by Sybil Fogg
When I was pregnant with my fifth child, my husband and I went shopping for something special to mark his entrance into the world. Since we were well equipped with all the necessary items, clothing, and even many toys, it was difficult to find something unique. But we liked to welcome each child with something special to symbolize that they are an individual, even in our large family. Close to his birth, we stumbled on a little fox rattle and found a matching swaddling blanket, and Fox became Theo’s emblem. I wasn’t certain if Fox would have much influence over his life, and beyond thinking that the little red fox rattle was a cute toy, I didn’t about it much until three years later when my children and I were attacked by a rabid fox while in a playground at a state park. The fox went after Theo and clamped on to his hand. My other children were up on the playground equipment, out of harm’s way. When I picked up my son, the fox would not let go and a struggle ensued, prompting the rest of my family to jump down to defend their little brother. After a bit of a wild chase around the park, we managed to hide in a bathroom until help arrived. Thankfully, my other children escaped harm, but Theo and I suffered bites and scratches. This, of course, resulted in a series of rabies vaccines and a hospital stay for my son, as the fox broke a small bone in his hand and there was a concern about infection. Up until then, I had always found foxes fascinating, somewhat cute, and not the least bit physically dangerous. As the medieval Reynard the Fox managed to outwit his adversaries, I generally viewed the fox as a trickster, relying on his wits more than his brawn to get out of scrapes. After the incident with the fox, I began researching tricksters.
Reynard the Fox was the trickster of medieval Europe. Reynard was (like many tricksters) physically weak, but long on charm and brains, using his charisma and slick talk to wriggle his way out of trouble. Many stories feature the exploits of Reynard the Fox, one being how he went into partnership with Bruin the Bear mainly to liberate a beehive full of honey from the bear.
After thinking about how to go about it, Reynard informs Bruin that he must go on a trip to be godfather to the child of one of his good friends.
So he starts off and after a while, turns back and hits up the beehive full of honey. Upon returning to Bruin, the bear asks Reynard what the child had been named. Reynard without thinking, states, “Just-Begun.”
After some time passes, Reynard wants more honey and tells Bruin that he must go to another christening. Upon return, he tells Bruin, the child’s name is “Half-Eaten.”
On the third “trip,” Reynard professes that the child was named, “All-Gone.”
Naturally, Bruin decides he would like some of his honey and offers to share it with Reynard. When they arrive at the beehive, Bruin sees that the honey is all gone and turns to Reynard, stating, “Just-Begun, Half-Eaten, All-Gone. So that is what you meant. You have eaten my honey.”
Reynard denies this and suggests that Bruin must have eaten it in his sleep. To prove his point, he decides they must take a nap with the assertion that the sun will “sweat” the honey out of the culprit.
Bruin agrees and they lie down and soon Bruin is asleep. Reynard takes up some honey left in the beehive and smears it on Bruin. Upon Bruin’s waking, Reynard points out the honey and confirms his argument.4
The American counterpart to Fox is Coyote. He is popular amongst Pagans who delve into Native American traditions and is probably familiar to most people. Of the many different Coyote legends spanning the range of Native people in the Americas, some include creation myths, how-to stories, and moral fables. A good source of Coyote legends can be found on the Native Languages of the Americas site.
Along the line of well-known tricksters is the shapeshifting Loki, a Norse God (or giant, depending on the source), often called the god of strife because of all of the trouble he causes. In most of Loki’s myths, he causes trouble and then sets things right, a pattern that continued until he accidently caused the death of Odin’s son Baldur, and was sentenced to an eternal punishment. For more about Loki, a search of Norse mythology books will render a nice selection of titles.
Tricksters are not limited to Western mythology. They also make their appearances in the Eastern traditions. One such god is Sun Wukong, the Monkey king who always felt slighted by the rest of the Chinese pantheon, mainly because he feared death and desired the longevity afforded to other gods. He eventually managed to achieve this goal by devouring the peaches of immortality while ransacking the palaces of heaven. This stunt resulted in an ongoing battle that lasted longer than the gods of heaven expected, causing the Jade Emperor to call in Buddha for assistance, who eventually trapped Sun Wukong under a mountain for five hundred years.5
Sun Wukong is often associated with the size-shifting Hindu god, Hanuman. Hanuman is one of the most popular gods in the Hindu pantheon. He is worshiped as a symbol of devotion, vigor, and determination. Hanuman appears in the ancient Indian text the Ramayana as Lord Rama’s devoted partner. Hanuman is best known for leading a monkey army to defeat the demon king, Ravana who had kidnapped Rama’s wife Sita. In the battle, Hanuman managed to burn Ravana’s city to the ground using trickery.
