Janus in ancient Roman mythology. January - two-faced Janus Who is the god Janus
The concept of “two-faced Janus” is known to many only as a phraseological unit, which is usually used in relation to an insincere, two-faced person. Unfortunately, everyone has long ago and irrevocably forgotten about the merits of the character who gave his name to this epithet.
Two-faced Janus - who is he?
IN ancient roman mythology the god of time Janus, the ruler of the country of the Latins, is known. From the omnipotent god Saturn, he received the amazing ability to see the past and future, and this gift was reflected in the face of the deity - he began to be depicted with two faces facing in opposite directions. Hence the name “two-faced”, “two-faced”. Like all heroes of legends, the king of Latium - the ancestral home of Rome - gradually turned into a “multifunctional” character:
- patron of time;
- guardian of all entrances and exits;
- the god of every beginning and every end;
- the bearer of everything good and bad in this world.
The Legend of Two-Faced Janus
Before the cult of Jupiter in Roman mythology, his place was occupied by the two-faced Janus, the god of time, who presided over the daytime solstice. He did not do anything special during his reign on Roman lands, but according to legend he had power over natural phenomena and patron of all warriors and their endeavors. Sometimes the character was depicted with keys in his hand, and his name is translated from Latin as “door.”
There is a legend that in honor of the two-faced deity, the second Roman king Numa Pompilius erected a temple with a bronze arch and unlocked the gates of the sanctuary before hostilities. Soldiers preparing to go to war passed through the arch and asked the two-faced god for victory. The warriors believed that the patron would be with them during the battle. The two faces of the deity were a symbol of moving forward and victorious return back. The doors of the temple were not locked during the war and, unfortunately for the Roman Empire, they were closed only three times.
Janus – mythology
God Janus is one of the oldest in Roman mythology. The calendar month dedicated to him is January (Januarius). The Romans believed that the two-faced man taught people calculus, because numbers corresponding to the days of the year were inscribed on his hands:
- on right hand– 300 (ССС);
- on the left hand – 65 (LXV).
In the first days of the new year, a celebration was held in honor of the deity, they gave each other gifts and sacrificed fruits, wine, pies, and important person the state became the high priest, who sacrificed a white bull to heaven. Subsequently, at every sacrifice, as at the beginning of every deed, the two-faced god was invoked. He was considered more important than all other characters in the Roman pantheon and was not identified with any of the heroes of Greek mythology.
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Janus and Vesta
The cult of the god of time is inseparable from the goddess Vesta, guardian of the hearth. If the many-faced Janus personified doors (and all other entrances and exits), then Vesta protected what was inside. She brought the beneficial power of fire to homes. Vesta was given a place at the entrance to the house, right behind the doors, which was called the vestibulum. The goddess was also mentioned at every sacrifice. Her temple was located on the forum opposite the temple of Two-Face and a fire was always burning in it.
Janus and Epimetheus
The Roman god Janus and the Titan Epimetheus, who became the first to accept a girl from Zeus, do not interact in mythology, but the characters gave names to two satellites of the planet Saturn, located in close proximity to each other. The distance between the fifth and sixth moon is only 50 km. The first satellite, named the “two-faced deity,” was discovered by astronomers in 1966, and 12 years later it was found that two objects had been observed all this time, moving in close orbits. Thus, the many-faced Janus is also the moon of Saturn; he really has “two faces.”
The main deity of the Roman pantheon, the two-faced Janus, was invisibly present in each of the gods around him and gave them supernatural power. He was revered as a sage, a fair ruler, and a keeper of time. Two-Face lost his status and transferred it to Jupiter, but this does not detract from the merits of the character. Today, this name is completely undeservedly used to call low, deceitful people, hypocrites, but the ancient Romans did not bring such meaning to this hero.
