The Encyclopedia of Superstitions
Country people have always admired foxes for their cleverness and courage even though they disliked them for their raids upon the poultry-yard. The folk-tales of every country where they are found testify to this fact, from remote times down to our own. In some parts of Europe, a fox's tongue was worn as an amulet to make the wearer bold; in others, the same effect was achieved by cooking and eating it.
The fox was one of several creatures into which it was once believed that witches could, and did, turn themselves at will. In England, the witch-animal was more usually the hare, but there are a number of fox-stories also. As late as the end of the nineteenth century, the people of Kirtlington in Oxfordshire spoke of a local woman who transformed herself thus. A fine fox was often seen near her house and was frequently hunted, though never with success. On one occasion, the hounds were so close behind it that escape. On one occasion, the hounds were so close behind it that escape seemed impossible, but the hunted beast made a sudden turn and rushed into the witch's house. When, a few seconds later, the huntsmen followed it, there was nothing to be seen but a woman sitting quietly by her fireside.
Certain families in Ireland were traditionally said to be descended from foxes, as others there, and in Scotland, were supposed to be descended from wolves or seals. Such fox-families were warned of a coming death by the appearance of many foxes round their house. It is perhaps because of this legend that in other parts of Britain a fox entering or coming close to a house is thought to be a death omen.
Welsh people think it lucky to meet a single fox, but unlucky to see several together. A Lincolnshire belief recorded in Folk-Lore concerning Lincolnshire (1908) is that if anyone is bitten by a fox, he is marked for death within seven years.
An old method of drawing out an obstinate thorn embedded in any part of the human body was to lay a fox's tongue on it. This had to be done at night, just before going to bed. In the morning, the thorn would have come out, even though it had previously resisted every attempt to extract it by the use of poultices or other remedies. A cure for whooping-cough was to put down a dish of milk where a fox could drink it, and then to let the patient drink what was left when the fox had finished. The same charm worked equally well with milk given to ferrets.
In many parts of England, it is still firmly believed that foxes dispose of their fleas periodically by taking a piece of sheep's wool in their mouths and wading with it into a pond or stream until only their noses are above water. The fleas, to escape drowning, take refuge on the wool, and the fox then lets it fall into the water, thus ridding himself of these pests.
This curious piece of natural history is found in numerous districts, and many countrymen assert that it is quite true. In Oxfordshire recently, one man said that, because there are no sheep in this part of the country, the local foxes use bunches of dry grass instead of wool. He had, he said, 'seen 'em at it, scores of times'. What exactly he, and other eye-witnesses have seen is not clear, but faith in this vulpine manoeuvre is still very common.
Text from The Encyclopedia of Superstitions, by E. and M.A. Radford, edited and revised by Christina Hole (Helicon Publishing, 1995)
