article of Janus Roman God

Janus

In Roman religion and mythology, Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, thence also of gates, doors, doorways, endings and time. Most often he is depicted as having two heads, facing opposite directions: one head looks eastward and the other westward. Symbolically they look simultaneously into the future and the past, back at the last year and forward at the new,

Etymology

The etymologies proposed by the ancient and modern may be brought under three categories. Each of them bears implications for the nature of the god itself.

The first one is grounded into a detail of the definition of Chaos given by Paul the Deacon: hiantem, hiare, be open, from which word Ianus would derive for the subtraction of the aspiration. This etymology is related to the notion of Chaos which would define the primordial nature of the god. The idea of an association of the god to the Greek concept of Chaos looks cotrived, as the initial function of Janus suffices in explaining his place at the origin of time.

Another etymology proposed by Nigidius Figulus is related by Macrobius: Ianus would be both Apollo and Diana Iana, by the additon of a D for the sake of euphony. This explanation has been accepted by A. B. Cook and J. G. Frazer. It supports all the assimilation of Janus to the bright sky, the sun and the moon. It supposes a former *Dianus, formed on *dia- < *dy-eð(2) from IE root *dey- shine represented in Latin by dies day, Diovis and Iuppiter. However the form Dianus postulated by Nigidius is not attested.

The interpretation of Janus as the god of beginnings and transitions is grounded onto a third etymology indicated by Cicero, Ovid and Macrobius which explains the name as Latin deriving it from the verb ire ("to go"). It has been conjectured to be derived from the Indo-European root meaning transitional movement (cf. Sanskrit "yana-" or Avestan "yah-", likewise with Latin "i-" and Greek "ei-".).Iānus would then be an action name expressing the idea of going, passing, formed on the root *yā- < *y-eð(2)- theme II of the root *ey- go from which eō, ειμι.

Functions

While the fundamental nature of Janus is debated, the complex set of its functions may be seen as organised around a simple principle: in the view of most modern scholars that of the god's presiding over all beginnings and transitions, whether abstract or concrete, sacred or profane. Interpretations concerning the fundamental nature of the god either limit it to this general function itself or emphasize a concrete or particular aspect of it (identitfying him with light the sun, the moon, time, movement, the year, doorways, bridges etc.) or see in the god a sort of cosmological principle, i. e. interpret him as an uranic deity.

The function of god of beginnings has been clearly expressed by numerous ancient sources, among them most notably perhaps by Cicero, Ovid and Varro (preserved in Augustine). As a god of movement he looks after passages, causes the startings in actions, presides on all beginnings and since movement and change are bivalent, he has a double nature, symbolised in his two headed image. He has under his tutelage the stepping in and out of the door of homes, the ianua, which took its name from him, and not viceversa. Similarly his tutelage extends to the covered passages named iani, and foremostly to the gates of the city: the cultual gate of the Argiletum, named Ianus Geminus or Porta Ianualis from which he protects Rome against the Sabins. He is also present at the Sororium Tigillum, where he guards the terminus of the ways in from Latium. He has an altar, later a temple near the Porta Carmentalis where was the end of the road leading to Veii, as well as being present on the Janiculum, a gateway from Rome out to Etruria.

The connexion of the notions of beginning (principium) and movement and transition (eundo) has been clearly expressed by Cicero. In general, Janus was the patron of concrete and abstract beginnings of the world, (such as the religion and the gods themselves), he too holds the access to the heaven and other gods: this is the reason why men must invoke him first, regardless of the god they want to placate. He is the initiator of the human life, of new historical ages, and economical enterprises: in myth he first minted coins and money bears his effigy on one face.

Because of his initial nature he 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. He was also known as the figure representing time because he could see into the past with one face and into the future with the other. This is also one of the xplanations of his image with the heads looking in opposite directions. Hence, Janus was worshipped at the beginnings of the harvest and planting times, as well as marriages, deaths and other beginnings. He was representative of the middle ground between barbarity and civilization, rural country and urban cities, and youth and adulthood. Having jurisdiction on beginnings Janus had an intrinsic association with omens and auspices.