Two-faced Janus is one of the many gods whose legends we owe to ancient Roman mythology. More specifically, this legendary character at one time was perhaps the first king in Latium (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 Janiculum hill, on the right bank 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 the throne - Jupiter, who was identified with Zeus, the most important god of
Why is Janus a two-faced god? It is believed that from his divine “colleague” Saturn, the king of Latium received a special talent, which was to clearly see the entire past and future. It is for this reason that Janus in all images is presented with two faces - young and old, which are facing in opposite directions (to the future and, accordingly, to 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” became not only a symbolic feature separating yesterday from tomorrow, but also in general a symbol of every end and beginning. Well, then somehow it became common to believe that the two-faced Janus combines such two categories as “bad” and “good” in one, as they say, bottle.
In addition to 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, the doors of which were tightly closed in peacetime, and opened only during hostilities. And over 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 significant practical contribution to the development of the ancient Romans. In addition to his “paranormal” clairvoyant abilities, God taught people such things as shipbuilding, cultivation of land, growing vegetables, as well as the basics of calculus. It was for the latter purpose that his right hand was depicted roman numeral"SSS", i.e. 300, on the left - “LXV”, i.e. 65.
The Romans even dedicated a special day to their beloved and most important - the feast of agony, which was celebrated on January 9th. By the way, few people probably know, but it was the two-faced Janus who gave the name to the first month of the year - Januarius, or January in our language.
But in principle, the two-faced ancient Roman god did not perform any special feats for his kingdom. He was not handsome, did not have unlimited power and special strength. However, according to legend, he knew how to “manage” natural phenomena. So, before the cult of Jupiter appeared, it was Janus who opened the gates of heaven in the morning, releasing the sun into the sky, and in the evenings he closed them so that the light disappeared and night came. The Romans also believed that the two-faced Janus was the god of all endeavors, so before starting to do anything, people called on him for help and asked for protection.
And not so long ago, scientists suggested that Janus had not two, but three faces, personifying both the past and the future, as well as the present. Simply due to the fact that the last temporary category is considered a momentary invisible line between the other two, the third face of God is invisible.
Janus two-faced: phraseological unit
Today, hardly anyone would remember the god Janus and all his virtues, if not for our article. In modern speech, indeed, there is such a phraseological unit, which for some reason is usually used in relation to the insincere, hypocritical, that is, and although the two-faced Janus did not perform any outstanding feats in his time, one must think that he would have been greatly offended by such impartial comparison.
Differences in gods. The appearance of the goddess Minerva next to Jupiter and Juno looks a little unexpected if we remember which gods were considered the eldest among the Greeks. But the difference in the position and seniority of the Greek and Roman gods does not end there. Next in importance to the Capitoline Triad (and sometimes even more important) among the Romans are the goddess Vesta (Greek Hestia) and the god Janus.
Two-faced Janus. The Greeks did not have a god like Janus, but in Italy he has long been revered. The most sacred place In the house, the Romans considered the hearth, patronized by Vesta, and the doors. After all, it is the doors that connect any house with the outside world, and the doors fence off the house from it. The doors were called "janua" in Latin, and Janus was their god. But every door has two sides: one faces the inside of the room, the other faces the outside. So Janus was depicted with two faces. Sometimes one of these faces was made young and the other old; one of them looks forward, the other looks back, one looks east, the other looks west, one sees the past, the other sees the future. Because of these two faces, Janus was called “Double”, “Double-faced”, [and we call a hypocritical person “two-faced Janus”, although, of course, hypocrisy does not belong to the qualities of this Roman god.]
Patron of all beginners. Gradually, Janus became not just the god of doors, but the god of every entrance and exit, and then the patron saint of all beginnings and undertakings, as well as the completion of any business. It was believed that Janus begins a new day every morning, unlocking the heavenly gates and releasing the luminaries into the sky, and every evening he closes these gates again. Therefore, every morning was dedicated to Janus, and the first prayer was offered to him, asking that the day be successful. The calendars of each month were also dedicated to him, and since there are twelve months in a year, Janus also had twelve altars in Rome.
"Januarius." But twelve months are a year, so the beginning and end of the year were also dedicated to Janus. The first month of the year, Januarius, was named after him. On the first day of this month, in the temple of Janus, they sacrificed a white bull to him and prayed for the well-being of the Roman state in the new year, and all the Romans brought honey pies, wine, and fruits as gifts to Janus. They wished each other happiness and gave tasty things so that the coming year would be “sweet” and happy. A special law was even passed that prohibited swearing and quarrels on the first day of the year: the Romans were afraid that Janus, angry that his holiday was ruined through the fault of one, would send a bad year on everyone.
Since Janus was the patron of the entire year, he was often described as having 365 fingers on his hands, 300 on one and 65 on the other. But it’s one thing to describe, and another to depict - try to draw or make so many fingers on a statue! The Romans found a way out - the number 365 was inscribed on the hands of the statue of Janus that stood in his temple.
Temple of Janus. The Romans believed that Janus also influenced their military successes - after all, every war has a beginning and an end, and for its successful completion the mercy of the two-faced god is very important. They built unusual temple, it had two gates: one against the other. When the Romans declared war, the double doors of the temple (they were called the “doors of war”) were unlocked and under the arches of the temple the warriors marching passed the statue of the god Janus. Throughout the war, the temple stood open, and when the war ended and the troops returned victoriously from the campaign, the armed warriors again passed in front of the statue of the god - and the heavy oak doors of the temple, decorated with gold and ivory, were locked behind them.
But the Romans fought constantly, sending their armies on campaigns against neighboring peoples, so in the more than 600 years that passed from the time of its construction under the second Roman king Numa Pompilius until Emperor Augustus began to rule Rome, the Temple of Janus was closed only twice. Augustus, who was proud of his peacefulness, closed the temple of Janus three times during the forty years of his reign - more than in the entire history of Rome before his reign!
Goddess of the hearth. Like Hestia, Vesta is the goddess of the hearth and the fire that burned in it. If the doors were dedicated to Janus, then the front room, located behind the doors, was dedicated to Vesta. It was called "vestibulum", and from this word our "vestibule" comes from. However, unlike greek goddess, revered, but did not play a special role either in myths or in state veneration of the gods, Vesta was not only a domestic goddess, but also the goddess of the entire Roman state. In Rome, only one temple was dedicated to her, in which an eternal and unquenchable fire burned; The Romans believed that until it went out, their state would not perish.
Temple of Vesta. The Temple of Vesta was located in the city center, in the Forum - the main square of Rome. They say that it was built in ancient times, under the second Roman king Numa Pompilius. The temple had a round shape. Why? There were two answers to this. The Romans thought that the Universe was spherical in shape, and in its center there was an undying fire. The Temple of Vesta with her fire was supposed to represent the Universe. Or maybe everything was simpler - after all, the home hearth had a round shape, in which Vesta’s fire also burned. Perhaps the temple was made round in imitation of a hearth.
Temple of Vesta in Rome
"Pure Fire" Unlike other Roman temples that contained images of gods, the Temple of Vesta did not have a statue of this goddess. The symbol of her image was the fire that burned in the temple. This fire was constantly maintained, and if it suddenly went out for some reason, it could not be rekindled in the usual way. This was done necessarily by rubbing the planks of the “lucky tree” against each other or from the sun, using a mirror with which the sun’s rays were directed onto the firewood in the hearth. Only such fire was considered “pure”, worthy of burning in the hearth of the goddess.
Fire update. The fire in the Temple of Vesta was extinguished only once a year - at the beginning of the new year. After all, on this day everything should be renewed, be young. Therefore, the fire of Vesta was also renewed. It was extinguished and then rekindled using one of the described methods. When a Roman moved from Rome, he always took fire from Vesta’s hearth with him in order to light the hearth in his home in his new homeland.
Vesta's secret vault. In addition to the hearth, in the temple of Vesta there was a storage room, into which uninitiated people were prohibited from entering. Everyone knew that some sacred objects were kept there, but no one saw them. They said that there was palladium there - a wooden image of Pallas Athena, which once fell from the sky in Troy and which Aeneas brought with him to Italy. The Romans believed that palladium gave their city immunity and that as long as it was here, no enemy would enter the Eternal City. In addition to palladium, images of the Trojan household gods, the Penates, who also arrived in Italy along with Aeneas, were also kept here.
Entrances, exits, various passages, as well as beginnings and endings. . The name of the month January is associated with his name.
