<P> In the Middle Ages, Janus was also taken as the symbol of Genoa, whose Medieval Latin name was Ianua, as well as of other European communes . The comune of Selvazzano di Dentro near Padua has a grove and an altar of Janus depicted on its standard, but their existence is unproved . </P> <P> Cats with the congenital disorder Diprosopus, which causes the face to be partly or completely duplicated on the head, are known as Janus cats . </P> <P> In Act I Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Othello, Iago invokes the name of Janus after the failure of his premiere plot to undo the titular character . As the story's primary agent of change, it's fitting that Iago align himself with Janus . His schemes prompt the beginning of each of the main characters' ends: in his absence, Othello and Desdemona would likely have remained married and Cassio would have remained in his respected position of power . Iago guides (if not forces) the story through inception, climax, and finale . Furthermore, Janus' common two - faced depiction is the perfect visual metaphor for Iago's character . Othello's characters believe him to have only the best of intentions, even going as far as to call him "honest Iago," completely unaware that he spends every unwatched second plotting their undoing . He appears selfless and compassionate but, in truth, is power - hungry, amoral, and without regard for the well - being of others . </P> <P> In the 1987 thriller novel The Janus Man by British novelist Raymond Harold Sawkins, Janus is used as a metaphor for a Soviet agent infiltrated into British Secret Intelligence Service - "The Janus Man who faces both East and West". </P>

2 at the same time call it changing faces