They have even made an appearance on the beloved reality show вЂњ Running Man,вЂќ where Song Ji Hyo and the other female guests had to collect nine tails in order to become human. And fun fact, while most nine-tailed foxesВ are portrayed as women, вЂњ Gu Family BookвЂќ interprets their fox spirits as males (who are no less charming than their female counterparts, it seems)! In modern times, however, you are more likely to findВ nine-tailed foxesВ (or tamed representations of them) gallivanting around in K-dramas such as вЂњ My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho,вЂќ вЂњ Grudge: The Revolt of Gumiho,вЂќ and вЂњ Gu Family Book.вЂќ The original folklore lends a touch of mysticism to these contemporary dramas through concepts like physical transformations and the foxвЂ™s desire for mortality. The night of their return, the oldest son was roused from his sleep by a commotion only to discover that his younger sister was actually a murderous fox spirit who had devoured the rest of the family so as to become a human for real. Both sons were shown the door, and when they later returned, they found that the only one left in their family home was their sister. Investigations by the two sons culminated in accusations that their sister was the one responsible - accusations that their parents firmly rejected. However, the happy and idyllic story soon took a turn for the gory when the family started to probe why their livestock was mysteriously dying off. Praying fervently for a daughter even if she were a fox, the family were indeed blessed with one. The Korean fairy-tale вЂњThe Fox SisterвЂќ features a couple with two sons who really wanted a daughter.

Its most preferred form to take, though, would be that of a beautiful young girl who seduces men and makes a meal out of these unfortunate souls. According to these legends, a fox that lives for a thousand years can turn into a fox spiritВ and shape-shift freely. Nine-tailed foxes are commonplace in folktales originating from Korea, China, and Japan.

Water nine tailed fox