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Fox spirits, or Huli jing (), are Chinese mythological creatures usually capable of shapeshifting, who may either be benevolent or malevolent spirits. In Chinese mythology and folklore, the fox spirit takes a variation of forms with different meanings, powers, characteristics, and shapes, including , , , , , , and .

Fox spirits and nine-tailed foxes appear frequently in Chinese folklore, literature, and mythology. Depending on the story, the fox spirit's presence may be a good or a bad omen. The motif of nine-tailed foxes from Chinese culture was eventually transmitted and introduced to Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese cultures.

Descriptions

thumb|Painting of a fox spirit from Yanju's tomb, Gansu Province. Older depictions of fox spirits depict the eight other tails as branching out from the main tail rather than being separate tails of their own.

The nine-tailed fox appears in the Shanhaijing (Classic of Mountains and Seas), compiled from the Warring States period to the Western Han period (circa fourth to circa first century BC).

In one ancient myth, Yu the Great encountered a white nine-tailed fox, which he interpreted as an auspicious sign that he would marry Nüjiao.

Describing the transformation and other features of the fox, Guo Pu (276–324) made the following comment:

In Duìsúpiān (對俗篇) of the Baopuzi, it is written:

In a Tang Dynasty story, foxes could become humans by wearing a skull and worshipping the Big Dipper. They would try multiple skulls until they found one that fit without falling off.

thumb|Qing Dynasty depiction of the fox spirit.

The Youyang Zazu made a connection between nine-tailed foxes and the divine:

The fox spirits encountered in tales and legends are usually female and appear as young, beautiful women. One of the most infamous fox spirits in Chinese mythology was Daji, who is featured in the Ming Dynasty shenmo novel Fengshen Yanyi. A beautiful daughter of a general, she was forcibly married to the cruel tyrant, Di Xin. A nine-tailed fox spirit who served Nüwa, whom Di Xin had offended, entered into and possessed her body, expelling the true Daji's soul. The spirit, as Daji, and her new husband schemed cruelly and invented many devices of torture, such as forcing righteous officials to hug red-hot metal pillars. Because of such cruelties, many people, including Di Xin's own former generals, revolted and fought against the Shang dynasty. Finally, King Wen of Zhou, one of the vassals of Shang, founded a new dynasty named after his country. The fox spirit in Daji's body was later driven out by Jiang Ziya, the first Prime Minister of the Zhou dynasty, and her spirit condemned by Nüwa herself for excessive cruelty.

Traditions

Popular fox worship during the Tang dynasty has been mentioned in a text entitled Hu Shen (Fox gods):

In the Song dynasty, fox spirit cults, such as those dedicated to Daji, became outlawed, but their suppression was unsuccessful. For example, in 1111, an imperial edict was issued for the destruction of many spirit shrines within Kaifeng, including those of Daji.

On the eve of the Jurchen invasion, a fox went to the throne of Emperor Huizong of Song. So Huizong ordered the destruction of all fox temples in Kaifeng. The city was invaded the next day, and the dynasty fell after five months.

Belief in fox spirits has also been implicated as an explanatory factor in the incidence of attacks of koro, a culture-bound syndrome found in southern China and Malaysia in particular.

There is mention of the fox spirit in Chinese Chán Buddhism, when Linji Yixuan compares them to voices that speak of the Dharma, stating "the immature young monks, not understanding this, believe in these fox-spirits..."

Fox spirits were thought to be able to disguise themselves as women. In this guise, they seduced young men who were scholars or merely intelligent to absorb "life essence through their semen".

See also

  • Daji, a well-known character who was a fox spirit in the Fengshen Yanyi
  • Hồ ly tinh, a similar fox spirit from Vietnam
  • Huxian, the fox immortals, highly cultivated fox spirits in Chinese tradition
  • Kitsune, the Japanese version
  • Kumiho, the Korean version
  • Nine-tailed fox, the most well-known fox spirit in Chinese mythology
  • Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, a compilation of supernatural stories of which many have fox spirits as a theme
  • Tian, the realm some fox spirits were thought to be able to go to

References

Literature

  • Ting, Nai-tung. "A Comparative Study of Three Chinese and North-American Indian Folktale Types." Asian Folklore Studies 44, no. 1 (1985): 42–43. Accessed July 1, 2020. doi:10.2307/1177982.
  • Anatole, Alex. "Tao of Celestial Foxes -The Way to Immortality" Volumes I, II, III)(2015)
  • Fox Spirits in Asia
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20111130025206/http://www.dxx99.com/sz_bfdmjxyhx.htm ]