Yaksa, Yaksha

Yakṣa or Yaksha:

1) semi-godly inhabitants of Brahmanic Heaven, a type of Upadevas, the third class after Devas and Gaṇadevas. Among Upadevas, there are Vidyādharas, Apsaras, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Piśācas, Guhyakas, Siddhas and Bhūtas.

2) a class of demons, followers of Rudra (Śiva), their overlord, led by Kubera, a group of 'supernatural beings that cause illness' in Saivism; sometimes similar to Asuras.

3) in Buddhism, originally malevolent spirits or ghosts who came to protect the righteous, the attendants of Vaiśravaṇa, the guardian of the northern quarter.

4) In Cambodia and Thailand, as male or female supranatural beings with bulging eyes, they are often represented as guardians of pagodas. In Cambodian village festivities, the yeak are scarecrow-like figures or disguised people designed to ward off evil spirits. As they are meant to be 'big and ugly', they were often represented with European traits in the past.