anyone else
The Iru;nmoôleô¾ promised to assist Iro¾ with the first four conditions
while they warned him that he was the only one who could fulfil the
fifth condition. Iro¾ agreed with them entirely.
The Iru;nmoôleô¾ then gave Iro¾ a giant pot to carry to earth. In the pot
were many herbs and roots. He was instructed to fill the pot with
clean water as soon as he got to earth. They told him to pray every
day for seven days. On the seventh day, he was to drink a calabash
full of the herb-tea and use the rest to take his bath. He was assured
that all the hair on his body would be removed, his brain would be
reorganized and modified, his attitude would change to that of a
man, and he would find living in villages, towns, and cities agreeable
to him.
Iro¾ returned to earth, full of joy and great expectation.
As soon as he got home, he filled the pot with fresh water. As he was
doing this, his younger sibling, OÙ®boô saw him and approached him to
give him a helping hand. Initially, he refused. Upon the insistence of
O®Ùboô to assist, he gave in. The pot was filled with fresh water by both
Iro¾ and his younger sibling, O®Ùboô.
1030
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
As they were filling the pot with water, OÙ®boô continued to ask his
elder sibling what the a¾gbo, herbal-tea was for. At first, Iro¾ refused
to tell him. In the end, he told his brother that it was given to him by
Olo;du¾mare¾ and that it would transform him from an Ape to a human
being in seven days.
OÙ®boô could not believe his ears. He was overwhelmed with joy. He
was certain that if his brother could transform from ape to man, he
would surely raise his own status to that of a man also! Just as if Iro¾
knew what was on the mind of his younger sibling, he assured him
that as soon as he became a man, he would ensure that he (O®Ùboô),
also became a man.
OÙ®boô‟s joy knew no bound when he heard this. He felt that the news
called for celebration even before it happened.
O®Ùboô began an elaborate celebration. Not only for the impending
transformation of his brother, but also for himself. He suddenly
became proud and arrogant. He was quick to inform everyone close
to him that they no longer belonged to the same class because in
seven days, his brother would become a full grown man and he
would raise his hands up to become a man like him. He was counting
the days of his brother‟s transformation for him.
Two days after this, OÙ®boô could not control himself any longer. He
announced to those who cared to listen, and even those who did not
care, that in five days, his brother would become the first being to
change from an ape to a human being and he would be the second
being. He explained further that all those who had insulted him or
those who cheated him one way or the other should consider
themselves doomed. He promised them suffering that they would not
forget in a hurry. For those who had been sympathetic to him
however, he assured them that he would talk to his brother to
consider making them go through the transformation to become a
man.
On the third day, OÙ®boô began to sing and dance.
On the fourth and fifth days, OÙ®boô was not only singing and dancing,
he was also somersaulting.
1031
On the sixth day, O®Ùboô woke up with a start. It remained only one day
for his sibling to become a man. Only one day! All his sufferings,
wants, inadequacies, and tribulations remained only one day to
disappear! Just one day! He must go and congratulate his brother in
advance. He must go there in style! That was why O®Ùboô decided to
summersault to his brother‟s place. That was exactly what he did. He
promised himself that he would not stop or slow down until he
reached his brother‟s place.
He never did, until he felt his legs hitting something. He opened his
eyes only to discover, to his chagrin, that he had just hit and broken
the pot of a¾gbo!!!
The sound of the broken pot attracted the attention of Iro¾ to the
scene. What!?! The pot is broken! The chance of becoming a man in
only one day‟s time has disappeared! This is not true! This cannot be
true! This must not be true! This must be a dream! No, a nightmare!
He scratched himself to assure himself that he was merely dreaming.
Alas! He realized to his regret, that he was face-to-face with reality.
Grief wracked his whole body. He lost control of his limbs and fell
heavily on his buttocks. He slapped the ground repeatedly with his
palms. Hot tears rushed down from his eyes.
So this was what they meant when they warned him not to let
anyone know about this until he had completed his transformation.
With only one day to go! His trusted sibling ended up becoming his
regret. If not for this sibling, he would have accomplished his mission
the next day.
This reality brought only more frustration and anger. He rushed
angrily towards his sibling, who had been watching the spectacle like
a dazed drunkard, and dealt him terribly damaging blows. As he was
hitting his sibling, he screamed repeatedly, saying:

1032
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
Translation:
I would have become a human being

I would have become a human being
As he was hitting his sibling with all his energy, the sibling was being
driven into the ground. He went inside the ground completely and
only his eyeballs were showing. That was how people came to know
of Oju;-O®Ùboô, the eyes of the monkey. This was later shortened to
Oju;‟boô, the grove.
Poki;poki; oju; o¾b ô oô o¾ sôe e; da; n’I;:fa;

Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru¾nlo;ôjoô I®wo¾ro¾ O®ri¾sôa¾
Woô;n n; loô oju;-o¾ôboô
Di;a; fu;n Iro¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; o¾ôboô
O: f’eti; o¾ôtu;n gb’e;ôboô
N®je;ô ko¾ si; O®o¾sôa¾ l’a;ye; mo;ô
Oju;-o¾ôboô la¾ n; boô
I®wo¾ro¾-O®o¾sôa¾ eô ka; r’oju;’boô
Translation:
The eyeballs of a monkey cannot be cast

as Ikin to consult Ifa;
This was Ifa;‟s message for the 165 O®ri¾sôa¾ devotees
When going to Oju;-O®Ùboô, OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾ grove
I would have become someone important in life
1033
This was Ifa;‟s message for Iro¾, the Ape

The sibling of O®Ùboô, the Monkey
He heard of the advice with his right ear
And threw out the advice with his left ear
Behold, there is no more O®ri¾sôa¾ on earth
We are only propitiating Oju;-O®Ùboô, the monkey‟s eyes
Let all I®wo¾ro¾-O®o¾sôa¾, O®ri¾sôa¾ priest/devotees come to
Oju;‟boô, the shrine
Ifa; says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed to cause the death of his/her sibling as a result of
frustration, anger, or exasperation.
1034
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® I®REÙTEÙ® FOR THOSE BORN BY

THIS ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA:
All Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children, males and females are usually at their best
element when they are in the midst of their families, relatives and
loved ones. They pride themselves in their ability to rally their
families, relatives and loved ones together and ensure that they are
always in touch with one another. Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children do this better
than most people. Their success in this area is not because of any
outstanding organisational skill; but rather, it is because when they
were coming from heaven, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ himself promised them that
their lives and those of all the members of their household would be
properly taken care of. It is therefore not a surprise to find Ogbe¾
Ate¾ô male and female children feeling comfortable and contented
when they are in the midst of their family members, relatives and
loved ones.
Due to the fact that Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children take good care of their loved
ones, they are usually bestowed with fame, honour, adoration,
prestige, title and accolades. These attributes usually put them in
vintage positions in their various communities. An average Ogbe¾
Ate¾ô child, male or female, is usually blessed with prosperity and
compatible spouse. These blessings assist him/her to further promote
family union and progress. For Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô male and female children
who are doing all what is expected of them by the divinities, it is
totally unthinkable that their homes will ever go into ruin or disarray.
In spite of the love and care that Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children shower on their
loved ones, they still have many enemies and detractors who hate
and condemn them because of this. The good deeds of Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô
children are more often than not the reasons why they gather so
many enemies around them. These enemies work tirelessly to
ensure the downfall of Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children. The fortunate thing
however is that all their enemies fail woefully and fall by the way
side, while Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children march on majestically. Also, while the
enemies wish them evil, their evil wishes are usually converted to
wellbeing and success for Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children.
1035
The major weaknesses of Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children are that they are full of
excesses and they fret over very little things. When Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô
children embark on something good or bad, they find it difficult to
know when to stop. This sometimes leads to ridicule and humiliation
for them. They also become sorrowful when they hear or think that
someone is thinking or speaking evil of them.
For Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô male children, they are great lovers and fantastic
family organizers. They love their families and they love to be loved
too. As successful as Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô male children may be, they
sometimes find it difficult to spend their money on worthwhile
projects. They also feel reluctant to give out their money to those
who need it at the appropriate time.
In the case of Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô female children, they are known to be very
impulsive, erratic and highly temperamental. On many occasions
they act before they think of the possible consequences. They can
also be very rude to their husbands. It is not a surprise to find Ogbe¾
Ate¾ô female children separating from their husbands because they
have become unruly.
On the Overall, Ogbe¾ Ate¾ô children, males and females, are in the
world to organise and sustain their families and loved ones. They
gain fame and success through this and the families become
progressive and well rooted through the exemplary efforts of Ogbe¾
Ate¾ô children.
1036
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
C. AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA®/IRU:NMOÙLE OF OGBE® I®REÙTEÙ®

1. Ifa; - For direction, elevation, contentment, progress, support,
success, direction, and overall socio-economic and spiritual
enhancement
2. Ori; - For fulfilment of destiny, success, advancement, progress,
elevation, contentment, support, sanctuary, victory, and self
actualisation
3. E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ - For progress, sanctuary, victory, direction, guidance,
emotional stability, elevation, contentment, and overall success
4. Egu;ngu;n - For ancestral support, success, victory, elevation,
leadership, direction, and general wellbeing
5. OÙba¾ta;la; - For progress, success, leadership, elevation,
childbearing, and general wellbeing
6. OÙ®sôun - For compatible spouse, child bearing, child rearing,
success, victory, elevation, and general wellbeing
7. SÙa¾ngo; - For victory, sanctuary, protection, success, leadership
8. O®gu;n - For victory, sanctuary, protection, success, leadership and
general wellbeing
9. I®beji¾ - For childbearing, success, elevation, comradeship,
10. EÙgbeô; - For general success, comradeship, leadership, victory,
and overall wellbeing
1037
D. TABOOS OF OGBE® I®REÙTEÙ®

1. Must never eat cock - to avoid unconsummated fortune,
dwindling success, ailments, crises and regret
2. Must never eat she goat or use it to feed Ifa; - to avoid
unconsummated fortune, dwindling success chances, crises, failure
and regret
3. Must never eat isôin, akee fruit or any part of it. Must never
plant it or allow it inside his/her home - to avoid incessant
crises, confrontations, exasperation, failure and regret
4. Must never make love to a person they barely know - to
avoid threat to life, disaster and calamity
5. Must never enter into any joint project with his/her
siblings - to avoid failure, everlasting family feud, regret and
disaster
6. Must never use blue dresses or allow his/her children to
use it - to avoid premature death and constant threat to life
7. Must never use medicine that is prepared with alcohol
when ill - to avoid the contention of the Elders of the Night and
untimely death
8. Must never be rude to ones husband (woman) - to avoid
matrimonial feud, separation and divorce
9. Must never drink alcohol on empty stomach - to avoid failure
and ailment
10. Must never think, speak or do evil - to avoid painful end in
life
11. Must never eat any of the monkey family - to avoid
unconsummated fortune, failure and disaster
1038
Ogbe¾-Ateô¾
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® I®REÙTEÙ®

i. MALES
1. Ifa;gba¾mi;la¾ - Ifa; comes to my rescue
2. Ala;wo¾ôoô;ki; - He who is hailed by all
4. Ifa;ba;misôee; - Ifa; has done it for me
5. Irewoôle; - All ire have entered into my home
ii. FEMALES
1. Mori;re - I have seen all ire of life
2. Ade;sôeta;n - The crown has done all things
3. Ifa;ba;misôee; - Ifa; has done it for me
4. Te¾minire - All ire belongs to me
5. Ooreki¾i;gbe; - Benevolence can never go unrewarded
1039
Chapter 14
Ogbè Ṣẹ́
I I
II I
I I
II I
1040
OGBE® O®ÙSÙEÙ:
OGBE® SÙEÙREÙ NI®SÙEÙ®KE®Ù
OGBE® SÙEÙ:’WO: SI:’LE:
OGBE® ONI:WO®O:
A.1. Ifá says that, for the person born by this Odù during I®koôseôd
¾ a;ye;
or I®te¾ôni;fa;, he/she has come into this world to be a very successful
person. Ifa; says that there is no aspect of life where he/she will not
make his/her impact. Ifa; assures this person that when he/she was
coming into the world, success and elevation were specially and
specifically loaded into his/her Ori;. That is why it is difficult for anyone
to emulate him/her in anything he/she does or achieves.
In order to continuously achieve all these miraculous things, Ifa; advises

this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens, two
pigeons, two ducks, two guinea fowls, two cocks and money.
He/she also needs to feed his/her Ori; with one white pigeon, one
guinea fowl, one duck, one hen and honey.
On this, Ifa; says:
Aroô lo; k'eôfun

Aroô lo; n; da;'fa;
A®ja¾n¾tete¾ Awo e¾ôba; o¾ôna¾
Ori; i re¾ô yo;o; da; a si;’le¾ô
Yo;o; si¾ ma;a ni; gbogbo ire
Translation:
The cripple painted himself with chalk
The cripple was casting Ifa;
A®ja¾n¾tete¾, the Awo of the road-side
Whose Ori; would complete all his assignments
And when going to be blessed with all the Ire of life
1041
The major assignment which Olo;du¾mare¾ gave to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was for him
to improve the quality of life on earth. In order for him to accomplish
this assignment, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made several trips to the earth and heaven.
In each of his trips, he was to choose the destiny that would make him
succeed in his mission on earth. It was for this reason that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
went to the domain of SÙensôenti¾soô ¾ro¾ to choose his Ori; and to ensure that
all the Ire of life would load thereon. When he got to A®ja¾la;-mo¾ôpi;n’s
domain, he chose the Ire of wealth, good spouse, lovely children, many
properties, sound health, joy and contentment together with long life.
He also chose as part of his destiny, the ability to overcome all his
enemies. All these were given unto him.
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ came into the world, he began his assignment in

earnest. He was a Babala;wo who came to make a difference. He made
his home a sanctuary for everyone and everyone seeking asylum. He
was able to improve the lot of many people. He also would use all his
assets such as wealth, spouse, children, charisma, popularity, properties
etc., to ensure that there was progress and contentment in the
community. He would behave in this way from one community the
other. In the end, he was able to release many people from bondage,
put smiles onto crying faces, replaced grief with joy, and make the
invalid healthy.
He brought hope into the lives of the hopeless. During his sojourn on
earth, the world had cause to be happy that there was improvement.
Aroô lo; k'eôfun

Aroô lo;; n; da;'fa;;
A®ja¾n¾tete¾ Awo e¾ôba; oô¾na¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙru;nmi¾la¾
Ori; i re¾ô yo;o; da; a si;’le¾ô
Yo;o; si¾ ma;a ni; gbogbo ire
O: gb’e;ôboôô, o; ru;’boô
N®je;ô Ifa; wa;a; da;; mi ni;’de¾ aje;
SÙeôweôleôô
Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾
Ifa; wa;a; da;; mi ni;’de¾ aya
SÙeôweôleô
1042
OGBE® SÙEÙ:

Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾ oômoô
SÙeôweôôleôô
Ifa;; wa;a; da;; mi ni;’de¾
Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾ ile;
SÙeôweôleô
Ifa; wa;;a; da;; mi ni;;’de¾
Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾ ogbo;
SÙeôweôleô
Ifa; wa;a; da; mi ni;’de¾ ire gbogbo
SÙeôweôleô
Translation:
The cripple painted himself with chalk
The cripple was casting Ifa;
A®ja¾n¾tete¾, the Awo of the road-side
They cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;;nmi¾la¾
Whose Ori; would complete all his assignments
And would be blessed with all the Ire of life
He complied
Ifa, please release me from bondage for me to
be blessed with wealth
SÙeôweôôleôô
Ifa, please release me from bondage
Ifa; please release me from bondage for me to
be blessed with a spouse
SÙeôweôleôô
be blessed with children
SÙeôweôleôô
be blessed with properties
SÙeôweôleô
1043

be blessed with longevity
SÙeôweôleô
be blessed with all the Ire of life
SÙeôweôleôô
Ifa; says that this person shall be released from bondage and he/she
shall be blessed with wealth, good spouse, lovely children, many
properties, sound health, victory over adversity, long life and joy.
2. Ifa; says that the person for whom the Odu¾ is revealed shall be
blessed with several followers who will love, adore, respect and elevate
him/her. Ifa; says that he/she shall also be blessed with long life and
sound health. Ifa; assures him/her that all what he/she is looking for
shall be given onto him/her.
Ifa; advises him/her to be very close to Obatala. This is because Obatala

will make his/her progress and accomplishments be achieved in no time.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with 16 rats, 16 fish, 16 fowls,
one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed Obatala
with 16 land snails, shea butter, chalk and one bundle of white
cloth.
On these Ifa; says:
Ogu;n sôeô;
OÙgboô¾n sôeô;
OÙ®wa¾a¾ra¾ n¾ da ge¾ge; nu¾
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾sôa¾
Ti; n; loô¾oô; m’o;ko ni; Mo¾ôrun A®i¾ku;
1044
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
Translation:
Twenty of the counting sticks broke

Thirty of the counting sticks broke
All the broken counting sticks scattered everywhere
This was Ifa;’s message for O®o¾sôa¾ (OÙba¾ta;la;)
When going to cultivate a farm in the land where
longevity is assured
O®o¾sôa¾, OÙba¾ta;la; was a favourite of Olo;du¾mare¾¾. His patience,

perseverance, humility, truthfulness and pragmatism endeared him to
Olo;du¾mare¾. He was a very understanding Iru;nmoôleô¾; and for that reason,
Olo;du¾mare¾ would assign him delicate duties; and at the same time,
repose confidence in him that such assignments would be carried out
successfully.
One day, OÙba¾ta;la; planned to ensure that all his devotees would be
endowed with long life, sound health, prosperity, compatible spouses,
lovely children and comfort in their lives. For this reason, he went to
Olo;du¾mare¾ for approval. Olo;du¾mare¾ gave him the approval. After this,
he went to the group of Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation: will I
succeed in the assignment that has been assigned for me which
Olo;du¾mare¾¾ has given me the approval to perform? Will I be able to
provide for the world prosperity, success, elevation, compatible spouse,
good children, beautiful accommodations, comfort, and above all, long
life and sound health? During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾eô; was revealed
The Awo told O®o¾sôa¾ that he was about to embark on an assignment

which would change the face of the world. He was told that he would
not only succeed, but he would also gain a long list of followers who
would continue to carry out the assignment when and where he had left
off.
The Awo advised him to offer eôboô and to feed OÙba¾ta;;la;;, his O®ke¾ I®poô¾ri;, as
stated above. He complied. Soon after this, he proceeded into the world
to carry out his assignment.
When OÙba¾ta;la; arrived into the world, he gathered some followers

together. He showed them how to succeed in business without cheating;
1045
how to live hygienic lives and avoid physical, physiological and spiritual
contaminations; how to secure a compatible spouse who would make
life comfortable and peaceful for them; how to give birth to, and raise
beautiful children, who would make them proud and fulfilled in life; and
how to combine all these to gain long life and sound health, physically,
socially, psychologically, economically, spiritually and religiously.
All of OÙba¾ta;la's; devotees became very successful in their various fields

of endeavours. They lived happily. They had peace of mind and they
were contented with what Olo;du¾mare¾ had given them. They were also
adored and envied by everyone in their community and wherever they
went to. They all became role models in the communities around the
world.
One day, the whole world gathered together to praise OÙba¾ta;la;; for a job
well done. They agreed that the way to measure the success of OÙba¾ta;la;
was to study the achievements of all his devotees. They realized that
there was nothing in life that all of OÙba¾ta;la;’s devotees had not achieved.
For this reason they began to sing and dance in his praise, saying:
SÙeôweôleô o¾. sôeôweôleô

Aje; ma¾¾ n; sôeô t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o
SÙeôweôleô o¾, sôeôweôleô
Aya ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o
SÙeôweôleô o¾ sôeôweôleô
OÙmoô ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o
Ile; ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o
SÙÙeôweôleô o¾ sôeôweôleô
EÙsôin ma¾ n;; sôeô t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾¾ô o
Ogbo; ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o
SÙeôweôleô o¾ sôeôweôleôô
Ire gbogbo ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o
Translation:
SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôôleô
Wealth is spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾
1046
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôleô
Spouse is spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾
Children are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾
SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôôleô
Properties are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾
Horses are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾
SÙeôweôôleô, oh sôeôweôleô
Longevity is spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾
SÙeôweôleôô, oh sôeôweôleô
All the Ire of life are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sa
ô ¾
SÙeôweôôleô, oh sôeôweôleô
This was how people began to sing and dance in the praise of OÙba¾ta;la;.
The impression they gave others was that as long as they remained true
devotees of OÙba¾ta;la;;, all the great things of life listed above were
guaranteed for them and yes, it was true. But they never bothered to
really emphasize the complete discipline involved in becoming O®ri¾sôa¾
devotees; honesty, truthfulness, benevolence, patience, humility,
hopefulness, perseverance, total devotion, etc..
Ogu;n sôeô;
OÙgboô¾n sôeô;
OÙ®wa¾a¾ra¾ n¾ da ge¾ge; nu¾
Ti; n; lo¾ôoô; m’o;;ko ni; 'Mo¾ôrun A®i¾ku;
O: gb’e;ôboô o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô; ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®je;ô SÙeôweôlô eô o¾¾. sôeôweôôleô
Aje; ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o
Aya ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o
SÙeôweôleôô o¾ sôeôweôleô
OÙmoô ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o
Ile; ma¾ n; sôe;ô t’oko O®ri¾sô¾a¾ a; bo¾ô o
1047
EÙsôin ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o
SÙeôweôleô o¾ sôôeôweôôleô
Ogbo; ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o
Ire gbogbo ma¾ n; sôeô; t’oko O®ri¾sôa¾ a; bo¾ô o
Translation:
Twenty of the counting sticks broke

Thirty of the counting sticks broke
All the broken counting sticks scattered everywhere
This was Ifa;’s message for O®o¾sôa¾ (OÙba¾ta;la;;)
When going to cultivate a farm in the land where
longevity is assured
He complied
Now, SÙeôweôleô, oh sôeôweôôleô
Wealth is spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾
Spouse is spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾
SÙeôweôôleôô, oh sôôeôweôleôô
Children are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾
SÙeôweôleô, oh sôôeôweôleô
Properties are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾
Horses are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾
SÙeôweôleôô, oh sôôeôweôleô
Longevity is spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sôa¾
SÙeôweôlôeô, oh sôeôweôleô
All the Ire of life are spilling towards us from the farm of O®ri¾sa
ô ¾
Ifa; says that this person shall be blessed with joy and all the Ire of life
which will make him/her excel over and above all his/her counterparts
1048
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
but they must be exhibiting discipline and patience, honesty,

hopefulness, benevolence, humility, perseverance, etc.
blessed with all the Ire of life. Ifa; assures this person that he/she shall
be assisted by Ifa; to achieve all his/her ambitions in life. Ifa; says that all
the Ire in life is waiting for this person, either on the outskirts of the
city, in a rural setting or in a farm or village. Surely, this person will
succeed more in rural settings or villages more than in the big city.
His/her success is in the country-side more than in urban settings.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons and money.
SÙeô; bo¾ mi;

Ki; n sôeô; bo¾ e;ô
Asôoô ni;i; ;sôeô; b’ori; Ee;gu;n
A®ta¾ ni;i; sôeô; b’ori; o¾ru¾le;
Di;a; fu;n I®ranje; E®Ùlu¾ju¾
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾¾ ni; ire gbogbo
Translation:
Use your flap to cover me

And I will cover you with my flap
The costume flaps over and covers the face
of the masquerade
The roof flaps over and covers the head of a house
These were Ifa;’s messages for I®ranje; of the wilderness
all the Ire of life
I®ranje; was living in the wilderness. She was always complaining that she
would be better off in the city. She felt that she would be able to secure
all the good things of life faster and easier in the city. For this reason,
she was never happy. Her stay in the wilderness was considered to be a
1049
form of bondage because she felt constrained and unfulfilled. All efforts
by her counterparts to counsel her fell on deaf ear. To her, staying in
the big city was the ultimate. Nothing that anyone could say or do would
ever satisfy her.
One day, I®ranje; decided to go to the home of the group of Awo

mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: will I be able to find my way to
the city and stay? Will I find fulfilment and satisfaction in the city? Will I
be able to spread as much as I want? These and many more were the
questions which I®ranje; asked Ifa; during the Ifa; Consultation.
The Awo told I®ranje; that she was about to move from a rural setting to
the big city. She was advised not to do so. They told her that all the Ire
of life that she was looking for was in the wilderness and not in the city.
She was told that in the city, only grief, persecution, suffering,
misfortune and untimely death awaited her. She was equally told that in
the wilderness, she would find co-operation and good neighbours as her
companions. She would also be able to serve as a shield and a cover for
others, while others would cover her too.
In the end, the Awo advised her to forget about going to the city to
stay. Instead of doing this, she was encouraged to move to the deeper
parts of the wilderness. She was also advised to offer eôboô with four
pigeons and money.
When I®ranje; returned home, she could not make any sense of what she
was told. She felt disappointed that Ifa; did not support her intention to
move into the city to stay. She was however determined to go to the
city. She decided that she would offer the eôôboô but that she would go
and try her luck in the city anyway. That was exactly what she did.
The very first day she arrived in the city, she realized that she made a
grave mistake. The human traffic was unbelievable. People kept going
and returning. She knew she was not secure with the people. She
decided to look for a little corner and hide herself there. As soon as she
began to creep out, small children would see her as a play thing. They
cut off her branches for them to play with. There was no shelter for her
in the city. There was nothing to cover her where she was. It was not
like this is the wilderness, I®ranje; lamented.
1050
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
At a stage, the situation became totally unbearable. She was smart

enough to realize that if she failed to move immediately, she would
surely end up losing her life. She must leave, she agreed. But to where?
It suddenly dawned on her that she had no other place to go than to the
wilderness. It also dawned on her that her movement to the city was
nothing but a sheer waste of time, effort and energy. It was even a
reckless risk to her life.
With shame and regret, I®ranje; returned to the wilderness, instead of

staying in her former place of abode. She moved to the deepest part of
the wilderness. As soon as she got there, she was able to settle down
comfortably without anxiety. She was also able to express herself and
do whatever she wanted without any threat to her life or limb. She
regretted ever moving to the city in the first place, but she was grateful
that she was able to trace back her steps before it was too late.
SÙeô; bo¾ mi;

Ki; n sôeô; bo¾ e;ô
Asôoô ni;i; sôeô; b’ori; Ee;gu;n
A®ta¾ ni;i; sôeô; b’ori; o¾ru¾le;
Di;a; fu;n I®ranje; E®ôlu¾ju¾
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni; ire gbogbo
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®je;ô l’eô;lu¾ju¾ n’ire wa¾
I®ranje; EÙ®lu¾ju¾
Translation:
Use your flap to cover me

And I will cover you with my flap
The costume flaps over and covers the face
of the masquerade
The roof flaps over and covers the head of a house
These were Ifa;’s messages for I®ranje; of the wilderness
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to secure
all the Ire of life
1051

She complied
All Ire resides in the wilderness
I®ranje;
Ifa; says that this person shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. He/she
however needs to understand and appreciate the fact that he/she stands
a better chance to succeed in a rural setting than in an urban setting.
4. Ifa; enjoins the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to do good at all
times. He/she must never stop doing good for any reason whatsoever.
Ifa; says that it is with his/her good deeds that all the Ire of life which
he/she is clamouring for will become his/hers. He/she will be able to
consummate his /her fortune in life because he/she is showing goodness
to others. For this reason, he/she must never stop doing good. It is not
in his/her best interest to stop.
hens, two pigeons, two cocks, two ducks, two guinea fowls and
money.
On this Ifa; says:
Aga;ba ni;yeô¾eô;
Aga¾ba ni¾ye¾ôeô;
E®semo¾ôwe; o¾ t’ori; O®®Ùpeô¾ re 'Mo¾gu;n
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùsôoô¾nnu; O®ke¾-A®pa¾
To; l’o;un o¾ ni;i; sô’oore moô;
Translation:
Aga;ba ni;ye¾ôeô;
E®semo¾ôwe;; did not go to 'Mogun-land because
of the palm tree
1052
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
These were Ifa;’s declarations to O®Ùsôoô¾nnu; (the foolish

man) of O®ke¾-A®pa¾
Who declared that he would never do good again
OÙ®sôoô¾nnu; O®ke¾–A®pa¾, the Fool of O®ke¾–A®pa¾ was not his original name. That
was however the name he was called in O®ke¾–A®pa¾ land. They gave him
this name because of his selfless ways of doing good and showing
kindness to others. They considered him to be a fool, who did not know
what to do with his hard earned resources. If not a fool, how could he
labour so hard and make so much gain only to squander most of it on
others who might not appreciate all his efforts and sacrifices? They
queried.
At first, they called him this name behind his back. The irony of it all was
that it was the same people who he had helped or whose relatives he
had raised up that gave him this name. He had helped the debtors to
pay off their debts; he assisted the invalids to regain their strength by
footing their medical bills; and he had filled the stomachs of the starving
people with food. He was doing all these things without expecting
anything in return. Sometimes, he would do this at the expense of his
own family, but it never bothered him. He gained boundless joy and
satisfaction in helping others.
The day he heard that he was the one everyone knew as, and called
O®Ùsôoô¾nnu; O®ke¾-A®pa¾–the Fool of O®ke¾-A®pa¾ Land, he was devastated. He
could not believe that the people he had loved and laboured for could be
the same ones who perceived him as a fool.
There and then, he decided never to do good or show kindness to

anyone anymore.
The very day he took this decision was the day that everything began to
go down for him. Most of the things he had hitherto successfully carried
out and accomplished failed woefully. He could not comprehend why
this should be his own lot. It was in this state of confusion that he went
for Ifa; consultations in order to determine what went wrong with him
and find a way out of the problem. When Ifa; was cast, Ogbe¾ 'SÙe¾ôeô; was
revealed.
1053
The Awo told O®Ùsôoô¾nnu; O®ke¾-A®pa¾ that his main purpose of consulting Ifa;
was that he was experiencing a downturn in his fortune. They made it
very clear to him that he was the architect of his misfortune. His
decision not to help others anymore was the cause of his dwindling
fortune. He had been progressing in his life because he had been
showing kindness and benevolence to others. The moment he stopped
doing this, the guiding spirits who had been ensuring that all his
benevolence were repaid to him in several folds stopped ensuring
progress for him. The period that he declared that he would not be of
help to anyone anymore signified the time that all the guiding spirits
departed from him and he was on his own.
He was told that he needed to resume showing love, kindness and

benevolence to everyone as he had been doing before. He need not
bother himself with the name that people called him. What is important
in his life was for him to be fulfilled, to succeed and have progress in all
the departments of life. He was also advised to offer eôboô as stated
above. He complied
As soon as he did this, he returned to his old ways of doing good to

others. The guiding spirits returned to continue their work of guiding
and helping him. Whatever he gave out to others was returned to him
in 16 folds. Before long, he had more money than ever before. He
enjoyed the benefits of being blessed with spouse and children than
ever before. He had more horses than ever before. He had more
properties and farm land than ever before. He lived long and in good
health. He was fulfilled. He lived the rest of his life a very happy and
contented man.
E®semo¾ôwe; o¾ t ori; O®Ùpeô¾ re 'Mo¾gu;n
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùsôoô¾nnu; O®ke¾-A®pa¾
To; l’o;un o¾ ni;i; sô’oore moô;
N®je;ô yo;o; l’a;je; a;;a; te;ô’ru¾n
Asôe-rere, ka¾sôa¾i¾ l’a;je; a;a; te;’ô ru¾n
Asôe- rere o
Yo;o; l’a;ya a;a; te;ô’ru¾n
1054
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
Asôe-rere, ka¾sôa¾i¾ l’a;ya a;a; te;ô’ru¾n

Asôe-rere o
Yo;o; bi;’moô a;a; te;ô’ru¾n
Asôe-rere, ka¾sôaôiô bi;’moô a;a; te;ô’ru¾n
Asôe-rere o
Yo;o; l’e;ôsôin a;a; te;ô’ru¾n
Asôe-rere, ka¾sôa¾i¾ l’e;ôsôin a;a; te;’ô run
Asôe-rere o
Yo;o; ko;’ô le; a;a; te;ô’ru¾n
Asôe-rere, ka¾sôa¾i¾ ko;ô’le; a;a; te;ô’ru¾n
Asôe-rere o
Yo;o; ni;’re a;a; te;ô’ru¾n
Asôe-rere o
Ka¾sôa¾i¾ ni;’; re a;a; te;ô’ru¾n
Asôe-rere
Translation:
E®semoô¾we; did not go to 'Mo¾gun-land because of
the palm tree
These were Ifa;’s declarations to O®Ùsôoô¾nnu; (the Fool) of
O®ke¾-A®pa¾
Who declared that he would never do good again
He complied
Now, he will be blessed with wealth to his satisfaction
The benevolent will be blessed with wealth to his satisfaction
Asôe-rere (the benevolent)
He will be blessed with spouse to his satisfaction
Asôe-rere will be blessed with spouse to his satisfaction
Asôe-rere
He will be blessed with children to his satisfaction
Asôe-rere will be blessed with children to his satisfaction
Asôe-rere
He will be blessed with properties to his satisfaction
Asôe-rere will be blessed with properties to his satisfaction
Asôe-rere
He will be blessed with horses to his satisfaction
1055
Asôe-rere will be blessed with horses to his satisfaction

Asôe-rere
He will be blessed with all the Ire of life to his satisfaction
Asôe-rere will be blessed with all the Ire of life
to his satisfaction
Asôe-rere
Ifa; says that as long as this person continues to do good at all times, so
long will he/she continue to be blessed with all ire of life. He/she needs
not bother himself/herself with what people do or say about him/her
while doing what Olo;du¾mare¾ had sent him to do.
5. Ifa; says that it foresees the Ire of victory for the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that he/she has several enemies who have
become his/her foes out of envy and jealousy. They will go to any length
to run him/her down, but they will all fail in their evil designs.
money. The he-goat is to be slaughtered. The officiating Awo will erect
two poles by either side of E®su ô ¾ and a third pole will be placed on it
perpendicularly. It will look like the poles of the high jump sport.
The left forelimb of the slaughtered he-goat will be removed and will be
tied to the perpendicular pole and be allowed to dangle there for many
days. The maggots coming out of the forelimb will be dropping on E®®sôu¾.
That is when the victory of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will
be guaranteed.
O®ti¾i¾pa¾
Di;a; fu;n Olo;jom¾bo;
OÙmoô ar'a;pa; eôran sôeô;gun
I®gba¾ti; n;beô l’a;a¾rin a¾gba¾gba¾riri o¾ôta;
1056
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
Translation:
O®ti¾i¾pa¾
He cast Ifa; Olo;jom¾bo;
He who sees a beast’s forelimb to overcome all adversities
Olo;jom¾bo; was the OÙba of O®jom¾bo; land. He was the occupier of one of
the most ancient Royal stools in Yoru¾ba;land. His position was expected
to give him honour and respect. Unfortunately however he was not
accorded any respect. Many of his subjects did not recognize his
authority. Why? His opponents were just too many and they did
everything and anything to undermine his authority. At a stage he
became the laughing stock of the whole citizenry. He was pushed
against the wall all the time to the extent that he was always fighting for
his life, instead of giving consideration for his eroded position.
One day, his wife called him and advised him to do one of three things:
one, to flee the land and abandon the throne; two, commit suicide and
end the shame he was being subjected to; or three, to fight back and
fight gallantly to reclaim his authority. The wife told him that he could
not continue to live in shame and ignominy.
After much deliberation and consideration, he decided to go for the third

option. He declared that he was ready to die fighting and go to join his
ancestors with honour than to continue to turn himself into a subject of
ridicule and odium.
Both wife and husband recognized the fact that the enemies where just
too many. They were realistic enough to appreciate the fact that
engaging their enemies in physical confrontation would be suicidal. In
order to win this war, another means of engaging the enemies in battle
must be found and used. That was why they decided to run to Ifa; for a
solution. This was the very reason that brought them to the house of
O®ti¾i¾pa¾ for Ifa; consultation. Would there be victory for Olo;jom¾bo;?
The Awo told Olo;jom¾bo; that even though he was totally overwhelmed
by oppositions, there would never be a time that Olo;du¾mare¾ would not
be on his side. Olo;jom¾bo; was told that his problems remained unsolved
1057
because he had never made any attempts to find any solutions to them.
He was assured that even if the whole world was against him and
Olo;du¾mare¾ alone was by his side, he would still come out triumphantly.
The Awo told Olo;jom¾bo; that he was already on his way to victory. He
advised him to offer eôboô as stated above. He complied.
As soon the eôboô was completed, the Awo urged Olo;jom¾bo; to go home
and claim his authority from his enemies. He was told that he would
succeed in doing so.
When he got home, he decided to give the advice of the Awo a trial. He
summoned all the town representatives who were in charge of collecting
royalties from all the neighbouring villages to come and account for all
what they had collected. As usual, they ignored him. Olo;jom¾bo; sent the
Palace guards after them. They were all dragged into the Palace. When
they could not give accounts for what they had collected on behalf of
the land, they were all severely disciplined. This came as a rude shock to
all the other detractors. They all grouped together to fight Olo;jom¾bo;.
They met at a secret place in the dead of the night. They deliberated on
the newly found courage of Olo;jom¾bo; and they came to the conclusion
that some people must be giving him support. They decided to end all of
that on that same day. They concluded that Olo;jom¾bo; must be
assassinated that very day. They moved straight to his Palace.
As they were going, E®sôu¾ took the forelimb of the he-goat which
Olo;jom¾bo; had used to offer his eôboô, and turned it into a lethal weapon
against these enemies. He used it to beat them mercilessly. Some of
them sustained broken neck injuries, some broken legs, broken arms,
and others damaged internal organs. Many of them died on the spot.
Those who did not die ran away for their dear lives.
One after the other, the remaining conspirators came to apologise to

