Janus and Medusa: What Would Happen?
By Wali Khan
When we think of myths, the story of Medusa will come to mind, with the well-known power of turning victims to stone.
As one delves deeper into the myths, they would find the god Janus, the god of two faces.
This, with the myth of Medusa, raises a question - if Janus looks at Medusa, would both faces turn to stone, or just one?
Even one look would turn someone to stone, but only one of Janus’s faces looked, the other didn’t.
Rarely do we find examples of the power of Medusa at work in myths, so there isn’t much evidence to come to consensus.
Medusa’s power was evaded by Perseus with the use of the polished shield, demonstrating that her power only works if you look directly at her.
Even though only one face looked at Medusa, in the case of Janus, he looked directly upon her, so Janus should turn entirely into stone.
Lonely as it may be, only one head looked at Medusa, so only one head would be turned to stone and Janus would become one faced.
One face would ruin who Janus is, so would he still be the of any use as a god?
Now he is half man, half stone; Janus is only half the god he used to be.
As a remembrance of summer long past, the beginning letter of each sentence spells a special word - can you figure it out?