Asia is such a large continent made up of numerous countries, all diverse and connected not only by stretches of land and seas, but by history, people, and trade. Each one teeming with stories and myths, because of this, many Asian cultures share or have similar myths, spirits and creatures in their mythologies and would make direct mention of other countries in their retelling.

A common mythological figure that appears across cultures would be fox spirits. They appear across many Asian cultures and are known by different names. Some of the most well-known fox spirits type are the kitsune of Japan, huli jing or hu li jing of China and the gumiho of Korea. What is interesting about the gumiho is that they are often portrayed as malevolent spirits in contrast to the kind and helpful kitsune and huli jing.

Despite Korean myths giving various deities and spirits roles to play depending on the myth, and details can change depending on the island and region as well, the gumiho being an evil being is a persistent image. The gumiho, alternatively called kumiho, are often portrayed in ancient myths as a nine-tailed fox that has lived for over hundreds of years. They gain a tail for every hundred years they live and can shape-shift their form.

Pretty Faces, Bloody Kisses

Gumiho can take the appearance of a young, beautiful maiden or man to disarm and lure people so that they can kill and consume their heart or their liver as it’s believed that is where the soul is stored or kiss them to steal their lifeforce after placing a marble in the recipient’s mouth. A gumiho’s reason for luring people can vary. In some myths, a gumiho needs to kiss 100 men or consume their liver to become human. She can also simply want to sate her hunger.

Night Walks

There are stories of travelers encountering a woman with a lantern at the dead of night. She offers to help guide them, but something about the woman is uncanny. It could be the appearance of fox ears at the top of her head, her nose too sharp that it’s almost a snout or even fur of her tails sticking out from under the hem of her clothes. These inconsistencies are a result of the gumiho not being used to maintaining the illusion of a human form.

Fox Doubles

When a gumiho can hold their disguise well, they can easily replace their initial victim. It happened to parents that wanted a daughter badly after having son after son. They finally got their daughter and years later, their livestock were being killed. The father tasked his sons to keep watch, one by one. They all reported the same thing, their sister came out at night, oiling her hands before taking the cow’s heart, but their father was in denial and banished his sons.

A Marvel of a Marble

The ‘yeowoo guseul’ or their fox marble where their knowledge and power are stored. The gumiho charms their victims so they can put the marble into their mouth and absorb their energy, but if someone manages to swallow this marble before the gumiho can take it back, they can attain the gumiho’s knowledge.

In numerous versions of this myth, a young man often encounters the gumiho before consulting his teacher who advise him if the gumiho appears again, swallow their ‘yeowoo guseul’ and look to the sky to gain the knowledge of the heavens. But throughout different versions, the young man always fails to attain the knowledge of the heavens, almost giving the impression that man is not meant to have the knowledge of the heavens.

The Evil Image

The gumiho’s negative reputation persists in modern South Korea’s consciousness, but it is slowly changing into a more neutral and nuanced image. It’s interesting that the sentiment has persisted in modern times, and even modern media and popular culture still portray the gumiho negatively. One person suggested the reason for the negative image of the gumiho in Korean society was due to the Japanese occupation and the effect it left on people, though the situation is likely to be more nuanced than that.

Regardless, the gumiho, hated or loved, still has its place in the South Korean landscape. Still milling among the common folk in the streets like they always have.

Sources:

Kim, Tae-Woo, et al. “Fox Marble.” Encyclopedia of Korean Folklore and Traditional Culture, vol. 3, The National Folk Museum of Korea, Samcheong-Ro, Jongno-Gu, 2014, pp. 292–294.

Kim, Tae-Woo, et al. “Three-Legged Dog.” Encyclopedia of Korean Folklore and Traditional Culture, vol. 3, The National Folk Museum of Korea, Samcheong-Ro, Jongno-Gu, 2014, pp. 212–213.

“Nine Tails.” Tales of Korea, koreanmythtales.weebly.com/nine-tails.html. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Phanich, Pallavi. “Asian Folklore: The Tails of the Kumiho.” Asian Youth Act, Asian Youth Act, 2 Feb. 2021, asianyouthact.org/2021/02/02/asian-folklore-the-tails-of-the-kumiho/.  

Won-Oh Choi. An Illustrated Guide to Korean Mythology. Brill, 2008. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=389372&site=ehost-live&scope=sit

Note: one of the online references has formatting issues, I recommend to open in read view.

Rica Equibal, a Philippine-born writer and artist, started Algonquin college with the goal to find her way into publishing. She went into her Algonquin journey with from her literature degree and proofreading experience supporting her, but she’s always up to learn more to add to her knowledge and repertoire. Aside from that, she also writes fiction—with hope to turn those little scenes and moments into a full story or novel—and draws.

She writes as inspiration strikes and primarily draws digital—that is, if she's not distracted by whatever video game she has in reach.