Sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

Shems or Melek Shams ad-Din () is a holy figure venerated in

Yazidism Yazidism , alternatively Sharfadin is a Monotheism, monotheistic ethnic religion that has roots in a western Ancient Iranian religion, Iranic pre-Zoroastrian religion directly derived from the Indo-Iranians, Indo-Iranian tradition. It is follow ...

, he is considered one of the Seven Divine Beings, to all of whom God assigned the World's affairs, and his earthly incarnation is considered one of the four sons of Ezdina Mir along with

Nasirdîn Sheikh Nasirdin, Melek Nasirdin or Naṣir ad-Dīn () is a holy figure venerated in Yezidism, he is considered one of the Seven Divine Beings, to all of whom God assigned the World's affairs, and his earthly incarnation is considered one of the fo ...

Fexredîn Sheikh or Malak Fakhr ad-Dīn () is a holy figure venerated in Yazidism, he is considered one of the Seven Divine Beings, to all of whom God assigned the World's affairs, and his earthly incarnation is considered one of the four sons of Ezdina Mi ...

, and

Sicadîn Sheikh Sejadin or Sejad ad-Dīn () is a holy figure venerated in Yazidism, he is considered one of the Seven Divine Beings, to all of whom God assigned the World's affairs, and his earthly incarnation is considered one of the four sons of Ezdina M ...

, who are the respective ancestors and patriarchs of the four Şemsanî Sheikh lineages.

Biography

Sêx Şems, also known as Şêşims, and Şemsedîn, is one of the members of the Heptad and one of the most fundamental theological symbols in Yazidism as the divinity of the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

, source of light and life, the divine light of God. He is also linked with

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

, which is his terrestrial counterpart and

oaths Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to giv ...

, which are sworn by the doorway of his shrine. Annually, during the

Feast of the Assembly The Feast of the Assembly is a Yazidi festival. As the greatest festival of the Yazidi calendar, it is called the ''Cêjna Cemaiya'' in Kurmanji, which includes an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Sheikh Adi (''Şêx Adî'') in Lalish, northern ...

, a ceremonial bull sacrifice is performed in front of his shrine in

Lalish Lalish ( ku, لالش, translit=Laliş, also known as Lalişa Nûranî) is a mountain valley and temple in Shekhan, Duhok Governorate in Iraq. It is the holiest temple of the Yazidis. It is the location of the tomb of the Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, ...

. Şêx Şems is the eponym of one of the four principal Şemsanî Sheikh lineages, was the patriarch of the Şemsanî family and brother of Fexredîn, Sicadîn and Nasirdîn.

Children

The nine sons of Sheikh Shems are:Diar Khalaf and Hayri Demir. 2013. ''Mythos und Legende der Shex Mend und das Symbol der Schlange'' (Myth and legend of the Şêx Mend and the symbol of the snake) (in German). *Şêx Alê Şemsa * Şêx Amadînê Şemsa *Şêx Avîndê Şemsa *Şêx Babadînê Şemsa *Şêx Bavikê Şemsa *Şêx ʿEvdalê Şemsa *Şêx Hesenê Şemsa *Şêxê Reş (Cinteyar) *Şêx Tokilê Şemsa *Şêx Xidirê Şemsa His daughters are: * Sitiya Îs/Ês * Sitiya Nisret * Sitiya Bilxan (Belqan)

References

Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Yazidi mythology Yazidi history Yazidi religion 12th-century Kurdish people Yazidi holy figures Sun myths {{Yazidi-stub