The Cunning Little Vixen

“Excellent, my sweet. Give me here those buds.” The imp grabbed one sand and blew it on the flowers. The petals turned a lavish shade of grey and the vixen smiled and ran off to the stone cabin of the stag. She knocked three times and called to the stag. When he emerged he asked if she had found the flowers. She presented the silver beauties and the stag crooned with joy. The vixen gave a look from east to west but did not see the honed one. “I shall return dear stag.” The vixen left the stag there, only to soon come upon a fawn. The fawn said to her: “Has fallen down a well, lovely vixen. The horned one calls for you.” The vixen raced through the brush and sticks and ran for hours she came across a spider’s web on the ninth hour and said: “Great black widow, where is the well that traps my beloved?” “Down the hill and through those mountains, my dear vixen.” The vixen ran down the hill and through the mountains and then came across a monkey wearing a bright red vest. “Agile ape, where is the well that traps my…

Nick Wilde, the main character in Disney’s Zootopia, is cunning and driven. He’s a red fox, and his portrayal in the film isn’t as far off from historical beliefs of foxes as one might expect. Throughout history, foxes have been seen in various environments, come in different shapes and sizes, but have retained a well-known reputation as clever. In Europe during the Dark Ages and Renaissance, foxes were portrayed as tricksters or those of fraudulent behavior, according to Janetta Benton’s Holy…