According to a legend, he had received the gift to see both future and past from the god Saturn in reward for the hospitality received.

Several scholars suggest that he was likely the most important god in the Roman archaic pantheon. He was often invoked together with Iuppiter (Jupiter).

According to Macrobius citing Nigidius Figulus and Cicero, Janus and Jana (Diana) are a pair of divinities, worshipped as Apollo or the sun and moon, whence Janus received sacrifices before all the others, because through him is apparent the way of access to the desired deity.

Numa in his regulation of the Roman calendar called the first month Januarius after Janus, according to a tradition at the time considered the highest divinity. Numa also introduced the Ianus geminus (also Janus Bifrons, Janus Quirinus or Portae Belli) , a passage ritually opened at times of war, and shut again when Roman arms rested. It formed a walled enclosure with gates at each end, situated between the old Roman Forum and that of Julius Caesar, which had been consecrated by Numa Pompilius. In the course of wars, the gates of the Janus were opened, and in its interior sacrifices and vaticinia were held to forecast the outcome of military deeds. The doors were closed only during peacetime, an extremely rare event. The function of the Ianus Geminus was supposed to be a sort of good omen: in time of peace it closed the wars within, in time of war or sometimes to keep peace inside; in times of war it was open to allow the return of the people on duty. A temple of Janus is said to have been consecrated by the consul Gaius Duilius in 260 BCE after the Battle of Mylae in the Forum Holitorium. The four-side structure known as the Arch of Janus in the Forum Boarium dates to the 1th century CE: it was built by emperor Domitian.

Cultual epithets

A way to enquire into the complex nature of Janus is that of analysing systematically his cultual epithets. Religious documents may preserve a more accurate notion of the theology of a deity than other literary sources,

The main sources of Janus's cultual epithets are the fragments of the Carmen Saliare preserved by Varro in his work De Lingua Latina, a list preserved in a passage of Macrobius's Saturnalia (I 9, 15-16), another in a passage of Johannes Lydus in his De Mensibus (IV 1), a list by Cedrenus in his Historiarum Compendium (I p. 295 7 Bonn), partly dependent on Lydus's, and one in Servius Honoratus's commentary to the Aeneis (VII 610).

Janus's association with non Roman gods

Janus-like heads of gods related to Hermes have been found in Greece, perhaps suggesting a compound god. William Betham argued that the cult arrived from the Middle East and that Janus corresponds to the Baal-ianus or Belinus of the Chaldeans sharing a common origin with the Oannes of Berosus.^[42]

In the Middle Ages, Janus was also taken as the symbol of Genoa, whose Latin name was Ianua, as well as of other European communes.

Other myths

Janus was supposed to have shared a kingdom with Camese in Latium. They had many children, including Tiberinus.

When Romulus and his men kidnapped the Sabine women, Janus caused a volcanic hot spring to erupt, resulting in the would-be attackers being buried alive in the deathly hot, brutal water and ash mixture of the rushing hot volcanic springs that killed, burned, or disfigured many of Romulus's men. Romulus was in awe of the god's power. (Later on, however, the Sabines and Rome became allies.) In honor of this, the doors of a walled roofless structure called 'The Janus' (not a temple) were kept open during war after a symbolic contingent of soldiers had marched through it. The doors were closed in ceremony when peace was concluded. Augustus and Nero both advertised universal peace, which had led to 'the closing of the Janus', during their reigns.

The Tourist scene Janus-Roman God

"It's the um...the Roman god, Janus. My mother gave it to me when I was little. She wanted to teach me that people have two sides. A good side, a bad side, a past, a future. And that we must embrace both in someone we love. And I tried." --Elise

RA Kartini

Raden Adjeng Kartini

lahir di Jepara, Jawa Tengah, 21 April 1879 – meninggal di Rembang, Jawa Tengah, 17 September 1904 pada umur 25 tahun atau sebenarnya lebih tepat disebut Raden Ayu Kartini adalah seorang tokoh suku Jawa dan Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia. Kartini dikenal sebagai pelopor kebangkitan perempuan pribumi.

