Janus is the gatekeeper of heaven and the god of gods. The meaning of the phraseological unit “two-faced Janus Sun God Janus

The name of the month January is associated with his name. Janus is one of the most ancient Roman indigenous gods, who, together with the goddess of the hearth Vesta, occupied a prominent place in Roman ritual.

He was depicted with two faces facing in opposite directions (towards the past and the future). One of his faces was the face of a young, beardless man looking into the future, the other was the face of a bearded old man, facing the past. The very name of the deity is related to the Latin word janua, which means “door”, as well as “beginning”. The name of the month “January” is derived from the same word. In a figurative sense, the expression “two-faced Janus”: an insincere, two-faced, hypocritical person (disapproved).

Ancient scholars proposed three etymologies for the name Janus, each of which was based on reasoning about the nature of God.

The first etymology is based on the definition of Chaos given by Paul the Deacon, which states: from the word hiantem, hiare, to be open, the name Janus is formed by the loss of vowels during the initial aspiration. In this etymology, the concept of Chaos defines the primordial nature of god.

Another etymology was proposed by Publius Figulus and is related to Macrobius: Janus- this is Apollo, and Diana is Yana, with addition D for euphony. This explanation was accepted by A. B. Cook and J. Frazer. It is consistent with all subsequent likenings of Janus to the sky, sun and moon. It also suggests that the name was formerly "Dianus", derived from "dia" - from the Indo-European root "dey", meaning radiance. In Latin this root is represented by the words dies("day"), Diovis and Iuppiter. However, the "Dianus" form designated by Figulus has not been confirmed.

The interpretation of Janus as the god of beginnings and passages is based on a third etymology given by Cicero, Ovid and Macrobius, who explain the name as Latin, derived from the verb ire(“pass, go”).

Modern researchers have suggested that the name Janus comes from an Indo-European root meaning transitional movement (cf. Sanskrit - “yana-”, Avestan “yah”, Latin “i-” and Greek “ei-”). In this case, Iānus is a designation for action, expressing the idea of movement, passage, formed from the root *yā-< *y-eð2-, или от корня «ey» go, from which the words eō, ειμι come.

Other modern scholars accept an Indo-European etymology from either the name "Dianus" or the root "yā".

One of the oldest Greco-Roman gods, together with the hearth goddess Vesta, he occupied a prominent place in the Roman pantheon. 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 entry 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).

Salii in his song called Janus "god of gods" and "good creator." It was also interpreted as “the world” - mundus, primeval chaos, from which an ordered cosmos then emerged, and from a shapeless ball it turned into a god and became the guardian of order, the world, rotating its axis.

Arch of Janus in the Forum Boar, flanking the church San Giorgio in Velabro.

Before the advent of the cult of Jupiter, he was the deity of the sky and sunlight, who opened the heavenly gates and released the sun into the sky, and closed these gates at night. Then he gave up his place to Jupiter, and he himself took the place of the ruler of all beginnings and beginnings in time. There was also a belief that Janus reigned on earth even before Saturn and taught people the calculation of time, crafts and agriculture.

Parents: Heaven and Hecate, Janus's wife was Juturn, his son was Font, his son-in-law was Vulturn. In Greek literature he is mentioned by Proclus, identifying him with Zeus. Some interpretations call him the son of Apollo and Creusa, who founded the city of Janiculum, lived on the Janiculum hill. Vendila bore him a daughter, Kanentha.

As attributes, Janus had a key with which he unlocked and locked the gates of heaven (see Apostle Peter). 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.

The first temple of Janus was erected, according to legend, by the king Numa Pompilius. When the decision was made to declare war, the king or consul unlocked the heavy double oak doors of the temple, decorated with gold and ivory, with a key, and in front of the faces of Janus, under the arches, armed soldiers and young men who were going to war for the first time passed through the arches. Throughout the war, the gates of the temple stood open; when peace was concluded, the returning troops again passed in front of the statue of the god and the temple was again locked with a key.

Janus was also the patron of roads and travelers, and was revered among Italian sailors, who believed that it was he who taught people how to build the first ships.

Wine, fruits and honey pies were sacrificed to Janus, and at the beginning of the year - a white bull.

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-emotions and began to live from the future to the past.
!!!In the book by Edward Radzinsky “Alexander II. Life and Death,” the author calls Tsar Alexander I a two-faced Janus because of his penchant for both reforms and cruel autocratic methods of rule, so characteristic of his father Paul I.

Ellie Griffiths' novel The Janus Stone revolves around mystical sacrifices to the god Janus made by an English boy obsessed with Roman history.

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 entry 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 patronage of Janus were all the doors - a private house, a temple of the gods or the gates of city walls, and since he counted the days, months and years, the number CCC (300) was inscribed on the fingers of his right hand, and LXV (65) on the left ), 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

Janus

The origin of the god Janus, who was not worshiped anywhere except Rome, is probably very ancient. In early texts, Janus was called the "god of gods" and the "good creator", which may be an echo of the myth of Janus as the creator of the entire world. In later times, Janus was no longer seen as a demiurge, but as a deity of doors, entrance and exit, but he remained one of the most revered Roman gods.

His name, apparently, comes from the word ianua - “door”, although Cicero associated it with the verb inire - “to advance”, Ovid raised the name “Janus” to “Chaos”, from which he allegedly appeared at the moment of the creation of the world . In ancient times, they say, Janus lived on the site of Rome on the Janiculum Hill.

Since Janus was the god of doors, his temple, built according to legend by Numa Pompilius in the northern part of the Roman forum, was a double arch with a roof and walls. It was a symbolic gate of the Roman state, in the center of which, inside, stood the image of Janus.

The Temple of Janus served as an indicator of war and peace in Rome: when war began, the king or consul unlocked the temple and through these gates, in front of the faces of God, the Roman soldiers going on campaign passed. During the war, the gates remained open and were locked only when peace came throughout the state. Hence, apparently, some connection between Janus and Quirin, the Sabine god of war. At least, according to legend, Numa Pompilius dedicated the temple-gate to the deity Janus Quirinus, which is also what the fecial priests call him in the solemn formula for declaring war.

As the god of entrance, Janus was considered in Rome the patron of all beginnings. The Romans said: “In the hands of Janus is the beginning, in the hands of Jupiter is everything.” When addressing the gods, the name of Janus was first proclaimed. The first month of the twelve-month year, January - januaris, was named in his honor; the New Year holiday itself was dedicated to him - the January Kalends, when a white bull was sacrificed to Janus. Any Kalends, that is, the first day of the month, were also dedicated to Janus, as were the morning hours of each day. Gradually, Janus began to be revered as a deity who controls the movement of the year and time in general. In some of his images, the Roman numeral CCCLXV broken in two is inscribed on the fingers of Janus (on the right CCC, on the left - LXV), that is, 365 - according to the number of days in the year.

In addition, Janus was considered the divine gatekeeper, calling him the Closer and the Opener, since in the morning he opened the heavenly gates and released the sun into the sky, and at night he locked it back. Therefore, Janus is depicted with a key in one hand and a staff in the other.

But the most famous external attribute of Janus is his two-facedness, with Janus's faces looking in opposite directions. This feature was explained by the fact that doors also lead both out and in, and also by the fact that Janus looks simultaneously into the past and into the future.

Despite the fact that Janus was one of the most respected gods by the state, the cult of Janus was not widespread among the people. However, ordinary people also considered Janus the patron saint of roads and travelers, and Roman sailors brought him gifts, because they believed that it was he who taught people how to build the first ships.

Some say that Janus was married to the nymph Juturna, the sister of the Rutulian king Turnus, who had her own source near the Numicia River. Juturna bore him a son, Font, the god of springs.

Dance to the music of time. Artist N. Poussin

They also tell the story of Janus and the nymph Carne, with whom he was in love. Karna avoided the company of men, preferring to hunt animals and birds with darts. Many young men sought her love, and she told the most persistent ones that in the light of the sun she was ashamed to answer their requests, but offered to go into a dark cave, where she promised affection. She herself, instead of following them, hid in the dense bushes.

Karna also answered the lover Janus, but she forgot that Janus has two faces and his back sees where she hid. In the thickets under the very rock, Janus overtook the nymph and, already hugging her, promised in return for her lost virginity to make her the goddess of door hinges and gave her a branch of white thorn, which was used to ward off misfortune from the doors of the house.

Once Karna saved five-day-old Proca, the future king of Alba Longa, from night birds that fed on the blood and entrails of babies. Having sprinkled water on the threshold and donated pork offal to the birds, Karna left a white branch of Janus on the window of the royal house, and the night birds did not touch the baby again. Since then, Karna has been revered as the protector of children and the guardian of human internal organs.

