The Nine-Tailed White Fox

The nine-tailed white fox is a strange beast from ancient Chinese myths and legends. It first appears in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, where it is called a “strange beast of Qingqiu”: “Traveling three hundred li farther east, one comes to Mount Qingqiu. Its southern slopes are rich in jade, and its northern slopes are rich in azure mineral pigment. There is a beast there that looks like a fox but has nine tails. Its cries sound like a baby, and it eats people; those who eat it will not be afflicted by poison.”