Ifá Corpus
Also known as: Odù Ifá, Ifa Literary Corpus, Èsè Ifá, Ifá Divination Verses
The Ifá Corpus comprises the 256 odù and their thousands of verses (èsè), a vast body of Yoruba divinatory poetry, myth, ethics, and prescriptions recited by babaláwo. It encodes cosmogony, heroic episodes, and moral counsel used to interpret destiny and prescribe ritual action.
Description
The Ifá Corpus is the central textual-oracular body of the Yoruba religious tradition, organized into 256 odù (sixteen principal patterns and their derivatives). Each odù contains numerous memorized verses—poems, myths, parables, proverbs, and historical vignettes—recited responsively during divination with palm nuts (ìkín) or the opele chain. Through these verses, Ifá—personified as Òrúnmìlà, the orisha of wisdom—reveals causes of misfortune, maps possibilities of destiny (òrí), and recommends sacrifices (èbò) and conduct (ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́). The corpus preserves creation narratives, migrations, royal foundations, and etiologies for rituals and taboos, while offering a practical ethic for householders, rulers, and specialists. Transmitted orally by guilds of priests across Yorubaland and the diaspora (e.g., Lukumí/Ifá in Cuba, Candomblé in Brazil), it remains a living archive continually performed, interpreted, and expanded within lineages.
Historiography
The corpus is preserved through rigorous oral training and performance among babaláwo lineages; no single canonical written recension exists. Early records were made by missionaries, colonial administrators, and Yoruba scholars, followed by systematic publications and translations in the 20th century. Scholarly debates concern the age of particular odù, regional variants, and the balance between mythic, historical, and didactic layers. Diasporic lineages (Cuba, Brazil, Benin Republic communities) maintain cognate but distinct textual repertoires and ritual emphases.
Date Notes
An orally transmitted divinatory-poetic corpus preserved by babaláwo lineages for centuries; first substantial transcriptions and scholarly editions appear in the 19th–20th centuries.
Archetypes
Symbols
Major Characters
- Orunmila
- Eshu
- Shango
- Ogun
- Oshun
- Yemoja
Myths
- The Descent of Orunmila
- Creation by Obatala and Oduduwa
- Shango’s Thunder and Kingship
- Oshun’s Primacy among the Orisha
Facts
- The corpus is structured into 256 odù: sixteen principal signs and 240 derivatives.
- Divination employs palm nuts (ìkín) or the opele chain to generate an odù pattern.
- Each odù contains many memorized verses (èsè) used to diagnose causes and prescribe remedies.
- Òrúnmìlà is the patron of Ifá; Èṣù mediates communication and the efficacy of offerings.
- Ethical teaching centers on ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́ (good character) and alignment with one’s orí (destiny).
- Ritual prescriptions (èbò) are paired with narratives and proverbs for practical guidance.
- There is no single fixed canon; repertoires vary by lineage, town, and diaspora.
- Ifá literature preserves cosmogony, royal foundations, migrations, and etiologies of taboos.
- Priestly training requires years of memorization, interpretation, and ritual competence.
- Cognate systems thrive in the Atlantic diaspora, notably in Cuba (Lukumí/Ifá) and Brazil (Candomblé).