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

Shedu

The Shedu is a celestial being from Mesopotamian mythology. He is a human above the waist and a bull…

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. 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.

Winged Bull from Nimrud

The Sumerian word lama, which is rendered in Akkadian as lamassu, refers to a beneficient protective…