Ceirean,Forbes p7; Dwelly Cirein-cròin or cionarain-crò was a large sea monster in Scottish Gaelic folklore. An old saying claims that it was so large that it fed on seven whales: Local folklores say this huge animal can disguise itself as a small silver fish when fishermen came in contact with it. Other accounts state the reason for the disguise was to attract its next meal; when the fisherman would catch it in its small silver fish form, once aboard it changed back to the monster and ate him.
A saying, as recorded by Alexander Robert Forbes, goes: Gaelic Translation Notes Seachd sgadain, sath bradain; Seven herrings, a salmon's fill; Seachd bradain, sath ròin; Seven salmon, a seal's fill; Seachd ròin, sath mial-mòr-mara Seven seals, a large whale's fill (Mial here is archaic; killer whales eat seals, but baleen whales do not.) Seachd mial, sath Cirein-cròin Seven whales, a cirein-cròin's fill
A second version of the saying maintains the first two lines, but changes the later parts and ranks the "Cionarain-cro" second to the "great sea animal". In Carmina Gadelica, Alexander Carmichael attested this version to a cottar named Kenneth Morrison, in Trithion, on the Isle of Skye, from whom it was recorded in 1860.
Gaelic Translation (Carmichael) Notes Seachd sgadain, sath bradain; Seven herrings, feast of a salmon; Seachd bradain, sath ròin; Seven salmon, feast of a seal; Seachd ròin, sath muice-mara bheag; Seven seals, feast of a little sow of the ocean; ("Sow" and "sow of the sea" are common terms for a whale.) Seachd muice-mara bheag, sath muice-mara-mhor; Seven little sows of the ocean, feast of a large sow of the ocean; Seachd muice-mara-mhor, sath cionarain-cro; Seven large sows of the ocean, feast of a "cionarain-cro"; (Carmichael tentatively identified the "cionarain-cro" with the "kracken".) Seachd cionarain-cro, sath mial-mor-a-chuain; Seven cionarain-cro, feast of a great beast of the ocean. (Carmichael tentatively translated "mial-mor-a-chuain" as "great sperm whale".)
Forbes identifies the creature as a large sea serpent, but this is arguable. He also proposes it as a dinosaur:Forbes, p61
See also Jörmungandr - a large sea worm from Nordic mythology Stoor worm - a large sea worm from Orcadian folklore
References
(Cirein-cròin, ceirean)