Musical Instruments in WoT

[HareSpectacles]

Hey I am re-reading the series again for the third time trying to get ready for the upcoming releases and I find myself absorbing alot more interesting little side details this time through. Being a musicina I have always loved the emphasis Jordan placed on the characters musical pursuits and the recurring ideas of folk songs by different names and different tunes etc. But anywasy I noticed today in chapter twelve of the Fires of Heaven in the second page he remarks about an instrument called the 12 string bittern. Coincedentally enough I play pretty much exclusively 12 stering acoustic guitar so my interest was piqued. However upon searching wikipedia and google and whatnot, I cannot find any mention of this instrument or pictures or anything. Does anyone know if this is a real existing folk or cultural instrument or something Jordan created?

[Majsju]

Hard to even guess without more description than the number of strings. Itend to picture it as something similar to an oud, or a lute, though the number of strings does not quite match.

[Guest gleeman58]

From the context, it could be like a real world cittern.  That was a wire strung instrument popular in the renaissance, with a varying number of strings, in pairs, usually tuned in octaves, similar to a large flat backed mandolin. A bittern in the real world is a water bird, related to herons.

[jack of shadows]

@gleeman58,

agreed,it is a renaissance instrument and the number of strings varies between 4-14.

[mb]

I also am in my third time through the series; am at Knife of Dreams (towards the end of the book).

before reading this thread, I remembered 2 instruments; flute, harp.

[Orderofolde]

It could be a tribal instrument from anywhere in the world, or as simple as a double necked guitar, sitar, or maybe an old ukelin or a steel guitar.  

[mb]

this instrument also occurs in Knife of Dreams; Elayne's last POV of that book.