Olo;jom¾bo; and at the same time swore their allegiance to him. That was
how Olo;jom¾bo; was able to overcome all his enemies.
O®ti¾i¾pa¾
Di;a; fu;n Olo;jom¾bo;
OÙmoô ar'a;pa;; eôran sôeô;gun
I®gba¾ti; n;beô l’a;a¾rin a¾gba¾gba¾¾riri o¾ôta;
1058
OGBE® SÙEÙ:

EÙ wa;a; ba; ni l’a;ru¾¾u;sôeô; ogun
O®ti¾i¾pa¾ o¾ yi¾ ka;’se¾ô ni;’le¾ô
ôIfa; sôeô o
Translation:
O®ti¾i¾pa¾
He cast Ifa; Olo;jom¾bo;
He who sees a beast’s forelimb to overcome all adversities
He complied
Victory over enemies is what Ifa; guarantees for his devotees
Behold O®ti¾i¾pa¾¾ had not left
Before Ifa;’s prediction had come to pass
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall certainly
gain victory over all his/her enemies. He/she shall be able to claim
his/her mandate and operate freely without any form of intimidation
from his/her antagonists.
6. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall never
face disgrace or humiliation. He/she shall excel in his/her chosen career.
He/she is empowered by Ifa; to speak authoritatively on any issue
pertaining to his/her career as long as he/she is sure that he/she is
speaking the truth.
Ifa; says that the door of success and accomplishment has been locked
against the client where this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that certain
people have intentionally done this against them; but SÙa¾ngo; will help
them to break the lock. Ifa; says that all the problems associated with
unconsummated fortune and failure shall be removed from the lives of
these people in seven days’ time.
1059
Ifa; also enjoins the Awo who cast this Ifa; for others to speak
authoritatively. He/she must never entertain any fear whatsoever. It
shall be well with the Awo.
Ifa; advises those for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with Four
rats, four fish, two ducks, two pigeons, two guinea-fowls, two
cocks and money. They also need to feed SÙa¾ngo; with plenty of
A®ma¾la¾ and gbe¾ôgi¾ri¾, bean soup. After this, they need to feed
Egu;ngu;n Babala;go¾ô, Egu;ngu;n Ala;ra¾n-a;n and Egu;ngu;n Ala;sôoô with
plenty of moô;i;n-mo;ôi;n, e¾ôkoô, one cock and palm oil. Doing these will
ensure success for them and make their issues turn to joy.
On these aspects, Ifa; says:
I®reô¾-o¾-da¾gba¾ o, Awo ile; Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n

Di;a; fu;n Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n
T’igbo; OÙpa
T'I®la¾we¾ô OÙj® e¾ô
E®yi; ti L’a;;gbaago¾ô jo;
T’agba;sôoô l'a;rugeôgeô bi; ala;geômoô
E®yi; to; ni; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ oôjoô; me;je o¾ni;
N leô o; r’A:wo kan ni;’le¾ô yi;
Ifa; lo; ni; n ma;a sô'oô;pa o
Translation:
I®re¾ô-o¾-da¾gba¾ the resident Awo of Oni;ta¾¾bo-A®ra;n

He cast Ifa; for Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n
The one living in the OÙpa forest
Close to the I®la¾we¾ô-OÙ®je¾ô of the Masqueraders
The one who dances with a masquerade costume
He who changes costumes like a chameleon
He who declares that in seven days’ time
You shall all recognize a great Awo in this land
The Awo boasted that it was Ifa; ;which had authorized
him to say so
There was serious crises in I®ta¾bo land. The OÙba of I®ta¾bo-land, known as
Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n, had no solution to any of the problems. Crops failed,
many wealthy citizens of I®ta¾¾bo-land had become chronic debtors; and
1060
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
they had no hope of paying back the debts. Women could not become
pregnant anymore. Those who were already pregnant before the crises
did not have safe deliveries. The sick could not regain their health.
Chaos and anarchy were the order of the day. Many people lost interest
in life and living in I®ta¾bo-land. This was the major reason why Oni;ta¾bo-
A®ra;n summoned I®re¾ô-o¾-da¾gba¾, his resident Awo, to come and consult Ifa;
for him.
The Awo assured Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n that even though there were a series of
crises and problems in the land, all of the problems would disappear in
seven days’ time. He said that SÙa¾ngo; and Egu;;ngu;n would smash all the
problems into pieces for all those in the land. Not only this, he assured
Oni;ta¾bo-A®ran that all those responsible for the crises in the land would
be exposed on the appointed day. He advised the OÙba to offer eôboô
and feed SÙa¾ngo; and Egu;ngu;n as stated above.
Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n was really concerned. Not with the fact that the crises and
problems in the land were overwhelming; not with the fact that Ifa; had
promised that there was going to be an end to the problems; but rather
the temerity of his Awo, I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾, for declaring that all the problems
in the land would disappear in seven days’ time. Who was he to give
such a date? Who did he think he was? The OÙba concluded that I®re¾ô-o¾-
Da¾gba¾ had really out reached himself.
“Are you sure of what you are saying?” Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n asked I®re¾ô-o¾-
Da¾gba¾. He replied that he was very sure because it was Ifa; which
instructed him to give them the definite time when everything would
change for good.
The OÙba said that if what he said happened in seven days as he had
predicted, he would give I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾ a horse as a gift. On the other
hand, if what he said did not happen as he had predicted, he would be
left with no option but to execute him publicly. I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾ told the OÙba
that it was acceptable to him.
As soon as I®reô¾-o¾-Da¾gba¾ left Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n’s presence, all the palace
residents began to sing, saying:
Ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ ni;’jo;ô me;je o¾ni;

La o; pa Ala;wo kan ni;’le¾ô yi¾i;
Babala;wo sôe e; sôi; oôpa?
1061
Translation:
Very early in seven days’ time

We shall execute an Awo in this land
Why must an Awo be predicting events with dates?
When this song gained currency in the town, I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾’s wife heard
the song and she became very sad and worried. She called her husband
and questioned him as to why he must be predicting events with dates.
I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾ responded that that was how he was trained. A good
student needs to do things the way his tutor and Ba¾ba; Ifa; have trained
him/her.
He reiterated further that all the Ire of the land had been encapsulated
by the Elders of the Night and had been buried in the ground. A big
stone had been placed on the Ire where they were buried. He assured
his wife that SÙa¾ngo; would help the land to break the stone into pieces
while the Ancestors (Egu;ngu;;n) would exhume all the Ire and return
them to the land. He assured his wife that all of these would happen in
seven days’ time. He repeated to her that it was the way that one
received one’s training that one ought to recite the Odu¾.
At dawn on the seventh day, rain clouds enveloped the land. A heavy
rain began to fall. When the land had been drenched thoroughly, SÙa¾ngo;
threw his thunderstone and the heavy stone which was placed on the
Ire of the land was broken into pieces. Egu;ngu;n stepped in and
exhumed all the Ire and returned them to the land.
As soon as this was done, peace and comfort returned to the land. The
inhabitants found good and clean water to drink. Those in labour had
safe deliveries. The invalids began to regain their strength. Dry crops
began to show signs of life. With good harvest, the inhabitants who
were in huge debts were sure that they would be able to offset their
debts. There were smiles on the faces of the citizens on the land.
In the afternoon, the rain subsided. Oni;;ta¾bo-A®ra;n asked the Palace

Aides to go and call I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾ for him. The Aides came to his home,
but he told them that he could not trek to the Palace any longer. He said
1062
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
that his horse should be sent to him for him to ride to the Palace. With
joy and appreciation, Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n sent the horse to him.
When I®re¾ô-o¾-Da¾gba¾ arrived at the Palace, he was told by Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n to

continue to give him as much accurate predictions with specific dates as
he liked. The OÙba honoured him and made him a very important
member of his household and the community.
I®re¾ô-o¾-da¾gba¾ o, Awo ile; Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n

Di;a; fu;;n Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n
T’igbo; OÙpa
T'I®®la¾we¾ô OÙ®je¾ô
E®yi; ti L’a;gbaago¾ô jo;
T’agba;sôoô l'a;rugeôgeô bi; ala;geômoô
E®yi; to; ni; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ oôjôoô; me;je o¾ni;
N leô o; r’A:wo kan ni;’le¾ô yi;
Ifa; lo; ni; n ma;a sô'oô;pa o
N®je;ô ni; ku¾tu¾¾ku¾tu¾ oôjoô; me;je o¾ni;
La¾ o; pa Ala;wo kan ni;’le¾ô yi;
Babala;wo sôe e; sô’oô;pa?
N®je;ô ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ oôjoô; me;je o¾ni;
La o; la Ala;wo kan ni;’le¾ô yi;
Ifa; lo; ni; n ma;a sôô’oô;pa
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
I®re¾ô-o¾-da¾gba¾ the resident Awo of Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n

He cast Ifa; for Oni;ta¾bo-A®ra;n
The one living in the OÙpa forest
Close to the I®la¾we¾ô-OÙ®je¾ô of the Masqueraders
The one who dances with a masquerade costume
He who changes costumes like a chameleon
He who declares that in seven days’ time
You shall all recognize a great Awo in this land
The Awo boasted that it was Ifa; which had authorized him to
say so
1063
He offered the prescribed eôboô

Now, very early in seven days’ time
We shall execute an Awo in the land
Why must an Awo be predicting events with dates
And very early in seven days’ time
You will honour an Awo in this land
It is Ifa; which has authorized me to make the prediction
Ifa; says that this person will never be humiliated. All the problems and
challenges of his/her life will give way to joy and progress in seven days’
time if all the ôeôboô are offered as stated above.
7. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer ebo for
one of his/her children not to be incarcerated or be put into a serious
problem. The child in question is a male.
Ifa; also says that the child will be sympathetic to his parents and/or
guardians; and in the process, he may do things that may put him in the
spot. It is therefore important for the parents or guardians to offer eôboô
for him in order to move him out of trouble.
Ifa; also warns everybody where this Odu¾ is revealed to be careful not to
go and testify as a witness over any issue. As a matter of fact, it is a
serious taboo for anyone whose Odu¾ is Ogbe¾ OÙ®sôeô; during I®te¾ôni;fa; or
I®koôseô¾da;ye; to testify as a witness over any issue whatsoever.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with e¾kuru (bean pudding that is
prepared without salt, oil and pepper), and two big smoked cat
fish and money. The bones of the cat fish will be removed and mixed
with the e¾kuru.
The mixture will be placed at the centre of the three cross-roads. If this
is done, even if there is litigation, the person will come out triumphant.
1064
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-SÙeô;wo;-Aje; says:
B’o;ômoôde; ke;kere; ba; p’eku

A mu; u jeô
B’oô;moôde; ke;kere; ba; p’eôja
A mu; u jeô
Bo; ba; p’oô¾ra¾n
A mu; u fu;n ba¾ba; reô¾ wa;’le;;
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾eô;
Baba n; sô’awo loô ileô¾ eô Li¾ki¾
Yo;o; mu; Gbinrin oômoô reôô¾ l’o;ôwoô; loô
Translation:
If a small child kills a rat

He will eat it alone
If the small child kills a fish
But if he gets into big trouble
He will take it to his father in the house
These were Ifa;’s messages for Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô
When going on an Ifa; mission to Li¾ki¾ land
And when taking along Gbinrin his son
Gbinrin was the favourite son of Ogbe¾-'ÙSÙeô¾e;ô. He loved his son dearly and
his son loved him deeply. Gbinrin would do anything to please his father
and make him comfortable. Ogbe¾-'¾SÙeô¾eô; was vividly aware of his son’s
feelings towards him. In return, Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô was always prepared to take
him anywhere he went because he knew for sure that his child was
worth more than 16 other people’s children.
One day, Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô planned to go on an Ifa; mission to Li¾ki¾ land. It went

without saying that he would take his son Gbinrin along; and he did.
When they got to Li¾ki¾ Land, Gbinrin advised his father to let them erect
a simple hut on the outskirts of the town. As expected, his father
agreed. They stayed in the town for many weeks. But they did not have
1065
enough clientele to ensure that they had three meals per day. Gbinrin
did not mind going hungry for three days at a stretch. He did not mind
suffering at all. What he could not accept in any way was for his dearly
beloved father to experience any form of hardship or want. Now that his
father was also going hungry, he resolved to do anything in his capacity
to change that. He believed that his father did not deserve to go hungry,
not even for a moment. He must always be surrounded with extra food
and drink. For this, he began to think of what to do to change his
father’s condition.
From the time that Gbinrin was conceived, it was clear that he was a
specially gifted child. However, none of his parents or anyone for that
matter knew the extent to which he could make use of his endowment.
He decided to use his special endowment to bring food and drink for his
father.
There was a very successful man in Li¾ki¾ Land who owned a cattle ranch,
filled with well-fed cattle. Gbinrin thought that it would not be a bad idea
if his father was presented with the gift of a well fed cow at least once a
week. This thought made him smile with satisfaction.
Very early on the next day, there was nothing at home to eat. Gbinrin
decided to put his thought into action. He left the house and went to the
cattle ranch. He saw the biggest and fattest cow and he decided to put
his special endowment into use.
He reduced himself into a ball and entered the stomach of the cow
through the animal's anus. While inside, he cut apart the intestines, the
lungs, the kidneys and the liver of the cow. The cow fell down dead.
When the owner of the cow saw the biggest cow fall down, he moved
closer. What could have gone wrong with this cow? He wondered. As
soon as Gbinrin heard people’s voices, he shouted, from the stomach of
the cow saying:
EÙ gbe; mi f’E:gbe;re
Oni;le¾ô ni;i; j’o¾ôroô¾
EÙ gbe;; mi f’E:gbe;re o
Oni;leô¾ ni;i; j’o¾ôroô¾!!!
1066
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
Translation:
Go and give me to Egbe;re (the Dwarf Phenomenon)

Only a Phenomenon can eat it without problems
Go and give me to Egbe;re
Only Oni;le¾ô can consume this OÙ®ro¾ô!
Who was Egbe;re? Who was the Oni;le¾ô who must be presented with this
cow? The voice from inside the stomach of the cow told them that it was
Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô! Without much argument, the dead cow was taken to Ogbe¾-
'SÙe¾ôeô;’s house. As soon as the cow arrived, surplus meat also arrived.
Gbinrin discreetly came out of the cow's stomach. There was more than
enough food to eat. The remaining meat was distributed among the
needy neighbours. Everybody was happy, except the owner of the cattle
ranch.
Every five days, a cow would arrive at Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô’s house dead. Each
cow was a gift to Egbe;re, because only Oni;;le¾ô had the capability to
consume OÙ®ro¾ô without repercussion.
For two years the cattle kept coming every five days. In the end, the
head of the cattle on the cattle ranch only had one cow left! Every other
cow had been presented to Egbe;re as a gift.
For two years, Gbinrin had never missed one day. He had kept to the
routine. It had gotten to a stage that even the owner of the cattle ranch
knew the day and time that one of his cattle would be given to Egbe;re.
This is how all the cattle were reduced to just one. On this fateful day,
the last cow fell! The owner of the cattle ranch was totally devastated.
He was prepared to die. He was ready to expose the “thing” speaking
inside the stomach of his cattle. He ordered his staff to cut open the
stomach of the last cow in order to know what was speaking inside the
stomach. Nobody however wanted to do it so the owner of the cattle
ranch got a sharp knife and cut open the stomach himself.
Alas, what did he find? It was Gbinrin that came out of the stomach of
the cow! It took all his will-power to be raised to the highest-level before
he could restrain himself from pouncing on Gbinrin and tearing him into
parts. “You are the one who has been murdering my well bred cattle
and has been sending them to your father for food? So, you are the
1067
one who has consumed my close to 200 cattle of which now there are
none to consume? So you are the one who responsible for inflicting this
pain and agony on me without any justifiable cause? So, you are a thief
and criminal and your father is your accomplish? Certainly you will be
brought to justice!” The owner of the cattle thundered.
As they were arguing over what to do with Gbinrin and his father, the
first child of the OÙba of Li¾ki¾ land passed by. They called him and told
him that they intended to take Gbinrin to face justice before the OÙba.
They wanted the first son of the OÙba to be their witness. He gladly
agreed to do so. He was happy that he would be instrumental to
ensuring that the full weight of justice was invoked against a wicked
criminal and his accomplice. With this settled, they released Gbinrin to
go home and to meet them later with his father at the OÙba’s palace the
next day to defend themselves over the charge of stealing that would be
levelled against them.
As soon as Gbinrin got home, his father realized that something was
amiss. Gbinrin explained everything that had been happening for the
past two long years to his father. For the first time ever, Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô got
the full picture of how the cattle had been landing at his door-step every
five days. Now that he and his son had been taken to court and charged
with stealing, what was he going to do? Yes, what Gbinrin had done was
bad and illegal; but could he just leave him to his fate at this stage? The
ideal thing to do was to leave him to his fate, Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; reasoned, but it
was not a realistic thing for him to do. Then what was he to do? If he
left his beloved son to go down, he would certainly go down with him.
What was he going to do?
O: wa;a; ku¾ de¾ôdeô¾ ti; eôleô;ri¾i; yo;o; je¾ôeô;

Ogun pa eôleô;ri¾i;
Di;a; fu;n da;wo;du¾ OÙba ileôô¾ eô Li¾ki¾
Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboôô
Ko; ma; ba a¾ j’e;ôri¾i; oô¾ra¾n
Translation:
When only a short time remained for the witness to

be called to testify
Uprising consumed the witness
1068
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
This was Ifa;’s message for the first son of the OÙba
of Li¾ki¾ land
So as not to enter into trouble over a matter
which he intended to be a witness for
The excitement of ensuring that a culprit was about to be brought to

well-deserved justice took the first son of the OÙba of Li¾ki¾ land to go for
Ifa; consultation. What do I need to do to ensure maximum punishment
for this culprit? The Awo told him that there was the need for him to
offer eôboô with a mature he-goat and money in order to ensure that
he did not land himself into trouble while trying to serve as a witness
against the culprits.
When the first son of the OÙba of Li¾ki¾ town heard the message, he was
livid with anger with the message and he simply left the home of the
Awo. He assured himself that nothing would happen and he would bear
witness against the thieves.
Meanwhile, Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; and Gbinrin were still looking for the best way to
solve their problems. That was what took them to the house of:
B‘o;ômoôde; ke;;kere; ba; p’eku

A mu; u jeô
B‘oô;moôde; ke;kere; ba; p’eôja
A mu; u jeô
Bo; ba; p’o¾ôra¾n
A mu; u fu;n Ba¾ba; re¾ wa;’le;
Translation:

If the small child kills a fish
He will take it to his father in the house…..
1069
….for Ifa; consultation. All they wanted to know was whether or not
there was a way out of their predicament.
The Awo advised them to go and offer eôboô with the e¾kuru and
smoked cat fish bones and place the ebo in the centre of the three
cross roads. They did so instantly.
The same time that Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; and his son placed the eôboô in the centre
of the three cross roads was the exact time that the first son of the OÙba
of Li¾ki¾ town had stormed out the Awo’s house. As Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; and his son
left the three cross roads, the son of the OÙba got to the scene. It was
E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ who directed his attention to the e¾kuru. E®sôu¾ told him not to
return home with anger. He asked the would-be witness to settle down
and help himself to the e¾kuru meal before going home. The would-be
witness considered this to be a wise thing to do. There was no point in
working himself up unnecessarily. He settled down to eat the e¾kuru.
As he began to enjoy this meal, he felt a sharp and excruciating pain

right inside his throat. The bones of the cat fish had cut into his throat
and had gotten stuck there! The more he tried to remove the bones, the
more the bones would root themselves inside his throat! At a stage he
could no longer speak. His neck had swollen as if he had developed
goiter!
Very early the next day, the palace was jammed full of spectators. Public
opinion was divided. Those who had also eaten from the cattle that
Gbinrin used to give out every five days were sympathetic; while those
who had not partaken in the consumption of the cattle were angry. The
palace officials were fully determined to make the duo pay for their
crime. They could not wait to inflict the maximum punishment on them.
After all, even the first son of the OÙba was interested in ensuring that
they were duly punished.
As soon as the case came up, they did not give the son or his father any
opportunity to express themselves. All that they were interested in was
that they were caught stealing and the chief witness was the first son of
the OÙba. He was then called to the witness box to explain what he had
witnessed. Alas, he could not speak! All he could do was nod his head,
up and down. When asked if he truly saw Gbinrin killing the cow, he
nodded his head affirmatively. When he was asked if he was not there
1070
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
when the stealing took place, he nodded his head again in affirmation.
When he was asked if he was sure that stealing had taken place, he
nodded in affirmation. When he was asked if he was sure that no
stealing had taken place, he also nodded in affirmation!
At this stage, all those in the palace did not know what to believe any
longer. That was what prompted one of the palace elders to ask him if
he was at the court to speak the truth. He answered in affirmation by
nodding his head. Another member asked him if he was in court to tell
lies against the accused and he also answered in the affirmative by
nodding his head! This was what convinced the palace elders to
conclude that the first son of OÙba of Li¾ki¾ town was indeed an unreliable
witness. (The first son of the OÙba of Li¾ki¾ Land is known as a Male Lizard
which nods all the time)
The owner of the cattle was advised to produce other witnesses but
they had no more witnesses.
The palace elders deliberated on this matter for only a few moments
before they came back with a verdict of not guilty in favour of Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô;
and his son. The two of them returned home free men without uttering
a single word in the palace.
B’o;;ômoôde; ke;kere;; ba;; p’eku

A mu; u jeô
B’oô;moôde; ke;kere; ba; p’eôja
A mu; u jeô
Bo;; ba; p’oô¾ra¾n
A mu; u fu;n ba¾ba; re¾ô wa;’le;;
Di;a; fu;;n Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô;
Baba n; sô’awo loô ileô¾ eô Li¾ki¾¾
Yo;o; mu; Gbinrin oômoô reô¾ l’o;ôwoô; loô
O: gb'e;ôboô o; ru;'boô
O: wa;a; ku¾ de¾ôdeô¾ ti; eôleô;ri¾i; yo;o; je¾ôeô;
Ogun pa eôleô;ri¾i;
Di;a; fu;;n da;wo;d;u¾ OÙba ile¾ô eô Li¾ki¾
Woô;n ni; ko;; wa;a; sô’eôôboô
Ko; ma; ba a¾ j’e;ôri¾i; oô¾ra¾n
ô boônhin s’eô;boô
O: koô’ti; o¾g
1071

EÙ wa;a; ba;; ni l’a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Translation:

If a small child kills a fish
He will take it to his father in the house
These were Ifa;’s messages for Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô
When going on an Ifa; mission to Li¾ki¾ land
And when taking along Gbinrin his son
He complied
When only a short time remained for the witness to
be called to testify
Uprising consumed the witness
This was Ifa;’s message for the first son of the OÙba
of Li¾ki¾ land
So as not to enter into trouble over a matter
which he intended to be a witness for
He ignored the advise
Victory over adversity is what Ifa; guarantees for
all Ifa; devotees
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be absolved
of all wrong doing. Ifa; also advises elders where this Odu¾ is revealed to
always ensure that they monitor the movements of their children and
they investigate all their activities in order to prevent the children from
putting them in very difficult and embarrassing situations.
1072
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
blessed with accomplishment. He/she shall be blessed with profit,
accomplishment and contentment.
Ifa; also says that there is the need for this person to offer eôboô against
being overwhelmed with crises. The person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed needs to follow Ifa;’s advice in order not to put himself/herself
in the line of attack from those who are more powerful or more
influential than him/her.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four big bags of yam flour,
four big bags of maize, four big bags of melon seeds, egusi, four
big bags of guinea corn seeds, four big bags of beans, four big
bags of yams and money. All these items are to be divided into two
equal parts, one part is to be given to the OÙba or leader of the
community and the remaining half, is to be retained by the officiating
Awo.
On this, Ifa; says:
O®pi¾ti¾ aba¾ ab’i¾di;, sôi¾i¾ri¾ki;

Di;a; fu;n Oni;wo¾o;, ‘M’Odu¾ OÙba¾
OÙmoô OÙba to;lu; mere
EÙboô ogun ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
A big hut with a roundish base

This was Ifa;’s message for Oni;wo¾¾o;, offspring of Odu¾ OÙba¾
Offspring of OÙba to;lu; mere
He was advised to offer eôboô against uprisings
Oni;wo¾o;, the OÙba of I®wo; town planted many crops on his farm. The
crops came out very well. He planted more than 20,000 tubers of yam,
acres of maize, guinea-corn, beans, and melons and so on. The yields
made him the most successful farmer of his area in that year. Thinking
about his crop farm gave him satisfaction and a sense of self fulfilment.
One day, Oni;;wo¾o; slept and had a dream that left him in a state of
confusion and agitation. As a result of his agitation, he went for Ifa;
1073
consultation in the house of O®pi¾ti¾ aba¾ ab’i¾di; sôi¾i¾ri¾ki¾. He wanted to know

what the dream meant for him. During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-OÙ®se ô ô; was
revealed.
The Awo told him that there was the need for him to offer eôboô against
an uprising. He was advised to offer eôboô with four big bags of
different types of farm products.
Oni;wo¾o; could not understand why an Awo would decide to lie so

blatantly at this particular point in time. One, Oni;wo¾o; reasoned, I®wo;
town was one of the most peaceful lands if not the most peaceful in
Yoru¾ba; land, where then would the uprising come from?; and two, there
was no animosity between Oni;wo¾o; or the land against any other land in
any way whatsoever. Certainly, the Awo was looking for a way to have a
share of his farm products. Oni;wo¾o; told him so, and left the Awo’s
house and vowed never to return there.
About three days after this, some mischief makers put together some
drums, agogo (gongs) and sôeô¾ke¾ôreô¾ (calabash beaded with cowries) and
headed for the palace of OÙÙloô;yo¾ôoô;, the OÙba of OÙ®yo;ô town. OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; was the
most powerful OÙba in Yoru¾ba; land at that time. They began to play their
musical instruments and sing, saying:
Ifa; Oni;wo¾¾o; sôeô

Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô o
Oni;wo¾o; n; pa’le¾ô ogun moô;!
Ifa; Oni;wo¾o; sôeô
Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô o
Translation:
The prediction of Ifa; for Oni;wo¾o; has come to pass

Or has it not come to pass
Oni;wo¾o; is making preparations for war!
Oni;wo¾o; is making arrangements for war!
1074
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
When OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô heard this, he was livid with anger. Who was Oni;wo¾o; to
plan war against, the O®Ùyoô; Empire? Who would have been misleading
Oni;wo¾o; to think of such a preposterous project? Was Oni;wo¾o; not afraid
of the military and political might of the O®Ùyoô; Empire? OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; resolved to
teach Oni;wo¾o;, and by extension, the whole of I®wo; town a lesson that
they would not forget in a hurry. OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; summoned all his war generals
and gave them specific instructions to go and level I®wo; town and bring
Oni;wo¾o; to him alive so he could come and eat the dust under his feet.
Three days later, the soldiers were on their way to I®wo; town, to carry
out the directive of OÙloô;yo¾ôoô¾. The next day, in the dead of the night, the
soldiers from O®Ùyo;ô surrounded the whole of I®wo; town. At dawn, E®sôu¾
OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to wake Oni;wo¾o; up. He told him to take a peep at the farm
close to his palace. To Oni;wo¾o;'s chagrin, he saw O;Ù®yo;ô soldiers, all battle
ready. He began to shake from head to toe. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ asked him if he
was now ready to offer the eôboô as instructed by the Awo or not. He
quickly agreed. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ told him that it must be offered immediately.
He summoned his Awo to come quickly and offer the eôboô for him. The
eôboô was offered before sunrise.
While the offering of the eôboô was going on, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ organized his
own musical instruments and chorus musicians. He headed straight for
OÙlo;ôyo¾ôoô;’s Palace in O®Ùyoô;. When he got there, he began to play the
instruments and was singing and saying:

Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô
Oni;wo¾o; n; pa’le¾ô oko moô;!
Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô
Translation:

Oni;wo¾o; is preparing to harvest his farm crops!
Or has it not manifested
1075
When OÙlo;ôyo¾ôoô; heard this song, he became confused; had they not earlier
said that Oni;wo¾o; was preparing for war against the OÙ®yo;ô Empire? OÙlo;ôyoô¾o;ô
asked E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾¾ and his musicians what they meant by Oni;wo¾o;
preparing to harvest his crops on his farm land and not making
preparations for war?
E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ responded that, at that particular point in time, Oni;wo¾o; had
no time for war against anyone and certainly not against the O®Ùyoô;
Empire. He said that Oni;wo¾o; had cultivated the biggest farm anyone had
ever seen. He had planted a variety of crops on the farm. There was no
time for him to engage in war or confrontation. He said that yams,
beans, maize, guinea-corns, millets, melons and so on were planted and
they were all ready for harvesting. To be sure he was telling the truth,
E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ asked OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; to instruct his soldiers on the field to tell
Oni;wo¾o; to send part of the crops that Oni;wo¾o; had harvested to O;®Ùyoô;.
The response of E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ convinced OÙloô;yo¾ôoô; that Oni;wo¾o; had no time
for war. He ordered all the soldiers to return to O®Ùyoô; Immediately. He
also ordered Oni;wo¾o; to divide all his farm products into two and send
one part to O®Ùyoô; immediately. That was exactly what Oni;wo¾o; did. All the
soldiers who had come from O®Ùyoô; were withdrawn. Peace and harmony
continued to reign in I®wo;; town.
O®pi¾ti¾ aba¾ ab’i¾di;, sôi¾i¾ri¾ki¾

Di;a; fu;n Oni;;wo¾o;, ‘M’Odu¾ OÙba¾
OÙmoô OÙba to;lu; mere
EÙboô ogun ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
N®je;ô Ifa; Oni;wo¾o; sôeô
Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô
Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô
Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô
Ta¾bi; o¾ sôeô
1076
OGBE® SÙEÙ:

EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
A big hut with a roundish base

This was Ifa;’s message for Oni;wo¾¾o;, offspring of Odu¾ OÙba¾
Offspring of OÙba to;lu; mere
He was advised to offer eôboô against uprisings
He complied
Oni;wo¾o; is making preparations for war!
Oni;wo¾o; is making arrangements for war!
Or has it not manifested
Oni;wo¾o; is preparing to harvest his farm crops
Come and perceive all Ire of life
9. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall receive
the blessing of success and fortune outside of his/her regular place of
abode. All what he/she has gone there to do will be achieved. There
may be opposition and conspiracy against him/her, but it will not stop
him/her from achieving success.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one giant rat (O®ke;te;) and
plenty of money.
1077
On this, Ifa; says:

A®ka¾so¾ô f’ara ti’leô¾ f’ara ti’le;
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; n; sô’awo r’o¾de A®ja¾sôeô;
Translation:
The ladder leaned on the floor and the wall

This was Ifa;’s message for Ogbe¾
When going to A®ja¾sôeô; land
Ogbe¾ was an accomplished Babala;wo by every standard. He had used

Ifa;’s teachings to perform wonders. He was also very honest with his
calling. Not only this, he was humble, hopeful, generous, determined
and benevolent. He never thought, spoke or did any evil to anyone. At
heart, he was the richest among all his counterparts. Financially, he
was just trying to make ends meet. Nobody however ever noticed this
because he was always happy and contented with whatever Olo;du¾mare¾
had passed his way. He had passed down to his wife and children the
importance of emulating his good character and he was successful in
doing so.
One day, Ogbe¾ planned to go on an Ifa; mission to A®ja¾sôeô; land. For this
reason, he went to the home of his colleague, A®ka¾so¾ô f’ara t’ileô¾, f’ara t’ile;
for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed where I am going? Will I be able to
help the people? Will I be able to make an impact on their lives for
good? Will fortune smile on them and on me too in A®ja¾sôeô; land? Will I
return home a better man than I was before I had left? Will my family
be comfortable in my absence? These and many more were the
questions at the back of his mind when he consulted Ifa;.
The Awo told Ogbe¾ that he was about to embark on a journey. He was
assured that he would succeed where he was going. He was told that
he would face some pockets of opposition but that Ifa; would take care
of them for him. The Awo told Ogbe¾ that nothing that his opponents did
would stop him from achieving his goals on this mission in A®ja¾sôeô; land.
1078
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
The Awo advised his fellow Awo to offer eôboô with one (O®ke;te;) giant
rat and plenty of money. Ogbe¾ complied. Shortly after this he set
out on his journey.
As soon as Ogbe¾ arrived at A®ja¾sôeô; land, he became an instant success.
He was able to change the lives of other people for good. Everybody
trooped to his house. They were not disappointed. These good deeds
eventually became his offence against some of those who were
responsible for the problems being faced by the inhabitants of A®ja¾sôeô;
land. They could not see any reason why somebody should come from
nowhere and begin to untie all those who had been tied. They formed a
clique against Ogbe¾.
They were also not the only ones who were not happy with Ogbe¾.
Other Awo who had attempted to untie all those who had been tied by
evil people and had failed were also complaining. These people could
see no reason why any stranger in their land should come and steal the
show away from them.
That was how the two groups ganged up against Ogbe¾¾ and decided that
they would kill him and take over everything he had made in A®ja¾sôe;ô land.
This was their plan for Ogbe¾. This however was not the plan of
Olo;du¾mare¾ for Ogbe¾.
When they concluded that they would come in the dead of the night to
over-power Ogbe¾, kill him, take over his belongings and set the house
where he lived ablaze, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ came to Ogbe¾¾ in the evening, and
ordered him to leave the town immediately, together with all his
belongings. How will I move and where will I go?, he asked. Ogbe¾ was
informed that he needed to return to his home town immediately. But
how will I do that? That was when E¾®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ showed him a hole which
had been dug by the O®ke;te; (giant rat), that Ogbe¾ had earlier offered as
eôboô. The rat had burrowed the hole from A®ja¾sôeô; land to the outskirts of
the land. That was the path which Ogbe¾ took to safety.
In the dead of the night, the evil perpetrators arrived. They were so
convinced that Ogbe¾ was still at home sleeping. Their spies told them
that he had not went out throughout that day. They broke down his
door and rushed in. Ogbe¾ was nowhere to be found! They searched
and searched but they could not find him. They returned very early the
next day to look for him. That was when they saw the hole, the escape
route, where Ogbe¾ took to safety. They passed through the hole and it
1079
led them to the outskirts of the town. They all returned home frustrated
and disappointed.
Meanwhile, Ogbe¾ returned to his home happier and more fulfilled than
he had left home. He was full of praises to Olo;du¾mare¾, his Ori; and his
Ifa;.
A®ka¾so¾ô f’ara ti’leô¾ f’ara ti’le;

Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; n;; sô’awo r’o¾de A®ja¾sôeô;
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;;'boô
Ogbe¾ wa;a; d’o;;de A®ja¾sôeô;
O: K’e;ôru;
O: K’e;ôru¾
Wo;ôn wa;a; ni; a¾woôn yo;o; mu; un
O®ke;te; to; fi ru;'boô wa;a; gbe;ô’leô¾ ja;de s’o;di i¾lu;
Ogbe¾ wa;a; ko; si;’nu; iho¾
T’o¾un t’eôru¾ u re¾ô
Woô;n ni; o; ti sôeô; loô o
Ibi ti; Ogbe¾ ti sôe;ô loô
Ka; ma;a pe¾e; ni; A®ja¾sôe;ô
Translation:
The ladder leaned on the floor and the wall

This was Ifa;’s message for Ogbe¾
When going to the land of A®ja¾sôeô;
He complied
When he got to A®ja¾seô ô; land
He gained followers
And he had material gain
The enemies vowed to overwhelm him
The giant rat which he had hitherto been offered as
eôboô had burrowed into the ground all the way
to the outskirts of the town
Ogbe¾ followed the hole out
Together with all his belongings
They came to ask for Ogbe¾
1080
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
They told them that he had sneaked away

The place where Ogbe¾¾ has sneaked away
Let it be called A®ja¾sôeô;¾
Ifa;; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall escape
the evil designs of all his/her enemies. They will plan against him/her
and they will fail.
Conversely, Ifa;; advises this person never to take part in any
conspiracy against anyone. If he/she does, he/she will only gain grief
and frustration at the end of the exercise.
10. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will not be
allowed to die young. Ifa; says that in his/her dreams, he/she has been
receiving many invitations for him/her to return to heaven. Ifa; says that
it is not in his/her best interest to return to heaven at this time. This is
because his/her mission in life is yet to be accomplished.
Ifa; says also that there were some occasions when this person will be
hearing people calling his/her name but when he/she turns to the
direction where his/her name is being called, he/she is not able to see
anyone. Ifa; says that your name is being called by people in heaven
who want you to return to their midst as quickly as possible.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with two rats, two fish, two
hens, two she-goats and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifa; with
two rats, two fish, two hens and two she-goats. Doing these will
make those calling and wishing him/her to come to heaven to desist
from doing so.
Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô i¾hi;n
Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; o¾ôhu;n
Wo;ôn teô;’po;ôn Ifa; ka’le¾ô l’a;a¾rin re¾ô sôi¾ngi¾ndi¾n sôingindin
Di;a; fu;n SÙeketepe;e¾re;
Ti; wo;ôn n; ra;nn;sôeô; iku; pe¾ e; l’o;ôrun
1081
Translation:
Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô here
And Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô there
They spread the Ifa; tray right in the middle
This was Ifa;’s message for SÙeketepe;e¾re;
Who was receiving death messages from OÙ®run
SÙeketepe;e¾re; was enjoying his life. Every moment he had one thing or
the other to celebrate in his life. He was not the most successful in his
area, but he conditioned his mind to function as if he was. He firmly
believed that if one celebrated little achievements, then bigger ones
would surely be on the way. Before long, he was the happiest man in
his area. This showed on his face, his utterances and his behaviour.
Those who had achieved greater things in life were not as happy as
SÙeketepe;e¾re;.
One day however, SÙeketepe;e¾re; was going along the road and he began
to hear voices calling his name to come. When he turned round to see
who was calling him, there was nobody. At first, this would happen
about four to five times a day. Before the 17th day, the calls had
increased to over 25 times in just one day! As if that was not bad
enough, SÙeketepe;e¾re; began to have a series of dreams which began to
make him feel uneasy.
In one of the dreams, he saw himself wrapped up in a white cloth and
placed in a wooden coffin. He saw members of his family and close
friends looking sad and crying. He saw himself being buried right inside
his room. As soon as the burial was completed, he saw some groups
coming from the sky. They equipped themselves with gongs, sôeô¾ke¾ôreô,¾
and drums. They were all singing and dancing and leading him back to
heaven.
To his surprise, he realized that he was really enjoying himself in the
dream. He even woke up with regret because he did not want the
dream to end.
He sat down to ruminate over what had been happening to him
recently; he was hearing strange voices for over 17 days before he
began to have the dreams. The dreams kept occurring for another 17
1082
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
days. The dreams totally convinced him that if he should die at that
point in time, he was going to OÙ®run to enjoy himself. He toyed with the
idea of doing just that, but he quickly cast it out of his mind.
Even though he was a very happy man, he had not achieved much on
earth. He had not accomplished his mission in the world. He was still
young. His wife and children were young and they would really suffer in
his absence. He knew that he had no right to die and leave all of them
behind to suffer at that point in time. If he must not die at that time,
then what must he do to stop what was happening to him?
It was in his bid to find a lasting solution to this that made him approach
the group of Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation: What must I do to
spare my life?
The Awo informed SÙeketepe;e¾re; that he was being called by certain
spirits in heaven in order to come and join them. If he decided to yield
to their calls, he would die prematurely. He however would eventually
need to return to the earth because he had not completed his
assignment yet. To make the matter worse for him, his death would be
considered a suicide because it would be seen as a refusal to save his
life when death threatened, since it was possible for him to do so.
The Awo advised him to offer eôboô and feed Ifa; as stated above in order
to put an end to all the calls and dreams. He did as the Awo had
recommended.
The very day that the eôboô was performed, these elements called him
again. Instead of him answering, his guiding spirits told them never to
call him again because their calls would lead him to untimely death and
failure of him accomplishing his destiny. Hearing this, the elements
stopped their invitation forthwith.
Ogbe¾-'SÙeÙ¾e;ô i¾hi;n
Ogbe¾-'SÙeô¾e;ô oô¾hu;n
Wo;ôn teô;’po;ôn Ifa; ka’le¾ô l’a;a¾rin re¾ô sôi¾ngi¾ndi¾n- sôingindin
Di;a; fu;n SÙeketepe;e¾re;
Ti; wo;ôn n; ra;nn;sôe;ô iku; pe¾ e; l’o;ôrun
O; gb’e;ôboô o; ru;’boô
EÙ wa;a; ba;'ni la;i¾ku; kangiri
1083
A®i¾ku; kangiri la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾

N®je;ô mo ti m’e;ku me;ji¾ boô'Fa;
EÙ ma; pe¾ mi; mo;ô o
A®pe¾pa leô¾e;ô pe¾’e¾ya¾n
Mo ti m'e;ôja me;ji¾ boô’Fa;
A®®pe¾pa le¾ôeô; pe¾’e¾ya¾n
Mo ti m’e;ôyôeô me;ji¾ boô'Fa;
A®pe¾pa le¾ôeô; pe¾’e¾ya¾n
Mo ti m’e;ôran me;ji¾ boô’Fa;
EÙ ma; pe¾ mi; mo;;ô o
A®®pe¾pa le¾ôeô; pe¾’e¾¾ya¾n
Translation:
Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; here
And Ogbe¾-'SÙe¾ôeô; there
They spread the Ifa; tray right in the middle
This was Ifa;’s message for SÙeketepe;e¾re;
Who was receiving death messages from O®run
He complied
Longevity is what Ifa; assures for all its devotees
I have fed Ifa; with two rats
Do not call me again
Your calls only lead to untimely death
I have fed Ifa; with two fish
Your calls can only lead to untimely death
I have fed Ifa; with two birds
Your calls only lead to untimely death
I have fed Ifa; with two she goats
Your calls can only lead to untimely death
1084
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
Ifa; says that it will not allow this person to experience untimely death.
Even though he/she is being called in heaven, this time is not his/her
appointed time of death. Dying at this time will only make matters
worse for him and his loved ones.
11. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô
against being saddled with a problem in the lower limbs, especially the
ankles and legs. Ifa; warns that if this problem happens, it may
incapacitate this person and make it very difficult, if not totally
impossible for him/her to walk or move about. This is the reason why
this eôboô should automatically be performed for all those whose Odu¾ is
Ogbe¾–OÙ®sôeô; during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa; and those to whom this Odu¾ is
revealed during Ifa; consultation.
Ifa; advises this person to procure nine eô¾e¾ôru¾ alamoô, tie them with
black rope and make a chain out of them. After this, he/she needs
to tie the chain round each of his/her ankles and leave them there until
the offering of the eôboô is completed. When the eôboô is taken to the E®sôu¾
shrine, the 'chains' on the two ankles will be untied and placed on E®sôu¾.
Doing this, will ensure that this person is spared problems with their
lower limbs.
If the problem has already begun however, this person needs to offer
eôboô with a mature he-goat and money in addition to the eô¾e¾ôru¾
alamoô which he/she needs to tie round his/her two ankles and placed
on E®sôu¾ after the eôboô has been offered.
On this Ifa; says:

A®a¾ba¾ SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾
Di;a; fu;n SÙeôkeôsôeôkeô¾
Ti; yo;o; maa sô’o¾wo¾ a¾gbe;de¾
Translation:
To nail down and to incapacitate

That was Ifa;’s message for SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ (the Leg-chain)
When planning to engage in the business of incapacitating people
1085
SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾, the Leg-chain, was in search of relevance and respect in life.

He realized that many people feared and respected him because of how
many had used him on earth. He did not want such relevance. What he
wanted was for people to just fear and respect him because of what he
was capable of doing. He had seen how people panic whenever they
encounter any form of inconvenience, no matter how little it might be.
The panic would show on their faces. It was this panic that he most
enjoyed seeing on the faces of the people. That was why he wanted to
be relevant and respected more so in the area of putting the fear of
incapacitation in the minds of the people rather than the actual act of
incapacitating people.
That was exactly the reason why SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ went for Ifa; consultation:
Will I be able to put maximum fear into the minds of the people? Will
the people panic and rush into taking action whenever I approach? Will I
be able to inflict maximum trepidation, inconvenience and incapacitation
on those who refuse to act with urgency or those who vacillate in taking
action?
The Awo told him that his wishes would be granted as he wanted. He
was however told that anyone who performed the eôboô stated above
would be spared of any fear, pain, agony and/or incapacitation. He
agreed. From that day onwards, those who did not want the problem of
SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ would be advised to offer the eôboô stated above; and as soon
as it was offered, they would not experience any form of incapacitation.
This arrangement satisfied SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ because it made him have
relevance and also made people fear and respect him. Those who
delayed or refused to offer the eôboô were faced with the maximum wrath
of SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾.
A®a¾ba¾ SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾
Di;;a; fu;n SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾
Ti; yo;o; maa sô’o¾wo¾ a¾gbe;de¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
1086
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
Translation:
To nail down and incapacitate

This was Ifa;’s message for SÙeôkeô;sôeôkeô¾ (the Leg-chain)
When planning to engage in the business of
incapacitating people
He complied
Victory over adversity is what Ifa; guarantees for
all its devotees
Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she will be
spared the agony of having problems with ones lower limbs. He/she will
not live his/her life with incapacitation. This person however needs to
offer eôboô whether or not there are signs of this problem.
12. Ifa; says that there is going to be success and accomplishment for
some friends who are very close to each other. Ifa; assures them that
they will all succeed together and their success will come at the same
time. Ifa; however warns them not to cheat or deceive one another. If
they do, they will still succeed together but the guilt will live with the
cheater or deceiver and continue to haunt him/her for the rest of his/her
life
Ifa; says that the friends are having difficult times during this period of
consulting with Ifa;, but the difficulty shall soon give way to progress and
comfort.
Ifa; advises them to pull their resources together and procure one
mature ram and money for eôboô. If this is done, the road to comfort
is open.
1087
On this Ifa; says:
Mo bo;ô s’oô;wo;’ô ko oô¾tu;n

Eji¾ri¾¾n n; we; mi l’e;ôseô¾ ibi;ri;-; ibi;ri;
Mo bo;ô s’oô;wo;’ô ko o¾si¾
Eji¾ri¾n n; we; mi l’e;ôseô¾ ibi¾ri¾-ibi¾ri¾
Di;a; fu;n Afo;;ôju;
A bu¾ f’A:roô
Sa¾ge¾de¾ fu;n Abuke;
Ni;’jo;ô ti; wo;ôn n; beô l’a;a¾rin i¾po;ônju;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki;; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
I stepped into the farm on the right side

Eji¾nri¾n creepers entangled my legs
I stepped into the farmland on the left side
This was Ifa;’s message for Afo;ôju; (the Blind)
The same was also declared for Aroô (the Cripple)
The same was also declared for Abuke; (the Hunchback)
The third among them
When they were in the midst of want and suffering
Afoô;ju; (the Blind), Aroô (the Cripple), and Abuke; (the Hunchback) were
bosom friends. They were suffering. They had nothing to themselves in
terms of money. They were going about in rags. They took to begging
in order to live. Whenever they planned to go out to beg, the Blind
would carry the Cripple on his shoulders and place his hand on the
shoulder of the Hunchback. Whatever they were given would be spent
to buy food for consumption.
One day, the three friends sat down and they began to deliberate; was
this the way they would all continue to live their lives? Would there be
no improvement in their lives until they died? Were they all created by
Olo;du¾mare¾ to come into this world to suffer? What were their offenses
1088
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
in their previous lives that could have warranted their perpetual

suffering? Was there a time that fortune would smile on them at all?
The more they continued this discussion, the sadder and more
desperate they became. They soon realized that they could not continue
to invite melancholy into their lives without looking for a solution to their
problems. They decided to analyze their problems, both individual and
collective. They realized that their collective problem was that they were
poor. They also realized that their individual problems contributed in no
small measure to their poverty. The problem of Afo;ôju; was that he had
no eyes to see; that of Aroô was that he had no strong limbs to walk
about; while that of Abuke; was that the hunch on his back and chest
had reduced his energy and vitality to the barest minimum. They
realized that their physical disabilities made their family members
distance themselves from them. They were therefore not expecting any
assistance from their families, both nuclear and extended. All those
whom they had were Olo;du¾mare¾, the Iru;nmoôleô¾, the O®ri¾sôa¾; and they also
had each other.
They were convinced that, to any problem, there was a solution. They
felt that if they could not find a solution to their physical disabilities, they
would at least look for a solution to their social problems. This resolution
was what led them go to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa;
consultation. Their only question was; would there be a solution to their
problems?
The Awo told them that there would certainly be solutions to their
problems. He assured them that all their sufferings would become
things of the past and they would begin to live in relative comfort. He
however warned them never to cheat or deceive one another for any
reason whatsoever. He also advised the three to offer eôboô with one
mature ram and money.
The three friends believed in what Ifa; had told them. They were
determined to offer the eôboô. The only problem was that they had no
money to do so. They decided to skip one meal a day, save the money
for the meal and use the money to procure the ram when the money
was adequate enough for it. It took them two months to do this. In the
end, they bought the ram and the eôboô was offered. The Awo
congratulated the three friends for their perseverance and assured them
that luck would soon smile on them. He also warned them never to
1089
cheat or deceive one another for any reason. They responded that there
was absolutely no reason for them to do so.
The following day after the eôboô was offered, some hunters went to the
forest to hunt. They saw a mighty elephant and they shot it with their
arrows. The elephant took to its heels in pain and agony. The hunters
pursued it. The elephant continued to run. It continued to move from
one forest to the other. In the end, the hunters became tired and they
returned to their village. Still, the elephant continued to run. When it
got close to the village where the three friends were living, it fell down
and died close to a river bank.
A few moments later, the three friends went to go and fetch water for
drinking and other domestic chores. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ directed them to the
spot where the dead elephant was. When they saw the animal, they did
not know what to do. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ instructed them to start dissecting the
animal. They were told that fortune had decided to smile on them. The
three friends could not believe their luck. They went to work instantly.
It soon dawned on them that they could not achieve much because they
had nothing with them to use as an implement to cut up the animal.
E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ advised them to divide the work. Abuke; was told to begin to
gather dry wood so that they could use it as fuel. Afo;ôju; was asked to
carry Aroô on his back and return home to collect knives, pots, salt and
pepper.
That was what they did. Aroô guided Afoô;ju; to and from the house back
to the forest. They began to cut up the flesh of the elephant. They
salted it and boiled it on the fire. As soon as it was well boiled, they
began to transfer it into another fire for roasting. Afo;ôju; was working like
someone possessed. They worked from morning till evening time. When
Aroô and Abuke; decided to take a rest, Afo;ôju; was still working.
While the two were resting, they began to eat part of the roasted meat
without giving Afo;ôju; anything to eat. Afo;ôju; worked from night till
daybreak. While he was working, his friends pretended that they were
sleeping but they were actually helping themselves to the roasted meat.
At first, Afo;ôju; did not notice. He quite understood that his two friends
were not as powerful as he was. He did not expect them to be able to
work as much as he could. He was convinced that when the exercise
was completed, they would be able to live comfortably for the rest of
their lives. He was sure that his friends would be able to look after his
1090
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
interests for him. He toyed with the idea that when the ivories were
sold, they might even be able to afford the bride prices on the women
they would meet and get married to!
When it was daybreak, the two friends woke up and joined Afo;ôju;. They
continued to eat the meat without giving any to their friend. It soon
dawned on Afo;ôju; that his friends had been eating the roasted meat
because whenever he asked them questions it took them sometime
before they could respond, and when they did, their speech would be
muffled by the food they were eating.
Realizing that his friends had been eating part of the roasted meat did
not annoy Afo;ôju; at all. He felt that they deserved to do so since nobody
had eaten anything the whole day and night. He asked them to give
him part of the roasted meat to eat too.
At first, the two friends complained that the meat was not well cooked
and it was too tough for consumption. Later, they went to the river to
wash out the blood of some of the meat that they were about to boil
before it was roasted and they saw a giant toad. They quickly killed the
toad and threw it inside the boiling water. A few moments after, they
gave it to Afoô;ju; to eat. Afo;ôju; began to eat the boiled toad meat and
found it to be very tough indeed. By the time Afo;ôju; pressed his teeth on
the stomach of the toad, the gut of the toad burst open and went
straight into his eyes. He felt serious pain in his eyes. He cried out for
help but the two friends were just laughing and rolling on the floor,
pretending to be helping him to find something that would soothe his
pain.
He rushed inside the river to wash his eyes. As he did this, alas! He saw
the meat in his hand and realized that his friends had handed a toad to
him to eat! He also saw his friends laughing at him. It had not
occurred to him at first that his eyes had been opened and that he was
able to see everything clearly! Anger did not let him realize this. The
pain and frustration of being cheated and betrayed by the people who
he loved and trusted was more excruciating than all the pains he had
ever felt in his entire life.
He charged at his two friends. He gave Aroô a mighty slap on his face
and used his lifeless limbs as a cane to beat Abuke;. He hit Abuke; on the
back with Aroô’s legs several times. As he was doing this, life returned to
Aroô’s legs and the back of Abuke; straightened up! A big fight continued
in the forest. People walking by eventually saw them and came to settle
1091
the matter. When they narrated their story, they were told to be
grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾ because their problems had been solved. Their
disabilities had disappeared and they had the potential to become
wealthy when and if they sold the meat and the ivories of the elephant.
The three friends embraced each other and the dispute was settled.
However, both Aroô and Abuke; did not forget for the rest of their lives
that they cheated and betrayed a friend who was loyal and dedicated to
their course.
Mo bo;ô s’oô;wo;’ô ko oô¾tu;n

Eji¾ri¾n n; we; mi l’e;ôseô¾ ibi;ri;-ibi;;ri;
Mo bo;ô s’oô;wo;’ô ko o¾si¾
Ejiri¾n n; we;; mi l’e;ôseô¾ ibi¾ri¾-ibi¾ri¾
Di;a; fu;n Afo;ôju;
A bu¾ f’A:roô
Sa¾ge¾de¾ fu;n Abuke;
Ni;’jo;ô ti; wo;ôn n; beô l’a;a¾rin i¾poô;nju;
Woô;n gb’e;ôboô, woô;n ru;’boô
Translation:
I stepped into the farm on the right side

I stepped into the farmland on the left side
This was Ifa;;’s message for Afo;ôju; (the Blind)
The same was also declared for Aroô (the Cripple)
The same was also declared for Abuke; (the Hunchback)
The third among them
When they were in the midst of want and suffering
They complied
1092
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
Ifa; says that all the Ire of life shall be directed towards a group of
friends who are presently experiencing hardships and want. They are
warned never to cheat or betray one another because all will be well in
the end; but if they do, the shame of betraying each other will continue
to haunt the betrayer for the rest of his/her life.
13. Ifa; says that the prayers of this person shall be answered more than
those of all other people who are in his/her community or environment.
Ifa; assures this person that if everyone fails to achieve something,
he/she will not. Ifa; says that he/she will be protected against all evil
and he/she will also be wished well at all times. Public opinion will be in
his/her favour more than all the other people and he/she will receive
public sympathy more than anyone else.
money, or with three cocks and money.
On this Ifa; says:
A wi; te;ôleô¾ ko; to;o; da;’ni

A®gba¾lagba¾ amu¾’ja¾
Di;a; fu;n Igba eôni ile; aye;
A bu¾ fu;n eôni¾kan
Translation:
To give warning and prediction before throwing one in a fight

The expert wrestler
This was Ifa;’s message for the 200 people on earth
And also for One Person
They were advised to offer eôboôô
The 200 people on earth were living in the same environment. So also
was “One Person”. In all, they made a total of 201 people living in that
community at that point in time. They were all looking for the bounty of
Olo;du¾mare¾. They also wanted the protection of Olo;du¾mare¾ against all
the vagaries of life. They yearned for love, peace, comfort, joy,
1093
progress, elevation, fortune, mercy and compassion from Olo;du¾¾mare¾. It

was for these reasons that they all went for Ifa; consultation in the home
of the Awo mentioned above.
The Awo told them that they were all looking for the bounty of mercy
from Olo;du¾mare¾. He assured them that they would receive the bounty.
He told the 200 people to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and
money. He also advised “One Person” to offer his own eôboô with three
cocks and money.
The next day, EÙni¾kan “One Person”, brought his own eôboô materials to
the home of the Awo and his eôboô was offered for him.
The 200 people however failed to offer their own eôboô. At first, they
could not reach an agreement on how much each of them needed to
contribute in order to purchase the he-goat. Later, lack of interest and
commitment stepped in. One by one, they began to forget about the
eôboô. After about 17 days when the Ifa; had been consulted, nobody
among them was even talking about the eôboô any longer.
One day, a group of people were going on a journey from the

community to a distant place. On their way, a large A®ra¾ba¾ tree fell
down. The news of the fallen tree spread like wildfire. Everybody who
heard about it felt concerned. They all wanted to hear that “One
Person” was not injured. As soon as they all heard that “One Person”
was not adversely affected, everybody breathed with a sigh of relief.
Another group of people however were involved in a terrible accident
and many people died. Many more were injured. This made everybody
sad and panicky. When they heard however that only “One Person” was
not affected at all, they all said that it was not totally bad since at least
“One Person” was spared.
A very rich man was again blessed with a bountiful harvest. He
appealed to several people to assist in harvesting his crops. They did.
At the end of the exercise, he refused to share his harvest with
everyone. Many people were angry with him. They complained that
even if he refused to give everybody a share of the harvest, he ought to
give “One Person” something. The man was considered to be a wicked,
inconsiderate, and miserly person to even refuse to give “One Person”
something out of his bountiful harvest.
1094
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
Every morning people would gather in Shrines, Groves and Temples to

pray. Their appeals were for Olo;du¾mare¾, the Iru;nmoôleô¾, the Egu;ngu;n,
the O®ri¾sôa¾ and Oro¾ to ensure that not “One Person” would face with any
form of calamity, hardship or disability from morning till night of that
day. The community leader was angry with all the inhabitants of the
community. He summoned them all to a meeting. He cursed and
abused them until he was tired. Only “One Person” was spared of the
leader’s anger.
Why was it that only “One Person” was receiving the love, consideration,
compassion, mercy, progress, joy, elevation, peace, comfort and fortune
of Olo;du¾mare¾, the Iru;nmoôleô¾, the O®ri¾sôa¾, Oro¾, and the Ancestors at the
expense of the remaining 200 people on Earth? The answer was simple;
only “One Person” offered the eôboô and the remaining 200 people failed
to do so.
A wi; te;ôleô¾ ko; to;o; da;’ni

A®gba¾lagba¾ amu¾’ja¾
Di;a; fu;n Igba eôni ile; aye;
A bu¾ fu;n EÙni¾kan
EÙni¾kan ni¾ka¾n ni; n;’beô leô;’yi¾n ti; n; sô'eôboô
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ni; wo¾ôwoô; ire gbogbo
Wo¾ôwoô; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾’ri¾sôa¾
Translation:
To give warning and prediction before throwing one in a

fight
The expert wrestler
This was Ifa;’s message for the 200 people on earth
And also to Enikan (One Person)
Only EÙni¾kan (One Person) complied
Being in the midst of all the Ire of life is the profit of all Ifa;
devotees
1095
Ifa; says that this person will receive the bounty of Olo;du¾mare¾ at all
times. He/she shall succeed where all others have failed. He/she shall
be spared the agony and grief where others are gnashing their teeth in
pain. He/she shall smile and express gratitude where others are wailing,
cursing and regretting. That is the assurance of Ifa; for the person for
whom this Odu¾ is revealed, and more especially for those born by this
Odu during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;.
14. Ifa; advises this person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to take part of
his/her personal possessions to offer eôboô for him/her to be able to live
long on earth. Part of what he/she needs to use includes his/her
complete dresses, shoes, bags, jewelleries, caps, wrist watches,
beads, walking sticks and so on. After this, he/she needs to offer
eôboô with one mature he-goat, one mature she-goat and money.
Ifa; says that this person’s life is more precious than all possessions in
this world. It is only those who live long that can boast of having any
enduring possession in life. This is the reason why this person needs to
protect his/her life and offer this eôboô in order to ensure that he/she lives
long enough to enjoy all what he/she has gathered together in terms of
personal possessions in life.
I®®ba¾jeô; owo; ko¾ ya;a; sôa¾’nu¾

Di;a; fu;n OÙru;nmi¾la¾
Yo;o; p’owo;, p’oku¾n
Yo;o; loô re¾e; ra E®Ùmi;, L'e;;ôru;
Translation:
An over-used money in not easy to discard
When gathering both money and expensive jewellery
And when going to purchase E®Ùmi; (Life) as a slave
1096
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was in this world to accomplish a very important mission. He

started it and he was getting good results. It would take some more
years before he could complete the assignment. In heaven, his position
had become vacant. There was nobody to fill the vacuum created by his
absence in heaven. His colleagues in heaven wanted him back urgently.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was in a dilemma: he had not yet completed his assignment
on earth and his colleagues in heaven were calling him to come and
continue to play the roles he was playing with them in heaven. Which
one would he do? If he decided to return to heaven at that time, all his
gains would be ruined. He would lose everything that he had laboured
for. If he stayed on earth, his vacuum would continue to be felt in
heaven. What should he do? That was when he decided to go for Ifa;
consultation.
He called on one of his former Ifa; students called “I®ba¾je;ô owo; ko¾ ya;a;
sô¾a’nu¾” to come and consult Ifa; for him. His reason was simply to know
the steps he must take.
The Awo told him that he was in a dilemma over two options. The Awo
told him to stay where he was and ensure that he completed his mission
before he ventured into the other. He was told to do all he could to
ensure that he stayed long enough on earth to complete his assignment
and accomplish his mission. The Awo assured him that doing so was the
only way that all his gains on earth would not go into ruin.
The Awo advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to use part of all his personal belongings
to offer eôboô and to procure one he-goat, one she-goat and money
as part of his eôboô materials. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied. He even used part of
his expensive beads as eôboô materials. The Awo offered the eôboô for
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ on the same day.
The moment this eôboô was offered, E®sôu¾ Odara went into action. He
summoned all the Ajogun and informed them that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had chosen
to offer part of his personal belongings as eôboô against untimely death.
He added that since he had parted with part of his belongings, he
deserved the right to stay on earth, live long and enjoy the fruit of his
labour. None of the Ajogun had anything to say to the contrary.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s life on earth was spared and he was able to acquire more
belongings. He was also able to enjoy what he toiled for. He had more
children who grew up to love him and who he equally loved. He erected
more properties in every corner of the world. He had enough resources
1097
for him to purchase as many horses as he liked. He lived comfortably

and in relative peace and harmony. When most of his friends asked him
how he was able to achieve all what he had achieved, he responded that
it was only the person whose life was spared who had the ability to hope
for, and to achieve all the Ire of life. He also advised all Awo to offer
eôboô in order to prolong their lives on earth so as to be able to achieve
all the Ire of life.
I®ba¾je;ô owo; ko¾ ya;a; sôa¾’nu¾

Yo;o; p’owo;, p’oku¾n
Yo;o; loô re¾e; ra E®Ùmi;, l'e;ôru;
O: gb'e;ôboô o; ru;’boô
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ni; wo¾ôwoô; ire gbogbo
Wo¾ôwoô; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba;’ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾’ri¾sôa¾
N®je;ô eô r’EÙ®mi; a d’e;ôseô¾
Gbogbo Awo o
EÙ r’EÙ®mi; eô d’eô;se¾ô
Gbogbo Awo
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾¾
A®seô ; b’E:Ùmi¾i; o¾ ba; bo;ô
Ire gbogbo ni;i; ro; ti’ni
Translation:
An over-used money in not easy to discard

When going to gather both money and expensive jewellery
And when going to purchase EÙ®mi; (Life) as a slave
He complied
Come and join us in the midst of all the Ire of life
Being in the midst of all Ire is what Ifa; guarantees
for all Ifa; devotees
Now, come and acquire longevity
All Awo
1098
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
Come and acquire long life

All Awo
Travellers to I®po and O®ôfa¾
Can’t you see that it is when one’s life is spared
That all the Ire of life will stay with one?
Ifa; says that all the Ire of life will stay with the person for whom this
Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; advises him/her to constantly offer eôôboô against
untimely death and to ensure that he/she does not take undue risks that
may cut short his/her life for him/her to enjoy the fruit of his labour.
15. Ifa; says that if people are experiencing or witnessing what does not
please them where this Odu¾ is revealed, it is a departed soul that is
responsible for all their woes. Ifa; says that the cause of the grievance
of the departed soul is that he/she was not given a proper burial when
he/she passed on. Ifa; warns that the departed soul will continue to
fight until he/she is given the befitting burial which he/she undoubtedly
deserves.
Ifa; advises the people for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to identify this
departed soul and procure one mature she-goat. The she-goat
will be slaughtered and the blood of the goat will be spilled on the tomb
of the departed soul.
If access to the burial place of the departed soul is impossible, then the
she goat will be slaughtered for Ifa; inside the Igbo;du¾ and the goat’s
head and rope will be buried inside the Igbo;du¾. If there is no Igbo;du¾
available, it will be done at a designated place which will then be
converted into a sacred grove henceforth.
It must however be borne in mind that no Awo in that community must
officiate at this ceremony; either during the time that the she goat is to
be slaughtered at the burial site of the departed or when the final burial
ceremony is to be performed. Other Babala;wo from outside the
community must be invited to perform the rites. That is the only time
that the rites will be accepted.
Ifa; says also that a great Awo is about to go on an Ifa; mission to
another community that is very far away from his place of birth. This
1099
Awo needs to offer two eôboô: one, for him to be given honour and
prestige at the end of his assignment where he is going; and two, for
him to succeed enough to enjoy the fruit of his labour.
Ako;gi-l'a;pa; Awo Pa;san

Asa¾ge¾de¾ Awo I®sa;wo¾ye¾
Abe;ôgi-l'eô;lo¾ô Awo OÙ®woô
A®woôn ni woô;n ki’fa; fu;n Eri;wo-Ya¾
Ti; n; lo¾ôoô; gb’awo fu;n woôn ni; I®je¾ô’bu;-Mu¾re
T’o¾gbo¾n¾ka¾n ni;’da¾
OÙmoô Ako;rin yeôbeôyeôbeô ya;’ri; Oro;gu¾n-u;n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôôe o
Translation:
Ako;ji-l';a;pa;, the Awo of Pa;san land

Asa¾ge¾de¾ the Awo of I®sa;wo¾ye¾ town
Abe;ôgi-l'eô;lo¾ô,ô the Awo of OÙ®woô land
They were the Awo who recited Ifa; for Eri;wo-Ya¾
When he was going on an Ifa; mission to I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re land
The owner of the sword with the broad blade
Offspring of those who decorate their O®gu;n shrines
with many iron metals
By all standards, Eri;wo-Ya¾ was an accomplished Awo. He was the most

competent Awo of his time. He had turned many barren women into
proud and grateful mothers. He had made it possible for women
carrying complicated pregnancies to have safe deliveries. He had turned
chronic debtors to successful and economically buoyant people. He had
pulled people from the verge of death, either through illness or attacks,
to healthy people endowed with long life and vitality. He had summoned
rainfall when there was drought and famine in the land. In short, he
had recorded several miraculous achievements to his credit.
1100
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
One day, Eri;wo-ya¾ decided to have a change of environment. He

planned to go to I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re land to live and practice. Consequent upon
this decision, he went to his Awo for Ifa; consultation: What will I need
to do to be accepted in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re? Will I succeed in my intended place
of abode?
The Awo told Eri;wo-Ya¾ that he planned to have a change of domicile.

He was told that his decision would bring him more success and fame.
He was told to offer two eôboô: one, for him to record success where he
was going; and two; for him to offer eôboô of prestige and honour at the
end of his sojourn in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re. He was advised to offer eôboô with four
pigeons and four guinea-fowls for him to succeed and for him to
offer eôboô with three cocks for him to have prestige and honour at the
end of his assignments in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re. Eri;wo-Ya¾ was totally convinced
that it was not possible for him not to have prestige and honour at the
end of his assignment in the land. For this reason, he chose to offer the
eôboô for him to succeed and he ignored the second part of the eôboô. Soon
after offering his preferred eôboô, Eri;wo-Ya¾ moved to I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re to live.
Eri;wo-Ya¾’s stay in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re was an instant success. He was accepted

by all, he continued to perform all the miraculous feats he was known
for. He became a force to be reckoned with among the Awo and the
Elders in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re. No decision would be taken in the Council of Awo
outside his knowledge and approval.
Eri;wo-Ya¾ stayed in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re for a very long time. He even outlived all
his colleagues and contemporaries in the land. He grew very old. Most
of the children of his age-mates had since passed on. In the end,
Eri;wo-Ya¾ joined his ancestors. It was a life well spent.
The death of Eri;wo-Ya¾, instead of bringing him prestige and honour,
only brought confusion and dilemmas to those who would have
honoured him. As the practice among Awo, Eri;wo-Ya¾ ought to be buried
inside the room of his house. An Awo of his calibre could not be buried
outside the house, in front or back of a house or just anywhere else.
The dilemma was this; in whose house was he be buried? If he was
buried inside the room of where he lived, and his children were to come
around one day to demand for his whereabouts, how would they explain
the children that he was buried inside the home of someone who was
not his family and not even his relative? What would they do?
1101
Prestige and honour were set aside. Nobody bothered about those any
longer. Time was fast running out on them. The corpse must be buried.
If it stayed longer than was necessary or acceptable, it would soon
begin to decompose and stink. What must they do?
In the end, the corpse of Eri;wo-Ya¾ was taken into the forest and buried
there. In order to recognize where the corpse was buried, a garden egg
tree was planted on top of the tomb. Before long, everybody forgot all
about Eri;wo-Ya¾ and his numerous feats. The road to the forest was
even abandoned.
Three years after this, the garden egg tree grew to maturity and
produced many fruits. Eri;wo-Ya¾’s spirit came out of the tree. He would
sit down under the tree and sometimes on top of the branch of the tree.
Since the place had been totally abandoned, nobody noticed this. Every
day, the spirit of Eri;wo-Ya¾ roamed about with melancholy and regrets.
Why did the people he had tried his utmost best to help and raise treat
him and abandon him so? Why would they show him such ingratitude?
Why?
Before long, many bad things began to happen to the people of I®je¾ôbu;-
Mu¾re. They began to experience failed crops; their pregnant women
died along with the pregnancy; the barren ones could not become
pregnant anymore; the invalid could not regain their health and
strength; many rich and successful people became chronic debtors;
crime, chaos and crisis were the order of the day in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re.
Untimely deaths became common occurrences.
The Elders in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re put their heads together for serious
deliberation in order to find a lasting solution to the problems in the
land. They summoned their Awo for Ifa; consultation. When Ifa; was
cast, Ogbe¾ OÙ®sôeô; was revealed. The Awo told them that the problem in
the land could only be solved by Awo who did not reside in the land.
They therefore needed to search for Awo who were strangers in the
land. This was the reason why they went to call on Ako;gi-l'a;pa; Awo
Pa;san, Asa¾ge¾de¾ Awo I®sa;wo¾ye¾ and Abe;ôgi-l'eô;lo¾ô Awo OÙ®woô to come and
help them analyze the Ifa; that they had cast and for them to recite
relevant stanzas for them in order to solve the problems in the land.
When the three Awo were contacted they knew instantly that something
was amiss. There were many competent Awo in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re who could
handle any issue successfully so for the inhabitants of I®jeô¾bu;-Mu¾re to call
1102
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
upon them for help meant that a different approach to the issue was
required.
In order to ensure that they succeeded in their mission to I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re
land, they too went to their own Awo for Ifa; consultation.
The Awo told them that there were uncertainties, chaos and crisis in
I®je¾ôbu;;-Mu¾re. They told them that they would be able to solve the
problem for them. They were told to offer eôboô in order for them to
succeed where they were going. They complied. They were also told
that they must not enter the land through the road that everyone used
to take. They must take the abandoned road to the land. They were
told that they would know the reason why there was such crisis and
chaos in the land when they entered through the neglected route to the
land. That was exactly what they did.
As soon as they got to the abandoned road, there sat Eri;wo-Ya¾ under
the garden egg tree. The Awo did not see him but he saw them. When
they were about to pass him by, he called on them and they came to
pay him their respect and complement. He asked them to tell him
where they were going and for what purpose. They told him how there
were problems in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re and how they had been contacted to come
and help find a lasting solution to the problems.
When they were about to continue on their journey Eri;wo-Ya¾ told them
to wait. He explained to them that it was because of the way that he
was treated that they all had problems in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re. He told them that
he was shabbily treated when he died. He explained to them how he
had worked tirelessly to ensure that there was progress, peace and
prosperity in the land, and how the people had carried his corpse into
the forest for burial as soon as he died. He also said that while alive he
was told to offer eôboô for prestige and honour at the end of his
assignment in I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re but he failed to do so. He told the Awo that
he was the one who visited his anger and frustration on the land and
that was why they were encountering all the problems. He concluded
that he would stop his anger because he would not want the Awo who
had given him respect, honour and complements to fail in their mission.
He told them however that the inhabitants of I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re must procure a
mature she-goat and slaughter it at the spot where he was buried.
He stated further that the head and rope of the she-goat must be buried
in the spot as well. He also stated that they must never consume
garden egg fruits anymore; although the fruit could be used to feed
1103
their ancestors. After these had been done, he stated that they needed
to fix a date when they would give him a befitting and deserved final
burial rite.
All these were relayed to the inhabitants of I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re land. That was
exactly what they did. The three Awo were the officiating priests. On
the day of the final burial ceremony, they went with gongs, sôeô¾ke¾ôreô,¾ and
drums. They were singing and dancing, saying:
Eri;wo-Ya¾, Awo rere o

Ifa; Eri;wo-Ya¾ Awo rere
A®wa o¾ ri; Eri;wo-Ya¾ n’I:je¾ôbu; mo;ô
Eri;wo-Ya¾, Awo rere
A®wa o¾ ri; Eri;wo-Ya¾ ni;’le¾ô yi¾i; mo;ô
Eri;wo-Ya¾ Awo rere
Translation:
Eri;wo-Ya¾ is truly a great Awo

