the Sixteen Great Fa Signs: Messages, Devises, Legends, and Sacrifices from Oral Tradition of Dahomey: 1

The sixteen foundational signs of Ifa are the pillars of the entire sacred system. The 256 Odu all derive from these sixteen - they are their children, combinations, and elaborations. To know the sixteen is to have the key to the entire corpus.The Sixteen Great Fa Signs presents the foundational Odu - the sixteen Meji - through a dual lens: from the Yoruba Ifa tradition and from the West African Fa tradition of the Dahomean and Fon peoples. Drawing on the landmark comparative work of Bernard Maupoil and the oral corpus of practicing Babalawos, this book presents what the sixteen principal signs govern, what they say, and what they demand.Babalawo Olodu Ifadahunsi Egundiran Obafemi Alladahanou, Akoda Awo of UNIOV, brings both initiatory knowledge and deep familiarity with the comparative literature to this essential reference.For each of the sixteen signs, this book provides: The Yoruba name and the corresponding Fon/Fa name - showing the shared heritage across two great West African traditions.The governing principles of each sign - what aspect of human destiny and cosmic order each Meji oversees.The primary themes of each Odu - what it says about health, wealth, children, marriage, conflict, victory, and death.The associated Orisa and Vodou - which divine forces are linked to each sign in both traditions.Sacred verses (Ese Ifa) - selected verses from the corpus of each Meji with English translation and commentary.Ebo and taboo - what each sign demands and what it forbids.The signature personality of each Odu - how to recognize the influence of a particular Meji in a person's life or divination.This is the reference that every student of Ifa needs before attempting to work with the deeper corpus. Master the sixteen and the 256 become navigable.Nubala Ifa Library. Published by Nubala Publishing.