Fox in the folklore of different nations. Mythology: Kitsune (狐) Nine-tailed demon fox

Were-foxes were traditional heroes of folk tales and became part of mythology. But in China they remained in folklore and in literature based on folklore. The most famous work about werefoxes was the collection of short stories “Fox Spells” by Pu Songlin. The image of the fox-werewolf migrated to other countries that were influenced by Chinese culture. He left the deepest mark in Japan and Korea.
It is believed that werefoxes arrived in Japan from China in the middle of the 7th century and soon not only deeply “settled” in all areas of Japanese folklore, but also achieved what their Chinese ancestors could not - Kitsune began to be perceived as part of the official religious system. However, having crossed the ocean, the Japanese “fox spirits” lost some of the characteristics characteristic of their Chinese counterparts. Kitsune cannot cause poltergeists, they very rarely live under the same roof with a person, do not make friends with people, and do not allow them to enter their world. At the same time, regardless of whether we are talking about a demon or a benevolent spirit, Japanese legends never describe the world and life of Kitsune itself.
Another very important difference between Kitsune and Chinese foxes is that some types of Kitsune, namely, servants of Inari, have the ability to expel demons, cure diseases and perform rituals of purification and liberation of the soul. That is why in Shinto shrines images of foxes are always decorated with red ribbons.
Were-foxes in Chinese mythology.
In China, the cult of “fox spirits” reached its greatest spread. Chinese foxes are great scientists, libertines, devoted lovers, peerless seducers, tricksters, poltergeists, drinking companions, and avengers. They always live in direct interaction with humans and perform a moralizing function.
Unlike Japanese Kitsune, Chinese foxes can turn into any person, but never into animals or objects. Chinese philosophy He explains this by saying that the essence of the fox’s transformations is the acquisition of wisdom and the achievement of immortality. It is believed that only man knows the way to these secrets, so there is no point in a fox transforming into a cat or stone.
Chinese mythology also distinguishes several types of “fox spirits”:
Hu is actually a fox.
Hujing - fox spirit literal translation"beautiful fox"
Huxian is an immortal fox.
Jingwei Hu (Juweihu) is a fox with nine tails. It was believed that a person who ate its meat could not be afraid of poisons. Her voice was like the cry of a newborn child.
Long Zhi is a nine-headed, nine-tailed man-eating fox.
Laohu is an old fox. In China, it is believed that foxes must reach a significant age before they can transform into humans, so technically all fox spirits are old. However, Laohu is a fox, very old even by such standards. In addition, the Laohu is the only fox species that does not carry a sexual function or connotation, which is most likely due to its significant age. There are theories that Laohu are asexual.

In Japanese folklore, these animals have great knowledge, long life, and magical abilities. Chief among them is the ability to take the form of a person; the fox, according to legend, learns to do this after reaching a certain age (usually a hundred years, although in some legends - fifty). Other powers commonly attributed to Kitsune include the ability to inhabit the bodies of others, breathe or otherwise create fire, appear in others' dreams, take the form of any animal or object, and create illusions so complex that they are almost indistinguishable from reality. Some of the tales go further, attributing to Kitsune the ability to bend space and time, drive people mad, or take on such inhuman or fantastic forms as trees of indescribable height or a second moon in the sky. Occasionally, Kitsune are credited with characteristics reminiscent of vampires: they feed on the life force or spiritual force of people they come into contact with. Sometimes Kitsune are described as guarding a round or pear-shaped object (hoshi no tama, that is, "star stone (ball)"); it is stated that whoever takes possession of this ball can force Kitsune to help himself; one theory states that Kitsune "store" part of their magic in this ball after transformation. It is believed that Kitsune are obliged to keep their promises, otherwise they will have to suffer punishment in the form of a reduction in their rank or power level.
Kitsune are associated with both Shinto and Buddhist beliefs. In Shinto, Kitsune is associated with Inari. Initially, foxes were messengers (tsukai) of this deity, but now ideas about them have become so similar that Inari is sometimes depicted as a fox. Inari is a deity of indeterminate gender, the patron of rice fields and entrepreneurship. Many figurines of foxes are displayed near his shrines, and history recalls that long ago, live foxes were kept on the territory of the temples. How did the foxes end up joining Inari's servants? This is what the legend says. Not far from Kyoto lived a pair of silver foxes with their offspring. One day - it is said that it was in the Koin era - the whole family of foxes went to Fushimi. There they offered their services to “love and justice.” God Inari accepted the family into the ranks of his servants. The kitsune made ten oaths that the holy foxes must fulfill to this day. Since then, the silver fox has been Inari's messenger.

In Buddhism, Kitsune became famous thanks to the Shingon school of secret Buddhism, popular in the 9th-10th centuries in Japan, one of the main deities of which, Dakini, was depicted riding across the sky on a fox.
In folklore, Kitsune is a type of youkai, or demon. In this context, the word "kitsune" is often translated as "fox spirit." However, this does not necessarily mean that they are non-living creatures or anything other than foxes. The word "spirit" in this case is used in the Eastern sense, reflecting a state of knowledge or insight. Thus, it is believed that any fox that lives long enough can become a "fox spirit." There are two main types of kitsune: the myobu, or divine fox, often associated with Inari, and the nogitsune, or wild fox (literally "field fox"), often, but not always, described as evil, with malicious intent.
Kitsune can have up to nine tails. In general, it is believed that the older and stronger the fox, the more tails it has. Some sources even claim that Kitsune grows an additional tail every hundred or thousand years of its life. However, foxes found in fairy tales almost always have one, five, or nine tails.
When Kitsune receive nine tails, their fur turns silver, white, or gold. These kyubi no kitsune ("nine-tailed foxes") gain the power of infinite insight.
In some stories, Kitsune have difficulty hiding their tail in human form (usually foxes in such stories have only one tail, which may be an indication of their weakness and inexperience). An attentive hero can expose a drunken or careless fox who has turned into a human by seeing its tail through its clothes.
One of the famous Kitsune is also the great guardian spirit Kyuubi. This is a guardian and protector who helps young “lost” souls on their path in the current incarnation. Kyuubi usually stays for a short time, only a few days, but if attached to one soul, it can accompany it for years. This is a rare type of Kitsune, rewarding the chosen ones with its presence and help.
On the other hand, in Japan they still believe that foxes can become guardians of entire families. They say that in the province of Shimane you can most often meet families called kitsune-mori. Foxes surround such families with specific protection. Invisible guards follow their owners wherever they go, in addition, they guard their houses and fields and make sure that no one harms them. They can drive conscious or unconscious offenders crazy or take their lives.
In the province of Shimane they believe that a common man cannot become the owner of foxes. Their owners are closed clans, and the rights to fox services are inherited. The only chance is to join the kitsune-mori family through marriage, or by purchasing land or a house under the protection of the kitsune. Fox security has its good and bad sides, like everything in this world. People do not like such neighbors, but at the same time they do not dare to harm them. Foxes under protection are, as a rule, isolated people, and friendship with them cannot be called the best.
In Japanese folklore, Kitsune are often described as tricksters, sometimes very evil ones. Trickster kitsune use their magical powers to play pranks: those shown in a benevolent light tend to target overly proud samurai, greedy merchants, and boastful people, while the more cruel ones seek to torment poor merchants, farmers, and Buddhist monks.
Kitsune are especially often described as lovers. Such stories usually involve a young man and a fox disguised as a woman. Sometimes Kitsune is assigned the role of a seductress, but often such stories are more romantic. In them, a young man usually marries a beauty (not knowing that she is a fox) and gives great importance her devotion. Many such stories have a tragic element: they end with the discovery of the wife's fox essence, after which Kitsune must leave her husband.

