What's the moral of the nine-tailed fox?

Is the nine-tailed fox a beast or a monster? Evolution of the image of "nine-tailed fox" in history

Introduction:

"Green church beast, Kyubi no Youko fox"

The image of the nine-tailed fox is no stranger in people's minds. The image of this god beast comes from ancient myths and legends in China. It has traveled for thousands of years, and its image has undergone several evolutionary changes. It is mysterious and very interesting, attracting countless scholars to use the image of the nine-tailed fox in literature.

Further deepening its cultural connotation is intriguing. In this paper, we will discuss in detail how the nine-tailed fox appeared in history and how it evolved.

As early as Shan Hai Jing and Overseas East longitude, it was recorded that the nine-tailed fox was like this: "Qingqiu country is in the north, and its fox has four feet in Kyubi no Youko".

One is in Chaoyang North.

"There is a wild animal that looks like a fox and Kyubi no Youko and sounds like a baby. It can eat people, but the people who eat it are not cunning. "

The nine-tailed fox, as its name implies, is often described as the fox beast of Kyubi no Youko in classical legends. It has four feet, covered in fire, cunning and changeable, confusing and aggressive.

Legend has it that its Kyubi no Youko has nine different meanings: first, covering the sun; second, treating guests; third, hunting; fourth, eating; fifth, nesting; and sixth.

place

Making a phone call is seven for entertainment and nine for status.

It is also said that each tail symbolizes a thousand years of practice and creation.

"Emotion, joy, sadness, desire, anger and despair"

First, it can be seen that the nine-tailed fox has all the temperament and desires of human beings and is a deified species.

Its ability and status are much higher than ordinary people, so people regard it as a god beast. In addition, some people say that the nine-tailed fox has nine tails and therefore nine lives. Of course, these are all people's guesses and ideas from ancient times, but there is no real basis to prove them. Therefore, this question is still a mystery, leaving future generations with unlimited thinking space.

First, the origin of the totem image of the nine-tailed fox

According to the records,

The totem image of the nine-tailed fox originated from East Asian culture and mainly existed in the ancient myths of China, Japan and Korea.

. The appearance of the image of the nine-tailed fox in China can be traced back to the totem of primitive religion, and its mysterious fox, white fox and other images were produced under the unified social and cultural background.

As mentioned above, the totem image of the nine-tailed fox appears in ancient books such as Shan Hai Jing: Nanshan Jing, Overseas East longitude and Wild East longitude. "The country of green hills, there are foxes on the mountains, Kyubi no Youko."

As early as the pre-Qin period, people regarded the nine-tailed fox as a sacred animal. Ancient books said that it could eat people, indicating that it was aggressive, a sacred animal that guarded territory and a sacred object that people feared and yearned for.

After studying the relevant written records, people generally concluded:

The nine-tailed fox originated from the ancient tribe of "Qingqiu", created the nine-tailed fox culture and regarded it as a totem. I hope this image can bring good luck, and think that the nine-tailed fox symbolizes auspiciousness, harmony and family prosperity, giving it totem significance with cultural value.

Unfortunately, due to the long history and incomplete records in ancient books, the specific location of "Qingqiu" cannot be verified, and it can only be vaguely inferred that it is located in the east or south.

According to "Taiping Universe" and "Yuanhe County Records", "The county in the old legend was originally located in the south of Pushui, and was often pierced by magic foxes, so it moved to the north of Pushui, so it was called the fox."

Second, myths and legends related to the nine-tailed fox

When it comes to the myths and legends of the nine-tailed fox, apart from the traceable "Castle Peak", the other one must be "Dayu married Tu Shan's daughter".

According to the Han Dynasty's "Wu Yue Chun Qiu", Dayu was unmarried until he was puzzled. One day, when he was traveling in a place called Tushan, he met a nine-tailed fox that was always white. He heard people singing in Tushan: White fox, Kyubi no Youko is fat, I am married. "I heard that if you get married here, your children will be very successful. Dayu thought that the white fox witnessed the marriage, so he decided to marry a woman from Tu Shan, among whom Tu Shan was named Songxian County, which was the earliest historical basis for the nine-tailed fox to mean "prosperous future generations".

Linking marriage with the nine-tailed fox shows that it is not only auspicious, but also noble and noble.

It is speculated that Tu Shanshi also regarded the nine-tailed fox as a tribal totem. However, some scholars later recorded that the image of "nine-tailed fox" is not a real nine-tailed fox, because the tail in "Oriental Dragon" has "nine planets at the tail".

In Tamamo no Mae, ghosts haunt at night.

All the above myths show the positive implication of the nine-tailed fox, but its folk image also has a dark side, and its representative is the image of Su Daji.

Da ji and these two historical figures are among the poems of poets in the Tang Dynasty.

"femme fatale"

The nine-tailed fox was compared to a fox demon, and turned into an enchanting woman, captivating all sentient beings in the world, while da ji captivated Zhou Wang with her beauty, which eventually led to the demise of the country.

When many scholars in history talk about the enchanting image represented by da ji, they often regard it as heinous and a femme fatale. They all accused da ji of Zhou Wang's debauchery and indifference to state affairs, and thought that she was the bane of national subjugation. In particular, Shang Zhouwang was written in the literary work Romance of the Gods.

"Smart" and "Wise"

Until the fox demon da Ji confused it and made it lose its mind.

