Huli jing () are
Chinese mythological creatures usually capable of
shapeshifting
In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existen ...
, who may either be benevolent or malevolent spirits. In Chinese mythology and folklore, the fox spirit takes variant 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
The nine-tailed fox occurs in the ''
Shanhaijing
The ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'', also known as ''Shanhai jing'' (), formerly Wade-Giles, romanized as the ''Shan-hai Ching'', is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. Early versions of the text may hav ...
'' (''Classic of Mountains and Seas''), compiled from the
Warring States period
The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...
to the
Western Han period (circa fourth to circa first century BC).
[ The work states:
In chapter 14 of the ''Shanhaijing'', Guo Pu, a scholar of the Eastern Jin dynasty, had commented that the "nine-tailed fox was an auspicious omen that appeared during times of peace."][ However, in chapter 1, another aspect of the nine-tailed fox is described:
In one ancient myth, ]Yu the Great
Yu the Great or Yu the Engineer was a legendary king in ancient China who was credited with "the first successful state efforts at flood control", his establishment of the Xia dynasty, which inaugurated Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic ru ...
encountered a white nine-tailed fox, which he interpreted as an auspicious sign that he would marry Nüjiao.[ In Han iconography, the nine-tailed fox is sometimes depicted at Mount Kunlun and along with Xi Wangmu in her role as the goddess of immortality.][ According to the first-century ''Baihutong'' (''Debates in the White Tiger Hall''), the fox's nine tails symbolize abundant progeny.][
During the ]Han dynasty
The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...
(202 BC – 9 AD; 25–220 AD), the development of ideas about interspecies transformation had taken place in Chinese culture.[ The idea that non-human creatures with advancing age could assume human form is presented in works such as the '' Lunheng'' by Wang Chong (27–91).][ As these traditions developed, the fox's capacity for transformation was shaped.]
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
The Big Dipper (American English, US, Canadian English, Canada) or the Plough (British English, UK, Hiberno-English, Ireland) is an asterism (astronomy), asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them ar ...
. They would try multiple skulls until they found one that fit without falling off.
The '' Youyang Zazu'' made a connection between nine-tailed foxes and the divine:
The fox spirits encountered in tales and legends are usually females and appear as young, beautiful women. One of the most infamous fox spirits in Chinese mythology was Daji, who is portrayed in the Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
shenmo novel '' Fengshen Yanyi''. A beautiful daughter of a general, she was married forcibly to the cruel tyrant King Zhou of Shang. A nine-tailed fox spirit who served Nüwa
Nüwa, also read Nügua, is a mother goddess, culture hero, and/or member of the Three Sovereigns of Chinese mythology. She is a goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. She is credited with creating humani ...
, whom King Zhou 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 King Zhou's own former generals, revolted and fought against the Shang dynasty
The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...
. Finally, King Wen of Zhou
King Wen of Zhou ( zh, c=周文王, p=Zhōu Wén Wáng; 1152–1050 BC, the Cultured King) was the posthumous title given to Ji Chang ( zh, c=姬昌), the patriarch of the Zhou state during the final years of Shang dynasty in ancient China. J ...
, 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
The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...
, 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
The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...
, 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
Kaifeng ( zh, s=开封, p=Kāifēng) is a prefecture-level city in east-Zhongyuan, central Henan province, China. It is one of the Historical capitals of China, Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and ...
, including those of Daji.
On the eve of the Jurchen invasion, a fox went to the throne of Emperor Huizong of Song
Emperor Huizong of Song (7 June 1082 – 4 June 1135), personal name Zhao Ji, was the eighth emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the penultimate emperor of the Northern Song dynasty. He was also a very well-known painter, poet and calli ...
. 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.
In late imperial China, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, disruptions in the domestic environment could be attributed to the mischief of fox spirits, which could throw or tear apart objects in a manner similar to a poltergeist. "Hauntings" by foxes were often regarded as both commonplace and essentially harmless, with one seventeenth-century author commenting that "Out of every ten houses in the capital, six or seven have fox demons, but they do no harm and people are used to them".
Typically, fox spirits were seen as dangerous, but some of the stories in the Qing dynasty book '' Liaozhai Zhiyi'' by Pu Songling are love stories between a young boy and a fox appearing as a beautiful girl. In the fantasy novel '' The Three Sui Quash the Demons' Revolt'', a huli jing teaches a young girl magic, enabling her to conjure armies with her spells.
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
Japanese painting of Linji
Linji Yixuan (; ''Rinzai Gigen''; died 866 CE) was a Tang dynasty (618-907) Chinese monk and teacher of the Hongzhou school of Chinese Chan (Zen). Linji was the leading figure of Chan Buddhism in the Tang, and the '' ...
compares them to voices that speak of the Dharma
Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...
, 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". This allowed them to actually turn into humans, then '' huxian'', and then, after 1,000 years, a nine-tailed fox god
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
which was able to navigate through higher realms of ''tiān''.
A handful of ''Huli jing'' also appear in Wu Cheng'en's late 16th-century novel, the Journey to the West:
* A brother-sister pair appear in the story arc covering the demon brothers, Golden-Horn and Silver-Horn, introduced as the demon brother's venerable mother and maternal uncle, respectively.