Ifa; Eri;wo-Ya¾ is a benevolent Awo
We will no longer see Eri;wo-Ya¾ in I®je¾ôbu;-land
We will no longer find Eri;wo-Ya¾ in this land
Eri;wo-Ya¾ is a benevolent Awo
That was how they began to sing, dance, and eat and drink all day long.
As soon as they did this, normalcy returned to I®je¾ôbu; land. Peace,
progress and prosperity returned. People went about their business with
comfort and without fear.
Ako;gi-l'a;pa; Awo Pa;san

Asa¾ge¾de¾ Awo I®sa;wo¾ye¾
Abe;ôgi-l'eô;lo¾ô Awo OÙ®woô
A®woôn ni woô;n ki’fa; fu;n Eri;wo-Ya¾
Ti; n; lo¾ôoô; gb’awo fu;n woôn ni; I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re
T’o¾gbo¾n¾ka¾n ni;’da¾
OÙmoô Ako;rin yeôbeôyeôbeô ya;’ri; Oro;gu¾n-u;n
1104
OGBE® SÙEÙ:

EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®je;ô Eri;wo-Ya¾¾, Awo rere o
Ifa; Eri;;wo-Ya¾ Awo rere
A®wa o¾ ri; Eri;wo-Ya¾ n’I:je¾ôbu; mo;ô
Eri;wo-Ya¾, Awo rere
A®wa o¾ ri; Eri;wo-Ya¾ ni;’le¾ô yi¾i; mo;ô
Eri;wo-Ya¾¾ Awo rere
Translation:
Ako;ji-l';a;pa;, the Awo of Pa;san land

Asa¾ge¾de¾ the Awo of I®sa;wo¾ye¾ town
Abe;ôgi-l'eô;lo¾ô,ô the Awo of OÙ®woô land
They were the Awo who recited Ifa; for Eri;wo-Ya¾
When he was going on an Ifa; mission to I®je¾ôbu;-Mu¾re land
The owner of the sword with the broad blade
Offspring of those who decorate their O®gu;n shrines with
many iron metals
He complied
Ifa; Eri;wo-Ya¾ is a benevolent Awo
We will no longer see Eri;wo-Ya¾ in I®je¾ôbu;-land
We will no longer find Eri;wo-Ya¾ in this land
Eri;wo-Ya¾ is a benevolent Awo
Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that all the
problems in his/her life shall disappear and in their place will be
prospects and opportunities. That is the message of Ifa.
1105
16. Ifa; urges the man for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô for his
wife against sudden and untimely death. Ifa; also advises the woman for
whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô of long life for herself in order to
avoid a painful and premature death.
It may not be a physical death for the woman. It may be irreconcilable
separation which may make a couple sad for the rest of their lives.
Ifa; advises the woman to offer eôboô with the dress she wore on the
day that this Ifa; was cast, one mature he-goat and money. She
also needs to feed E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ with one cock. If the woman cannot
afford the money for the eôboô materials, the husband needs to assist her
and ensure that the eôboô is offered for her.
On this aspect Ogbe¾-OÙ®sôeô; says:
Isôu jinna; ta;n, oômoô’ri;-odo; n; weô’ri;

OÙbe¾ô eô; jinna; ta;n, ni o¾ d'eô;kun Ko¾ôtoô¾ko¾ôtoô¾
Di;a; fu;n Tieô
Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin O®Ùfa¾fa¾
Wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô si; lai¾ku; ara a reô o
Translation:
When yam is well prepared, the pestle will be

washed in readiness for pounding
When soup is well prepared, it will continue to
produce bubbles while on the fire
These were Ifa;’s messages for Tieô
The wife of O®Ùfa¾fa¾ (the Tree hyrax)
She was advised to offer the eôboô of longevity
OÙ®fa¾fa¾ was a very happy man. His wife, Tieô always made him proud. He
considered himself the luckiest being on earth for being the husband of
Tieô. She showered him with love and affection. There was nothing she
was not ready to do for him just to make him comfortable. Sometimes,
he would think that he was being spoiled by his wife. She would never
allow him to touch anything in the house. She knew when he needed to
sleep, wake up, eat, drink, bathe or work. She ensured that everything
1106
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
was made allowance for. His dresses were never dirty or wrinkled.
Surely, such a wife is very rare, OÙ®fa¾fa¾ thought with satisfaction.
One day, Tieô went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa;
consultation: Will I continue to make my husband and children happy?
Will they appreciate all the efforts she made for them? Will she be
honoured and respected? These and many more, were the questions
she asked Ifa; when she went for the consultation.
The Awo told her that everyone in her household, community and the
whole society at large knew her worth and would continue to appreciate
her value. She however needed to offer eôboô against painful but sudden
death. She was advised to add the dress that she wore on the day
of consultation as part of the eôboô materials. She was also advised
to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. She was to feed
E®sôu¾ with one giant cock.
When she got home, she told her husband. She also removed the dress
she had on in readiness for the eôboôô. It suddenly dawned on her that in
her bid to make her family comfortable, she had nothing, absolutely
nothing, to herself. This made her think about asking her husband for
help in order to procure the eôboô materials but since she did not wish to
put too much pressure on her husband and in order not to upset him,
she decided to go to her own parents and ask them for money.
She suddenly discovered that there was no other presentable dress she
could wear to her parents’ house except the one that she needed to use
as part of the eôboô materials. She decided to wear the dress there, get
the materials from her parents and return home to remove the dress.
As she was going, a hunter saw the dress and discovered that it was Tieô
the wife of OÙ®fa¾fa¾ going. The hunter was overwhelmed with joy. He
knew that O®Ùfa¾fa¾ and his wife were delicacies. He shot his arrow. It
caught Tieô in the throat and came out at the back of her skull. Tieô died
before she landed on the ground.
The death of Tieô totally devastated OÙ®fa¾fa¾. He continued to lament that
he could no longer find his beloved wife. Up till today, O®Ùfa¾fa¾ continues
to lament the demise of Tieô, his beloved.
1107
Isôu jinna; ta;n, oômoôri;-odo; n; weô’ri;

OÙbeô¾ e;ô jinna; ta;n, ni o¾ d'e;ôkun Koô¾to¾ôkoô¾to¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Tieô
Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin OÙ®fa¾fa¾
Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô si; lai¾ku; ara a reô o
O: f’eti;, o¾ôtu;n gb’e;ôboô
O: fi t’o¾si¾¾ da¾a; nu¾
E®sôu¾ a¾i¾ru; o, E®sôu¾ a¾i¾tu¾
EÙ o¾ ri;’fa; n; sôôeô bi; a¾la; ni; moôreô
OÙ®fa¾fa¾¾ a; l'o;un o¾ ri; Tieô
Ha¾ha¾ha¾ha¾ha¾ha¾!!!
Translation:
When yam is well prepared, the pestle will be

washed in readiness for pounding
When soup is well prepared, it will continue to
produce bubbles while on the fire
These were Ifa;’s messages for Tieô
The wife of O®Ùfa¾fa¾ (the Tree hyrax)
She was advised to offer the eôboô of longevity
She heard the warning with her right ear
And threw out the warning with her left ear
Refusal to offer eôboô and heed warning
Can’t you see how Ifa;’s prediction has
manifested like dream?
O®Ùfa¾fa¾ continues to lament not being able to not find Tieô
Ha¾ha¾ha¾ha¾ha¾!!!!
1108
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® OÙ®SÙE:Ù FOR THOSE BORN BY

THIS ODU® DURING I®KOôSEôDA:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA:
It is an established fact that all Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children, males and females,
have come into the world to succeed. This is the reason why there is no
aspect of life that Ogbe¾ OÙs ® ôe;ô children cannot excel in. The reason is that
all the Ire of life has been loaded into their Ori; when coming from heaven.
® ôe;ô children succeed more in the country side than in
By nature, all Ogbe¾ OÙs
the city. This is why it is advisable for them to reside in the country side
and work from there in order to actualize their potentials in life. There is
nothing that they look for that they will not get if they stay in rural areas.
The importance of this is that Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children are more village or small
town people than city dwellers. They find more comfort and
accomplishment in the rural sector than in the city.
Ù ôe;ô children are kind hearted, considerate, good natured and highly
Ogbe¾ O®s
temperamental. They believe in doing good to everyone at all times and
they expect others to reciprocate in like manner. This is where their
problems lie. They find it difficult to accept that it is part of their human
experience to find people paying kindness with wickedness. This attitude
normally devastates them and sometimes pushes them to think that doing
good is not worth the trouble. It is however in their best interest to
continue doing good at all times because their destiny is such that their
success multiplies in direct proportion to their level of benevolence.
As an adjunct to this, Ifa; says that many wicked people and those who are
not considerate will be planning evil and organizing the downfall of Ogbe¾
Ù ôe;ô children. Those who do this will have themselves to blame because
O®s
they will not only fail woefully, but they will also be humiliated and
sanctioned appropriately.
All Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children, males and females have an uncanny ability to
predict the future and what will happen under certain circumstances to the
amazement and confusion of others who are close to them. This instinct
that they have normally protects them if they follow it to the letter. This
Ù ôe;ô children that can never be taken
ability is a natural gift for all Ogbe¾ O®s
away from them.
Ù ôe;ô children love to help others, they sometimes land
Because all Ogbe¾ O®s
themselves in avoidable trouble. It is a taboo for Ogbe¾ O®Ùsôe;ô children to
stand sure or as guarantors for anyone. It is also a taboo for them to
stand as witnesses on any issue whatsoever. Ironically, standing as
witness can land them into more trouble than standing sure or as a
1109
guarantor for someone. Consequent upon this, the wise thing for all Ogbe¾
Ù ôe;ô children to do is to never stand sure or be a guarantor or witness on
O®s
any issue.
Ogbe¾ O®sÙ ôe;ô children stand the risk of being overwhelmed with crises at the
slightest opportunity. Listening to the advice and warnings of Ifa; are the
things what can save them from unprovoked attacks. This is why it is
imperative for them to consult Ifa; and heed the advice contained therein
on any step they are about to take before taking it.
There is the need for all Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children, males and females, to live
well and take care of their personal hygiene and health very well in order
for them to be able to live long enough to accomplish all their hearts’
desires and to fulfil their destinies. They however have the tendency of
having lower limb problems especially in the ankles and legs. With
appropriate eôboô and medication however, these problems will disappear or
be prevented.
Ù ôe;ô children to take proper
It is the duty and responsibility of all Ogbe¾ O®s
care of the dead who are close to them, whether they are related by blood
or not. This is because not taking care of the dead can have adverse
effects on their success chances in life. Conversely, doing so can enhance
the possibilities of success for them.
It is not advisable for Ogbe¾ O®sÙ ôe;ô children to separate from or divorce their
spouses. If there has already been any separation or divorce, it is
advisable to find a way of resolving the issue amicably. This is because
separation or divorce will never bring any positive result to them. One of
two things will happen: one, they will not find another spouse that will
satisfy their needs in life ever again; or two, the spouse may experience an
untimely death that the other partner may live to regret for the rest of
his/her life.
Ù ôe;ô children succeed where others fail; they are victorious
In all, Ogbe¾ O®s
where others experience defeat; they are embraced where others are
shunned; and they are accepted where others are rejected. In other
words, Ogbe¾ O®s Ù ôe;ô children, males and females, accomplish their destinies
where they are expected to fail.
A®boôru;; A®boôye¾.
1110
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
C. ASSOCIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ® AND O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® O®ÙSÙEÙ:
1. Ifa; – for guidance, protection, support, sanctuary, victory,

elevation, progress, success, and overall success
2. Ori; – for fulfilment of destiny, sanctuary, support, victory, success,
elevation, progress, contentment, and self actualization
3. E®®sôu¾-O®Ùdaôraô –for victory, guidance, sanctuary, protection, success,
support, and overall wellbeing
4. EÙgbeô; – for comradeship, support, victory, success, leadership, and
overall wellbeing
5. OÙba¾ta;la; – for success, progress, self actualization, support,
leadership, victory, and general wellbeing
6. Egu;ngu;n – for ancestral support, success, elevation, victory, and
general wellbeing
7. O®gu;n – for financial success, elevation, progress, direction,
leadership, victory, conquest and general wellbeing
8. Aje; – for financial success, leadership, progress, elevation and
general wellbeing
9. O®sôun – for compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing and
overall wellbeing.
D. TABOOS OF OGBE® O®ÙSÙEÙ:

1. Must never eat garden eggs (but can use them to feed the
ancestors) – to avoid the wrath of the ancestors,
unconsummated fortune, failure and regrets
2. Must never stand sure for anyone or act as a guarantor or
witness on any issue – to avoid failure, trouble, regrets,
disappointments and disaster
3. Must never use the cricket for anything – to avoid losing
his/her natural endowments
1111
4. Must never eat she-goat (but can use it to feed Ifa) – to

avoid losing the natural support of the divinities
5. Must never eat eô¾koô, corn meal – to avoid been overwhelmed
by opposition
6. Must never repay good with evil – to avoid disappointment,
disgrace and disaster
7. Must never skip the periodic O®Ùseô¾ Ifa; days – to avoid losing
the support of Ifa and Obatala
8. Must never engage in extra-marital activities – to avoid
public disgrace and regret in the marriage.
9. Must never show greed over the acquisition of wealth – to
avoid disaster and everlasting regret
10. Must never act without seeking prior ancestral support –
to avoid losing the backing of the ancestors
11.Must never underestimate anyone – to avoid
unconsummated fortune, disappointment and failure
12. Must never change their chosen profession in life – to
avoid suffering, hardship and pain
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® O®ÙSÙEÙ: CHILDREN

MALE
1. Aki;nla¾woô;n – the brave has come into their midst
2. Ifa;gbe¾mi; – Ifa; is in my support
3. Ifa;gba¾mi;la¾ – Ifa; comes to my rescue
4. Ifa;sôeô;gun – Ifa; is victorious
5. Tifa;sôeô – the prediction of Ifa; has come to pass
6. Ifa;ko;rede; – Ifa; has brought all Ire of life
1112
OGBE® SÙEÙ:
FEMALE
1. Aji;bo;ôseôô¾ – she who was born on OÙ®se¾ô Ifa; day
2. Ade;joôkeô; – the crown is for all to take care of
3. I®ba¾jeô;deôwa¾ – what was spoiled has turned to beauty
4. Ifa;sôe¾gbe¾ – Ifa; brings me support
5. Ifa;du¾n-u;nke;ô – Ifa; is exciting to take care of
6. Ifa;lolu; – Ifa; is the greatest
1113
Chapter 15
Ogbè Òfún
II I
I I
II I
I I
1114
OGBE® O®FU:N
OGBE® F'OHUN F’O:LO:HUN
OGBE® FUNFUN
OGBE® FU:N-UN
A. 1. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of unlimited success and
accomplishment for the person born by this Odù during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or
I®te¾ôni;fa. Ifá says that when this person was coming from heaven,
he/she had chosen as part of his/her destiny, the opportunity to have
the blessing of financial success and elevation. He/she had also been
assured that he/she would receive the blessing while on earth.
Consequent upon this, there is nothing or nobody that can stop him/her
from succeeding on earth, except if the person erects barriers for him or
herself. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two
guinea-fowls, two hens, two cocks and money.
On this, Ifá says:
A® gbe; re’le;
A® gbe; r’o¾de
A® gbe; ge¾ôeô¾ge¾ôeô¾ge¾ô r’oôja¾ E®ji¾gbo¾meôku¾n
Di;a; fu;n Owo;leôleô;wa¾
Ti; n; t'oô¾run bo¾ô w'a;ye;
Translation:
To carry to one‟s home

To carry outside of the home
To carry gingerly to E®ji¾gbo¾meôku¾n market
These were the declarations of Ifá for
Owo;leôleô;wa (Money brings out beauty)
1115
When he was choosing his destiny in the home of SÙensôenti¾sôo¾ro¾ in OÙ®run,

Owo;leôleô;wa chose as a major part of his destiny the ability to acquire
unlimited financial success and prosperity while on earth and it was
approved for him.
As soon as the mother of Owo;leôleô;wa became pregnant, she noticed
something very different about the unborn baby. She (the mother) never
lacked anything that she needed throughout the period of gestation. Not
only this, when the baby Owo;leôleô;wa was born, financial success came into
the household in a way that the family never dreamt of.
The social status of the whole household changed for the better and they
were able to procure most of the essential things that they hitherto could
not afford. They were also able to assist other people and were able to
give their little child Owo;leôleô;wa the comfort that money could bring.
Consequently, Owo;leôleô;wa was raised in relative opulence and comfort. He
never lacked most of the essential things of life.
When Owo;leôleô;wa grew up into an adult, he was a financially successful
person. He made a lot of money in his faming and trading businesses.
Before long, he got married to a very beautiful lady. Both of them
complemented one another. There was wealth and joy for the couple to
share with one another. Many people prayed to Olo;du¾mare¾ to bless them
and/or their young ones with such marital bliss.
One year after marriage, Owo;leôleô;wa became a father. He had money, a
compatible spouse and a bouncing baby to share his love and joy with.
Many other children came after this. There was joy in Owo;leôleô;wa„s
household. They soon became the toast and envy of their community.
One day, Owo;leôleô;wa decided to move out of the family compound to erect
his own personal compound. He had the money, the spouse and the
children to actualize his ambition. This was done in no time. The whole
community was present on the day that the compound was officially
commissioned. Food and drinks were surplus for guests to consume.
Not up to three years after moving into his own compound, Owo;leôleô;wa
bought a horse to crown his success and achievement. He was celebrated
everywhere. Why not? He had chosen financial success and other
achievements as major parts of his destiny right from heaven.
1116
OGBE® O®FU:N
A® gbe; re’le;
A® gbe; r’o¾de
A® gbe; ge¾ôeô¾ge¾ôeô¾ge¾ô r’oôja¾ E®ji¾gbo¾meôku¾n
Di;a; fu;n Owo;leôleô;wa¾
Ti; n; t'oô¾run bo¾ô w'a;ye;
Owo; l’eôwa¾ o¾un aya
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; sôe fu;ja¾ la;i¾ l'o;wo;
Owo; l’eôwa¾ o¾un aya
Ile; l’eôwa¾ o¾un oômoô
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; sôe fu;ja¾ la;i¾ ni;’le;
Ile; l'eôwa¾ o¾un oômoô o
Translation:
To carry to one‟s home
To carry outside of the home
To carry gingerly to E®ji¾gbo¾meôku¾n market
These were the declarations of Ifá for Owo;leôleô;wa
(Money brings out beauty)
He complied
Money is beauty, together with spouse
Nobody can show off without money
Money is beauty, together with spouse
Property is beauty, together with children
Nobody can show off without his personal house
Property is beauty, together with children
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will receive the
blessing of financial success, compatible spouse, fine children, comfortable
properties and a home, a beautiful means of transportation and all other Ire
of life with which to show off. He/she shall become a symbol of success
and accomplishment in life.
1117
2. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall never fall in
the midst of his/her enemies and those who wish him/her failure. Ifá
assures this person that his/her ancestors shall ensure that he/she does not
fail.
If this person is going on a journey or going to transact a business, he/she
will succeed despite the fact that his/her detractors wish him/her to fail.
His/her dead ancestors are solidly behind him/her.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with all the materials normally used
to feed the dead ones and money. There is also the need for the
officiating Awo to prepare a special a¾ko;sôe for him/her. There is the need
to procure ewe; roro¾, the sand taken from the centre of an ancient
market place, the cuttings from the four corners of the tip of a
woman’s wrapper, the cuttings from the rafter of a building and
soap. All these will be pounded together and mixed with the soap.
The Awo will then chant this stanza into it and hand it over to the person
for whom this Odù is revealed for bathing regularly. If the two steps can be
done, he/she will never fail in his/her endeavours. Instead of failure,
his/her efforts will be crowned with resounding success. Those who love
and hate him/her will come to celebrate his/her success and
accomplishment with him/her.
On this, Ifá says:
A tu; yagba
A mi; yagba
I®ru¾ eôsôin ni o¾ gbe; ‘bi¾kan
Di;a; fu;n Atiro-‘seô¾
Ti; n; sô'awo loô O®de O®®ro;
Translation:
He who sprouts gloriously

And moves sideways
The tail of a horse does not stay in one place
This was the message of Ifá to Atiro-„se¾ô (He-who-
Limps-While-Walking)
When going on an Ifá mission to O®ro; town
1118
OGBE® O®FU:N
Atiro-„seô¾ limped badly on one leg. But he was not born a cripple. When
he was in his adolescent age, he went out to climb a tall tree one day
that was close to his house. When he was on top of the tree, he saw a
mighty cobra that was ready to strike him. He became scared. In the
process, he lost his balance and fell down. He broke his leg in three
places. To make matters worse, there was nobody around to come to
his assistance. Those in the house thought that he was already in the
farm. Those in the farm thought that he had not left home. He laid
down writhing in pain and agony until evening time. When those who
went to the farm began to pack their things to return home, his favourite
dog noticed him and called the attention of others to where he was. The
people took him home with extreme caution. Unfortunately however, he
had to stay in the house until the following morning before he could be
taken to the home of the medicine man that would eventually take care
of him. This lead to him having a crooked leg and limping when he
walked. He could not walk on any long distance because the affected
leg was much shorter than the unaffected leg.
To make matters worse, soon after his broken limb was mended, albeit
crookedly, he fell into a ditch and broke the same leg again. He spent
three days inside the ditch before he could be rescued. To walk with
the leg became almost impossible. He had to sit and rest many times
before he could trek a very short distance.
In spite of this problem however, Atiro-„seô¾ had never seen himself as a

disabled person. He was a strong believer in the fact that disabilities
were in ones‟ mind and not in the physical body. He always tried to do
what all his colleagues were doing. He never allowed anybody to show
him sympathy or assist him in anything that he did. He was trained as a
Babaláwo and he was very proficient in his work. He never allowed
himself to think about what he could not do with his bad legs for one
moment. Instead, he was always happy and satisfied with those things
that he could still do in spite of having a bad limb. He was always
smiling and happy. Joy also came from the mind, he would often say.
This was exactly why most of his people saw him as a proud and
arrogant person. People eventually planned to see him fail and in the
process crawl to them for support. They felt that the day would be the
happiest moment of their lives. In their mischief, they dug many
ditches, literally and figuratively for Atiro-„seô¾ to fall into but for some
1119
reason, he would manage to escape falling into them. The more he

escaped these ditches and traps, the sadder the detractors became.
They vowed that they would not rest until Atiro-„seô¾ was brought down on
his knees. How could a disabled person claim that he is not disabled,
and try to compete with ones‟ colleagues who have all their limbs intact
and still manage to do better than them? This is what they asked
themselves. They found this fact totally unacceptable to them and they
felt that they must do everything that it took to reverse that, and very
fast too!
One day, the reputation of Atiro-„seô¾ got to the inhabitants of O®ro; land.
This made them invite him to come and consult Ifá for them in order to
improve their lives. When all the detractors of Atiro-„seô¾ heard this, they
were livid with rage! They cried and screamed. They began a frantic
plan to stop him. What was even more offensive to them was that it was
Atiro-„seô¾ himself who came to break the news to them! He even offered
to take them along on the trip in order for them to join him in working as
a group over there and also for his colleagues to be able to share from
what they were sure to make as profit on the journey. That was how
they knew that Atiro-„seô¾ was going on an Ifá mission to O®ro; land. He
must be stopped! They vowed.
They began to plan as never before. They schemed. They conspired.

They deliberated. In the end, they concluded that they would
accompany Atiro-„seô¾ on the trip. They observed that since he could not
trek long distances, they would walk faster than him and leave him on
the road. They would then establish their presence and reputation in O®ro;
land before he could even arrive there. Also, if for any reason, he
decided to walk fast, it would not take long before he would eventually
fell down tired and exhausted. That would be preferred. In the process
of his falling, he might even break the bad leg again! If he did not break
the leg, they would assist him in breaking the leg! By so doing, they
would have the whole period in O®ro; to themselves alone. This thought
sounded like music to their ears. They began to fine tune their plans.
Meanwhile, Atiro-„seô¾ was totally unaware of the mischief being designed

against him by his colleagues. In his ignorance and innocence, he was
busy including each and every one of them in his calculations. When he
rounded up his plan he decided to go to the home of the Awo mentioned
above for Ifá consultation in order to determine how successful his
1120
OGBE® O®FU:N
journey to O®ro; land would be. Will I succeed? Will all my colleagues who
had agreed to accompany me on this journey succeed like me? Will they
be satisfied? Will we be able to change the lives of the inhabitants of
O®ro; land for the better? Will the journey to O®ro; land be free of stress
and danger? These and many more were the questions that Atiro-„seô¾
asked Ifá. During the consultation Ogbe¾-O®fu;n was revealed.
The Awo told Atiro-„se¾ô that he came for Ifá consultation because he was
planning to travel on a long journey. He was told that he was safe at
home and that his final destination was also safe. He however needed
to offer ẹbọ because the route to the destination was fraught with
danger and conspiracy. He was informed that he had surrounded
himself with people that were planning his downfall and ultimate death
and that his colleagues did not wish him well at all. They actually wished
him to fail or die during the trip. The Awo however assured him that all
the schemes of all his detractors and enemies would amount to naught.
He was told that they would all fail. The Awo also told him that he
needed to pretend to be a fool because only intelligent ones had the
capability to pretend like fools while real fools have no mental capability
to pretend likewise ones. He was advised to pretend that he did not
hear, see, or know anything and to behave like he knew nothing.
The Awo advised Atiro-„se¾ô to offer ẹbọ with all the materials normally
used to feed ancestors and money. Atiro-„se¾ô complied. The Awo also
prepared a special a¾ko;sôe for him as stated above.
On his way home, Atiro-„se¾ô was totally confused. He could not

understand the reason why his colleagues would be planning his downfall
or death. He had not done them any evil for one moment. Instead, he
had always wished and done them well. He had always extended his love
to them. Why would they wish him dead? Why would they wish him to
fail? Why would they conspire against him? Why? He could not find any
justification for their actions against him. The only thing that he thought
that could make them to plan evil against him was envy but he quickly
dismissed that thought from his mind. In the end, he left everything in
the hands of Olo;du¾mare¾ to decide and judge.
1121
On the day of the journey, they all gathered in the front of Atiro-„se¾ô
house at dawn. They took off before sunrise. As soon as they left the
boundary of their town, the scheme began in earnest. The conspirators
began to move faster and faster. Since Atiro-„se¾ô already knew their plan,
their move did not come to him as a surprise. He was fully prepared for
them. He simply started to chant the incantation that went with the soap
he had been using to take his regular bath which his Awo had given him.
He continued to say these words repeatedly:
OÙpa bi; ara; oô¾run a ro; mi o

A® fi bi; eôke;ô o¾ ba; ro; ile;
A® fi bi; e¾e¾ya¾n o¾ ba; ro; l’oô;ja¾
A® fi bi; roro¾ o¾ ba; ro; ni;’gbo;
A®ya¾mo¾ô fi bi; obi¾nrin o¾ ba; t’a;soô ô ro;
Translation:
Surely, the heavenly beings shall support me

Except if the beams do not support a house
Except if people do not support the market
Except if the roro¾ trees do not support the forest
Except if a woman does not adjust her wrapper
True to his statements, the heavenly beings gave him support in a way
he too never expected. He was able to walk and keep up with the pace
of his colleagues! Sometimes, it seemed to him as if some force was
actually lifting him up and ensuring that he moved faster. On some other
occasions, it would appear to him like his legs, both the affected and the
unaffected ones were not touching the ground at all!
1122
OGBE® O®FU:N
He just had the sensation that he was floating in the air while keeping
pace with his colleagues!
The conspirators were totally taken aback. How was it possible for Atiro-
„seô¾ to walk that fast without feeling the stress at all? He looked more
refreshed than them! They could not believe what they saw. Half way
to their destination, they decided to change their scheme and ensure
that they assisted Atiro-„seô¾ in breaking his legs again. While Atiro-„seô¾
was moving like a horse running on an uneven road one of them pushed
him from behind. He looked at the person who pushed him and said:

A® fi bi; eôkeô o¾ ba; ro; ile;
Translation:

Except if the beams do not support the house
Atiro-„seô¾ did not even stagger not to mention fall down when he was
pushed! He felt like something just lifted his body and landed him gently
in front. He looked at the person once more and smiled! The person
who pushed him could not look at his face any longer. The person then
went to hide himself behind the others.
A few moments after this, another conspirator went in front of Atiro-„seô¾

and pushed him from the front with the intention of making him fall flat
on his back. Atiro-„seô¾ also looked at this person and said:

A® fi bi; e¾e¾ya¾n o¾ ba; ro; l'o;ôja¾
Translation:

1123
Again, that same something lifted him and dropped him gently on the
ground. He only shook his head, looked at the person who pushed him
and smiled. This detractor also buried his face behind the others.
They continued their journey until one of the conspirators moved to the
left hand side of Atiro-„seô¾ and pushed him with all his power in order to
ensure that Atiro-„seô¾ lost his balance and fell on his right hand side. He
looked at this person and said:

A® fi bi; roro¾ o¾ ba; ro; ni;gbo;
Translation:

Except if the roro¾ tree does not support the forest
Once again, Atiro-„seô¾ was lifted up and placed down quietly and gently
beside the person who had pushed him. He then looked at the person
and smiled. The conspirator quickly rushed away from him.
They were almost approaching the boundary of O®ro¾ town now. The
conspirators were desperate. Atiro-„seô¾ must not be allowed to go with
them to the town. They must do something immediately and decisively.
They grabbed him from the right hand side and dragged him forcefully.
They lifted him up in order to throw him into a nearby gully. Atiro-„seô¾
simply said:

A®ya¾nmo¾ô fi bi; obi¾nrin o¾ ba; t’a;sôo ro;
Translation:

Surely, the heavenly beings shall support
1124
OGBE® O®FU:N
As soon as he said this, that same something removed him from the grip
of these conspirators. He was floating in mid air right above their heads
for a very long second that seemed like an eternity! He was then placed
down right in their midst. He looked round their faces and smiled.
The smile was too much for the conspirators to bear. They felt fear.
They felt ashamed. They felt intimidated. They were scared! They all
scampered away and ran back to their various homes, totally subdued.
They lived the rest of their lives as humiliated people.
Meanwhile, Atiro-„seô¾ went to O®ro town alone. He was given honour,

respect and recognition. He accomplished all his missions in O®ro; land.
When he was about to return to his home land, he was presented with a
horse. He then rode the horse back home.
A tu; yagba
A mi; yagba
I®ru¾ eôsôin ni o¾ gbe; ‘bi¾kan
Di;a; fu;n Atiro-‘seô¾
Ti; n; sô'awo loô O®de O®®ro;
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
A® fi bi; eôke;ô o¾ ba; ro; ile;
A® fi bi; e¾e¾ya¾n o¾ ba; ro; l’oô;ja¾
A® fi bi; roro¾ o¾ ba; ro; ni;’gbo;
A®ya¾mo¾ô fi bi; obi¾nrin o¾ ba; t’a;soô ô ro;
Translation:
He who sprouts gloriously

And moves sideways
The tail of a horse does not stay in one place
1125
This was the message of Ifá for Atiro-„se¾ô

(He-who-Limps-While-Walking)
When going on an Ifá mission to O®ro; town
He complied
Come and behold all Ire of life
Now, surely the heavenly beings shall support me
Except if the beams do not support a house
Except if the roro¾ trees do not support the forest
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall receive the
blessings and support of his/her ancestors in order to accomplish his/her
mission in life, overcome his/her detractors and gain support, honour,
recognition and respect.
3. Ifá says that this person shall be given honour and respect, especially
in his/her in-law‟s house. This person shall never face humiliation or
disapproval in life, more especially in his/her in-laws home.
Ifá says also that someone is ill where this Odù is revealed. This person
shall either heal the ill person of the sickness or will be instrumental in
finding a solution to the illness. This is why it is good for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed to think of going into the healing profession
such as Ifá priesthood, herbalism, medicine, pharmacy, nursing and other
para-medical fields. These are part of the professions that will bring
prestige and honour for the person for whom this Odù is revealed.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons, four guinea-
fowls and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with one pigeon and
one guinea-fowl.
1126
OGBE® O®FU:N
On this, Ifá says:
SÙeô;keô;le;ôweô
Wo¾ôwoô¾ l'o;ri; o¾ko;o¾
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ funfun
Ti; n; sô'awo re’le; a¾na reô¾
Translation:
SÙeô;ke;ôleô;weô
And Woô¾wo¾ô lo;ri; o¾ko;o¾
They cast Ifa; for Ogbe¾ funfun (Ogbe¾-O®fu;n)
When going on an Ifá mission to his in-laws' house
Ogbe¾ funfun was a well-trained and highly accomplished Babaláwo. His

reputation as a Babaláwo spread across the land. He was known to be
an Awo who would spare no effort to ensure that the life of any of his
clients changed from bad to good, and from good to better.
In the pursuit of his work, he never engaged in anything that would spoil
his name or spoil his reputation. He never engaged in any wickedness or
ungodly acts. He was always far away from all those who engaged in
such acts. That was why his colleagues and even the whole community
where he lived called him Ogbe¾ funfun, the pious sparkling white Ogbè.
One day, the mother of the wife of Ogbè funfun fell ill. It started as
minor dizziness but later turned into a very serious and highly
complicated health issue. All medications proved ineffective. That was
when the family turned to its in-law, Ogbè funfun for help to find a
solution to the health problem.
As soon as his in-laws solicited for his help, he took up the matter as a
personal challenge. In order to succeed where all others had failed, he
decided to go to the home of the Awo whose names were stated above
for Ifá consultation. He sought Ifá‟s guidance and help on how to
proceed in order to gain success. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾ funfun
was revealed.
1127
The Awo told Ogbe¾ funfun that he was pre-occupied with what to do in
order to succeed in a matter that he had set his mind on. Ifá assured
him that he would not only succeed but he would equally gain honour
and respect. The Awo assured him that he was in for a pleasant
surprise from Ifá.
He was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above: four pigeons, four

guinea-fowls and money. He was also advised to feed Ifá with one
pigeon and one guinea-fowl. He complied. After this, he set out to
find a solution to his mother in-law‟s health problem.
Surprisingly, it took Ogbe¾ funfun less than 20 days to effect the cure!
The whole issue turned out to be a simple and easy to handle problem.
The ẹbọ, a¾ku;nle¾ôboô and a¾ko;sôe that he applied on his mother-in-law
worked like magic. The whole family burst into big celebration.
After this incident, all the members of his in-laws' household had a
crucial meeting. His wife was also invited to the meeting. In the course
of their deliberations, the family resolved to make Ogbe¾ funfun the
personal Babaláwo of the whole family.
It was an honour that had never been conferred on anyone else before
this period. The family also thanked the wife of Ogbe¾ funfun for bringing
luck to her family.
SÙeô;keô;le;ôweô
Wo¾ôwoô¾ lo;ri; o¾ko;o¾
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ funfun
Ti; n; sôawo re’le; a¾na reô¾
EÙ wa;a wo’re o
N®je;ô mo ja;’we;
Mo sô’awo
Ogbe¾ Funfun d’awo ara reô
1128
OGBE® O®FU:N
Translation:
SÙeô;ke;ôleô;weô
And Woô¾wo¾ô lo;ri; o¾ko;o¾
They cast Ifa; for Ogbe¾ funfun (Ogbe¾-O®fu;n)
When going on an Ifá mission to his in-laws house
He complied
I used herbal remedies
And I offered ẹbọ
Ogbe¾ funfun has now become the personal
Awo of his in-laws
Ifá says that this person will be honoured in the work that he/she is
doing. He/she will also fair well and succeed where all others have failed.
This person shall also be recognized and be accorded all the respect and
honour that he/she deserves among his/her in-laws.
4. Ifá says that this person shall receive the blessing of comfort, peace
and tranquillity in his/her life and day-to-day activities. Ifá advises this
person to go and remove all the blood that has been put on his/her Ikin
Ifá and replace it with palm-oil immediately. Ifá says that Ogbe¾ funfun
children attain their highest potentials when their Ikin-Ifá are left without
blood and are soaked with palm-oil.
Ifá assures this person that he/she will be blessed with comfort and
accomplishment. He/she will also attain the zenith of his/her ambition in
life. Ifá says that this person will be spared any agony or turbulence in
his/her life and in the attainment of his/her set goals.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four hens, four pigeons, and
money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with plenty of palm-oil.
1129
On this, Ifá says:
Pi¾sa¾
Pi¾doro
Baba ma;a ta Ka¾nyi¾nka¾nyi¾n
O: ma;a ta ko;ro; si;nu; epo
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a sôe
Translation:
Pi¾sa¾
And Pi¾doro
When going to move with alacrity
And jump inside palm-oil
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was living a life of hardship, pain and unconsummated fortune.

