A primitive musical instrument, named after Aeolus, legendary ruler of the winds It has strings of different thicknesses, all tuned to the same note and stretched across a box that create sounds when the wind blows through them
{ee-oh'-lee-uhn} The aeolian harp is a shallow box zither about 1-1 5 m (3-5 ft) long, strung with multiple strings of the same length but of different thicknesses and tuned in unison The harp is suspended where the wind will set the strings in motion; the wind force and the different diameters of the strings cause the eddies of air immediately downwind to vary considerably, which in turn causes variations in tone Thus, the harp produces strange, ghostly sequences of harmonies, swelling and diminishing with the strength of the wind Named for AEOLUS, god of the winds, the aeolian harp originated in the 17th century and achieved its greatest popularity in the romantic era ROBERT A WARNER
A harp played by wind passing through the strings It takes its name from Aeoleus, the Greek god of the wind