How do you say black fox in Chinese? Foxes werewolves - eastern mythology

(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 bureaucratic family, he had been preparing to surrender since childhood state exams, in order to follow in the footsteps of his father, but failed every time (they say his memory failed him). The right to enroll in a school that gives higher education, eternal student received only at 71 years old! 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, Viktor Pelevin’s novel “The Sacred Book of the Werewolf” was published, his the main character there was a fox named Ah Huli.

Don't drink with girls you don't know

They say that it happened in last years the reign of Emperor Li An (李昂, 826-840) of 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 countries 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 the person in their neighborhood is always waiting imminent 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 and introduced himself as 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 of age were hostile to humans. 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 the magical abilities of their 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 mature years, but never took the path of virtue - a terrible witch emerges from her, 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 his power to 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, in secluded places you can see a ball of fire, surrounded by light blue flashes, which moves up and down in the air at a distance of one or 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.

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Were-foxes were traditional heroes folk tales and became part of mythology. But in China they remained folklore and in literature based on folklore, the most famous work The collection of short stories “Fox Spells” by Pu Songlin became about werefoxes. The image of the fox-werewolf migrated to other countries that were influenced Chinese culture. He left the deepest mark in Japan and Korea.
It is believed that werefoxes arrived in Japan from China in the mid-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 Kitsune from Chinese foxes lies in the fact 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 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. A distinctive feature of Tenko is nine tails (and sometimes a 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 temptress, treacherous wife, 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”, 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 unable to defeat him physically.
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Kitsune are mysterious, unusual, and very charming creatures. Integral characters of Japanese folklore and literature, they have the features of many magical creatures. If we identify three main parallels in Western culture- This is a combination of the qualities of a fairy elf, a werewolf, and a vampire. They can act both as carriers of pure evil and as messengers of divine forces. But they prefer romantic adventures of varying degrees of seriousness, or simply jokes and pranks in relation to human beings - without sometimes disdaining, however, vampirism. And sometimes their stories are filled with the tragic sentimentality so beloved by the Japanese. Their patron is the goddess Inari, whose temples certainly contain statues of foxes. The Japanese attitude towards kitsune is very similar to the Irish attitude towards their fairies - a mixture of respect, fear, and sympathy. And they definitely stand out among other okabe, that is, Japanese magical creatures. Even towards tanuki, badger werewolves quite similar to kitsune, the relationship is not so deep. And the Japanese cat werewolves usually specialize in pure vampirism, with little interest in other aspects of communication with humanity.
The image of the were-fox, the fox-spirit, is quite widespread in Asia. But outside the Japanese islands, they almost always appear as sharply negative and unlikable characters. In China and Korea, the fox is usually only interested in human blood. In the Land of the Rising Sun, the image of the werewolf fox is much more multifaceted, although even here they sometimes indulge in vampirism. Kiyoshi Nozaki, a famous researcher of legends about kitsune, proves in his works the autochthonous nature Japanese legends about werefoxes. Whereas similar stories from the continent, in his opinion, only superimposed on top of those that had existed since time immemorial - and gave the “original Japanese friends of man” sinister features. Whether this is true or not is up to you to judge - I find kitsune attractive and interesting exactly as they are. In all their contradictions, with rather harmful, but deep and noble character. After all, Japanese culture, unlike continental culture, since the Heian era, places a person higher, the more facets and contradictions he has. Integrity is good in battle, but in ordinary life it is a sign of primitivism - the Japanese believe. The origin of the word "kitsune" has two options. The first is according to Nozaki, he derives it from the ancient onomatopoeia of the fox barking “kitsu-kitsu”. However, in modern language it is rendered as "kon-kon". The other option is less scientific, but more romantic. It dates back to the first documented kitsune legend, dating back to early period Asuka - 538-710 AD. Ono, a resident of the Mino region, searched for a long time and could not find his ideal female beauty. But one foggy evening, near a large moor (the usual place for meetings with fairies among the Celts), he unexpectedly met his dream. They got married, she bore him a son. But at the same time as the birth of his son, the dog Ono brought a puppy. The larger the puppy became, the more aggressive he became towards the Lady of the Wasteland. She got scared and