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영어

In Korea a lot of fox or nine tailed fox stories have descended to this time. We can find those stories through ancient documents, works of a literary men, Korean oral folk tales, village names, children’s stories, and even through Korean movies and dramas. In those stories the fox generally role as just a behind helper for some great men like religious man, war hero, national hero, intellectuals etc. But in the ‘salt merchants catching nine tailed fox with korean a-frame carrier stick’ stories, actually these types hold large parts among Korean fox oral folk tales, fox was regarded as a evil existence. Though the nine tailed fox try to change own form to old woman by wearing a hat made by skull, but it’s a pity, in an unlucky hour, her own identity is discovered by salt merchant. Even though the fox in the shape of old woman came dawn from mountain, and is treated in a very special way by everyone, but she can not delude salt merchant. This type stories are influenced by the idea of five elements. In these stories fox belongs to soil, salt merchant belongs to fire because salt traditionally was made by baking, and his a-frame carrier stick belong to tree among five elements. In the five elements theory tree overcomes soil, and soil element founds out by the power of fire element. This type stories were made deliberately with the purpose of getting rib of goddess worship and primitive religion.