Apetebi or iyawo ifa is the name given to the wife of a babalawo.Before a woman is chosen as apetebi,the babalawo does a reading to know the ikosejaye(destined path) of the woman in question and to acertain if ifa will accept the person and work with her.Apetebis are held in high esteem because of their moral and spiritual standing in the society,apetebi must not lie,fornicate or engage in any degrading activity because ifa will expose her and such exposure is always dangerous.It is the apetebi that keeps the OJO OSE(ifa week day),she administers the Iyewu(ifa's abode),she prepares some of the aseje,oogun and other minor spiritual work for the babalawo,this requires her to be in an impeccable state of physical cleanliness and spiritual purity.Apetebi gets the first and best of everything and she must be well taken care of because ifa forbids for her to lack anything,it is a taboo to seduce an apetebi as the odu ogunda ika explains.
Eniti o fi enipeni nin gbayawo babalawo
Eniyan ti o fi eyan peyan nigbayawo onisegun
Enikeru si koto tonwa gegele wamu ishuka nigbayawo awo
Adifa fun ogirisasa agbe toni ohun ogba iyawo Edu
Oni asiko wade wayio temo edu loba..Aboru Aboye.
He that lacks respect is the one that takes a babalawo's wife
He that is callous and without honour is the one that takes the wife of a herbalist
He that has dug his own grave and comes up to pack his earthly luggage is the one that takes the wife of the initiated
This is the divination lot of the farmer who tried to take the wife of Edu
Now is the time to give honour to Edu as the king..Aboru Aboye.
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