* In the story arc covering Princess Iron Fan, it is revealed that Princess Iron Fan's husband, the Bull Demon King, has left her for Princess Jade Countenance, a ''Huli jing'' demoness, who lured the Bull Demon King away from Princess Iron Fan with her massive dowry
A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage.
Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...
.
* In the story arc concerning Pilgrims while they are passing through the Kingdom of Biqiu, the ''White Deer Spirit'' and his adopted daughter, the ''White-Faced Vixen Spirit'' (also a ''Huli jing'' demoness), are plaguing the unwitting king, who had married the ''White-Faced Vixen Spirit'' while she posed as a mortal woman and the ''White Deer Spirit'' as her mortal father; the ''White-Faced Vixen Spirit'' is later slain by Zhu Bajie.
The fox cult survived in northern China in the 20th century, but was suppressed during the anti-superstition Socialist Education Campaign.
In popular culture
Anime/Manga
* ''YuYu Hakusho
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. It tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and killed by a car while saving a child's life. After several tests presented to him ...
'' (1990)
* '' Inuyasha'' (1996)
* ''Naruto
''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...
'' (1999) and its sequels '' Naruto: Shippuden'' (2007) and '' Boruto: Naruto Next Generations'' (2017)
* '' Natsume's Book of Friends'' (2003)
* '' xxxHolic'' (2003)
* '' Our Home's Fox Deity'' (2004)
* '' Inukami!'' (2005)
* '' Kamisama Kiss'' (2008)
* '' Inu × Boku SS'' (2009)
* '' Fox Spirit Matchmaker'' (2015)
* '' Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits'' (2016)
* '' The Helpful Fox Senko-san'' (2017)
Film
* '' Mr. Vampire IV'' (1988)
* '' Painted Skin'' (2008) and its sequel (2012)
* '' A Chinese Fairy Tale'' (2011)
* '' League of Gods'' (2016)
* '' Once Upon a Time'' (2017)
* '' Hanson and the Beast'' (2017)
* ''The Legend of Hei'' (2019)
* '' Jiang Ziyia'' (2020)
* ''Soul Snatcher
''Soul Snatcher'' () is a 2020 Chinese live-action/Computer-generated imagery, CGI fantasy film produced by Bill Kong, Jiang Zhiqiang starring Li Xian (actor), Li Xian and Chen Linong.
Plot
To achieve immortality and be promoted to Xian (Taoism ...
'' (2020)
* ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is List of Marvel ...
'' (2021)
* '' Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms'' (2023)
TV series
* ''The Legend of Nezha'' (2003)
* ''Strange Tales of Liao Zhai'' (2005)
* '' The Legend and the Hero'' (2007) and its sequel (2009)
* '' Gu Family Book'' 구가의 서 (2013)
* '' The Investiture of the Gods'' (2014) and ''The Investiture of the Gods 2'' (2015)
* '' Legend of Nine Tails Fox'' (2016)
* ''Fox in the Screen'' (2016)
* '' Eternal Love'' (2017)
* ''Moonshine and Valentine
''Moonshine and Valentine'' ( Chinese: 结爱·千岁大人的初恋), also known as ''The Love Knot: His Excellency's First Love'', is a 2018 Chinese streaming television series based on the novel ''Jie Ai·Yihe Fenghuan'' (Chinese: 结爱·异� ...
'' (2017)
* ''Beauties in the Closet'' (2018)
* ''Investiture of the Gods
''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese titles () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major Written vernacular Chinese, vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Min ...
'' (2019)
* '' Love, Death & Robots'' Episode 8 (2019)
* ''The Life of White Fox'' (2019)
* '' Eternal Love of Dream'' (2020)
* ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'' Season 1 Episode 6 (2012)
* '' Tale of the Nine Tailed'' (2020)
* '' My Roommate Is a Gumiho'' (2021)
* '' Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938'' (2023)
Books
* ''Shanghai Immortal'' by A.Y. Chao (2023)
* ''The Sacred Book of the Werewolf'' by Victor Pelevin (2004)
* “The Fox Wife” by Yangsze Choo (2024)
* ''Sacrificial Animals'' by Kailee Pedersen (2024)
Music
* ''The Good Kid and the Fox Spirit'' , a song by Kikuo (2023)
Games
* ''Yae Miko'' from Genshin Impact
''Genshin Impact'' is a 2020 action role-playing game produced by MiHoYo, MiHoYo/HoYoverse. The game features an anime-style open world environment and an action-based Role-playing battle systems, battle system using Classical element, element ...
* Ninetails from Ōkami
* Ninetales, Zoroark, and Delphox from Pokemon
* Shizuku from ''Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation''
See also
* Daji, a well-known character who was a fox spirit in the '' Fengshen Yanyi''
*Hồ ly tinh Hồ is a Vietnamese word. It may refer to:
*Hồ (surname), a Vietnamese surname
*Hồ dynasty of Vietnam
*Hồ, Bắc Ninh, a township and capital of Thuận Thành District
{{disambiguation ...
, 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
Tian () is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, philosophy, and cosmology. During the Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to their highest god as '' Shangdi'' or ''Di'' (, ...
, 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)
External links
Fox Spirits in Asia
{{Inari Faith
Chinese legendary creatures
Yaoguai
Fairies
Inari faith
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Mythological canines
Mythological foxes
Shapeshifters
Animals in Chinese mythology