He tried many things but they never worked. Instead, the situation was
getting worse every time. That was why he decided to offer ẹbọ in order
to resolve his many problems. He offered the ẹbọ and then feed Ifá with
a matured she-goat. The problems escalated. He decided to feed Ifá
with a mature pig but the problems increased in many folds. Something
was very wrong, he thought to himself. As a matter of fact, he was sure
that several things were really wrong. How would he solve these
problems? He was not sure.
In order to find a solution to his numerous problems, he decided to

summon two of his former students to come and consult Ifá for him.
These two students were Pi¾sa¾ and Pi¾doro. They were competent and
accomplished in their own rights. When Ifá was consulted on that
occasion, Ogbe¾ O®fu;n was revealed.
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he had multiple problems. They said that
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ himself had also compounded his problems by himself. How
so? OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ queried the Awo. They explained to him that he ought not
to have fed blood to his Ikin at all. They told him that feeding his Ikin
1130
OGBE® O®FU:N
with blood would only make the situation worse for him. They therefore
advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ as stated above and to remove and clean
out all the blood on his Ikin immediately. In its place, they recommended
for him to soak the Ikin in palm-oil. They explained that palm-oil would
cool down all the spiritual negativities in the life of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and would
convert them to success, peace, comfort, elevation, progress,
contentment and self actualization. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ did as he was told.
A few days after, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ began to see positive changes in his life. His
numerous problems began to disappear one after the other. Progress
and comfort started to show up in his life. He was able to consummate
his fortune. For one whole year, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ refused to add blood to his
Ikin. Instead, he continued to feed the Ikin with palm-oil. If anyone
asked him why he had not added blood to his Ikin, he would respond by
saying that that day was not for adding blood; but rather, it was for
palm-oil which would ensure calmness, peace, comfort and tranquillity.
That was how all the problems which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was experiencing
disappeared completely in his life and were replaced with success and
achievement which brought him joy and comfort.
Pi¾sa¾
Pi¾doro
Baba ma;a ta Ka¾nyi¾nka¾nyi¾n
O: ma;a ta ko;ro; si;nu; epo
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a sôe
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®je;ô t’e¾ôjeô¾ koô loôjoô; o¾ni; o
T’epo ma¾ l’e¾ôroô¾
Translation
Pi¾sa¾
And Pi¾doro
When going to move with alacrity
And jump inside palm-oil
1131

He complied
Today does not call for blood
But for palm-oil which is for calmness and peace
Ifá says that the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall
change from agony to comfort, from failure to success and from despair
to hope. He/she needs to remove all the blood on his Ikin and replace it
with palm-oil. By so doing, success is assured.
5. Ifá says that this person shall be blessed with many children of his/her
own. The children will also make him/her happy and fulfilled in life. Ifá
says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall not leave this
world empty handed. Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two rats,
two fish, two hens and money.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾-Fu;n rindin-ri;ndi¾n
Di;a; fu;n SÙe¾ôeô¾re¾ô
Ti; n;f'omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
Translation:
The sparkling white Ogbe¾

He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for SÙeô¾e¾ôreô¾
When she was weeping in lamentaion of her
inability to beget a baby
SÙeô¾e¾ôreô¾ was in love with her husband and his family members. All of the
husband‟s family treated her as an egg which should be handled with
care and love. She was given honour and respect. She was very much
1132
OGBE® O®FU:N
cared for in her matrimonial home and nobody just saw her as a wife in
the family; she was regarded as a daughter and a member of the
household. They pampered her and indulged her in so many aspects. As
a matter of fact, many people were usually prepared to assist her in
carrying out the household and domestic chores, especially her mother-
in-law who saw her as the daughter whom she never had.
As a result of the way she was being treated, SÙeô¾e¾ôreô¾ was fully determined
to prove to all the members of her husband‟s family that she was a good
woman who also imbibed all the training she was given from her own
home. She never wished to do anything, say any word or think in
anything that might disappoint or offend any of her in-laws. She was
always jovial with them and she treated all of them with respect and
humility.
Something however was causing her grief. The problem was that she had
no child of her own. She had been married to her husband for six years
now and there was no baby to show for it. She knew without being told
that it would not take much longer before people would begin to whisper
into her husband‟s ear that he needed to get another wife who would be
able to bear him children. She was certain that the positive attitude
received by her husband‟s family members would soon change towards
her. She cried daily whenever she remembered this fact. What joy would
it bring me to be able to beget at least one child into this wonderful
family, she lamented. It was this thought that made her to go to the
home of Ogbe¾-Fu;n Rindin-ri;ndi¾n for Ifá consultation. All that preoccupied
her mind was to know if she would be able to beget a baby of her own in
her life; whether or not she would have the baby for her husband and in
that household; and if yes, what she needed to do to have the baby as
quickly as possible. During the Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-O®fu;n was revealed.
The Awo told SÙeô¾e¾ôreô that she was pre-occupied with whether or not she
would be blessed with the fruit of the womb. The Awo assured her that
she would not be blessed with not only one, but several children. She
was told that a time would come that she would have no other
assignment than to take good care of her children. She was also told that
when that time arrived, she would not be wanting to go out to attend any
social events because all her interest would be lost for such matters. She
would consider all social events as trivial issues.
1133
She was advised to offer ẹbọ with two rats, two fish, two hens and
money. She complied that same day. When she left the home of the
Awo, she brought back with her hope and assurance.
Two months after, it happened! She became pregnant! SÙeô¾e¾ôreô could not
believe what she was experiencing. Was this true or false? Was this
actually happening to her or she was just in a dream? She informed her
husband. He told her to keep it between the two of them for the time
being but she was unable to do that. She felt that it would be a betrayal
to her mother-in-law who considered her as her daughter. She whispered
it into her ears. The mother-in-law‟s face broke into a big smile. She
hugged her and advised her to keep it a secret for the time being.
She confessed to her mother-in-law that she had already informed her
husband. So between the three of them, they began to hide a secret
which, four months after became known to everybody in the household
and the community at large without being told. Everybody was very
happy for her. The mother-in-law insisted that she must not do any hard
work in the house again. She ordered her to rest until she gave birth to
the baby. When she went into labour, she gave birth to a set of triplets!
The whole community burst into a big celebration.
Three years after this, she gave birth to another set of triplets. And
within 10 years, SÙeô¾e¾ôreô had more than 12 children! True to the prediction
of the Awo, she had no time for any social event. The children, males
and females, took over all her time. She enjoyed seeing them grow into
young children. She dreamt of the time that they would grow into
adolescent and from there into adults. She saw herself preparing for the
wedding ceremony of her lovely girls and handsome boys. The thought
usually made her happy and fulfilled. Most of her friends who expressed
their disappointment of not seeing her anymore were explained to that
they hardly saw her anymore because she was busy taking care of her
blessings and her children did not allow her to visit or socialize with
anyone.
Ogbe¾-Fu;n rindin-ri;ndi¾n
Di;a; fu;n SÙe¾ôeô¾re¾ô
Ti; n;fomi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
1134
OGBE® O®FU:N
Ire oômoô wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru

N®je;ô ki;nni o¾ je;ô n ja;de o?
SÙe¾ôeôr¾ e¾ô
OÙmoô ni o¾ jeô; n ja;’de
SÙe¾ôeôr¾ eô¾
SÙe¾ôeôr¾ eô¾ o o¾! oômoô o¾ jeô n ja;’de o
SÙe¾ôeôr¾ e
Omo ni o je n ja’de
SÙeô¾e¾rô eô¾
Translation:
The sparkling white Ogbe¾

He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for SÙeô¾e¾ôreô¾
When she was weeping in lamentaion of her
inability to beget a baby
She complied
The Ire of child-bearing came trooping in
Now, what does not allow me to attend social events?
SÙeô¾e¾ôreô
My children are the ones who do not allow me
to attend social events
SÙeô¾e¾ôreô
Children do not allow me to go out
SÙeô¾e¾ôreô
My children are the ones who do not allow me to
attend social events
with many children who will make him/her proud and self-fulfilled. Ifá
assures him/her that he/she will never live his/her life without being
surrounded by children.
6. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of child-bearing for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she shall give birth to
four great children in life. Ifá also assures this person that he/she will
1135
never face humiliation or disgrace in his/her life. Ifá says that he/she
will engage in something that is very delicate which under normal
circumstances would end up in failure and disgrace but Ifá will assure
this person that Ifá, OÙba¾ta;la; and Olo;du¾mare¾ will perform miracles in
his/her life and instead of disgrace, he/she shall receive commendation
and honour.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four mature she-goats, and
money. If he/she cannot afford this, he/she may offer the eôboô with
four laying hens and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá and
OÙba¾ta;la; as appropriate and as prescribed by Ifá.
On this, Ifá says:
Igi n;la; ni;i; ta’gbo¾ o fa¾bi¾fa¾bi¾ ja;’na¾

Bi; a ba; ge; e ni;hi¾n-i;n
I®yo;ku¾ a wo¾ô’gbeô;
Bi; a ba; ge; e lo;ôhu¾n-u;n
L'a;a¾ri;n gu¾ngu¾ngu¾n l’oôpa n;pajeô
Ti; n;f'omi oju; su¾ngbe;re; oômoô
Translation:
A big tree has its roots running across the road

If one cuts it on this side
The remaining part will run into the forest
If one cuts it on the other side
The piece in between will be used for
herbal preparations
These were the declarations of Ifá to O®o¾sôa¾
When weeping in lamentation for her inability
to receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb
1136
OGBE® O®FU:N
O®o¾sôa¾ had served Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities diligently. She had been
given a very high spiritual reward and position. She was the favourite
of the Iru;nmoôleô¾ and Olo;du¾mare¾. Through her, many prayers had been
answered. Many problems had been solved. Many tears had been
wiped off and replaced with smiles. Many pains and anguish had been
replaced with relief and comfort. Sadness had turned to joy.
Hopelessness had been converted to hopefulness. Wants had become
surplus. Scarcity had turned to abundance. Depression became
elevation. People would troop to her home with the expectation of
receiving miracles in their lives and they had every reason to expect so.
They had witnessed and seen several miracles that had happened
around them to make them feel very sure that it would happen to them
also. They were not disappointed. They were never disappointed.
Ironically, O®o¾sôa¾ was waiting and waiting for a miracle to happen in her
life but it never happened! O®o¾sa ô ¾ was praying fervently to Olo;du¾mare¾ to
give her the blessing of the fruit of the womb and it never happened.
Time kept passing by and she was no longer a young woman. The
miracle which she craved for more than anything else in her life had
simply failed to come.
One day she woke up in the middle of the night and prayed. She
pleaded with all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ and Olo;du¾mare¾ to grant her request. She
stated that several people had approached her for the blessing of the
fruit of the womb and through her, they had become mothers. Why
should her own become impossible? She cried. As she prayed, she
wept bitterly. The heavens took pity on her plight. They directed her to
the home of the group of Awo stated above for a solution. Very early in
the morning, she was the first person the Awo saw. She told them that
she had come for Ifá consultation. During this crucial consultation,
Ogbe¾-Fu;n was revealed.
The Awo told O®o¾sôa¾ that she was in dire need of a miracle in order for her
womb to open and bear the fruit of a baby. They assured her that all
the Iru;nmoôleô¾ and Olo;du¾mare¾ had hearkened to her plea; she was told
that she would become pregnant and give birth to a baby. They told her
that at her age, she would only be able to have one child. They then
advised her to offer ẹbọ with four mature she-goats and money.
She complied immediately. She was so grateful and happy that at last,
her own miracle and bundle of joy would be on the way to come into her
life.
1137
True to prediction, O®o¾sôa¾ became pregnant that same month. Ten

months after, she gave birth to a lovely girl. The baby was named
E®e¾ya¾n. From that very day, she had been dreaming of several different
assignments for her. She lost interest in many other things except for
how to take the best care of her baby. When the baby was growing up,
both of them were seen everywhere together. She would never go
anywhere without taking her joy along with her. The little girl began to
develop rapidly and looked so much like her mother in several areas.
Anytime that O®o¾sôa looked at the face of her girl, she would simply smile
in appreciation of what Olo;du¾mare¾ had done for her.
When the girl reached her adolescent age, many suitors were already
talking to O®o¾sôa to give them the hand of her daughter in marriage. She
told all of them to wait! When the girl was matured enough and ready
for the marriage market O®o¾sôa became very worried and confused on
what to do. The problem was that she had agreed to give her daughter in
marriage to four different men! To make the matter worse, she had even
accepting gifts and presents from the families of these four men!
The four men were: one, a Trader; two, a Hunter; three, a Farmer; and
four, a Sculptor. Before long, each of them got the hint that other men
were also in the race to have O®o¾sôa‟s daughter as a wife. Consequent
upon this, the competition became very keen. They brought more gifts
and presents and O®o¾sôa accepted them all! None of the four men wanted
to lose her. Somehow, the four men and their families had developed a
deep and passionate love for E®e¾ya¾n, O®o¾sôa‟s daughter. They could not
think of life without E®e¾ya¾n. The love was so deep that they were
prepared to sacrifice anything and endure any hardship in order to ensure
that they had E®e¾ya¾n as a wife.
One day, the four suitors‟ families came to the home of O®o¾sôa, one after
the other. What they wanted to find out from O®o¾sôa was the day of the
wedding. O®o¾sôa gave the four families the same date. She told them that
all arrangements would be concluded by that time.
As soon as the suitors‟ families departed, O®o¾sôa realized that she had
organized and concluded a serious problem for herself. How was she
going to do it? Where on earth was it ever heard of that a damsel was
handed over to four men in marriage in one day? What was she going to
1138
OGBE® O®FU:N
do to save face from inevitable trouble and humiliation? She toyed with
the idea of running away from the community together with her
daughter. She quickly discarded the idea. She basically had nowhere she
could go where she would not be traced to and fished out. She even
considered killing herself but discarded the idea. She knew that killing
herself would mean leaving her daughter to face the wrath and
humiliation of the offence that she never committed. She thought of
calling the four suitors' families together to apologize to them that she
had misbehaved and ask for their forgiveness. The thought was also
abandoned because she knew that the four men would die of anger,
frustration and sorrow. What then should she do?
Meanwhile, the whole neighbourhood was awash with gossip. They were
all counting the date when O®o¾sôa would face the disgrace of her life. They
said that anyone who planned to do what no one had ever done before,
such a person should be prepared to experience what no one has ever
experienced before. The tension in the community was almost touchable.
They noticed that O®o¾sôa had become disorganized and disoriented. They
concluded that she must be planning to run away from the community.
No! They would not allow her to run away. They organized vigilante
groups to take turns in watching every step she took. The groups were
mandated to stop her and report to the community leaders if they
suspected her of taking any unusual steps.
When only nine days remained for the wedding day, O®o¾sôa summoned up
all her courage and took a bold step: she went and handed herself over
to Olo;du¾mare¾. In the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾, O®o¾sôa¾ cried and pleaded;
“Olo;du¾mare¾, I have erred. I have put myself and my daughter in a
precarious situation. I have come to hand over myself to you in order to
decree any punishment you wish for me. I have concluded arrangements
to give my only daughter to four suitors and only nine days remain for
the wedding ceremony to take place. Olo;du¾mare¾, I feel disgrace and
humiliation! I have served you with all my heart. I have never for one
day transgressed against any of your directives. I have never refused to
carry out any of your assignments. This is the first major offense I know
that I have ever committed. Olo;du¾mare¾, please save me! Do not let me
be humiliated. I am prepared to face any punishment you may deem fit
for me. If I hand over my daughter to any one of the four suitors, the
remaining three would surely die! I have erred because of my indecision!
I am here to beg you to have mercy on me, my daughter and the families
1139
of the four suitors. The whole community will also be adversely affected.
Olo;du¾mare¾, please do not leave me to myself inflicted problems!”
As she was pleading, so was she crying and rolling herself on the ground.
All the Iru;nmoôleô¾, Egu;ngu;n, Oro¾ and O®ri¾sôa¾ in heaven were all sympathetic.
They knew that she had worked tirelessly and selflessly before this
incident. At last, Olo;du¾mare¾, directed O®o¾sôa¾ to OÙba¾ta;la;. She was told to
go and explain herself there.
When O®o¾sôa¾ got to the domain of OÙba¾ta;la;, she narrated her story again.
OÙba¾ta;la; told her that; "you have committed a serious offense against
Olo;du¾mare¾, the Iru;nmoôleô¾, Egu;ngu;n, Oro¾, other O®ri¾sôa¾ and even against
yourself. You have also erred against your daughter, your family, your
community and humanity at large. You are going to receive your
punishment at the appropriate time. Meanwhile, there is the need to find
a solution to the problem that you have created. You have to return to
your home now. When you get there, ask the farmer to bring a big and
robust water yam for you unfailingly on the eve of the wedding. Ask the
Hunter to bring a mature deer to you on the same day and ask the
sculptor to carve an image in the likeness of your daughter and bring it to
you on the same day. You do not need to ask the trader for anything.
You must then put everything that they have brought to you in a special
room and await my further instruction and action. Olo;du¾mare¾ who
created the world will never reveal ITS innermost secrets to anyone”.
With this assurance, O®o¾sôa¾ left the domain of OÙba¾ta;la;. She knew that a
solution would be found to her problem. How it would be resolved, she
did not know. She just did as she was told. She started to make
arrangements for the wedding. All the four suitors knew about each
other by then. There was tension among them, O®o¾sôa¾ told the Hunter to
come at I®da;ji; (dawn) to take his wife. She told the Farmer to come at
I®ya;le¾ôta, midday for his wife, she told the Sculptor to come at OÙ®sa;n,
afternoon to take his wife. Lastly, she instructed the Trader to come at
I®roô¾le;ô evening for his own wife.
Everyone in the community heard of the different periods that O®o¾sôa¾ had
given the four suitors. They believed that she was planning for the
daughter to return to her home as soon as she was handed over in
marriage. This, the whole community determined, would never happen.
1140
OGBE® O®FU:N
They went round the homes of the four suitors to instigate them against
O®o¾sôa¾ and her daughter. They told them that once the daughter had been
handed over to any of them, they must not allow her to return to her
mother‟s home again on that day. They said that the diabolic plan of
O®o¾sôa¾ must be frustrated. There were schemes, plans and counter-plans.
Everybody took an active part in ensuring that O®o¾sôa¾ was thoroughly
humiliated.
To everybody‟s surprise they realized that the confidence and self-

assurance of O®o¾sôa¾ had returned. She was happy and she behaved as a
self-fulfilled woman. Everybody in the whole community waited.
Everybody put his/her ears to the ground. Preparations were going on
for the wedding. Food and drinks were ordered in excess. Different
types of dresses were bought for the ceremony from different lands.
On the eve of the ceremony, the whole community was filled with
visitors, guests and onlookers from far and near. They wanted to see the
shame and disgrace of O®o¾sôa¾ the next day. Nobody wanted to be told the
story. They all wanted to be eye witnesses! The three suitors brought
what they were asked to bring on that day. The Hunter brought a big
deer, the Farmer brought a giant water-yam and the Sculptor brought an
image in the height and likeness of E®e¾ya¾n. Nobody slept till the next
day. Nobody could sleep. Nobody wished to sleep. It would have been
a big shame for anyone to fall asleep and miss any of the action and
drama that was about to unfold.
At dawn, the Hunter and his family members arrived at O®o¾sôa¾‟s home!
There was dead silence everywhere! O®o¾sôa¾ welcomed them and asked
them to take their seats. They were all impatient. She insisted. They all
sat on the edges of their seats. The guests were served with food and
drinks. They were not interested in the food, but as a sign of courtesy for
their host, they took the meals and drinks.
When it was time to take their wife, O®o¾sôa¾ went into the special room
where she had kept the items that OÙba¾ta;la; asked her to instruct the three
suitors to bring. She was surprised to find OÙba¾ta;la; in the room, waiting
for her. OÙba¾ta;la; commanded the deer which the Hunter had brought the
previous day to transform into a human being, charging that Olo;du¾mare¾
who created the world would never reveal its innermost secrets to
anyone. Right in the presence of O®o¾sôa¾, the deer turned into a human
1141
being in the same likeness of her daughter! O®o¾sôa¾ was overwhelmed with
joy. They dressed the deer-turned-to-human up and O®o¾sôa¾ went out with
her. She handed over the “bride” to her Hunter husband. The whole
gathering of the Hunter's guests erupted into a big celebration. They
considered themselves lucky for being the chosen one to have O®o¾sôa¾‟s
daughter as wife. They all dispersed and went home to continue the
celebration.
The whole community witnessed the event. They said that the time for
O®o¾sôa¾, to face her well-deserved humiliation had arrived. At I®ya;le¾ôta, the
family of the Farmer arrived. They had been told that O®o¾sôa¾ had given
her daughter to the Hunter. They demanded for their wife while standing.
O®o¾sôa¾ told them to take their seats. They sat reluctantly. They were
served with food and drinks. They refused to touch them. O®o¾sôa¾ insisted
that they must eat and drink first. They took the food reluctantly.
When the time to hand over the wife came, O®o¾sôa¾ went into her special
room and met OÙba¾ta;la; there again. OÙba¾ta;la; also ordered the yam to
become a human being. Again, right in the presence of O®o¾sôa¾, the yam
was transformed into the exact likeness of her daughter! OÙba¾ta;la; said
that Olo;du¾mare¾ who created the world would never reveal its innermost
secrets to anyone.
When O®o¾sôa¾ went out with her “daughter” the second time, the whole
place turned dead silent. Nobody breathed again. Nobody could breath!
The shock was overwhelming. Everybody was flabbergasted! What went
wrong? No, what went right for O®o¾sôa¾? What wonder was it that they
were witnessing here today, they wondered. As they were wondering
over this wonderful wonder, they noticed to their extended wonder that it
was the same dress, the same hair style, the same sandals, the same
bracelets and the same everything that the first daughter had on. The
two even had the same smile on their faces!
But O®o¾sôa¾ had only one daughter! Even if she had more than one, the
two could not be of the same height, stature, complexion and age! No,
something was amiss here! Maybe something went right for O®o¾sa ô ¾ which
nobody was aware of. Did the daughter that had just been wedded out
to the Hunter quietly and secretly return without anyone noticing her?
That must be the reason! That ought to be the reason! In fact, that was
the reason! They quickly sent two people to run as fast as they could to
1142
OGBE® O®FU:N
the Hunter‟s home to verify whether or not the newly wedded lady was
there. There were two E®e¾ya¾n now!!! The wonder became more
wonderful for anyone to comprehend.
The Farmer and his family returned to their home together with their
wife. They too wondered about the wonderful development! They had
their wife with them. They also heard that the Hunter and his family had
his own wife with him. How could they both have the same lady at the
same time? Wonder of gargantuan proportion had really taken place!
In the afternoon, the family of the Sculptor arrived. They all stood rigid
with anxiety. They had been informed that the Hunter and the Farmer
had earlier come and they had both gone away with the same lady. How
such wonder could happen, they too were wondering. They were all
seated and were offered food and drinks. They ate and drank. They
were too confused to be in haste over anything.
When it was time to hand over the daughter to the groom‟s family and
for all the marriage rites to begin, O®o¾sôa¾ went inside and headed straight
into the special room. Again she met OÙba¾ta;la; waiting. OÙba¾ta;la; again
drew out the A®sôeô and commanded the carved image brought by the
Sculptor to transform into a human being, saying that Olo;du¾mare¾ who
created the world would never reveal its innermost secrets to anyone.
And again, right in the presence of O®o¾sôa¾ the image turned to her
daughter, in her exact likeness.
She went out with the “bride”, all dressed up like the other two brides
before her. Everywhere stood still and rigid. Nobody moved. Nobody
coughed. Nobody sneezed! Everywhere was charged. Everywhere was
tense with anxiety. Everywhere looked brighter and darker, all at the
same time. What was this? Wondering about this wonder was totally
confounding. Explaining it in any logical sense was beyond anyone‟s
capability. One lady in three places at the same time! This had never
happened before! That was happening right here and now! History in
magnificent proportions was being created right before their own eyes!
To confirm how wonderful the wonder they were witnessing was, they
sent two able-bodied men to the home of the Hunter again, and sent
another two to the home of the Farmer to ascertain that the two newly-
wedded “brides” were physically present there. Those who were sent on
the errands returned and stated that they saw the two "brides" with their
own eyes!
1143
Those who had condemned O®o¾sôa¾ before had begun to have a change of
opinion. Instead of condemnation, it turned to admiration. Instead of
hatred, it changed to love. Instead of disgrace, it turned to respect. But
how would she handle the fourth suitor? They began to wonder again.
Well, some felt that the wonder which took place three times might as
well happen the fourth time. Others felt that O®o¾sôa¾ had pushed her luck
too far. A series of speculations took place. They argued and guessed.
They even disagreed with one another. How were they to know that
OÙba¾ta;la; had completed this work of wonders? Who would have told them
that the actual daughter of O®o¾saô ¾ was the one about to be wedded out to
the Trader?
Finally, the family of the Trader came in the evening. They were seated
and entertained. They ate and drank to their satisfaction. They too had
come to witness wonder. They were all aware that three marriage
ceremonies had taken place earlier. They were also informed that the
same lady that they had come to marry had been given out three times
earlier. The only wonder was that this lady was present in the three
places at the same time! Maybe, just maybe, she would be living in four
places at the same time! Just maybe! What wonder could be more than
that, they too wondered.
When it was time to perform the marriage rites, O®o¾sôa¾ went inside the
special room and got her daughter dressed up for the occasion. She
came out with her. This time, the whole world stood still! Those who sat
down stood up very slowly to behold the wonder. Suddenly, the whole
world burst into a spontaneous celebration. They cried, laughed,
screamed, jumped, danced and clapped, all at the same time. They
hailed O®o¾sôa¾ for giving them the luck and opportunity to witness a wonder
of equal proportion with their own eyes.
A few moments after this, they asked O®o¾sôa¾ "how did you manage to pull
off this wonderful spectacle?” She replied to them saying: ”Don‟t you
know that Olo;du¾mare¾ who created the world would never reveal its
innermost secrets to anyone?”. Everybody dispersed to their various
homes wondering over the wonder that they witnessed in the home of
O®o¾sôa.
1144
OGBE® O®FU:N
Three years after the incident, the Hunter came to O®o¾sôa. He said that his
wife was a powerful worker. She could do anything and she pleased him
a lot. Her major weakness however was that she was very stubborn and
recalcitrant. She had no regard for anyone when she was angry. She also
would engage with anyone, man or woman in a physical fight and wrestle
down the person. He shared that he would not want her to be engaging
in fighting or disrespectful behaviour again. He also said that she needed
to learn how to stop when asked to do so.
O®o¾sôa told the Hunter that love alone was not enough to have a good
relationship with his wife. It must be coupled with understanding. She
told him to go back home and understand his wife more than ever before.
He was informed that his wife having animalistic traits needed to be
better understood and taught better behaviour. He must also learn to
avoid anything that would activate the animalistic instinct in her. With
this, the Hunter left, full of determination to ensure that he made a
success of his marriage to his wife. He knew that both of them needed to
understand each other in order to ensure a successful relationship. As he
was determined to understand his wife, he would also encourage her to
understand him also.
Next came the Farmer. He told O®o¾sôa that his wife was very jovial, neat
and respectful. He however complained that anytime there was work to
be done, she would be on her bed complaining that she was either feeling
a cold coming on or that she had a fever. The other women in the house
would be working while she would be sleeping.
O®o¾sôa told him that loving his wife was not enough and he needed to
understand her better. He was told that he needed to understand that his
wife had the make-up of a water-yam and was not of strong or tough
physiological make-up. Consequent upon that, she was not able to work
as much as others. There was the need to give her small assignments
that would make her useful in the family. She could really not do more
than that because she was not created with enough strength or resilience
to perform more.
The Farmer returned home with the full determination to understand his
wife more than ever before. At the same time, he vowed that he would
encourage his wife to understand him too. By so doing, he reasoned,
that they would be able to make a success of the relationship. He would
1145
also make his own family members understand the nature of his wife and
that would bring an end to the complaints and grumblings against her.
When the Sculptor arrived, he told O®o¾sôa that his wife was very beautiful
and adorable and that she loved him and he loved her too. He however
complained that she was too insensitive to many things happening
around her. When anything good would happen to someone, she did not
know how to rejoice with the person and if something bad happened to
someone, she did not appear to know how to sympathize with the
affected person. People would even complain about her but she
appeared not to be bothered by people‟s comments.
O®o¾sôa told him that his observations were correct. She however told him
that even though he loved his wife, love was not sufficient enough to
make a relationship work. He needed to include understanding into the
relationship. He was told that his wife was like a wooden image which is
insensitive to all the happenings around it. He was told that if he truly
loved his wife as he had claimed, he must learn to also love her
inadequacies. She could not behave better than that because she was
like a carved image. He was told that she really meant no harm when
she would fail to rejoice or commiserate with people. It was simply her
nature.
The Sculptor left with the determination to explain the situation to his
family in order for them to also understand his wife and respect her
inadequacies. He also vowed to understand her more than ever before
and to urge her to understand him too. He was fully prepared to make a
success of the marriage.
The Trader arrived last. He brought a lot of presents for O®o¾sôa. He said
that he had come to show his appreciation and gratitude to O®o¾sôa for
giving him such a considerate, accommodating, and well-mannered lady
as a wife. He said that he had no complaints whatsoever against her. He
told O®o¾sôa that E®e¾ya¾n was exceptional in all areas of life. She was loving,
lovable, kind, considerate, humble, truthful, trust worthy and totally
reliable.
O®o¾sôa told him that it was not surprising because he had married a true
child of O®o¾sôa. She however told him that she would do even more for
him if he was able to understand her better. There was therefore the
need for him to strive to understand his wife more than ever before. He
1146
OGBE® O®FU:N
also needed to encourage his wife to understand him too. Anytime that
she made a mistake, he needed to understand that as a human being she
was bound to make mistakes once in a while.
The Trader left with the determination to understand his wife more than
ever before. He also vowed to make his wife understand him too. It was
his fervent desire to ensure that their wedding continued to work
effectively for the rest of their lives.
As for O®o¾sôa, she was eventually punished for her misconducts by the
Divinities. How? When? and Where? Nobody knows. It is not the nature
of the Divinities to make a public announcement of their administrative
styles, especially when it concerns one of their own.
Igi n;la; ni;i; ta’gbo¾ o fa¾bi¾fa¾bi¾ ja;’na¾

Bi; a ba; ge; e ni;hi¾n-i;n
Bi; a ba; ge; e lo;ôhu¾n-u;n
La;a¾ri;n gu¾ngu¾ngu¾n l’oôpa n;pajeô
Ti; n;f'omi oju; su¾ngbe;re; oômoô
I®gba¾ti; yo;o; bi;i
O: bi; E®e¾ya¾n
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
A big tree has its roots running across the road

If one cuts it on this side
If one cuts it on the other side
The piece in between will be used for
herbal preparations
These were the declarations of Ifá to O®o¾sôa¾
1147

receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb
She complied
When she delivered
She gave birth to E®e¾ya¾n
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall not be
disgraced or humiliated. He/she will succeed where he/she is expected to
fail. Ifá also says that there is the need for some couples to add
understanding to their love in order to make a success of their
relationship. By so doing, they will enjoy each other for the rest of their
lives.
7. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of victory over adversity for the person
for whom this Odù is revealed. This person will be victorious over a more
powerful and more fearsome opponent.
Ifá says that there is a woman where this Odù is revealed who needs to
marry someone who is initiated into Ifá in order for her to live long on
earth. Ifá says that death threatens her regularly but if she is married to
someone who is initiated into Ifá, she will be protected against premature
death.
Ifá also says that it foresees the Ire of elevation and accomplishment for
three people where this Odù is revealed. They will all become prominent
and respected people. They will also become leaders among their
contemporaries.
Ifá says that the situation of this person shall turn to joy. He/she will
have cause to celebrate his/her success, accomplishment and
contentment. He/she will have peace of mind and elevation.
For victory, Ifá advises the affected person to offer ẹbọ with one mature
he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land
snails. Afterward, the empty shells of the snails are to be tied
round a pole of about two meters long and will be used to strike
1148
OGBE® O®FU:N
the ground from the space where the Awo did the eôboô to the
front of E®sôu¾ where the pole will then be stuck into the ground.
For the woman who needs to marry an Ifá initiate, her ẹbọ materials are
one mature she-goat and money. She should also be advised that
the only thing to fear in this world is Fear itself. Her chosen spouse also
does not need to fear death in any way whatsoever.
For the Ire of elevation for three people, Ifá recommends as ẹbọ one
mature she-goat, two pigeons and money from each of them. Each
of them also needs to feed O®gu;n. Ask Ifá what O®gu;n needs to be
fed. 7 days after performing ẹbọ and feeding O®gu;n, the Awo
needs to perform the seventh day rite for O®gu;n. When the 7th day
arrives, the Awo will ask Ifá what materials to use to feed O®gu;n on this
day. Now, in order to turn a person‟s situation in life to joy, Ifá
recommends offering ẹbọ with two pigeons, two cocks, two guinea-
fowls and money.
I®sôeô;bi¾ weôr; e;ôweô;re;ô ni;i; t’oô;wo;ô

To; ba; d’o;ôwoô;, a d’awe;ô
To; ba; de;’le¾ô, a d’oô¾to¾ôoô¾to¾ô
To; ba; de;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾-Agoô¾tu;n
A d’i¾ko;ko;ro; kandi-kandi
Di;a; fu;n Olu;-O®po¾po;
Ari;’yu¾n bo;ô’le¾ô
Ar’a;gbada n;la; mu’po
Aye; o¾un le¾ da;ra lo; n;da';fa; si;
Translation:
Tiny pieces of kola nuts are what one gets

After one procures them they will become the lobes of
the kola nut
When these (tiny pieces) are planted in the ground
They will become whole kola nuts again
When they get to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾-Agoô¾tu;n
They will be covered with pods and will germinate
1149
into big kola nuts

These were the declarations of Ifá to Olu;-O®po¾po;
He who propitiates the ground with coral beads
And has a big basin to consume palm-oil
When he went for Ifá consultation in order to
improve his life
Olu;-O®po¾po; was by every standard a very successful man. He was

however of a very humble background. He suffered a lot when he was
very young. He used to be without food for days. He was lucky to
become a very rich man when he grew up. He was assisted by friends
and the family of his wife. Once up there, he dreaded anything that
would bring him down again. He did not want to face the pain, agony,
frustration and deprivation caused by poverty ever again. For this
reason, he cultivated the habit of consulting Ifá on a regular basis. It
was during one of his regular Ifá consultation that Ogbè-Funfun was
revealed.
The Awo assured him that he would continue to move up the socio-
economic ladder. He was told that he would never experience poverty
and want in his life. He was advised to offer ẹbọ with one mature
she-goat, two pigeons and money. He complied accordingly.
Instead of his success going down, it continued to move up. He became

a very influential personality in his community. He was one of the
decision makers in the whole society. He lived his life in comfort and
contentment.
Abe;ôreô; ni;i; f’ori; ara a reô¾ sô’isôeô;

Di;a; fu;n Igu;n
Ti; n;sô'awo loô s'o;de I®lo;de¾
Translation:
The needle is it that works with the tip of its head