The oldest of famous stories about fox wives, which gives the words “kitsune”, in this sense is an exception. Here the fox takes the form of a woman and gets married, after which the couple, after spending several happy years together, have several children. The wife's fox essence is unexpectedly revealed when, in the presence of many witnesses, she is afraid of a dog, and in order to hide, she takes on her true appearance. A woman prepares to leave home, but her husband stops her, saying: “Now that we have been together for so many years, and you have given me several children, I cannot simply forget you. Please, let’s go and sleep.” The fox agrees, and since then returns to her husband every night in the form of a woman, leaving the next morning in the form of a fox. After this, they began to call her kitsune, since in classical Japanese kitsu-ne means “let’s go and sleep,” while ki-tsune means “always coming.”
The offspring of marriages between humans and Kitsune are usually attributed special physical and/or supernatural properties. The exact nature of these properties, however, varies greatly from one source to another. Among those who, according to legend, had such extraordinary powers is a famous one who was considered (half-demon), the son of a man and a kitsune.
In various legends and tales you can find a number of “subspecies” of Kitsune:
Bakemono Kitsune are magical or demonic foxes, such as Reiko, Kiko or Koryo, that is, foxes that do not have a tangible form.
Byakko - “white fox”; meeting her is a very good omen, since it is believed that this particular fox serves the goddess Inari and acts as a messenger of the Gods. It is worth immediately noting that the spelling of the name Byakko, referring to the fox, and the same name, but referring to the Divine Tiger, Lord of the West, are different, so they should not be confused or associated in any way.
Genko - "black fox". Meeting her is also usually good sign.

Kiko is a ghost fox, a type of Reiko.
Koryo is a “fox stalker”, a type of Reiko.
Kuko is an “air fox”, a very malicious creature. In Japanese mythology it is placed on a par with Tengu (a Japanese type of troll)
Nogitsune - “wild fox”; in addition, the word is used to distinguish between "good" and "bad" foxes. Sometimes the Japanese use "Kitsune" when talking about the "good" fox, Inari's messenger and
"Nogitsune", to refer to foxes that commit mischief and deceive people. However, this is not a demon, but rather a mischief-maker, a joker, a trickster.
Reiko - "ghost fox" It cannot be definitely attributed to the forces of evil, but this spirit is definitely not good.
Tenko or Amagitsune - "divine fox". Kitsune who reached the age of 1000 years. Distinctive feature Tenko - nine tails (and sometimes golden skin). Sometimes she is called the Patron Divine
Tamamo-No-Mae is a demonic version of Tenko. A deceptively beautiful, very aggressive and powerful demon, one of the most famous demon foxes in Japanese folklore.
Shakko - " Red fox" May refer to both the forces of good and the forces of evil; same as Kitsune.

In Korean mythology, we also meet the thousand-year-old fox with nine tails - Kumiho. However, unlike Kitsune or Hujin, the Korean werefox is always female and always a demon. Kumiho is found in legends as a seductress, a treacherous wife, and sometimes even as a succubus or vampire. One thing is always constant - the goal of the Kumiho is to kill the victim. This is the only species of eastern werefoxes capable of killing a victim with its own hands.
To dispel some misconceptions about eastern werefoxes:
– The fact that foxes are strongly associated with Yin energy (feminine) does not mean that they are all female. It is believed that “fox spirits” are feminine, but this does not mean that they are all women. Additionally, the femininity of human incarnations of male foxes is quite controversial.
– Despite the fact that many werefoxes are malicious creatures, they (with the exception of Kumiho) cannot cause direct physical harm to a person. They have the power to cast a curse, deceive, set fire to a house, but they are not able to injure a person with their own hands. It is because of this that, when caught, they find themselves defenseless against people and often die. However, they can commit sexual violence against a person. Apparently, in the East this is not regarded as causing physical harm.
– “Fox spirit”, unlike popular belief, is not special kind natural spirit. Any fox can become it. It all depends on how long she lives. In Eastern mythology, the volume of magical powers is directly related to the number of years lived. In the same way, the number of tails indicates exactly the age of the fox. It is believed that a fox receives 1 tail for every century it lives (sometimes a fox lives with one tail until it gains enough strength to immediately become nine-tailed). Were-foxes do not have more than 9 tails.
– Children born from a fox and a man will be human, although endowed with supernatural powers. They do not turn into foxes and do not have fox atavisms. It is worth noting an interesting detail - the children of a fox and a person have significant physical strength, although the foxes themselves, as already noted, are much weaker than a person and are not able to defeat him physically.
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Shurayuki Tamba

The word "ki-tsune" can be translated from Japanese as "child who comes at night." A long time ago, a certain Ono gave this name to his only son. And all because he immensely adored his wife, who turned out to be a werewolf-fox. This boy laid the foundation for the Kitsune family. So if you ever happen to meet a person with this last name, you should know that this is a descendant of a werewolf-fox who fell in love with a person.

In the mysterious country of Japan, high technology is closely intertwined with a mysterious and unknown world. Houses built for this purpose are adjacent to highways, and ancient stone idols stand at posts near bus stops. One wrong step and you will end up in the country from the metropolis. Of course, the gates to the other world are, as a rule, locked, but there is no such lock that cannot be opened. So it’s easy for the Japanese to meet a werewolf in human form. The main thing is to be extremely attentive - what if your random interlocutor is a werewolf...

Eastern werewolves (not only Japanese, but also Chinese, Korean, Indian and Vietnamese) are not at all similar to European ones. These are not people who take the form of animals. These are from other worlds who came to visit in the form of an animal. They can turn into a person, a tree, and sometimes even objects. Fox werewolves are different in all countries, and mythology speaks ambiguously about them. But, of course, kitsune are the most famous of all eastern werewolves. But for centuries they live next to humans, bringing with them either misfortune or good luck. Interestingly, Kitsune foxes are not a priori endowed with good or evil character traits.

Kitsune foxes in mythology

Unfortunately, there were no Japanese friends nearby, so you’ll have to take the word of the almost omnipotent Internet. So, according to the latest data, there are not just two types of werefoxes, but two classifications.

