#huyao

So, I've not been in the LMK fandom for long.

If anything, it's been only a couple of months. Two at most, though it might potentially be three. However, like many fandoms I've been in throughout my life, something universal is quite common:

✨Everybody loves them some fox-themed characters.✨

From Fox ears to tails, to literally holding a powerful 9-tailed beast inside them like Naruto, or making OC's to fill in that role, the concept of nine-tailed fox is as universal as anything else in fandom, I do believe.

If you can think of it, it's more than likely there. It's kind of like rule 34, but less gross and much more interesting.

But, when there is a hint of cultural significance attached to it, It adds a whole other layer of intrigue and mystery to it. It feels more real. It makes you feel like you could reach out and touch it, or that it might potentially even be able to be found. After all, that is how powerful the imagination can be, especially for those who are curious.The more you know, the more tangible it feels.

So, what's my point with this?

My point, ultimately, is that LMK falls under the same rules. If there isn't a fox-themed character, there will more than likely be something to fill in that hole.

Case in point, The Húli jīng fills that spot for us!

From what i've gathered, most people in the fandom lack a clear idea of what the Húli jīng even is, or have a basic understanding of what they're actually about. Most probably have the thought of, "Hey, I want a fox-themed character. This will do! " and be done with it. Not everyone mind you, but it's there.

That's fine! If you want to do that, then do that. You do you, boo. 😊I'm not about to police you on it.

But for me personally, I get curious. I want to know more about these creatures, where they come from, if they are evil, and so on. For me, the more I know, the more I can understand and relate to them due to the kind of upbringing I've had. That isn't me saying I'm some Fox spirit hiding behind a computer (that's not the type of cryptid I am haha), but it's more of an idea for how I want to portray them in my writing.

So, let's start off with a few questions and see what we can find out, shall we?

Húli jīng: Fox Spirit or Fox Demon? The world may never know! or they may, I dunno.

So, something i've ran across in my time researching Húli jīng, is one big thing:

They are either Fox Spirits or Fox Demons. There is no inbetween, and even sometimes the Fox Spirits are treated very much like demons, so why even have a different name and they are almost always malevolent in nature, feeding on human's life essence in order to gain power and seducing men. always men. very rarely have I seen anything else about them seducing women.

A lot of that is true! But not for one singular definition of the fox in question.

In fact, you could almost say the Húli jīng has LAYERS.

I know right? Positively shocking! Like a human, Húli jīng actually are very dynamic in that right. Neither good or bad, they tend to actually be viewed in a more gray area. like the fairies in European mythology, the relationship between mortals and their kind is very...mixed. You're either gonna love 'em or hate 'em basically.

Let's back track a bit though. What is the definition of a Húli jīng?

Húli jīng: "Fox Spirit" spirits that are capable of shapeshifting into human form (often into the form of beautiful women), who may either be benevolent or malevolent spirits. Many are often depicted with one singular tail. [X] [X]

It's obvious that this bit of information isn't a lot to go of, at least in terms of a general definition.

However, another definition of Húli jīng would be the following, and that is very common to see on search engines.

Húli jīng: "Fox Spirit" malevolent spirits that take the form of a beautiful woman (or man) to seduce other men into stealing their life essence in search of power. Nonetheless, in many folklores, they are wicked animals who would harm or take people’s life for their own gain.[X] [X] [X] [X]

Or how about the literal definition of it? What it is ACTUALLY meant to represent.

Húli jīng: the term Húli jīng is a derogatory expression for a woman who seduces a married man . They are also meant to represent the dangerous power of those with beauty, with the negative connotation of lasciviousness. Also a modern colloquial term for a dangerous seductress, a slut, or a whore. [X] [X] [X]

Kind of on the nose there, huh?

So, what does this mean? It means what I said before: There are layers going on within this fascinating being.

To start it off, on the mystical side Húli jīng would basically be where most foxes would start off as. Neither good or bad, they have the potiential to go either way during their time learning to hone their natural abilities! Their ultimate goal, however, is to master their own magical power, gain immortality, and essentially become humans in the process.

" Huli Jing or Fox Spirit, recorded later in history, is a fox that obtained magic power, mostly can convert to or possess human beings and come into the secular world. " [X]

" A fox with special encounters and obtained enough magic aura from the universe can become Fox Spirit or Hulijing, and would grow additional tails with their power got increased to a certain degree. The successful ones, after centuries of hard cultivation and tests, can become Nine Tailed Fox, or Fox God the Huxian. Others might fail or become Demon Fox which could hurt people, and later got defeated or suppressed." [X]

They essentially are the 'students' of the fox spirit world, that can go either way based on the practices they hold. However, they hold steadfast by the rules that to get to where they want to be? No human should be harmed in the process. A very positive notion to keep for magic studies if I do say so myself.

So where does that leave the demon version of the Húli jīng? the less savory version that is seducing men left and right and stealing their life essence and destroying cabbage carts (if you get the reference you rock)

Well, for the sake of seperation, we're going to be listing them as a Huyao [X], or Fox Demon, to make it easier on us.

A Huyao is basically what the second definition is. It is when the Húli jīng falls from grace and their studies take a nose dive towards the negative. Instead of cultivating their powers through nature, self reflection, or through absorbing the energies from the sun and moon (it differs depending on what you read, but we'll talk about that when we get there.) They choose to harm humans for the sake of their own benefit.

Be it possessing them, killing them, or even stealing their life essence through sex (specifcally during orgasm), Huyao use humans as their magical batteries to accomplish their goals regardless if the human survives.