This was the message of Ifá for Igu;n, the Vulture
When going on an Ifá mission to I®lo;de¾ land
1150
OGBE® O®FU:N
Igu;n, the Vulture was an accomplished Babaláwo. He had performed

many astonishing feats to the fascination of his clients. His reputation
had spread far and wide as a competent Babaláwo. It was for this
reason that he was invited by the inhabitants of I®lo;de¾ land to come and
consult Ifá for them. That was the reason why he too went to his own
personal Awo for Ifá consultation: He asked his Awo, Will I succeed in
I®lo;de¾ town? During Ifá consultation, Ogbè-O®fu;n was revealed.
The Awo told Igu;n that he was about to go on a journey and that was
why he had come for Ifá consultation. He was assured that he would
be very successful where he was going. He was also advised to offer
ẹbọ with one mature she-goat and money. He was also advised to
feed Ifá as appropriate and as directed by Ifá. He complied.
When Igu;n got to I®lo;de¾ town, he became an instant success. He was

able to solve all the major problems that had hitherto confounded the
inhabitants of I®lo;de¾ town. He was given respect and honour in the land.
He was later known as “Igu;n, ara; I®lo;de¾”” meaning, Igu;n, the Vulture,
the inhabitant of I®lo;de¾ land. They gave him this appellation when he
was conferred as an honorary citizen of I®lo;de¾ town in appreciation of
the excellent job that he performed for them.
O®ye¾e;re;-Eri;moô¾
Di;a; fu;n Isôin ahoro
O®un le¾ di eôni n;la; lo; n; da;'fa; si;
Translation:
O®ye¾e;re;-Eri;mo¾ô
He cast Ifa; for Isôin (the Ackee tree) living
in the abandoned house
When she went for Ifá consultation in
order to determine her success chances in life
The building of the house did not collapse after Isôin started living there.
It had collapsed before Isôin moved into the place. She found the place
abandoned because it had collapsed. That suited her very well. She
began to grow tall in the abandoned building. She however began to
1151
wonder, if I continue to live in this abandoned house, will I be able to

bear fruits? Will I be noticed at all? Will I succeed in life? These were
the concerns which took her to the home of O®ye¾e;re;-Eri;mo¾ô for Ifá
consultation. When she consulted Ifá, Ogbè-funfun was revealed.
The Awo told her that she had no cause to entertain any fear whatsoever.
She was assured that she would bear fruits, she would be noticed and
she would succeed in life. She was advised to offer ẹbọ with one
mature she-goat, two pigeons and money. She complied
Before long, she bore an uncountable number of fruits. Because of her

fruits, she became noticed. People traced her to the abandoned house.
She was frequented daily by many people. They also preserved the
abandoned building because Isôin was there. She was very happy that
she was able to fulfil her heart‟s desires in her life.
I®gbe¾ôyi¾nwa¾ ni o¾ ju;’mo¾ô
O®be;re;re;
Omi;fo¾ô fu;n l’a¾gba;
O®gi¾di¾n¾gbo; ri¾n ho¾o¾ho¾ w’oôja¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙba meô;ta
Ti; n;beô ni;'nu; igbo;
Di;a; fu;n Ala;ke;
Ti; yo;o; j’oye¾-j’oye¾
Ti; yo;o; bo’ri; E®Ùgba;
Translation:
The outcome of any event is not easy to

predict with accuracy
O®be;re;re;
Omi;foô¾ fu;n l‟a¾gba;
O®gi¾di¾n¾gbo; drum enters the market nakedly
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for three OÙba
When they were living inside the forest
They cast Ifá for Ala;ke;
When going to be conferred with several titles
And would eventually become the head of EÙ®gba; land
1152
OGBE® O®FU:N
Ala;ke; was living in the forest. He was living there together with Ala;koôpa
and E®ro¾-A®gu¾a;. They did not find their stay in the forest comfortable in
any way whatsoever. That was why they went to the four Awo mentioned
above for Ifá consultation: would they succeed in life? During Ifá
consultation, Ogbè-funfun was revealed.
The Awo told the three of them that they had no business staying in the
forest. They were informed that by right, they were all Ϙba from heaven.
They needed to move into cities and stay. That was when their potentials
would be exhibited and they would all become crowned Ϙba that they
had come into the world to be. They were also advised to offer eôboô with
one mature she-goat, two pigeons, and money each. They all
complied.
Ala;ke; went to EÙ®gba; land. As soon as he got there, he was made the OÙba
of Ake;, a small settlement in EÙ®gba; land. He remembered what the Awo
had told him earlier. For this reason, he returned to them for another
round of Ifá consultation. He was assured that he would eventually
become the head of EÙ®gba; land. He was advised to offer eôboô again with
one mature she-goat, two pigeons and money. He complied once
more.
When he returned to EÙ®gba; land, it did not take too long before he was
made the overall head of all the Ϙba in EÙ®gba; kingdom. He was happy
that he fulfilled the prediction of his destiny.
O®be;re;re;
Di;a; fu;n Ala;koôpa
Eni¾ aboô¾gu;n-boô¾ri¾sôa¾
Translation:
The outcome of any event is not easy to predict

with accuracy
O®be;re;re;
1153

They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ala;koôpa
He who propitiated O®gu;n and OÙba¾ta;la; regularly
When the three people left the forest, Ala;koôpa went to I®koôpa town. Not
long after he got there, he was made the custodian of the town's O®gu;n
and OÙba¾ta;la; shrines. He too remembered what the Awo had told him.
He returned to them for another round of Ifa; consultation. And again,
Ogbe¾-funfun was revealed.
He was told that he would soon become the Ϙba of the land. He was
advised to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat, two pigeons and
money. As he had done earlier, he also complied.
It did not take long before he too became the OÙÙba of I®koôpa land. He was
given the title of Ala;koôpa of I®koôpa town. He too was able to fulfill the
dictates of his destiny.
O®be;re;re;
Di;a; fu;n E®ro¾-Agu¾a;
EÙni a sô’oro¾ a ki¾je
Translation:

with accuracy
O®be;re;re;
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for E®ro¾- Agu¾a;
He who propitiated Oro¾ and performed the
seventh day rite
1154
OGBE® O®FU:N
When E®ro¾-A®®gu¾o;ô left the forest, he went to A®gu¾o;ô town. Soon after this, he
was made the head of the Oro¾ cult of the town. He too remembered the
predictions of the four Awo who consulted Ifa; for the three of them. He
returned to the Awo for another consultation. Just as it had happened in
the cases of the two others before him, Ogbe¾-funfun was revealed.
The Awo told him that he was going to become OÙba of A®gu¾oô; land. He
was advised to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat, two pigeons and
money. He was also advised to feed Orò comprehensively and perform
the seventh day rites. He complied.
Not too long after the performance of the eôboô, E®ro¾-A®gu¾o;ô was made the
OÙba of A®gu¾o;ô land. He was also happy that he too had been able to
accomplish what his destiny had predicted for him just like his other two
friends before him. The three friends became OÙba as Ifa; had predicted
for them.
EÙyeô n;la; ni;i; f’apa; a; sô’oôga;n

OÙ®ro¾ô ti’bi hu¾n-hu¾n teô’leô¾
OÙ®ro¾ô-hu¾nhu¾n
Di;a; fu;n Ori;-Meôs ¾ ôeô
E®ri¾gi¾ Magba
OÙ®roô o¾un le¾ da’yoô¾ lo; n; da';fa; si;
Translation:
A big bird uses its arms as an anchor

Most matters begin from points of confusion
OÙ®roô¾ hu¾n-hu¾n
They cast Ifa; for Ori;-Meô¾seô
E®ri¾gi¾ Magba
When he went to consult Ifá on whether or
not his matter would turn to joy in his life
Nobody can blame Ori;-Meô¾seô for feeling very concerned about the turn of
events in his life. He had once been a very successful man, but now he
had gone down completely. What remained for him was to die and be
buried. That was why he was agitated. Is this the way my life will
1155
continue to be? He asked himself several times. What must I do to

improve my life? He queried himself. This was the reason why he went
to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. During the
process of consultation, Ogbe¾-O®fu;n was revealed.
The Awo told him that his matter would soon turn to joy. He was assured
that he would regain all what he had lost and more. He was advised to
offer eôboô with two pigeons, two cocks, two guinea-fowls and
money. He complied.
Not too long after this, his life improved for the better. He was, as Ifá
had predicted, able to regain all what he had lost. He even became more
successful than ever before. He lived the rest of his life, a very contented
man.
A®woôn oômoô Awo Ke;re;-ke¾re¾-ke;re;

WoÙ;n f’a¾po¾ po¾ôn'yi¾n
Awo I®lu;-Gbogbo
EÙ®je¾ o¾ jeô; ka; m’Awo ori; n; be;ô
Di;a; fu;n E®ôeô¾ru¾-o¾bi;ri;
OÙmoô Ikin o¾ da;'ko¾ i¾ja¾
Translation:
The young Ifá students

All strapped their Ifá bags to their backs
The Awo of I®lu;-Gbogbo land
EÙ®je¾ o¾ jeô; ka; m‟Awo ori; n; beô;
They cast Ifa; for EÙ®e¾ôru¾-O®bi;ri;, the Fear
Offspring of the Ikin that never allows any
intimidation to scare him
EÙ®e¾ôru¾-O®bi;ri;, (the Fear) was an appellation given to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ himself

because of the way his predictions would come to pass. It was observed
that no matter how insurmountable any problem might appear, he would
find a very simple but miraculous way to find a solution to the problem.
Those who had benefited from his limitless capability to resolve the
problems of their lives would comment that through OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, Ifá caused
1156
OGBE® O®FU:N
them more fear than a Leopard‟s attack. That is why he was being called
EÙ®e¾ôru¾-O®bi;ri;, (The Fear).
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went to the home of the group of Awo stated above for Ifá
consultation and asked: Will I continue to find easy solutions to any and
all problems that are brought to me? Will I be able to find easy solutions
to my own problems too? During the Ifá consultation process, Ogbè-
funfun was revealed.
The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would never fail in any of his
assignments in life. He was told that he would be able to find very easy
solutions to all problems. The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the only thing to
fear more than any other thing in this world was Fear itself. They said
that it was the fear of the problem that usually made the problem
impossible to solve. If OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ could summon the courage to not have
fear, he would continue to solve all problems facing all his devotees and
those which faced him.
The Awo advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, 16
land snails and money. He was also advised to feed Ifá with a
mature she-goat. He complied. Ever since this time, he never gave in
to fear. No matter how serious or daunting the problem would be, he
would tackle it head-on. Doing so always made him succeed where he
was expected to fail.
Ifa; wi;, o; lo; d’oô¾pa¾ra¾pa¾ra¾ l’a;ja¾

E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; d’oô¾pa¾ra¾pa¾ra¾ l’a;ja¾
O®giri n; la’nu o¾ô foô'hu¾n
A®woôn lo; ki’Fa; fu;n Iku;
A bu¾ fu;n EÙ®e¾ôru¾
Translation:
Ifá declares that something is making fearful sounds

on the roof of the house
I chorus that something is making fearful sounds
on the roof of the house
The wall cracks and opens like a mouth without
uttering any sound
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Ikú (Death)
1157
The same was also declared for EÙe¾ôru¾, (Fear)

Ikú (Death) believed that there was nothing or anyone on earth that he
could not reduce to nothing. He was so confident in himself that nobody
dared to face him. Truly, everyone on earth feared Ikú. They felt that
his ability to kill anyone at anytime that he wished was more than enough
to dread him. He too was aware that everything and everyone on earth
dreaded him.
One day, he was going along the road and he saw E®re¾e;tu;nde;, a
beautiful damsel and he wished to marry her. He approached the lady
and told her to go and inform her parents that he, Ikú himself wanted to
marry her. The young lady was gripped with so much fear that she could
not utter any word!
When she got back home, she reported her encounter to her parents.
They went into a panic. What should they think about this? What should
they say? What should they do? How should they react to this? Who
should they approach for advice or support? The father of E®re¾e;tu;nde;,
was OÙloô;fin. He panicked. His wife panicked. The whole household
panicked. Should they turn down the advance of Ikú? Should they dare
to turn down his advance? Would he not simply wipe out the whole
household within the twinkle of an eye if they did so? Olo;du¾mare¾, what
should we do? If they agreed to give Ikú their beloved E®re¾e;tu;nde;, what
would happen to her? Would she be able to persuade Ikú to spare their
lives and make them live as old as they wanted? The whole household
felt that if E®re¾e;tu;nde;, was able to make Ikú happy, he would spare their
lives. Many of them felt that, in order to save their lives, it was better to
accept Ikú‟s proposal and hand over E®re¾e;tu;nde;, to him in marriage.
While they were thinking about what to do, and how best to handle their
delicate situation, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ sent his household members to OÙloô;fin to tell
him that he (OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾) was interested in having the hand of his daughter,
E®re¾e;tu;nde; in marriage. This threw the whole household into another
round of confusion. Ikú (Death) and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ who everyone knew as
EÙ®eô¾ru¾ (Fear) were contesting over the hand of his only daughter in
marriage! Whose proposal should they accept? Whose proposal should
they turn down? How should they handle this situation? What approach
should they apply? The more they thought about the situation, the more
1158
OGBE® O®FU:N
confused they became. In the end, OÙloô;fin and his household decided that
it would be better to accept the proposal of Ikú and turn down the one
made by OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, EÙ®eô¾ru¾. It seemed like this would be the only way out of
their predicament. But how would they tell EÙ®eô¾ru¾ that they would not give
him E®re¾e;tu;nde; to marry? The family concluded that it would be better
to exercise patience and wait for the most appropriate time to give their
opinion to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾.
Meanwhile, it did not take long before Ikú and EÙ®eô¾ru¾ knew that they were
both interested in the same damsel in marriage. They both knew that the
young lady was OÙloô;fin‟s daughter. This was the reason why they went to
the home of the group of Awo stated above, during different time
periods, for Ifá consultation. During the process of consulting Ifá both of
them got Ogbe¾-fu¾n-u;n as their Odù.
The Awo had told each of them that they both were looking for
something that someone else was also interested in. They advised each
of them to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. Each of
them also needed to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land snails.
Ikú considered this the height of insult. How could the Awo think that he
would consent to such an advice for him to offer ẹbọ in order to have the
hand of a mere mortal in marriage? It looked to him as a preposterous
suggestion. He promised himself that after he had succeeded in
intimidating OÙloô;fin into handing over his daughter to him, he would
descend on OÙ®ru;nmi¾la and the Awo who cast the Ifá for him. He thought
that they would say that nobody would have the temerity to challenge
him in any way whatsoever! He then told himself, he would soon return
to deal with the Awo who knew no other thing than to ask people to bring
money and animals.
EÙ®eô¾ru¾, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ knew that there was the need for him to offer ẹbọ
because the situation on ground was not an easy one to overcome. He
went back to the group of Awo and offered his ẹbọ as prescribed.
Ki;’ku; o; pa’ni
K’eô;eô¾ru¾ o; gba;’gu;n
EÙ®e¾ôru¾ oômoô oô¾jeô¾jeô¾
Bi;ba¾ ni; n; ba’ni
Ko¾ lee¾ pa’ni
1159
Di;a; fu;n E®re¾e;tu;nde;

Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloôf; in
Iku; n; fe;ô eô
EÙ®e¾ôru¾ n; feô;eô
Translation:
Let Ikú (Death) kill

Let EÙ®eô¾ru¾ (Fear) inherit the belongings
EÙ®eô¾ru¾ the incapacitator
EÙ®eô¾ru¾ can only cause panic and trepidation
He cannot kill
These were Ifá‟s declarations to E®re¾e;tu;nde;
The daughter of OÙloô;fin
Ikú (Death) wanted her hand in marriage
And EÙ®eô¾ru¾ (Fear) wanted her hand in marriage
It suddenly dawned on E®re¾e;tu;nde; that in all the deliberations of her

parents and the entire household, none of them had asked her what she
thought about the situation. They were only thinking about how her
marriage to either Ikú or EÙ®e¾ôru¾ would affect or benefit them. Consequent
upon this, E®re¾e;tu;nde; decided to go to the home of the group of Awo
mentioned above for her own independent Ifá consultation and
investigation in order to determine who among these two powerful suitors
would benefit her. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Fu¾n-u;n was revealed.
The Awo told E®re¾e;tu;nde; that she was faced with a daunting dilemma of
choosing between two difficult situations. They told her to choose E®Ùeô¾ru¾
instead of Ikú. They explained that she need not fear death because the
only thing to fear in this life was Fear Himself. She was also advised to
offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. She complied.
As soon as she offered the eôboô, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went into action. He went
straight to OÙlo;ôfin and told him that there was no way that he would
approach the issue at hand that he would not offend one of the
contestants for the hand of his daughter in marriage. He suggested to
OÙlo;ôfin that the best thing for him to do was to give them an assignment
for them to perform. Whoever completed the assignment first would be
1160
OGBE® O®FU:N
given E®re¾e;tu;nde; to marry. By so doing, the loser would not have cause
to complain because he would know that he had been given a fair chance
to prove his competence and worth. OÙlo;ôfin considered this advice and felt
that it was a better way of handling the situation.
The next day, OÙlo;ôfin summoned both Ikú and EÙ®e¾ôru¾. He told them that he
had a task for them and whoever completed the assignment first would
take his daughter away in marriage. He told the two of them to go and
bring 200 human skulls to him as soon as possible and that whoever
returned with the skulls first would be the husband of his daughter. Ikú
demanded to know whether OÙlo;ôfin needed fresh or old skulls. OÙlo;ôfin
responded that he would prefer fresh skulls. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, E®Ùeôru¾ had nothing
to say at this crucial meeting. The two suitors dispersed and went to their
respective abodes.
As soon as he got home, Ikú set out on his mission to kill and cut off the
heads of his victims. It did not take long for him to have the required
200 skulls in his bag. While he was returning home in order to prepare
himself to go to OÙlo;ôfin‟s house, he saw an O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko devotee whose head
was painted with chalk. He thought mischievously that it would be fun to
have the devotee‟s head as an extra present to OÙlo;ôfin. He moved close
to the devotee and cut off his head. So, instead of 200 skulls, Ikú had
201 skulls to present to OÙlo;ôfin !!!
Olu;wowo ji¾
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùeô¾ru¾-O®bi;ri;
Ni;'jo;ô ti; n; loô re¾e; feô; E®re¾e;tu;nde;
Translation
Olu;wowo ji;
He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Fear, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going to marry E®re¾e;tu;nde;
Who was the daughter of OÙloô;fin
Instead of going to hunt for 200 skulls, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went to the home of the
Awo stated above for Ifá consultation. He felt that it was not for him to
go about killing people who he had taken up the assignment to protect.
1161
He wanted to know what he needed to do in order to have the hand of

E®re¾e;tu;nde; in marriage without killing and cutting off anybody‟s head.
Again, Ogbe¾-O®fu;n was revealed during Ifá consultation.
The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he was going to be the husband of

E®re¾e;tu;nde;. He was advised to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, 16
land snails and money. He was also advised to tie the snail shells to a
pole and for him to use the pole to strike the ground while going to
deposit his eôboô in front of E®sôu¾ shrine. He wasted no time in offering the
eôboô.
When he was taking the eôboô to the E®sôu¾ shrine, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ himself
instructed OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to be singing while moving and hitting the staff on
the ground. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ began to sing:
Bi; mo ba;'ku;
Ma ba;; ja¾
Olu;wowo ji¾
O: di¾ ji¾ Olu;wowo
Bi; mo b’A:ru¾n
Ma ba; ja¾
Olu;wowo ji¾
O: di ji¾ Olu;wowo
Bi; mo b’EÙ:joô;
Ma ba; ja¾
Olu;wowo ji¾
Bi; mo b’O:fo¾
Ma ba; ja¾
Olu;wowo ji¾
O: di ji; Olu;wowo
Translation:
If I meet Ikú (Death)

I will give him a good fight
Olu;wowo ji¾
If I meet A®ru¾n (Affliction)
1162
OGBE® O®FU:N
Olu;wowo ji¾
If I meet EÙjoô; (Contention)
Olu;wowo ji¾
If I meet O®fo¾ (Loss)
Olu;wowo ji¾
As OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was singing and hitting the staff against the ground,
everywhere began to shake and tremble. The whole ground became
totally unstable. Confusion enveloped everywhere.
This was happening during the exact time that Ikú was setting out on his
journey to OÙloô;fin‟s house in order to present the 201 skulls to him and
have the hand of his daughter as his wife. The ground began to shift
sideways. He began to miss his step. He fell and rose up again. At the
initial stage, Ikú was confused. Later, the confusion turned to panic.
That was when E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ approached Ikú and told him that the force
making the ground shake and shift had vowed to fight and destroy Ikú if
he should ever meet him that day. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ advised Ikú to abandon
the skulls and run for cover because the force was several times stronger
than him, Ikú. Since Ikú was already in a state of panic, he had no time
to think. He threw down the sack containing the 201 skulls and took to
his heels.
As soon as this was done, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ invited OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to come and carry
the sack containing the 201 skulls in order to go and present it to OÙlo;ôfin.
That was exactly what OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ did.
In OÙlo;ôfin‟s palace, everybody was surprised that it was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ who got
the skulls first instead of Ikú whose duty was to kill. They asked
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ how he managed to perform the task. He responded that it
was an easy assignment for him to carry out. OÙlo;ôfin had no option but to
hand over his daughter E®re¾e;tu;nde; to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. That was how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
became the husband of E®re¾e;tu;nde; OÙlo;ôfin‟s lovely daughter.
1163
Meanwhile, as the shaking and shifting of the ground stopped, Iku; set out
to procure another set of 200 skulls. It did not take him long to
accomplish this. He headed straight for OÙloô;fin‟s palace, only to learn that
EÙ®eô¾ru¾, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had brought the required skulls! He was also told that
instead of 200 skulls, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ actually brought 201 and the excess skull
was the head of an O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko devotee!!! That was how Iku; knew that
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had used Fear to create panic into his (Iku‟s;) mind and made
him drop the bag of 201 skulls which he OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ picked up and
presented to OÙloô;fin in order to become the husband of E®re¾e;tu;nde;! He
left OÙlo;ôfin‟s palace very furious.
For seven days, Iku; was looking for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and E®re¾e;tu;nde;
everywhere. He could not find them. The couple was moving from one
place to the other. On the eighth day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ decided to confront Iku;.
He chased Iku; to Gbo;ga¾n-a;n. This is the name of the wilderness that Iku;
must drop any assignment that he is doing. This is a place where Iku; is
always incapacitated. That was how OÙloô;fin‟s household started to
celebrate the conquest of Iku; by EÙ®e¾ôru¾, Fear. They began to sing thus:
Ba; wa le;’ku; woô Gbo;ga¾n-a;n o

Ba;’ni le; 'ku; woô Gbo;ga¾n-a;n o
EÙ®e¾ôru¾ oômoô Ala;pa¾a; o
Translation
Help us chase Iku; into the Gbo;ga¾n-a;n wilderness
Please help me chase Iku; into the Gbo;ga¾n-a;n wilderness
EÙ®e¾ôru¾, the offspring of Ala;pa¾a;
Ifá says that the only thing to fear in this world is Fear itself. As long as
one is prepared to face one‟s problems without fear and one is ready to
accept wise counsel, one is bound to succeed where one is expected to
fail.
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to not stay
in the same room where he/she is sleeping for seven consecutive days.
This would be repeated for seven days. In other words, the person must
sleep in a different room for 7 straight days.
1164
OGBE® O®FU:N
I®sôeô;bi¾ weôr; e;ôweô;re;ô ni;i; t’oô;wo;ô

To; ba; d’o;ôwoô;, a d’awe;ô
To; ba; de;’le¾ô, a d’oô¾to¾ôoô¾to¾ô
To; ba; de;’le; Olo;du¾mare¾-Agoô¾tu;n
A d’i¾ko;ko;ro; kandi-kandi
Di;a; fu;n Olu;-O®po¾po;
Ari;’yu¾n bo;ô’le¾ô
Ar’a;gbada n;la; mu’po
Aye; o¾un le¾ da;ra lo; n;da;'fa; si;
Abe;ôreô; ni;i; f’ori; ara a reô¾ sô’isôeô;
Di;a; fu;n Igu;n
Ti; n;sô'awo loô s'o;de I®lo;de¾
O®ye¾e;re;-Eri;moô¾
Di;a; fu;n Isôin ahoro
O®un le¾ di eôni n;la; lo; n; da;'fa; si;
O®be;re;re;
Di;a; fu;n OÙba meô;ta
Ti; n;beô ni;nu; igbo;
Di;a; fu;n Ala;ke;
Ti; yo;o; j’oye¾-j’oye¾
Ti; yo;o; bo’ri; E®Ùgba;
Di;a; fu;n Ala;koôpa
EÙni aboô¾'gun-bo'ô¾ri¾sôa¾
Di;;a; fu;n E®ro¾-A®gu¾a;
EÙni a sô’oro¾ a k'i¾je
Woô;n gb’eô;boô, woô;n ru;’boô
EÙyeô n;la; ni;i; f’apa; a; sô’oôga;n
OÙ®ro¾ô ti’bi hu¾n-hu¾n teô’leô¾
1165
OÙ®ro¾ô-hu¾nhu¾n
Di;a; fu;n Ori;-Meôs ¾ ôeô
E®ri¾gi¾ Magba
OÙ®roô o¾un le¾ da’yoô¾ lo; n; da;fa; si;
A®woôn oômoô Awo Ke;re;-ke¾re¾-ke;re;
WoÙ;n f’a¾po¾ po¾ônyi¾n
Awo I®lu;-Gbogbo
EÙ®je¾ o¾ jeô; ka; m’Awo ori; n; be;ô
Di;a; fu;n E®ôeô¾ru¾-o¾bi;ri;
OÙmoô Ikin o¾ da;'ko¾ i¾ja¾
Ifa; wi;, o; lo; d’oô¾pa¾ra¾pa¾ra¾ l’a;ja¾
E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; d’oô¾pa¾ra¾pa¾ra¾ l’a;ja¾
O®giri n; la’nu o¾ô foô'hu¾n
A®woôn lo; ki’Fa; fu;n Iku;
A bu¾ fu;n EÙ®e¾ôru¾
EÙ®eô¾ru¾ ni¾kan ni; n;beô l'eô;yi¾n ti; n; sô'eôboô
Ki;’ku; o; pa’ni
K’eô;eô¾ru¾ o; gba;’gu;n
EÙ®e¾ôru¾ oômoô oô¾jeô¾jeô¾
Bi;ba¾ ni; n; ba’ni
Ko¾ lee¾ pa’ni
Di;a; fu;n E®re¾e;tu;nde;
Iku; n; fe;ô eô
EÙ®e¾ôru¾ n; feô;eô
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;;’boô
Olu;wowo ji¾
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùeô¾ru¾-O®bi;ri;
Ni;'jo;ô ti; n; loô re¾e; feô; E®re¾e;tu;nde;
Bi; mo ba;'ku;
1166
OGBE® O®FU:N
Ma ba;; ja¾
Olu;wowo ji¾
Bi; mo b’A:ru¾n
Ma ba; ja¾
Olu;wowo ji¾
O: di ji¾ Olu;wowo
Bi; mo b’EÙ:joô;
Ma ba; ja¾
Olu;wowo ji¾
Bi; mo b’O:fo¾
Ma ba; ja¾
Olu;wowo ji¾
O: di ji; Olu;wowo!!!
Ba;’ni le; 'ku; woô Gbo;ga¾n-a;n o
EÙ®e¾ôru¾ oômoô Ala;pa¾a; o
EÙ wa;a; wo’re gbogbo o
Translation:
Tiny pieces of kola nuts are what one gets

After one procures them they will become the lobes
of the kola nut
When they were planted in the ground
They will become whole kola nuts again
When they get to the domain of Olo;du¾mare¾-Agoô¾tu;n
They will be covered with pods and will germinate
into big kola nuts
These were the declarations of Ifa; to Olu;-O®po¾po;
He who propitiates the ground with coral beads
And has a big basin to consume palm-oil
When he went for Ifá consultation in order to
improve his life
He complied
1167
The needle is it that works with the tip of its head

This was the message of Ifa; for Igu;n, (the Vulture)
When going on an Ifa;‟s mission to Ilo;de¾ land
He complied
O®ye¾e;re;-Eri;mo¾ô
He cast Ifa for Isôin (the Akee tree) living
in the abandoned house
When she went for Ifá consultation in order
to determine her success chances in life
She complied
with accuracy
O®be;re;re;
Omi;fo¾ô fu;n l‟a¾gba;;
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for three OÙba
Who were living inside the forest
They cast Ifa;; for Ala;ke;
Who would be conferred with several titles
And would eventually become the head of EÙ®gba; land
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ala;koôpa
He who propitiates O®gu;n and OÙba¾ta;la; regularly
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for E®ro¾- A®gu¾a;
He who propitiates Oro¾ and performs the seventh
day rite
They complied
A big bird uses its arms as an anchor
Most matters begin from points of confusion
OÙ®ro¾ô hu¾n-hu¾n
They cast Ifa; for Ori;-Me¾sôe
E®ri¾gi¾ Magba
When he went to cast Ifá on whether or not his
matter would turn to joy in his life
He complied
The young Ifá students
All strap their Ifá bags to their backs
1168
OGBE® O®FU:N
The Awo of I®lu;-Gbogbo land

EÙ®jeô¾ o¾ jeô; ka; m‟Awo ori; n; beô;
They cast Ifa; for EÙ®eô¾ru¾-O®bi;ri; (Fear)
Offspring of the Ikin which never allows
any intimidation to scare him
He complied
Ifá declares that something is making fearful
sounds on the roof of the house
I chorus that something is making fearful
sounds on the roof of the house
The wall cracks and opens like a mouth
without uttering any sound
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Iku;, Death
And also for EÙ®eô¾ru¾ (Fear)
Only E®Ùeô¾ru¾ complied with the advice of the Awo
Let Ikú (Death) kill
Let E®Ùeô¾ru¾ (Fear) inherit the belongings
E®Ùeô¾ru¾ the incapacitator
E®Ùeô¾ru¾ can only cause panic and trepidation
He cannot kill
These were Ifá‟s declarations to E®re¾e;tu;nde;
The daughter of OÙlo;ôfin
Ikú (Death) wanted her hand in marriage
And E®Ùeô¾ru¾ (Fear) wanted her hand in marriage
She complied
Olu;wowo ji¾¾
He was the Awo who cast Ifá for Fear, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When going to marry E®re¾e;tu;nde;
Who was the daughter of OÙlo;ôfin
He complied
If I meet Ikú (Death)
Olu;wowo ji¾
If I meet A®ru¾n (Affliction)
1169
Olu;wowo ji¾
If I meet EÙjoô; (Contention)
Olu;wowo ji¾
If I meet O®fo¾ (Loss)
Olu;wowo ji¾
Please help me chase Iku; into the
Gbo;ga¾n-a;n wilderness
EÙ®e¾ôru¾, the offspring of Ala;pa¾a;
8. Ifá says that if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is working
under someone, he/she will soon profit from the work that he/she is
doing. This person will eventually become the boss.
Ifá however warns this person to avoid avarice in all his/her undertakings
in life. He/she must never exhibit greed in any way whatsoever. Greed
must never be part of his/her thought, speech, or action, lest he/she die
a premature death.
Ifá also warns that there is the threat of multiple deaths where this Odù
is revealed. There is also the need to take instant action against it.
There is the need to procure one mature she-goat and money. The
chest of the she-goat will be dragged round the whole house of
the person for whom this Odù is revealed before it is used as eôboô
materials.
On this, Ifá says:
1170
OGBE® O®FU:N
Al'e;po ni; ko¾o;lo;

Keô¾ke¾ôeô¾ke¾ô la¾a; gb’o;du¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ka;nju;a¾
Ti;i; sôe aka;po¾ Iku;
Translation:
He who has palm-oil in a small container

He needs to carry the large pot with caution
This was Ifá‟s message for OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ (Avarice)
The sack carrier of Ikú (Death)
OÙ®ka;nju;a¾, Avarice was the subordinate of Ikú (Death). They worked

together. Whenever they would go on hunting expeditions, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾
would be the one who would carry the sack containing the heads of all
their victims back to the house. Sometimes, they would kill up to 200
people; OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ would carry all the heads inside the sack. When they
would return to the house, Ikú would hand over two heads to OÙ®ka;nju;a¾
and he would take the rest. On other occasions, they might kill up to 500
victims in one day, Ikú would not because of that increase the share of
OÙ®ka;nju;a¾. This had occurred for a long time and OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ never would
utter any complaint. It got to a stage, however, where the share of
OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ for the work was no longer sufficient for him to maintain his
family. He pleaded with Ikú to increase it and his plea fell on deaf ears.
Tired of his inability to provide for his family, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ decided to go for
Ifá consultation in order to determine how to improve the living standard
of his beloved ones. He went to the home of the group of the Awo stated
above. During consultation, Ogbè-Funfun was revealed.
The Awo told OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ that it was an established fact that his own victims
far outnumbered the ones that Ikú his boss could ever get. It therefore
went without saying that his own meat and heads were supposed to be
far more than those of Ikú. The Awo therefore advised him to separate
his business from that of his boss. He was told to carry his own bag and
let Ikú carry a separate one. He was to keep the heads of his own
victims inside his own bag and let Ikú do the same. He was advised to
offer eôboô. He complied.
1171
The next day, he went to Ikú and told him that they needed to carry
separate sacks from that day henceforth. Ikú looked at his subordinate
with surprise. Ikú told him, “You OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ have been complaining of
hunger. This action you are taking now is only going to be a sure ticket
for starvation.” He asked OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ to give the name of anyone that he
had ever killed by himself before. He told OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ that he would never
have pity for him or any member of his household. All the threats of Ikú
failed to change the mind of OÙ®ka;nju;a¾. In the end, they set out on their
hunting expedition, each of them carrying separate hunting bags.
As they were going in search of victims, they came across some people
who gathered together in small groups and were deep in conversations.
Upon enquiry, they found out that someone had just died. They were
discussing burial arrangements since the corpse must be buried on that
very day. They decided to make further enquiries in order to determine
who was responsible for the demise of the person, Ikú or OÙ®ka;nju;a¾.
The person that they asked questions from told them that the dead
person was a very old man. “What killed him then?" Ikú asked. The
man responded thus, “Before Ikú could take this old man away, he had
really accomplished all his heart‟s desires in life. He had a compatible
spouse, lovely children and lived a reasonably comfortable life”. The man
paused a little, then added; “I pray to all the O®ri¾sôa¾ and Iru;nmoôleô¾ to make
it possible for me to live the type of life that this man had lived before Ikú
came to take him home".
When the man finished his speech, both Ikú and OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ looked at each
other knowingly. OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ told Ikú, “this is your own meat. You are the
one responsible for this man‟s death. You are therefore free to cut off his
head and put it in your bag”. Ikú looked at OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ and said that
OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ would return home empty-handed that day. OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ on the
other hand was totally confident of the prediction of Ifá. He simply told
Ikú that if he returned home empty-handed, so be it.
They continued on their search. They arrived at a home where an old

woman had just died. The burial arrangement was being discussed with
pomp and pageantry. They called someone aside in order to enquire
about what was responsible for the woman‟s death. The man that they
called aside said with excitement; “This woman had nothing to regret for
1172
OGBE® O®FU:N
being taken home by Ikú. Why should she complain? She had lived to
her old age. She was the oldest woman in the whole community. She
was properly taken care of by her children and neighbours alike. She was
a kind-hearted and humorous woman. She always told us that when Ikú
was ready to take her away, she was fully prepared for him. She was
never afraid of Ikú at all. When Ikú came to take her away, she died a
happy woman. She even died in the hands of all her children and loved
ones!” The man paused a little and then concluded; “I am one of the
friends of her children. We are going to bury her as our own mother.
She had extended her love and care to all of us before Iku; took her
away. She was the mother of the whole community”.
Once again, Ikú and OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ looked at each other. When the man who
gave them the information left to join his colleagues, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ told Ikú to
go and cut off the head of the woman since it was certain that the meat
belonged to him. Again, Ikú made jest of OÙ®ka;nju;a¾. As they were going,
Ikú told OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ “I am in an expansive mood today. Now that it is clear
to you that you cannot kill anyone outside of me, I am prepared to take a
compassionate look at you and accept you back as my subordinate. If
you tender a unreserved apology to me now for having the temerity to
force your independence from me, I will take you back. You must
however promise that you will never exhibit such silly misbehaviour again
in your life”.
OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ looked at Ikú and smiled. He told Ikú, "There comes a time in
the life of every person when he has to take a solemn appraisal of his life
and face the reality of his destiny. It is clear to me that my existence as
your subordinate will never give me the self-realization that I crave for in
my life. Let me be. If I cannot find any food and I starve, so be it. I will
search for other assignments and continue on my way. I am convinced
that I need to be independent at this moment“.
As soon as they ended this discussion, they continued in their search.

