The fox truely is an amazing creature. It is a master of a hundred arts, taking on the appearance of others in some cultures. One common thing in almost all cultures is that foxes always seem to be wise. Their pelt can even determine their power or the number of tails. They have become a popular animal along side the wolf and several other animals. They are shown in many animes, movies, and art. Foxes have an odd quality to them. They are sly, a symbol of wisdom and vengeance, and have keen senses. It is odd for a canine to have such feline like qualities but it seems to work well for this creature. In most art the fox is shown as a mysterious figure, an omen, or a trickster. In movies like Narnia the fox is a sketchy character who they do not know if they can trust.
"Red Fox
The red fox crosses the ice
intent on none of my business.
It's winter and slim pickings.
I stand in the bushy cemetery,
pretending to watch birds,
but really watching the fox
who could care less.
She pauses on the sheer glare
of the pond. She knows I'm there,
sniffs me in the wind at her shoulder.
If I had a gun or dog
or a raw heart, she'd smell it.
She didn't get this smart for nothing.
She's a lean vixen: I can see
the ribs, the sly
trickster's eyes, filled with longing
and desperation, the skinny
feet, adept at lies.
Why encourage the notion
of virtuous poverty?
It's only an excuse
for zero charity.
Hunger corrupts, and absolute hunger
corrupts absolutely,
or almost. Of course there are mothers,
squeezing their breasts
dry, pawning their bodies,
shedding teeth for their children,
or that's our fond belief.
But remember - Hansel
and Gretel were dumped in the forest
because their parents were starving.
Sauve qui peut. To survive
we'd all turn thief
and rascal, or so says the fox,
with her coat of an elegant scoundrel,
her white knife of a smile,
who knows just where she's going:
to steal something
that doesn't belong to her -
some chicken, or one more chance,
or other life.”
― Margaret Atwood, Morning in the Burned House
Perspectives of the Fox
Foxes are a jack of all trades. They are sly yet foolish. They are mysterious yet well known. If you know how to deal with these tricksters then you will be better off. People have used foxes to describe an untrustworthy person, describe ones beauty, or to show one as cunning. The fox has many views. Some see this amazing creature as bad luck, malevolent, and evil while others see it as a life long friend if befriended, kind, reacts as expected to, and trickster. There are so many different views of the fox that it can be overwhelming. Each continent has a set of ideas, each country has its own base beliefs, and each town as its own stories, legends and fables.