A vörðr is a type of protector spirit to the North Germanic people.  It is
thought that each person’s soul is connected to a vörðr, which guides and
protects them.

While belief in vörðr has waned, what is preserved folk lore indicates
these spirits would follow you, and in times of danger, present themselves.
 They would cause foreboding feelings or other tactile responses, which
would act as warning for trouble.  The concept was likely carried over into
“guardian angel” after conversion.

The word itself is very interesting, it seems to be rooted in either the
Proto-Germanic nouns *warduz (a guard; linguistic root of modern English
word warden) or *wardo (protection, care, attention, lookout), both of
which are derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wer- (to cover, heed,
notice).  While the connection is tentative, it is interesting to note the
vörðr may be the linguistic root of the English word wraith, of dubious
linguistic origins.

-Hariwulfaz