They soon got to the frontage of a compound where everybody present
was screaming, wailing, crying and rolling themselves on the ground.
They were shouting that the demise of a young man should not have
come at that time at all. He was the only son of the family. He was the
only one taking care of his two parents who were very ill. Why must he
die at that moment? His demise, they screamed, would lead to the
abandonment of his parents. This would surely lead to the suffering and
painful but regrettable demise of his parents. Oh! What a pity!
1173
Ikú and OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ called someone aside and asked; “friend, please tell us
what is really responsible for this man‟s death at this prime age”. The
lady they called aside asked them to let her go a little further away from
the crowd. They did. She then looked sideways to ensure that nobody
was within hearing distance of whatever she was about to say. When she
was sure that nobody was within earshot, she whispered, “Do not mind
those weeping. All of us know that it was not Ikú who killed him. It was
OÙ®ka;nju;a¾”. How? They asked her to explain further. The woman said;
“This young man had everything that anyone could pray for in life. He
married the most beautiful woman in the land. He had two lovely kids.
He had a big farm where many people worked for him. He also had a
successful trading business. What else did he want? He was never
satisfied with all these things however. He was also the head of a
dangerous armed robbery gang. They had been robbing everyone in the
neighbourhood. Tired of experiencing these losses, the neighbours
organized together and employed the services of three hunters from
I®da¾ho¾ômeô¾ land. The robbers were totally unaware of this. One day the
robbers sent messages to the neighbourhood that they would come
yesterday night to rob everyone. True to their words, they came. This is
how daring the robbers were. Unfortunately for them, they met more
than their match when they arrived. The dead man you see now was
shot with a poisonous arrow. The arrow pierced his throat and came out
from the back of his skull. He died instantly. His comrades in robbery
brought his corpse home in the dead of the night”. She said this and
rested a bit. She then concluded her lengthy speech by saying; "Please do
not mind them, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ killed him, I must return and pretend that his
death has pained me or I may face reprisal from his relatives”. The
woman then left and began to cry and wail and roll herself on the ground
as the others were doing. Her own cries were even more piteous than
those of the others.
As soon as they were alone, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ told Ikú that the meat belonged to
him since he OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ was responsible for the man‟s death. He cut off
the victim‟s head and deposited it in his bag.
They then moved again. They soon got to the frontage of a compound
where people had melancholic looks. A young man had just died. They
called someone aside in order to determine what was responsible for the
man‟s death. They were informed that as soon as the man died,
everybody was blaming Ikú for snatching the man away at a premature
1174
OGBE® O®FU:N
age. Their informant however told them that Ikú was not responsible for
the man‟s death. Rather, it was OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ who killed the man. How? The
man explained that the dead man and his friend started a joint trading
business. They contributed an equal amount of money to start the
business. However, the moment the business commenced, the man you
see dead now never participated in the business again. He abandoned
everything in the hands of his friend. The friend complained several
times but he did not respond. For seven months, the friend was toiling
and suffering alone. The friend encountered and overcame all the
teething problems that were usually associated with any new enterprise
alone. In the end the business succeeded. There was profit to share.
The friend called upon the dead man and accounted everything to him. A
problem started however when the man told his absentee friend that he
would deduct all the expenses from the profit before he shared anything
with him. The friend also told his absentee friend that the profit would
not be shared equally since he did not participate in nurturing the
business to success at all. The absentee friend accepted none of this. He
did not want to know anything about running expenses and he insisted
that the gross profit must be shared equally. This led to a serious
argument. In the end, the absentee friend left his partner in anger. He
did not agree to the sharing formula.
As soon as the absentee partner got home, he began to tell everyone

who cared to listen that his friend had cheated him. He organized some
wild-looking people to go and attack his friend and take all the profits
from him. He led them to the friend‟s house. A serious fight ensued.
Those who knew about the business situation came to the friend‟s rescue
when he was about to be beaten to death. In the melee, the absentee
partner was hit on the head with a club. His skull cracked open. He died
in the evening of that day. The informant laid emphasis on the fact that
it was OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ (Avarice) that had killed him.
Hearing this explanation, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ cut off the victims head and deposited
it in his bag.
They moved on again. They got to the frontage of yet another

compound, it was a pitiful spectacle. Everyone was weeping. The air of
grief was almost touchable. A young lady had just died. They called a
friend of hers aside to ask her what led to the death of her friend. The
lady said, “she died of a terrible contagious disease caused by her
avarice. It was OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ that killed her. If I must say, it served her
right". They asked her, how can you say such a thing like that about
1175
your dead friend? She responded that the dead friend had three men
that she was dating at the same time and that they were still not enough
for her. She still went and snatched her friend‟s only man away from her.
That was why she was still unmarried. The unfortunate part was that she
never married any of the four men. She kept jumping from one man to
the other. In the end, she contacted a terrible disease that led to her
death. It was not Ikú that killed her; it was OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ .
They got to another compound. Another youth had just died. This time,
it was a male youth in his 40s. What killed him? The person that they
asked responded that it was Avarice, OÙ®ka;nju;a¾. How so they asked? The
person responded that the dead man had five wives in his house. He was
never satisfied with the wives and had planned to snatch the only wife of
his neighbour. The neighbour approached him and begged him to leave
his wife alone. He told the neighbour that there was nothing he could do.
The neighbour then arranged for vigilante groups to keep tab on him and
report any time the man was with his wife. It did not take up to three
days before he was caught with the neighbour‟s wife right inside the
neighbour‟s house! When he was about to be caught, he jumped out
through the window. He fell into a well head on and broke his neck.
Before any help could be arranged for him, he drowned in the well. It
was OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ that killed him.
On and on they went in this manner and repeatedly they heard similar
stories. Business was a little dull that day for Ikú and OÙ®ka;nju;a¾. They
returned home and counted 97 heads. Out of these however, eight
belonged to Ikú and the remaining 89 belonged to OÙ®ka;nju;a¾.
The next day and all other subsequent days were no different at all. The
significance of this was that before Ikú could take two people home,
OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ would have been responsible for the death of several others.
Al'e;po ni; ko¾o;lo;

Keô¾ke¾ôeô¾ke¾ô la¾a; gb’o;du¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ka;nju;a¾
Ti;i; sôe aka;po¾ Iku;
A®sôe; OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ ni;i; n;pa¾a¾’ya¾n
Iku; ko;ô!!
1176
OGBE® O®FU:N
Translation:
He who has palm-oil in a small container

He needs to carry the large pot with caution
This was Ifá‟s message for OÙ®ka;nju;a¾ (Avarice)
The sack carrier of Ikú (Death)
He complied
Travellers to I®po and OÙ¾®fa¾
Can‟t you see that it is Avarice that kills
It is not Death!!
Ifá says that it will not allow avarice to cut short the life of the person for
whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá advises this person to ensure that avarice
is not given any chance in any of his/her considerations in life.
9. Ifá says that there is the need for this person to find out properly
before taking another person‟s child or belonging into his/her custody. If
he/she has already taken such into custody, there is the need to quickly
return it to the owner. This is in order for this person not to invite crisis
into his/her life.
For a person born by this Odu¾ during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®teô¾ni;fa;, it is not

advisable for him/her to take another person‟s child or belonging into
his/her custody. It is one of his/her most serious taboos.
money.
On this, Ifá says:
Be;ôe¾ô ni; Li¾ki¾

Beô;e¾ô ni; Gba¾n¾ja
Di;a; fu;n Ahun
Ti; yo;o; lu imu; u tireô l’oô;ka¾n-a;nka;;n
Di;a; fu;n Ala;ka¾n
1177
Ti; yo;o; lu imu; u tireôô ni;’koôk

¾ o¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Oni;gbo¾do¾gi;
Ti; yo;o; lu imu; u tireô la;a¾ri;n gangangan
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; yo;o; gb’oômoô O®fu;n bo¾ô
Translation:
As it is in Li¾ki land
So is it in Gba¾n¾ja town
This was Ifá‟s message for Ahun (the Land Tortoise)
Who would pierce its nose in the centre
This was Ifá‟s message for Ala;ka¾n (the Crab)
Who would pierce its nose in a secret place
This was Ifá‟s message for the one infected with yaws
Who would pierce his nose in the middle of his face
Who would be the foster parent of O®fu;n‟s child
Ogbè was a kind-hearted and generous man. He loved to help everyone.

He enjoyed doing so. He also wished everyone to be like him. He
considered everyone‟s problems as his and he was prepared to do
anything within his capacity to help find a solution to all the problems of
everyone around him. That was the reason why he chose to take care of
O®fu;n‟s child when O®fu;n was having problems with the child. He told O®fu;n
to bring the child, a boy, to his house and he would take proper care of
the boy. This was done and O®fu;n was very grateful for the gesture of his
friend.
1178
OGBE® O®FU:N
As soon as O®fu;n‟s child entered into Ogbè‟s home to live, things began to
change for the worse for Ogbè. His success chances began to dwindle.
His business went down. Instead of profit, he accumulated debts. He
was working harder than ever before yet his debts kept mounting. O®fu;n‟s
child helped him on the farm and he also participated in most of his
business endeavours. This only added to the problems. Ogbè could not
understand why this was so. He had developed a great love for the child
of O®fu;n and he treated him as his own son. When the situation was
getting out of hand, Ogbè went to the home of the group of Awo stated
above for Ifá consultation: will my problems be resolved? Will I be able
to make profit as I used to? Will smiles and success return to my life?
Will I have cause to celebrate my success again? These and many more
were the questions at the back of his mind when he went to consult Ifá.
During the consultation, Ogbe¾-Fu¾¾n-u;n was revealed.
The Awo told Ogbè that his business had collapsed. He was told that his
life was being threatened by sorrow and failure. They made it clear to
Ogbè that two things were responsible for his troubles and business
failures: one, his Orí did not support him having any other person‟s
belongings or wards in his home; and two, the Orí of the person or ward
that he harboured in his home did not support living in his home. He was
advised to return the child to the parents and to offer eôboô with one
mature he-goat and money.
The advice of the Awo threw Ogbè into serious confusion and into a
dilemma. One, he had become very fond of O®fu;n ‟s son. How would he
tell him to pack his things and go back to his parents? Two, would he not
be compounding problems for himself when the parents of the boy saw
that he had asked their son to come back to them? Would they not read
meanings into his actions? Would they not ask that since he knew that
he had no capacity to take care of the boy, why would he ask them to
bring the boy to him in the first place? And three, how could he be so
certain that all his problems were as a result of the boy‟s presence in his
life? There must be other explanations to his predicaments he asked
himself. In the end, Ogbè agreed to offer the eôboô but refused to send
the boy back to his parents' home. Two days after the Ifá consultation,
the eôboô was offered.
After the eôboô had been offered more problems surfaced in the life of
Ogbè and his family.
1179
People began to accuse them of committing offences which they knew

nothing about. Fire gutted two of the family farms. Many members of
his household fell ill. He would go on business trips and return home with
huge losses and one time he even came back with a broken leg. His wife
fell down on her way to the brook and lost four of her front teeth. His
first child fell down from a palm-tree and broke his arms. His little
daughter was bitten by a snake right inside his house. His neighbours
began to give him social and physical distance in order not to
contaminate themselves with his ill-luck! He was totally isolated by his
friends and well-wishers. He soon found out that he was living a lonely
life, full of misery and agony. This made him return to the home of the
Awo for another round of Ifá consultation.
The Awo told him that he did not need any other Ifá consultation on his
predicament. All what he needed to do was to comply with the advice of
Ifá that was given to him the first time.
That was when Ogbè began to give the sending of O®fu;n‟s child back to
his parents serious consideration. He reasoned that he could not because
of one person be incapacitated and become helpless from helping several
others who needed his assistance. It dawned on him that sending the
boy back to his parents' home would not stop him from taking proper
care of the boy. It would only mean that he would need to visit the boy
in his parents' home more often than ever before. He also realized that it
would not stop the boy from working with him in his farm and business
on a daily basis. After all these considerations, Ogbè felt a little sense of
relief which he had not felt in a long time. He comforted himself with the
fact that the only difference would be that the boy would no longer be
sleeping in his house but would still be relating with him as ever before.
He called on the boy and his parents and explained the situation to them.
Surprisingly, the parents understood his position and the boy went back
home without ill-feeling on either side.
As soon as the boy returned to his parents' home, the situation of Ogbè
picked up. His business began to improve. His neighbours, friends and
well-wishers returned to him. He was no longer accused over what he
knew nothing about. He received help from people and he too was able
to help others. He realized that, truly, that what he had been doing was
against his destiny and that this had brought all his problems and
predicaments. Since he had returned the child, all his problems
disappeared.
1180
OGBE® O®FU:N

Di;a; fu;n Ahun
Ti; yo;o; lu imu; u tireô l’oô;ka¾n-a;nka;;n
Di;a; fu;n Ala;ka¾n
Ti; yo;o; lu imu; u tireôô ni;’koôk¾ o¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Oni;gbo¾do¾gi;
Ti; yo;o; lu imu; u tireô la;a¾ri;n gangangan
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; yo;o; gb’oômoô O®fu;n bo¾ô
O®un wa;a; sôeô¾sôeô¾ gb’e;ôboô ni;be¾,ô o; sô’eôboô
N®je;ô Ogbe¾ o o¾ f’ohun f’o;lo;un
Ba; o¾ ba; f’ohun f’o;lo;un
A®wo¾ro¾ o¾ ni; ta;n n;leô¾
Ogbe¾ o o¾ f’ohun f’o;lo;hun
Translation:
This was Ifá‟s message for Ahun (the Land Tortoise)
Who would pierce its nose in the centre
This was Ifá‟s message for Ala;ka¾n (the Crab)
Who would pierce its nose in a secret place
This was Ifá‟s message for the one infected with yaws
Who would pierce his nose in the middle of his face
1181

Who would be the foster parent of O®fu;n‟s child
He later complied with the advice of the Awo
Ogbè, why can‟t you return another
person‟s belongings to the owner
If we do not return another person‟s belongings
to the rightful owner
Trouble will never end
Ogbè, please return another person‟s belongings to the
owner
Ifá says that the surest way for the person for whom this Odù is revealed
to stop being at the receiving end of all unfortunate occurrences is to
return what belongs to another person which he/she harbours in his/her
home. This belonging may be property, money, goods, children or a
ward. Doing so will bring relief into his/her life.
10. Ifá says that a serious misunderstanding is about to occur between a

husband and his wife if it has not yet occurred already. Ifá says that it is
the husband‟s fault but he does not believe that it‟s his fault. He believes
that all evidence proves that he is right; but if properly investigated, he
will realize that he is the culprit after all.
Ifá advocates patience in dealing with any matrimonial issue where this
Odù is revealed. This is because the situation is really not as it seems.
The husband is cautioned not to take any rash steps that he will later
come to regret. The wife is also advised to be very understanding in any
matrimonial misunderstanding. She needs to know that the husband is
merely reacting to facts currently available to him at that particular point
in time. With patience and understanding, the innocence of the woman
will be established and the husband will realize his fault.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer eôboô with
three cocks, two guinea-fowls and money.
On this, Ifá says:
Ohu¾n EÙ®yoô¾ ni o¾ j’ohu¾n E®e¾gu¾¾n

Ohu¾n E®e¾gu¾¾n ni o¾ j’ohu¾n EÙ®yoô¾
1182
OGBE® O®FU:N
Peô¾heô;eô!¾ Ba;kanhu¾n ni’koô; n;ri;

Di;a; fu;n Majoô¾
Di;a; fu;n Maye
EÙboô ni woôn ni; ki; wo;ônô wa;a; sôe
Translation
The dialect of an OÙ®yoô; indigene is different from

that of E®e¾gu¾¾n
The dialect of an E®e¾gu¾¾n indigene is also different from
that of OÙ®yo;ô
The sound made when coughing is however the same
This was the declaration of Ifa; to Majoô¾
And also to Maye
They were both advised to offer eôboô
Majoô¾ was the husband. Maye was his wife of many years. They had
been living happily together. The husband was a renowned hunter while
the wife engaged in trading. The husband was initiated into Ifá at a
tender age and the most important taboo that was given to him, among
other ones, was not to consume mushrooms of any type. He adhered
strictly to this warning. Nothing on earth could even make him go near
to where mushrooms were planted or even where they were cooked.
This was because the Awo told him that mushroom consumption had the
capacity of cutting short his life and of spoiling all the things he had
laboured for throughout his life.
One day, Majoô¾ went to the forest to hunt. He saw a big deer and he shot
it dead with his arrow. Majoô¾ was known to be an expert shot. He could
target and shoot a squirrel from a very long distance. Killing the deer
was not a difficult assignment for him in any way whatsoever. He
decided to cut up and dress the animal by himself right in the forest.
After finishing this assignment, he placed all the cut meat on fire and
roasted it in order to preserve it. He also promised himself that he would
ensure that only his family and he consumed all the deer meat. He
carried the meat home and asked his wife to take care of the meat.
Every afternoon afterward, the wife would prepare his favourite pounded
yam for him. She also would make a soup with the deer meat with melon
for him.
1183
On the sixth day, the wife prepared his food as usual and placed it on a
mat for him to eat. He sat down and washed his hands in order to enjoy
his meal. As he opened the lid that was used to cover the soup, what he
saw made him scream: “Maye! Maye! Maye! Come here!” he thundered.
The anger, pain and frustration in his voice surprised and terrified his
wife. She quickly rushed to him, saying; “My God, what is the problem?
She asked. “There is a big problem and you are the problem!” he
shouted back at her. He then asked her, “What offence have I committed
against you that makes you want to kill me? Tell me! Have I not been
taking good care of you and your children? Have I not tried my best to
prove to you that I love and care for you? What have I done wrong for
you to decide to kill me at this time? Tell me my offence. Why must you
do this to me? Why? Why? Why?" His anger had turned his face into
an ugly spectacle. His whole body was shaking. The wife was totally
taken aback. She stood in the same spot, transfixed, unmoving and
speechless.
After what seemed like eternity, she managed to respond to her

husband‟s accusations, saying; “I am totally at a loss. I do not understand
anything that you are saying. Can you please explain what I have done,
maybe I will understand. Please tell me, what have I done wrong?” She
said with sadness. She had never seen Majoô¾ in this type of mood
before. She did not know how to handle the situation in any way
whatsoever. “What have you not done!?" The husband shouted at her.
“Can you imagine this evil person asking me to tell her what she has done
wrong? If you must know, you have done everything wrong! You
planned to kill me and the spirits of my ancestors have come to my aid!
Your diabolic plan has failed! I will personally use my two hands to
strangle you to death! Wicked woman! Witch! If you must kill anyone,
must that be me? After all that I have done for you and our children! I
thank my ancestors for not having slept off in heaven or forgetting me. I
would have gone to join them prematurely, all due to your evil design!”
He looked at his wife with hatred and pain. His two eyes were as red as
embers. He was breathing heavily. “You will suffer for this. I will make
you suffer for this wickedness! I swear by O®gu;n that I will make you
suffer for this!”
Maye looked at her husband of many years in horror. She was totally
terrified. She could not comprehend what was going on at all. What was
really wrong? She asked herself. What could have happened to make
1184
OGBE® O®FU:N
her loving husband change so drastically like this? She then said, “I still
do not know what I have done wrong”. By this time, tears, hot tears
started rolling down from her eyes. “You do not know what you have
done wrong? Very well, I will show you. When eyes begin to develop
and release pus, we will remove the pus to let the eyes see what has
been happening in order to know what is wrong. Come and see the soup
that you have given me to eat. You loaded the soup with mushrooms in
order to kill me! The deities are not in your support on this your
murderous mission! Move closer to see it yourself!” He screamed at the
top of his voice.
Finally Maye discovered the reason why Majoô¾ had gone mad with rage.
He was accusing her of adding mushrooms to his soup. Mushrooms?
She would never do such a thing! She would never do that to her
husband. There was absolutely no reason for her to do such a thing.
She always looked at her husband with pride and love. She did not need
anyone to tell her that Majoô¾ had performed far better than most men in
the performance of his matrimonial obligations. He had also extended his
generosity to every member of her extended family. How could she wish
him dead, not to talk of taking action to kill him? No, something was
wrong. She stepped further to take a look at the soup. To her utter
surprise and consternation, the soup was truly filled with mushrooms but
how could this be so? Why did she not see them before she served it to
her husband? She was sure that she did not add the mushrooms to the
soup that she cooked. How did the mushrooms find their way into the
soup? She asked herself. “My husband”, she said; “I have seen the
mushrooms in the soup. It is true that they are there. However, I swear
to the spirit of my ancestors and to O®gu;n that I did not put the
mushrooms into your soup. There is no reason for me to do that.” She
cried. She knelt in front of her husband and pleaded with him for his
understanding on the matter. Rage however had completely taken over
Majoô¾‟s sense of reasoning.
“You say that you did not add the mushrooms to my food. Alright, who
did then? How many of you cooked the soup? Who was there with you?
Nobody! There was nobody at home when you cooked this food! You
were the only one in the house. You are a liar!”
“I do not know how the mushrooms got into your food. I swear!” she
said. The husband then gave her a powerful slap in the face. She fell on
the ground and passed out. The husband then kicked her until she was
1185
awake again. Her screams and wailing attracted the attention of their
neighbours to the scene.
When the neighbours arrived, they stopped the beating immediately and
asked what was happening. They were told what the bone of the
contention was. All of them then asked Maye to simply confess her
offense of trying to kill her husband. She insisted that she did not add the
mushrooms to the soup she had prepared for her husband. As she
continued to deny what seemed so obvious to everyone present, the
husband quickly slapped and kicked her again. The neighbours stopped
him but her face by now was covered with blood. Despite all what had
occurred, she continued to deny that she was the one who put the
mushrooms in the food. When the neighbours realized that she might be
beaten to death if left with her husband, they went to call the community
head, Baa;leô¾, to the scene.
When the Baa;leô¾ arrived, he demanded to know exactly what had

happened. He was told. The Baa;leô¾ went into silence for some moment.
After this, he asked Maye; “what part of the deer meat did you cook for
your husband?” She responded that it was the chest and the neck. The
Baa;leô¾ asked again; ”Did you cook everything or did the neck part remain
uncooked?” The woman responded that the neck part still remained
uncooked. The Baa;leô¾ asked her to go and bring the remaining part for
him. The woman, who by then could hardly walk any longer, was helped
to the kitchen in order to bring the remaining part of the neck of the deer
for the Baa;leô¾.
Before she returned, the Baa;leô¾ turned to Majoô¾ and asked; “who killed
this deer?” He responded that he was the one who had killed it. “Who
cut up the deer?” Majoô¾ responded that he was the one who cut it. “Who
dried the deer meat on the fire?” Majoô¾ responded that he was the one
who dried it. “Who prepared the deer meat to be ready for
consumption?” Majoô¾ also replied that he was the one who prepared it.
After this, the Baa;leô¾ asked Majoô¾ to go and bring him a sharp knife from
his hunting bag.
While all these events were going on, everyone present was totally in the
dark as to the intention of the Baa;leô¾. They all stood there looking at the
Baa;leô¾ and watching the event as it unfolded itself. At last, the woman
returned with pain and a lot of difficulty. The Baa;leô¾ got the knife from
1186
OGBE® O®FU:N
Majoô¾ and grabbed the remaining part of the neck of the deer from Maye.
He used the knife to slice the larynx of the deer open. Lo! and behold,
mushrooms gushed out of the deer‟s neck! The Baa;leô¾ turned to Majoô¾
and said; “You have punished this poor woman for an offence she did not
commit! The deer was eating mushrooms before you shot it to death.
You had failed to clean out the mushrooms from its throat before you
brought it home to be cooked for consumption. So, you are the person
who unknowingly added poison to your own food and you have beaten
your wife mercilessly for it!!!”
Ohu¾n E®Ùyoô¾ ni o¾ j’ohu¾n E®®e¾gu¾¾n

Ohu¾n Ee;gu;n ni o¾ j’ohu¾n EÙ®yoô¾
Peô¾heô;eô!¾ Ba;kanhu¾n ni’koô; n;ri;;
Di;a; fu;n Majoô¾
Di;a; fu;n Maye
N®je;ô bi; Maye n; wi; tireô¾
Yo;o; ye; ni o
Bi; Majoô¾ wi; tireô¾
Bi; a¾ joô’ni l'o;ju;
Translation:
The dialect of an O®Ùyoô; indigene is different from

that of E®e¾gu¾¾n
The dialect of an E®e¾gu¾¾n indigene is also different
from that of OÙ®yo;ô
The sound made when coughing is however the same
This was the declaration of Ifa; to Majoô¾
And also to Maye
Now, if Maye narrates her own side of the matter
One will understand and appreciate the situation
But if Majoô¾ narrates his own part of the story
One will also be impressed
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to exercise
patience before taking any action that he/she may later regret. Ifá also
advises a woman here to be very careful in order not to receive
1187
punishment for an offence which she has not committed or which she
knows absolutely nothing about. The woman is also advised to have a
forgiving mind when she is wronged.
11. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to be
very careful with some of his/her neighbours. Some of them are planning
evil against him/her out of envy and hatred. They have been nursing this
ill-feeling towards him/her for a long time and they are hatching a grand
design to cause him/her harm. Ifá says that their plan of mischief will
fail.
Ifá also says that this person has a friend who appreciates him/her and
will go to any length to pull him/her out of trouble. There is the need for
this friend to be identified in order to accord him/her the due recognition
and respect that he/she deserves.
money. He/she also needs to feed his/her Ori; together with
this friend. The feeding material is to be determined by Ifá. Ifá also
foresees success and accomplishment for the two friends coming from
outside their place of domicile.
On this, Ifá says;
Ile; n; ko;ô?
Ile; n; beô o
E®Ùyi¾nwa¾ lo; ku¾ ta; o¾ mo¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Kannaka;nna;
A bu¾ fu;n O®fe;
Wo;ôn joô n; loô a¾jo¾ to; ji¾n gbungbun
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
How is your home?

My Home is well
It is future consequences we know nothing about
This was Ifá‟s message for Kannaka;nna;
The same was also declared for O®fe¾
1188
OGBE® O®FU:N
When they were going on a long distance journey

They were advised to offer eôbo
OÙ®fe¾ loved to assist anyone who was in need of help. He could not
imagine himself ignoring anyone who needed his assistance. One day,
Kannaka;nna; his neighbour wanted to go to his in-laws' house but he had
no befitting dress to wear to the place. He approached OÙ®fe¾ to borrow
from him a dress in order for him not to be looked down upon by his in-
laws because of his worn out dresses. He promised OÙ®fe¾ that he would
return the dress as soon as he returned from his in-laws' place. OÙ®fe¾ not
only gave him a newly made dress, he did not collect the dress back from
his friend afterward. This gesture made a lasting impression on
Kannaka;nna;. He secretly vowed to himself that anywhere and anytime
that OÙ®fe¾ needed his help, he would render it to him, no matter how
inconvenient it might be for him. There were several others who had also
benefitted from the generosity of OÙ®fe¾.
This generosity was the exact reason why OÙ®fe¾ had so many people
loathing him. They saw his good nature as an avenue for him to
advertise himself. The more he helped his neighbours, the more they
hated him secretly. They began to plan to deal with him ruthlessly. They
even went to the extent of setting a series of traps for him to fall into.
Somehow he had managed to escape all these traps without being aware
that his neighbours were designing such diabolical plans against him.
One day, there was the need for everyone in the neighbourhood to
accompany one of the neighbours to his parents‟ home town for an
occasion. The parents of this neighbour were about to be conferred with
chieftaincy titles in recognition of all their marvellous deeds in the area
where they lived. Several people were invited. The neighbour also
invited all the people in the neighbourhood to accompany him to grace
the occasion. Everybody agreed to go for the occasion. OÙ®fe¾ also planned
to go. Kannaka;nna; was also interested in going.
A few days before the departure period, OÙ®fe¾ went for Ifá consultation in
order to determine how the trip would be. Coincidentally, he met
Kannaka;nna; in the home of the Awo. He too had come to find out about
the journey. Both of them entered the home of the Awo together and
they sat on the mat in order to consult Ifá together, since they came for
the same reason. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Funfun was revealed.
1189
The Awo told them that they were planning to go on a long journey. He
said that the trip itself was free of problems. The main problem however
was where they were going. They were told that the neighbours with
whom they were going on the trip had made terrible plans against OÙ®fe¾
and they intended to kill him during the festivities. Their plan was to
make his death look like an accident. The Awo told him that he must not
because of that refuse to attend the occasion. He was also assured that
he had a friend who would rescue him from the evil plan of his
neighbours. He was told that there was the need for him to identify this
friend. The Awo used Ifá to find out who the friend was and it was
discovered that it was Kannaka;nna;.
The Awo advised OÙ®fe¾ to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and
money. He was also told that both he and Kannaka;nna; needed to
propitiate each other‟s Ori;. They complied accordingly. As soon as they
finished offering the eôboô both of them returned to their various homes.
They were just wondering who among the neighbours could be planning
such evil against O®fe;;. They thought of it for a long time and they could
not come up with anyone or any group who could do such thing. Since
they had already offered the eôboô as advised, they felt that there could be
no evil plan which Ifá; would not dismantle.
As soon as the neighbours saw him at the occasion, they began to finalize
their evil plans. When they finished the plan, every one of them went to
dance. O®fe;; and Kannaka;nna; were also invited to the dancing floor.
While the dancing was going on, O®fe;;‟s next door neighbour who O®fe;; had
helped in setting up three of his children in business called O®fe;; aside for a
talk. He said that the noise of the music would not allow them to enjoy
their discussion. He urged O®fe;; to let them move far away from the venue
of the ceremony. O®fe;; agreed. He suspected nothing. Even if he was to
suspect anyone, it could not be this particular neighbour.
When they got to a place where nobody could see them from the party,
the neighbour suddenly changed his attitude. He called others who had
been hiding in the nearby forest. They gagged O®fe;; and carried him into
the forest and beat the daylight out of him. They then tied his hands and
feet and set the surrounding forest on fire. Their intention was to ensure
that O®fe;; was burnt to death. When O®fe;; saw the people who carried him
into the forest and beat him without mercy, he was shocked. These were
1190
OGBE® O®FU:N
the people who had regularly benefitted from his kind-heartedness.

When they set the forest on fire, O®fe;; knew for sure that the end had
come. He therefore resigned himself to his fate. He was only wishing
the death to come quickly so as not to suffer too much before he died.
Unknown to these conspirators and evil doers however Kannaka;nna; was

watching closely all the moves of his friend and those of the neighbours.
He noticed when the other neighbours were going into the forest one
after the other before O®fe;; was called aside.
He saw O®fe;;‟s next door neighbour leading him into the forest where the
others were hiding. He followed them discretely. He saw when the
neighbour gagged him. He saw when all the other conspirators rushed
out and carried him into the forest. He moved closer and saw them
beating him. He then saw when they tied the hands and feet of O®fe;;. He
also saw them when they lit the forest on fire. He saw when the
conspirators dispersed one after the other.
As soon as the conspirators left, Kannaka;nna; sprang into action. He flew

into the middle of the fire, untied his friend and strapped him onto his
back. He flew out of the forest and brought O®fe;; into safety. He took O®fe;;
to a secret location and began treating him. For 17 days, O®fe;; was at the
secret location receiving treatment.
Meanwhile, when the neighbours returned home, they announced to

those who had no opportunity of attending the occasion that had got
drunk at the party. He had consumed more alcohol than he could control
and inadvertently set himself on fire in the forest. They all cried over the
death of O®fe;;. They also congratulated themselves for getting rid of their
common enemy. They planned an elaborate burial ceremony for him in
order to remove any form of suspicion from their side.
On the 18th day however, O®fe;; was strong enough to return home. As
they were planning to go home quietly, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ appeared on the
scene. He told them that it would not be advisable for the two of them to
go home quietly. He said that those planning against them might notice
their return and plan more mischief for them.
He said that it would be more proper for them to return home with
singing and dancing so that everyone would see them and know that the
1191
conspirators were the ones who planned O®fe;;‟s death which the deities
had refused to allow to happen. He told them that he (E®sôu¾) had already
brought drummers with him and that he would be the lead singer. He
told them that he would render his service to them free of charge.
Off they all went: Kannaka;nna;, O®®fe;;, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ the lead singer and 12
other drummers and chorus singers. When they got to the outskirts of
the town, they began to sing thus:
E®mi o¾ le mo¾ô’ra¾n n mo¾ô yi;; i o

E®mi o¾ le mo¾ô’ra¾n n mo¾ô yi;;
Kannaka;nna; l’o¾ôre;;ô O®®fe;; o
A o; sôe mo¾ô p’a;ba;nigbe; n; da’ni¾ o?
Translation:
I would never have believed it

I would never have understood it
Kannaka;nna; is the only true friend of O®fe;;
How could one know that one‟s neighbours would
become traitors?
Before long, the whole town gathered to hear the story. All the
conspirators were rounded up. Those who were not caught left the town
unceremoniously. Those arrested were disciplined according to the laws
of the land.
Ile; n; ko;ô?
Ile; n; beô o
EÙ®yi¾nwa¾ lo; ku¾ ta; o¾ mo¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Kannaka;nna;
A bu¾ fu;n O®®fe;;
Wo;ôn joô n; loô a¾jo¾ to; ji¾n gbungbun
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôôe o
Wo;ôn gb’eô;boô, woô;n ru;’boô
N®je;ô e¾mi o¾ le mo¾ô’ra¾n n moô¾ yi; o
E®mi o¾ le mo¾ô’ra¾n n mo¾ô’yi;
Kannaka;nna; l’oô¾re;;ô O¾®fe; o
A o; sôe moô¾ p’a;ba;nigbe; n; da'ni?
1192
OGBE® O®FU:N
Translation:
How is your home?

My Home is well
It is future consequences we know nothing about
This was Ifá‟s message for Kannaka;nna;
The same was also declared for O®fe¾
When they were going on a long distance journey
They were advised to offer eôbo
They complied
I would never have believed it
I would never have understood it
Kannaka;nna; is the only true friend of O®fe;;
How could one know that one‟s neighbours would
become traitors?
Ifá says that the deities will incapacitate all the traitors planning evil
against the person for whom this Odù is revealed and put all of them to
shame. On the other hand, Ifá warns this person never to join hands
with others in order to conspire against anyone, lest he/she is subjected
to ridicule.
against traitors who have been spoiling his/her things and rendering all
his/her efforts ineffective. Ifá says that the traitor(s) will be exposed and
will be put to shame.
Ifá says that some people are secretly watching this person while he/she
is making efforts to succeed. They are also going behind his/her back to
spoil all the things that he/she has been struggling to achieve. Ifá says
that these evil perpetrators will surely fail.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with One giant rat (Okete) and
money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with another giant rat
(Okete) and drive a long iron rod into the ground at the place
where he/she is working.
1193
On this, Ifá says;
Ile; o¾ sa;n ni;;'nu;

O®giri o¾ la¾ l’o;de
A sôe s’o¾ôro¾ô ni;’le;
Ta lo; r’o¾de loô¾oô; wi;
Di;a; fu;n O®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; o¾un a¾ti OÙba¾ta;la;, ati E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ ati
O®gu;n joô n;se¾’wa¾
Ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾ aye;
EÙboô ni¾ woô;n ni; ko;; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
There are no cracks in the house

Neither are there crannies in the wall
How come our secret discussions in the home
Have become public knowledge
These were Ifa;‟s messages fo\r O®Ùru;;nmi¾¾la¾
Who in conjunction with O¾¾Ùba¾ta;la;, E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ and O®gu;n
were creating human beings during the dawn of time
When Olo;du¾mare¾ decided to populate the planet earth with human

beings, he gave the assignment first to OÙba¾ta;la; to perform. OÙba¾ta;la;
failed in this assignment, Olo;du¾mare¾ then sent Odu¾duwa¾ to come to the
planet to perform the assignment. After some time, Olo;du¾mare¾
personally created the first human being,; a woman called Ninibi;nini (a
person in our likeness) and passed her through Odo¾ Aro; and Odo¾ EÙ®jeô¾ so
that she could come to the planet earth. The woman was then given to
Odu¾duwa¾ as his wife. Ninibi;nini gave birth to sets of twins for Odu¾duwa¾
eight times. Between Odu¾duwa¾ and Ninibi;nini there were 16 human
beings on earth who were their direct children.
After some time, it was noticed that the children of Odu¾duwa¾ were about
to engage in incestuous relationships. This observation was reported to
Olo;du¾mare¾ by an Iru;nmoôleô¾ called OÙmoôni;yorobo, who was one of the
lieutenants of Olo;du¾mare¾ on earth. This prompted Olo;du¾mare¾ to decide
to increase the population of human beings on the earth. This would
1194
OGBE® O®FU:N
make it possible for the human beings to pick and choose their partners
among themselves without having any amorous relationship with their
siblings.
Odu¾duwa¾ was also known as E®ni¾ya¾n and all his children were called
OÙmoô-E®ni¾ya¾n, the children of E®ni¾ya¾n. Olo;du¾mare¾ decided that the
human beings to be created would also be known as and be called OÙmoô-
E®ni¾ya¾n. Consequent upon this decision, Olo;du¾mare¾ summoned OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾,
OÙba¾ta;la;, O®gu;n and E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ to go to the planet earth and create 2,000
OÙmoô-E®®ni¾ya¾n to increase the human population on earth and avoid
incestuous behaviour. He made OÙba¾ta;la; the head of this group.
When they got to earth, they constructed a mighty fenced compound

which had no door. The fence was also so tall that nobody could scale it.
They planned to perform the assignment inside this fenced enclosure.
First, E®®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ was asked to go to heaven to bring the basket filled with
sand which Olo;du¾mare¾ used in the beginning of time to create the
universe.
Olo;du¾mare¾, nay A®ka;marà had breathed into a grain of sand during the
dawn of life and the sand began to ooze out hot dews/vapours which
eventually formed the first basket of sand. This basket of sand continued
to ooze out hot dews/vapours which eventually cooled down a bit and
turned into all the stars. The stars however continued oozing out hot
dews/vapours which eventually cooled down a bit more to form all the
planets in the universe. The planets continued oozing out hot
dews/vapours which later cooled down even more to form the moons. It
was this very first basket of sand that E®®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ was sent to heaven to
bring for this assignment and he brought it.
As soon as the basket of sand arrived, O®gu;n began to mould the iron
elements in the sand to bones. He moulded 2,000 skeletal bones. He
divided them into two groups. He oxidized one group and left the other
group un-oxidized. The ones that he oxidized were called akoô-irin which
was later changed to OÙku¾nrin, (males) and the ones that were not
oxidized were called Obi;;-irin which was later changed to Obi¾nrin,
(females).
When this process was completed, OÙ®ba¾ta;la; used the sand in the basket to
put “flesh” into the skeletal bones which O®gu;n had earlier moulded. All
1195
that remained was for the “creatures” to solidify well enough for OÙ®ba¾ta;la;
to use the A®sôeô given to him by Olo;du¾mare¾ to put life into the moulded
“creatures” the very next day. They then all went to sleep.
When they all woke up the following morning however, they all
discovered to their chagrin, that all their handiwork had been destroyed!
Who or what was responsible for this? How did this thing or person gain
access to the enclosure? They went round to investigate whether any part
of the enclosure had any opening or crack but there was no single crack.
Why had this happened to them? They all wondered.
Again and again, the work which they had all done meticulously would be
destroyed. Tired of this ugly development, they decided to go for Ifá
consultation. After all, Ifá had earlier predicted that they would
accomplish the mission successfully. They sent OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to go and find
out what was amiss. He went to the home of the Awo stated above, who
were his former students in heaven, for Ifá consultation. During the
process, Ogbe¾-O®fu;n was revealed.
The Awo told O®Ùru;;nmi¾la that they had been experiencing difficulty in the
performance of their assignment. He was told that it was not because
they lacked the capability to perform the assignment successfully but
rather, a traitor was responsible for the continued failures in their
assignment. He was assured that the traitor was not among the four
performing the task. He however assured O®Ùru;;nmi¾la that this traitor would
be exposed and brought to judgement. He advised O®Ùru;;nmi¾la that they
needed to procure a long iron rod to be driven into the ground in
several spots inside the enclosure. He said that they needed to hit the
sharp edge of the iron rod on the ground several times in several places
before they drove it into the ground. By so doing, he assured O®Ùru;;nmi¾la,
the traitor would be exposed.
O®Ùru;;nmi¾la returned to the planet earth and told the others what Ifá had
just said, without wasting any time, O®gu;n moulded the iron rod and they
began to strike it on the ground as instructed by the Awo.
It did not take long while striking the tip of the rod in the ground before
they realized that something was shaking and moving sideways in a
violent way. They removed the iron rod: and alas, the rod came up
together with O®ke;te;, the giant rat! The iron rod had hit her on the neck
1196
OGBE® O®FU:N
and had come out of the other side of her neck! She was still writhing in
pain. What happened? How did she manage to get in here? They
queried.
O®ke;te; explained to them that the first inhabitants of the planet earth,
known as Eni;ya;n who were dislodged from the earth by Olo;du¾mare¾ with
deluge were upset and those who survived among them were totally
opposed to the creation of OÙmoô-E®ni;ya¾n in order for the latter to be
made to replace them on earth. This was the reason why they
commissioned her to spy on the activities of the four Iru;nmoôleô¾ and report
back to them. She had been reporting all the progress made by the
Iru;nmoôleô¾ to the Eni;ya;n and had been finding ways of ensuring the
destruction of the assignment.
How did she find her way into the enclosure, they asked? She responded
that as the Iru;nmoôleô¾ were all going through the wall of the enclosure to
ensure that there was no crack, crevice or opening in the wall, she had
dug a hole in the ground from outside and had made the hole come out
inside the enclosure. It therefore became easy for her to observe all
what they were doing and report back to those who gave her the
assignment without being noticed.
So, O®ke;te; was the traitor! She was adequately sanctioned. The atlas
bone of her neck was then removed and added to the I®bo¾ determinants
that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was using in order to commemorate the day that the traitor
was exposed and put to judgement.
After this incident, they were finally able to mould the 2,000 OÙmoô-
E®ni¾ya¾¾n which Olo;du¾mare¾ had assigned them to do. These OÙmoô-E®ni;ya;;n
were then dispersed all over the earth in order to increase the population
of the earth.
Ile; o¾ sa;;n ni';nu;

O®gi¾ri¾ o¾ la¾ l’;ode
A sôe s’oô¾ro¾¾ô ni;’le;
Ta lo; r’o¾de lo¾ôo; wi;
Ti; o¾un a¾ti OÙba¾ta;la;, a¾ti E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ a¾ti
O®gu;n joô nse’wa¾
Ni; ku¾tu¾¾ku¾tu¾ aye;
1197

Wo;ôn gb’e;ôboôô, woôn ru;’boô
Nje¾ oôwoô; wa; ba O®ke¾te¾ o¾
OÙwo; ba oô¾da¾le¾ô
I®gba¾ yi¾i; l'eôboô a¾wa a; da¾
OÙwoô; ba o¾ke;te;ô o¾
OÙwo;ô ba o¾ôda¾le¾ô
A o; fi; eegun oôru¾n-un re¾ô le;;’bo¾¾
Translation:
There are no cracks in the house

Neither are there crannies in the wall
How come our secret discussions in the home
Have become public knowledge
These were Ifa;‟s messages fo\r O®Ùru;;nmi¾¾la¾
Who in conjunction with O¾¾Ùba¾ta;la;, E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ and O®gu;n
were creating human beings during the dawn of time
They complied
Now, We have got a hold of O®ke;te;
We have captured the traitor
It is now that our eôboô has manifested
We have got a hold of O®ke;te;
We have captured the traitor
We shall use the bone of her neck as I®bo¾
Ifá says that the person or group for whom this Odù is revealed shall
successfully complete his/her/their mission. The traitor responsible for
the sabotage of the assignment shall be identified and be put to
judgement.
Conversely, Ifá warns the person or group for whom this Odù is revealed
never to sabotage the efforts of others. If he/she/they does so,
he/she/they shall be exposed and be subjected to public odium and
appropriate judgement. If there is any disagreement or contention, it is
better for this to be discussed and settled, instead of looking for
clandestine ways of spoiling the efforts of others.
1198
OGBE® O®FU:N
13. Ifá says that there is a couple where this Odù is revealed who has
not yet received the blessing of the fruit of the womb and who are
desperately yearning for this blessing. Ifá says that there is absolutely
nothing wrong with the couple physically and physiologically to warrant
such delay or failure to beget a child. Nonetheless, the couple has not
been able to have any baby. Ifá says that the reason why this is so is that
OÙba¾ta;la; has not put his A®sôe for the couple's sexual efforts to translate
into pregnancy which will lead to the birth of a baby. Consequent upon
this, the eôboô that Ifá recommends for this couple is the one that will
make Oôba¾ta;la; give his approval for their sexual activities to turn to
pregnancy, and the birth of children.
Ifá advises this couple to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens
and money. They also need to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land snails and
plenty of O®ri;, shea butter.