Huyao tend to also not care about the 'rules' of society and the world, often going by their own whims to achieve their goals. Supposedly a huyao can never obtain godhood due to this, forfeiting their ability to enter the heavens and ascend into celestial beings. So while they can gain their nine tails, they can never truly become 'fox gods' [X]

A good example of a Huyao would actually be The Owner of Precious Jade Workshop in the movie White Snake!

Given the Life Essence she has collected, she would be a good example of a fox demon, rather than a fox spirit who hasn't gone that far. She's self indulgent on her whims and knows how to work a human or two given how much she has collected. A true business woman, even if it means giving up that precious essence.

In the end, There seems to be a very clear distinction between the Húli jīng, those that are righteous and follow the rules and those who don't. Each one comes with it's own risks and rewards, which lead to specific outcomes.

Much a do about that Jiǔwěi hú: What it is, how do they get there, and can I join

So, about those layers from before.

There are a couple of more that we need to talk about, specifically Jiǔ wěi hú, Jiǔwěi hú, or Jiuwei hu respectivelly. I'm still unsure which one is the correct spelling lol.

The Jiǔwěi hú is what many know as the Nine Tailed Fox, which is depicted in various types of mainstream anime as well as folklore and old text, though most tend to be more on the kitsune spectrum of things if you're looking at modern day mainstream media like anime. Jiǔwěi hú is the chinese version of it, though functions VERY differently from it's counterpart.

and No, Jiǔwěi hú nor Húli jīng are not Kitsune nor Gumiho/Kumiho. I will state that right here and now. They are two very different beings with very different standards and very different ways of functioning. Calling Jiǔwěi hú and Húli jīng anything other what they actually are, from my understanding, is disrespectful. [X] [X] [X] [X]

anyway back to the actual interesting part of the thing.

So, Jiǔwěi hú is what most fox spirits aspire to become, where their magic is at its peak and they have grown out 9 tails to reflect their strength in power. It's also said that Jiǔwěi hú actually change color upon ascension to this status, either becoming a silver-white Jiǔwěi hú or a Golden Jiǔwěi hú, though silver-white seems to be the popular color. [X] [X] [X]

So, are they considered gods?

Ehhhh....It's kiiiiind of debatableishmaybesortofdependingonthestoryhonestlyi'mstillabitconfusedaboutit?

Okay, let me step back and remix this a bit.

So, the Jiǔwěi hú is basically the word for nine tailed fox. nine tailed foxes are considered immortal, but not immune to being killed. They can be killed with mortal weapons, as well as by dogs as dogs are considered their mortal enemy. [X]

The confusion I have is the depiction between Jiǔwěi hú and Huxian [X], as they are considered a god, and also depicted as a nine tailed fox. This has gained them the title of Huxian Niangniang, or Fox Immortal lady.

Huxian also means immortal fox, where as Jiǔwěi hú is a nine tailed fox. Both however are considered important beings, and both are considered immortal. Some articles depict the nine tailed fox being their final form, where as others say the Huxian is. it's a bit confusing.

My thought is that Huxian and Jiǔwěi hú are the same thing, as both are revered in their own ways as immortal fox gods with a lot of magical power to back it up, however the Huxian may be a more important figure? as I said, i'm still a bit unsure. (hence why I said a lot of this feels as though it's up to interpretation)

" Many East Asian cultures revere the fox. Huxian is immortal and transcendent. He/she stands high on the hierarchy of the spiritual world, having accrued great power. Revered as deities, Huxian and other Chinese fox spirits (called Huli) are mainly worshipped in northern/northeastern China as part of folk religion. " [X] [X]

Húxiān (狐仙=胡仙 "Fox Immortal"), also called Húshén (狐神=胡神 "Fox God") or Húwáng (狐王=胡王 "Fox Ruler") is possibly the most important of the Five Immortals in northeast China. Nagao Ryuzō, a Japanese sinologist, observed that the Fox Gods "enjoy such popularity to be worshipped by almost every household in north China and Manchuria". Henry Doré documented the worship of the Fox God in the northern parts of Jiangsu and Anhui. In parts of Hebei, to every newborn is assigned his own běnshén (本神 patron god) manifestation of Huxian, usually a female for a boy and a male for a girl. After these boys and girls get married, their patrons will be represented sitting together. In his survey of popular shrines and temples in Manchuria, Takizawa Shunryō found the number dedicated to Fox Gods overwhelming.

The deity can be represented as either male or female, but is most frequently identified as the female Húxiān Niángniáng (狐仙娘娘 "Fox Immortal Lady") whose animal form is a nine-tailed fox. She is the Chinese equivalent of the Japanese Shintō cult of Inari Ōkami, both god(desses) of the foxes or collective representations of the fox sprites.

The fox deity is also represented as a couple of gods, male and female, called the Great Lord of the Three Foxes (胡三太爷 Húsān Tàiyé) and the Great Lady of the Three Foxes (胡三太奶 Húsān Tàinǎi).As a goddess, the Fox Immortal is related to Xīwángmǔ (西王母 "Queen Mother of the West"), the great goddess guardian of Mount Kunlun (axis mundi) [X]

So, in the end, I'm not quite entirely sure myself. Then again, this is why I've left this open for people to add onto if they have information that I don't! considering this is also part one to a series of...however many I wanna do until I feel satisfied? well, it's up in the air.

Ultimately, The nine tailed fox is a very important figure in chinese folklore, that shows up in prosperous times and around cities that are flourishing. Both figures have nine tails, both are extremely powerful, and both are ultimately still very much immortal.

So this ends Part 01 of the first journey into Momo's guide to the Supernatural! If you've read this far?

Thank you very much! it means a lot to me that you even managed this.

Part 02 we'll be focusing on powers of these fun little shapeshifters! Because boy howdy they have a lot of interesting abilities as well as just how exactly these little guys come into being and where they live!