Two-faced Janus is one of many gods, the traditions of which we owe to ancient Roman mythology. More specifically, this legendary character was at one time almost the first king in Latsium (presumably, this is the ancestral home of the heart of modern Italy and Rome itself). In those distant times, this god lived in a palace located on the Yanikule hill, on the right coast of the Tiber. From here, Janus ruled the lands subordinate to him. True, he did not rule for long - soon a much more active and powerful king ascended to the throne - Jupiter, who was identified with Zeus, the most important god among the ancient Greeks.
Why is Janus a two-faced god? It is believed that from his divine "colleague" Saturn, the king of Latsium received a gift of a special talent, which was to clearly see the whole past and future. It is precisely because of this that Janus is represented on all images with two faces - young and old, who are facing in opposite directions (into the future and, accordingly, into the past).
By the way, the name “Janus” itself was not chosen by chance. This word, if translated from Latin (“janya”), means “door”. Over time, this “door” has become not only a sign that separates yesterday from tomorrow, but also a symbol of every end and beginning. Well, then it was somehow led to believe that the two-faced Janus combines such two categories as “bad” and “good” in one, as they say, bottle.
In addition to the two faces, Janus was also depicted with keys in the ancient period, because he was also called the “locking” and “unlocking” god. The fact is that he patronized all military endeavors and had his own temple, whose doors were closed tightly in peacetime, and were opened only during hostilities. And for the long centuries of the existence of the ancient Roman Empire, these gates were closed, alas, only three times. You can imagine how tense the situation was at that time.
The two-faced Janus also made a substantial contribution to the development of the ancient Romans. In addition to his “paranormal” clairvoyant abilities, God taught people such things as shipbuilding, cultivating land, growing vegetables, and also the basics of calculus. It was for the latter purpose that the Roman number "CCC" was displayed on his right hand, i.e. 300, on the left - "LXV", i.e. 65.
The Romans even dedicated a special day to their beloved and most important - the holiday of agony, which was celebrated on the ninth of January. By the way, few probably know, but it was the two-faced Janus who gave the name to the first month of the year - January, or January in our own way.
But in principle, the two-faced ancient Roman god did not perform any special feats for his kingdom. He was not handsome, did not possess unlimited power and special power. However, according to legend, he was able to "manage" natural phenomena. So, before the cult of Jupiter appeared, it was Janus who was engaged in opening the gates of heaven in the mornings, letting out the sun in the sky, and in the evenings, locking them so that the light would disappear, and night would come. Even the Romans believed that the two-faced Janus is the god of all undertakings, therefore, before starting to do something, people called him for help and asked for protection.
And not so long ago, scientists suggested that Janus had not two at all, but three faces, personifying both the past and the future, and the present. Just due to the fact that the last time category is considered a momentary invisible line between the other two, the third person of God is invisible.
Janus Two-Faced: Phraseologism
Today, it is unlikely that anyone would remember the god Janus and all his virtues, if not for our article. In the everyday life of modern speech, indeed, there is a phraseologism that for some reason is customary to apply to an insincere, hypocritical, that is, two-faced person. And although the two-faced Janus did not perform any outstanding feats in his time, one must think that he would be greatly offended by such an unflattering comparison.