Monday, 23 July 2012
Earliest Records?
The earliest surviving collections of supernatural tales were written from the 3rd century through the 6th A.D. These collections are crude, compared to later accounts, and serve simply to record miraculous occurances that have been witnessed or told of to the writer. The tales deal with immortals, local gods, ghosts, and animal spirits, characters and situations that would be returned to again and again throughout the development of supernatural literature in China.
Friday, 20 July 2012
Origins?
It is widely agreed that many fox myths in Japan can be traced to China, Korean, or India. Many of the earliest surviving stories are recorded in the Konjaku Monogatari, an 11th-century collection of Chinese, Indian, and Japanese narratives.
There is debate whether the kitsune myths originated entirely from foreign sources or are in part an indigenous Japanese concept dating as far back as the fifth century BC. Japanese folklorist Kiyoshi Nozaki argues that the Japanese regarded kitsune positively as early as the 4th century A.D.; the only things imported from China or Korea were the kitsune's negative attributes
There is debate whether the kitsune myths originated entirely from foreign sources or are in part an indigenous Japanese concept dating as far back as the fifth century BC. Japanese folklorist Kiyoshi Nozaki argues that the Japanese regarded kitsune positively as early as the 4th century A.D.; the only things imported from China or Korea were the kitsune's negative attributes
Thursday, 19 July 2012
Pu Song-Ling
The best known Chinese stories written about fox-spirits are those written by Pu Song-ling [蒲 松 齡], in a collection known as 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio' or 'Laozhai zhiyi' [聊 齋 誌 異] made in the late 17th century.
His overriding interest was in tales about the supernatural. Many of his stories in the Liaozhai collection are retelling of old tales from the Tang Dynasty or earlier.
The Liaozhai Zhiyi, or 'Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio', contains around 491 tales. His book circulated only in manuscript form for many years, before finally being published posthumously by his grandson in 1740. An alternate title was 'History of Foxes and Ghosts'.
It is actually quite an interesting read, and I recommend this if you have a preference for those things that go bump in the night.
....(Apparently I was told many of his stories during my childhood years though i have no recollection of this whatsoever).
His overriding interest was in tales about the supernatural. Many of his stories in the Liaozhai collection are retelling of old tales from the Tang Dynasty or earlier.
The Liaozhai Zhiyi, or 'Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio', contains around 491 tales. His book circulated only in manuscript form for many years, before finally being published posthumously by his grandson in 1740. An alternate title was 'History of Foxes and Ghosts'.
It is actually quite an interesting read, and I recommend this if you have a preference for those things that go bump in the night.
....(Apparently I was told many of his stories during my childhood years though i have no recollection of this whatsoever).
Huli Jing
húli jīng ( 狐狸精 ) is a mythological Chinese monster that has the ability to transform into humans when they have sufficient energy, obtained in forms such as human breath or the essence of the moon and sun.
Huli Jing in Chinese mythology are mostly female, though they can be on the side of evil or good. One of the most infamous fox spirits in Chinese mythology was Daji (妲己), who is portrayed in the Ming novel Fengshen Yanyi.
And here's acompletely irrelevant picture of a nine-tailed fox just because i can (:
Huli Jing in Chinese mythology are mostly female, though they can be on the side of evil or good. One of the most infamous fox spirits in Chinese mythology was Daji (妲己), who is portrayed in the Ming novel Fengshen Yanyi.
And here's a
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
What is a Kumiho?
Kumiho ( or sometimes alternatively spelt "Gumiho" )
Anybody ever watch the Korean drama "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho?" Well if not, I definitely recommend it. But bear with me a little longer and I'll clear up this Gumiho business.
What is it?
Like it's Japanese and Chinese counterparts, a fox that has lived for a thousand years turns into a Kumiho. It has the ability to transform into humans, but its preferred shape is that of a beautiful girl who sets out to seduce men in order to eat their hearts and livers (gruesome.....).
Unlike its Japanese and Chinese counterparts, the Gumiho is seen as purely evil. Some tales say that if a Kumiho abstains from killing and eating humans for a thousand days, it can become human. Others, like the drama Gumiho: Tale of the Fox’s Child (this one is a bit scary guise), say that a Kumiho can become human if the man who sees her true nature keeps it a secret for ten years.
Stories on this malignant figure can be found in the encyclopedic Compendium of Korean Oral Literature (한국 구비문학 대계). (Yay bedtime reading! )
Anybody ever watch the Korean drama "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho?" Well if not, I definitely recommend it. But bear with me a little longer and I'll clear up this Gumiho business.
What is it?
Like it's Japanese and Chinese counterparts, a fox that has lived for a thousand years turns into a Kumiho. It has the ability to transform into humans, but its preferred shape is that of a beautiful girl who sets out to seduce men in order to eat their hearts and livers (gruesome.....).
Unlike its Japanese and Chinese counterparts, the Gumiho is seen as purely evil. Some tales say that if a Kumiho abstains from killing and eating humans for a thousand days, it can become human. Others, like the drama Gumiho: Tale of the Fox’s Child (this one is a bit scary guise), say that a Kumiho can become human if the man who sees her true nature keeps it a secret for ten years.
Stories on this malignant figure can be found in the encyclopedic Compendium of Korean Oral Literature (한국 구비문학 대계). (
What is a Kitsune?
Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox ( 狐 ), but in English, the word "kitsune" refers to the mythical foxes of Japanese folklore. They are depicted as being intelligent and their magical ability increases with their age/wisdom. Kitsune are able to transform into human beings and often use this ability to cause mischief.
Because of their magical properties, they are seen as minor deities and people often make offerings to them or carve stone statues of them to keep away evil spirits.
Because of their magical properties, they are seen as minor deities and people often make offerings to them or carve stone statues of them to keep away evil spirits.
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Why have I chosen this topic?
I happened to be reading a book (Vampire Diaries ahem) and it mentioned something about kitsune. What is a kitsune? I asked myself, and by typing my query into Google a myriad of different responses jumped out at me. The kitsune (or fox spirit) have been mentioned in many different cultures - Chinese, Japanese, Korean, as well as being a significant spirit in Taoist and shamanistic religions. Since then the fox spirit's significance is apparent in other books I read as well, some being kind and others being mischievous... so where did the original myth originate from?
...stay tuned ~
...stay tuned ~
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