guardian spirit

Supernatural being that protects people or places. Belief in guardian spirits is found worldwide and has a long history. Such spirits may be thought to dwell in rocks, rivers, or trees; others are associated with crops or buildings. Many faiths teach that each person has a guardian spirit or angel who watches over them. In Islam there are believed to be two such angels, one on either shoulder. In many branches of Christianity it is believed that at birth everyone is given a guardian angel to whom they can turn in times of stress or temptation. The Christian concept of patron saints – St Christopher, for example, is believed to protect travellers – may have developed from a belief in guardian spirits.