Shedu

• #2974
•  Middle Eastern (culture)
•  Flying (attribute)
•  Domestic (attribute)
•  Friendly (behaviour)

A winged bull with a human face from the myths of ancient Babylon. Their bodies are large and strong and on their head they have a Babylonian cylindrical hat. They also have a long black beard fashionable amongst many men of that period. The Shedu guards temples, palaces and other large buildings. They are known as a kind of friendly demon who helps guard buildings from thieves. The Shedu started out as protectors to peoples home. An image would be carved on tablets that would be put under the front door or they were placed on the front of the door. Later the Shedu appeared as big domineering statues the flanked the sides of an entrance into a temple or palace. They were so highly regarded that the god Papsukkai was protected by a Shedu.

Statues of a Shedu are created by the doorways of sacred buildings. Many remnants of these buildings containing statues of the Shedu can be found in many museums across the world. They are sculpted in a walking motion to emphasize the power of the beast. The oldest bas relief af a Shed dates back to 3000 B.C.E. from the old province of Ebla. An image of the Shedu appears on the logo of the United States Forces of Iraq.

Does Shedu Exist?

Know something about Shedu?