Should Japanese kitsune and Korean kumiho be differentiated? While both are shape-shifting foxes, there are some cultural differences. Firstly, Kumiho are more consistently portrayed as extremely malevolent, usually seducing men in order to tear out and eat their liver. Secondly, they possess a characteristic marble-like object (여우구슬 'yeowoo guseul') which to some degree is a source of their power and wisdom. In this picture, this is the purple ball marked with 狐 in her mouth.

Arcana55 said:

Should Japanese kitsune and Korean kumiho be differentiated? While both are shape-shifting foxes, there are some cultural differences. Firstly, Kumiho are more consistently portrayed as extremely malevolent, usually seducing men in order to tear out and eat their liver. Secondly, they possess a characteristic marble-like object (여우구슬 'yeowoo guseul') which to some degree is a source of their power and wisdom. In this picture, this is the purple ball marked with 狐 in her mouth.

yes, yes they should. kumiho are malevolent monsters, and kitsune are harmless tricksters modestly. also, kumihos like eating humans to become more powerful.

Arcana55 said:

Should Japanese kitsune and Korean kumiho be differentiated? While both are shape-shifting foxes, there are some cultural differences. Firstly, Kumiho are more consistently portrayed as extremely malevolent, usually seducing men in order to tear out and eat their liver. Secondly, they possess a characteristic marble-like object (여우구슬 'yeowoo guseul') which to some degree is a source of their power and wisdom. In this picture, this is the purple ball marked with 狐 in her mouth.

Japanese kitsune has it too. Hoshi no tama. Carried in the mouth too. Just not commonly depicted in modern fiction. Though usually they still carry some kind of jewel (in magatama form, usually).

IIRC the Chinese huli-jing also has some kind of spherical or jewel-like locus of power... just not mentioned prominently or defined consistently. Somewhat common mythology/folklore trope anyhow (i.e. crystalized/materialized locus of a supernatural creature's powers).

NNescio said:

Japanese kitsune has it too. Hoshi no tama. Carried in the mouth too. Just not commonly depicted in modern fiction. Though usually they still carry some kind of jewel (in magatama form, usually).

IIRC the Chinese huli-jing also has some kind of spherical or jewel-like locus of power... just not mentioned prominently or defined consistently. Somewhat common mythology/folklore trope anyhow (i.e. crystalized/materialized locus of a supernatural creature's powers).

Is it not the same thing that Kappa's have a tendency to tear out of your bunghole?

Rocko1345 said:

Is it not the same thing that Kappa's have a tendency to tear out of your bunghole?

That's a kotodama, or I think it's considered a soul.

cd_young said:

That's a kotodama, or I think it's considered a soul.

*Shirikodama.
Kotodama is 'soul of words'.

Rathurue said:

*Shirikodama.
Kotodama is 'soul of words'.

Right, Japanese is hard.