The nine-tailed fox () is a mythical

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

entity originating from Chinese mythology that is a common motif in East Asian mythology and the most famous fox spirit in Chinese culture. In Chinese and East Asian folklore, foxes are depicted as spirits possessed of magic powers. These foxes are often depicted as mischievous, usually tricking other people, with the ability to disguise themselves as a beautiful woman. The Nine-tailed fox is sometimes compared to the Werewolf in the European folklore

Origin

The earliest mention of nine-tailed fox is the '' Shanhaijing'' (''Classic of Mountains and Seas''), compiled from the Warring States period (475 BC–221 BC) to the Western Han (202 BC – 9 AD; 25 AD –220 AD) period. The work states: In chapter 14 of the ''Shanhaijing'', Guo Pu had commented that the nine-tailed fox was an auspicious omen that appeared during times of peace. However, in chapter 1, another aspect of the nine-tailed fox is described: Prince Hanzoku terrorised by a nine- tailed fox

Prince Hanzoku terrorised by a nine- tailed fox

In one ancient myth, Yu the Great encountered a white nine-tailed fox, which he interpreted as an auspicious sign that he would marry Nüjiao. In Han iconography, the nine-tailed fox is sometimes depicted at Mount Kunlun and along with

Xi Wangmu The Queen Mother of the West, known by various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese religion and mythology, also worshipped in neighbouring Asian countries, and attested from ancient times. From her name alone some of her most importan ...

in her role as the goddess of immortality. According to the first-century ''Baihutong'' (''Debates in the White Tiger Hall''), the fox's nine tails symbolize abundant progeny. Describing the transformation and other features of the fox, Guo Pu (276–324) made the following comment: The ''

Youyang Zazu The ''Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang'' () is a book written by Duan Chengshi in the 9th century. It focuses on miscellany of Chinese and foreign legends and hearsay, reports on natural phenomena, short anecdotes, and tales of the wondrous and ...

'' made a connection between nine-tailed foxes and the divine: Popular fox worship during the Tang dynasty has been mentioned in a text entitled ''Hu Shen'' (Fox gods):

In popular culture

Games

* Ninetales in

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

(1996) * Ahri in League of Legends (2009) * kyubi in yo-kai watch (2013) * Kurama in Naruto /

Boruto Boruto (ボルト) means "bolt" or " volt" in Japanese. Boruto may also refer to: * '' Boruto: Naruto the Movie'', an animated film produced by Pierrot in 2015 * '' Boruto: Naruto Next Generations'', a manga series written by Ukyo Kodachi and Mas ...

(2002)

Literature, graphic novels, comics

* Kurama in '' Yuyu Hakusho'' (1990) * Kurama The Nine Tails Fox Kiyubi '' Naruto'' (1999) * Nine tails Guardian ''

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'' (2011) * '' The Sandman: The Dream Hunters'' (1999) * Lico in ''

The Demon Girl Next Door is a Japanese four-panel manga parody series by Izumo Itō, serialized in Houbunsha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Manga Time Kirara Carat'' since 2014. It has been collected in six ''tankōbon'' volumes. An anime television series adaptatio ...

'' (2014) * ''

Fox Spirit Matchmaker Fox Spirit Matchmaker (Chinese: 狐妖小红娘, ''pinyin:'' ''Húyāo Xiǎo Hóngniáng''; Japanese: 縁結びの妖狐ちゃん) is a Chinese romance manhua work painted by Tuo Xiaoxin(庹小新) and colored by Pansi Daxian(盘丝大仙). It was ...

'' (2015) * ''

The Helpful Fox Senko-san is a Japanese web manga series written and illustrated by Rimukoro. It has been serialized online via Kadokawa Shoten's Comic Newtype website since October 2017 and has been collected in eleven ''tankōbon'' volumes. An anime television seri ...

'' (2017) * Shuos Jedao in ''

Ninefox Gambit ''Machineries of Empire'' is a trilogy of military science fiction/science fantasy/space opera novels by American writer Yoon Ha Lee and published by Solaris Books. It consists of ''Ninefox Gambit'' (2016), ''Raven Stratagem'' (2017) and ''Revenan ...

'' (2016)

Film

* ''

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'' (2008) and its sequel (2012) * '' A Chinese Fairy Tale'' (2011) * '' League of Gods'' (2016) * '' Once Upon a Time'' (2017) * '' Hanson and the Beast'' (2017) * ''The Legend of Hei'' (2019) * '' Jiang Ziyia'' (2020) * ''

Soul Snatcher ''Soul Snatcher'' () is a 2020 Chinese costume fantasy film produced by Jiang Zhiqiang starring Li Xian and Chen Linong. Plot To achieve immortality and be promoted to spiritual immortal, magical fox spirit Bai Shisan ( Li Xian) disguises h ...

'' (2020) * '' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' (2021) * '' Umma'' (2022)

TV series

* ''The Legend of Nezha'' (2003) * ''Strange Tales of Liao Zhai'' (2005) * ''

The Legend and the Hero ''The Legend and the Hero'' is a 2007 Chinese television series adapted from the 16th-century novel ''Fengshen Yanyi'' (also known as ''Investiture of the Gods'' or ''Creation of the Gods'') written by Xu Zhonglin and Lu Xixing. The first season ...

'' (2007) and its sequel (2009) * '' The Investiture of the Gods'' (2014) and ''The Investiture of the Gods 2'' (2015) * '' Legend of Nine Tails Fox'' (2016) * ''Fox in the Screen'' (2016) * '' Eternal Love'' (2017) * ''

Moonshine and Valentine ''Moonshine and Valentine'' (Chinese: 结爱·千岁大人的初恋), also known as ''The Love Knot: His Excellency's First Love'', is a 2018 Chinese streaming television series based on the novel ''Jie Ai·Yihe Fenghuan'' (Chinese: 结爱·异客 ...

'' (2017) * ''Beauties in the Closet'' (2018) * '' Investiture of the Gods'' (2019) * '' Love, Death & Robots'' Episode 8 (2019) * ''The Life of White Fox'' (2019) * '' Eternal Love of Dream'' (2020) * Kumiho in ''

Lovecraft Country Lovecraft Country is a term coined for the New England setting used by H. P. Lovecraft in many of his weird fiction stories, which combines real and fictitious locations. This setting has since been elaborated on by other writers working in the ...

'' Episode 6 "Meet Me in Daegu" (2020)

Reference

Literature

* * * {{Japanese folklore long Fox spirit Yaoguai Vietnamese legendary creatures Japanese legendary creatures Korean legendary creatures Mythological foxes Shapeshifters Therianthropes Inari faith Kitsune (fox)