Fox Spirits
Fox Spirits are seductive, cunning and often treacherous beings that appear throughout East Asian folklore. Today, they are familiar figures in manga, anime and other forms of popular entertainment. Once, however, Fox Spirits were also regarded as protectors, teachers, providers and patrons of occult and alchemical knowledge.
Not all Fox Spirits are malevolent. Some are benevolent, saintly and helpful. The foxes who serve as messengers of Inari are considered sacred beings and miracle workers, closely connected with divine power.
See also: Inari.
Fox Spirits may preserve traces of pre-Buddhist East Asian shamanic religion. They are frequently portrayed as sexually assertive female spirits. As society became increasingly conservative and women were expected to behave with greater modesty and obedience, Fox Spirits acquired a darker reputation. They became particularly feared in Japan and Korea. Their reputation in China is somewhat milder, although the same associations with seduction and sexuality remain.
The Harmful Powers of Fox Spirits
Fox Spirits are traditionally blamed for illness, misfortune and spiritual disturbance.
They may also possess human beings in a manner comparable to possession by demons or dybbuks.
Fox Spirit possession is not a voluntary ritual experience or a form of spiritual channelling. It is involuntary and usually deeply unpleasant.
Different degrees of possession may occur, depending upon the strength of the Fox Spirit and the ability of the victim to resist. Some individuals are believed to resist more successfully than others.
In severe cases, complete possession may take place, resulting in a true spiritual takeover. In less extreme cases, only certain symptoms appear.
Symptoms of Fox Spirit Possession
Traditional signs of Fox Spirit possession include:
- Hearing voices when no visible speaker is present
- Developing an insatiable and indiscriminate appetite
- Eating foods the person would not normally consume
- Attempting to eat substances that human beings would not ordinarily regard as food
- Experiencing nocturnal suffocation or paralysis
- Developing an increasingly fox-like appearance
- The emergence of a visible, fox-like snout
Eventually, the Fox Spirit may drive out the original personality and take control of the body, mind, soul and identity.
This control may be permanent or intermittent. The spirit may speak through the victim’s mouth, often using obscene language, especially sexual obscenities, that the person would not normally use.
Fox Spirits as Protectors of Books and Archives
Chinese Fox Spirits also have more benevolent functions. Among their traditional responsibilities is the protection of archivists, librarians, books and documents.
When a book, record or document cannot be found, the Fox Spirits may be asked for assistance.
An offering should be made together with the request. The size or value of the offering should be proportionate to the importance of what is being sought.
After making the request, the seeker should leave the room for a short time. This gives the spirit privacy and an opportunity to work.
When the seeker returns, the missing object may suddenly stand out, attract attention or become easier to locate.
Why Fox Spirits Seek Human Hosts
Although Fox Spirits are often portrayed as greedy or hungry for power, they may also possess spiritual motives.
A Fox Spirit may desire a shrine, regular offerings and daily veneration. Because it cannot communicate directly, possession may be the only way it can make these wishes known through a human voice.
This resembles the behaviour of African Zar spirits, who may also communicate their needs through possession.
In some cases, establishing a shrine and providing offerings is believed to satisfy the Fox Spirit. Once properly honoured, the spirit may cease to behave as an enemy and instead become an ally.
Fox Spirits and Wealth
Fox Spirits are believed to provide for their devotees, but their methods are not always considered honourable.
According to traditional belief, they often redistribute wealth rather than create it. Just as real foxes raid chicken coops, Fox Spirits are thought to steal from neighbours and transfer the stolen goods or prosperity to their human devotees.
What the spirit provides may therefore rightfully belong to someone else.
Very ancient Fox Spirits, however, may possess highly developed magical and alchemical abilities. Such spirits are believed capable of producing genuine wealth without the need to steal it.
Exorcising Fox Spirits
Fox Spirits may be expelled by experienced shamans, but Fox Spirit exorcists are often treated with suspicion.
A highly successful exorcist may become tainted by his own reputation. Some people suspect that the exorcist and the Fox Spirit are secretly working together.
The exorcist may send out a Fox Spirit to possess a victim and then demand payment to remove it. The Fox may in fact be his servant or familiar, obeying his commands and leaving whenever instructed.
Independent exorcists who specialise in Fox Spirit possession are therefore particularly likely to be suspected of involvement in spiritual extortion.
Exorcisms may also be performed successfully at shrines dedicated to Inari.
Fox Spirits and Hereditary Families
Fox Spirits may become attached to particular individuals or families.
They may serve a household in exchange for food, care, protection and veneration. In some traditions, they may also be understood as ancestral spirits.
Fox Spirit ownership is believed to run in families. Families said to possess hereditary foxes often transmit this power through the female line.
Such traditions may preserve faint memories of an ancient shamanic religion centred upon foxes.
For centuries, however, intense fear and social stigma have surrounded families rumoured to own Fox Spirits. Association with them could lead to suspicion, isolation and lasting damage to a family’s reputation.
Enter the Hidden World of Fox Spirits
Fox Spirits occupy a fascinating place between folklore, shamanism, spirit possession, ancestral tradition and occult practice.
They may appear as seducers, thieves, familiars, guardians, teachers or powerful spirits capable of bringing prosperity. Their stories reveal how complicated the relationship between human beings and the spirit world can become. A spirit feared in one tradition may be honoured in another, while an apparent enemy may sometimes be transformed into an ally through knowledge, respect and correct ritual practice.
Inside the Occult World Mystery School, you can explore these traditions far beyond the surface.
Discover deeper teachings on:
East Asian spirits and supernatural folklore
Fox Spirits, familiars and spirit possession
Inari and sacred fox messengers
Shamanism and ancestral traditions
Exorcism, protection and spiritual boundaries
Offerings, shrines and spirit relationships
Mythology, witchcraft and occult history
The hidden meaning behind supernatural legends
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ALSO KNOWN AS:
Kitsune (Japan); Kumiho (Korea)
ORIGIN:
East Asia
MANIFESTATION:
Fox Spirits are not ordinary foxes. They are spirits whose true form is a fox shape in the same way that other spirits take the form of humans, cats, snakes, or birds. Fox Spirits may resemble ordinary foxes. The older a Fox Spirit gets, the more powerful it becomes. Age and power may be displayed by additional tails. The most powerful and ancient Fox Spirits are nine-tailed foxes. (Theoretically, ordinary foxes can eventually evolve into Fox Spirits in the way that humans can evolve into spirits, too.)
Most Fox Spirits are shape-shifters; they can take many forms, including that of humans. Often they appear in the guise of seductive young women; however, any form is possible. Fox Spirits can also shape-shift so that they appear identical to a specific person. Thus, someone may recognize a friend or relative at the door and open it, only to admit the Fox Spirit in disguise.
Offering:
Fox Spirits’ very favourite food of all is inarizusbi: fried tofu bags (aburaage) filled with sushi rice; however, you can negotiate their actual diet. Feed daily. Foxes get hungry.
A brave Fox Spirit stars in Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano’s illustrated novella, Sandman: The Dream Hunters (2000).
SEE ALSO:
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses– Written by Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.
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