The first highlights the red Kitsune and the Hokkaido fox. Both are endowed with the gift of longevity, extensive knowledge and magical abilities. Mythology speaks of foxes as swift creatures with good eyesight and hearing. According to legends, they are able to read people's thoughts. The Japanese believe that such foxes are not much different from humans in the everyday sense - they even walk on two legs. If you pay attention to Japanese folklore, the kitsune fox is sometimes found as a demon spirit, although it would be better to call this werewolf a mischief-maker rather than a demon.

The second classification uses other names and terms. Appeared here:

• Myobu is a divine fox, which is often associated with the goddess Inari, who is not averse to helping people.
• Nogitsune is a wild fox, most often in legends and myths she turns out to be a werewolf with bad intentions.

Some myths attribute unusual skills to foxes - for example, creating illusions, when a person can get lost in reality.

Fox Kitsune. Life among people

Kitsune is the most charming mythical fox. Japanese folklore hints that many historical figures are descended from kitsune, or are kitsune themselves. Most famous personalities, to whom “werewolfism” was attributed, is Abe no Seimei, a fairly famous person (in narrow circles), and a mystic, a hunter of the Heian era, and also the famous Tamamao no Mae (Mei), the beautiful concubine of Emperor Konoe. The beautiful May brought a lot of trouble to the East, but no one suspected that she was a werewolf until the emperor himself set the dogs on her for some offense. Only then did the cunning kitsune fox reveal herself.

They say that kitsune werewolves are either people who are unclean in soul before heaven, or the foxes themselves after. At the beginning of its afterlife, the kitsune fox cannot turn into a human and is content with only one tail. They are said to reach maturity at the age of 50 or 100 years. By this time, they have already mastered the choice of human appearance, but are not yet experienced enough to hide their tail. But foxes that have grown five to seven tails are already pros: they have long learned the basics magical arts, can cause confusion, become invisible, or even send madness. One of the forms mental disorder was named after the kitsune-tsuki fox. Or, conversely, bring good luck to passers-by.

But those werewolves, whose age is thousands of years, sport nine tails, and the old “fur coat” becomes. Folklore calls such handsome men and beauties kyubi, heavenly foxes. These kitsune foxes are able to subjugate nature, control time and invite people for walks to other worlds, from where they return as very old men. However, like any truly wise creatures, Kyuubi rarely harm people.

As a result, the Japanese have an ambivalent attitude towards these charming creatures. Here in almost equal proportions adoration and fear are mixed. The kitsune fox is an unpredictable creature with a difficult character. She can make you her best friend, or she can make you her mortal enemy. By the way, according to legend, depending on who the werewolf comes to, he chooses his appearance. The Japanese say that you can meet a kitsune girl, a wise old man or a handsome young man. Kitsune - docks in any profession and will support any conversation at the highest level, but in addition to this, cunning foxes are also excellent traders, the best in their craft, especially silver foxes.

At the same time, kitsune can be very sexy; it is not without reason that many people believe that werewolves are not uncommon among geishas. Seeing a kitsune werewolf in a dream was considered a very bad omen, despite the fact that it is impossible to find wives and brides cuter than such foxes. These are one of the most loyal creatures. Having fallen in love, they will move mountains for the sake of their chosen one. Those who, simply by chance, settle on territory sacred to foxes will also be lucky.

Such lucky families are called “kitsune-mochi”: foxes protect them from all harm, and anyone who offends the kitsune-mochi will be punished in the form of serious illnesses. However, the foxes still suffered a lot from people. For a long time, the Japanese believed that kitsune meat made a person wise and strong. If someone became seriously ill, the relatives of the poor man wrote a letter to the deity Inari, whom some legends also represent as a fox, but if the patient did not feel better, all the foxes in the area were mercilessly exterminated.

Who doesn't the kitsune fox love?

The Japanese believe that kitsune can be found everywhere. They feel at ease even in big cities, where natural charm and talent help them feel comfortable. But many people are worried about how to recognize the person in front of you or the fox? It seems to be easy to do. Sometimes you just need to be more careful. Kitsune are always at their best, but they can behave rather frivolously with the opposite sex. Young werewolves hide their tails under long skirts. But the true face of adult kitsune can only be seen in images that reflect them as they are. Yes, the water will still show the true face of a fox, even if the kitsune pretends to be invisible.

Kitsune does not like and is afraid of dogs, and dogs cannot tolerate werewolves. Therefore, a Japanese may find it suspicious that any dog ​​grins at a new acquaintance, and the interlocutor himself not only does not keep a dog at home, but also speaks negatively about them.

Kitsune foxes love to play pranks on people, and these pranks can turn out to be both innocent jokes and quite dangerous nasty things. Most often, kitsune mock people who are stupid and greedy, but they can also kind person confuse. The werewolf also does not like self-confident upstarts and those who laugh out loud or to themselves at the fox. There is even a legend about this case.

Fox Barber

It was a long time ago. In a small village among the mountains lived quiet and calm people. However, rumors spread around the area that a kitsune fox had settled on the pass and was fooling people. Driven by curiosity, the peasants gathered in the mountains - and well, the fox really lives there. We agreed that if anyone sees the kitsune, he will give a sign with a lantern.

And in that village lived a simple guy named Gonsuke. So he walks and thinks that he would like to meet a fox. Gonsuke was confident that he could fool the cunning beast. His comrades scattered through the forest, and he hid. And then he sees that a fox really comes out of the stirring thickets. Gonsuke twitched, he didn’t want to catch the werewolf’s eye.
But the kitsune didn’t even look in his direction. She sat down under a tree, as if thinking about something, and then she turned into a beautiful girl with long hair. Gonsuke is afraid to even breathe - when will you ever see a werewolf turn into a human!

The kitsune picked a bunch of dry grass - Gonsuke didn’t even have time to blink, but instead of straw, the girl had a baby in her hands. The fox looked around, shook off the leaves from the tree, turned them into an expensive blanket, in which she wrapped the baby. I walked along the path. He sees horse manure left on the road. The kitsune moved her hand, and in place of the disgrace, delicious rice cakes appeared. The fox got ready and went in the direction of the village. Gonsuke followed her, trying not to make any sounds. They approached a house on the outskirts together.

Open the door, it's me, your daughter.

The door opened and a guy saw an old man and an old woman standing, they said, they were completely tired of waiting for their daughter.
The guy got scared and thought:

“What a demon! She turned into an old man’s daughter, she came to fool them! But they, the poor ones, have no idea that it’s a werewolf!”

He jumped out of his hiding place, ran to the house, shouting:

Drive her away! Old man, this is not your daughter, but a werewolf! I saw it with my own eyes. Be afraid, she will deceive you. – He jumped up to the girl and grabbed her by the hair. The old man intervened:

Why are you talking about this? What are you doing? This is not a fox, don’t touch our daughter!

Gonsuke did not let up, he told about the transformation, and about the straw child, and about cakes made from horse dung. The old man got angry with him because the guy was talking nonsense, he imagined it, you see!

The guy got excited, he was annoyed that the old people didn’t believe his words. He shouts that they checked the girl.

Set her dress on fire! If there is a fox, it will immediately jump back!

The old man doubted and said to his wife:

Maybe it's really worth testing it with fire? - He took a firebrand from the fireplace and set fire to the hem of his daughter’s dress. The girl cried:

What kind of fox am I? - and sparks ran and engulfed her entire figure in an instant.
- What have you done, guy? – the old man grabbed his head. - He killed our terrible daughter! - the old ones began to sob. Gonsuke also burst into tears and shouted:

I wanted to save you! I thought it was a fox! - The three of them sit and burst into tears. They hear a monk walking through the village, reading the sutra. The old man turned to him:

Come into my house, man of God, I’m in trouble. The monk did not refuse, he listened to what happened with them. And then Gonsuke says:

You have committed a bad act. Now you have only one thing dear to you - to become a monk, as the law dictates. If you become my student, you will atone for your sin. And you, old people, don’t worry. Your daughter will find peace in heaven, since she was kind and affectionate. I’ll teach the guy some sense and his soul will calm down.

The monk sat the guy down in the middle of the room and began to shave his head. Didn't miss a single hair. And Gonsuke sits humbly, ready to atone for his guilt. He had just closed his eyes when he heard someone calling out to him:

Who, Gonsuke, shaved your head? Did you meet a fox?

The guy doesn’t open his eyes and says:

Yes where there! I’ll go and become a monk’s disciple to atone for my stupidity!

And in response he burst out laughing. The guy woke up. He sees his friends standing around him, their bellies bursting with laughter. Gonsuke looked around - neither the old people nor the monk were nearby. There is only a pile of horse manure in front of him, and a lantern lying at his very feet.
- You fooled me, fox! – that’s all Gonsuke could say. Grab the head - and the skull is truly shaved, without a single hair.

Fire kitsune

Since ancient times, people have linked foxes and flames in one chain. Beliefs were not exhausted most famous tale that the werewolf kitsune causes fire by striking the ground with its tail. The fox could cause a fire, but at the same time it might not cause much harm. A kitsune is a harbinger of fire in one of the Chinese legends. This myth spoke of bad omens: one monk had to build a 7-story pagoda, supposedly to protect himself from misfortunes - after all, a kitsune fox came to him in his dreams every night. But as soon as he finished his work, it burned to ashes, claiming many human lives.

Japanese folklore speaks of will-o'-the-wisps. The literal expression was invented by the Japanese - “fox fire”, kitsune-bi. According to legend, kitsune exhales these bluish lights or sometimes produces them with the help of their tails. The Japanese believed that on New Year's Eve a fox fire was lit near the old enoki tree. For this purpose, kitsune are collected from eight nearby provinces. If the fire burns brightly and is visible far away, it means that the harvest will be rich this year, the inhabitants of Japan believed.

Good jokes!

Usually, werewolf pranks are directed at people with whom they have no direct business. Perhaps this is why such cases rarely end badly for a kitsune who has experienced humor. But when the fox kitsune takes revenge on a person, then everything becomes much more serious.

This joke is especially popular among kitsune. They choose the appearance of a person and deliberately turn to his acquaintances so that they notice him. The decent Japanese, having figured out that it was the kitsune who had come to fool him in the form of an old acquaintance, recalled all the ways to win on the fox, naturally, fully armed. Well, this is what kitsune needs. The fox said that it was enough to “handle” the poor fellow, and stepped aside. Fun awaits. And then this man, whose appearance the kitsune borrowed, comes towards the person being played. The kitsune is having fun, looking at how two friends beat each other up: “- Werewolf! “What kind of werewolf am I to you!”

Alas, this joke may not be so harmless. The kitsune visited in the form of a person, left the “original” to deal with people who are already firmly convinced that cunning fox in front of him, and the stories end with a beating and. For example, in one of the Chinese fairy tales, a son kills his father, firmly convinced that he is killing a fox.

But in general, most often a person is simply scared. What kind of foul-smelling food can the kitsune serve him for dinner? Even if someone wakes up in a place other than where they fell asleep, there is no threat to life.

However, if everything were always so prosaic, foxes would not inspire such awe in the Japanese. But there are also evil examples of these. Japanese and Chinese culture they talk about two areas in which kitsune werewolves are terrible creatures, and all the stories about them are like selections for horror films - take any, you can’t go wrong. The first problem is when a fox possesses a living person, a kitsune obsession. The second is a violation of a taboo by a person or causing direct damage to the werewolf himself.

The ways in which a kitsune can take revenge for an insult caused to him are varied. For example, there is a story that two werewolves disguised as official envoys of his master then come home to a samurai who frightened a kitsune and convey an order: to perform sepukku. The samurai code obliges you to listen to the master, especially in terms of such important things as, so the samurai was ready to obey. Salvation came unexpectedly and in last moment– the domestic dogs sensed trouble and rushed at the werewolves.

Another story, in which the main “defendant” is also a samurai, ends not so rosy. A fox wounded by a samurai on a fox hunt takes the form of a man and sets fire to the offender’s house.

The story of a fox hunter, dating back to the 16th century, tells of the successful hunter becoming a Buddhist monk. Soon, a whole flock of ghosts of foxes he killed in his worldly life appears in front of his home, ready to avenge their fate. Neither prayers nor persuasion help. The foxes leave only when the monk takes up arms again and goes out onto the hunting path.

But avenging foxes are already a literary drama; however, even newspapers of the last century wrote about kitsune, forcing a person to answer for his fellow man. Despite the fact that the people who annoyed the foxes did not wait uninvited guests The next evening, it was believed that killing a fox would bring bad luck in the future.

Remedies against kitsune

So, the remedies against kitsune are quite familiar to humans. Since, in principle, a kitsune is no different from a fox, it can easily be shot. There is a belief that when a werewolf takes on human form, there is a ghostly fox image next to him, as if woven from a light haze. And, if something happens, you should hit there, and not at the person’s bodily shell.

But much more often, all a person’s tricks are aimed at simply recognizing a werewolf and avoiding his tricks. For example, they said that if a kitsune inhales smoke in human form, it will turn back into its animal form. This method has been known since the 14th century, and was clearly borrowed from fox hunting practices.

Another weakness of these werewolves that often plays against them is fried rats. For Japanese cutie spirits, this is a gourmet meal. The kitsune cannot resist him and enthusiastically starts eating. Place this “gourmet dish” in front of a suspicious person and watch the reaction. This weakness has killed more than one werewolf.

However, there are much more ordinary ways to identify a kitsune fox.

For example, discreetly pinch your interlocutor. If your friend groans in insult, then everything is in order - there is a person in front of you. But if your counterpart does not react in any way, then this is clearly not without reason.

If you've ever heard the Japanese speak on the phone, you may remember a phrase that sounds something like "moshi-moshi." This expression plays the role of “hello”, translated as “I say, I say.” The fact is that it is repeated twice and there is a checking mechanism. The Japanese believe that the kitsune fox is capable of mastering human language within a year, but, like any foreigner, will have some problems with pronunciation. Even a very experienced werewolf can pronounce the greeting “moshi-moshi”, no matter how hard he tries.

