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. Print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 19th century. Although the specifics of the tales vary, these fox spirits can usually shapeshift, often taking the form of beautiful young women who attempt to seduce men, whether for mere mischief or to consume their bodies or spirits.
The fox spirit is an especially prolific shapeshifter, known variously as the húli jīng (fox spirit) and jiǔwěihú (nine-tailed fox) in China, the kitsune (fox) in Japan, the kumiho (nine-tailed fox) in Korea, and the hồ ly tinh (fox spirit) or cáo tinh (fox spirit, a synonym of hồ ly tinh) and cửu vĩ hồ or cáo chín đuôi (nine-tailed fox) in Vietnam. The Nine-tailed fox is sometimes compared to the Werewolf in the European folklore These foxes are often depicted as mischievous, usually tricking other people, with the ability to disguise themselves as a beautiful woman. In Chinese and East Asian folklore, foxes are depicted as spirits possessed of magic powers. The nine-tailed fox ( Chinese: 九尾狐 pinyin: jiǔwěihú) is a mythical fox entity originating from Chinese mythology that is a common motif in East Asian mythology and the most famous fox spirit in Chinese culture. Illustration of a Fox Spirit from the Chinese encyclopedia Gujin Tushu Jicheng.
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