Lyre
The lyre is a stringed instrument invented by Hermes and given to Apollo, becoming so closely tied to Apollo afterward that it stands as his defining attribute across Greek art and poetry, and is separately the instrument that makes Orpheus the most famous musician in the mythological tradition.
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In Practice
Its origin story is one of the more inventive scenes in early Greek myth: an instrument built almost by accident, on the very day its inventor was born. The Homeric Hymn to Hermes tells the story in detail. Hermes, still an infant, leaves his cradle and comes across a tortoise at the mouth of his mother's cave; recognizing an opportunity rather than simply admiring the creature, he kills it and hollows out its shell, then fixes reed stalks across the back, stretches ox hide over the shell, fits horns with a crossbar, and strings the whole thing with seven strands of sheep gut. The result, tested string by string, produces music at the first touch of his hand, and Hermes immediately begins singing to it - the same day, in the hymn's telling, that he will go on to steal Apollo's cattle. The instrument changes hands almost as quickly as it was built. After Apollo discovers the theft of his cattle and confronts Hermes, Hermes wins him over not by returning the cattle outright but by playing the lyre and singing of the gods' births and honors; Apollo, captivated, offers to trade his herd of cattle for the instrument outright, and the exchange settles the dispute between them. From that point on the lyre belongs to Apollo rather than to its inventor, and it becomes the instrument most closely tied to him in cult and art - carried alongside his bow as one of his two defining attributes, sound and precision paired with the ranged violence of his arrows. The lyre also travels outside Apollo's own myths as the signature instrument of skilled mortal musicians, most famously Orpheus, whose playing is powerful enough to calm quarrels among his own Argonaut companions. Apollonius of Rhodes shows Orpheus lifting his lyre to end a rising fight between two of the Argonauts by singing instead of intervening physically, the same instrument Hermes built from a tortoise shell now used to hold a ship's crew together through music alone.
Who invented the lyre?
Hermes did, as an infant, on the same day the Homeric Hymn to Hermes has him steal Apollo's cattle. He found a tortoise near his mother's cave, hollowed out its shell, fixed reed stalks and ox hide across it, added horns and a crossbar, and strung it with seven strands of sheep gut, producing an instrument that made music at the very first touch of his hand.
Homeric Hymn to Hermes 24-51
How did Apollo end up with the lyre Hermes invented?
Apollo confronted Hermes over his stolen cattle, but Hermes won him over by playing the newly invented lyre and singing about the births and honors of the gods rather than by returning the herd right away. Charmed by the music, Apollo offered to trade his cattle for the instrument outright, and the exchange settled their dispute and gave Apollo the lyre permanently.
Homeric Hymn to Hermes 434-455
What was the lyre originally made from?
A tortoise shell, according to the Homeric Hymn to Hermes: the hollowed shell forms the sound box, reed stalks and ox hide are fixed across its back, horns and a crossbar are added, and seven strings of sheep gut complete the instrument. Hermes builds it from materials at hand rather than commissioning it, which is part of what makes the invention scene distinctive.
Homeric Hymn to Hermes 24-51
Is the lyre only associated with Apollo, or with other figures too?
Apollo is its most consistent owner, but the lyre also belongs to skilled mortal musicians in myth, most famously Orpheus. Apollonius of Rhodes shows Orpheus using his lyre to calm a quarrel breaking out among his fellow Argonauts, playing and singing instead of letting the fight continue - the same kind of instrument Hermes invented, now used by a mortal to hold a crew together.
Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 1.494-515
Why does the lyre matter for Apollo's identity as a god?
It pairs with his bow as one of his two defining attributes, giving him authority over both music and archery, order and distance. Once he acquires it from Hermes, the lyre becomes one of the most consistent ways ancient art identifies Apollo, shown carrying it in scenes with no other explanatory context needed for viewers to recognize him.
Homeric Hymn to Hermes 434-455
Where This Appears
Sources
- Homeric Hymn to Hermes 24-51
- Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 1.494-515