Fantastic Foxes: Difference between revisions

Animals frequently appear in folklore and mythology, and their traits are often exaggerated or [[Flanderized]] to make a supernatural or intelligent version of themselves.

 

These myths and legends have both appeared in altered forms in modern stories and have influenced our own view of fox traits, leading to fox [[Animal Motifs]].

 

 

 

Many Asian mythologies include many-tailed, shapeshifting foxes. These spirits, which fulfill the same role as [[The Fair Folk]] do in European mythology, are clearly based on the same myths.

 

 

By far the best known outside of its country of origin, the kitsune is the Japanese version of the myth. Kitsune were neutral tricksters in general, but could also be malicious or benevolent. See the main page for a full description and examples.

 

 

Gumiho are the Korean version of the legend, and are always sadistic and malicious in nature. It was believed that a fox that lived 1000 years would become a gumiho. Gumihos can change their form, although they always retain some fox-like aspect such as paws, a tail, ears, eyes, or their voice. They were believed to eat either human hearts or human livers to survive, and some myths state that eating enough of these will allow the gumiho to become human. In other myths, a gumiho who abstains from killing and eating meat for 1000 days would lose its evil nature and become a human woman.

 

 

The Chinese huli jing can be either a good or evil spirit. Like kitsune and gumiho, huli jings are shapeshifters, and often assume the forms of beautiful young women. Indeed, the Chinese believed that they were entirely made up of feminine energy (yin or jing) and needed to gather masculine energy (yang) to survive.

Evil huli jing would often seduce or possess important men in order to trick them or consume their life force (yang). They were also known to seduce or mislead the innocent away from Dharma. Good huli jing are often featured in love stories with human men.

 

 

European foxes tended to be very intelligent tricksters, often anthropomorphic, which sometimes had supernatural powers.

 

 

In Scandinavian myth, the fox is a trickster, using guile to catch its prey (or just [[Jerkass|mess with others for the hell of it]]). It is also responsible for foxfire - the old name for the Aurora Borealis and the phosphoric light given off by decaying plant matter. There is also the Brunnmigi, foxlike creatures sometimes referred to as [[All Trolls Are Different|trolls]] that are known for tainting water.

 

 

The Celts believed that every individual and clan had an animal ally, similar to Native American myths of totem animals. The fox, called Madadh-Ruadh or Sionnach, is cunning, sly, and able to make fools of those who chase it. It also represents the ability to watch the motivations and movements of others while remaining unobserved yourself.

 

 

Reynard is an anthropomorphic fox that appeared in multiple European fables as a trickster. In basically all non-censored versions he plays the role of a [[Villain Protagonist|black-hearted robber baron]], whose only saving grace is that his opponents Noble the lion, [[Everything's Worse with Bears|Bruin the bear]], and (most of all) [[Big Badass Wolf|Ysengrim the wolf]], are equally greedy and vicious, but not as smart. Known enough in France that the entire Fox species was renamed after him.

 

 

Foxes were regarded as tricksters in Native American myths, similar to how Coyote was viewed.

 

 

Foxes, like most animals in Native American myth, could speak and were believed to be able to remove their fur and become a woman, often in order to trick a human into believing that they, themselves, were human. Stealing the fur would prevent her from returning to her fox form.

 

{{examples}}

 

* The eponymous character of ''[[Yobi, the Five Tailed Fox]]''

* Disney's version of ''[[Robin Hood (Disney film)|Robin Hood]]'', which was originally intended to be an [[Animated Adaptation]] of the Reynard myths, until Disney realized just how much "Anti" an [[Anti-Hero]] Reynard really was.

* The title character in ''[[The Fantastic Mr. Fox]]''.

 

* ''Forbidden Love'' was another Korean tv drama with a race of nine-tailed fox-people, one of whom falls in love with a human.

* ''Gumiho: Tale of the Fox's Child'' was a Korean [[Thriller]] tv miniseries about a gumiho who has to endure 10 years of marriage to become human. On the eve of her 10th anniversary, her husband breaks his vows, leaving her and the 9-year-old daughter who has inherited her abilities. Oddly, the gumiho in this story is sympathetic, only wishing a normal life as a human. It is only when her daughter is lynched that she becomes vengeful.

 

 

* In ''Imperial Lady'' by [[Andre Norton]], Silver Snow's maid Willow turns out to be a fox spirit in disguise.

* ''Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio'' contains 86 tails of Chinese fox spirits, most of whom assumed female form to deceive humans.

 

 

* The manwa ''Shin Gumiho'' retells the myth of the Gumiho who wanted to become human.

* The eponymous character of ''[[Laon]]''

 

* Bystrouška from the Opera ''The Cunning Little Vixen'' is a anthropomorphic fox along the lines of Reynard.

 

 

** Similarly, they are an enemy in ''[[Maple Story]]'', although they appear as multi-tailed foxes rather than girls with multiple tails and ears.

* Xiaomu in ''[[Namco X Capcom]]'' and ''Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier'' is a 765 Chinese year old werefox, while her nemesis Saya is a [[Kitsune|Japanese werefox]].

* ''[[Pokémon Black and White]]'' introduces Zorua and Zoroark, which are based on foxes and can create illusions in addition to the [[Kitsune]]-based Vulpix and Ninetales from ''[[Pokémon Red and Blue]]''.

** The Eeveelutions also resemble foxes (except for Espeon).

 

 

* Reynardine of ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'' is based on the tale of Reynard the Fox.

 

 

* From the [[SCP Foundation]]: [http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-953 SCP-953], an [[Ax Crazy]] [[Kitsune]]...ahem, ''[[Insistent Terminology|kumiho]]''.

 

 

* The servants of Wa Shi Tong in ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''. They appeared as foxes and gathered books and scrolls for a mighty library.

* ''[[Moi Renart]]'': Reynard in [[The Eighties]].

 

 

* In [[Real Life]], calling a girl foxy (as an adjective) is a compliment, implying she is sexually attractive. On the other hand, it is only attractive older men who are referred to as [[Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have!|silver foxes]]. In China, calling a woman ''huli jing'' implies that she's a homewrecker, so it is sort of similar to the English word 'bitch'. Calling a woman a vixen is similarly a comment on her attractiveness, with the added connotations that she is free-spirited or, alternatively, mean-spirited. A vulpine grin has fox-like characteristics - it often indicates the wearer is cunning or tricking the recipient.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:The Trickster]]

[[Category:Older Than Print]]

[[Category:Alliterative Trope Titles]]