asked her husband to kill the dog. But he refused. One day the dog rushed at Lady. In horror, she threw off her human form, turned into a fox, and ran away. Ono, however, began to look for her and call: “You may be a fox - but I love you, and you are the mother of my son; you can come to me whenever you want.” Lady Fox heard It, and from then on every night she came to him in the guise of a woman, and in the morning she ran away into the wasteland in the guise of a fox. From this legend two variants of translation of the word "kitsune" are derived. Either "kitsu ne", an invitation to spend the night together - Ono's call to his runaway wife; or “ki-tsune” – “always coming.” The heavenly patron of kitsune is the goddess of rice Inari. Their statues are an integral part of the temples in her honor. Moreover, some sources indicate that Inari herself is the highest kitsune. At the same time, in fact gender Inari no Kami is not defined - like kitsune in general as such. Inari is capable of appearing in the guise of a warrior or a wise old man, a young girl or a beautiful woman. She is usually accompanied by two snow-white foxes with nine tails. Inari is often associated with the bodhisattva Dakini-Ten, one of the patrons of the Shingon Order, one of the main carriers of the Vajrayana-Kongojo ideas in Japan. From them, in particular, shinobi schools of the provinces of Iga and Koga grew - and the way of life and service of ninjas is very close to kitsune. Inari is especially popular in Kyushu, where an annual festival is held in her honor. At the festival, the main dish is fried tofu, bean curd (something like our cheesecakes) - it is in this form that both kitsune and quite ordinary Japanese foxes prefer it. There are temples and chapels dedicated to kitsune as such. Like the elves of the British Isles, the “little people,” kitsune live in the hills and wastelands, joke about people, sometimes leading them into magical land - from where they can return as very old men in a few days - or, on the contrary, find themselves in the future, having spent decades in hours. Having assumed human form, kitsune marry or marry humans and have offspring from them. Moreover, children from marriages between foxes and people inherit magical abilities and many talents. In the Celtic world, this topic is also very popular - remember that the family legends of the McCloud clan trace their pedigree to the marriage of the clan founder with an elf girl; and the name of the oldest Scottish clan, the Fergussons, goes back to the Old Gaelic "son of the Faeries." Or the famous story about Thomas “The Rhymer” Learmonth, who lived for several years in the land of fairies and became the “Scottish Nostradamus.” His descendant was, for example, M.Yu. Lermontov. A characteristic that kitsune have in common with elves is "kitsune-bi" (Fox Lights) - just like the Celtic fairies, foxes can accidentally or intentionally indicate their presence at night with mysterious lights and music on the moors and hills. Moreover, no one guarantees the safety of a person who dares to go check their nature. Legends describe the source of these lights as "hoshi no tama" (Star Pearls), white balls like pearls or gems that have magical powers. Kitsune always have such pearls with them, in fox form they keep them in their mouths, or wear them around their necks. Kitsune value these artifacts very much, and in exchange for their return they may agree to fulfill a person's wishes. But, again, it is difficult to guarantee the safety of the impudent person after returning - and in case of refusal to return the pearl, the kitsune can attract his friends to help. However, the kitsune must fulfill the promise given to a person in such a situation, like a fairy, otherwise he risks being demoted in position and status. Fox statues in Inari temples almost always have such balls on them. Kitsune, in gratitude, or in exchange for the return of their pearl, can give a person a lot. However, you should not ask them for material objects - after all, they are great masters of illusion. Money will turn into leaves, gold bars into pieces of bark, and precious stones into ordinary ones. But the intangible gifts of foxes are very valuable. First of all, Knowledge, of course - but this is not for everyone... however, foxes may well bestow health, longevity, success in business and safety on the road. Like werewolves, kitsune are able to change between human and animal forms. However, they are not tied to the phases of the moon, and are capable of much deeper transformations than ordinary werewolves. If in the form of a fox it is difficult for a person to understand whether this form is the same or not, then the fox can take on a different human form. Moreover, according to some legends, kitsune are capable of changing gender and age if necessary - appearing either as a young girl or as a gray-haired old man. But a young kitsune is capable of taking on the appearance of a human being only from the age of 50-100. Like vampires, kitsune sometimes drink human blood and kill people. However, fairies-elves also sin in this way - and, as a rule, both take harsh measures in order to take revenge for an intentional or accidental insult. Although sometimes they do this, as they say, out of love for art. Sometimes, however, foxes limit themselves to energy vampirism - feeding on the vital forces of those around them. To achieve their goals, kitsune are capable of much. For example, they can take the form of a specific person. Thus, the Kabuki play “Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees” tells about a kitsune named Genkuro. The mistress of the famous military leader Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Lady Shizuka, had a magic drum made in ancient times from the skins of kitsune - namely, Genkuro's parents. He set himself the goal of returning the drum and interring