Janus

Janus (/ˈdʒeɪnəs/ JAY-nəs; Latin: Ianvs [ˈi̯aːnʊs]) is the ancient Roman god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. Typically portrayed with two faces, he lends his name to the month of January (Ianuarius). Though sometimes confused with Juno in ancient Roman farmers' almanacs, Juno is actually the tutelary deity of June, not January.

Janus governed the beginning and ending of conflict, symbolizing both war and peace. In Rome, gates of a building named after him (an open enclosure with gates at each end, not a temple as often mistakenly described) were opened during wartime and closed to signify peace. As a transition deity, his domains included birth, journeys, and exchange, while his association with Portunus, a harbor and gateway god, connected him to travel, trade, and shipping.

Unlike other major deities, Janus had no dedicated priest (flamen or sacerdos); instead, the King of the Sacred Rites (rex sacrorum) performed his ceremonies. His influence permeated religious rituals throughout the year, with ceremonial invocations to Janus preceding all religious rites, regardless of which main deity was being honored.

Although the ancient Greeks had no known equivalent to Janus, significant parallels exist with Culśanś in the Etruscan pantheon.