Kami

Kami (or Spirit) is a broad descriptive term applied to a variety of beings, including some fae beings, some elementals, and occasionally some minor deities. There are many kinds of different spirits, and many of them can appear in several different forms.   Overall, however, a spirit is a being that has an affinity for either an aspect of creation or an item within creation. For instance, a fire elemental has an affinity for the primal element of fire, a house brownie has an affinity for a particular building or family, a dryad has an affinity for a powerful tree, etc. Spirits and their affinities are typically contrasted with deities and their domains. Deities have power to control their domain far more generally, while spirits have more limited power to use their affinity. However, a number of scholars maintain that this is either a) an artificial and meaningless distinction or b) part of the continuum of deity. Scholars who hold this view generally point to the limited powers of minor, regional, and racial gods as part of illustrating this.