Lares (redirected from Lar)

lares (lâr`ēz), in Roman religion, guardian spirits. According to some they were ghosts of the dead, destructive spirits who frequented crossroads and had to be propitiated. Others say that the lares were farm deities, worshiped as fertility powers of the earth. The most common myth, however, identifies them as household gods, beneficent spirits of ancestors, worshiped in close connection with the penates.

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Lares

In Roman religion, guardian deities. Originally gods of cultivated fields, Lares were later worshiped in association with the Penates, the gods of the household. The household Lar, considered the centre of the family cult, was often represented as a youthful figure holding a drinking horn and cup. Two Lares might be portrayed standing on either side of Vesta or some other deity. A prayer was said to the Lar or Lares every morning, and offerings were made at family festivals. Public Lares presided over local districts marked by a crossroads; state Lares (praestites), guardians of Rome, were worshiped in a temple on the Via Sacra.

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Lares 

in the religion of ancient Rome, protector-deities who were venerated in every private dwelling. Their images were usually kept in a small closet near the hearth or in a special small room. It was believed that the lares were present at family meals and all family affairs.

There were also lares who were venerated as the protectors of roads; their images were placed at crossroads. The holiday of Larentalia (December 23) was celebrated in honor of these lares.