Roman bust of Janus, VaticanIn Roman mythology, Janus was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, and endings. His most apparent remnant in modern culture is his namesake, the month of January. Though he was usually depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions (Janus Geminus (twin Janus) or Bifrons), in some places he was Janus Quadrifrons (the four-faced). The Romans associated Janus with the Etruscan deity Ani. His ability to see both forwards and backwards at the same time aided him in his pursuit of the nymph Carna whom he gave power over door hinges as a reward for her favours.
Janus was frequently used to symbolize change and transitions such as the progression of past to future, of one condition to another, of one vision to another, the growing up of young people, and of one universe to another. Hence, Janus was worshipped at the beginnings of the harvest and planting times, as well as marriages, births and other beginnings. He was representative of the middle ground between barbarity and civilization, rural country and urban cities, and youth and adulthood.
Janus was supposed to have come from Thessaly in Greece and he shared a kingdom with Camese in Latium. They had many children, including Tiberinus. Janus and his later wife, Juturna, were the parents of Fontus. Another wife was named Jana. Historically, however, Janus was one of the few Roman gods who had no ready-made Greek counterpart, or analogous mythology. We can find in Greece Janus-like heads of gods related to Hermes, perhaps forming a compound god: Hermathena (a herm of Athena), Hermares, Hermaphroditus, Hermanubis, Hermalcibiades, and so on. In the case of these compounds it is disputed whether they indicated a herm with the head of Athena, or with a Janus-like head of both Hermes and Athena, or a figure compounded of both deities.
As the sole ruler of Latium, Janus heralded the Golden Age, introducing money, laws and agriculture (making him a culture hero).
When Romulus and his men kidnapped the women of the Sabines, Janus caused a hot spring to erupt, causing the would-be attackers to flee. In honor of this, the doors to his temples were kept open during war so that he could easily intervene. The doors and gates were closed during peace.
His two faces (originally, one was always bearded, one clean-shaven; later both bearded) originally represented the sun and the moon. He was usually depicted with a key. The two faced image of Janus was often dipicted on Roman republican coins.
One suggested origin of the name of the Italian city of Genoa is a derivation of Janus.
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Janus in popular culture
Main article: Janus in popular culture
Janus has appeared in many aspects of popular culture. In Shakespeare's play Othello, the double crossing Iago utters the words "By Janus" when lying to Othello, a play on words considering his own two faced nature. Philosopher and anthropologist of science and technology Bruno Latour uses Janus in his 'bestseller' Science in Action (1987) to explain the difference between "ready made science and technology" and "science and technology in the making".
Also in 'United Artists' 1995 James Bond film Goldeneye, Janus was used as the name for the villain's terrorist organisation, 'The Janus Syndicate'.
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даниела алтиева, 16.10.2006 15:19:00
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| Mi se dopagja ovoj nekonvencionalen portret i zatoa ti dodeluvam pet boda. Ima dve raboti za koi moze da se diskutira. Prvata e senkata pod ochite (vo mojot del na svetot toa se narekuva "raccoon eyes "). Ne e premnogu izrazita, no sepak go zabelezav. Ne odzema mnogu od vkupnoto dozivuvanje, no jas bi pretpochital malo doosvetluvanje. Vtoroto ne veruvam deka ke bide zabelezano ako ne se posochi, a toa e fokusot na kamerata. Vo vakvite fotografii se fokusira na ochite. Tebe fokusot ti e na obrazite. Ako si fokusiral korektno, a slikava izlegla vaka kako sto e, togas verojatnosta e deka imas front fokus problem, kako sto ti posochiv porano na edna druga tvoja fotografija. Ako ne e toa problemot, kako sto mi odgovori na toj komentar, togas vo momentot na slikanjeto si se izmestil za okolu eden santimetar na nazad dodeka fokusot ti bil lokiran. Vakviot problem najlesno se resava so kontinuiran fokus i biranje na edno od mnogubrojnite alternativnite polinja za fokusiranje na kamerata. |
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Zoran Karapancev, 16.10.2006 15:53:00
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Zoran, ova e prilicno nepretenciozen portret.
svetloto e takvo kakvo sto e, ova e slikano vo holot na soblekuvalnata na Makfest, so neonsko osvetluvanje na ISO 1600. Fokusot ne e doteruvan na ocite, tuku e lokiran na levoto lice, posto i nemase mnogu vreme za precizni kombinacii vo celata guzva. Inaku, ja izmeriv preciznosta na fokusot na lenjir pod 45', na f4 i e apsolutno idealen. Malku mi vinjetira objektivot, a ostrinata, fokusot i boite mu se top.
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* Janus *, 16.10.2006 17:56:00
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Ne mi se veruva, si dadov petka kako posleden moron :-(
Aj, ke mi prostite, rodenden mi e...
:-))))))))))))))) |
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* Janus *, 16.10.2006 17:56:00
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| Chestit roden den Janus! Ti pozeluvam se najdobro vo zivotot i vo fotografiranjeto! |
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Zoran Karapancev, 16.10.2006 18:20:00
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35 godini :-O
16.10.1971...
Zoran, fala! |
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* Janus *, 16.10.2006 19:58:00
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| OOOO vrili? Aj chestito..da pushteshe nekoja rodendenska,a ne vakva... |
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Зденко Петровски, 16.10.2006 20:00:00
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So rodendenska, na ovie godini vise ne se slavi...
Stupa na snagu Bora Stankovic i zal za mladost... |
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* Janus *, 16.10.2006 20:05:00
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Odlicno foto..prevzemena e uste posuper!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!da si ziv i zdrav! |
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ubavo!
aj HB i od mene, a se cudam jas so ti namesto so aparatot se setas so torta vo race:) |
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stole angelov, 17.10.2006 18:03:00
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| Strava e osobeno so blurot na devojkata, bravo |
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Boban Arsic, 17.10.2006 23:38:00
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* Janus *, 19.10.2006 09:01:00
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Колку ли само има мистериозен и прекрасен поглед девојката иако во позадина страшно добро доминира со неодоливост..
Нема потреба да го читам дечкото :)
Одлична фотографија |
| На Ја, 25.10.2006 13:47:00
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