Shedu

In Akkadian mythology the shedu were a type of demon, but they were demons of a benevolent nature, protective spirits of the houses, palaces and cities.

In art they were depicted as winged bulls and, less commonly, as winged lions; both forms had the heads of human males. The lion form is sometimes called lamassu. There are still surviving figures of shedu in bas-reliefs and some statues in museums.

To protect houses the shedu were engraved in clay tablets, which were buried under the door's threshold. At the entrance of palaces they were sculpted in natural size, and often placed as a pair, one at each side of the stairs that led to the door. 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 four doors in the surrounding wall, each one looking towards one of the cardinal points.

To build these statues some rituals should be followed, and some conjurations should be engraved in cuneiform characters to make effective the desired protective effect.