So last time, I told you all about the Nixies, and how I combined a TON of legends to create them. You also met the Duwende and read about the Fae legends behind the Veela.
The Kitsune are pretty straightforward and based on only a few very closely related legends.
Kitsune, Kumiho, Gunna, Huli jing
In the legends, these creatures are like foxes with multiple tails. They can shapeshift into humans. Korean legends tend to view them as evil creatures, while they are more friendly in Japanese and Chinese legends.
They can be tricksters, and they love to humiliate the prideful. They’re fascinated by their own reflections, but if you put them in a hot bath, they transform back to their fox forms. They also fear dogs. Rain falling from a clear sky is often called a kitsune wedding.
Below the kitsune statues, I’ll tell you how I incorporated these legends into Our Fae Queen.
? In Our Fae Queen, the Fae known as Kitsune are said to be more fox than human. In kitsune form, they gain a new tail every century, making it easy to determine their age. In ordinary times, they gain new magic with each tail, making them the most powerful of all Fae.
? Characterized by narrow faces and little facial hair, they have close-set eyes, thin eyebrows, and high cheekbones that give them a fox-like appearance at all times. Like Elves, Kitsune can change their own appearance, but they can also create complex illusions that fool everyone but Duwende. Older Kitsune can also see through younger ones’ illusions, however.
? Kitsune will live on plains or in forests, and are skilled with longbows. When they fight against sword-wielders, Kitsune often use three-pronged sai. Their illusions confuse their enemies, allowing them to set traps with metal spikes on the ground or use throwing stars and knives from their hiding places.
? Dogs are their natural enemies, able to sniff through their illusions. Kitsune possess a hoshi no tama, a small white pearl-like ball that holds part of their power, which they hide in their mouths. They prefer love more than sex and are some of the more monogamous Fae, showing their love by passing their hoshi no tama back and forth to their lovers.
That’s it for the Kitsune! Next time I’ll tell you more about Elves like Glori. Elven culture in Our Fae Queen creates a lot of drama and conflict, so get ready!
In the meantime, have you started reading The Lost Queen yet? I’d love to hear what you think.
