White Fox Woman

Inspired by, but NOT intended to be an accurate representation of, the Inuit folktale The Fox Woman. (This is the third and final illustration in my series inspired by folklore about wild canid spirits that shapeshift into human form.)

In the original tale, the fox sheds her skin to take human form, and resumes her fox skin to leave when her human husband complains about her.

Another retelling of this Inuit tale is available in World Folklore for Storytellers: Tales of Wonder, Wisdom, Fools, and Heroes.

Coyote Transforms

Inspired by the Wasco myth Coyote and Multnomah Falls, as well as other stories about coyote the shapeshifter from various Pacific Northwest tribes. In this story, coyote turns into a young man to propose marriage to a young woman.

The myth was set in "that long ago time before this time, when all the people and all the animals spoke the same language." The clothing references used for the illustration were from the 19th century. No claims are being made to cultural authenticity or period accuracy here ;-) The lives of Plateau people were already changed by indirect European influence long before anyone first set eyes on a person of European descent.¹ For example, horses broadened the trade network of tribes and spread fashion influences from the Plains to the Plateau.²

That said, The Museum at Warm Springs on the Warm Springs Reservation, where the Wasco tribe now lives, is an excellent resource.

The Fox Phonologist

Chen Pengnian (961-1017), Chinese courtier and scholar, was said to be a nine-tailed fox.¹ The 11th century Chinese court history document Rulin Gongyi states: "Chen Pengnian had a talent for interpreting omens concerning the nation, and was skilled at flattering and misleading (the emperor), therefore people of his time saw him as a nine-tailed fox."²

Print available.

The excerpt above probably refers to Chen's term as the vice-chair of the Department of Augury, the post he held prior to his death.³ The editor of Rulin Gongyi was Tian Kuang (1005-1063).⁴

Apparently, "nine-tailed fox", as used during the Song period, was not intended to be a flattering metaphor. But things had not always been so.

The 3rd century BCE text Annals of Lu mentions how Da Yu, founder of the ancient Xia Dynasty, encountered a nine-tailed fox at Tu Mountain (in present day Henan, China); he regarded it as a good omen, and so married a woman of the Tu Mountain tribe.¹ During the Han Dynasty, the 9-tail fox was still seen as an auspicious creature, portrayed together with other mythical beasts in the entourage of the goddess Xi Wangmu.¹

Merfolk from non-European mythology

Was reading up on merfolk mythology from around the world while working on my series of three mermaids from non-European cultures. Here is a partial list of mermaids I encountered during my research:

Ksitigarbha Online

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The name of Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha / Ksitigarbha, aka Dizang (Chinese), Jizo (Japanese), Dia Tang (Vietnamese), Jijang (Korean), literally means 'Earth Store' or 'Earth Treasury.¹ This illustration combines influences from Shirow Masamune's Ghost in the Shell and traditional East Asian religious iconography, notably medieval Dunhuang Buddhist paintings that also show concentric rings within double halos.

According to the Ksitigarbha Sutra given by Sakyamuni Buddha, the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha was, in a past life, a Brahmin woman who sought to save her mother from hell.² The countless incarnated forms of the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha gathered in Trayastrimsa Heaven and coalesced into one form, vowing to Buddha to save all beings.³)

Myth of the Moon Toad

The Chinese belief concerning a toad in the moon predates the Warring States era.¹ Late Warring States era statesman and poet Qu Yuan (340-278 BCE) wrote of a toad in the moon in his Songs of Chu.²

Moon Toad may predate other Chinese moon myths such as the Moon Hare.¹ One version of the Moon Toad myth claims that the toad is the lady Chang E (aka Heng E) transformed. Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era (written between 977 and 983 CE³) quotes earlier works that mention a moon toad, including the astronomy book Ling Xian by Zhang Heng (78-139 CE)⁴:

Yi asked the Queen Mother of the West for the Medicine of Immortality. Yi's wife Heng E stole the medicine and flew to the moon. She installed herself on the moon and became a toad.

Guardian of the Gate

Background graphics combine influences from Shirow Masamune's Ghost in the Shell and decorative art from the Malay world.

Patterns on the outfit also inspired by (but not claiming to be an authentic representation of) fabric designs from Indonesia and Malaysia.

Print available on storenvy.com.

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