Janus: Roman God of Gates, Transitions, and Doors

Drawing of a bust with Janus from NYPL's public domain archive

In ancient Roman belief, Janus was a god of gates, transitions, and doors, and he represented the “center” of all types of dualities. His association with duality can be seen in the way he’s depicted in artwork, with his two faces. This is also supposed to symbolize that he’s looking at both the past and future. So cool, right?

From the research I did, it seems Janus was a primordial deity, so he was present at the beginning of time/when the world was born. And, since he was a god of gates and doors, it appears Janus could have even guarded Olympus.

Most interesting of all regarding Janus (for me, anyway) is that it doesn’t seem he had a Greek counterpart, like many of the other Roman gods and goddesses. This means he could have been one of the first gods the Romans worshipped!

Photograph of a statue of Janus and Bellona by schurl50, public domain

Now, why Janus this time around?

Some believe that “January” could have been named for Janus, but others assert that January was named after Juno, Hera’s Roman counterpart. However, this isn’t why I chose Janus for January 2021. No, Janus is so much more than his name!

As a god of transitions, I believe Janus is important to us in the new year (this one especially) because we have had so many shifts in our reality in 2020. The year was chaotic, terrifying, and tragic for so many people, and I believe that Janus (real or not - you decide) can remind us to use the past as a lesson and look toward the future with hope.

I hope you enjoyed January 2021’s Myth of the Month!