The sixteen major signs of the Fâ are the sixteen fundamental figures on which the whole divination system of Beninese voodoo rests. Combined two by two, they give the 256 signs of the Fâ. This page gives their names, spellings and notation, as a bokonon can publish them; interpretation remains the bokonon’s work, sign by sign and situation by situation.
At the temple of Sakété, what the sixteen signs represent
Direct observationWêtê Agbonon, vodun priest and bokonon of the Fâ, at the temple of Sakété
When I speak of the sixteen signs of the Fâ, I speak of the sixteen fundamental figures from which the whole system is built; with us, I speak of mother signs, or fundamental signs. A bokonon looks at far more than the shape that appears: the sign, its position in the system, its relationships with the other signs, the context of the consultation, the question asked, and above all the body of words that makes it possible to interpret it[1].
That is why I always say that a sign is not stuck on a person like a label. Two people may see the same figure appear without receiving exactly the same message, because the situation, the questions, the complementary elements and the work of interpretation differ. The sign must be read within a situation.
Key points
- The sixteen major signs are the fundamental figures of the Fâ; combined two by two, they give 256.
- The number from 1 to 16 marks a position in the series, without any hierarchy of power.
- Knowing a sign’s name says nothing about its interpretation for a person.
The Fâ is read within a situation, like a dialogue, and never like a horoscope[1].
The sixteen signs, their names and notation
Each major sign is made of four rows, read from top to bottom, each marked with a single stroke (I) or a double stroke (II); in a major sign, the same figure appears in both columns. Spellings vary between languages, schools and lineages[1][2].
| No. | Sign | Other spellings | Notation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gbé | Ogbé, Gbe | I I I I |
| 2 | Yɛku | Yêkou, Yeku | II II II II |
| 3 | Woli | Woli | II I I II |
| 4 | Di | Di | I II II I |
| 5 | Losso | Loso | I I II II |
| 6 | Wlin | Winlin, Wêle | II II I I |
| 7 | Abla | Abla | I II II II |
| 8 | Aklán | Aklan, Aklâ | II II II I |
| 9 | Guda | Guda | I I I II |
| 10 | Sa | Sa | II I I I |
| 11 | Ka | Ka | II I II II |
| 12 | Trukpin | Turukpê | II II I II |
| 13 | Tula | Tula | I II I I |
| 14 | Lɛtɛ | Lètè, Lete | I I II I |
| 15 | Cɛ | Tchè, Ce | I II I II |
| 16 | Fu | Fu | II I II I |
A precaution I insist on: do not present the number from 1 to 16 as an absolute hierarchy of power. The number marks a position in the series we use. Sign 1 is no “better” than sign 16, and a sign placed higher is not automatically more powerful[1].
From sixteen signs to 256
The Fâ is historically related to the Yoruba divination system, Ifá. According to UNESCO, which inscribed the Ifa divination system of Nigeria on the intangible heritage of humanity in 2008, its corpus has 256 parts, the odu, themselves divided into verses, the ese, whose exact number is unknown; the knowledge is kept and passed on by communities of priests[3]. The reference study of the Fâ, published by Bernard Maupoil in 1943, describes the same architecture on the former Slave Coast[2].
To obtain a sign, the bokonon today most often uses a divination chain, the akplɛkan, or the sixteen sacred palm nuts[4]. The signs also marked power: at the court of Abomey, before a king’s coronation and in times of crisis, the rulers consulted the Fâ, and some royal emblems, such as the elephant or the buffalo associated with Kings Ghezo and Glele, are among its 256 symbols[5]. See Abomey.
What can be published, and what stays reserved
One can publish a sign’s name, its spelling, its number in a given series, its graphic representation, the general principle of the sixteen figures, and the fact that they build the 256 configurations of the Fâ. What I will not publish, on the pretext of making a complete encyclopedia, are the initiatory bodies of knowledge, the words passed on in their entirety, the ritual formulas, and the knowledge that belongs to transmission between bokonon. Documenting a tradition and publishing everything it contains are two different things[1]. UNESCO recalls it too: the knowledge of Ifá is kept and passed on within communities of priests[3].
The “birth sign” mistake
This is something I truly want to correct. Some people now offer: “Give me your date of birth and I will tell you your Fâ sign,” then give a general description of character, sometimes with promises about money, love or success. That is not how I present the Fâ. There may be traditions and consultations linked to birth, destiny or a person’s path, but they do not make the Fâ a horoscope. A sign of the Fâ does not describe a personality defined in advance, and knowing a sign’s name does not give its interpretation for a person: that is precisely the bokonon’s work. For the system itself, see What is the Fâ?; for the link between the Fâ and the creative power, see Mawu-Lisa[1].
What we know, and how we know it
What comes from oral tradition
The words attached to each sign are passed on between bokonon, and remain reserved[1].
What comes from direct observation
Reading a sign within a situation, and refusing the birth-sign horoscope, come from my practice[1].
What is documented
The 256 signs, the corpus of Ifá and the signs as royal emblems are established by UNESCO, researchers and museums[3][2][5].
What is interpretation
Refusing to rank the signs by power is a reading I defend[1].
What is still debated
The spellings of the signs vary between languages, schools and lineages[2].
Common misconceptions about the signs
Frequently asked questions
What are the sixteen signs of the Fâ?
The sixteen fundamental figures of the divination system of southern Benin; combined two by two, they give 256 signs.
What are the names of the sixteen signs?
Gbé, Yɛku, Woli, Di, Losso, Wlin, Abla, Aklán, Guda, Sa, Ka, Trukpin, Tula, Lɛtɛ, Cɛ and Fu, with spellings that vary.
Can I know my Fâ sign from my date of birth?
No: the Fâ is not a horoscope; a sign is read within a situation by a bokonon.
What is the link between the Fâ and Ifá?
The Fâ is historically related to the Yoruba Ifá, whose corpus also has 256 parts.
Glossary
- Akplɛkan: the divination chain of the Fâ.
- Odu: the 256 parts of the corpus of Ifá.
- Mɛnji: the sixteen cardinal, or “double”, signs.
Notes and references
[1] Direct observation and oral transmission, Wêtê Agbonon, bokonon, temple of Sakété.
[2] MAUPOIL Bernard, La Géomancie à l’ancienne Côte des Esclaves, Paris, Institut d’ethnologie, 1943.
[3] UNESCO, Intangible Cultural Heritage, « Ifa divination system », inscribed in 2008. See (in French)
[4] Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, « An Introduction to Fa Divination of Benin ». See
[5] The Metropolitan Museum of Art, « Elephant figure », silver, court of Abomey, nineteenth century. See
Sources
- MAUPOIL Bernard, La Géomancie à l’ancienne Côte des Esclaves, 1943.
- UNESCO, « Ifa divination system », 2008.
- Direct observation and oral transmission, temple of Sakété, 1994–2026
Cite this entry
Wêtê Agbonon, « The sixteen signs of the Fâ », dans Vodun Bénin, l’encyclopédie du vodun béninois, entry no. 027, updated on 28 October 2026. Online: https://vodunbenin.org/en/sixteen-signs-of-the-fa/ (accessed on 1 November 2026). Licence CC BY 4.0.
- Last checked : 7 October 2026
- Reuse : free, with attribution, under the licence CC BY 4.0
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