Wednesday, March 24, 1982

Fox Spirits

Fox Spirits

Fox spirit or fox demon:

Huli jing (Chinese: 狐狸精; Pinyin: húli jīng; huli means fox, and jing means spirit), a Chinese fox known for causing mischief and seducing humans

Huli jing in Chinese mythology are fox spirits that are akin to European faeries. Huli jing can be either good spirits or bad spirits.

Kumiho (九尾狐, 구미호, literally "nine tailed fox"), an evil Korean fox over 1,000 years old, which seduces and kills human men

The kumiho is a creature that appears in the oral tales and legends of Korea, and are akin to European faeries. According to those tales, a fox that lives a thousand years turns into a kumiho, like its Japanese and Chinese counterparts (the kitsune and the huli jing). It can freely transform, among other things, into a beautiful girl often set out to seduce men. There are numerous tales in which the kumiho appears. Several of those can be found in the encyclopedic Compendium of Korean Oral Literature (한국 구비문학 대계).

Kitsune (狐, きつね, kitsune, IPA: [kitsɯne]), a Japanese fox which can be either benevolent or mischievous

Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; kitsune usually refers to them in this context, and are akin to European faeries. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume human form. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others—as foxes in folklore often do—other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives.