Shedu

### Description

Large flying lions with rainbow iridescent wings. Briefly lived in Daevabad and become an enduring symbol of the Nahids. They haven't been seen by djinn in over a millennia.

The shedu are magical lions with large, iridescent rainbow wings. They generally live with the peri in the Bami Dunya mountain peaks in Tukharistan. The shedu briefly allied with the early Nahids and lived in Daevabad for a time, until the Nahids lost their way and the peri called them back to the mountains. They remain important to Daevabad culture and are considered sacred animals to the Daeva and a symbol of the Nahids. Shedu can fly, and only eat fruit.

## History

### Origins

The shedu make their homes in the highest peaks of the Bami Dunya mountain range, which is also the home of the peri. Not much is known about them except that they live in packs, and only eat fruit.

### Taming of the Shedu

Anahid's youngest grandson Zal e-Nahid climbed the highest peaks in Bami Dunya, found the shedu pack leaders, and wrestled several of them into submission. Earning their respect and/or given permission by the peri, the shedu then flew Zal back to Daevabad and remained in the city to aid him and the other Nahids for centuries. Given that Razu was alive when Anahid's grandchildren ruled Daevabad and during Alexander the Great's reign, Zal's taming of the shedu may have occurred sometime between 300-500 BC. (It is not said whether Razu saw shedu in Daevabad, so it may have happened after she gave herself to the ifrit.)

### Assisting the Nahids and protecting Daevabad

While the shedu were allied with the Nahids and living with them in Daevabad, they would also act as mounts for their battles against the ifrit. At times this meant the shedu would be killed in battle along with their Nahid riders.

It is also said that the shedu patrolled the skies over Daevabad.

### Leaving Daevabad

At some point centuries later, the Nahids "stepped off the righteous path" according to the peri, and called back all of the shedu. This may or may not have been related to the increased slaughter of the shafit by the Nahid Council. Whatever the reason, as a result of it the peri called all the shedu back to the Bami Dunya mountains.

Darayavahoush e-Afshin states that the shedu had already been gone for centuries when he had lived in Daevabad, 1400 years prior to The City of Brass. Given the Daevabad timeline, this means the shedu may have only been in Daevabad for 6 centuries, give or take.

### Events during The Empire of Gold

When Nahri e-Nahid and Alizayd al Qahtani were transported to Egypt through marid magic, a shedu (Mishmish) quickly flew to them in the guise of a sudden sandstorm. He inspected them-- a Nahid with no magic and a djinn with Suleiman's seal glowing on his brow-- and then left just as quick, called back by the peri.

Some months later, The peri "invited"/transported Nahri to the Bami Dunya mountain peaks to broker a deal in stopping Dara and saving Daevabad. and granted her the use of Mishmish to visit their kingdom in the air and then return home to Daevabad and aid her appearance as a savior to Daevabad as she already had Suleiman's ring in her possession. Mishmish quickly became protective of Nahri, and aided her and later Jamshid e-Pramukh in battle against Dara and his shadow beasts. Mishmish was gravely injured by those beasts, but Nahri was able to heal him.

Part of the peri's deal with Nahri was for her to use their magical ice dagger to kill Dara, but instead she plunged it into her own heart, and brokered a new deal with them to renew Daevabad's magic lest they become blood indebted to the djinn. They did as she wanted, but this con made them enemies.

Mishmish decided to stay with Nahri in Daevabad, but it is uncertain if other shedu will come to live in Daevabad as well, or if the peri will forbid them from doing so.

## Description

The shedu are winged lions with pale golden fur, silver manes, pale silver eyes, and massive wings with long elegant feathers that glitter in every color of the rainbow. They have cat-like behavior that includes purring, though also display bird-like behavior like making nests or shrieking when injured. They do not speak but they are very intelligent.

### Powers and Abilities

The shedu can fly and seem to sense Nahids. Uncertain whether they can summon sandstorms.

## Notable Members

* Mishmish - the shedu that flies Nahri to the peri kingdom in and then rides with her into battle for the climax of The Empire of Gold. He chooses to stay with Nahri afterwards, making nests out of priceless rugs wherever she currently is, whether that's in the palace or in the hospital.

* The shedu pack leaders that were originally wrestled by Zal e-Nahid, and joined him in living in Daevabad.

## Relation to other tribes

**Peri:** The shedu listen to the peri and generally follow their orders.

**Djinn/Daeva:** At one time the shedu were allied with the Nahids, but that partnership failed long ago and they've had no contact with each other since. However because of their time together, the djinn/daevas view the shedu as legendary creatures, and are still a symbol of the Nahids and therefore of Daevabad. A new partnership was recently begun with Mishmish and Nahri at the end of The Empire of Gold.

**Ifrit:** As the ifrit were enemies of the Nahids, they were therefore enemies of the shedu as well. During the Nahid vs ifrit battles, many shedu were killed.