Kyuubi (actually a kitsune). They are considered smart, cunning creatures that can transform into people. They obey Inari, the goddess of cereal plants. These animals have great knowledge, long life, and magical abilities. Chief among them, I repeat, is the ability to take the form of a person; the fox, according to legend, learns to do this after reaching a certain age (usually a hundred years, although in some legends it is fifty). They usually take the form of a seductive beauty, a pretty young girl, but sometimes they also turn into old men. Other capabilities usually attributed kitsune, include the ability to inhabit other people's bodies, breathe or otherwise create fire, appear in other people's dreams, and the ability to create illusions so complex that they are almost indistinguishable from reality. Some of the tales go further, talking about having the ability to bend space and time, drive people crazy, or take on such inhuman or fantastic forms as trees of indescribable height or a second moon in the sky.

Associated with both and beliefs. IN kitsune associated with Inari, the patron deity of rice fields and entrepreneurship. Foxes were originally the messengers (tsukai) of this deity, but now the difference between them has become so blurred that Inari himself is sometimes depicted as a fox. In Buddhism they gained fame due to the popular IX-X centuries in Japan, the Shingon school of secret Buddhism, one of the main deities of which, Dakini, was depicted riding across the sky on a fox.

In folklore kitsune is a type of youkai, that is, a demon. In this context, the word "kitsune" is often translated as "fox spirit." However, this does not necessarily mean that they are not living creatures or that they are anything other than foxes. The word "spirit" in this case is used in the Eastern sense, reflecting a state of knowledge or insight. Any fox that lives long enough can thus become a "fox spirit." There are two main types of kitsune: the myōbu, or divine fox, often associated with Inari, and the nogitsune, or wild fox (literally "field fox"), often, but not always, described as evil, with malicious intent.

It can have up to nine tails. In general, it is believed that the older and stronger the fox, the more tails it has. Some sources even claim that kitsune grows an additional tail every hundred or thousand years of its life. However, foxes found almost always have one, five, or nine tails.

When nine tails are obtained, their fur turns silver, white, or gold. These kyubi no kitsune (“nine-tailed foxes”) receive the power of infinite insight. Similarly, in Korea it is said that a fox who has lived for a thousand years turns into kumiho (literally "nine-tailed fox"), but the Korean fox is always portrayed as evil, unlike the Japanese fox, which can be either benevolent or malevolent. Chinese folklore also has "fox spirits" in many ways similar to , including the possibility of nine tails.

In some stories, they have difficulty hiding their tail in human form (usually foxes in such stories have only one tail, which may be an indication of the fox's weakness and inexperience). An attentive hero can expose a drunken or careless fox who has turned into a human by seeing its tail through its clothes.

One of the famous ones is also Great Guardian Spirit Kyuubi. This is a guardian spirit and protector who helps young “lost” souls on their path in the current incarnation. Kyubi usually stays for a short time, only a few days, but in the case of attachment to one soul, it can accompany it for years. This a rare type of kitsune that rewards a lucky few with its presence and assistance.

In Japanese folklore, they are often described as tricksters, sometimes very evil ones at that. Kitsune Tricksters use their magical powers to play pranks: those who are shown in a benevolent light tend to target overly proud samurai, greedy merchants and boastful people, while the more cruel kitsune seek to torture poor merchants, farmers and Buddhist monks.

They are also often described as mistresses. In such stories there is usually a young man and a kitsune disguised as a woman. Sometimes kitsune the role of a seductress is attributed, but often such stories are rather romantic. In such stories, the young man usually marries the beauty (not knowing that she is a fox) and attaches great importance to her devotion. Many of these stories have a tragic element: they end with the discovery of a fox entity, after which she must leave her husband.

The oldest known story of fox wives, which provides the folk etymology of the word kitsune, is an exception in this sense. Here the fox takes the form of a woman and marries a man, after which the two, after spending several happy years together, have several children. Her fox essence is unexpectedly revealed when, in the presence of many witnesses, she is afraid of a dog, and in order to hide, she takes on her true appearance. prepares to leave home, but her husband stops her, saying: “Now that we have been together for several years and you have given me several children, I cannot just forget you. Please, let’s go and sleep.” The fox agrees, and since then returns to her husband every night in the form of a woman, leaving the next morning in the form of a fox. After that they began to call her kitsune- because In classical Japanese, kitsu-ne means “let’s go and sleep.”, while ki-tsune means "always coming."

The offspring of marriages between people and kitsune usually attributed special physical and/or supernatural properties. The exact nature of these properties, however, varies greatly from one source to another. Among those believed to have such extraordinary powers is the famous onmyoji Abe no Seimei, who was a han'yō (half-demon), the son of a human and a kitsune.

Rain falling among clear skies, sometimes called kitsune no yomeiri or “kisune wedding.”

Many people believe that kitsune came to Japan from China.

