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''Shedim'' is the Hebrew word for demons. The word ''shedim'' appears only twice (always plural) in the Tanakh, at and . It was possibly a loan-word from Akkadian in which the word ''sedu'' referred to a protective, benevolent spirit. Both times the term appears in the Tanakh, it deals with child or animal sacrifice to false gods that are called demons.〔W. Gunther Plaut, ''The Torah: A Modern Commentary'' (Union for Reform Judaism, 2005), p. 1403 ( online ); Dan Burton and David Grandy, ''Magic, Mystery, and Science: The Occult in Western Civilization'' (Indiana University Press, 2003), p. 120 (online. )〕 The word may also derive from the "Sedim, Assyrian guard spirits"〔Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses - Judika Illes - HarperCollins, Jan 2009 - p. 902 ()〕 as referenced according to lore "Azael slept with Naamah and spawned Assyrian guard spirits known as sedim".〔The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology - Rosemary Guiley - Infobase Publishing, May 12, 2010 = p. 21 ()〕 ==Folklore and Kabbalah== ''Shedim'' are said to have had the feet and claws of a cock.〔Marc Carlson, ''Notes on a demonic pantheon''()〕 According to one legend, the ''shedim'' are descendants of serpents, or of demons in the form of serpents, alluding to in the serpent in Eden as related in Genesis. To others they are descendants of Adam and Lilith. Another legend said that God had started making them, intending for them to be humans, but did not complete their creation because He was resting during the Sabbath. Even after the Shabbat, He left them how they were to show that when Shabbat comes, all work must be viewed as complete. Supposedly, sinful people sacrificed their daughters to the shedim, but it is unclear if the sacrifice consisted in the murdering of the victims or in the sexual satisfaction of the demons. To see if these demons were present in some place, ashes were thrown to the ground or floor, and then their footsteps became visible. The ''shedim'' are supposed to follow the dead or fly around graves. There are many things that one is admonished not to do in order to avoid invoking ''shadim'', such as whistling or even saying the word "shedim." Rabbi Yehudah HaChasid wrote in his tzavaah that one should not seal up windows completely because it traps ''shedim'' in the house. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「shedim」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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