Raden Adjeng Kartini adalah seseorang dari kalangan priyayi atau kelas bangsawan Jawa, putri Raden Mas Adipati Ario Sosroningrat, bupati Jepara. Ia adalah putri dari istri pertama, tetapi bukan istri utama. Ibunya bernama M.A. Ngasirah, putri dari Nyai Haji Siti Aminah dan Kyai Haji Madirono, seorang guru agama di Telukawur, Jepara.

Ayah Kartini pada mulanya adalah seorang wedana di Mayong. Peraturan kolonial waktu itu mengharuskan seorang bupati beristerikan seorang bangsawan. Karena M.A. Ngasirah bukanlah bangsawan tinggi, maka ayahnya menikah lagi dengan Raden Adjeng Woerjan (Moerjam), keturunan langsung Raja Madura. Setelah perkawinan itu, maka ayah Kartini diangkat menjadi bupati di Jepara menggantikan kedudukan ayah kandung R.A. Woerjan, R.A.A. Tjitrowikromo.

Kartini adalah anak ke-5 dari 11 bersaudara kandung dan tiri. Dari kesemua saudara sekandung, Kartini adalah anak perempuan tertua. Kakeknya, Pangeran Ario Tjondronegoro IV, diangkat bupati dalam usia 25 tahun. Kakak Kartini, Sosrokartono, adalah seorang yang pintar dalam bidang bahasa. Sampai usia 12 tahun, Kartini diperbolehkan bersekolah di ELS (Europese Lagere School). Di sini antara lain Kartini belajar bahasa Belanda. Tetapi setelah usia 12 tahun, ia harus tinggal di rumah karena sudah bisa dipingit.

Karena Kartini bisa berbahasa Belanda, maka di rumah ia mulai belajar sendiri dan menulis surat kepada teman-teman korespondensi yang berasal dari Belanda. Salah satunya adalah Rosa Abendanon yang banyak mendukungnya. Dari buku-buku, koran, dan majalah Eropa, Kartini tertarik pada kemajuan berpikir perempuan Eropa. Timbul keinginannya untuk memajukan perempuan pribumi, karena ia melihat bahwa perempuan pribumi berada pada status sosial yang rendah.

Kartini banyak membaca surat kabar Semarang De Locomotief yang diasuh Pieter Brooshooft, ia juga menerima leestrommel (paket majalah yang diedarkan toko buku kepada langganan). Di antaranya terdapat majalah kebudayaan dan ilmu pengetahuan yang cukup berat, juga ada majalah wanita Belanda De Hollandsche Lelie. Kartini pun kemudian beberapa kali mengirimkan tulisannya dan dimuat di De Hollandsche Lelie. Dari surat-suratnya tampak Kartini membaca apa saja dengan penuh perhatian, sambil membuat catatan-catatan. Kadang-kadang Kartini menyebut salah satu karangan atau mengutip beberapa kalimat. Perhatiannya tidak hanya semata-mata soal emansipasi wanita, tapi juga masalah sosial umum. Kartini melihat perjuangan wanita agar memperoleh kebebasan, otonomi dan persamaan hukum sebagai bagian dari gerakan yang lebih luas. Di antara buku yang dibaca Kartini sebelum berumur 20, terdapat judul Max Havelaar dan Surat-Surat Cinta karya Multatuli, yang pada November 1901 sudah dibacanya dua kali. Lalu De Stille Kraacht (Kekuatan Gaib) karya Louis Coperus. Kemudian karya Van Eeden yang bermutu tinggi, karya Augusta de Witt yang sedang-sedang saja, roman-feminis karya Nyonya Goekoop de-Jong Van Beek dan sebuah roman anti-perang karangan Berta Von Suttner, Die Waffen Nieder (Letakkan Senjata). Semuanya berbahasa Belanda.

Oleh orangtuanya, Kartini disuruh menikah dengan bupati Rembang, K.R.M. Adipati Ario Singgih Djojo Adhiningrat, yang sudah pernah memiliki tiga istri. Kartini menikah pada tanggal 12 November 1903. Suaminya mengerti keinginan Kartini dan Kartini diberi kebebasan dan didukung mendirikan sekolah wanita di sebelah timur pintu gerbang kompleks kantor kabupaten Rembang, atau di sebuah bangunan yang kini digunakan sebagai Gedung Pramuka.

