ExclusiveNine-Tailed Fox: from Divine Beast to Demon Fox.

In recent years, the nine-tailed fox seems to have become a hot topic in the entertainment industry and among gamers. In Eternal Love, the character played by Yang Mi, a nine-tailed fox, holds a high status as the Qingqiu princess, living freely like a celestial being. The nine-tailed fox from Qingqiu first appeared in the classic of Mountains and Seas. There are also works like Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Nine-Tailed Fox Family, My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox, and many more. So, what kind of animal is a nine-tailed fox? Does it truly exist? Is it a divine beast from the heavens, or a fox spirit that seduces and brings calamity to the mortal realm? How did it transform from a divine beast into a fox spirit? And what is its connection to Daji, the fox spirit who brought calamity upon King Zhou of Shang? Hello everyone, I'm Sarah. Today, let's talk about the nine-tailed fox. Archaeologists have discovered on the murals of an Eastern Han dynasty tomb, the depiction of the prominent deity from ancient mythology, Queen Mother of the West, surrounded by celestial beasts, including the nine-tailed fox, portrayed vividly. Like the phoenix in Qilin, the nine-tailed fox was originally a divine beast from higher realms, often appearing among humans during the ancient times when gods and mortals coexisted. In the ancient classic of filial piety, it is said, When the king does not indulge in lust, then the nine-tailed fox comes. When the king's laws are clear, and the three realms are in harmony, then the nine-tailed fox comes. It is evident that the nine-tailed fox is related to monarchs, serving as a messenger between heaven and the ruler. If the monarch refrains from indulging in vices, governs the country well, and ensures the people's livelihoods, the divine nine-tailed fox will descend to bring favorable weather and good fortune. Ban Gu, a famous historian and writer of the Eastern Han dynasty, stated in his work that when the emperor governs virtuously, auspicious creatures such as the phoenix, mythical bird, qilin, white tiger, nine-tailed fox, white pheasant, white deer, and white bird from the celestial realm shall emerge. Additionally, he underscored the virtue associated with the nine-tailed fox, noting, When the fox dies, it faces the hill it once called home, symbolizing its enduring commitment to its origins, even in death. The fluffy tail of the nine-tailed fox is believed to symbolize strong vitality and reproductive ability, while its small head and large tail represent prosperity. According to the principles of yin and yang theory, odd numbers represent yang, and even numbers represent yin. As nine is the largest odd number, it signifies the peak of yang energy, representing a time of abundance and auspiciousness, symbolizing peace and prosperity. However, as the saying goes, things tend to reverse when they reach an extreme. Thus, the nine-tailed fox also possesses the potential to transition from yang to yin, laying the foundation for its eventual transformation into a fox spirit. According to the annals of the Wu and Yu spring and autumn period, Yu the Great married a woman from Tu Mountain because a nine-tailed white fox brought him auspicious signs. As we know, Yu the Great had been busy controlling floods and traveling around. At the age of thirty, he remained unmarried. He wasn't worried about being an older bachelor, but rather about the impact on his lineage and the breach of etiquette. When Yu the Great arrived at Tu Mountain, he thought, if I'm to marry, surely there must be some sign from the heavens. Upon this, a nine-tailed white fox appeared before him. Yu the Great was delighted, hmm, white matches the color of my clothes perfectly, nine tails are a symbol of the emperor. So Yu the Great married the daughter of the Tu Mountain family. The people of Tu Mountain sang the Tu Mountain song to celebrating their union, soothing white fox, with nine tails swaying. A union in our home, prosperity for all. Apart from the Qingqiu nine-tailed fox and the Tu Mountain nine-tailed fox, the most familiar nine-tailed fox to people is undoubtedly Daji, who seduced and enchanted Qingzhou of Shang. Early historical texts barely talk about Daji, but she stayed vivid in people's minds for two main reasons. First, Lu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty wrote a short biography of her in Exemplary Women. Second, the Ming Dynasty novel Feng Xingyini added more details to her story. There are two versions of what happened to Daji in Records of the Grand Historian, one says Wu Wang killed her when he entered Chaoga City, while the other says she committed suicide. In Feng Xingyini, Jiang Taigong used a magic mirror to reveal Daji's true form, then put her into a bag and crushed her to death with a wooden pestle. This complicated execution happened because the executioner couldn't carry out the task, mesmerized by Daji's thousand enchanting fox eyes. In the early 1920s, archaeologists unearthed Daji's tomb in Hunan. She was buried next to Qingzhou and Queen Jiang. Inscriptions on oracle bones found in the tomb provided a brief overview of Daji's life, confirming her existence in history. Originally a woman of the Su tribe, Daji was given as a gift to Qingzhou by Su Hu in 1047 BC. Strangely, Daji's remains did not resemble human skeletons. Yet, experts concluded they were distorted human remains, therefore, Daji was human, not a fox spirit. Perhaps Chinese experts need to adhere to the guiding ideology of atheism in communist China. Anyway, the reason for Daji's deformed remains remains unknown. Here is what I heard from a practitioner. Qingzhou originated from a higher dimensional realm, possessing noble and righteous aspirations. His intention was to govern the country well and benefit the people, thus establishing a culture of semi-divine righteousness for future generations. However, during the processes of formation, abiding, deterioration, and destruction of the universe, deviations also occurred in the heavenly realms. The nine-tailed fox's desire to attain enlightenment was exploited and was sent to wreak havoc on Qingzhou's kingdom. She used mesmerizing techniques to control Qingzhou's main consciousness, manipulating his secondary consciousness to commit many atrocities. As a result, Qingzhou earned eternal infamy and was known as Qingzhou of Shang, with Zhou meaning damaging righteousness and undermining goodness. After Qingzhou's self-immolation at the Star-Picking Tower, his main consciousness, now aware and innocent of wrongdoing, continued to reincarnate among humans. Meanwhile, his secondary consciousness was enshrined according to the divine list of Yuan Shetian Zun, the celestial venerable of the primordial beginning. Because all the evil deeds attributed to Qingzhou and Daji in history were committed under the control of the nine-tailed fox, all the sins were on her. Due to her numerous misdeeds, she has continued to reincarnate among humans, repaying the karmic debts of that lifetime. Of course, there are many other legends about the nine-tailed fox. The legend of the malevolent nine-tailed fox is not confined to China. It also exists in Indian and Japanese mythology. In India, it takes the form of Lady Kao, the consort of Prince Banzoku of Magadha of Tianzhu. Like Daji, she brought chaos to the dynasty, leading to its collapse. Eventually, she was exposed by a divine herb and fled in disgrace. In Japan, it is one of the three worst monsters and goes by the name Tamamonome. She was blessed with both beauty and intelligence, capturing the affection of Emperor Toba. She caused the emperor to be extremely ill and was eventually exposed as a fox spirit by the astrologer Abe no Yasuchika, who had been called to diagnose the cause of the emperor's poor Years later, she reappeared, kidnapping women and children and devouring them. Emperor Toba issued a decree to suppress her, rallying 80,000 soldiers and eventually killing her. Her consciousness transformed into a huge killing stone and was sealed away. However, the stone split in two on March 5, 2022. Some humorously speculated that this had freed Tamamonome, and social media in Japan predicted that dark forces had been released. That's it for today. Please share your comments. See you next time.