Shedim

Shedim are demons or spirits, according to Jewish mysticism. Some are reputed to have had the legs of a cock.

These beings are allegedly mentioned in Psalms 106:37, although biblical translations use the word "demons". Theoretically, 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.

According to one legend the shedim are descendants of serpents (supposedly of demons in the form of serpents, as Satan is alluded to in the Hebrew Bible's serpent at Genesis), meanwhile to others they are descendants of Adam and Lilith. Another legend said that God did not complete their creation because he was resting during the Sabbath, and then forgot them completely.

The shedim are supposed to follow the dead or fly around graves.

This word is a plural, and although the nature and appearance of these dangerous Jewish demons is very different according to one of the legends, the name was surely taken from shedu. It was perhaps due to the fact that the shedu were often depicted as bulls, and this was associated with the sacrifices made in honour of other gods depicted as bulls or wearing bull's horns like Moloch and Baal, and to the fact that Pagan deities were easily turned into demons by monotheistic religions.

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 tzavah that one should not seal up windows completely because it traps shedim in the house.