Fox spirit
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Fox spirits in Chinese mythology are spirits of a fox type that are akin to European faeries, to demons, or to the Japanese yōkai known as kitsune. They can be either good spirits or bad spirits.
In Chinese mythology, and also in Japanese, it is believed that all things are capable of acquiring human forms, magical powers, and immortality provided that they received certain energy, such as human breaths or essence from the moon and the sun.
The fox spirits that people encounter in tales and legends tend to be females and appear as young, beautiful women. A woman who steals a man from his wife would often be referred to by the wife as a "fox spirit" (狐精). One of the most infamous fox spirits in Chinese mythology was Daji (妲己), a beautiful daughter of a general; she was married forcibly to the cruel tyrant Zhou Xin (紂辛 Zhòu Xīn). A nine-tailed fox spirit who served Nüwa (whom Zhou Xin had offended) penetrated into her body, expelling the "true" Daji's soul. Daji and her new husband schemed cruelly and invented many devices of torture, such as forcing righteous officials to hug red-hot metal pillars. Due to such cruelties, many people, including Zhou Xin's own former generals, revolted and fought against Zhou Xin's dynasty, Shang. Finally, King Wen of Zhou, one of the vassals of Shang, founded a new dynasty named after his country. The fox spirit in Daji's body was later driven out by Jiang Ziya (姜子牙), the first Prime Minister of the Zhou Dynasty.
Many tales about fox spirits, of which most are love stories between a fox girl and a young human male, are found in Pu Songling's work Liaozhai Zhiyi. Here, foxes are represented as beings with real human feelings. In many stories, a fox girl and a young man get married and even have children.
Meaning in modern times
Now fox spirit means a female who steal the heart of a husband, or a unengaged boyfriend. This word can be offensive sometimes.
External link
- Fox Spirits in Asia (http://academia.issendai.com/fox-index.shtml) - "largest bibliography of fox-spirit material on the web."
- Gods of Japan page on the fox spirit (http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/oinari.shtml)