Folklores are myths and stories that are passed down from generation to generation verbally. These short stories give us a peek into the past, to understand what stories and tales walked the lands before our birth.
It gives us a sense of connection to our ancestors and roots. Each folklore is based on the country or location. Sometimes certain mythical creatures even coincide or co-exist in different folktales. Which makes me wonder if we are reincarnations of our ancestors. Just people reborn over the years, living a life again to fulfil their destiny.
However this is just a thought and I do not have any solid proof, it would probably be a good theory to explain deja vu if it were true. Some cultures around the world believe in reincarnation.
Which makes me wonder what must I have been in my past life and do I have any unfulfilled destiny.
According to many folklore, you can be a reincarnation of a person or an animal as well. As a person, I like mysteries, nature and wisdom. So I guess I’d be something like a tricky fox.
I did a little digging about mythical foxes and I came across an interesting mythical legend called a Kitsune which is found in Japanese folktales. Kitsune translates to fox in Japanese. These creatures are said to have a connection with the human world and are often portrayed as female spirits. The number of tails a kitsune has symbolized its power, with one, five, seven, and nine tails being the most common numbers in folklore.
For example, kyūbi no kitsune or “nine-tailed foxes”, are said to have the ability to see and hear anything happening anywhere in the world. After reaching 1,000 years of age and gaining its ninth tail, a kitsune turns white or golden and becomes a tenko, the most powerful form of the kitsune, and then ascends to the heavens.
In Korean folklore, the kumiho is a nine-tailed fox that can transform into a beautiful woman to seduce men and eat their liver or heart. The kumiho is similar to the Chinese huli jing and the Japanese kitsune.
These fox spirits are considered as protectors of Inari, the god of harvests and fertility. They can bewitch people, trick humans and affect the weather. People believe that if it rains on a sunny day it symbolises that a fox is getting married.
Meeting a Kitsune someday would be pretty cool I feel.
I believe that these are pretty interesting topics to read about and nature holds countless such magical mythical creatures that are best left on their own. The best we can do to live in harmony with them is to protect our Mother Nature and pray to her to keep us protected because deep down we all have the same roots. And you never know what mythical story your past life holds.
What is your favourite mythical creature? Tell me in the comments.
michellewritesart 