Janus: The Two Faced God
Roman New Year!
Today we're going to talk about Janus, the two faced god of the Roman New Year.
Welcome back to bambasbat, and Happy New Year! I've always been really fascinated by the god Janus, and so I thought as a celebration of the start of 2025, I would make him the subject of today’s post.
Doorways
Janus is known as the god of doorways, but his influence stretches far beyond that. While doorways might seem mundane, Janus also presides over gates—both the everyday kind and the monumental gateways leading into cities. In fact, Janus was so integral to Roman life that their term for a front door ianua, stems from his name.
You might not think the god of doorways will have a big effect on people's lives but he becomes one of the most important gods in the Roman pantheon.
NB: The Romans didn’t have a J letter, so his name would begin with an i. However the Anglicised version is with a J, much like Jupiter or Juno.
Janus's influence was so profound that the Romans gave his name to the month of January, the start of the year. He embodies new beginnings and he's also therefore the god of endings. This is why he has two faces! He looks backwards into the past and forwards into the future, making the 1st of January an important one for the worship of Janus.
A God of Transformations
Janus's role extended from transitional zones like doorways to the cycle of life itself. He had the remit over life and death, birth and demise, embracing an expansive scope of responsibilities. As we usher in the new year, Janus is the perfect figure to salute - a deity who guides us into the future while keeping us anchored to the lessons of the past.
Position of Power
The Romans acknowledged Janus's paramount importance through the Gates of War, otherwise known as the Gates of Janus. Located in the Roman forum, these gates, sometimes referred to as part of a temple, were indicative of the state of Rome’s foreign affairs. During wartime, the gates were opened, and when peace was announced, they were shut - a vivid symbol for all within the Roman Empire. Though very militaristic, the Romans celebrated peace as a show of their own power, cherishing the moments they could enforce it across the whole of their empire simultaneously.
The historical significance of the Gates of Janus is emphasized in the words of Augustus, the first emperor. Proudly inscribed in bronze, Augustus' autobiographical obituary, the Res Gestae Dei Augusti, (“The Things Done By The Divine Augustus”) contained the following section:
The Gate of Janus Quirinus, which our ancestors wanted to be closed when peace had been accomplished throughout the whole empire of the Roman people by victories on land and sea, although before I was born, it has been recorded in tradition that from the founding of the city it was closed only twice, during my principate the senate decided it should be closed three times.
Res Gestae Divi Augusti, Section 13. Translated by Ellen at bambasbat.
That's a very long way of saying that during his rule, the Gates of War were shut three times. So three times during Augustus's reign, the whole Roman Empire was at peace. And this is something he was really proud of.
This passage starts with Ianum Quinnum, which means “the gates of Janus Quirinus”. The Gates of War. So they're mentioned by the most powerful man in the Roman Empire. They have a place in the centre of the Roman Forum, Which also shows how important they were.
Augustus is even more proud of this, because before his time, the Gates had only been closed twice before ever. In the 750 years or so since Rome had been founded, they had only been closed twice. So Rome was always at war with someone, somewhere, in their empire. But during his reign, three times, the Senate said, Oh, we're at peace now, we can shut the gates of war. So, Augustus was really proud of this, and therefore valued the gates of Janus very highly.
The Many Titles of Janus
As we've seen, Janus was in charge of lots of different aspects of Roman life, and they had lots of different names for him. Here are some examples:
The Gatekeeper of Heaven
The Opener
The Sower (for his role in the harvest - another transition)
The Tracker of Time
The Good God
The Creator (some thought he had created the world)
The Father
A few of his titles show the vast remit he held for the Romans, and their awe of him.
Modern Influences
We get the word janitor from Janus. It's now quite an American term, but it means the gatekeepers, and the people who track time. They are the keepers of a place, and the Romans thought that Janus was very powerful and could look after lots of different aspects of your life.
So “Go janitors!” for keeping track of everything and looking out for everyone!
A Divine Partnership
Janus shares a significant link with Juno. Although they fulfil different roles, their names were often considered nearly interchangeable. Both were associated with beginnings, and so the kalends of each month (the first day) were important to them both. They are also linked with lunar cycles, and Juno especially (but also Janus) was charged with childbirth and menstruation. It was unusual for a male god to have anything to do with feminine fertility, but as it is so important for “beginnings” (i.e. of babies) I suppose it makes sense!
Their names were almost interchangeable, if you make them feminine and masculine respectively. Janus was sometimes called “the one like Juno”, and Juno was sometimes called “the one like Janus”. There has even been the idea put forward by scholars (like M. Renard) that Janus may have been the original husband of Juno in Roman mythology, not Jupiter, due to their commonalities.
Janus holds a special place in January, as it is his month and the chance for new beginnings. I hope you found this insight into Janus and his importance to the Romans interesting. Who's your favourite Roman deity? Janus is one of mine. Let me know in the comments which gods I should do another post about!
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Thanks so much for joining me, Happy New Year, and I'll see you next time on bambasbat.