Telyn

Telyn (Welsh: harp), 1. a harp, the national instr. of Wales, mentioned in Welsh poetry by the 10th c. According to Welsh laws, known to us from the 12th c. although codified in the 10th c., the telyn was listed as one of the 3 indispensable possessions of a freeman. Originally with horsehair strings, it had sheep-gut strings by the 14th c., at which time it appears to have been made of wood and covered with leather. The pillar of early instrs. was curved: in post-med. times it became straight…