A Who's Who of World Mythology : Ani/Janus


Ani is an Etruscan god of the highest heaven. Though it is not clear in what way he may be connected or equated with the Roman god Janus, he is usually depicted in a similar fashion, with two heads facing in opposite directions.

Ani is also listed as an Egyptian god in Tuat, the Underworld. He is possibly lord of festivals and the new moon in the Egyptian system. Ani is mentioned in a hymn in connection to Amen-Ra.

Janus is a very old Italian god who the Romans felt embodied beginnings, but who is a god of the present and future as well as the past. He was guardian of doors and passages, and the month of January was named for him. As the guardian of the New Year, he was depicted holding the numbers 300 and 65. He is also equated with the rising and setting of the sun, and the sunrise of each new season and every new day was sacred to him. When invoked as a guardian of doors or roadways, in his right hand he is shown holding a key, and in his left is a staff. His head was often featured on Roman coins. Unlike many of the other Roman deities, Janus had no Greek counterpart. Supposedly a son of Apollo, he is said to have been born in Thessaly and founded the city of Jniculum on the Tiber. His temple, the Janus Quadrifons, was reputedly a prefect, symmetrical square, each side with one door and three windows representing the seasons and the months within them.