the remains of his parents to the ground. To do this, the fox turned to one of the warlord’s confidants - but the young kitsune made a mistake and was discovered. Genkuro explained the reason for his entry into the castle, Yoshitsune and Shizuka returned the drum to him. In gratitude, he granted Yoshitsune his magical protection. Some kitsune are a natural disaster for those around them. Thus, the heroine of the noo plays “The Dead Stone” and the kabuki “Beautiful Fox-Witch”, Tamamo no Mae, on her way from India to Japan through China leaves a trail of disasters and cruel tricks. In the end, she dies during an encounter with the Buddhist saint Gemmo - and is turned into a cursed stone. Kitsune love to play dirty tricks on those who deserve them - but they can easily cause problems for a virtuous peasant or a noble samurai. They love to seduce ascetic monks, leading them astray from the path to nirvana - however, on other paths they can provide help and support. Thus, the famous kitsune Kyuubi helps seekers of truth in their quest, helping them realize the tasks of their incarnation. The offspring of kitsune from marriages with people usually become mystical personalities themselves, walking along forbidden and dark paths. Such was Abe no Seimei, the famous occultist of the Heian era - whose image is similar to both the Breton Merlin and the images of the two Irish Patricks - the Saint and the Dark (there is not so much difference between them, because the Celts, like the Japanese, are not inclined to the Manichaean contrast between good and evil). His mother was the kitsune Kuzunoha, who lived for a long time in a human family - but was eventually exposed and forced to go into the forest. If some sources claim that Seimei had no offspring, others call his descendants a number of Japanese mystics of subsequent times. For China, legends about marriages between people and foxes are uncharacteristic, as are stories about their mutual understanding in general. Moreover, if in Japan meeting a fox is generally considered a good sign, then in China it is definitely a very bad omen. Apparently, the independence and individualism of foxes does not fit well with the Chinese ideal of collectivism and an egalitarian society. Whereas in Japan, the personal principle began to be valued back in the Heian era, which is a unique phenomenon for non-European culture. Because of this, Japanese civilization is no more similar to Chinese than antique Greece and Rome - to Egypt or Mesopotamia, from which they originally borrowed most of your culture. If Chinese philosophy is interested in the balance of interests of the family and the state, then the conflict between the individual and the corporation-clan has always been characteristically Japanese. That’s why even ancient Japanese books are read in a very modern way – they clearly show a complex and contradictory personality. Chinese literature has always dealt with social types and patterns of behavior. That is why, perhaps, the foxes in it looked unambiguously evil - they denied community and collectivism with all their behavior. And at the same time they loved to take on the guise of officials for their pranks. The story of the fox document told by the Chinese poet Niu Jiao is very funny and revealing. Official Wang, while on a business trip to the capital, one evening saw two foxes near a tree. They stood on their hind legs and laughed merrily. One of them was holding a piece of paper in her paw. Van began shouting at the foxes to leave - but the kitsune ignored his indignation. Then Van threw a stone at one of the foxes, hitting the one holding the document in the eye. The fox dropped the paper, and both disappeared into the forest. Van took the document, but it turned out to be written in a language unknown to him. Then Van went to the tavern and began to tell everyone about the incident. While he was telling his story, a man with a bandage on his forehead came in and asked to see the paper. However, the innkeeper noticed a tail peeking out from under his robe, and the fox hastened to retreat. The foxes tried several more times to return the document while Van was in the capital - but each time they were unsuccessful. When he went back to his district, on the way, with considerable surprise, he met a whole caravan of his relatives. They reported that he himself sent them a letter saying that he had received a profitable appointment in the capital, and invited them to come there. To celebrate, they quickly sold all their property and hit the road. Of course, when Van was shown the letter, it turned out to be blank slate paper. The Wang family had to return back with heavy losses. After some time, his brother, who was considered dead in a distant province, returned to Van. They began to drink wine and tell stories from their lives. When Van reached the story of the fox document, his brother asked to see it. Seeing the paper, the brother grabbed it, saying “finally!” turned into a fox and jumped out the window. The question of the origin of kitsune is complex and poorly defined. Most sources agree that some people who have not led the most righteous, secretive and obscure way of life become kitsune after death. After the kitsune is born, it grows and gains strength. A kitsune reaches adulthood at the age of 50-100, at which time it acquires the ability to change shape. The level of power of a werefox depends on age and rank - which is determined by the number of tails and the color of the skin. A young kitsune, as a rule, engages in mischief among people, and also enters into romantic relationship varying degrees of seriousness - such stories almost always involve one-tailed foxes. In addition, very young kitsune often betray themselves by their inability to hide their tail - apparently, while still learning transformations, they are often betrayed even at a higher level by a