One of the oldest Roman Indian gods, together with the hearth goddess Vesta, occupied a prominent place in Roman ritual. Already in ancient times, various religious ideas about him and his essence were expressed. Thus, Cicero associated his name with the verb inire and saw in Janus the deity of entrance and exit. Others believed that Janus personified chaos (Janus = Hianus), air or the firmament. Nigidius Figulus identified Janus with the sun god. Originally Janus is the divine gatekeeper, in the Salian hymn he was invoked under the names Clusius or Clusivius (Closing One) and Patulcius (Opening One). As attributes, Janus had a key with which he unlocked and locked the gates of heaven. He used a staff as a gatekeeper's weapon to ward off uninvited guests. Later, probably under the influence of Greek religious art, Janus began to be depicted as two-faced (geminus).
Under the auspices of Janus were all the doors - a private house, a temple of the gods or the gates of city walls, and since he kept count of days, months and years, the number CCC (300) was inscribed on the fingers of his right hand, and LXV (65) on his left hand. ), in sum these numbers mean the number of days of the year. The beginning of the year is named after Janus, its first month is Januarius. At the same time, Janus protects every person from the moment of conception to birth, and stands at the head of the gods, under whose protection a person is.
In culture
Literature
- In the story by the Strugatsky brothers “Monday Begins on Saturday,” Janus turned into the mysterious figure of Janus Poluektovich Nevstruev, the director of the institute, one in two persons. Janus Poluektovich is one person, but in one person he lives, like all other people, from the past to the future, and the “second person” arose after in the future he staged a successful experiment to achieve counter-motion and began to live from the future to the past .
- In the book by Edward Radzinsky “Alexander II. Life and Death,” Tsar Alexander is called the two-faced Janus by the author because of his penchant for both reforms and cruel autocratic methods of rule, so characteristic of his father Nicholas I.
Notes
see also
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2010.:Synonyms
See what "Janus" is in other dictionaries: - (Janus). An ancient Latin deity, originally the god of the sun and the beginning, which is why the first month of the year is called by his name (Januarius). He was considered the god of doors and gates, the gatekeeper of Heaven, the mediator in every human matter. Janus was called upon... ...
Encyclopedia of Mythology - (myth.) among the ancient Romans, initially the god of the sun, subsequently of every undertaking, entrances and exits, gates and doors. Depicted with two faces facing the opposite way. hand, also with a scepter and key. Dictionary of foreign words included... ...
Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language JANUS, in Roman mythology, the deity of doors, entrance and exit, then all beginnings. He was depicted with two faces (one facing the past, the other facing the future). In a figurative sense: two-faced Janus is a hypocritical person...
Modern encyclopedia In Roman mythology, the deity of doors, entrance and exit, then all beginnings. He was depicted with two faces (one facing the past, the other facing the future). In a figurative sense, the two-faced Janus is a hypocritical person...
Big Encyclopedic Dictionary In the myths of the ancient Romans, the god of entrances and exits, doors and every beginning (the first month of the year, the first day of every month, the beginning of human life). He was depicted with keys, 365 fingers (according to the number of days in the year that he began) and with two looking at... ...
Historical Dictionary JANUS. In the expression: two-faced Janus, see two-faced. Dictionary Ushakova. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 …
I in Roman mythology is the deity of doors, entrance and exit, then every beginning. He was depicted with two faces (one facing the past, the other facing the future). In a figurative sense, “two-faced Janus” is a hypocritical person. II satellite of Saturn, discovered... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
January Dictionary of Russian synonyms. Janus noun, number of synonyms: 4 god (375) deity (... Synonym dictionary
- (Latin Janus, from janus covered passage and janua door) in Roman mythology, the deity of doors, entrance and exit, then all beginnings. According to the reform of the calendar of Yu. Caesar, the month dedicated to Janus (Januarius January) began the year. Depicted with two faces... ... Political science. Dictionary.
