huli jing

(fox fairy)

   In Chinese lore, a DEMON that is the malevolent spirit of the returning dead. The huli jing rises from its grave and shape-shifts into a seductive woman, scholar, or old man. It seduces victims and vampirizes the victims of the life force during orgasm. When the victim falls ill with tuberculosis, the huli jing leaves it for another victim. A female huli jing especially likes scholars for their virtuousness.

   The huli jing has other powers and abilities that make it one of the most feared of all demons in Chinese lore. It can shape shift into dead people, haunt places, and terrify the living. It can take on the appearance of living people. It can transport people through the air and enable them to pass through walls and closed windows. The huli jing is invisible during the day but can often be seen at night, especially lurking on the rooftops of homes.

   The huli jing is responsible for a form of possession that reduces a person to insanity. If madness affects generations of a family, that indicates that an ancestor once injured a huli jing. The huli jing is so feared that it is treated with great respect; above all, great care must be taken never to harm one. However, if one cuts off the tail, which holds its power, it will leave a home and never return. One remedy against the huli jing is to burn charms written on paper and mix the ashes into tea for drinking. If a female huli jing can be given enough wine to become drunk, it will revert to its true form and will vanish.

   See kitsune.

   FURTHER READING:

   - Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subversive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt/Owl Books, 1998.