shadow or reflection. This is how, for example, Kuzunoha, the mother of Abe no Seimei, discovered herself. As they age, foxes acquire new ranks - with three, five, seven and nine tails. Interestingly, three-tailed foxes are especially rare - perhaps they are serving somewhere else during this period (or have mastered the art of transformation to perfection.. :)). Five- and seven-tailed kitsune, often black, usually appear in front of a person when they need it, without hiding their essence. The Nine-Tails are the elite kitsune, at least 1000 years old. Nine-tailed foxes typically have silver, white, or gold coats and a ton of high magical abilities. They are part of Inari no Kami's retinue, serve as her emissaries, or live on their own. However, some even at this level do not refrain from committing small and large dirty tricks - the famous Tamamo no Mae, who terrified Asia from India to Japan, was just a nine-tailed kitsune. Nine-tailed kitsune According to legend, Koan, another famous mystic, converted at the end of his earthly life. In general, kitsune in Japanese mysticism are divided into two categories: those in the service of Inari “Tenko” (Heavenly Foxes), and “Nogitsune” (Free Foxes). However, it seems that the line between them is very thin and arbitrary. Sometimes kitsune are believed to be able to inhabit the bodies of people - causing effects similar to Christian "demon possession". According to some reports, this is how foxes restore their strength after injury or exhaustion. Sometimes the “possession of the fox”, Kitsunetsuki (a phenomenon recognized by medical science, but poorly explained and classified as “nationally determined syndromes”), manifests itself more subtly - in a sudden love for rice, tofu and poultry, a desire to hide one’s eyes from one’s interlocutor, increased sexual activity, nervousness and emotional coldness. However, other sources describe this particular phenomenon as a manifestation of “fox blood.” In the old days, such people, according to the eternal human tradition, were dragged to the stake - especially if the exorcism did not help and the fox was not expelled; and their relatives were subject to obstruction and were often forced to leave their homes. According to Japanese physiognomic concepts, “fox blood” can also be detected by appearance. Suspicion of incompletely human nature was aroused by people with thick hair, close-set eyes, a narrow face, an elongated and snub (“fox”) nose, and high cheekbones. Mirrors and shadows were considered the most reliable way to detect kitsune (however, they almost did not work in relation to higher kitsune and half-breeds). And also the fundamental and mutual dislike of kitsune and their descendants for dogs. Magic abilities kitsune grow as they mature and gain new levels in the hierarchy. If the capabilities of a one-tailed young kitsune are very limited, then they acquire the capabilities of powerful hypnosis, the creation of complex illusions and entire illusory spaces. With the help of their magic pearls, kitsune are able to defend themselves with fire and lightning. Over time, the ability to fly, become invisible and take on any form is acquired. Higher kitsune have power over space and time, are able to take magical forms - dragons, giant trees up to the sky, a second moon in the sky; They know how to induce madness in people and massively subjugate them to their will.
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A FEW FACTS ABOUT FOX VIRGINS The fox, as a rule, takes care that her appearance does not surprise people, as well as the verisimilitude of her story. The fox tries to maintain its purity and morality. The fox is finely educated, she knows how to compose excellent poetry. It seems quite natural to transfer traditional elements education on foxes, souls of the dead and other magical characters. The fox strives to comply with the rules and customs established between people. When the Li family realized that they could not get rid of Yuan and that Da-dao would not give up on her, and then stopped hostile actions, Yuan made gifts to Da-dao’s father and mother as father-in-law and mother-in-law. Lisa strives to frame her connection with a man as wedding ceremony, accepted among people: there will be a palanquin in which the bride is delivered to the groom’s house, and colored candles, and gifts, and a wedding feast to which fox friends are invited. The fox helps her human “relatives” and people who have not harmed her. In addition, the fox is happy to predict the future, helping to avoid troubles or, on the contrary, to gain benefits. The fox sends attacks on the person who opposes her. It is in the nature of a fox to harm a person just like that, by nature, or to achieve some goal. Often the fox throws various objects, shits in food and commits all sorts of small dirty tricks that can piss off anyone. The fox instructs her lover. Yuan's parting advice to Da-dao is to study diligently, pass exams and thereby cover his family and his parents with honor and glory. It often happens that the fox turns out to be more reasonable than her lover, and helps him return to the path of virtue when he is mired in vices. Over time, the attitude towards the fox also changed. If earlier the fox was simply avoided or tried to destroy it, then from the end of the first millennium AD, the veneration of the fox became a widespread practice: idols were built in its honor, prayers and requests were addressed to it, and sacrifices were made. The fox has ceased to be unambiguously evil, in written sources a neutral (so to speak) image was formed, something between an annunciating fox (good by definition) and a harmful animal. In Chinese tradition, foxes are strongly associated with the dead because they dig their holes in or near old graves, usually abandoned. It often happens that a fox appropriates the surname of the clan in whose