Kitsune, the left one from a pair of stone fox statues at Inari Shintō shrine adjacent to the Buddhist Todai Temple in Nara, Japan. In Japan, by contrast, foxes were often venerated messengers of the benevolent Shinto rice goddess, although many of the Chinese beliefs (such as foxes taking the form of beautiful young women and even the ability of fox demons to possess humans) are also found in Japanese culture.
Indeed, some legends tell of foxes surviving a succession of victims, living for up to a thousand years. In China, for example, foxes often appear as malevolent demons who become beautiful young women to lure the opposite sex, whose being they slowly ‘consume’ in order to prolong their own life. Rebecca Gambo, in her fascinating 1990 book The Nature of Foxes, recounts some of the legends. There is an interesting dichotomy within oriental mythology, as there is with foxes in most cultures: some stories portray the fox as a mischievous trickster, while others tell how they made faithful lovers, guardians and friends. The Japanese name for the fox is kitsune and many stories of Japanese mythology tell of it possessing magical powers. The Orient has perhaps the richest fox mythology. someone around you who is cunning or sly and potentially a cheater), while chasing a fox reputedly infers you’re engaging in a risky love affair. Dreaming of a fox apparently indicates a ‘misleading charm’ in your life (i.e. Seeing a single fox is regarded by some as good luck, while seeing a family of foxes (the actual number varies, but generally more than six animals) brings bad luck. There are also various other superstitions surrounding foxes, such as dying within seven years if bitten by one and how one passing your home is a forerunner for misfortune (usually illness). This probably originated from the old belief that witches could turn themselves into foxes although most witches preferred to appear as hares.” “ In bygone days, once a fox had been caught its brush was often hung up above the door of a stable or cow shed to help keep off evil and bring good luck. Another common spiritual manifestation for the fox was as conduits for evil spirits and witches, which were believed to be able to take the form of foxes and, in his book A Fox’s Tale, Robin Page tells how: Indeed, most shamanic cultures have animal ‘allies’ in their mythology, with many containing a reference to the fox as some form of spiritual guide. The Celtic people considered that, not only did the fox possess the ability to make fools out of those who chased it, but also that it was a guide through the spirit world. Sterling Silver Celtic Fox Ring, showing a sprinting fox and illustrating how the Celts believed foxes to be spirit guides, honoured for their wisdom. Conversely, I have mentioned that foxes often feature in the totems of Native Americans, who apparently considered foxes to possess healing powers, while Apache legends tell how it was the fox that gave Man fire. Faced with the impossible paradox of an uncatchable fox pursued by a hunter that never failed, Zeus turned them both to stone and cast them to the heavens where they formed the constellations we know today as Canis major (Laelaps) and Canis minor (Teumessian).
In Greek mythology, for example, the Teumessian fox, an enormous “un-catchable” animal plaguing Thebans as punishment by the gods for reasons unkonwn, fed on babies until the renowned hunting dog Laelaps was put on the case. Many cultures feature foxes in their folklore, where they either take the form of deities or are held in generally high regard.
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