Meaning of Iroso Ofun in the Diloggún
- This Oddun of Ifá warns that the person may go to prison for the rest of their life.
- In this Oddun of Ifá, not a single cent is taken off the money marked for the works.
- The person is given to gossip.
- This is where Aggayú waged a war against Obatalá for dominion over the Ashe of heads.
- It points to the great betrayal between siblings: the queen of Dassa was betrayed by her own blood sister, who was secretly living with the queen’s husband.
- It speaks of corrupted blood in the family line.
- In a man, it points to sexual weakness; he must take herbal infusions, because the condition of his blood does not allow him to inject androgens.
- Obatalá was a trickster and kept the money of his godchildren who were going to be made in Santo. He gambled that money and lost it, because his opponents cheated him.
- One must be careful with the person one chooses, for the sign speaks of buried prendas judías that create difficulties.
- Here, if the person does not attend to Obatalá, he keeps them suffering illness and adversity.
- A mat must be placed at the door.
- Here a goose is given to the leri; juju is first placed on the leri, and never again may anything be placed on the eleda; the ebo with the goose is done first.
- This is where Oluo Popo was crowned.
- Ifá ni Kaferefun Oshanlá lodafun Oyá. Kaferefun Ozain, Elegbara ati Orunmila.
- It marks deception by the man in a courtship. Take care, for he will not keep his word.
- The person has 3 arayes (strife, enemies). She is bound to her husband, and one of the arayes has sores on their feet.
- Something is missing from your Elegbara, or you are not attending to him well.
- Your enemies live close to your home.
- Your enemy eats with you. He is talkative and an informer.
- One must hold fast to Obatalá.
- Beware of quarrels over gambling, for a death is bound to come of it. Make the rogation with the dog you have, or one will enter your house. Until you make the ebo, tie the dog with a chain and go out into the street with it; when you are far from the house, release it so that it returns dragging the chain.
What this sign indicates
- That what you wish for cannot be told to you, lest you go out saying that the babalawo deceived you.
- Your enemy lives right next to your house.
- Sores break out on your body, and your head aches almost all the time.
- You have been disrespectful to your elders.
- You always carry a sorrow: when you have one thing you lack another, and your wishes are never fulfilled. Beware of a draft of air, lest it leave you twisted.
- You have a friend who eats with you, and he is a talker.
- You have a quarrel because of a brother.
- You flee from your enemies; be careful, for in that quarrel there is bound to be a death.
- You are gaining a great reputation as a santero because you hold many secrets.
- Take a dog that you have and tie it with a chain; go out with it, and when you are far from your house, release it so that the dog returns home alone, dragging its chain.
Advice and warnings
- Be careful with the law, lest you end up in prison, for there is someone who will stir things up against you.
- Beware of a trap.
- Carry out the rogation you have pending.
The traditional reading of this sign warns, in addition, of the following:
- Obatalá has you suffering, because you do not attend to him, nor did you heed what he told you.
Proverbs of Iroso Ofun
- Póngale cadena al perro para que la arrastre. Put the chain on the dog so that it drags it behind.
- El enfermo y el sano se curaron. The sick man and the healthy man were both healed.
Patakíes of Iroso Ofun
The deception
There was a prince who visited a young lady every day, and when her family retired for the night, the prince pretended to leave and hid, so that he could later meet the young lady in her room. The prince had another girl he intended to marry.
Azojuano saved him
This is where there was a man who lived off gambling, the raffle, and a certain business he kept in the market square. Suddenly everything began to go badly for him, and Azowano, who saw him tormented, told him to go to the house of Orunmila. The man did so and went to be read at Orunmila’s house; Orunmila saw this Ifá and told him to make ebo and to receive him. The man did so and was saved.
Where his family turned their backs on him
Ifá says that this is where the man became rich and forgot everyone, even Orunmila, who used to help him. But before long all his luck ran out, and then he went to Orunmila’s house. Orunmila told him to go to his family, who were doing well and could help him, but the man, ashamed, did not want to go. Orunmila persuaded him, and the man went. When he arrived, his relatives welcomed him warmly, because they believed he still had money; but when they discovered that he had nothing left and was living in poverty, they all turned their backs on him.
How Obatalá became owner of the heads
Aggayú was waging a war against Obatalá, because he wanted to prevent Olofin from granting him the power over all heads. The condition Olofin imposed on Obatalá was the search for an Ashe (something greatly prized) that consisted of certain Eyeles that had their nests on the roofs of certain houses.
Obatalá went to Yemayá asking for her help to catch those Eyeles; Yemayá, puzzled, asked him: «And why do you want my help?» Obatalá answered: «Because Aggayú has filled the roads with serpents.» Yemayá said: «I cannot help you, but go to the house of Orunmila, for he will get you out of that predicament.» Obatalá took his leave of Yemayá and went to see Orunmila.
When Orunmila learned of Obatalá’s problem, he told him: «Go and see Shangó on my behalf; he will climb up to the roofs of the houses where the Eyeles are and catch them for you.»
When Obatalá found Shangó, he said to him: «Shangó, I come on behalf of Orunmila, so that you may catch me those Eyeles on that roof.» «Very well,» said Shangó, and he set out toward the house Babá had pointed to. But before long he could not continue on his way, because the road was full of serpents.
Shangó climbed a tree and saw Aggayú perched in another tree nearby. Coming down from where he was, he went to Babá and said: «It is not possible for me to catch those Eyeles, because they are being watched; you had better look for Elegbá, for he will get you out of this trouble.»
Obatalá took his leave of Shangó and went in search of Elegbá. And when he found him, he asked: «Could you help me catch some Eyeles that are on that roof?» «With great pleasure,» Elegbá replied. Once informed of the matter in detail, Elegbá took a sack, filled it with Eku, Eye and Awado, and scattered it along the road until he had driven away all the serpents. He could then walk on without being troubled by the serpents, and he went along singing: «Eshu Barago Aggo Moyubara.»
