The giga was a type of bowed lyre, it was very popular especially in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, but also common to find in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

.Otto Emanuel Andersson. ''The bowed-harp: a study in the history of early musical instruments''. AMS Press, 1973. , . Pg 25

/ref> It is considered to be extinct; however there are some interesting reconstruction projects. The name does not originate from Latin, but rather derives from an old Viking word that meaning for "to vibrate", "to move in a fast way": this term is also the origin for the name of the dance called

Jig The jig ( ga, port, gd, port-cruinn) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It is most associated with Irish music and dance. It first gained popularity in 16th-century Ireland and parts of ...

that is very common in Northern Europe, especially in the British isles.

Sources

*Otto Emanuel Andersson. ''The Shetland Gue, the Welsh Crwth, and the Northern Bowed Harp''. Offprint from the ''Budkavlen'' 1954, nos. 1–4. Åbo: s.n., 195

References

Bowed lyres Norwegian musical instruments Danish musical instruments Lost and extinct musical instruments Icelandic musical instruments English musical instruments {{lyre-stub

Sources

See also

References