In ancient Greek, a stringed musical instrument, possibly a lyre or harp, traditionally said to have been invented by the god Hermes using a tortoise shell.
From Greek 'chelys' meaning both 'turtle' and 'tortoise-shell lyre,' the word appears in Homer and other ancient texts as a double-meaning connecting the animal to the instrument made from its shell.
According to Greek mythology, Hermes invented the lyre by stretching strings across a tortoise shell—the word 'chelys' literally means both 'turtle' and 'turtle-shell instrument,' showing how deeply the animal shaped ancient culture!
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