Fox-spirit and evil mononoke spirit in Japanese mythology

Purpose. The article identifies the status of the fox-spirit image and evil mononoke spirit in Japanese mythology in their reference to insanity. Mythology of each nation still remains an important part in researching its culture. Distinguishing features of each nation`s ordinary behavior are often based on mythology, which used to play an important role in the life of our ancestors. However, mythology has rarely been used as a source of forming attitudes about insanity in a historical perspective. Results. Insanity has accompanied the history of mankind from prehistoric times. Before psychiatry appeared, there had been madmen. Even nowadays, despite our level of medical and cultural development, insanity is often treated not as an illness by itself. How did our ancestors account for insanity? In Japan, with its unique historical and cultural context, there was a particular concept of insanity formed. According to Japanese beliefs, madmen became possessed by evil spirits - mononoke or by fox - kitsune. Both characters come from Japanese mythology. These terms were used not only in mythology chronicles, but also in ordinary life, literature, historical chronicles, medical reviews and other written sources. In the XIX century, when Japan was exposed to western medicine and psychiatry in particular, traditional terms describing insanity were kept. Japanese psychiatrists of the XIX century created their own terminology for mental disorders without refusing traditional images. In ancient times Mononoke was used as a metaphor for any illness. As time passed by, in the Heian period (794-1185), the image of mononoke changed and turned into the metaphor for insanity. Fox beliefs took a range of changes from the ancient time, when foxes were not associated with evil creatures, to nowadays, when foxes are associated with insanity only. The biggest difference between kitsune (or fox possession) and mononoke (possession by an evil spirit) lies in the roots of those possessions. Kitsune and mononoke were caused by different reasons. Mononoke was an evil spirit who wanted to take revenge on its offender for suffering by harming the offender or their relatives. Kitsune was a beast who never wanted to revenge. It possessed bodies and minds of honest and plain people. Possession by an evil spirit was taken as a punishment for something which in Western culture can be referred to as a sin. However, not only bad people could be possessed by a fox. Kitsune created the image of a madman without guilt of their insanity. In our opinion, the image of kitsune could make the life of madmen easier and reduce the level of discrimination in society, as madmen were considered struck by disasters or an illness. Conclusion. The traditional images of foxes and evil spirits in Japanese society took a long way from their roots as mythological characters. They transformed into something brand new as their usage distinguishes people even nowadays by identifying their social status.