Kumiho: Difference between revisions – Wikipedia

Korean mythological creature

A kumiho or gumiho (Korean: 구미호; Hanja: 九尾狐; lit. nine-tailed fox) is a creature that appears in the folktales of East Asia and legends of Korea. It is similar to the Chinese jiuweihu, the Japanese kitsune and the Vietnamese hồ ly tinh.

“The term ‘gumiho’ (구미호) literally means ‘nine-tailed fox.’ Due to the widespread use of the word ‘gumiho,’ modern Koreans often refer to all fox spirits as gumiho. However, not all fox spirits in Korean folklore have nine tails, and the names for these fox spirits vary, including terms such as bul-yeowoo(불여우,fire fox), Baeg-yeowoo(백여우,wihte fox), maegu(매구,fox demon), and hogwi (호귀,fox ghost).

In Korean myth,foxes are primarily depicted as ominous and malevolent beings. They are often portrayed in the form of heretical Buddhist monks and are sometimes depicted as monsters that torment and threaten dragons, which are considered sacred in Korean mythology. In Korean mythology, which is deeply influenced by Buddhism, the dragon is depicted as a divine being that protects the kingdom, whereas its adversary, the fox, is portrayed as a force that disturbs the kingdom or as a harbinger of the kingdom’s downfall. However, in rare instances, foxes are also portrayed as divine beings or as neutral deities.^[1]

South Korea, as a country with an active media industry, frequently produces works based on indigenous legends, regardless of the fact that Christianity is the predominant religion in contemporary Korean society. The fox spirit is among the motifs employed in such media. The character Kumiho, featured in the horror anthology series Jeonseol-ui Gohyang(homeland of legend) aired by the public broadcaster KBS, became widely recognized by Korean audiences and has served as a source of inspiration for cultural creators

The sources of the fox story that appeared in ancient Korean history are Samgugyusa(三國遺事,Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) and Samguksagi(三國史記,History of the Three Kingdoms).^[2][3]

Fox spirits depicted as active in ancient Korean kingdoms are usually described as having white fur, the ability to transform into humans, and possessing cunning magical powers. However, historical records from ancient Korean history do not specifically describe these fox spirits as having nine tails. The nine-tailed fox spirit does not appear in Korean historical records until the Goryeo period and later.^[4]

In ancient Korean mythology, foxes are typically depicted as malevolent spirits with white fur. But also, there is a singular account describing a sacred fox spirit with black fur.

According to records, the fox spirit appeared alternately in the three ancient Korean kingdoms of Silla, Goguryeo, and Baekje, and ultimately served as an omen of downfall for Goguryeo and Baekje. Folktales related to the fox spirit are comparatively more diverse in Silla, the eventual victor of ancient Korean history.

狐能化美女

(The fox is able to transform into a beautiful woman.)

狸亦作書生

(The wildcat (or raccoon dog) likewise transforms into a young scholar.)

誰知異類物

(Who would know that such different creatures)

幻惑同人形

(Could beguile by taking on human form?)

變化尙非艱

(Transformation itself is not truly difficult,)

操心良獨難

(But cultivating a virtuous heart is indeed hard.)

欲辨眞與僞

(If you wish to discern truth from falsehood,)

願磨心鏡看

(Then polish the mirror of your heart and see.)

The poem Goui (古意), composed by the Silla scholar Choe Chiwon(崔致遠,857–908), reflects contemporary perceptions of animals in ancient Korea. It illustrates the belief that animals were capable of transforming into human beings, with the fox in particular thought to assume the form of a beautiful woman.

