Nine Tailed Beasts

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Guo Pu (276–324) commented on the fox's transformation: "When a fox is fifty years old, it can transform itself into a woman; when a hundred years old, it becomes a beautiful female, or a spirit medium, or an adult male who has sexual intercourse with women. Such beings are able to know things at more than a thousand miles' distance; they can poison men by sorcery, or possess and bewilder them, so that they lose their memory and knowledge; and when a fox is a thousand years old, it ascends to heaven and becomes a celestial fox." The *Youyang Zazu* made a connection between nine-tailed foxes and the divine: "Among the arts of the Way, there is a specific doctrine of the celestial fox. [The doctrine] says that the celestial fox has nine tails and a golden color. It serves in the Palace of the Sun and Moon and has its own fu (talisman) and a jiao ritual. It can transcend yin and yang." In other articles, it is said that "The fox demon from Heaven was incarnated as this woman to bring disaster to the Shang Dynasty." Some stories describe fox spirits as having a strong sense of honor.

In Their Own Story

The source does not provide a specific narrative story about the nine-tailed fox beyond its appearances in literature and popular culture. The fox spirit appears in numerous works, including the film *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings* (2021), where the Jiu Wei Hu is among the creatures residing in Ta Lo. In the TV series *Kamen Rider Geats* (2022), the main character's motif is based on the nine-tailed fox, and his final form takes the nine-tailed fox motif. In *Sonic Prime* (2022–2024), Nine is an alternative version of Tails who added seven mechanic tails to his body, making him a nine-tailed fox.

Reader's Guide

In Chinese folklores, foxes are depicted as spirits possessed of magic power, often mischievous, tricking other people, with the ability to disguise themselves as a beautiful man or woman. The fox spirit can usually shapeshift, often taking the form of beautiful young women who attempt to seduce men, whether for mere mischief or to consume their bodies or spirits. However, there are exceptions: some stories describe fox spirits as having a strong sense of honor.

Did You Know?

• The first recorded appearance of the nine-tailed fox is in the ancient Chinese text *Shanhaijing* (Classic of Mountains and Seas), compiled between 475 BCE and 141 BCE.
• According to Guo Pu (276–324), a fox can transform into a woman at fifty years old, and at a thousand years old it ascends to heaven and becomes a celestial fox.
• The *Youyang Zazu* states that the celestial fox has nine tails, a golden color, serves in the Palace of the Sun and Moon, and can transcend yin and yang.
• The nine-tailed fox appears in the 2021 film *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings* as the Jiu Wei Hu, a creature residing in Ta Lo.
• In *Sonic Prime* (2022–2024), the character Nine is an alternative version of Tails who added seven mechanic tails to his body, making him a nine-tailed fox.