grave it lives, or even impersonates the deceased directly. The connection with the dead, even if purely “neighborly,” partly explains the harmful properties attributed to the fox: both the fox and the soul of the deceased are capable of taking on a human form and entering into material contact with the living. In the minds of the Chinese, there were several, so to speak, age categories of magical foxes. The lowest are young foxes, capable of magic, but limited in transformations; then there are foxes, capable of a wider range of transformations: they can become an ordinary woman, a beautiful maiden, or a man. In human form, a fox can enter into relationships with real people, seduce them, fool them so that they forget about everything. Such foxes are most common in Dotan xiaoshuo prose. As a rule, they are skilled seductresses. Taking the form of a beautiful girl, such a fox appears to a man, enchants him with her unearthly beauty, talents, accessibility and enters into an intimate relationship with him. Essentially, here we are dealing with something transformed in written monuments folklore motif marriage to a magical maiden. Exactly marital relations with a person are the ultimate goal of the fox, since in the process of sexual intercourse she receives from the man his vital energy, which she needs to improve her magical capabilities. In the collection of the Song author Liu Fu (11th century) “Qing so gao yi” (“High judgments at the palace gates”) it is said: “For in human life in youth the beginning of yang is especially strong and yin is weak, in mature years yang and yin are equally ", and with old age there becomes less yang and a lot of yin. And if yang is completely exhausted and only yin remains - then death! " Therefore, the fox seeks to choose a young man as his wife. The consequences of this kind of relationship for a person are quite definite: the light principle in his body forcibly decreases, vital energy is weakened. Outwardly, this is expressed in sudden weight loss (“skin and bones”) and general weakness. Ultimately, the person dies from exhaustion of vitality. As a result, the fox can significantly increase its magical capabilities, which allows it to achieve longevity, and perhaps even immortality, and thereby fall into the last, highest category - thousand-year-old foxes, become a saint (xian hu), and get closer to the heavenly world ( It is often said about just such a fox that it is white or has nine tails), having escaped from the vain passions of the human world. Such a fox no longer wastes itself on relationships with men; in its behavior, it is rather a righteous fox. The fox constantly walks around in human form, and only when she needs to flee, it doesn’t matter whether it’s day or night, but she honest people falls on all fours and runs away from danger like an animal. She can be forced to show her true form by bringing fire close to her face. And also a werewolf can become a fox in deep sleep, ceasing to control yourself. To reverse the transformation, the fox takes the parietal bone of a deceased woman (or a man, if he wants to become a man), places this bone on his head and bows to the moon. If the transformation is destined to take place, then the bone will remain on the head during all 49 bows. Starting from the Tang Dynasty (VII-IX centuries), the Chinese began to worship the fox fairy. Offering her human food and drink to appease her. At that time, a saying appeared: “Where there is no fox, you cannot found a village.” In the 17th century, the werewolf fox was already a common character in urban stories. This a beautiful woman, perhaps even too beautiful and too gifted for a daughter of man, but showing little of her supernatural abilities. The Virgo Fox is beautiful and capricious, equally capable of good and evil. From the connection of a fox with a person, children will be born, and they do not have any fox characteristics, but they have a great future. And the righteous fairy foxes have already been ranked among the “four great families” of animals, along with the ferret, hedgehog and snake. In villages, small idols are built in their honor, sacrifices are made to them, praying for assistance in business, peace in the home and prosperity. You are walking through Chinese fields and suddenly you see that in front of some mound there is a table, on it are vessels, banners, signs and all the things befitting a temple. You ask a passing Chinese what it is, and hear in response: “It’s a fairy fox.” She, you see, lives somewhere here in a hole, and they ask her not to harm the poor people, but, on the contrary, to do good, as befits saints. Thus, the fox has long been perceived as a harbinger of fate. Initially, the appearance of the nine-tailed fox was considered a happy omen exclusively for the ruling clans, but after the Tang, the white fox in folk fantasy still retained the ability to be a good messenger - for any person. Another thing is the fairy fox. She is capable of bringing both misfortune and goodness to a person; her image is contradictory. If you make sacrifices to her, then she can help, she can thank you for treating her fairly. The fairy fox has significant magical powers, far beyond the capabilities of humans. She knows the future, is widely erudite, capable of transformations at will, knows how to seduce, makes a person lose his mind. Finally, a simple werewolf fox is most often a malicious creature, even if it takes the form of a maiden unearthly beauty or a beautiful young man. She, however, is not completely alien to the sense of justice, but, as a rule, she is at odds with people. Unlike the fox fairy, she can be killed, although she is not that easy to deal with. The fact is that the white fox, the fairy fox, and the werewolf fox are three different forms one creature, corresponding to different stages of its perception in the Chinese tradition.