A little information about the mythology of foxes. (China, Japan) It is believed that werefoxes arrived in Japan from China in the middle of the 7th century and soon not only deeply “settled” in all areas of Japanese folklore, but also achieved what their Chinese ancestors could not - Kitsune began to be perceived as part of the official religious system. However, having crossed the ocean, the Japanese “fox spirits” lost some of the characteristics characteristic of their Chinese counterparts. Kitsune cannot cause poltergeists, they very rarely live under the same roof with a person, do not make friends with people, and do not allow them to enter their world. At the same time, regardless of whether we are talking about a demon or a benevolent spirit, Japanese legends never describe the world and life of Kitsune itself. Another very important difference between Kitsune and Chinese foxes is that some types of Kitsune, namely, servants of Inari, have the ability to expel demons, cure diseases and perform rituals of purification and liberation of the soul. That is why in Shinto shrines images of foxes are always decorated with red ribbons. Were-foxes in Chinese mythology. In China, the cult of “fox spirits” reached its greatest spread. Chinese foxes are great scientists, libertines, devoted lovers, peerless seducers, tricksters, poltergeists, drinking companions, and avengers. They always live in direct interaction with humans and perform a moralizing function. Unlike Japanese Kitsune, Chinese foxes can transform into any person, but never into animals or objects. Chinese philosophy explains this by saying that the essence of a fox’s transformations is to attain wisdom and achieve immortality. It is believed that only man knows the way to these secrets, so there is no point in a fox transforming into a cat or stone. Chinese mythology also distinguishes several types of “fox spirits”: Hu is actually a fox. Hujing is a fox spirit, literally translated as “beautiful fox.” Huxian is an immortal fox. Jingwei Hu (Juweihu) is a fox with nine tails. It was believed that a person who ate its meat could not be afraid of poisons. Her voice was like the cry of a newborn child. Long Zhi is a nine-headed, nine-tailed man-eating fox. Laohu is an old fox. In China, it is believed that foxes must reach a significant age before they can transform into humans, so technically all fox spirits are old. However, Laohu is a fox, very old even by such standards. In addition, the Laohu is the only fox species that does not carry a sexual function or connotation, which is most likely due to its significant age. There are theories that Laohu are asexual. In Japanese folklore, these animals have great knowledge, long life, and magical powers. Chief among them is the ability to take the form of a person; the fox, according to legend, learns to do this after reaching a certain age (usually a hundred years, although in some legends it is fifty). Other powers commonly attributed to Kitsune include the ability to inhabit the bodies of others, breathe or otherwise create fire, appear in others' dreams, take the form of any animal or object, and create illusions so complex that they are almost indistinguishable from reality. Some of the tales go further, attributing to Kitsune the ability to bend space and time, drive people mad, or take on such inhuman or fantastic forms as trees of indescribable height or a second moon in the sky. Occasionally, Kitsune are credited with characteristics reminiscent of vampires: they feed on the life force or spiritual force of people they come into contact with. Sometimes Kitsune are described as guarding a round or pear-shaped object (hoshi no tama, that is, "star stone (ball)"); it is stated that whoever takes possession of this ball can force Kitsune to help himself; one theory states that Kitsune "store" part of their magic in this ball after transformation. It is believed that Kitsune are obliged to keep their promises, otherwise they will have to suffer punishment in the form of a reduction in their rank or power level. Kitsune are associated with both Shinto and Buddhist beliefs. In Shinto, Kitsune is associated with Inari. Initially, foxes were messengers (tsukai) of this deity, but now ideas about them have become so similar that Inari is sometimes depicted as a fox. Inari is a deity of indeterminate gender, the patron of rice fields and entrepreneurship. Many figurines of foxes are displayed near his shrines, and history recalls that long ago, live foxes were kept on the territory of the temples. How did the foxes end up joining Inari's servants? This is what the legend says. Not far from Kyoto lived a pair of silver foxes with their offspring. One day - it is said that it was in the Koin era - the whole family of foxes went to Fushimi. There they offered their services to “love and justice.” God Inari accepted the family into the ranks of his servants. The kitsune made ten oaths that the holy foxes must fulfill to this day. Since then, the silver fox has been Inari's messenger. In Buddhism, Kitsune became famous thanks to the Shingon school of secret Buddhism, popular in the 9th-10th centuries in Japan, one of the main deities of which, Dakini, was depicted riding across the sky on a fox. In folklore, Kitsune is a type of youkai, or demon. In this context, the word "kitsune" is often translated as "fox spirit." However, this does not necessarily mean that they are non-living creatures or anything other than foxes. The word "spirit" in this case is used in the Eastern sense, reflecting a state of knowledge or insight. Thus, it is believed that any fox that lives long enough can become a "fox spirit." There are two main types of kitsune: the myobu, or divine fox, often associated with Inari, and the nogitsune, or wild fox (literally "field fox"), often, but not always, described as evil, with malicious intent. Kitsune can have up to nine tails. In general, it is believed that the older and stronger the fox, the more tails it has. Some sources even claim that Kitsune grows an additional tail every hundred or thousand years of its life. However, foxes found in fairy tales almost always have one, five, or nine tails. When Kitsune receive nine tails, their fur turns silver, white, or gold. These kyubi no kitsune ("nine-tailed foxes") gain the power of infinite insight. In some stories, Kitsune have difficulty hiding their tail in human form (usually foxes in such stories have only one tail, which may be an indication of their weakness and inexperience). An attentive hero can expose a drunken or careless fox who has turned into a human by seeing its tail through its clothes. One of the famous Kitsune is also the great guardian spirit Kyuubi. This is a guardian and protector who helps young “lost” souls on their path in the current incarnation. Kyuubi usually stays for a short time, only a few days, but if attached to one soul, it can accompany it for years. This is a rare type of Kitsune, rewarding the chosen ones with its presence and help. On the other hand, in Japan they still believe that foxes can become guardians of entire families. They say that in the province of Shimane you can most often meet families called kitsune-mori. Foxes surround such families with specific protection. Invisible guards follow their owners wherever they go, in addition, they guard their houses and fields and make sure that no one harms them. They can drive conscious or unconscious offenders crazy or take their lives. In the province of Shimane they believe that a common man cannot become the owner of foxes. Their owners are closed clans, and the rights to fox services are inherited. The only chance is to join the kitsune-mori family through marriage, or by purchasing land or a house under the protection of the kitsune. Fox security has its good and bad sides, like everything in this world. People do not like such neighbors, but at the same time they do not dare to harm them. Foxes under protection are, as a rule, isolated people, and friendship with them cannot be called the best. In Japanese folklore, Kitsune are often described as tricksters, sometimes very evil ones. Trickster kitsune use their magical powers to play pranks: those shown in a benevolent light tend to target overly proud samurai, greedy merchants, and boastful people, while the more cruel ones seek to torment poor merchants, farmers, and Buddhist monks. Kitsune are especially often described as lovers. Such stories usually involve a young man and a fox disguised as a woman. Sometimes Kitsune is assigned the role of a seductress, but often such stories are more romantic. In them, a young man usually marries a beauty (not knowing that she is a fox) and attaches great importance to her devotion. Many such stories have a tragic element: they end with the discovery of the wife's fox essence, after which Kitsune must leave her husband. The oldest known story about fox wives, which gives the words "kitsune", is an exception in this sense. Here the fox takes the form of a woman and gets married, after which the couple, after spending several happy years together, have several children. The wife's fox essence is unexpectedly revealed when, in the presence of many witnesses, she is afraid of a dog, and in order to hide, she takes on her true appearance. A woman prepares to leave home, but her husband stops her, saying: “Now that we have been together for so many years, and you have given me several children, I cannot simply forget you. Please, let’s go and sleep.” The fox agrees, and since then returns to her husband every night in the form of a woman, leaving the next morning in the form of a fox. After this, they began to call her kitsune, since in classical Japanese kitsu-ne means “let’s go and sleep,” while ki-tsune means “always coming.” The offspring of marriages between humans and Kitsune are usually attributed special physical and/or supernatural properties. The exact nature of these properties, however, varies greatly from one source to another. Among those who, according to legend, had such extraordinary powers is a famous one who was considered (half-demon), the son of a man and a kitsune. In various legends and tales you can find a number of “subspecies” of Kitsune: Bakemono-Kitsune - magical or demonic foxes, such as Reiko, Kiko or Koryo, that is, foxes that do not have a tangible form. Byakko - “white fox”; meeting her is a very good omen, since it is believed that this particular fox serves the goddess Inari and acts as a messenger of the Gods. It is worth immediately noting that the spelling of the name Byakko, referring to the fox, and the same name, but referring to the Divine Tiger, Lord of the West, are different, so they should not be confused or associated in any way. Genko - "black fox". Meeting her is also usually a good sign. Yako or Yakan - almost any fox, the same as Kitsune. Kiko is a ghost fox, a type of Reiko. Koryo is a “fox stalker”, a type of Reiko. Kuko is an “air fox”, a very malicious creature. In Japanese mythology, Nogitsune is placed on a par with Tengu (a Japanese type of troll) - “wild fox”; in addition, the word is used to distinguish between "good" and "bad" foxes. Sometimes the Japanese use "Kitsune" to refer to the "good" fox, the messenger of Inari, and "Nogitsune" to refer to foxes that commit mischief and deceive people. However, this is not a demon, but rather a mischief-maker, a joker, a trickster. Reiko - "ghost fox"; It cannot be definitely attributed to the forces of evil, but this spirit is definitely not good. Tenko or Amagitsune - "divine fox". Kitsune who reached the age of 1000 years. A distinctive feature of Tenko is nine tails (and sometimes a golden skin). She is sometimes called the Patron Divine Tamamo-No-Mae - a demonic version of Tenko. A deceptively beautiful, very aggressive and powerful demon, one of the most famous demon foxes in Japanese folklore. Shakko - "red fox". May refer to both the forces of good and the forces of evil; same as Kitsune. In Korean mythology, we also meet the thousand-year-old fox with nine tails - Kumiho. However, unlike Kitsune or Hujin, the Korean werefox is always female and always a demon. Kumiho is found in legends as a seductress, a treacherous wife, and sometimes even as a succubus or vampire. One thing is always constant - the goal of the Kumiho is to kill the victim. This is the only species of eastern werefoxes capable of killing a victim with its own hands. In order to dispel some misconceptions about eastern werefoxes: - The fact that foxes are strongly associated with Yin energy (feminine) does not mean that they are all female. It is believed that “fox spirits” are feminine, but this does not mean that they are all women. Additionally, the femininity of human incarnations of male foxes is quite controversial. - Despite the fact that many werefoxes are malicious creatures, they (with the exception of Kumiho) cannot cause direct physical harm to a person. They have the power to cast a curse, deceive, set fire to a house, but they are not able to injure a person with their own hands. It is because of this that, when caught, they find themselves defenseless against people and often die. However, they can commit sexual violence against a person. Apparently, in the East this is not regarded as causing physical harm. - “Fox spirit”, contrary to popular belief, is not a special type of natural spirit. Any fox can become it. It all depends on how long she lives. In Eastern mythology, the volume of magical powers is directly related to the number of years lived. In the same way, the number of tails indicates exactly the age of the fox. It is believed that a fox receives 1 tail for every century it lives (sometimes a fox lives with one tail until it gains enough strength to immediately become nine-tailed). Were-foxes do not have more than 9 tails. - Children born from a fox and a man will be human, although endowed with supernatural powers. They do not turn into foxes and do not have fox atavisms. It is worth noting an interesting detail - the children of a fox and a person have significant physical strength, although the foxes themselves, as already noted, are much weaker than a person and are not able to defeat him physically.