A fu;n yeôn-eôn
A ke¾ôn yeôn-eôn
OÙ®yeônyeôn a keô¾n bi; a¾la¾
Di;a; fu;n Oo¾sôa¾n;la; O®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; yo;o; maa ba; obi¾nri¾n olo;bi¾nrin su¾n
Ti ;yo;o; si¾ d’oyu;n
Translation:
That which is sparkling white

That which expands
That which sparkles brightly like snow
These were Ifa;‟s messages for Oo¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôeô¾eô¾re¾ôma¾gbo¾
The one who assists people‟s wives to become pregnant
And also assists people‟s wives to produce and
deliver babies safely
When OÙba¾ta;la; and the others were moulding the 2,000 OÙmoô E®ni¾ya¾n,
Olo;du¾mare¾ instructed that as soon as this assignment was completed, the
“creation process” used to make the 2,000 should be stopped and
1199
replaced with the original procreation process as was the case with
Odu¾duwa¾ and Ni;ni;bi;;ni;;ni;. This was done in order to facilitate the
production of human beings without the need of using the “creation
process” all the time. It would also make it possible for the new 2,000
ÙOÙmoô E®ni¾yan to procreate with the 16 biological children of Odu¾duwa¾.
It was for these two reasons that OÙba¾ta;la; prepared two whitish liquid
substances; one for the males and the other for the females. The male
substance was in the form of sperm while the female substance was in
the form of eggs. The two were meant to be mixed together during
sexual intercourse. The resultant coming together of these two
substances would then be given Asôeô by OÙba¾ta;la; and it would turn into
pregnancy and the pregnancy would lead to the birth of babies.
It is important to know however that the coming together of these two
liquid substances is not enough to make it turn into pregnancy. It must
also receive the Asôeô of OÙba¾ta;la; before it can become a pregnancy. This
is where Ifá says that the liquid substances coming from the bodies of
males and females who engage in sexual activity, will be “incorporated”
by the spirit of OÙba¾ta;la;. During sexual intercourse, the couples body
make-up will change and it will last until the liquid substances have been
completely released. The release of these substances is called orgasm.
After this, that is when OÙba¾ta;la; will decide whether to stamp it with the
Asôeô to become pregnancy or not.
Those whose wives find it difficult to become pregnant after all
examinations are done and nothing is found wrong, usually go to OÙba¾ta;la;
to assist them in making their wives pregnant in order for them to receive
the blessings of the fruit of the womb.
A fu;n yeôn-eôn
A ke¾ôn yeôn-eôn
OÙ®yeônyeôn a keô¾n bi; a¾la¾
Di;a; fu;n Oo¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôeô¾e¾ôreôe
¾ ¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; yo;o; maa ba; obi¾nri¾n olo;bi¾nrin su¾n
Ti; yo;o; si¾ d’oyu;n
EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Oba;lu;fo;ôn ba; mi¾ ba; t'e¾mi¾¾ su¾n
Ko; d’oyu;n
Oo¾sôa¾ ba; mi¾ ba; t’e¾mi¾ su¾n
1200
OGBE® O®FU:N
Ko; si¾ d’oômoô
Translation:
That which is sparkling white

That which expands
That which sparkles brightly like snow
These were Ifa;‟s messages for Oo¾sôa¾n;la; O®Ùsôeô¾eô¾re¾ôma¾gbo¾
The one who assists people‟s wives to become pregnant
And also assists people‟s wives to produce and deliver
babies safely
He complied
OÙba;lu;fo;n, please help me make love to my wife
For her to become pregnant
O®o¾sôa¾ help me make love to my wife
For it to turn into babies
Ifá says that OÙba¾ta;la; will assist the person for whom this Odù is revealed
to receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb. All this person needs to
do is to offer the eôboôô as prescribed above and propitiate OÙba¾ta;la;
accordingly.
14. Ifá says that there are two friends who are not living in the same
locality who need to offer eôboô together in order for both of them to be
blessed with success, honour, prestige and elevation. Ifá says that all the
Ire of life is coming on its way for the two of them. Ifá advises each of
the two friends to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two cocks, two
guinea-fowls, two hens and money.
A ki¾i; loô l'o;ju;de oô¾re;ô eôni
A ki¾i; be¾ôreô¾ l'o;ju;de oô¾reô¾ eôni
A®gba¾ to; loô l’o;ju;de o¾ôreô¾ eô reô¾
Ti; ko¾ ki;;i;
A®ya¾mo¾ô pe; o¾n¾da¾le¾ô ni?
Di;a; fu;n EÙdan
A bu¾ fu;n Ileô¾
1201
Translation:
It is not proper to move away from the frontage

of one‟s friend‟s home
It is no proper to crouch and move silently
from the frontage of one‟s friend‟s home
An elder who moves away from the frontage of
his friend‟s house
Without stopping to go inside the home
Can‟t you see that such a friend is a traitor?
These were the declarations of Ifa; to EÙdan
The same was also declared to Ileô¾
EÙdan and Ile¾ô were bosom friends from youth. Whenever one of them
was found, it was certain that the other would not be too far away from
there. They did everything together. They went everywhere together and
they even put on the same dresses all the time. When they grew up
however, their work demanded that the two friends separate and live
apart. This they did with regret. They however maintained in constant
contact with one another.
One day, EÙdan went for Ifá consultation in order to determine his success
chances in life. He went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned
above. When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾ O®fu;n was revealed.
The Awo told him that he would surely succeed in life. The Awo also told
him that he had a friend who was not living in the same locality with him
who also needed to offer the same eôboô because both of them would
succeed together. He was advised to call on his friend in order for them
to offer the eôboô together.
The Awo advised each of them to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two
hens, two guinea-fowls, two cocks and money
That same day, EÙdan sent a message to his friend. Together, they went
to the home of the group of Awo in order to offer the eôboô. They procured
all the eôboô materials on the way to the home of the Awo. When they got
to the Awo, they were advised that under no condition must they try to
avoid each other. They were told that their Orí worked together with one
1202
OGBE® O®FU:N
another and for that reason, they would succeed together. The Awo
offered the eôboô for the two friends together and they returned to their
different locations.
EÙdan was a trader and Ileô¾ was a farmer. As soon as they arrived to their
destinations, luck began to smile at them better than ever before. The
business of EÙdan thrived beyond his expectations. He made more profit
than ever before and he was highly recognized in the community. There
was no community event that he would not be invited to because the
people knew that he had a lot to contribute in terms of advice and
money.
On the other hand, all the farm products of Ileô¾ came out bountifully. He
was able to make good sales from his farm products. He became very
prosperous in one year. Many things that he could hitherto not afford
would become something that was easily affordable for him. He too was
very useful to his community. He was also referred, honoured and
elevated in the community.
One day, there was a social occasion where both EÙdan and Ileô¾ were
invited. Both of them attended the occasion. When it was dancing time,
the invited musicians sang in their praise throughout. At a time, the
musicians were singing thus:
B’a;ye; ba; yeô’le¾ô
Aye¾ a y’EÙdan o
B’a;ye; ba; yeô’leô¾
Aye¾ a y’EÙdan o
Yo;o; y’oô¾re¾ô o
Yo;o; y’oôr¾ eô
Aye; a y’EÙdan o
Translation:
If life becomes agreeable to Ile¾ô

Life will also become agreeable to EÙdan
If life becomes comfortable for Ile¾ô
Life will also become comfortable for EÙdan
If life has good meaning to Ile¾ô
It will also have good meaning to his friend
1203
If life becomes agreeable to Ile¾ô

Throughout the day, the musicians repeated this song and all those
present at the occasion danced and danced. Undoubtedly, that day was
the day of Ile¾ô and EÙdan his friend.
A ki¾i; loô lo;jude o¾ôre;ô eôni
A ki¾i; be¾ôreôô¾ lo;ju;de oô¾reô; eôni
A®gba¾ to; loô l’oju;de o¾ôre;ô eôô reô¾
Ti; ko¾ ya'leô;
A®ya¾mo¾ô peô; o¾n¾da¾le¾ô ni?
Di;a; fu;n EÙdan
A bu¾ fu;n Ile;ô
E®ôboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Woô;n gb’e;ôboô, wo;ôn ru;’boôô
Nje;ô B’a;ye; ba; yeô’leô¾
Ayeô; a y’EÙdan o
B’a;ye; ba; yeô’le¾ô
Aye;ô a y’EÙdan o
Yo;o; y’o¾rô e; o
Yo;o y’oô¾re;
Aye; a y’EÙdan o
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
It is not proper to move away from the frontage

of one‟s friend‟s home
It is no proper to crouch and move silently
from the frontage of one‟s friend‟s home
An elder who moves away from the frontage of
his friend‟s house
Without stopping to go inside the home
Can‟t you see that such a friend is a traitor?
These were the declarations of Ifa; to EÙdan
1204
OGBE® O®FU:N
The same was also declared to Ileô¾

They complied
Behold, if life becomes agreeable to Ileô¾
If life becomes comfortable for Ileô¾
Life will also become comfortable for EÙdan
If life has good meaning to Ileô¾
It will also have good meaning to his friend
If life becomes agreeable to Ileô¾
Ifá says that the two friends for whom this Odù is revealed shall succeed
together. They will both receive the blessings of success, elevation,
respect, honour, recognition and contentment.
15. Ifá says that there is the need for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed to offer eôboô against untimely death. Ifá says that Death is
watching this person very closely and is waiting for the slightest
opportunity to strike him/her down. EÙboô will resolve this problem for
him/her and will give him/her victory over premature death.
Ifá also says that it foresees financial success for this person. Ifá urges
this person however not to entertain any fear that may preclude him/her
from going about his/her daily business. Ifá says that the only thing that
he/she needs to fear is Fear itself.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with two mature he-goats, two
pigeons, one small carved human image and money. There is also
the need for the Awo to prepare one a¾ko;sôe for him/her with seven
a¾lu;pa¾i;da¾ leaves and cotton wool. The cotton wool will be spread and
placed on the ground, the seven a¾lu;pa¾i;da¾ leaves will be placed on it and
the small carved human image will be placed on it. After this, the Awo
will imprint Ogbe¾-O®fu;n with I®yeô¾rosu¾n on the OÙpoô;n-Ifa;. This particular
stanza will be recited. The I®yeô¾rosu¾n will be poured on the carved image,
the a¾lu;pa¾i;da¾ and the cotton wool. The preparation will then be wrapped
1205
up with white and black thread. This will be handed over to the person
for whom this Odù is revealed to put under his/her pillow and place
his/her head on the pillow anytime he/she sleeps. Nothing will stop
him/her from going about his/her day-to-day activities.
On this, Ifá says:
Igbo; du;ro;, igbo; o¾ sôi;
O®ke¾ ni o¾ pa’seô¾ da¾
A®ku;si¾to;wa;; o¾sôu¾pa;
Di;a; fu;n woôn l’o;tu-Ifeô¾
Woô;n ni; ogun Aru;tu;tu; lo; de;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woôn wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
The forest stands without moving elsewhere

The hill stands rigidly in one place
The moon moves across the land from heaven
These were the declarations of Ifá to the
inhabitants of O®tu-Ife¾ô
When they declared that the crisis of premature
death had arrived
The inhabitants of O®tu-Ife¾ô could no longer have sound sleep. They were
sleeping and waking up in terrible fear. Terrifying things were happening
to them. They were having bad dreams. They were scared. They feared
the unknown. Some of them had become nervous wrecks. This
development had prevented quite a number of them from going about
their daily business. They did not know when death would strike them
down. All of them were certain that the experience they were having
would very soon lead to their untimely death. Consequent upon that,
what sense did it make for them to be working when they would not be
alive long enough to reap the fruit of their labour? They queried.
Because the inhabitants of O®tu-Ife¾ô refused to work and they refused to
attend to their daily businesses any longer, they became poorer, sicker
and more miserable. Life in O®tu-Ife¾ô became terrible, uncomfortable and
boring. Their little ones died from lack of proper care and attention. Their
crops failed because they were not attended to. Nothing worked any
1206
OGBE® O®FU:N
longer in O®tu-Ife¾ô. Why were they facing all these problems? The
inhabitants of O®tu-Ife¾ô pondered. Tired of these terrible experiences, they
decided to approach the group of Awo mentioned above for a solution.
Will we overcome all these problems? Will life return to normal for us?
Will our crops stop failing? Will our children stop dying? Will they stop
falling ill? These and many more were the questions that they posed to
Ifá. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-O®fu;n was revealed.
The Awo told the representatives of O®tu-Ife¾ô land who came for the
consultation that it was true that Death was approaching the land. The
inhabitants however were making matters worse by giving into fear.
They were told that what was causing more havoc on them was not the
death that was approaching, but rather, their fear. It was Fear that was
actually killing them and Death was just finishing up the job of Fear.
Their fear made them become lazy, uncaring and careless. They did not
work and they were hungry most of the time. They did not take proper
care of their young ones and that was why the young ones were dying.
It was fear of the unknown that turned them into lazy, careless and
uncaring parents. They did everything wrong because they were nursing
great fear in their minds. They were told that without controlling their
fears, nothing would work for them and their problems would continue to
multiply. They were also urged to rise up from their slumber and go back
to perform their daily chores and go back to their daily businesses.
The Awo then advised them to offer eôboô with two mature he-goats,
two pigeons and money. They were also asked to procure one
miniature doll each for a special a¾kosôe that would be prepared for
them. They all complied. After the eôboô, they brought the dolls to the Awo
and they prepared the a¾kosôe for each and every one of them.
Less than one month after, and after a lot of hard work that was
necessary as a result of many months of neglect, they began to see
positive changes in their lives without being told by anyone. Since the
time that they had managed to overcome their fears, they developed
interest in going about their day-to-day activities once again. They made
progress in all aspects of their lives. Their health and well-being
improved. Their kids no longer died prematurely. Their lives returned to
normal.
1207
Igbo; du;ro;, igbo; o¾ sôi;

O®ke¾ ni o¾ pa’seô¾ da¾
A®ku;si¾to;wa¾ o¾sôu¾pa;
Di;a; fu;n woôn l’o;tu-Ifeô¾
Woô;n ni; ogun Aru;tu;tu; lo; de;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woôn wa;a; sôe o
Woô;n gb’eô;boô, woô;n ru;;’boô
N®je;ô sôisôeô; o r’o;wo;
A®wo¾ra;n o¾ boô sôo¾ko¾to¾
SÙisôeô o r’o;wo;
Translation:
The forest stands without moving elsewhere

The hill stands rigidly in one place
The moon moves across the land from heaven
These were the declarations of Ifá to the inhabitants
of O®tu-Ife¾ô
When they declared that the crisis of premature
death had arrived
They complied
Now, work so that you all can make profit
A doll cannot put on trousers by itself
Work and make money
Ifá says that as long as the person or group for whom this Odù is
revealed does not allow fear to get control of him/her/them and
he/she/they go about his/her/their normal duties, there will be victory,
longevity and financial success.
against premature death. Ifá says that both Death and Affliction are
threatening to enter this person‟s household. Consequent upon this,
he/she needs to offer the eôboô of victory over all evil elements and
principalities. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-
goat and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with two rats, two
fish and ewu;;ro, bitter leaf soup.
1208
OGBE® O®FU:N
On this, Ifá says:

OÙloô;yi¾n-i;nyi;n-ma-yi;n, Awo OÙloô;ye;ô
Ada¾gba;mi¾go¾ôro¾ô, Awo O®ke¾ I®jero¾
O®ru;ru;ma¾ra¾ ni;i; sô’oômoô i¾keô;nyi¾n woôn
Di;a; fu;;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ni;jo;ô ti; t'iku;-t'a¾ru¾n n;kan’le; e reô¾e;ô loô
Translation:
OÙloô;yi¾n-i;nyi;n-ma-yi;n, the Awo of OÙloô;ye;

Ada¾gba;mi¾go¾ro¾, the Awo of I®jero¾ Hills
And O®ru;ru;ma¾ra¾, the youngest among the three
When both Death and Affliction were determined
to enter his home
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ woke up on this particular day feeling very happy. He looked at

his surroundings and realized to his satisfaction, that he had every reason
in the world to be happy. All the things and people who surrounded him
brought joy to him. Why would he not be happy? He asked himself.
Four days prior to this particular day, his son got married to a beautiful
and well mannered lady. The marriage ceremony was the talk of the
whole community. He was sure that it would be the talk of the
community for a long time to come. Everything went smoothly as Ifá had
predicted. All his other children were doing fine in their various fields of
endeavours. They were all following the road that Ifá had charted for
them. His wife was loyal, trust-worthy, dedicated, humble, truthful and
benevolent. She followed all the instructions given to her by Ifá. In a
few days time, one of his daughters would be married to someone from a
well respected family in the community. The husband himself was
hardworking, loving, God-fearing and progressive. He was following the
footsteps of his own father who, through hard work and sheer
determination became the most successful hunter in the community. He
was also following all the advice given to him by Ifá. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ realised
that he was blessed with not only people who made him happy, but also
materials which made life easy for him and his entire household.
1209
He was blessed with many properties, farmlands and reasonable wealth.

Why would he not sleep and wake up a happy and self-fulfilled man? He
asked himself with a smile.
That very morning was Ifá day. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ woke up all the members of
his household and they all gathered in his Ifá room. They performed
their morning prayers together. After this, they proceeded to brake the
OÙ®seô¾-Ifa; kola nuts and perform all the other necessary rites. When the
kola nuts were broken and thrown as was normally expected to do, the
Obi¾-O®Ùseô¾ did not come out in Ire. Much as he tried, the throwing of the
Obi¾ did not come up as Ire. Instead, the Obi¾ continued to say that it
foresaw Ikú and A®ru¾n. All suggestions from O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ to turn it to Ire
failed to effect any change. At last, he asked if there was the need for
him to go for Ifá consultation on the matter and the Obi¾ came up in the
affirmative. This was the reason why O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ summoned the three
Awo stated above to come to his home to consult Ifá for him. The three
Awo were his former students. He was proud of them in the
performance of their duties. When the Awo arrived at his home and Ifá
was consulted, the Odù that was revealed was Ogbe¾-O®fu;n.
The three Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ that it was a very good thing that the Obi¾
had warned him about something by not coming up in Ire. He might not
have found it necessary to consult Ifá that very day as he had done if he
didn‟t receive the warning. They told him that Ifá said that Death and
Affliction were on their way to visit O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ and all the members of his
household. There was therefore the need to act fast to stop them from
gaining access to his home.
The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ to offer eôboô of victory over Death and
Affliction with one mature he-goat and money. He was also asked
to feed his O®ke¾ I®poô¾ri; with two rats, two fish and ewuro soup. The
feeding, the Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ was to enable his Ifá; to give him early
notification anytime that Iku;, A®ru¾n, EÙjoô;, O®fo and all other negative
forces were approaching him or his household. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ did all what he
was advised to do on that same day.
Iku; and A®ru¾n, Death and Affliction, were determined to enter the
household of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾. They were well prepared for him. They were
sure that all the necessary things that would ensure their success in
wrecking havoc on O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾‟s household had been put in place. There
1210
OGBE® O®FU:N
was absolutely nothing to stop them from achieving their set objectives
so they thought. Very close to the home of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ they encountered
the most formidable and totally unexpected obstacle: E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾! They
never put this Iru;nmoôleô¾ into consideration in all their plans! He stopped
them from going further. Not only that, he chased them away!
As from that day henceforth, anytime any of the negative principalities

were about to approach O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾‟s household or those of any of his
devotees, Ifá would quickly alert them during Ifá consultation. As soon
as all necessary eôboô and I®boôô were offered, the negative principalities
would be stopped from further movement and would be chased away
from the lives of those who had complied with the advice of Ifá as
stated by the Awo.
OÙloô;yi¾n-i;nyi;n-ma-yi;n, Awo OÙloô;ye;ô

Ada¾gba;mi¾go¾ôro¾ô, Awo O®ke¾ I®jero¾
O®ru;ru;ma¾ra¾ ni;i; sô’oômoô i¾keô;nyi¾n woôn
Di;a; fu;;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ni;jo;ô ti; t'iku;-t'a¾ru¾n n;kan’le; e reô¾e;ô loô
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni l'a;i¾ku; kangiri
N®je;ô t'i;ku; ba; n; wa; Awo o; boô¾ wa;
Ewe; ewu;ro
I®woô ni o ro¾o; f’A:wo
B’a;ru¾n ba; n; wa; Awo o; boô¾ wa;
Ewe; ewu;ro
B’e;ôjoô; ba; n; wa; Awo o; boô¾ wa;
Ewe; ewu;ro
B’o;fo¾ ba; n; wa; Awo o; boô¾ wa;
Ewe; ewu;ro
Bi; gbogbo irunbi ba; n; wa; Awo o; bo¾¾ô wa;
Ewe; ewu;ro
1211
Translation:
OÙloô;yi¾n-i;nyi;n-ma-yi;n, the Awo of OÙloô;ye;

Ada¾gba;mi¾go¾ro¾, the Awo of I®jero¾ Hills
And O®ru;ru;ma¾ra¾, the youngest among the three
When both Death and Affliction were determined
to enter his home
He complied
Now, If Ikú (Death) is looking for an Awo
Ewe; ewu;ro (Bitter leaves)
Please tell the Awo about it
If A®ru¾n (Affliction) is coming for an Awo
If EÙjoô; (Contention) is approaching an Awo
If O®fo¾ (Loss) is coming for an Awo
If all negative principalities of life are planning
an attack against an Awo
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be spared
from experiencing any evil in his/her life. His/her household will also be
given adequate protection by Ifá. Ifá assures this person that as long as
he/she does not allow fear to get hold of him/her, no problem will ever
overwhelm him/her. That is the message of Ifá for this person.
1212
OGBE® O®FU:N
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-O®®FU:N FOR THOSE BORN

® A:YE: OR I®TEÙ®NI:FA:
BY THIS ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙD
All Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children, males and females, have come into this world
to become achievers. They have the potentials to succeed where their
contemporaries may fail woefully. They will also receive the blessing of
unlimited success because it is part of the things that they chose in
heaven when they were coming to the world. The significance of this is
that it is in their destinies to succeed in life. There is nothing or nobody
who can stop them from actualizing their potentials, unless if they, on
their own, fail to actualize the potentials.
All Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children, males and females are also blessed with the
gift of victory over oppositions or enemies. No matter how formidable
these oppositions may be, they have the capability to overcome the
problems and move forward as if nothing had happened. They also
have the assurance of the Divinities that all those who plan anything evil
against them shall not go unpunished. It is in the interest of everyone
to leave Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children alone and allow them to actualize their
potentials without inhibition. The best anyone can do is to cooperate
with them and they will all succeed together. It is also not advisable for
anyone to see Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children as vulnerable in order to take
advantage of them. Anyone who plans this will end up being shocked
by the outcome. This is because these children have the support Ifa;,
Ori;, Egbe; and Egu;ngu;n. These Divinities are always ready to support
them against oppositions and ensure their success and elevation.
Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children may experience some hardship and discomfort in

their lives. The experience however will not last long. As a matter of
fact, most Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children move from being subordinates to
becoming leaders over their erstwhile leaders. Their discomfort usually
ends in pleasure and contentment.
It is possible for Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children to have up to four children or

even more. However, none of these children will do the same work
when they grow up. They will also succeed in whatever profession they
choose for themselves. They however need to hold on to Ifá and
O®Ùba¾ta;la; in order to succeed in all their endeavours in life. O®Ùba¾ta;la; will
give them all the support that they need.
1213
Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children also achieve victory over more powerful enemies.

Ifá says that as long as they know how to curtail fear in their lives, there
is nothing that they cannot achieve. The major impediment in the path
of progress for Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children is fear. There is nothing for them
to fear except Fear itself. With courage, resilience and determination, it
should not surprise anyone if Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children, males and females
rise up to become community, state or even national leaders.
Two things usually stand out as the bane of Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children:

avarice and impulsiveness. They, more often than not, love to take
more than their own fair share of anything. This action usually leads to
their downfall. The ability to control the greed in them and in their
activities will be a great asset for them to rise up in the socio-economic
ladder. It will also give them honour, respect and recognition in the
community.
Also, most Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children usually act or react to everything

without proper deliberation or investigation. Because of this, they
usually end up regretting their actions or reactions after it has brought
them a load of public loath and humiliation. If there is anything that
gives Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children a sense of self-hatred, it is their impulsive
behaviour. It is therefore in their best interest to overcome their
impulsiveness as much as they can. Being level-headed at all times is a
goal they need to aspire for apart from accumulation of wealth, honour
and respect.
In all, Ogbe¾-O®fu;n children, males and female are in this world to make
the world better than how they met it. They are in this world to
coordinate human beings and resources to elevate their lives and those
of others. They are on this earth to bring smiles, peace, comfort,
success, victory, achievement, contentment, security and elevation into
the world.
1214
OGBE® O®FU:N
C. AFFILIATED IRU;:NMOÙLEÙ/
® O®RI®S
® ÙA® OF OGBE®-O®FU:N
1. Ifa;– for success, victory, guidance, elevation, direction,

protection, contentment and overall success
2. Ori;– for actualization of destiny, sanctuary, leadership, protection,
success, elevation, victory, achievement and self fulfilment
3. E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ – for sanctuary, direction, victory, support, elevation,
protection and general well-being
4. Egu;ngu;n – for ancestral support, leadership, victory, and overall
success
5. EÙgbeô; – for comradeship, leadership, achievement, success, victory
and general well-being
6. Aje; – for financial success, leadership, achievement and overall
success
7. OÙba¾ta;la; – for childbearing, childrearing, creativity, success,
victory, leadership and overall well-being
8. O®gu;n – for victory, creativity, progress, direction, leadership,
accomplishment and over-all well-being
9. O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko– for child-bearing, leadership, victory success and
over-all well-being
10. Oro¾– for ancestral support, leadership, victory and over-all well-
being
D. TABOOS OF OGBE®-O®FU:N
1. Must never snatch another person's spouse – to avoid

trouble, disaster, unconsummated fortune, failure and
disappointment
2. Must never put blood on their Ikin – to avoid the wrath of
elementals, problems, failure and disaster
3. Must never be avaricious – to avoid disaster, unconsummated
fortune and failure
4. Must never rely on charms or any other special devices – to
avoid unconsummated fortune, disappointment and failure
5. Must never conspire against anyone – to avoid
unconsummated fortune, failure, disgrace and disaster
6. Must never take custody of other people’s belongings or
children – to avoid failure, disappointment and disaster
7. Must never be in a hurry to acquire wealth in life – to avoid
failure, unconsummated fortune and disappointment
1215
8. Must never entertain fearing death – to avoid creating cog in

the will of his/her progress
9. Must never use red or black dresses – to avoid
unconsummated fortune, disappointment and failure
10. Must never sneak away or avoid extending greetings to
his/her loved ones – to avoid being labelled as a traitor
11. Must never act or react without proper deliberation or
investigation – to avoid regrettable misconduct, public odium
and shame
E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® O®FU:N
1. MALES
i. Ifa;ro;mi – Ifa; supports and protects me

ii. Ifa;le;ku;loô – Ifa; chases death away
iii. Ifa;fu;nmini;yi¾ – Ifa; gives me honour and prestige
iv. Ifa;pe¾ôro¾ô – Ifa; brings peace and comfort
2. FEMALES
i. Owo;leôleôw ; a¾ – Money brings out the beauty in all things

ii. OÙmoôleôwa¾ – One‟s child is one‟s true beauty
iii. Aye;yeômi; – Life is agreeable to me
iv. O®o¾sôa¾sôe;ya¾nu – O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; performs wonders in my life
1211
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Ifa Dida:
An Invitation to Ifa Consultation
Volume 3 Oyeku Ogbe to Oyeku Ofun
By Solagbade Popoola Library INC
Publisher: Asefin Media LLP 2012
ISBN 978-1-926538-24-2

This is the second volume of the massive reference collection of Ifa stanza for
each of the combination Odu of Oyeku Ogbe through Oyeku Ofun. Volume 3
of 17, the remaining volumes 4 thru 17 will be released as available.
Ifa Dida - Companion CD's

Orin Olodu - Ifa Dida
The Music of Foundation, An Anthology Volume 1
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ISBN 978-1-926538-13-6

This CD companion scores the 16 major Odu Ifa highlighted in the work, Ifa
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musical accompaniment. All recordings done in West Africa. Musical
arrangement by Ijo Ayansowopo, composition by Kori Ifaloju.
1212
Iwa Rere:
"Morality" In Ifa/Yoruba Traditional Religion
Authors by: Lloyd Weaver & Ademola Ifabunmi
Foreword by: Awoyinfa Kori Ifaloju
Publisher: Asefin Media LLC 2008
ISBN 978-1-926538-11-2
Morality is the cornerstone on which every society is built; but still, many of us
will ask “from where in our scripture do those of us who adhere to Yoruba
Traditional Religion derive our understanding of what is moral and what is
not”? Clearly in Ifa and Merindinlogun there are no special lists such as the
Ten Commandments of the Holy Bible or the Revelations of Musa found in the
Holy Koran.
In fact, if we check, we will find that in most African languages, including the
Yoruba language, there isn’t even a specific word for “morality.” Yet, the
most casual look at African society reveals a constant emphasis on discipline
and on moral principles of behavior. We are, in every way, a moral people. But
still, what is morality in African tradition and from where do we derive our
common understanding of right and wrong?
Ifa Rere examines these ideas and others. (Co-author L.Weaver)
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comparative analysis about life and the successive stages of life, important for all
women and for men, fathers of girls, husbands of wives & sons of Mothers.
Also packed with traditional Ifa preparations, antidotes & remedies
Ifa Dida: (individual book collection)

by Solagbade Popoola Library INC
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1213
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1214
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Ifa Didaa Ogbe

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Ifá Dídá

By Ṣọlágbadé Pópóọlá Library, Inc.

Contributing Authors: Ifá Dídá Volume Two

Awoyinfa Kori Ifaloju

Chief Solagbade Popoola

Solagbade Popoola Library, INC. is a collective of researchers, writers, cultural

Learn more here:

Copyright © 2012 by : Àṣèfín Media, LLP

Cover designed by: Awóyinfá Kori Ifálójú ( @alawoye )

Contributing Editor: Jose Rodriguez (Awo Agboọlá)

Publicist: Alawoye Productions - www.Alawoye.com

Circulation Coordinator: ÀṣèfínMedia, LLP eMail : sales@asefin.net

Contact Àṣèfín Media LLP for more information

Nonetheless, this is a historic masterpiece, Volume Two is the continuation of a full

Once again, ÀṣèfínMedia is pleased to publish this multi-volume collection, and to be an

Awóyinfá Kori Ifálojú ( @alawoye )

What is Ifá Dídá? link here:

Letter from Publisher

Chapter 1 ! - Ogbè Ọ̀yẹ̀kú :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1

Chapter 4 - Ogbè Ìrosùn :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 247

Chapter 5 - Ogbè Ọ̀wọ́nrín ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 319

Chapter 6 - Ogbè Ọ̀bàrà ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 404

Chapter 7 - Ogbè Ọ̀kànràn ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 478

Chapter 8 - Ogbè Ògúndá ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 548

Chapter 9 - Ogbè Ọsá :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 644

Chapter 10 - Ogbè Ìká :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 723

Chapter 11 - Ogbè Òtúrúpọ̀n ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 788

Chapter 12 - Ogbè Òtúrá :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 860

Chapter 13 - Ogbè Ìrẹtẹ̀ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 946

Chapter 14 - Ogbè Ṣẹ́ ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1040

Chapter 15 - Ogbè Òfún ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1114

www.glossary.IfaDida.com or by clicking QR code here:

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Note on the use of QR codes; we have deployed QR (Quick Reference) codes, as a

On these aspects, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; says:

O®gbo;ju; o¾ teô'raa reô¾ n'i;fa;

A courageous person cannot initiate himself into Ifa;

Nobody could proffer any acceptable explanation or answer. It soon got to a

All the other A®mu;lu¾ from Ogbe¾-We¾ôyin to O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; would go to O®fu;n-O®Ùsôe’ô; s

O®gbo;ju; o¾ teô`raa reô¾ ni;fa;

A courageous person cannot initiate himself into Ifa

A stanza in Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; on this aspect says:

Ge;ôjeô;-ge;ôje;ô n’ile; wo;

When a wooden house is weak, it will fall

Ge;ôjeô;-ge;ôje;ô n’ile; wo;

When a wooden house is weak, it will fall

Agbi¾ye¾ôku; is another way of calling Ogbe¾-O®Ùye¾ôku;. In this Odu¾, if it is revealed

On all of these, Ifa; says:

Pa¾n;ka¾ra¾ ni;i; bo;ô s’o;mi

When a broken calabash falls into a stream

O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was in need of a compatible spouse. He was looking for a woman

EÙ wa; m’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô o o

Come and behold the great children together by Aji;nase¾ô

Pa¾n;ka¾ra¾ ni;i; bo;ô s’o;mi

When a broken calabash falls into a stream

On this aspect of Ogbe¾-OÙÙ®yeôô¾ku;; a stanza in the Odu¾ says:

O®Ùpoô¾lo;ô ga di;e¾ ju amo¾ômoô¾

The toad is a little taller than a lizard

O®Ùpoô¾lo;ô ga di;e¾ ju amo¾ômoô¾

The toad is a little taller than a lizard

And lock the door against Loss

A stanza in Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾ laying emphasis on this particular issue says:

Iku; oômoô Ami;

Iku; the child of Ami;