Irosun Ose: Pride, Ebo, and the Iyami

[Omowale]

The ẹsẹ Odu Ifa I would like to share is one where an entire town needed to consult Ifa.


Ìrosùn Ẹpẹ́rẹ́ (Ìrosùn Ọ̀sẹ́)

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Ẹri jẹjẹ, ẹri jẹjẹ
Àdífá fún Ifẹ̀ Oòdáyé
They were told not to rejoice too much when they see goodness


The inhabitants of Ifẹ̀ Oòdáyé consulted Ifa to know if their town could become better. The priests said it would but when the goodness came, they should not rejoice too much. So they were told to sacrifice one bush rat, three cocks, and 3,000 cowries.

The inhabitants of Ifẹ̀ Oòdáyé refused to make this sacrifice. They said they could not refrain from rejoicing when their requests were to make it in life. How could they make it and not be happy?
A year after, the town prospered. The Olufe picked a date for appeasing his head. The whole town gathered. They sang and rejoiced. While they did this, three strange women came into their midst. At this time, one of the inhabitants of Ifẹ̀ Oòdáyé raised a song that they were fully fed and did not care if anybody went hungry.

The three strange women looked at one another and left the gathering. They utilized the power given to them by Olódùmarè and chaos entered the town. Children were afflicted with chicken pox while adults suffered from guinea worm.

They then once again invited the Ifa priests to know how the town could be free of diseases. He told them that they had insulted the powers that be. They should sacrifice three bush rats, one he-goat and 90,000 cowries.

They made this sacrifice and the priest used the three bush rats for rituals. They killed the he-goat and added other types of meat of it. These they shared amongst the women in the town and the women prayed that the town would have peace. Soon, everything in Ifẹ̀ Oòdáyé became normal.

According to the Araba of Ibadan, Chief Ifalere Odegbemi Adegbola, this Odu tells the seeker that they should not overly rejoice and gloat others. The they should make the sacrifice and distribute food neighbors so Olódùmarè will grant their requests. He also says when we decide to throw a celebration, we should give everybody food. This is including spiritual beings. It can also be money or clothes.

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When I reflect on this verse the first thing I think about is how when we are celebrating we should not be gloating and rubbing it in peoples faces who may have not had success. We should refrain from "flexing" and instead learn how to share and uplift each other. That is our aspect of communalism. If we are smug about our accomplishments among the hungry, surely there will be others who will not be happy.

There is also the part about the people of Ifẹ̀ Oòdáyé refusing sacrifice (ẹbọ), because of their pride. I mentioned in Ẹgbẹ́ Ọmọ Odùduwà how we need to humble ourselves and accept Ifa. Ifa is the spoken word of the universe. As long as we let Ifa take the wheel to steer us to our destiny, we will achieve good destiny meant for us. When we choose pride and arrogance over Ifa's divined wisdom... then we are no longer entitled to the blessings we request. Which leads me to the next part I wanted to address, the Iyami.

The "three strange women" definitely were the Iyami aka Ìyàmí Àjẹ́. In many ìtàn, the Iyami come in three. I remember from a conversation on Ẹgbẹ́ Ọmọ Odùduwà, @Atipo mentioned that the names given to these women are: Ọ̀pàkẹ́, Àlàkẹ́, and Alágogo Idẹ. In this verse, it was the Iyami who punished the townspeople for their arrogance. As the priest said they insulted the universe and insulted the powers that be, which were the Iyami. It is important to note that the Ìyàmí Àjẹ́ are very powerful and respected spiritual beings. I think @Atipo said it well so I will quote him, "According to Yoruba tradition, all women have àṣẹ given to them by the supreme being, the power of creation, because of their ability to bring life and thus they should be respected deeply. Because if a woman uses her motherhood to curse you, that could cause some big issues."

To learn more about the Iyami check out: Who are the Iyami?

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