Janus: Roman God of Gates, Doorways, Transitions, Beginnings, and Endings.

    I know, I know.  God of doorways and transitions seems really boring and unimportant.  You'd be surprised how important he may be.  In fact, Janus was proposed to be the most important god, sometimes replacing Jupiter as top god.  Why would a over-dignified doorman be important?  Because as god of transition, he rules over many things, such as: light, the sun, the moon, change, time, movement, the year, and all other things that have anything to do with transitions.
    Even though he was sometimes seen as top god, he wasn't involved in many myths.  The ones he was in weren't important, either.  One of these myths is when he had raped the nymph Crane.  The only worthy outcome of these myths is the fact that he had a daughter, Cardia, goddess of hinges.  Fitting for a daughter of the god of doors, right?  Another myth of his is when Romulus and his men captured the Sabine women.  In Roman mythology, Romulus was the founder of Rome.  He and his followers needed wives, so they captured the Sabine women.  When the Sabine king, Tatius, and his men attacked Rome, Janus caused a volcanic spring to erupt, burying them.
    Janus is often depicted as having faces, one looking to the future and one to the past.  He is often presiding over the beginnings and endings of conflicts, therefore over war and peace.  In fact, his temples were open during times of war and closed during times of peace.  While many Roman gods had specialized priests looking after their temples, Janus had the King of of the Sacred Rites to look after this temple.

Symbols: Key and Scepter
Offerings: Ram, Incense, Wine, Barley, and Cakes
Coins: Janus appeared on the earliest coins in Rome
Meals: Every meal began with a request for blessings from Janus