What is the origin of the fox spirit in China myths and legends?

In ancient times, the purpose of folk sacrifice to fox spirits was to build houses, get rich and take refuge. The folk worship of fox spirit is the worship of fox god.

In China mythology, the fox can become a human body through cultivation, absorption of the essence of the sun and the moon or popularization, and finally achieve immortality. At the same time, there are many folklores about foxes, especially in some areas. Legend of rural fox says that the immortals in Pu Songling's novel Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio are even more immortals.

China Since the Xia Dynasty, as early as 5,000 years ago, people in China worshipped foxes as auspicious animals. It is generally believed that foxes are smart and can make ghosts and gods. They are proficient in Taoism, and can repay kindness, revenge, fall in love and play tricks on others. At the same time, it can also cure people's pain. When many wizards are engaged in witchcraft activities, they often say that they are possessed by fox spirits and order patients to answer questions in the name of fox spirits. In the old days, Tianjin built the Three Grandfathers Temple in Hebei, and there were statues of Hu in the Tianhou Palace to attract believers to worship.

The legend of Fox Fairy has a long history in China. As early as the pre-Qin period, there was a record about the nine-tailed fox in the Classic of Mountains and Seas: "Three hundred miles east, the mountain of green hills. ..... There is a kind of wild animals, like foxes and Kyubi no Youko, whose voices are like babies. It can eat people, and people who eat it are not awkward. " It is said that there is a man-eating Kyubi no Youko fox on Mount Qingqiu. If people eat Kyubi no Youko foxes, they can be "not confused", that is, they become smart.

After the Han Dynasty, folklore further expanded the legendary realm of Fox Fairy. The fox Shen Shen said: "

Ghosts ride on it. There are three kinds: the color is neutral, the front is small and the back is big, and the hill is dead. From the sound of dogs and melons. "I think the fox is driven by ghosts, with neutral coat color, small front and big back, and spirituality. When it dies, it will turn its head to the hill where it was born.

In the Song Dynasty, the fox's spirituality expanded, and it could incarnate as a human being, and it could also recognize things from a distance, with superior ability.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the folklore about foxes reached a new height. There are many stories about foxes in these three note novels: Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio, Notes from Yuewei Caotang and Midday Rain. According to the legend of feudal gods, it was a thousand-year-old fox who deceived Zhou Wang and ruined the country.

According to folklore, humanoid foxes are all surnamed Kang, Bai, Hu and Huang, all of which change with the years of practice, with white being the highest. The weasel, hedgehog, snake, mouse and fox became the "five immortals" of China. In the ancient rural areas of China, people have long associated the Five Immortals with people. They are a supernatural product that is both a demon and a fairy.

If they violate the Five Immortals, they can take revenge and punish human beings with devil's spells. If they are worshipped, they will give their blessings. There are two forms of folk worship of the Five Immortals: temple worship and family worship.

The Sacrifice Hall is specially built for the Fox Fairy, or "Fox Fairy Hall" or "Fox Fairy Hall". Sacrifice at home is to set up a niche in the temple, which is called "the goddess of Master Hu Xian" or "the goddess of an ancient fairy". When making a sacrifice, you should burn the fruit and tin foil of the offering.

The fox was the most prominent in the pre-Qin and Han dynasties, and tied for the top four with dragon, unicorn and phoenix. Mascot. Foxes, rabbits, toads and bluebirds in Kyubi no Youko often appear in stone carvings and brick paintings in the Han Dynasty. Show it to Xiang Zhen from the Western Pacific Base.

Some people think that the fox has three advantages: its fur is soft and conforms to the golden mean; In front of the fox, the size conforms to the order of inferiority; You can't forget your roots after death and turn your head to your own cave. It can be inferred that foxes lived a very leisurely life in the summer of solstice and Han Dynasty.

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