(蒲松齡, 1640-1715) - famous Chinese writer and eccentric. Pu was born and lived in the east of the Celestial Empire, in the city of Zichuan, in Shandong province. The people always made fun of him and gave him the nickname Luquan-juishi (“The Hermit Living by the Spring with Willows”). Indeed, from a philistine point of view, Pu was a bit strange: he was aloof from his neighbors, and when he drank, he talked all sorts of nonsense about spirits and ghosts. Coming from a family of officials, from childhood he prepared to pass state exams in order to follow in the footsteps of his father, but failed every time (they say his memory failed him). The eternal student received the right to enter a college providing higher education only at the age of 71! Having spent his entire life as a secretary, Pu got used to giggling behind his back and looked at fate with the dispassion of a true Taoist.

His favorite pastime was to go out onto the road leading into the city, set up a table with a teapot and pipe, and, while treating those passing by, listen to stories about something wonderful. He wrote down the stories. The end result was a collection of five hundred short stories entitled Liao Zhai Zhi Yi (Description of the Amazing from Liao's Study; Liao Zhai is Pu's pen name). In fact, Pu Song-ling revived the genre of Chinese short stories about the undead, which had died by the 9th century, and thereby saved many folk legends of the 15th-17th centuries from the sad fate of being gradually forgotten. This is especially true of legends about werewolf foxes (hu jing or huli jing, 狸精) - a unique phenomenon of Far Eastern culture that has no analogues in other parts of the world. The anniversary of Pu Sun-lin is perhaps an appropriate occasion to talk about them in more detail. Moreover, the image of the mystical fox has already become entrenched in Russian culture: in 2004, Victor Pelevin’s novel “The Sacred Book of the Werewolf” was published, its main character was a fox named A Khuli.

Don't drink with girls you don't know

They say that this happened in the last years of the reign of Emperor Li An (李昂, 826-840) from the Tang dynasty (618-907). One evening, Mr. Wei from the city of Hancheng, in northeast China, went 10 li (about 5 km) to check his Vacation home. And then, halfway along the way, he met a girl - very pretty, although in simple dress. We started talking. It turned out that Wei’s new acquaintance was going to the city to accuse the authorities of a tax collector who allegedly dishonored her. “I would be very grateful to you,” she told Wei, “if you would describe everything that happened to me on paper, and I could take it to the city authorities in order to wash away the shame that this man subjected me to.” Well, who among those who can write would refuse such a pleasant acquaintance? Sitting down on the grass, the girl took out paper and ink, and Wei sat down next to her. “I have a little wine in a gourd with me,” the young lady said coquettishly, “and I want to drink it with you and get drunk.” The hint was too transparent, and the trusting Wei mentally praised Aunt Chih-nu (織女), the heavenly patroness of lovers. They filled two wooden cups... And then a hunter with a pack of hounds appeared from the west. Seeing them, the girl darted to the side and, not having walked even five steps, turned into a fox and ran away. Wei was numb with horror, and when he came to his senses, he saw that in his hands, instead of a bowl, he was holding a human skull filled with cow urine.

Foxes... Chinese peasants for many centuries were afraid to meet them. If a red tail flashes in the field, expect trouble. Either the disease will take over, or there will be no rain, or something will burn - don’t go to the fortune teller. It was also necessary to avoid the places where these cheats lived: ravines, wastelands and old burial grounds in which foxes dug holes to live among human bones. However, most of all the Chinese were afraid that the fox, taking on human form, would enter their house. In European demonology, the situation was just the opposite: it was not the beast that turned into man, but man into the beast. The essence of the matter is that, according to Christian ideas, animals do not have a soul - which means they simply have nothing to move into another body. In China, all living beings were endowed with a soul. But why exactly did foxes begin to lead such a strange lifestyle? One can only speculate about this. Nowhere, except in the countries of the Far East, mythological characters like Hu Jing , does not occur. For what reasons did the red animal, which poses no serious danger to humans, turn into a demon? This is one of the many mysteries of the Celestial Empire.