Anak pertama dan sekaligus terakhirnya, R.M. Soesalit, lahir pada tanggal 13 September 1904. Beberapa hari kemudian, 17 September 1904, Kartini meninggal pada usia 25 tahun. Kartini dimakamkan di Desa Bulu, Kecamatan Bulu, Rembang.

Berkat kegigihannya Kartini, kemudian didirikan Sekolah Wanita oleh Yayasan Kartini di Semarang pada 1912, dan kemudian di Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Malang, Madiun, Cirebon dan daerah lainnya. Nama sekolah tersebut adalah "Sekolah Kartini". Yayasan Kartini ini didirikan oleh keluarga Van Deventer, seorang tokoh Politik Etis.

Ada kalangan yang meragukan kebenaran surat-surat Kartini. Ada dugaan J.H. Abendanon, Menteri Kebudayaan, Agama, dan Kerajinan saat itu, merekayasa surat-surat Kartini. Kecurigaan ini timbul karena memang buku Kartini terbit saat pemerintahan kolonial Belanda menjalankan politik etis di Hindia Belanda, dan Abendanon termasuk yang berkepentingan dan mendukung politik etis. Hingga saat ini pun sebagian besar naskah asli surat tak diketahui keberadaannya. Menurut almarhumah Sulastin Sutrisno, jejak keturunan J.H. Abendanon pun sukar untuk dilacak Pemerintah Belanda.

Penetapan tanggal kelahiran Kartini sebagai hari besar juga agak diperdebatkan. Pihak yang tidak begitu menyetujui, mengusulkan agar tidak hanya merayakan Hari Kartini saja, namun merayakannya sekaligus dengan Hari Ibu pada tanggal 22 Desember. Alasan mereka adalah agar tidak pilih kasih dengan pahlawan-pahlawan wanita Indonesia lainnya, karena masih ada pahlawan wanita lain yang tidak kalah hebat dengan Kartini seperti Cut Nyak Dhien, Martha Christina Tiahahu,Dewi Sartika dan lain-lain.Menurut mereka, wilayah perjuangan Kartini itu hanyalah di Jepara dan Rembang saja, Kartini juga tidak pernah memanggul senjata melawan penjajah. Sikapnya yang pro terhadap poligami juga bertentangan dengan pandangan kaum feminis tentang arti emansipasi wanita. Dan berbagai alasan lainnya. Pihak yang pro mengatakan bahwa Kartini tidak hanya seorang tokoh emansipasi wanita yang mengangkat derajat kaum wanita Indonesia saja, melainkan adalah tokoh nasional; artinya, dengan ide dan gagasan pembaruannya tersebut dia telah berjuang untuk kepentingan bangsanya. Cara pikirnya sudah melingkupi perjuangan nasional.

Peringatan Hari Kratini

Presiden Soekarno mengeluarkan Keputusan Presiden Republik Indonesia No.108 Tahun 1964, tanggal 2 Mei 1964, yang menetapkan Kartini sebagai Pahlawan Kemerdekaan Nasional sekaligus menetapkan hari lahir Kartini, tanggal 21 April, untuk diperingati setiap tahun sebagai hari besar yang kemudian dikenal sebagai Hari Kartini.

Saya memlih R.A Kartini sebagai tokoh saya karena Kartini adalah tonggak dari awalnya kebangkitan dan keberanian darii kaum wanita untuk mempunyai hak yang sama dengan kaum pria.

Nilai-nilai yang saya dapat adalah Berjuang demi kepentingan wanita agar tidak selalu terjajah oleh kaum pria (emansipasi wanita), mengembangkan pola pikirnya melalui surat menyurat dengan wanita Belanda agar beliau dapat membandingkan dengan situasi di Indonesia dan merubahnya agar dapat berkembang lebih baik lagi, membangkitkan semangat kaum wanita, menjunjung tinggi keberanian dan semangat kaum wanita, tidak pantang menyerah apapun situasinya. Tidak peduli omongan rakyat, dan terus memajukan dan meneruskan perjuangannya.