When Hanuman scouted Ravana’s home to find Sita, he was captured by the evil king. To punish Hanuman, Ravana had his people set fire to the monkey god’s tale. By this point, Hanuman had had enough of Ravana’s cruel tricks, so he grew to an enormous size, swishing his tail back and forth until he managed to set fire to all that Ravana cared for. Hanuman’s part in the Ramayana teaches us to face our trials with aplomb and work to conquer obstacles of any size. Perhaps a more appropriate trickster from the Hindu pantheon would be Krishna, the butter thief.
Krishna is the eighth incarnation of the god Vishnu. A playful and flirtatious god, Krishna is often associated with theft, first of ghee (Indian butter) when he was a child and later a thief of hearts.
The Japanese Bake-danuki is a big-bellied, well-endowed, sake-drinking mischievous god depicted in statuary meant for good luck. These creatures are a personified version of the Japanese raccoonlike dog, the danuki and are similar to the Japanese and Chinese fox lore in which there is much information to be had about these animals’ abilities to perform magic, shape shift, cause mischief, and possess people. Tricksters are not simply fools or troublemakers. They tend to be nonconformists who like to shake things up. Much like a fox holds a separate line in the Canidae family (the vulpini), tricksters are often on the outside of society. Lewis Hyde put it best when he pointed out that “trickster is a boundary crosser,”6 pointing out that tricksters will cross boundaries and break societal rules. They often are capable of shifting shape physically and will blur the boundaries of what is right and wrong, moral and immoral often with seemingly little reasoning.
That is certainly what if felt like three years ago when my son and I crossed Fox. When asked why he did not run when the fox approached, Theo said he thought it was a cat or small dog and did not realize it was a wild animal. Foxes do have feline qualities. They are smaller than most dogs, and most certainly foxes, coyotes, and wolves and have lush coats and full tails giving them an alluring appearance. Gray foxes are capable of climbing trees, a trait not often associated with others of its species. They are known for being wily and tricky, capable of sneaking through farms at night and stealing chickens or chasing cats. They slink through the shadows as if moving through the thin veil between our world and another, or maybe simply the wild and the domesticated.
We visited a wild animal park not long after the attack so my children could see foxes that are not sick. The gray fox there was tame and ran right up to the fence. I thought Theo would be frightened, but he held his hand out, stronger from his previous encounter. Theo still has the scars that show he was marked by Trickster and we have all decided that there is much to learn from Fox. In fact, we can all learn something about stepping beyond the boundaries of conformity on occasion.
Ritual to Honor Trickster
There are many ways to honor Trickster in our lives. It can be attending a rally to stand up for what you believe in—even if that is not the status quo. It can mean taking a chance on something that might not pan out. One could take a stand on their Facebook wall that will certainly spark a debate. It could mean challenging oneself to try a hobby that might seem off the wall to others. Or it could simply mean playing a good-old harmless practical joke on a family member or friend. I once got a long laugh out of super-gluing quarters to the entryway floor. Each of my children tried in vain to hoist them up, but didn’t want to ask for help for fear that they might have to share.
Here is a short ritual to honor your Trickster of choice. The best time is a Tuesday during a New Moon in Leo.
Tools Needed:
Yellow candle
Quarter candles, appropriately colored and anointed if need be
High John (for confidence) anointing oil
Charcoal block and incense burner
The following herbs to be burned:
Clove for stimulation
Fennel for vitality
Ginseng for rejuvenation
A piece of paper with what aspect of (or which) Trickster you wish to honor written out clearly. This may take some time to produce. This step is necessary to complete before the ritual because Trickster cannot always be trusted, and it is not wise to leave it up to the elements to make this choice for you. For the first invocation, you may want to simply ask Trickster to plant the seed of playfulness or ability to step off the well-worn path to find your own journey.
A vessel in which to place burning paper
A cup or glass of water in case you need to put out flames
An offering for when you close the ritual. This will take a bit of research to discover what libation each Trickster prefers. For example, eggs are suitable for Fox, ale for Loki, and sake for Bake-danuki.
Instructions: Set up your space. Place the vessel to hold burning paper between where you will sit and the yellow candle.
Call the quarters and cast the circle as you normally do.
Anoint the candle and place it in a holder.
Light the charcoal block and sprinkle the herbs on the charcoal.
Place your paper in front of you and light the candle.
Read out what or who you are invoking.
Spend some time contemplating walking the boundary. I like to imagine I am walking in a circle around the boundary and issue that I know will be challenging because I will have to break the status quo to find any satisfaction.
When you are ready, imagine that you are stepping over the line.
Light the paper from the candle and drop it in the prepared vessel. So mote it be.
Allow the candle to burn down.
Offer your libation.
Close the circle and thank the quarters.
A trickster doesn’t just play tricks or behave in an unconventional manner. They also challenge the norms that we live by and allow us to develop new ideas and experiences. They can bring a deeper understanding to our magical workings as well. Trickster is not afraid to keep trying new things as even when he fails, he returns to try again. A lesson we can all use.