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This is the nine-tailed fox *glares at Naruto fans to stop them from interrupting* from KOREAN mythology.  Yes, it is similar to the kitsune from Japanese mythology, but it’s called the Kumiho.  Let’s get that right out in the open.

Physically, the Kumiho is a nine-tailed fox that takes the form of a beautiful woman.  It still retains its fox-like eyes and paws though.  This is the extent of its physical description and it doesn’t vary its shape-shifting beyond beautiful women.  It cannot possess others like its Japanese and Chinese counterparts.  So, what how does it differ?

Instead of being a trickster or occasionally being good, the Kumiho is always evil in nature and out to do harm.  They set out to seduce young men and boys in order to devour their hearts and livers.  A Kumiho will run away if their presence is exposed, which is usually done by a dog.  So, they are clearly stealth predators, but I guess this comes at a price.  If one doesn’t eat human flesh for 1,000 days, they will turn into a human.  Some times have it that this is done intentionally while others have it be a punishment.

They also have a magical marble in their mouths, which can be used to absorb life energy through a deep kiss.  The Kumiho puts the marble in the victim’s mouth and draws it back in to get their meal.  If the human manages to swallow the marble first, they are able to get a power.  In fact, a person swallowing this can observe “sky, land, and people” in order to gain knowledge on each subject.  Apparently, those in the stories tend to forget to look at the sky, so they get another power.

Most of the tales involve the Kumiho pursing a victim and getting caught.  One copied a bride so well that the woman’s mother couldn’t tell the difference until the Kumiho’s clothes were removed.  Another had a fox take the form of a woman who died and go after her children, but a hunter saw the transformation and warned them.  Sometimes, a hero will simply meet a woman with fox-like features, which is assumed to be a Kumiho.

Now, there are older story scraps that have the Kumiho as a helpful spirit.  Others have humans taking advantage of a naive Kumiho.  Yet, Korean mythology eventually shifted to turn this creature into a purely evil being.  Makes one wonder how that happened.