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Like many myths, the story of Janus may have been based on some person. Many later Romans believed that Janus was the first king of Latium. In mythology, it was claimed that he lived at either the ends of the earth or heaven's extremities. There is no one story about the god and what has been handed down to us is very fragmentary. He was even perplexing to the Romans. <ref>Taylor, R. (2000). Watching the skies: Janus, Auspication, and the Shrine in the Roman Forum. Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, 45, 1-40</ref>
====The myths and What was the cult of that worshipped Janus==?==
[[File: Janus Two.jpg |200px|thumb|left|Bust of Roman priest]]
Janus, in many myths, is related to transitions and to change. There are stories that he was present at the creation of the world when it moved from chaos to order, from nothingness to life. Many believe that he was originally a creator god, whose role shifted over time. Roman creation myth has this deity enabling the beginning of the world and even the births of the other Gods.<ref>Taylor, p. 13</ref>
Indeed, there are possible references to Janus as Jupiter's father, but many scholars have disputed this. Janus arrived by ship, in many legends, and was well received by the Roman god of agriculture. At this time, Saturn had created a Golden Age for humankind, and Janus assisted him. Later there were several cults in honor of the deity of beginnings, endings, and transitions. His main worship place was the Janiculum, which was not strictly speaking a temple but an enclosure. There were many temples and shrines to this god throughout Rome.
In the early history of the city of Rome, Janus intervened several times to help the Romans. In one myth, when the city was under attack by the Sabines, he turned a cold spring into a hot spring and helped defeat the attackers. According to many antiquarians, the first temple dedicated to God was built by Numa, but his worship goes back to Romulus. Janus was often associated with Portunus, the god of bridges and thoroughfares. In this incarnation, he was concerned with traveling, trading, and shipping.
There are also stories told that Janus was the God who invented money and initiated commerce, for reasons that are not entirely clear. As a result of this, many merchants worshipped him. Janus had a relationship with nymph Camasene, and they had a son called Tiberinus. He was drowned in the river, and this led to it being renamed the Tiber. Janus, in many myths, was the father of several children, including Canens and Fontus. Canens was the goddess of song, and Fontus, the deity of wells and springs popular in the public religion. In most myths, Janus was Saturn's brother, and their father was the primeval sky god.
==Why was Janus the God of Doorways?==