Tender killers

According to Chinese beliefs, the fox is attracted to housing by human vital energy qi. If a fox, having transformed into a girl, finds a groom and marries him, better fate I can’t even think of one for her. The husband's vitality is transmitted to the hu jing during lovemaking, and the fox absorbs the subtleties of the art of sex, as they say, with mother's milk. Hu jing does not kill a person, but only gradually weakens him (the degree of this weakening depends on the “humanity” of the werewolf). Foxes may well be good wives and skillful housewives. And yet, a person in their neighborhood always faces a quick death - he will never live out the period set by the gods. And after death, the unfortunate person is doomed to turn into a restless, embittered spirit, wandering among people and doing evil, until his life expires, written in the book of lives of mother Si-wan-mu (西王母) - the mistress of the Western Paradise. So it doesn’t matter whether a person’s wife is good or bad: if she is a were-fox, don’t expect anything good! But even if a peasant takes as his wife a girl from a neighboring house, whose human nature is beyond any doubt, the hu jing can simply send damage or possess the happy groom, which threatens to turn him into a demoniac or a lunatic. They say that if the spirit of a fox has entered a person, it can be detected - it is like a small soft tumor on one of the parts of the body. But do it better to a specialist, for example, a Taoist or Buddhist monk, knowledgeable in spells and talismans. In any case, it will be very difficult to drive out such a scourge - the Hu Jing are too cunning and are very good at causing trouble.

It is said that during the reign of Emperor Dezong (德宗, 780-805), Mr. Pei - Shaoyin(a government official) of Jiangling County, Hubei Province, located in southeast China, his ten-year-old son suddenly fell ill. No one could understand what was happening to him. The boy wasted away before our eyes. And then one evening a certain man knocked on Mr. Pei’s door, calling himself Mr. Gao, a specialist in magical amulets. “The boy’s illness was caused by nothing other than the machinations of the fox,” he said. Then the guest laid out amulets and sacred books and performed incomprehensible rituals for a long time... And suddenly the boy stood up and said: “I am healthy.” And indeed, the disease has receded. However, something was not right about the child. Sometimes he became delirious, and sometimes he was overcome by waves of causeless laughter, followed by sobs. Some time passed, and a new wanderer appeared at Mr. Pei’s house, calling himself Doctor Wang. The guest was invited into the house, and over a teapot of warm wine, Pei spoke about his misfortune. Wang examined the boy and exclaimed, “The young master is sick with fox disease! If he is not treated immediately, he may become very ill.” With these words, Gao entered the room. “How is it,” he turned reproachfully to Mr. Pei, “your son is cured, and you bring a fox into his house?!” This is the same beast that caused his illness!” A quarrel began, which the whole house came running to see.

At that moment, an old Taoist monk appeared at the gate. “I heard that Mr. Pei’s son is suffering from fox disease,” he told the servants. - I can see demons. Tell your master that I ask permission to come in and talk to him.” As soon as he entered the house, Mr. Gao and Mr. Wang shouted in one voice: “It’s a fox too! How does he manage to fool people under the guise of a Taoist!” The monk answered them appropriately: “You foxes! Return to your abandoned graves! Why are you bothering these people?!” With these words, he locked himself with them in the same room, from which screams and sounds of fuss were then heard for a long time. Finally everything became quiet. The frightened Mr. Pei quietly opened the door and saw three foxes lying heavily breathing. Without thinking twice, he grabbed a hunting whip and beat all three to death. Ten days later, his son was completely healed.

Treasures of the fox soul

The Hu Jing has one more difference from Christian demons - they do not consist entirely of evil and hatred of people. Among them there are those with whom you can get along quite well, they just rarely go out to people. These are called Hu Shen- fairy fox. Until the seventies of the twentieth century, in some places in the remote corners of China, near hundred-year-old trees, secluded caves or holes, one could see small shrines decorated with red rags, with incense burners and a small table for refreshments. The walls of these miniature temples had round windows with curtains made of red fabric. Locals they came here with their simple requests, written on pieces of colored paper, decorated with benevolent symbols, and dropped them into the windows. There are many legends that report miraculous healings that followed a visit to fox sanctuaries. One of the peasants always looked after the idol, because if the idol fell into disrepair, the fox might be offended - and then expect trouble.

In the mid-twentieth century, Chinese ethnographers conducted surveys among peasants in the provinces of Henan (206 BC-220 AD) and Shaanxi. The result was quite interesting. Despite all the fear of red cheats, the villagers were sure that only young foxes who were under fifty years old were hostile to humans (in Chinese mythology, the maximum age of a fox exceeds three thousand years). In a number of scholarly treatises on miracles dating back to the Han and Tang dynasties, there are even statements that foxes have a special spiritual principle called ling-xing. Allegedly, it causes most Hu Jing to lose interest in the human world and lose demonic habits with age. They retire to secluded places and begin to practice Taoist alchemy and other spiritual practices (in later legends they even accept Christianity!), improving magical abilities of your soul. Some of them sometimes achieve such success that they become immortal ( Hu Xian) and go to live in heavenly gardens, like Taoist saints. But if the fox has already reached adulthood, and has not taken the path of virtue, it becomes a terrible witch, which only monks who are well versed in the techniques of exorcism, and holy arhats, can resist. The abilities of such hu jing are truly great, so that they can even take the form of budhisattvas.

They say that during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian (武則天, 684-706), a woman appeared in the palace posing as a saint: she easily performed miracles and read thoughts. For several years she was surrounded with care and honor. She, fooling everyone, secretly had many lovers, feeding off their vitality, until the Buddhist monk Da An, known for his holiness, appeared in the palace. When he was told about the degree of enlightenment of the empress's favorite, he was quite surprised, since he had never heard of such a thing before, and suspicion crept into his soul. Then Da An decided to check what was the matter: he obscured his consciousness as much as possible (which is beyond the power of an ordinary person) and asked the “saint” to find out what he was thinking about: “You can see the movements of the heart, try to see where my thoughts rested?” . “Between the bells on the discs at the top of the pagoda,” was the correct answer. Da An immediately repeated the question. “In the Tushita sky, in the palace of Maitreya, you listened to a sermon on the teachings of the Buddha.” Da An asked for the third time. “You were in Heaven, beyond the reach of consciousness.” That's how it was. The Empress was delighted, and the monk, having collected last strength, concentrated on one of the last celestial spheres where the arhats live. The fox no longer had enough spiritual strength for this. She admitted defeat, turned into a beast and ran away.

They said that Hu Xian had white fur and nine tails. Whoever is lucky enough to meet such a person will be rich and happy. Good luck awaits those who see a fox during meditation. According to stories, in the evenings, between nine and twelve o'clock, at secluded places you can see a fireball surrounded by light blue flashes moving up and down in the air at a distance of one to two meters from the ground. It is believed that this is just the fox’s soul, or rather, its magical part (according to the ancient Chinese, souls consist of several parts), which the animal releases out and then swallows again. Now, if at this moment you get smart and grab the ball, which turns into a pearl in your hands, you can gain great magical abilities, honor and respect. The fox will lose all its accumulated esoteric experience and may even die. True, no one worries about this: enlightened or unenlightened, but still a fox.