^[5]

The Samguk Sagi, a historical text detailing the ancient Korean kingdoms, includes references to a mysterious and ominous creature known as the Baeg-yeowoo(white fox), which is often associated with bad omens. Despite its ominous reputation, the fur of an albino white fox was considered a rare and valuable item.^[6]

The King of Goguryeo, while hunting, came across a Baeg-yeowoo and ordered a shaman to interpret what omen this white fox might represent. The shaman explained that foxes were traditionally considered ominous creatures, and since this one was white, it was even more sinister. He suggested that the heavenly gods were showing a bad omen through this white fox spirit and that the king needed to reflect on his actions. Enraged by these words, the king had the shaman executed on the spot.^[7]

When the Baekje Kingdom and the Goguryeo Kingdom were nearing their fall to the Silla Kingdom, foxes and other animals were reported to have entered the royal palaces of each kingdom. In the spring of the year before the fall of Baekje, a group of foxes entered the Baekje royal palace, and among them,Baeg-yeowoo (a white fox) was seen sitting on the desk of the highest official.^[8][9]

In one rare case,Heuk-yeoyoo(black fox) is depicted as a sacred being that assists humans. Won-Gwang (圓光,555–638), a Buddhist monk of silla, entered Samgi Mountain at the age of thirty to meditate. Four years later, another monk arrived and built a temple not far from where Won-Gwang was staying, living there for two years. This monk was brave and had an interest in practicing magic.

On the sixth year, while Won-Gwang was reciting Buddhist scriptures, the Mountain god(산신) suddenly appeared to him. The Mountain god informed Won-Gwang that the monk living nearby had been practicing magic along the path, causing loud noises, and asked him to stop. The next day, Won-Gwang spoke to the monk about what had happened and suggested that he practice elsewhere, but the monk mocked Won-Gwang and ignored his request.

That night, the Mountain god appeared again and asked Won-Gwang about the situation. Though Won Gwang tried to speak evasively, the Mountain god already knew the outcome. Angered, the Mountain god caused a lightning strike that triggered a landslide, destroying the monk’s temple. The Mountain god then appeared to the surprised Won-Gwang, revealed its true identity, and advised him to travel to China to learn the Buddhist teachings for the future. Won-Gwang, expressing that the distance was too far, was shown the way by the Mountain god.

With the Mountain god’s guidance, Won Gwang reached China and spent eleven years studying the Three Baskets of Buddhism (Tripitaka – Sutras (經), Vinaya (律), and Abhidharma (論)) and Confucianism. In the 22nd year of King Jinpyeong’s reign (600 CE), Won-Gwang returned to Silla with a diplomatic envoy Jo Bing-sa (朝聘使) from China. Upon his return, Won-Gwang visited the temple at Samgi Mountain to express his gratitude to the Mountain god.

The Mountain god then imparted the precepts to Won-Gwang and made a vow of saengsaengsangje (生生相濟), the promise to help all beings across the cycle of rebirth. When Won-Gwang expressed a desire to see the Mountain god’s true form, the Mountain god instructed him to look toward the east the following morning. The next day, when Won-Gwang gazed at the eastern sky, he saw a massive arm piercing through the clouds, reaching toward the heavens. As a result, Won Gwang renamed Samgi Mountain Bichang Mountain (臂長山), meaning “Long Arm Mountain.”

One day, the Mountain god revealed to Won-Gwang that its own death was near. On the designated day, Won-Gwang visited the place the Mountain god had mentioned and found an old fox, its fur as black as lacquer, struggling to breathe before it died.This black fox Mountain god was three thousand years old at the time of its death.^[10]

This heuk-yeowoo(black fox) is a typical example of a mountain god in Korean mythology. Korean mythology also holds the belief that when an animal attains enlightenment and reaches the realm of the divine, it becomes a mountain spirit.

In Korean folklore, there are narratives in which an aged dragon is threatened by a fox. A hero appears, defeats the fox, and rescues the old dragon, who in return grants his daughter in marriage to the hero. The two tales to be discussed below share this same plot.