Janus- Janus, a: two-faced Janus... Russian spelling dictionary
Janus- JANUS, in Roman mythology, the deity of doors, entrance and exit, then every beginning. He was depicted with two faces (one facing the past, the other facing the future). In a figurative sense: “two-faced Janus” is a hypocritical person. ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
The pantheon of ancient gods is symbolic and diverse. Each era introduced customs, traditions and beliefs into the culture of our ancestors, which reached people of the 21st century in the form of myths and legends. Greek mythology is different from Roman mythology. Roman deities have counterparts in Greek legends. God Janus duplicates the functions of several representatives of Olympus. What was unusual about Janus, what abilities did he have?
History of appearance
The many-faced Janus is a hero of Roman mythology. The character was the ruler of Latium, located on the territory of ancient Italy, where Rome stands today. The myth says that the god lived in a palace on a hill called Janicule, on the right bank of the Tiber River. Janus was displaced by Jupiter, whose powers in Roman mythology are similar to the functionality greek god.
According to legend, Saturn lost his throne and traveled to Latium by ship. Janus greeted him warmly and friendly, managing to please the uninvited guest. Almighty Saturn endowed the ward with a gift that allowed God to direct his gaze simultaneously to the future and the past.
Sculpture "Janus"
The legendary character was considered the patron of time, the ruler of all kinds of entrances and exits, and, accordingly, the beginning and the end. One interpretation of the name Janus is the god of Chaos. The concept of Chaos in this version of etymology reveals the original nature of God.
The Roman god was not famous for his exploits or special deeds, but he had time and the daytime solstice in his power. The name Janus is translated from Latin as “door.” The mythical character was often depicted as a key holder holding a key in his hand that unlocks the doors.
Two-faced god
Janus is depicted with two faces, which are directed in opposite directions. The people called the two-faced god two-faced, many-faced. The face looking towards the future was young, and the one looking back at the past was adult. Janus unites, in addition to the past and the future, two other principles: bad and good, so the image of two faces is suitable for characterizing the image in several directions.
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Scientists have wondered why Janus is depicted with only two faces, since the third category - the present - remains unnoticed. Over time, researchers came to the conclusion that the current moment at a specific second cannot be captured. It is impossible to convey it visually, so the third face of Janus is not visible.
God patronized the Romans in several areas. He helped the soldiers, so in honor of Janus a temple was built on the territory of present-day Rome, accessible to visitors only during the war. The Roman Empire was constantly engaged in some kind of military action, so the gates of the temple happened to be closed three times in the history of its existence. Janus contributed to his wards in shipbuilding, favored farmers, agrarians and those who were engaged in calculations. In addition, God had a penchant for clairvoyance, which was relevant due to his relationship with the matter of time.
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An attentive person, getting acquainted with the image of the god Janus, will notice that on his right hand the inscription 300 is depicted in Roman numerals, and on his left - 65. It is believed that these are numbers related to the calculation of time. Janus is closely related to the chronology we use today. The month of January is named in his honor, in Latin - Januarius. On January 9th, the Romans celebrated the Feast of the Agony, dedicated to their beloved deity.
The character did not have the specific qualities inherent in the gods. He was not distinguished by beauty or special powers. His power is incomparable with his abilities supreme gods pantheon. Respect among people helped the deity gain the ability to control natural phenomena. In the mornings, Janus opened the gates of heaven, releasing the sun onto the horizon, and in the evenings he closed it, turning the light back and leaving the sky at the disposal of the stars and the moon.
- Today, “two-faced Janus” is a phraseological unit that is used to describe a hypocritical person who demonstrates duplicity and insincerity. In Roman mythology, the characteristics of God did not have a negative connotation, but people perceived the image literally and built an associative series. Janus combined two principles in one personality: good and bad, present and past. The opposites determined the perception of descendants.
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- Mythology has always inspired sculptors and artists. Statues embodying the appearance of Janus are located in the Vatican, in the Forum Boarium in Rome. Paintings describing ancient scenes were painted by Nicolas Poussin and other painters.
- When he ordered the Russian calendar to be changed and moved the New Year celebration to January 1, the boyars' discontent was provoked not by the innovation, but by the fact that the holiday symbolized a celebration in honor of the pagan deity.
- The Titan Epimetheus, who took a wife sent to him by Zeus, does not overlap with Janus in myths. But these mythological characters met in astronomy - two satellites of the planet Saturn, located just 50 kilometers from each other, were named after them.