On the etymology of "violin" and "vitula"

Question

Several English etymological sources say violin is from Latin vitula. A vitula/vitulus is a calf. But why was the instrument named after a calf?

But some sources say this vitula may be from vitulari "to make merry", which is probably related to Vitula "goddess of joy". This would make sense, but it is a little bit vague.

If it is derived from vitula "calf", was it perhaps because the strings were originally made of calf gut? I have not seen this possibility anywhere, but I read somewhere that a vitula could be any stringed instrument.

It seems the goddess and the verb have a long i, whereas the calf and its derivatives have a short i. Another interesting word is Vĭtŭlārĭa via, a road near Arpinum.

As a bonus question, when was this word first used for a musical instrument? Did it happen in Antiquity already, or in Mediaeval Italy, or somewhere else?

Answer 1

I found this article, which you may have read already. I am not entirely convinced by all the etymological discussion in it. In particular, it suggests that 'vitula' evolved into 'fides', but 'fides', meaning a stringed instrument, dates back to at least the time of Plautus (see Epidicus 3.4). I can, though, see easily, given the way consonantal sounds changed and sometimes disappeared, how 'vitula' might evolve through 'fidula' into the English 'fiddle' - and how it might also evolve through 'vidula'/'fidula' (both used in medieval times) into viol and vielle.

Incidentally, you will note that Robert Jesselson speculates that 'vitula' may have come to refer to a stringed instrument because the strings were made of calf or heifer gut. So there are others who have had this thought!

I should warn you that I am no Latin expert.