From the book Myths and Legends of Ancient Rome author Lazarchuk Dina Andreevna

Janus The origin of the god Janus, who was not worshiped anywhere except Rome, is probably very ancient. In early texts, Janus was called the "god of gods" and the "good creator", which may be an echo of the myth of Janus as the creator of the whole world. In later times Janus was seen

From the book Here Was Rome. Modern walks through the ancient city author Sonkin Viktor Valentinovich

From the book Our Prince and Khan author Mikhail Weller

The two-faced Janus of history People have always understood the propaganda effect of the union of earthly and heavenly power. Leader and shaman, pharaoh and priests, kings and church. Make the soul of a subject obedient - and his body will obey your orders easier and more readily. Whose power is faith. And now

From the book The Assassination of the Emperor. Alexander II and secret Russia author Radzinsky Edward

Two-faced Janus Dostoevsky has a description of how the couriers carried the royal mail. The driver sits on the beam, bursts into song, and the courier behind him hits the back of the head with his fist, and the troika runs faster. And the courier, as if knocking out his mind, punched him with his fist - bam! bam! AND

From the book Historical Chess of Ukraine author Karevin Alexander Semyonovich

The two-faced Janus of Ukrainophilism Vladimir Antonovich It cannot be said that the name of this figure is unknown in Ukraine today. He is revered, people talk about him, they write articles and books, and his works are republished. But he is not included among the main idols of modern Ukraine. Genuine

He unlocked the heavy double oak doors of the temple, decorated with gold and ivory, with a key, and in front of the faces of Janus, under the arches, armed soldiers and young men going to war passed, taking up arms for the first time. Throughout the war, the gates of the temple stood open; when peace was concluded, the returning troops again passed in front of the statue of the god and the temple was again locked with a key."

As I said in a previous article, “the triumphal arch is clearly a “female” symbol. It is an image of the female womb.” So there is a “discrepancy” going on with the god Janus: maybe he is not a god at all, but a goddess?

Let's start to figure it out...

First of all, it is known for sure that all the doors of private houses, temples of the gods and gates of city walls were under the patronage of Janus. And now we remember the images of Shila-na-gig, which were placed just above the doors of houses, temples, and gates.

An example of a Sheela above a door is Stretton Church in Ireland, 14th century.

Further. The same Wikipedia article states that in fact the two-faced Janus does not consist of two male faces, but only one; his other face is that of a woman. Let us remember that this deity was depicted with two faces facing in opposite directions (towards the past and the future). One of his faces was the face of a young, beardless man looking into the future, the other was the face of a bearded old man, looking into the past. So, the old man is Janus, and the young, beardless man is actually Jana. Janus- this is Apollo, and Diana is Yana, with addition D for euphony.

Finally, the very name of the deity is related to the Latin word janua, which means “door.” “Door” is feminine in all languages, and I think there is no need to explain the symbolic connection of doors with female genital organs - everything is obvious here.

In addition, Janus-Yana existed long before the establishment of the cult of Jupiter. Wikipedia says: “Before the advent of the cult of Jupiter, Janus was the deity of the sky and sunlight, who opened the heavenly gates and released the sun into the sky, and closed these gates at night.” What did we have there before the cult of Jupiter appeared? - That's right, matriarchy with the cult of the Great Goddess.

Scientists suggest that the name Janus used to sound like "Dianus", derived from "dia" - dy-eð2 from the Indo-European root "dey", meaning radiance. In Latin this root is represented by the words dies("day"), Diovis and Iuppiter.

And here we should dwell on this name Diovis ( other-ind. Dyâus, prop. "shining, daytime sky", "day"). From this name came Zeus, Jupiter, and other patriarchal gods. This name is very similar to the word "Deva". We read on Wikipedia: " Deva, or devata(Sanskrit: देव, deva IAST ) - god, divine being in Hinduism. Presumably, the word comes from Proto-Indo-European *deiwos, is an adjective that means "heavenly" or "shining" and is vriddhi from the root *diw "shine". Feminine devi "goddess "(PIE *deiwih 2). Related "Virgo" also Lithuanian dievas, Latvian dievs, Prussian deiwas, Germanic tiwaz and Latin deus ("god") And divus ("divine"), from which the English words are also derived divine, deity, French dieu, Spanish dios, Italian dio, Slavic *divъ.

And here we come to the most interesting thing - the etymological connection between the words “deva” and “maiden”. In my opinion, these words have the same root. Alexander Tulupov in his book " Rod of the North. Russian Hyperboreans" writes: "Perhaps the most direct and simple indicator of the place and role of the “feminine” in the Russian generic consciousness is the Russian “deva” itself, archaic in common with “deva” - the Vedic goddess. But not just any goddess, but a “solar” goddess from the Sanskrit root “div” - “light, shining”. And someone Sergey Petrov wrote: “Both words come from “to give”; virgin, I’m sorry, gives, and deus, in the sense of god, gives.” Well, yes, the ancient Slavs had Dazhbog (Dazhbog, Old Russian. Dazhbog, church glory. Dazhdbog).

Dazhbog as imagined by a modern artist. Feminine face, long hair, eight-pointed “star of Ishtar” (or “star of the Virgin Mary”) on the chest, arms raised, like female figurines of goddesses.

I also remember the words from the Lord’s Prayer: “ Give us this day our daily bread."

By the way, here is the literal translation of “Our Father” from Aramaic (taken from val000 in "Our Father" translated from Aramaic):

ABOUT, Breathing Life,
Your name shines everywhere!
Make some space
To plant Your presence!
Imagine in your imagination
Your “I can” now!
Clothe Your desire in every light and form!
Sprout bread through us and
An epiphany for every moment!
Untie the knots of failure that bind us,
Just like we free the ropes,
with which we restrain the misdeeds of others!
Help us not to forget our Source.
But free us from the immaturity of not being in the Present!
Everything comes from You
Vision, Power and Song
From meeting to meeting!
Amen. Let our next actions grow from here.

As you can see, here instead of “Our Father” - “ Breathing Life". Let us remember that the name Eve is translated as " Life". Let us also remember that the Holy Spirit in Hebrew (‏רוח הקדש‎ ‏‎, Ruach hakodesh), in Arabic (روح القدس, Ar-rukh al-quds) and in other Semitic languages ( Ruach) — female sort of .

Dmitry Merezhkovsky, in his study “The Unknown Jesus,” writes that in the canonical gospels, at the baptism of Jesus, a voice is heard from heaven: “On this day I gave birth to You.”
And in the native language of Jesus and His Mother, Aramaic, where “Holy Spirit”, Ruach, is feminine: “I gave birth You".
The Heavenly Mother, the Spirit, says so in eternity; the earthly mother, Mary, could have said the same thing in time. Here there is no longer a contradiction between the two Christmases; the sting of temptation is taken out.
“God is Spirit” (John 4:24) cannot but mean in the mouth of Jesus Himself, in Aramaic: God is not only He, the Father, but also She, Mother.
“My Mother is the Holy Spirit,” he will say, remembering what happened immediately after Baptism, Jesus Himself, in the Gospel of the Hebrews, no less Orthodox than our canonical Gospels.

The memory of the Aramaic original was also preserved in Greek by all four witnesses, in our canonical Gospels, where the image of the Spirit is not a “dove”, peristeras, but a “dove”, peristera. At the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit “descended” on Him in the form lovebirds.

Dove of the Holy Spirit in St. Peter's Basilica

The dove was the sacred bird of the goddess Ishtar. In Babylon, the words “dove” and “to be born” sounded similar, and these birds were associated with birth.
The Orthodox have already forgotten this, but heretics still remember.
"Bring down the Holy Spirit, bring down
Holy Blueberry, come down
Mother Hidden!" -
this is the prayer of baptism and the Eucharist in the Acts of Thomas. Gnostic Ophites were also baptized and received communion “in the name of the Mother Spirit.”

Most likely, the same “metamorphosis” occurred with Janus. The closeness of Janus and Juno is very suspicious. She is identified with the Greek goddess Hera, who shows features of the great female deity of the pre-Olympic period. On March 1, festivities were held in her honor - matronalia. It must be said that the ancient Romans celebrated the New Year on March 1st. And only in In 46 BC, Emperor Julius Caesar introduced a new calendar - the one that is still used today, and then the New Year moved to January 1st. Therefore, the New Year’s “connection” with January is a rather late thing, the era of imperial Rome, but before everything was not so.

The topic is quite interesting, and perhaps I will return to it. It seems that this is not just a matter of Janus. Most likely, other “male” gods appeared in exactly the same way. First there was a female deity, say Libera. Then a male name was added to it - Liber - and for some time the deity was bisexual: Liber-Libera. And finally, the female name was abolished and only one male name remained.

Obviously, Virgo existed first, then the bisexual deity Dyaus-Deva appeared, and finally, only Dyaus remained, and Virgo was demonized (In the Younger Avesta, devas appear as evil spirits, creatures of Angra Mainyu, personifying all sorts of vices and seeking to harm man and other good people creations).

Probably Yahweh infiltrated the matriarchal cult in the same way (

Suffice it to recall Plutarch’s mention that the gates of the temple of the god Janus in Rome, which were opened when the Roman Empire waged any war, had not been closed since the time of King Numa Pompilius (the second king after the legendary founder of Rome Romulus, 8th century BC) until the time of Caesar Augustus Octavian (63 BC-14), that is, for 700 years, almost the entire period of the existence of the Roman Empire. The military convoys departed from the sacred Temple of the Gate (Janus geminus) in the Roman Forum. January 12, 29 BC By decision of the Roman Senate, the doors of the Temple of Janus in Rome are closed as a sign of the end of civil wars that lasted almost a hundred years. The Temple of Janus was located in the Roman Forum and consisted of two large bonzo-covered arches, connected by transverse walls and supported by columns, with two gates facing each other. According to legend, it was erected by King Numa Pompilius. Inside there was a statue of a god who had two faces facing in opposite directions (one to the past, the other to the future) and had two entrances. When a decision was made to declare war on any state, the main person in the state, be it a king or a consul, unlocked the double doors of the temple with a key and armed warriors going on a campaign, as well as young men who took up arms for the first time, passed under the arches in front of the faces of Janus. Throughout the war, the gates of the temple stood open. When peace was concluded, the armed troops again passed in front of the statue of the god, returning from a victorious campaign, and the heavy double oak doors of the temple, decorated with gold and ivory, were again locked. To the surprise of contemporaries and descendants, its gates were closed for 43 years. The festival of Janus, the agony, was celebrated on January 9 in the home of the king himself. The priest of Janus was the king's deputy on these issues, heading all the Roman priests. Sacrifices were made to the god Janus in the form of honey pies, wine, and fruits. People wished each other happiness, gave sweets as a symbol that the whole coming year would pass under the sign of happy (and sweet) satisfaction of all desires. Quarrels and discord with shouting and noise were prohibited by law, so as not to darken the benevolent attitude of Janus, who, when angry, could send down a bad year for everyone. On this significant day, the priests sacrificed a white bull to Janus in the presence of all officials and offered prayers for the well-being of the Roman state.

The image of Janus (Dianus) was often used on coins during the Republic era, but is very rare during the Empire period. The two-faced Janus is found on the obverse of all Roman aces from the time of the appearance of Roman copper coins until the beginning of the 1st century. BC.

Two-Faced Janus- the god of the threshold, entrance and exit, doors and every beginning. All gates were considered to be under his sacred authority, as well as the beginning of any act and the passage of all entrances. Among the deities of the ancient Romans, he was considered one of the most omniscient and was the most popular. It has no correspondence in the Greek pantheon. One of his faces is turned to the past, the other to the future. He protects the house, scares away strangers and demons and invites pleasant guests. In the calendar, the first month of the year, which opens it, is named after him - January. January was dedicated to Janus, god of the firmament, patron of travelers and sailors. He accompanied both happiness and troubles. When addressing the gods, the name of Janus was invoked first. According to legend, Janus was the first king of Latium. He taught people agriculture, shipbuilding and patronized sailors. Janus was also considered the god of contracts and alliances. state improvement, golden age. The two heads signify his ability to foresee the future and remember the past. Two crowns - control of two kingdoms (could see both paths at the same time). The staff signifies that he was the first to introduce the correct roads and calculate the distance. The key is a sign that he introduced the construction of doors and locks, and also unlocked the gates of heaven with them. Since Janus was the god of time, counting days, months and years, the number 300 (Latin numerals = CCC) was inscribed on his right hand (on his fingers), and on his left - 365 (Latin numerals - LXV), which meant the number of days in year. His head was crowned with the ancient Roman “term” (terminus - limit, boundary) - a column marking the boundaries of property. As the deity of the gate, entry (Latin: Janua), he was also considered the guardian of the entrance to the house and was depicted with a gatekeeper's staff and a key as attributes. It denoted an intermediary in knowledge of agronomy and orderly conduct of life.

Janus Before Jupiter, he was the deity of the sky and sunlight, who opened the heavenly gates and released the sun into the sky, and closed these gates at night. Then he gave up his place, the ruler of the sky, Jupiter, and he himself took an equally honorable place - the ruler of all beginnings and undertakings in time. He hosted Saturn and shared power with him. There was also a belief that Janus reigned on earth even before Saturn, and people owe all their skills in cultivating the land, knowledge of crafts and calculating time to this benevolent and fair deity. The wife of Janus was the water nymph Juturn, the patroness of springs, and their son Fons was revered as the god of fountains and springs gushing out of the ground. In October, festivities were held in honor of Fons - fontinalia. The wells were surrounded with garlands of flowers, and wreaths were thrown into the springs. Therefore, Janus, the father of Fons, was credited with the creation of all rivers and streams. In his book “The Golden Bough” J. Fraser recognizes in Janus the prototype of the god of the forest and vegetation. Under the name Dianus he was honored in the oak groves of Nemi. He was served by a priest, who was equated with royal dignity. The priest had to guard the oak tree dedicated to his cult day and night - after all, the one who managed to break off an oak branch acquired the right to kill the priest and take his place. According to ancient Italian mythology, once there was a holy betrothal between Dianus and Diana, the goddess of forest and fertility. Since the oak is sacred to Janus, like Jupiter, Frazer believes that these gods are identical, like the identical female goddesses Juno and Diana. It is not surprising that patriarchal Rome almost always represented Janus with the face of a man, because the father of the family was the undivided master of the house. At the same time, the peoples living on the Italian peninsula, whose mythology spoke of the betrothal of Dianus and Diana, saw in this god both male and female principles. In a skillful artistic depiction, it is possible to present both poles in their unity, and then the head of the bisexual Dianus turns out to be a symbol of a social and mental state that is no longer associated only with the matriarchal or only with the patriarchal form of consciousness of society. And at the same time, the image is not devoid of the characteristic features of a man and a woman; the plastic represents a field of vibration where division merges into unity, in order to then again separate from each other. This bisexuality is reminiscent of the deity of the new Zone, which Crowley speaks of in the Book of Thoth, and in the Tarot cards this is how the fool is depicted. Janus's face does not have demonic features, like many other gate guards; it expresses, on the one hand, strength and determination, on the other, friendliness and wisdom. Its significance as a gatekeeper and its double face are also known in other cultures, especially African ones. One can see a parallel to it in the two-headed deity that the Bushmen of Suriname always place at the entrance to the village. The ritual murder of the priest of this god in Nemi and his veneration as the god of nature include this deity in a long series of vegetation cults, the main idea of which is the victory of the young god of spring over winter. Here is the basis of numerous mysteries, the cults of Dionysus, Attis, Adonis, Osiris. According to Fraser, this is a general expression of the religious magic of the transformation of nature, which consists in death and the resurrection that replaces it. Quite independently of this Romanesque symbol, in Central Africa there are overhead masks made of wood with double faces, one of which is black (Negroid) and the other white.

During the Renaissance, Janus turned into a symbol of the past and future (cf. prudence) - in the allegories of Time. In this sense, it is presented by Poussin as a border. At the beginning of a lengthy allegory of human life, Moira hands a handful of wool (Giordano, Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, Florence). Its attribute is a coiled snake, an ancient symbol of eternity. William Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice calls Janus two-faced, thereby giving him a negative assessment.

The image of a god with two heads allows this god to be interpreted in a variety of ways. He becomes a symbol of any contradiction: external and internal, soul and body, myth and mind, right and left, conservative and progressive, matter and antimatter, in a word, the whole dialectic finds its plastic synthesized embodiment in this god. The expression “two-faced Janus” today symbolizes everything ambiguous, ambiguous, dual, ambivalent - the positive and negative aspects of the same action or thing.

Janus is the most mysterious god figure of Ancient Rome. He is called the creator, the god of gods, the forerunner of the entire divine Areopagus. Janus is the god of gods" in the ancient hymns of Salia (greater Saturn), from which all the other gods supposedly originate, declares the following: "antiquity calls me Chaos." The myths about Janus trace the origins of the most ancient beliefs, where Janus was represented as the primeval Chaos, from which all arose world. “You, the most ancient of the gods, say, I ask you, Janus” (Juvenal, Satire VI, 394). In this process of formation, Janus turns into the guardian god of the world order, rotating the axis of the world. This reminds us of the Indian god Vayu. also when listing, the Iranian Vayu is called the first, who is represented as a double figure - Good and Evil. As the god of the beginning and the end, he was attributed great mystical significance, because for the Romans the first step was decisive for the success of everything planned, the first step determined all the others. If a person starts something new, he goes through the gate and finds himself in another space. This applies to both the movement of a person in time and space, and the movement of souls. According to one version, one of the names of the Old Testament god is Janus.