A Hypocritical Month?

Turkmenbashi may have enjoyed naming months after both him and his honorable mother, but what about the origin of the month names as we know them? Sure July and August are named after Julius and Augustus Caesar, but did you know January was named after the Roman God Janus? According to the American Heritage Dictionary, Janus was the "god of doorways, of beginnings, and of the rising and setting of the sun, usually represented as having one head with two bearded faces back to back, looking in opposite directions." Surely it was because he was the god of beginnings that he got the first month. But the dictionary also notes that, because of this portrayal of Janus with two faces looking at both directions, the term 'Janus-faced' (which is what set me on this chase, actually) has come to mean 'hypocritical'. So there you have it--January is a hypocritical month. Who knew?!