In Greek mythology, what material did Hermes use for the body of his first lyre?

In Greek mythology, Hermes used a tortoise shell for the body of his first lyre.

According to the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, the infant god found a tortoise outside his cave and transformed its shell into the instrument’s resonating body. He stretched strings across it and added parts made from reeds and animal hide, creating the lyre.

The story emphasizes Hermes’s ingenuity and inventive nature. After making the instrument, he played it so beautifully that Apollo became fascinated by it. The lyre then became strongly associated with Apollo and with Greek musical culture, even though Hermes is credited with its invention in the myth.

This episode is sometimes confused with later descriptions of professional Greek lyres, which could use different construction details. The specific mythic material is the shell of a tortoise, not simply wood or metal.