Fox Maidens

 

Meg Fox's comment on fox fairies (in the Comments section of Monday's post) made me think of Heinz Insu Fenkl's excellent articles "Fox Wives and Other Dangerous Women" and "A Fox Woman Tale of Korea" in the Endicott archives.

The fox women in Korean folk tales, writes Heinz, "are generally seductive creatures that entice unwary scholars and travelers with the lure of their sexuality and the illusion of their beauty and riches. They drain the men of their yang -- their masculine force -- and leave them dissipated or dead (much in the same way La Belle Dame Sans Merci in Keats's poem leaves her parade of hapless male victims).

"Korean fox lore, which comes from China (from sources probably originating in India and overlapping with Sumerian lamia lore) is actually quite simple compared to the complex body of fox culture that evolved in Japan. The Japanese fox, or kitsune, probably due to its resonance with the indigenous Shinto religion, is remarkably sophisticated. Whereas the arcane aspects of fox lore are only known to specialists in other East Asian countries, the Japanese kitsune lore is more commonly accessible. Tabloid media in Tokyo recently identified the negative influence of kitsune possession among members of the Aum Shinregyo (the cult responsible for the sarin attacks in the Tokyo subway). Popular media often report stories of young women possessed by demonic kitsune, and once in a while, in the more rural areas, one will run across positive reports of the kitsune associated with the rice god, Inari."

There are a number of good books that draw upon Asian fox women legends. Foremost among them is Kij Johnson's exquisite novel The Fox Woman, and Neil Gaiman's collaboration with Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano, The Dream Hunters. I also highly recommend Larissa Lai's fascinating novel When Fox Is a Thousand, and Ellen Steiber's heartbreaking novella "The Fox Wife," published in the anthology Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears. There's also a lovely children's picture book version of the legend: The Fox Maiden, with text by Elsa Marston and illustrations by Tatsuro Kiuchi. Other books inspired by fox myths are listed here.

The art above is Ohara Koson's "Fox in the Reeds," Kuniyoshi's "Fox Wife Departing," my "Desert Fox Wife," and Tatsuro Kiuchi's cover for The Fox Maiden.

Comments

[UrsulaV]

Love the Japanese woodcuts here--gorgeous stuff!

[Maggie]

Have you seen the animated Hellboy movie that recently came out? Some really fantastic use of Japanese folklore (some regarding foxes, which is what made me think of it). One of the characters is actually a folklorist. I really loved seeing this subject matter in a mainstream format.

[Meg Fox]

Heinz Insu Fenkl's article "Fox Wives and Other Dangerous Women" is fascinating and terrifying. I can’t imagine how he must have felt as a child upon hearing "The Fox Sister." The story gives me the chills at 55.

Thank so much, Terri, for such a terrific and extensive source of info about fox-spirits. And thank goodness for folklorists such as Heinz Insu Fenkl.

hugs,
Meg

[Steph Burgis]

There's also a tradition in Scandinavia of the foxwoman (called "räven") - and a wonderful song by the folk-rock group Hedningarna, "Räven" (from their album Trä), which is based on those legend.

[Merriwyth]

Through a peculiar and amusing series of events Inari, in a female aspect, was responsible for my husband and I originally meeting. He's always had a soft spot for Inari and kitsune myth and it's extended to me now.

You've mentioned a couple stories I'd not heard of before so I will most definitely be checking them out.

[Kate Laity]

My 2003 novel Pelzmantel featured a woman who traded skins with a fox (a good way to hide). While the larger story is a Donkey Skin tale about a princess on the run, the narrator is a elderly witch who finds it best to conceal herself as a fox -- once she has convinced the fox that a spell in her body will be a good way to spend the normally lean winter months.

[Terri Windling]

Kate, I'm not familiar with your novel -- but it sounds terrific, so I'll seek it out.