The term Lyra refers to an ancient stringed musical instrument, which commonly accompanied the recitation of verse. According to Greek mythology, it was invented by the god Hermes and built by the god Apollo. It originally had seven or eight strings (and later up to nine), and each one had its own, unique name. It consisted of a sound box, two raised arms and a crossbar, and was played with the fingers, without the use of a bow. Its sound is thought to have resembled that of the guitar, except “drier”. Nowadays, the term refers to another musical instrument, which comprises a pear-shaped body (in most cases) and a short neck, which houses three or more strings. The Lyra is used in a number of areas across Greece. In the past, it was quite prominent in the mainland, but these days it is mostly found on the islands, such as Crete, Kasos, Karpathos, southern Evia and Limnos. Records show that the Lyra was also used in the musical practices of refugees from Eastern Romylia (an area in contemporary Romania), who settled (primarily) in eastern Macedonia – in Drama, for example; it is also one of the musical instruments used by the “anastenarides” of Macedonia, who perform (to this day) the religious practice of walking on hot coals. Local variations of the Lyra include the viololyra (violin-lyre), which is played in Rhodes, the Politiki Lyra in Constantinople, and a model with a longer and narrower body, known as Kemenche, which is used by the Pontic Greeks. The Lyra is played with a bow. When musicians are in a seated position, the base of the Lyra rests on their knee; standing up, they support it on their abdomen. Due to its powerful acoustics, the Lyra is often the leading instrument in musical bands, and it is regularly accompanied by the Lute and/or the Daouli.