Gigelorum (or Giol-Daoram) is an insect of Scottish folklore. It was believed to be the smallest creature. No description or information is available about it except that it inhabits the ear of a

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

. Speculation exists that it may be based upon the tiniest insect that can be discerned by people possessing excellent eyesight, the ''giolcam-daobhram'', which is described as "an animalcule, the smallest supposable living thing". Ronald Black, a one time Celtic studies lecturer, author and journalist, suggests that the creature could be a figment of the imagination of

folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

and

Tiree Tiree (; gd, Tiriodh, ) is the most westerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The low-lying island, southwest of Coll, has an area of and a population of around 650. The land is highly fertile, and crofting, alongside tourism, and ...

minister

John Gregorson Campbell John Gregorson Campbell (1836 – 22 November 1891) was a Scottish folklorist and Free Church minister at the Tiree and Coll parishes in Argyll, Scotland. An avid collector of traditional stories, he became Secretary to the Ossianic Societ ...

as he could trace no authoritative sources for it.

References

Citations Bibliography * * * Scottish legendary creatures Mythological insects {{legendary-creature-stub