Ogbe — The Open Mouth, Pure Light

Ogbe is the senior-most of the sixteen Olódù (principal Odù), composed entirely of single marks (I I I I) on the opón Ifá (divination board). As Bascom records in 'Ifá Divination,' Ogbe ranks first in the hierarchical ordering established by Orunmila and represents the primordial utterance of Olodumare — pure ashé made manifest as light and breath. The ese Ifá (oral verses) of Ogbe warn that untempered authority invites its own reversal, teaching that even the highest Odù must be seasoned with iwa pele (gentle character) to sustain its blessings.