But I think this is actually a biased view. Isn't it disgusting to blame all the destruction of a country on a woman?

"There will never be more women than men."

Think carefully, a reasonable person should understand.

Where is the origin of the problem, but don't say.

"Kings are dissolute, ignore political affairs, and bring disaster to the country and the people."

. Of course, this is just my opinion. The problem itself is naturally different, and everyone is welcome to argue.

Third, the evolution of the image of the nine-tailed fox.

The nine-tailed fox has been a frequent visitor in literary creation since ancient times, even known to women and children. Speaking of the nine-tailed fox, people more or less know some related stories or folklore.

Like other ancient cultural images in China, the image of the nine-tailed fox has experienced thousands of years of vicissitudes, including good and evil, bright and dark, and flesh and blood.

Its formation process is the combination of numerous literati or folk anecdotes and various cultural spirits of China, and it has gradually evolved from prototype to numerous image branches.

In fact, when the nine-tailed fox first appeared in tribal totems, the ancient nine-tailed fox symbolized good fortune, tribal protection and other gods. It sounded like a baby and could eat people. On the whole, its moral is beautiful.

At the same time, the nine-tailed fox had a slightly witchcraft image in the pre-Qin period, including

"The eater is not cunning."

It is said that eating its meat can protect it from evil spirits. This primitive witchcraft related to the totem belief of the nine-tailed fox makes people believe that the nine-tailed fox has magical power that human beings can't reach.

It was not until the Han dynasty that it became auspicious again, symbolizing many children and many blessings, good luck and good luck, and a sign of the emperor. However, totem belief cannot be eternal in meaning. In the Six Dynasties, its meaning changed, then gradually declined in the Tang Dynasty, and finally gradually became a negative image.

In the Han Dynasty, the idea of "regaining sight" prevailed. People believe in gods, endow many symbols with sacred meaning, worship gods, and hope that heaven will bring good luck.

In the Han dynasty, the original auspicious nine-tailed fox totem was also listed as the god of many totems, so it was respected by people.

In the paintings and sculptures of the Han Dynasty unearthed by examiners, it is not difficult to find that the nine-tailed fox is often placed around the Queen Mother of the West with rabbits, toads and three-legged feet to show good luck and prosperity for future generations.

In addition, the nine-tailed fox was once given a new meaning, which was related to the king's governance of the country. It can be seen that the lofty status and reputation of the nine-tailed fox in this period are recorded in many ancient books.

For example, there is a saying in the Book of Filial Piety: "Virtue is to birds and beasts, then Kyubi no Youko is a fox."

, and

"If the king doesn't care about color, the nine-tailed fox will come."

"Wang Faming Show, three talents are in place, and the nine-tailed fox is here."

Wait a minute.

People think that the nine-tailed fox is an angel sent by heaven to supervise the emperor's administration. If it doesn't indulge in debauchery, sing and dance, manage the country well and let the people live a healthy and prosperous life, the magic fox will come to the world and bring good weather.

By the early Northern Song Dynasty, the image of the nine-tailed fox had been subverted, and the beautiful meaning had disappeared, and it became a sinister, flattering and confusing Uber, which was very dangerous.

According to The Scholars, Chen Pengnian was a cunning man in Song Zhenzong. He is good at confusing the emperor with slanders and rumors, so that the emperor can't distinguish good from evil. Therefore, "people regard the fox as a nine-tailed fox" and are said to be traitors. It can be seen that the nine-tailed fox was no longer auspicious in people's hearts at that time.

At the same time, the feminine image of the nine-tailed fox appeared, and the nine-tailed fox was used to express seductive and insidious women.

Such as Song Dynasty's "Zhao Lingchou Backstreet Record" Volume 8: "Qiantang official prostitute, beautiful charm, posthumous title Kyubi no Youko wild fox." One of the most striking images is Shang Zhouwang's concubine Su Daji.

According to the current Japanese dynasty, following the "Essence of Literature", Volume I, "Auntie Record", it was during this period that the image of the nine-tailed fox spread to Japan. The three-year history of Japanese He Kang recorded in the Auntie Record is equivalent to the period of Song Huizong.

After Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, the image of the nine-tailed fox depicted in literary works has gradually stabilized, so at that time, the nine-tailed fox has been defined as an unforgivable demon and seductive image. In the Qing Dynasty, the concept of the integration of fox and prostitute became popular in the literary world and even in the society, and the nine-tailed fox was classified as a prostitute.

When it is mentioned, people often feel disgusted and have long forgotten its auspicious meaning. Generally speaking, at this time, the image of the nine-tailed fox has completely lost, and its status is no longer as good as before, leaving countless names in the world. It is also regrettable to recall its lofty past.

Four. conclusion

In fact, any kind of cultural image has its meaning of existence. Whether it symbolizes justice or evil, or both, it embodies the essence of China's cultural spirit in past dynasties.

For the imagination of the nine-tailed fox, here we only do research, not judge. There is no hard and cold criticism standard for literary images, and we don't have to put them in a box. Still the same sentence: there are thousands of people, and we choose to respect history and respect every belief.

"White fox, Kyubi no Youko is fat."

The fox in Kyubi no Youko made eyes at Lian Mian, and the pace was slow. Kyubi no Youko, soft and white, brushed the history books, ran into the torrent of time and looked back quietly. It has been a thousand years.