And so he managed to approach the tree where Aggayú was hiding, and said to him: «Aggayú, I have learned that you want to set a trap for Obatalá, and I have come to take your side.» Aggayú answered: «What kind of help are you going to give me?» Elegbá said: «I can close the roads to Obatalá.» Aggayú came down from the tree and said: «I like your help; you shall be my partner.»
Elegbá took out a bottle of otí and invited him to drink to celebrate the alliance. The two began to drink until Aggayú was completely drunk, and Elegbá left him abandoned there and ran to the house on whose roof the Eyeles were. But he could not climb it. Just then the voice of Shangó was heard, coming along singing. Elegbá shouted to him: «Shangó! Come this way!»
Shangó came up to the house and asked Elegbá: «What are you doing there?» Elegbá answered: «I cannot climb up to the roof to catch the Eyeles that Obatalá needs.» Shangó easily scaled the wall, climbed onto the roof, and caught the Eyeles.
Obatalá was coming along the road, and the three of them went before Olofin, who, on seeing Obatalá with the Eyeles, said to him: «Obatalá, I make you owner of all heads; and to you, Elegbá, I grant the power to open the roads.» Maferefun Elegbá, Obatalá. Lodafun Orunmila ati Shangó.
The path of the sesame
Prayer: Ifá Kaferefun Ozain Y Oluo Popo. Through this path, he must be received.
Ebbó: Un pollo jabao, un pollón, mondongo de eya tuto keke, jengibre, frijoles negros, colorados, gbogbo ashe, eku, eya, epo, awado, otí, eran malu, opolopo owo.
Distribution: One jabao chicken for Oluo Popo; perform sarayeye with it beforehand, or send it loaded with its ingredients to the manigua. To be directed at the enemy, an inshe lese Ozain with osadie and sesame and gbogbo igui in the person’s name, wrapped with black and red thread; this inshe is sent together with the ebbo to the ilé nigbe with Oluo Popo’s jabao chicken.
In this path there was an awó who suffered from his blood, his chest and his airways, and felt very weakened. While that person was in good health, people loved him; but when he fell ill, they began to reject him.
This awó greatly worshipped Azojuano, and Azojuano in turn loved him dearly. One day he called him and asked what was wrong, and the awó told Azojuano everything. Azojuano told him to take sesame at night and scatter it on the rooftop of the house of the man’s enemies.
The awó did as Azojuano instructed, and when the sun rose and began to beat down on the sesame seeds, they began to burst, and a great epidemic broke out upon the land. They had cast out the son of Oluo Popo, and the people, seeing what was happening, went to the house of Orunmila, who saw this Ifá and ordered them to make ebo with tripe, eya keke, meat, sesame, pulses of every kind, and cloths of two colors. And that is how they were able to save themselves from that evil.
Place behind the door a small sackcloth bag and put into it gbogbo ere, sesame, eku, eya, awado, with a small piece of camphor, a sprig of escoba amarga and cundiamor, with a ribbon of 9 colors.
Maferefun Orunmila, adifafun Oggún
Ebbó: Osiadie okan, adie okan, eyele fun fun okan, ota okan, abiti, un okon y su carga, opolopo owo.
Distribution: All the animals are for Oggún. After this ebbo, they are urgently handed over to the interested party together with the load.
In this path, Obatalá was a trickster and kept the money of the people of his town who were going to Yoko Osha. One day, Obatalá began to gamble with the people’s money and lost it all, because his opponents cheated him, and so he found himself without money. And when his enemies learned of it, they began to tell everyone, creating a great araye against him.
When Obatalá heard of this, and thinking that those he had wronged would come at once to claim their money, he had a great trap built in front of his door: a pit covered with branches, herbs, and a mat on top. Thus, whenever someone came to Obatalá’s house, they fell into the trap.
Among that group of wronged people there was a man who, weighing the rumors of Obatalá’s swindle, went to the house of Orunmila, who saw this Ifá and ordered him to make ebo, warning him that when he went to Obatalá’s house he should not enter, but should throw the ebo onto the mat at the door without stepping on it, and that he would uncover the trap.
When the man arrived at Obatalá’s house and was invited in, he let the ebo fall onto the mat, and it dropped into the pit. Seeing this, he went around the back of the house and entered. The servants, on seeing him, said that Obatalá was not in. Then the man set Obatalá’s Oggún down on the floor, and in doing so made a great noise. Obatalá was startled and cried out, and so the whole trap was uncovered.
Be careful with the person chosen as godfather or godmother, for there is surely a trap laid against the godchild. It speaks of the buried prenda judía that creates difficulties.
Works and ebbó of Iroso Ofun
Works of iroso fun
- Ebbo
- A dog, a chain, a rope, akuko and $6.30.
- Ebbo
- Akuko, 3 crickets, 2 adie and $16.30.
Prayers and suyeres of Iroso Ofun
Liturgical material transcribed from the source manuscripts; it is preserved verbatim.
Prayer
Eshu Opini Abedo Orillele Lori Aparta Imbujo Nibe Chubu Imbelotan Umbe Bancubu Tarifa Adifafun Oluo Chin Allare Remi Abo Lebo Imbilo Guo Fige Eyele Adie Lebo.
Orishas in this sign
The orishas that the letter itself links to this sign, according to the source:
Other aspects
Ewé of the sign
Ajonjolí (sesame), frijol caballero, dried herbs.
Iroso Fun Oshu Oponi Minuma Awado Orilele Lori Apata Inbujo Nibeshubu Inbelotan Unbe Elopo Bashubu Inbe Tarifa Adifafun Oluwo.