the troll's fiddle!
This troll's head balefully gazes from the scroll top the world's oldest yet found Norwegian Hardanger Fiddle, the Jaastadfela, or the Jaastad Fiddle: There's a long tradition of fiddle music being learned from communications, eavesdropping, exchange, or barter with otherworldly Nordic creatures, so as that idea went forward into the conversion, music was demonized and rulers & clergy began to hold burnings where these now-demonic tools were tossed onto the pyre. With this destruction we've lost some of the throughline as to how old these amazingly wrought fiddles with their beautiful inlay, distinct carving, and their extra two to five sub-bridge sympathetic strings to catch vibrations from the top four that produce a more resonant droning/ringing which many might consider magical in its way. It was also originally painted yellow, so its appearance must've been that much more striking to pair with its differing sound. If we go way further back into the Norse ...