Yaksha

(feminine yakshi) A class of minor
deities who are essentially nature spirits
and are often narrowly associated with
particular places. Yakshas are reckoned
as the attendants of the deity Kubera,
who is regarded as the guardian of the
northern direction and the lord of
wealth. The yakshas are generally
regarded as beneficent toward human
beings, and because of their associations with the generative power of
nature and with Kubera’s wealth, they
are often regarded as bestowing wealth
and fertility. Yakshas have a long history
of appearances in Indian sectarian literature, where they are either portrayed as
guardian spirits or as examples of
depravity. Although it is fairly old, the
only extensive monograph on yakshas is
Ananda Coomaraswamy, Yaksas, 1971.