The Red Fox in Folklore and Literature

Near every kind of animal has been featured in stories, whether through folklore or literature, and the red fox is not exempt from this.  The common theme of foxes in these tales is that they are represented as intelligent and cunning.

For example, in the very old Aesop's Fables, a compilation of stories that feature animals with human characteristics and teaches morality, emotions, and behavior.  In over the 600 stories in the Fables, the fox is a main character in 51 of them.  One of the stories is The Fox and the Crow, where a fox tricks a crow with food to drop it due to flattery.  These story shows how the fox takes a side route to reach its goals, rather than confront an issue head on, and uses trickery, cleverness, and deceit to attain its goals.  This idea of foxes is prevalent in most of the fables with foxes, and is probably the influence for the thought that foxes are smart and cunning.

George Flyer Townsend
1867

In Europe, there was a fox character named Reynard (various names over different countries) who was often portrayed as a Robin Hood type antihero in a world of animals.  The stories start in the mid 1100's and go through to the present, although they are not very frequent anymore.  These stories are often satire of the country that the story is created in.  Originally, they were written in England and were reference to the clergy and noblemen who ran the country (featured as other animals), and the commoners' day to day lives and struggles.  Reynard has left a strong impact on literature, as seen by the character lasting for near a millenia, and his impact can be seen in more recent years in the Disney movie "Robin Hood", books, such as The Magician King, and even in music.

By: Michael Rodenge
1869

Sources:
http://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/red_fox.html#film
http://www.taleswithmorals.com/aesop-fable-the-fox-and-the-crow.htm
http://mythfolklore.net/aesopica/townsend/95.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynard