Janus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A god from Roman mythology often portrayed with two faces, symbolizing new beginnings and transitions in life
2. This divine figure represents the concept of duality, having faces that look in opposite directions to signify change and time
3. A deity from ancient Roman belief shown with two heads facing opposite ways, standing for change and passage of time

Etymology: Janus was the Roman god of doorways, gates, beginnings and endings, and he is shown with two faces because a doorway looks both ways at once: one face toward what lies behind and one toward what lies ahead. The Latin name "Iānus" is the source of the English word, and the god's dual image is why the word now also names a moon of Saturn. The Roman month January was named for him, since the start of a new year fell under his protection, and the month Janus governed passage from the old year into the new. Romans also kept a temple to him whose doors were thought to stand open in wartime and closed in peace, a custom that made him a symbol of both conflict and calm. Because he could see past and future together, the image of two faces became a lasting emblem of looking backward and forward at the same moment. In the modern sense, "janus" describes anything with two contrasting aspects, such as a Janus-faced policy that seems to say two different things.

Synonyms: duality, two-facedness, ambiguity