## Cultural Impact

As the shedu became a symbol of the Nahids, their likeness was used *everywhere*. The image of a roaring shedu with wings outstretched before a rising (or setting) sun became the emblem of the Nahids and was embroidered onto their silk flags and banners, painted over the stone awning fronting the entrance of the Grand Temple, stamped onto gold diadems and other Nahid adornments, and later even makes an appearance on the cover of Rustam's book of paintings that Muntadhir gives to Nahri.. Even the Nahid throne in the palace represents a shedu; with rubies, carnelians, and pink and orange topaz inlaid above the head to resemble the rising sun, while the throne's arms are similarly jeweled to imitate shedu wings and the throne legs carved into heavy clawed paws.

As the warrior servants to the Nahids, the Afshin helmets had brass shedu wings sprouting from its sides, with a plume of real shedu feathers lining the helmet's crest. These feathers were traditionally passed down from father to son. Additionally, the Afshin when sworn in to serve the Nahids were tattooed on their brow with a symbol of a crooked arrow crossed with a stylized shedu wing.

Brass shedu statues frame the palace walls and roof, while two massive brass shedu statues stand guard on either side of the Daeva gate in the midan. (At one point 1400 years ago, one of the Baga Nahids had tried to bewitch the palace wall statues to shoot flames over the arena, to varying dangerous results.) Meanwhile, the palace itself is decorated with shedu motifs, with the throne room's marble columns carved with Nahids riding shedu, royal apartments decorated with wall murals of flying shedu, and even the Nahid hospital has murals and statues of shedu. Shedu also grace various objects, like jade cups carved into the shape of them.

Even the centennial Navasatem parade to celebrate djinn/daeva freedom from Suleiman's bond has a Nahid wearing a simple white gown to represent Anahid and her humble beginnings, an iridescent rainbow chador to give the appearance of a shedu's iridescent wings, and to sit upon a large carved wooden shedu.

## Image Gallery

The Empire of Gold (Fae Crate edition) dust jacket featuring art of Nahri and Mishmish, Ali, and Dara. (2020)A mini book light with the Nahid Crest engraved on the wooden cover. From the Fae Crate Empire of Gold Hangover Recovery Kit (2020)

## Trivia

* The shedu are based on the winged lion/Lamassu of Mesopotamian mythology, and "shedu" itself is Sumerian for the male counterpart of lamassu
* Despite the (Daevabad) shedu being lions with sharp canine teeth, they only eat fruit.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The City of Brass, ch. 22, pg. 393
2. ↑ The Empire of Gold ch. 41 pg. 599
3. ↑ The Kingdom of Copper ch. 1 pg. 45
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Empire of Gold, ch 7, pg. 89
5. ↑ The Empire of Gold, Prologue, pg. 4
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Empire of Gold ch. 39 pg. 587
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The River of Silver ch. 7 Jamshid
8. ↑ Assuming the city of Daevabad began at "year zero" and that the next generation of Nahids would be born each hundred years, Zal taming the shedu would have happened around year 325-475? Assuming the shedu left around year 1000-1100 to give that 'centuries gone' feeling by the time Dara was born in year 1370-ish, that would give a time frame of 6-7 centuries. Potentially less as he was the youngest grandson of Anahid's, and therefore may have been born even later.
9. ↑ The Empire of Gold: author-annotated copy, ch.1
10. ↑ The Empire of Gold ch. 1
11. ↑ The Empire of Gold ch.1
12. ↑ The Empire of Gold ch. 39
13. ↑ The Empire of Gold
14. ↑ The Empire of Gold
15. ↑ The Empire of Gold
16. ↑ The Empire of Gold
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 The Empire of Gold Epilogue pg. 749
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 The River of Silver ch.15 Nahri
19. ↑ The Empire of Gold ch. 39 pg. 579
20. ↑ The Empire of Gold ch. 42 pg. 622
21. ↑ The Empire of Gold ch. 39 pg. 580
22. ↑ The Empire of Gold ch. 1
23. ↑ The River of Silver ch. 12 Zaynab
24. ↑ The City of Brass ch.22 pg. 390
25. ↑ The Empire of Gold ch. 36 pg. 529
26. ↑ The River of Silver ch: Nahri
27. ↑ The City of Brass ch. 8 pg. 148
28. ↑ The Kingdom of Copper, Prologue, pg. 23
29. ↑ The City of Brass
30. ↑ The City of Brass
31. ↑ The City of Brass ch. 4 pg. 65
32. ↑ The Kingdom of Copper ch. 26 pg. 426
33. ↑ The River of Silver
34. ↑ The Kingdom of Copper ch. 1 pg. 41
35. ↑ The Kingdom of Copper Prologue pg. 8
36. ↑ The Kingdom of Copper ch. 30 pg. 474
37. ↑ Wikipedia.org - Lamassu: "šēdu), which refers to the male counterpart of a lamassu"] Accessed March 17, 2022.