Lares Familiares are guardianhousehold deities andtutelary deities inancient Roman religion. The singular form isLar Familiaris.Lares were thought to influence all that occurred within their sphere of influence or location. In well-regulated, traditional Roman households, the household Lar or Lares were given daily cult and food-offerings, and were celebrated at annual festivals. They were identified with the home to the extent that a homeward-bound Roman could be described as goingad larem ("to the Lar").

The name "Lar" is of uncertain origin. It seems to derive from theEtruscanlar,lars, orlarth, meaning "lord".^[1][2] Ancient Greek and Roman authors offer "heroes" and "daimones" as translations of "Lares"

TheLar Familiaris cared for the welfare and prosperity of a Romanhousehold. A household'slararium (plurallararia), a shrine to the Lar Familiaris and other domestic divinities, usually stood near the dininghearth or, in a larger dwelling, the semi-publicatrium or reception area of the dwelling. A lararium could be a wall-cupboard with doors, an open niche with small-scale statuary, a projecting tile, a small freestandingshrine, or simply the painted image of a shrine; most Romans lived in apartment blocks or small-scale rural houses, with minimal indoor facilities.

The symbolism and meanings conveyed bylararia and their contents are much disputed. Lararia usually held images of one or more bearded or crested snakes, which are presumed to represent the familygenius, fertility, or generative or procreative power.Lararia almost always contain the central painted image of atogate man, head covered by a fold of his toga, as if at worship or fulfilling his domestic priestly duties, carrying or offering apatera, or sacrificial vessel. This figure is usually said to represent the head of the household, orpaterfamilias. He is symmetrically flanked by two painted or sculpted Lares. The Lar Familiaris is a more-or-less standard image, like otherlares he is young, slender, clad in high boots, a short tunic, and a hitched undergarment.^[4] Garlands adorn his head, and he is lithe, graceful, and nimble. He stands on tiptoe, and offers arhyton,patera, or both; or sometimes, acornucopia. The Lar's statue could be moved from thelararium to wherever its presence was needed. It could be placed on a dining table during feasts or be a witness at weddings and other important family events. Brides were expected to give a coin to theLares of the crossroads (Lares Compitalicii) of their new neighbourhood, and one to thelar of their new home.

References to domesticreligious practice often pair the Lares together with thePenates. Penates, although also domestic guardian spirits, were more specifically protectors of the master of the household and his immediatefamily. The Lar Familiaris, on the other hand, protected all household members, free orslave, and was associated with a particular place. If a family moved out, their Penates went with them, but the Lar stayed. Tradition holds that a family's Lar would generously help those who honored him bydevotionals andsacrifices, but would turn his back to those who would not offer him thanks or neglected him.

The Roman playwrightPlautus offers a moral tale concerning a household and its Lar. In theAulularia (lines 1–36) a grandfather begs his Lar to hide the familygold, so the Lar buries it under the hearth. When the grandfather dies, the Lar does not reveal where the gold is hidden because the son has never remembered to honor the Lar; nor has the grandson, Euclio, a frightful miser. Euclio's daughter is ready to marry, pregnant by an elderly, wealthy neighbour, but has nodowry. However, she shows apious disposition to the Lar and towards her family, so the Lar sets in motion a complicated chain of events whereby Euclio finds the gold. Much of the play is incomplete, but what survives has Euclio seeing the error of his miserly ways. He bestows the gold upon his daughter for a dowry, so that all ends well.

• Teraphim
• Familiar

• Beard, M.,North, J., Price, S.,Religions of Rome, vol. 2, illustrated, reprint, Cambridge University Press, 1998.ISBN 0-521-45646-0
• Giacobello, Federica, Larari pompeiani. Iconografia e culto dei Lari in ambito domestico, LED Edizioni Universitarie, Milano, 2008,ISBN 978-88-7916-374-3
• Waites, Margaret C., The Nature of the Lares and Their Representation in Roman Art,American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 24, No. 3 (July - Sept., 1920), 241 - 261.

• Roman deities
• Tutelary deities
• Household deities

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata