Alright then. The story I'm about to tell you is called The Fox Sister. It's the most popular folktale about gumiho in my country.
Once upon a time, a man with three sons prayed to the mountain for a daughter, claiming that even a fox would be fine, so long as they had a girl. His wish was soon granted, and they lived happily for a time. One year, their cows started dying overnight. The man instructed his sons to keep watch. The next morning, his sons told them that they saw their sister killing cows in order to eat their livers. Enraged by this lie, the father threw his sons out of his home.
After a time, the sons returned home and were greeted by their young sister, who told them of their parents' deaths shortly after they left. In honor of their return. she prepared them a great feast. Sated, the brothers fell asleep only to wake up in the middle of the night, disturbed by the sounds of... crunching.
It was their sister, eating the remains of the feast she made. Except instead of food, it turned out to be the bodies of their parents. At their horror, she said only this. That as a nine-tailed fox, she had always wanted to become human like them, and she could only do that if she ate one hundred livers. She'd already had ninety-seven, would they be so kind to give her the last three?
[oh. she listens to the story, interested. storytime has always been her favorite. and this story is especially gripping to her. it has everything - animals, wishes, monsters, women's wrongs...
at the end, though, she's thoughtful.]
Well. If stories where you're from are anything like where I'm from, it depends. In some versions, her brothers manage to kill her in time. And in other versions, she eats them.
[Rang immediately brightens, then points at Ylfa.]
That's how it is in my world too. The popular ending is that her brothers killed her.
The real one is that she ate them instead. But after eating her hundredth liver, she was still a fox. She grew more powerful, gaining enough power so that she could look human. She looked human enough that she fell in love with a nice human man, and decided to marry him.
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carisma_sensei
no subject
Date: 2023-06-18 06:20 pm (UTC)...Yes. I want to hear it.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-20 02:46 am (UTC)Alright then. The story I'm about to tell you is called The Fox Sister. It's the most popular folktale about gumiho in my country.
Once upon a time, a man with three sons prayed to the mountain for a daughter, claiming that even a fox would be fine, so long as they had a girl. His wish was soon granted, and they lived happily for a time. One year, their cows started dying overnight. The man instructed his sons to keep watch. The next morning, his sons told them that they saw their sister killing cows in order to eat their livers. Enraged by this lie, the father threw his sons out of his home.
After a time, the sons returned home and were greeted by their young sister, who told them of their parents' deaths shortly after they left. In honor of their return. she prepared them a great feast. Sated, the brothers fell asleep only to wake up in the middle of the night, disturbed by the sounds of... crunching.
It was their sister, eating the remains of the feast she made. Except instead of food, it turned out to be the bodies of their parents. At their horror, she said only this. That as a nine-tailed fox, she had always wanted to become human like them, and she could only do that if she ate one hundred livers. She'd already had ninety-seven, would they be so kind to give her the last three?
[at that Rang pauses, flashing Ylfa a smile.]
What do you think happened next?
no subject
Date: 2023-06-20 11:14 am (UTC)at the end, though, she's thoughtful.]
Well. If stories where you're from are anything like where I'm from, it depends. In some versions, her brothers manage to kill her in time. And in other versions, she eats them.
What happened in your version?
no subject
Date: 2023-06-21 08:46 am (UTC)That's how it is in my world too. The popular ending is that her brothers killed her.
The real one is that she ate them instead. But after eating her hundredth liver, she was still a fox. She grew more powerful, gaining enough power so that she could look human. She looked human enough that she fell in love with a nice human man, and decided to marry him.
[women's wrongs...... are women's wins]
no subject
Date: 2023-06-22 01:58 am (UTC)...And her children also looked like humans, but they were foxes, too?
no subject
Date: 2023-06-23 06:47 am (UTC)They would have, if she'd lived past her wedding day. My brother was sent to hunt her down, for all those humans whose livers she stole.
It's not a very nice ending, huh?
no subject
Date: 2023-06-23 12:28 pm (UTC)[hmm.]
But that's not your story. It's your brother's, and that lady fox's.