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Like tanuki, foxes have statues, especially at Inari shrines.
"Types" and names of kitsune:

Bakemono Kitsune are magical or demonic foxes, such as Reiko, Kiko or Koryo, that is, some kind of immaterial fox.
Byakko - "white fox", a very good omen, usually has the sign of service to Inari and acts as a messenger of the Gods.
Genko - "black fox". Usually a good sign.
Yako or Yakan - almost any fox, the same as Kitsune.
Kiko is a "spirit fox", a type of Reiko.
Koryo is a "stalking fox", a type of Reiko.
Kuko or Kuyuko (in the sense of “u” with the sound “yu”) is an “air fox”, extremely bad and harmful. Has an equal place with Tengu in the pantheon.
Nogitsune is a "wild fox" and is also used to distinguish between "good" and "bad" foxes. Sometimes the Japanese use "Kitsune" to name a good fox messenger from Inari and "Nogitsune" - foxes that commit mischief and trick people. However, this is not a real demon, but rather a mischief-maker, prankster and trickster. Their behavior is reminiscent of Loki from Scandinavian mythology.
Reiko is a "ghost fox", sometimes not on the side of Evil, but definitely not good.
Tenko - "divine fox". Kitsune who reached the age of 1000 years. They usually have 9 tails (and sometimes a golden skin), but each of them is either very “bad” or benevolent and wise, like Inari’s messenger.
Shakko - "red fox". Can be both on the side of Good and on the side of Evil, the same as Kitsune.

How do you say black fox in Chinese? Foxes werewolves - eastern mythology

Don't drink with girls you don't know

Tender killers

Treasures of the fox soul

See also in other dictionaries:

Books