“This deity is usually not named and is referred to by the worshipper as ‘my god’ or ‘my goddess’: apparently it could be a deity of either sex…This unidentified deity acted as a protective influence who watched over the life of the individual. Reference is often made to a person’s ‘god (ilu) and goddess (istaru)’. Sometimes it is said of the personal deity that he ‘created’ the individual who is under his protection. Possibly the name of the deity was known to the individual but was omitted in normal speech, since occasionally a deity is named,…The idea of a benevolent god is close to that of the benevolent sedu (male) or lamassu (female), anthropomorphic beings who accompanied people…In one text the personal god is responsible for sending such beings as agents of his protection….Clearly it was important to placate the personal god or goddess, who might be offended in all sorts of ways, deliberately or unintentionally. It was often said of an unlucky person that ‘his god left him..”