This word comes from the late Latin “tutelarius,” meaning “a guardian,” originally from the Latin “tutela,” meaning “protection, watching.” Theological history is filled with tutelary deities, who were deemed guardians of everything from a specific location or person to occupations. Athena, for example, was the patron goddess of the city of Athens and the goddess of peace, and Hephaestus was the god of artisans, blacksmiths, and carpenters (to name just a few things they were known for). Ancient Greek and Roman religions also believed in personal, tutelary gods for individuals from birth to death. In Christianity, the idea of “guardian angels” could be considered a type of tutelary figure.