Fox Symbolism: Trickster, Messenger and Spirit in Folklore and Art

The fox is one of the most ambiguous animals in world folklore. In Europe it is the clever trickster of fables; in Japan it is the sacred messenger of a Shinto deity; in China it is a shape-shifting spirit that can be dangerous or benevolent. Few animals are admired and distrusted in quite the same measure.

The European trickster

European fables, from Aesop's fox and the grapes to the medieval tales of Reynard the Fox, made the fox the model of cunning: quick-witted, self-interested and always one step ahead. In British folklore the fox is still the sly visitor to the henhouse.

Kitsune and Inari

In Japan, foxes (kitsune) are the messengers of Inari, the Shinto deity of rice, agriculture and prosperity. Stone foxes, often holding a key or a jewel in their mouths, guard Inari shrines throughout Japan, most famously at Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto with its tunnels of red torii gates. Japanese folklore also tells of foxes that take human form, and of their many tails growing with age and wisdom.

Fox spirits in China

Chinese tales tell of the huli jing, fox spirits that live long enough to take human shape. Some bring disaster; others are loyal and kind. The stories collected by the seventeenth-century writer Pu Songling made them famous.

The fox in jewellery

A fox design can reference cleverness, a love of Japanese or British folklore, or simply the beauty of the animal. See the AURYN Fox charm, or read our guide to animal symbolism.