In the Geotaji tale, Geotaji, a master archer, encounters a storm while traveling to Tang China and takes refuge on an island. In a dream, he meets an old man who identifies himself as the Dragon King of the Western Sea (西海若) and pleads for help, explaining that his life is endangered by a monk. The next day, Geotaji observes a monk chanting the Darani (陀羅尼) incantation, causing the old dragon and his family to levitate helplessly. The monk attempts to devour the dragon’s liver, but Geotaji shoots him with an arrow. Upon being struck, the monk reverts to his true form, an old fox, and dies. Grateful, the Dragon King offers his daughter in marriage to Geotaji.^[11]

In the Jakjegŏn tale, the hero Jakjegŏn sets out to find his father, carrying the divine bow (singung, 神弓) as a token. Boarding a Tang merchant ship, he encounters a storm at sea. Divination reveals that a Korean must be set ashore on an island. There, Jakjegŏn meets an old man who identifies himself as the Dragon King of the Western Sea. The king explains that an old fox recites incantations that cause him headaches, and he asks Jakjegŏn to shoot it. As promised, Jakjegŏn kills the old fox with his bow. The Dragon King then invites him to the underwater palace, where Jakjegŏn marries the dragon princess, receives treasures including the “seven jewels” (chilbo, 七寶), the staff (yangjang, 楊杖), and pigs, and returns home. From the union of Jakjegŏn and the dragon princess descends Wang Geon, who later founded the Goryeo dynasty, which succeeded the Three Kingdoms period.^[12]

These tales correspond to the motif found in European mythology in which hero slays a dragon (or serpent) to save a kingdom and, as a reward, marries a princess. In this comparison, Geotaji and Jakjegŏn parallels the European dragon-slayer (such as Perseus), the Dragon King corresponds to a royal figure, the dragon princess to a European princess, and the monstrous fox to the dragon or serpent adversary.Furthermore, the theme in which a hero connected with a dragon overcomes a monstrous fox and subsequently becomes a founding ancestor shows similarities to the foundation myth of Vietnam.

Queen Seondeok of Silla was once struck by an illness, and a monk named Beopcheok was called to diagnose her condition. However, despite his efforts, her illness did not improve. The royal court then summoned another monk, Milbon, who began reciting scriptures. As he did so, a yukcheonjang (a type of monk’s weapon) struck a hidden Old fox abd Beopcheok, causing them to fall to the ground below the courtyard. After this event, Queen Seondeok’s illness was said to have been miraculously cured. It is not directly described in this story, but from the circumstances described by the story, a monk named Beopchuk appears to have colluded with an old fox and worsened the Queen’s condition.^[13]

Bihyeongnyang, a legendary figure in Silla, was renowned for his ability to command and control divine beings. One of his subordinates, Gildal, became disillusioned with the hard labor and, feeling overwhelmed, transformed into a fox to escape. However, Bihyeongnyang discovered Gildal’s transformation and struck him down, leading to his death.^[14]

During the Tang dynasty in China, a local magistrate fell under the spell of a fox spirit named Liu-Cheng(劉成). Under the fox spirit’s enchantment, he became obsessively devoted to Buddhist practices, neglecting food and, eventually, even putting his own daughter at risk of being taken by the spirit. In response, a renowned Taoist exorcist named Na Gongwon was summoned to eliminate the fox spirit.

Na Gongwon managed to subdue the spirit, but Liu-Cheng had already ascended to the level of a Heavenly Fox(天狐), a celestial rank of fox spirits who serve the gods in heaven. Because of this divine status, he could not be killed.

As a last resort, Na Gongwon chose to exile Liu-Cheng to the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. There, Liu Cheng was eventually worshipped as a deity.^[15]

The rank of Heavenly Fox (天狐), which Liu-Cheng had attained, is regarded in Chinese folklore as the highest level a fox spirit can reach—often described as having golden fur and nine tails. Liu Cheng also claimed to be a miraculous Buddhist monk, a characteristic that closely resembles those of other fox spirits found in native Silla folklore.

• Fox spirit, a general overview about this being in East Asian mythology
• Korean fox
• Succubus, A creature with a very similar role in Western mythologies
• Ungnyeo, a bear-woman in Korean mythology