In Japanese mythology, Kitsune are much closer to being actual foxes that simply age, grow extra tails, and become more magical with time. They are similar but they are not the same. They are also the type of myths that inspired the Japanese Kitsune nine-tailed foxes and the Korean Kumiho spirits. Those myths of malevolent Huli Jing tend to be more popular today. Even when the fox worship was outlawed during the Song dynasty, the cult of the Huli Jing still persisted.Īt the same time, many other myths portray those same magical foxes as evil beings who prey on people’s lives. These “fox demons” would only turn against people when they were mistreated. In myths from that age, the Huli Jing were mostly benevolent natural spirits that helped people whenever they were treated well. There was even a saying at the time that Where there is no fox demon, no village can be established. People made offerings of food and drinks to fox shrines built in their own homes, asking for favors. For example, during the Tang dynasty – often viewed as the Golden Age of Chinese arts and culture, fox spirit worship was quite common. Or, more accurately – depending on which period of Chinese history you’re looking at. Instead, it’s only those nine-tailed foxes that self-cultivate and draw their power from nature that will ascend to the heavens.Įssentially, we are the Huli Jing’s junk food – delicious yet unhealthy. So, Huli Jing that prey on people will likely never become part of the celestial realm. The trick is that this energy needs to come from nature and not from human beings. Most importantly, by consuming enough life essence, a Huli Jing can one day transcend into a heavenly being. These nine-tailed foxes are also said to possess great intelligence and to know a lot of things about the natural and celestial realms. They can be killed, however, be it with standard human weapons or by dogs – their biggest enemies. Huli Jing are also technically immortal, meaning that they can’t die from old age. Granted, that “bidding” is usually to copulate with the Huli Jing so she can steal your life force. According to some myths, the Huli Jing needs to put a human skull on its fox head before it can transform into a human but not all myths include this ritual.Īnother power these fox spirits have is to charm people to do their bidding. At 50 years of age, a Huli Jing can transform into a man or an older woman and at age 100 – into a beautiful young woman. What’s also curious is that the Huli Jing needs to age a little before it can learn to shapeshift into a human. Yet, there are myths of Huli Jing also transforming into older women or men too. This just seems to be the form that best suits their goals of acquiring life essence. 
These magical fox spirits can transform into anything they want, however, they most commonly transform into beautiful, young women. The aforementioned shapeshifting is the Huli Jing’s bread and butter.
In that way, the Huli Jing are not dissimilar to Europe’s fairy folk – when treated well, they are often benevolent, but when they are mistreated they can turn violent. There are multiple legends in Chinese mythology that show Huli Jing helping people or themselves being the victims of humanity’s cruelty. A Huli Jing can have various motivations to do something like that but the main one is rather malevolent – to drain the victim’s life essence, usually in the middle of a sexual act.Īt the same time, the Huli Jing can be perfectly nice and amicable. They are most famous for their shapeshifting prowess, however, as well as their habit of seducing young men while transformed as beautiful maidens. Usually portrayed as beautiful foxes with nine fluffy tails, the Huli Jing are magical creatures with a vast array of abilities. Like many other Chinese mythological creatures and like the fairies in European mythologies, the Huli Jing have a rather mixed relationship with the world of men. Huli Jing literally translates as fox spirit.
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