Etymology: 

Ialonus: With the root Ialo- meaning clearing or village, Delamarre (2003) suggests that Ialonus must either mean ‘God of the clearing’ or ‘master of the village’. Fairless (1989) suggests other meanings, such as ‘god of the meadowland’, ‘god of the glade or lea’ and ‘god of the fair open space’. 

Contrebis: The root con- means with, together and trebis- meaning dwelling, village; therefore, Contrebis may mean ‘he who dwells with us’ (Delamarre, 2003 and Fairless, 1989).

Smith (1997) argues that due to one inscription being from a local, Vatta, and the duplication of the feminine form of Ialonus, Ialona, in the original name for Lancaster, Alione, and its river, Lune, that Ialonus is a local God.

Inscriptions:

We have two known inscriptions to Ialonus Contrebis in Britain, the first from Lancaster and the second from Overborough, both of these locations within the territory of the Brigantes (Fairless, 1989). In addition, there is an additional inscription to Ialonus in Nimes, which may be the origin of Ialonus; as Delamarre (2003) states, the root -ialo, which is very common in Gaul, is rare in Britain.

“To the most holy god Ialonus Contrebis Julius Januarius, emeritus, former decurion, [fulfilled] his vow.” (RIB 600)

“To the holy god Contrebis Vatta set this up.” (RIB 610)

"A Ialon(us ?) et Fortuna (?)." (CIL 12, 3057)

Alcock (1965) suggests that Ialonus is a god of springs and healing, as ‘most holy god’ is a title given to gods associated with springs in Gaul and Ialonus is associated with healing springs in Nimes and because RIB 600 is located by a perennial spring. However, the inscription from Nimes could refer to Ialona, a female version of Ialonus and, therefore, could be a separate god.

Iconography:

We have iconography from both altars. From RIB 600, we have an axe on the left side of the altar and a knife on the right side. From RIB 610, we have a hatchet and a knife on the left side, and on the right side a bird which may be an owl; however, the location of this altar is now lost.

Green (1992) says that birds are often given magical qualities in tales mainly due to their ability to fly. Owls were often conceived of as chthonic due to being birds of night and were associated with wisdom in Welsh legends, just as they are in Greco-Roman tales (Fairless, 1989 and Green, 1992).

Fairless (1989) suggests that Contrebis is a God of the community who assisted them in their pastoral pursuits due to their proposed meanings for Ialonus. In addition to the symbols of the knife, axe and hatchet, Ialonus Contrebis is likely associated with fertility, agricultural work, and land management to maintain its fertility and abundance (Green, 2003). The owl as a symbol of wisdom may relate to a myth in which Ialonus Contrebis granted the knowledge of agriculture to the people. Fairless (1989), however, suggests that the owl is representative of a Celtic goddess partner. There is no evidence to support this, though.

Bibliography:

Alcock, J.P., 1965. Celtic water cults in Roman Britain. Archaeological journal, 122(1), pp.1-12.

Aldhouse-Green, M.J. (2003). Symbol and image in Celtic religious art. London: Taylor & Francis E-Library.

Altar dedicated to Contrebis, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, RIB 610, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/610 .

Altar dedicated to Ialonus Contrebis, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, RIB 600, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/600 .

Delamarre, X. (2003). Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise : une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. Paris: Ed. Errance.

Fairless, K.J., 1989. Aspects of the archaeology of the brigantes (Doctoral dissertation, Durham University).

Green, M., 1992. Animals in Celtic life and myth. Routledge.

Smith, I.G., 1997. Some Roman place-names in Lancashire and Cumbria. Britannia, 28, pp.372-383.