How to memorise the seniority of the 16 Odus.

On Earth, Ogbe is the senior but in heaven, it is Ofun. Ogbe is greeted Saaki odu!, a royal greeting. While Ofun is greeted Yeeparipa odu! Which I consider as solemn. The odus are 16 in number and they were the first disciples of Orunmila. The first initiates. I presume they were given those names by Orunmila and probably commissioned to make the character of the odu their motto for living.


Ogbe is supporter

Oyeku is death averter

Iwori is clarity

Odi is blockade

Irosun is fertility or plenty

Owonrin is scarcity


Obara is nobility

Okanran is the one who encounters challenges


Ogunda is the creator, the initiator.


Osa is the aggressor or the one that makes the enemy to flee


Ika is the one that sets boundaries or that contains


Oturupon is the one who always has a back up plan


Otura has no secrets and does not hide anything from anyone.


Irete uses whatever he has to make himself better


Ose never loses. Ose is the conqueror.

Ofun is benevolent, he will share with his neighbour whatever he has.


Ofun is said to be stronger than all except Owonrin. So if Owonrin is cast before Ofun, Owonrin is senior and if Ofun before Owonrin, Ofun is senior.


To remember easily their rank, use OIOO standing for Ogbe Irosun Ogunda Otura. Ogbe leads the first quartet of Ogbe, Oyeku, Iwori, Odi meaning support, death averter, clarity and blockade. Irosun leads the second quartet of Irosun Owonrin Obara, Okanran meaning Plenty, scarcity, Noble, Challenges. Ogunda leads the third of Ogunda Osa Ika Oturupon meaning creator, aggressor, binder and two wisdoms and Otura leads the fourth of Otura, Irete, Ose and Ofun meaning the Undressed one, the forger, the conqueror and the benefactor.