Shedu
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Human-headed winged bulls and lions in situ, otherwise known as Lamassu

The Sumerian word lama, which is rendered in Akkadian as lamassu, refers to a beneficient protective female deity. The corresponding male deity was called alad, in Akkadian, šêdu (Hebrew šed שד).^[1]

In art they were depicted as hybrids, as winged bulls or lions with the head of a human male (Centauroid). There are still surviving figures of šêdu in bas-relief and some statues in museums. Notable examples of šêdu/lamassu held by museums include those at the British Museum, Musée du Louvre, National Museum of Iraq, Metropolitan Museum of Art and one extremely large example kept at the Oriental Institute, Chicago. They are generally attributed to the ancient Assyrians.^{[2] [3]}

To protect houses the shedu were engraved in clay tablets, which were buried under the door's threshold^{citation needed}. At the entrance of palaces often placed as a pair. At the entrance of cities they were sculpted in colossal size, and placed as a pair, one at each side of the door of the city, that generally had doors in the surrounding wall, each one looking towards one of the cardinal points^{citation needed}.

Shedu (Lamassu)

The Shedu is a celestial being from Mesopotamian mythology. He is a human above the waist and a bull below the waist. He also has the horns and the ears of a bull.

The bull man helps people fight evil and chaos. He holds the gates of dawn open for the sun god Shamash and supports the sun disc. He is often shown on Cylinder Seals.^{citation needed}

It appears frequently in Mesopotamian art, sometimes with wings. Statues of the bull-man were often used as gatekeepers.^{citation needed}

Shedu and Lammasu in fiction

Lammasu and Shedu are two distinct types of good-aligned creatures in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Lammasu also appear in the Magic: The Gathering trading card game as the white card Hunted Lammasu in the Ravnica: City of Guilds expansion.

In Demon: The Fallen the Lammasu are a house of fallen angels; see Houses in Demon: The Fallen. Lammasu is also a large bull-like creature in service of the Chaos Dwarfs in Warhammer Fantasy Battle.

A bull with a man's head is found among the creatures that make up Aslan's army in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He appears at the Stone Table, challenging the White Witch "with a great bellowing voice". In the film Alexander, Lamassu are seen at the Ishtar Gate in Babylon.

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British Museum Collection

The British Museum - Human Headed Winged Lions and Reliefs from Nimrud with the Gates of Balawat

The British Museum - Human Headed Winged Bulls from Khorsabad

The British Museum - Human Headed Winged Lion and Bull from Nimrud, companion pieces in Metropolitan Museum of Art

The British Museum - Assyrian Sculpture, notice the colossal Lion Lamassu

Musée du Louvre Collection

Musée du Louvre - Human Headed Winged Bulls from Khorsabad, otherwise known as Lamassu's

Musée du Louvre - Human Headed Winged Bulls, Sculpture and Reliefs from Khorsabad, note the Lamassu in the foreground is a cast from the Oriental Institute, Chicago

Musée du Louvre - Human Headed Winged Bulls and Reliefs from Khorsabad

Musée du Louvre - Human Headed Winged Bulls and Reliefs from Khorsabad

Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection

The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Human Headed Winged Lion and Bull from Nimrud, companion pieces in the British Museum

Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago Collection

See also

Mythology portal

Ancient Near East portal

• Cherub
• Minotaur

References

External links

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Shedu