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A tutelary spirit or patron god is a god, often a minor god, who serves as the guardian or watcher over a particular site, person, or nation. For example, in Greek polytheism, Athena was the patron goddess (or "matron goddess") of the city of Athens; in Roman polytheism, Janus was the patron god of doors, gates, time, and the like. Belief in tutelary gods or spirits often reflects a tradition of animism.

The Roman religion had dozens of tutelary spirits, such as Diana of Aricia, who watched over a sacred grove at Aricia, or the goddess Levana, who watched over young children. The Lares and Penates were local tutelary deities, as was the genius loci, a spirit said to be present in certain places. A person's own individual guardian spirit was his genius. Shinto is also a religion whose many spirits, or kami, could be described as tutelary, like the Islamic djinns, or "genies". Notable, however, is that the Arabic word is of a completely different origin, though it has similarities with genius both phonetically and by meaning.

Catholicism and Orthodox Christianities each have many tutelaries, most of which are shared. For example, there is Christopher who is said to have carried Jesus a full three centuries after the Resurrection or Fiacre patron saint of gardeners and haemorrhoids[1]. Occasionally, patron saints are called tutelary saints to reflect their origin.

Tutelary spirits appear in Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

In Vajrayana Buddhism tutelary deities are referred to as yidam.

In the Sanatana Dharma, tutelary deities are known as ishta-devata.

In Transpersonal psychology, tutelary deities are often referred to collectively as Archetypes.

In animistic and shamanic worldviews, tutelary deities, if zoomorphic, may take the form of power animals.

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